The Flames of the Phoenix

by FrostTheWolf

21- To Where Now?

When it comes to the Apple Family, the most important thing that they valued aside from honesty was hard work. If you worked at Sweet Apple Acres for a day, you would come to learn that the ponies that tended to the orchard did not cut corners. That there was a difference between simply doing a job and doing a job correctly. Ponyville counted on the Apple Family not to make mistakes during the time of harvest, and it was their responsibility to make sure they didn’t let Ponyville down.

Though, for two of the newer residents on the orchard, adjusting to this was much trickier than anticipated. First, there was Maeve. Ever since she somehow ended up in this world and finding herself to be much younger than she was before, Maeve had to steal and pickpocket in order to get herself out of the pirate docks of Horseshoe Bay. Heck, there were times where she stole something out of sheer impulsivity. 

Though, ever since she began to stay at Sweet Apple Acres, Maeve always found it difficult to help out around the orchard. She didn’t have the body strength to kick trees and make apples fall off the branch like that of Big Macintosh, so the only real thing that she could do was either get any apples that were still clinging to the branches or help count out all the apples in each of the baskets… while also resisting the temptation to take any for a light snack.

The second resident that found adjusting to life on Sweet Apple Acres was Amaryllis. For the changeling, it was mainly because she had to maintain her transformations and doing so for long periods of time was exhausting. Even though the Apple Family was okay with letting her live here, she was more concerned about if anypony else found out about her being a changeling. Even with the support of Ember, many creatures had a negative impression of her species after the Canterlot Wedding. So how exactly would she try to convince anypony else otherwise?

Today though was a rather calm one. Big Macintosh was helping Granny Smith bring the apples that were harvested earlier to the Ponyville market and Apple Bloom was with her friends on ‘official Cutie Mark Crusader business’. Which left Ember, Applejack, Maeve and Amaryllis to watch over the barn while they were gone. As they were doing some chores around the house though, that was when Applejack decided to mention something. “So, ah heard something from Twilight the other day. It was… a bit strange and kinda had me thinking of Amaryllis.”

That statement had the others curious, but most especially the changeling as she looked back towards the earth pony. “Oh really? And what exactly could that be?”

“Well, if ah remember correctly, the Crystal Empire welcomed a changeling as an official citizen last week.”

That statement alone almost had Ember lose her grip on the cider stein that she was drying as she looked back at Applejack, “You’re serious? An actual changeling?”

“From the sounds of it, yeah,” she nodded, “Granted, they’re not like Amaryllis, but based on what Twilight told me, they seem to want to learn how to share love among others rather than just steal it for themselves.”

“Well, that part is definitely familiar,” Amaryllis added on now as the changeling poured a glass of apple cider for herself, “Did you happen to get a name at all?”

That part had the farm pony a bit puzzled before she began to scratch her chin, “Ah remember her saying one, but it ain’t easy to remember. Ah think it was… thor… Thorn or something? When Twilight said her name, Trixie accidentally set off some fireworks from her wagon, so ah only managed to get a piece of it.”

“Well, it doesn’t sound like any name I would know,” Amaryllis sighed, “Must be part of Chrysalis’ brood then.”

“Uh… what’s a brood?” Maeve now decided to speak up, using one of her throwing daggers to peel an apple she was holding.

“You know how some animals are in large groups? Like a pack of wolves or a flock of birds?” Amaryllis’ question was followed by a nod from all three of them as she continued to speak, “It’s like that. There’s always a queen or king to lead the others and those that are in the brood are considered their children.”

“Really? Ah thought a bunch of changelings were called a swarm. Is that not true?” Applejack now asked.

“That’s actually rather specific,” the changeling continued, “To us, a swarm of changelings is used as more of a military term rather than anything else since changeling battle tactics are about overpowering foes in mass numbers. It’s like how a group of equestrian soldiers in the guard would be referred to as a platoon,” as she finished speaking, Amaryllis then turned towards Maeve, “Does that answer your question?” 

“I… think it does,” the thief then replied back, cutting through the apple and making slices as a new question formed in her head, “Though… sorry if this sounds a bit… personal kitten, but were you part of a brood? Like before you met Emmy?”

That had the changeling take another sip of her drink, before letting out another sigh as she looked towards her. “Once, yes. In fact, the brood I was born into was the same as Chrysalis. Both of us were highly regarded by the queen at the time. However, when she passed away, both of us had different opinions on how we should help our species,” she paused, followed by another drink, “I was forced out and found Ember afterwards. I tried to come back and show them that we didn’t have to steal love to survive, but they just didn’t believe it. That was years ago… and look where it’s gotten them now.”

“Well, at least this changeling’s trying to do the right thing, right?” Applejack now asked.

The changeling shrugged its shoulders, “Perhaps. Though, in my experience, actions speak louder than words. You can say one thing, but only when your actions match your words will people start to believe you.”

“You had me believe you,” Ember told her as she finished drying the last few dishes and sat next to her, “And it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“Aw, isn’t that just purrfect,” they heard Maeve say, just before she realized how exactly it came out as she nervously looked around the room, “Uh… s-say, do any of you know where the cider is? I think I’m thirsty.”

Now it was Applejack who spoke up as she crossed her front hooves and looked toward the young girl. “Aren’t ya a bit too young for-”

“Top left pantry door, near the stove,” Amaryllis cut her off. Something that surprised both Applejack and Ember, but Maeve just smiled as she immediately worked her way to the cabinet to pour herself out a glass. While also being careful to not step on anything in the process.

“Sugarcube, are ya sure that’s a wise choice?” Applejack asked. Yet before she could continue, she noticed Amaryllis hold up a hoof. Almost as if to tell her to ‘wait for it’. As if on cue, just as she had started drinking, her eyes widened. Jumping off the counter, Maeve immediately bolted for the sink before spitting out everything she almost swallowed.

“W-What the hell!? That wasn’t cider at all!” she snapped.

“Actually, it is,” Amaryllis grinned as Maeve looked towards her, “Yet, it’s something new that I was trying to make. It’s still Apple Cider, but it doesn’t have any alcohol,” as she said that, the changeling looked towards the farm pony as she let out a smile, “I remember when you told me about how some ponies end up making stupid decisions after having too much cider. So, after talking about it with Granny Smith a couple of days ago, I’ve been trying to come up with a non-alcoholic kind of cider.”

As she finished, the changeling looked back towards Maeve again as she had a new question for her. “Besides, aren’t you a bit young to be drinking?”

That had Maeve twitch for a moment, before she shook her head and glared back at the changeling, “Do you even know how old I am?”

“Come on, dear. It’s highly inappropriate to ask a lady about their age,” Amaryllis teased, almost as if she was quoting Rarity when she was speaking.

“If the circumstances were different, then I would agree with you,” Maeve grumbled, “Yet, things are a bit different from what I’m used to, kitten. It feels like you forgot I was Emmy’s mother.”

“I didn’t forget,” the changeling told her as she let loose a smile, “I just find it amusing to watch you when you’re agitated.” That just had Ember chuckle a bit, with Applejack finding it only a little bit amusing. Though, it took a bit in order for Maeve to calm herself back down, especially after learning that Amaryllis was only doing this just for her own amusement.

It was days like these that Ember enjoyed the most. In the presence of family and not having to constantly watch her back for anyone that tried to harm her. Though, it was as she looked out into the forest far beyond that of Ponyville, uncertainty began to settle in.

It was something that Applejack soon noticed as she looked at Ember, before tapping her with a hoof to get her attention. “Hey, Aunt Embah? Are ya alright? Ya were kind of staring off into space.”

The mancer blinked, shaking her head as she stopped her train of thought before looking back at the farm pony, “Huh? Oh… sorry, I just…” Ember stopped, taking a moment to adjust herself as she straightened the scarf that was around her neck, “Do you ever feel like, even though everything looks normal, something is watching you?”

Applejack shook her head, unsure about what Ember was talking about as she looked back to her aunt, “Can’t say that ah have, sugarcube. Why do you ask?”

Ember was unsure how to respond back. She could try to play it off like it was no big deal, but then Applejack would know that she’s trying to hide something. So, the mancer tried to answer her question the best that she could. “I was just wondering. That’s all.”

Though, in the back of her mind, the mancer had a feeling that something was already happening. Where no amount of precaution could prepare her for what was coming.

Over the next several days, Ember’s anxiety from before did not cease. Despite a lot of good things happening in Ponyville and with those she cared about the most, the feeling that something was wrong didn’t go away. Sleep didn’t do much to help her either. While everypony else would see sleep as a peaceful dream or find themselves in a haunting nightmare, sleep for the mancer felt more like a long transition between night and day as she circled through memories. Both good… and bad.

It was on one of these evenings, at the stroke of midnight, that she got an unexpected wake up call. “Ember? Ember, are you there? Wake up, please.”

Immediately, Ember was awake as she rose up in her bed. She placed a hand on her head as the mancer was slowly coming to her senses in the dimly dark bedroom. Thankfully, Amaryllis was still asleep and she wasn’t disturbed by Ember’s sudden wake up call. “Philomena? W-Why are you waking me up so early-?”

“T-there’s something going on here and I can’t find Celestia or Luna anywhere. Come to Canterlot, but don’t tell anyone where you are going.”

Before Ember could even ask for clarification, Philomena’s voice was gone. The mancer knew that the phoenix would contact her as a way to keep in touch, but this time it sounded like she was in danger. If that was the case, and she couldn’t find either of the princesses anywhere, then there was no time to waste.

Quickly, she rose up from the bed and got her clothes before proceeding to get changed out of her sleepwear and into her regular attire. After putting on her clothes, she tied her hair up in a ponytail before wrapping her scarf around her neck and putting on her wrist bands next. The last thing she needed to do was get her sandals, which were by her side of the bed.

Though, as she stepped out of the bathroom, Ember soon realized that she wasn’t the only one who was awake, “Leaving so soon, Emmy~?”

Despite Ember’s best efforts to remain quiet, Amaryllis was now awake and sitting up against the back of the bed. Which had the mancer let out a sigh as she looked back at her wife. Even though Philomena specifically told her to not tell anyone where she was going, it would feel wrong to outright lie to Amaryllis. “Sorry that I woke you up, Ama. Philomena needs me to come to Canterlot. She thinks something’s wrong and can’t find either Celestia or Luna.”

“Really now?” Amaryllis asked, “I know that this phoenix is important to you, but-”

“It’s not just that, Ama. She sounded… scared,” Ember explained some more, “Can you sense her emotions from here? I know that you sensed Discord from here, but I wasn’t sure how far away you can sense someone.”

“I can most certainly try,” the changeling tried, her horn lighting up with magic as she closed her eyes, “Hmm… it does look like there’s a bit of fear and anxiety. Though… no no, that can’t be right.”

That had the mancer raise an eyebrow as she looked back at Amaryllis, “What isn’t right?”

“What I’m sensing, it’s… not normal,” the changeling explained, “Anytime that I sense emotions of multiple creatures in a city, the emotions I get are various and different. Though, aside from your friend and three… others, the emotions I’m feeling in that city are almost the same.”

“The same?” that had caught Ember off guard, especially since this was the first time that she had seen her wife act this way in a long while, “What do you mean?”

“What I’m sensing is hatred… hunger… wanting to fulfill desires. Almost like-” she stopped, cancelling the spell as she tried to make sense of everything, before looking back at Ember, “This might be… much bigger than either of us realize.”

“Ama, are you okay? What is it?”

“What I felt… were the same emotions that other changelings would feel… those like Chrysalis,” Amaryllis told her, before getting out of bed as she trotted over to Ember and placed a hoof on her shoulder, “If what I saw is true… then please be careful. The last thing that I want is for you to end up being-”

“That won’t happen,” the mancer assured her, going as far as to pull the changeling in for a hug to calm her down, “I don’t go down without a fight… if anything does happen, you’re the first to know. Just… make sure nothing happens to Maeve. I know she says that she can handle herself, but… just look out for her, alright?”

Amaryllis nodded, before giving Ember a kiss as the mancer stepped outside, disappearing in a small flash of flame. Leaving the changeling to watch over the residents of Sweet Apple Acres… and hoping that her fears don’t become reality.

The dimly lit alleyways of Canterlot were quiet as soldiers from the royal guard were seen patrolling throughout the city streets. Many ponies who lived in Canterlot were either already in their homes or they were staying at a lodge or tavern. All was quiet tonight as the light of the moon shined over the city.

Yet, that did little to ease Philomena’s worries. She had tried to fall asleep, but something felt off to the phoenix. There never was this many guards patrolling the city at night, but now they were everywhere. Almost as if the city was on a lockdown. The fact that she couldn’t find Celestia or Luna anywhere either did little to ease her worries. Something was clearly wrong, and yet, the phoenix couldn’t tell what the problem was.

It was as she was processing this that she heard a few voices from outside the door. Voices that sent a chill down her spine. “C-come on, how much longer do we have to keep this up before we can feed-?”

“Shut it, Maxilla,” a second voice snapped at the first, “If you don’t want to end up with those three morons that are in the caves, then we better get this done. The other swarms are almost finished doing their parts of the plan. Now we just need to hear back from the team in Ponyville and tie a few loose ends in Canterlot before we could really be done here.”

Swarms? Plans? Loose Ends? None of these things made any sense to Philomena. The fact that the voices were unfamiliar to her and there was a hornet like buzzing from them only made her even more on edge.

“What ‘loose ends’ Tarsus? You always say that, but never tell us what exactly that means,” the first voice protested, “H-how are we supposed to do our job when you-?”

“Are you forgetting who was chosen to lead this swarm?” the voice that belonged to ‘Tarsus’ retorted back, “My orders come from the queen. You are to follow me, no questions asked. Abandon reason, or you’ll become an outcast with nothing to feed on and nothing to help you survive. Do I… make myself clear?”

Philomena definitely did not like the sound of that. Especially with what she just heard just now. Was this some kind of nightmare she was in? The last time she remembered anything involving a queen was the disaster that was the Canterlot Wedding invasion with the changeling queen. Were they… referring to her?

“Thought so,” she heard Tarsus say again, “Now, the last thing we need to do involves that pet the princess keeps in her quarters.”

“W-what, the bird? Why?” Maxilla then asked.

“It’s not just a bird, you fool. It’s a bucking phoenix! If we don’t deal with it now, then it can cause the entire plan to crumble. Not just that, but if the swarm in Ponyville isn’t done with capturing the ponies that can wield the elements of harmony and the phoenix gets away, then it can alert them of Chrysalis’ plans!”

Now Philomena was beginning to realize what was happening. If the two voices that were outside were indeed changelings… and if what they were saying is true, then everypony else in the city could be one too. Not to mention that the princesses could already be captured by them. She needed to find a way out of here and warn somebody of what was happening.

Yet, as she began to fly idly with her wings, the perch that she was resting on fell onto the floor. Which, to her, wasn’t good at all. “W-what was that?”

“That came from inside. Either somebuggy is sneaking around in there or the princess’ pet is awake,” she heard from the other side of the door, “Help me get this door open now!”

“Ember, please hurry! Quickly,” the phoenix said mentally, hoping that help would arrive soon. She tried to push herself through the window overlooking the courtyard, but it was already closed up. Philomena then turned towards the door that the two on the other side were trying to barge through and sent a flame towards the handle as it began to overheat. 

“Gah! Son of a-! Okay, that bird’s ticking me off!!” she heard Tarsus from the other side, just before a giant hole was blasted through the door where the handle once was. Two more blasts were fired at the hinges that held the door up as it crashed on the ground. At first, it looked like there were two royal guards on the other side of the door. Yet, as they trotted in, their appearances began to flicker away as it showed two changelings in front of her.

As they were about to channel their spells and try to capture her though, that was when Philomena’s prayers of help were answered. “On your left, Philomena.”

In an instant, the glass shattered on her left hand side as her caretaker, Ember, crashed into the room. Flames at the ready as the mancer glared at both changelings.

“W-what the hive?! W-who’s that-?”

“Who cares! Get her-!!”

Before either of the changelings could react, Ember struck first. With a motion of her hands, the mancer unleashed a blast of flame that repelled the first changeling’s best attempts to cast any spells at her. Then, she sweeped the legs on the first changeling before grabbing its head and slamming it into the ground.

“Tarsus!!” the second changeling, Maxilla, shouted. Shocked by the recent turn of events as they were shaking in fear. When Ember looked to them, the changeling thought that she was going to kill them. Out of desperation, it began to plead, “P-Please, d-don’t hurt me! I-I’ll do anything!!”

For a moment, Ember paused. Looking down on the drone before turning to Philomena for a brief moment, “Philomena, are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, just… processing,” the phoenix telepathically told her. 

“Do you know any particular reason why changelings would be in Canterlot?” Ember then asked.

The phoenix shook her head as she looked back towards the mancer, “N-no, but I heard those two talk about a plan of some kind. That and how this changeling might be starving. It probably might explain why it didn’t have the strength to fight back.”

“If that’s the case,” Ember then turned towards the changeling, before looking back at the changeling, “Listen… I’m not one for trying to force answers out of people. My friend here told me that you were starving, so… why don’t we make a deal?” With it, she extended her right forearm to the changeling and held it to them. A move that caught the changeling by surprise, “I’ll let you feed from me… in exchange for telling me what you know. The more that you share, the more that you get.”

The changeling was hesitant and scared at first. It looked around the room, then back towards Ember before cautiously putting its fangs to her arm. Contrary to popular belief, Changelings didn’t need to bite a subject in order to feed. Their fangs just simply needed to touch whatever subject they were feeding off of. Ember watched as the fangs began to glow a light green and the color in the changeling’s eyes began to return. 

When the mancer moved her arm away, that was when they began to tell Ember everything. The Queen of the Changelings, Chrysalis, had put a nefarious plan in motion to take over Equestria. Yet, instead of invading Equestria through brute force, their plan was done under the cover of night. Swarms of Changelings were sent to different cities to kidnap every important pony that could potentially ruin their plans, with this swarm in particular capturing Princess Celestia and Luna. From the queen’s perspective, if the princesses and the elements were already captured, then she already won and nothing could hope to stand against her and ruin her plans.

“So that’s why you’re all here…” Ember grit her teeth, before letting the changeling feed off of her again, “Is that everything?”

“W-what?”

“Is that everything?” the mancer repeated herself, “Remember, I’m letting you feed off of me on the premise that you tell me everything that you know. Are there any details that you’re leaving out?”

“The other one mentioned something about there being others in the caves underneath the city,” Philomena added, “Maybe you should ask about that?”

Hearing the suggestion from the phoenix, the pyromancer proceeded to ask just that, “My friend here told me that there were others in the caves below. Would you happen to know something about that?”

“T-They were standing guard in the t-throne room,” the drone replied, “Not a pony, but still a guard. T-Tarsus told us to knock them out and t-throw them in the caves so they couldn’t sound a-any alarms.”

That only made Ember think of one possibility, even though it was one that really made her skin crawl. “Okay, I think that’s everything I need.” Though, it was as she was about to leave that she felt the drone grab hold of her leg.

“P-please don’t leave me here… I-if anybuggy finds out that I told you, I-I’ll have no place to go… The hive will see me as a t-traitor,” the changeling begged, fear in her eyes as she looked back at the pyromancer, “I-I have a sister back home. S-she’s too young to be a fighter, so I v-volunteered in her place. I can’t just leave her behind.”

For a moment, Ember stopped. The way that she was acting almost reminded her of Amaryllis when the mancer first bet her. She looked towards Philomena for a brief moment, before looking at the drone as she got down on one knee, “What’s your name?”

“M-Maxilla.”

“Maxilla, I’m going to need you to do something for me alright?” Ember said, before she had a burning feather form in her hand, “I want you to take this feather to someone I know. They’re right now at Sweet Apple Acres, just south of Canterlot and their name is Amaryllis. If you can be able to tell her everything that you just told me, then I’ll make sure that they’re safe.”

“Y-You will do that?” the drone asked, staring at her in disbelief.

“Absolutely,” she promised, “All I need to know is their name.”

“Are you sure that was a good idea?” Philomena asked as both the phoenix and her caretaker began to make their way through the caverns that were under Canterlot Castle. The phoenix was perched on Ember’s shoulder while she was carefully making her way throughout the underground passage. They were certain that no one was following them, but the two of them were talking by telepathy on the off chance that there were any changelings that were on patrol down here, “I mean, for all we know, she could’ve been lying.”

“I highly doubt that,” the mancer retorted, “Amaryllis taught me a few things about her kind over the years, including how you can tell when a changeling is lying. Plus, out of all possible emotions, there are some that you can’t just simply fake. Maxilla feared for her life and did not hesitate to tell me what was going on. Any other drone would probably refuse out of loyalty to Chrysalis. That’s why I trust her. I just hope that she can reach Ama in time.”

“When I heard her and Tarsus talking earlier, it sounded like they were waiting to hear back from the Swarm in Ponyville. So if that’s the case, then there’s hope that we can be able to warn them.”

“It’s not just that though. If this queen is smart, then she would know about Maeve and the others and have drones try to capture them too. Amaryllis, Big Mac… Caesar… practically anyone that has been to the orchard or has some kind of ‘special gift’ might be a target too because she sees us as a threat to her plans. I just hope that it’s not too late.”

As the two of them continued to work their way through the caves, they passed through many crystals as well as what looked to be an underground rail system that was broken apart. Philomena said that a long time ago, there was a proposal in Canterlot for having miners come down to extract the crystals that were in here, but the project was cancelled on safety grounds after a cave in destroyed most of the tracks that were already built. Remnants of mining equipment were still scattered everywhere as they ventured deeper into the darkened hollow.

Though, it was as they were further in that both of them heard something. A voice. “O-oh, my word… this is… rather concerning.”

“Oh no,” Ember thought to herself. She heard that voice before and knew who it belonged to. Yet, she didn’t want to think about the possibilities as to why she was hearing it now of all times-. “Please don’t tell me it’s who I think it is.”

“What do you mean-?”

“Mmm yes,” another voice spoke up shortly afterwards, “This is quite the predicament that we found ourselves in. If our lord found out about this, she would be most displeased.”

“No, seriously. What exactly do you mean, Ember-?”

“B-Brothers, w-what happened? W-why do my limbs and tail feel so tight and constrictive?! My muscles burn in agony when I try to stretch them out.”

Now felt like the time for Ember to actually see who was there as she walked around the corner. Stuck in a clearing were the three custodes that she had met in the Dragon Lands; Sear, Simmer and Sizzle. They were in the same attire as before, although it looked as if they had sustained some scratches and injuries to their bodies as they were trying to make sense of everything.

“Oh great, it is them.”

“Uh, who exactly are they?” Philomena asked.

“They’re the personal custodes of the dragon lord, Sear, Simmer and Sizzle. I had the… unfortunate privilege of meeting them when I went to visit Torch. The three of them are rather devoted to their jobs. It honestly creeps me out.”

“Is that why they’re… dressed like that? Shouldn’t they wear something… bulkier?”

“Apparently they were able to convince the dragon lord before Torch that they would be more capable of doing their duties like this… Honestly, I rather not even think about it-”

“Mmm, right,” Simmer now muttered at Sizzle’s own debacle, “Though, I must ask. Do either one of you remember what happened before we ended up here?”

“To be honest, the last thing I remembered was those ponies in the royal guard demanded for us to leave immediately and our presence was unwelcomed. Next thing I know, I felt something hit my head and then we found ourselves here,” Sear now spoke up, “Rrgh, we were welcomed here by the princess with open hooves and then her guards treated us like this?! Surely this is the work of that nephew of hers.”

“So disrespectful and BRUTAL at that,” Sizzle now took a turn to speak, “Why, I have half the nerve to bolster my way up there, POUND on the doors of the castle and file a seething complaint with whoever is in charge! Because I have swallowed just as much as I can take from that stubborn bratty prince-!”

Now felt like a better time than any to make her presence known as deep breath let out a deep breath, “Uh, phrasing?”

Immediately, all three dragons turned towards Ember and Philomena. They were caught off guard at first, but after a few seconds, Sear was the first one to speak. “Well, isn’t this surprising. Out of all the creatures in the world that could find us, I honestly did not expect for you to find us down here, ally of Torch?”

“Just Ember is fine,” the mancer told the dragon, “More importantly, what are you three doing here? Shouldn’t you be… I don’t know, assisting the dragon lord?”

“Mhm yes, well that is why we were in Canterlot,” Simmer now spoke up, “You see, we were tasked with sending a message to the princess’ here to help schedule the next diplomatic meeting. Yet, while we were waiting in the grand hall, some rude stallions demanded for us to leave immediately.”

“We tried assuring the stallions that we did not mean any harm, but that didn’t even convince them in the slightest!” Sizzle responded afterwards.

“The next thing we know, all three of us were knocked unconscious and found ourselves in this place. If this is the conduct that the guards take towards foreign visitors, then I must say that it is out of line and entirely inappropriate.”

“Oh, the irony,” Philomena said in response to Sear’s comment as all three of the custodes looked back towards the three of them.

“I can assure you, that’s not how they treat visitors. If anything, what’s going on right now is much more of a problem,” the pyromancer began to explain as she looked back at them, “Before I continue though, let me ask you three a question. Are you familiar with Changelings at all?”

All three of the dragons looked back at one another, before Simmer cleared his throat, “Mmm, not exactly. I mean, we have heard rumors and stories about them, but have never actually encountered any. The only creatures that I am most familiar with are the ones back in the dragon lands as well as ponykind.”

“Some of the rumors that we heard were the most disturbing though,” Sizzle interjected so he could add to the conversation, “Them being able to transform into any creature, feeding off of love and emotions! Eugh! The thought of any of these rumors being true is just sickening.”

“They also are not exactly the most friendly of creatures from what we’ve heard,” Sear now spoke up, “Based on what we’ve heard, it's almost as if society has labeled them as nothing more than parasites. Though, more to the point, how exactly does this relate to our current situation?”

Ember let out a deep breath as she looked back at all three of the custodes, “How about I bring the three of you up to speed while we find a way out of these caves? Because…” the mancer paused, before letting out a deep groan as she continued to speak, “To put this in a way that you three would understand, if what’s going on right now blows out of proportion, then we are screwed. Literally and figuratively. Considering that the Dragon Lands and Equestria are rekindling their diplomatic relationship, I think you three would not want anything to interfere with that, would you agree?”

“Mhm indeed,” Simmer nodded in response as the dragon looked to his companions, “When you put it that way, our lord would most certainly not want that.”

“I can agree with that,” Sear now replied as the mancer and the three dragon began to start walking. “Now, what exactly is going on out there?”

With that, Ember began to explain everything to the trio from the beginning. Not just everything that she had encountered within the last hour, but also important background information that they would more than likely not know about. Information such as Queen Chrysalis, the events of the Canterlot Wedding and her plans for revenge. The mancer also informed them that she was capturing anypony that would be a considerable threat and can foil her plans, while also suggesting that the reason why they were thrown into the caves was because of their meeting with the princesses. Not the meeting itself, but to remove any potential witnesses.

Of course, unlike talking to someone like Amaryllis or Torch, the three dragons took a lot more time in order to try and process the information. Mainly, because Ember had to explain it to them piece by piece after Simmer told her that Sear and Sizzle were known to frequently ask questions. So, she wanted to make sure that everything was explained thoroughly and that nothing was left out. After all, if it came to the point where the only thing standing between Chrysalis and all of Equestria was them, they needed to at least know what was going on.

After they made their way out of the caves, the three dragons decided that it would be better for them to head back to the dragon lands to report everything to their lord. At first, Ember thought that this was a bad idea because the last thing that she would’ve wanted was for them to drag another country into this mess. Though, strangely enough, Sear made one valid point. If they went back, then they could have the dragon lord make sure that no creature from the dragon lands would get themselves wrapped up in this mess. Not to mention that if they were gone too long, she would send some other dragons to try and find them.

Of course, even though Ember herself did not like it, it was Philomena that convinced her to go through with it. The last thing that they wanted was for another nation to send help for a crisis that very few creatures actually knew about. 

Though, after they left, the first thing that Ember did was immediately race over to Sweet Apple Acres. She hoped that Maxilla was able to reach Amaryllis in time, but upon reaching the orchard, the only two ponies that she was able to find were Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. No sign of Amaryllis, Applejack, Big Mac or Maeve anywhere.

It got even stranger when she had Philomena scout out Ponyville from the air. There were no signs of Applejack or her friends anywhere in town or staying at somepony’s house for a sleepover. Even Zecora was still in her hut and sound asleep while Caesar was resting. All of this made Ember uneasy. 

“Philomena, is there anywhere else we should look? Any place at all?” Ember asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

“We still have yet to search inside Twilight’s castle. It’s a long shot, but surely somepony else might be inside. We can’t be the only ones who know about what’s going on.”

The phoenix was right. Someone else should’ve realized that something was wrong. Quickly, she hurried to Twilight’s castle, not even bothering to knock as she flew in from the castle balcony and made her way down to the main floor. Upon landing on solid ground, the mancer found herself in an empty room. Several items were scattered all over the room as Ember began to look around. There appeared to be signs of a struggle, but she couldn’t make out what exactly happened here.

“Ember, I can feel their presence of a few creatures in the castle,”

“How many?” She asked, not even choosing to ask mentally.

“Three,” the phoenix told her, “Two of them are hiding, but the last one… is behind you-”

The second that she turned around, the mancer found herself looking at none other than Amaryllis, who was holding the feather that Ember had given Maxilla earlier. For a moment, things were tense… yet, it was Amaryllis that made the first move as she wrapped her arms around Ember. Hugging her as she let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh dear stars, I was getting worried,” Amaryllis let out a sigh of relief as Ember noticed a tear coming down her face, “I’m glad that you had that drone reach me… otherwise… well, I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if she was too late.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Ember told her back, before looking around a bit, “Wait… Amaryllis… Where’s Maeve?”

That had the changeling let out a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes again. “I tried to stop her, but she went after the changelings that captured Big Mac. She… didn’t come back.”

That was devastating for Ember to process. Chrysalis had done more than simply kidnapped those that would ruin her plans. The queen had gone after those that she saw as her family. She had crossed a line.

“Ember?” she heard the changeling now ask, “What are we going to do?”

“The only thing we can do,” She explained, “Get them back. Yet… this is something that we can’t be able to do alone. We need a group. One that knows what’s going on.”

After she said that, both of them heard what sounded like hoofsteps as Ember turned around and held a ball of flame in her hands, “Who’s there?”

At first, there was silence… followed by a silver shimmer near the window as they could now see two unicorns. The first one had a purple mane with an aquamarine highlight and heliotrope fur with a starburst cutie mark, while the second was an azure unicorn with a pale blue mane and silver stripes with the cutie mark of a wand. “W-who are you?” the first one asked, “A-Are you with the changelings?”

“If you mean the ones that were wandering around earlier, I knocked them out and threw them into a timberwolf den in the Everfree,” Amaryllis responded, followed by a look from Ember that could be best summarized as ‘explain yourself, please’, “I… was still angry that they took Maeve and needed to let my aggression out on something.”

“Well, that’s one way to do so I guess.”

Ember just let out a breath as she looked back at the unicorns. “To answer your question, no. My name is Ember Valkyr,” she introduced herself, before motioning to Amaryllis and Philomena, “This is my wife, Amaryllis and Philomena.”

At the mention of her name, they noticed the eyes of the first unicorn widen, “O-oh my gosh, y-you’re the one Twilight told me about! The caretaker of Philomena,” she let out a sigh of relief, before clearing her throat, “Oh, sorry. I-I’m Starlight Glimmer, Twilight’s student. This is my friend, Trixie.”

“Would it be safe to say that you two have an understanding of what’s going on?” Ember now asked

“More or less,” Trixie spoke next, “Trixie was woken up by her friend, saying that Princess Luna had warned her of this. Yet, when we came here, we found that everypony inside were actually changelings.”

“We came back, thinking that they might have left something behind as to where they had taken everypony,” Starlight added on, “Yet, when we came back, we found you two.”

“Well, at least that’s someone,” Ember told them, “Canterlot is already crawling with changelings and both Celestia and Luna are gone. I convinced one of their drones to tell me what was going on-”

“Wait,” Trixie interjected, “What do you mean by ‘convince’?”

“I offered a starving drone a chance to feed in exchange for them telling me what was going on. That’s how Amaryllis was warned of what was happening,” the mancer explained, “Anyways. Maxilla, the drone, told me that Chrysalis was putting her plan of taking over Equestria in motion. Yet, instead of brute force, she’s taking a different approach by capturing anypony that could potentially foil her plans.”

“W-we heard Chrysalis only mention Celestia, Luna, Twilight and the others though,” Starlight now spoke up, “Maybe Cadence is still safe? We can try to contact the Crystal Empire and-”

“That won’t work.”

All four of them now turned towards the other end of the room as they watched a changeling drone walk in. Trixie shrieked at the sight, but Starlight seemed to recognize who it was. “Thorax!”

“Huh… so he’s Thorax,” Amaryllis said as she looked at the drone, “He… definitely seems different.”

For a moment, Ember watched as Starlight was trying to see if Thorax was really who he said that he was or if he was a changeling pretending to be. Though, him doing an almost identical impression of Twilight seemed to be all that she needed in order to be convinced. Yet, Trixie herself was still a bit scared at the sight of him. The changeling told them that Chrysalis’ swarm had gotten Cadence, Shining Heart, their daughter Flurry Heart and even the Crystaller Sunburst. He was sent to get help from Twilight, only to find out that he was too late.

Though, it was as Thorax looked to Amaryllis that he was thrown off guard. Not just because of seeing another changeling, but because of who it was. “N-no way… You’re… the exiled sister. Amaryllis.”

“Huh… never heard that name in a long time,” Amaryllis looked back to Thorax now as she smiled, “It’s alright. I don’t bite~”

“Ama, be nice,” Ember told her as she walked over to the table in the center of the room.

“Exiled… sister?” Starlight asked.

“It’s a long story,” Amaryllis answered quickly, “And one that we don’t have time for. If we’re going to stop Chrysalis, then we need to hurry and figure out what to do.”

“What can we do?” Trixie then asked, “Everypony we know with powerful magic is gone-”

It was just as she said those words that Ember felt a shift in the air as she looked up. Everyone else then looked up as well, only to see Discord from up top like he was a relaxing cat, “You know, I personally would feel rather offended that you decided to have a conversation about powerful magic and forget to include me,” the draconequus added, before snapping his talons as he began to drink what looked to be a chocolate milkshake, “But I’m more curious about the sudden council of mostly secondary characters. Where are Twilight and the girls-?”

“Taken,” Ember abruptly interjected, folding her arms, “By Chrysalis no less.”

In that brief second, Discord dropped his milkshake as it exploded in a cloud of pink smoke, before dropping from the chandelier and looking at Ember. “They… took Fluttershy?”

“Yes,” the mancer simply answered, “Along with the Princess and members of my family.”

With a menacing look on his face, Discord only asked one question. “Where?”

“The Changeling Kingdom,” Amaryllis said, “Knowing her, that’s the only likely place where she would take them.”

“B-but we don’t even know where that is,” Trixie spoke up, “How-?”

“Let me,” Discord immediately interjected.

“Wait, don’t-!”

With a sudden snap of his talons, everyone found them in a much different location. Instead of standing on a crystalline floor, they were now on solid ground with darkened trees everywhere. Even Philomena was trying to wrap her head around what just happened as she covered her face with her wings.

Though, Discord was more confused by something else. “Huh… that’s strange. I was trying to bring us to Fluttershy, but I don’t see her anywhere.”

“This was what I was afraid of,” Amaryllis groaned, “It must mean that she still has that old throne.”

“Old… throne?” Starlight asked.

“Chrysalis’ throne is made of an ancient dark stone that drains the magic of anything that isn’t a changeling,” Thorax now took a turn to speak, “It goes as far as the border of the kingdom. Meaning that if anyone other than a changeling goes in…”

“You’ll be dried up,” Ember said, just before looking out into the distance as she saw the castle of the changelings, “Well… Guess there’s no point in turning back now.”

Now, the mancer could only hope that her family and friends were okay. Nothing was going to keep her away from them… and if Chrysalis was going to try and stop her, she had another thing coming.