Deep in the Badlands, miles from where Kyra and her companions were safely sheltering in a cave, Queen Chrysalis paced the floor of her new throne room impatiently. It had been almost three days since she and her soldiers had kidnapped Twilight Sparkle, and so far they had been unable to make much progress. Twice already the Elements of Harmony had almost escaped, and both times her Changelings had been able to prevent it only at the last moment. It seemed that as long as the Elements were together, they were almost impossible to subdue.
As long as they were together.
Chrysalis stopped beside one of the windows. "Thorax!" she yelled.
Moments later, Thorax had alighted in front of her.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Take a few others and head to the dungeons," Chrysalis said. "Separate the prisoners into different cells. While you're at it, see to it that they will not try to escape again."
The soldier's eyes widened slightly. "Yes, my Queen. Is there any way in particular you'd like us to do it?"
Chrysalis world on the guard, teeth bared in a terrifying snarl that would have had most ponies cowering on the ground in fear. Thorax was hardly effected though. He had served the Queen a long time, and was used to her feral temper.
"Any way you want to!" she growled. "Break their legs, their wings, their horns! I DON'T CARE HOW YOU SUBJEGATE THE ELEMENTS, JUST DO IT, AND DO IT NOW!"
"Right away, Your Highness!" Thorax said, before quickly flying away.
Before he exited the throne room, Queen Chrysalis called to him again.
"Wait!"
Thorax halted and turned around, looking at his queen expectantly.
"When you're done, bring Princess Twilight Sparkle to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
With that the guard left. Queen Chrysalis resumed pacing. Outside the window, lightning flashed across the sky, and an ominous rumble of thunder soon followed. Far below in the prison cell they shared, the Elements of Harmony sat huddled together. Rainbow Dash sat leaned against Apple Jack, exhausted. The orange Earth pony hadn't fared much better. Large bruises marked both mares' bodies - evidence of how hard they had fought to be free of their captors. Now, as Apple Jack sat with a foreleg around her friend's shoulders, the one silver lining she could find was that the Changelings they'd fought had come off far worse than they had. Well, that and the fact they were all still together. For the moment.
Across from them, Fluttershy had sat bolt upright from the thunder and was now shivering uncontrollably. Pinkie Pie sat next to her. Even though she too was exhausted, she still made an effort to comfort her skittish friend.
"It's okay, Fluttershy," she said. "It's just thunder."
"Well, I for one have had enough of being held prisoner like this!" Rarity said. "Really, whatever they're planning, I'd wish they'd just get on with it instead of sticking us in a cell."
At this point Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, looking over at Twilight, who was seated nearest the bars of the cell.
"Can't you use your alicorn magic to get us out of here?" Rainbow Dash said impatiently, though the words came out weaker than she'd intended. It worried Twilight, seeing her like this. If Rainbow Dash was so weak that she couldn't summon the energy for impatience, they were all in major trouble.
"I've been trying to." Twilight's expression was troubled. "I think Chrysalis has some sort of enchantment on this castle that saps magic. Look."
Summoning her magic, Twilight tried once again to teleport her and her friends out of their predicament. Unfortunately, as with the other times she had tried it, her horn only glowed for a brief couple of seconds before going out. It frustrated Twilight to no end, thinking that her power was of no help in this situation. So much for being the Element of Magic, she thought bitterly.
Still, Twilight knew they had to think of a way out, and fast. They couldn't just sit here. Not when Chrysalis was undoubtedly planning something horrible. She turned to Pinkie Pie.
"Do you think you can tunnel your way out through the rock?"
"I think so." Pinkie looked at Twilight, slightly confused. "What are you thinking, Twilight?"
Before Twilight could answer, there came the sound of footsteps on the stairs leading down into the dungeon. Instantly the group fell silent, their bodies tensing in preparation for a fight. Beside Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack's grip tightened defensively around her friend's shoulders. However, it soon became clear that only one Changeling was coming. While slightly relieved that there weren't more, Twilight and the others didn't drop their guard. As the Changeling stepped up to the bars, Twilight stood up and flared her wings out in a defensive posture, glaring at him with suspicion.
Thorax took a deep breath. What he was about to do was risky. Hell, it might end in flames, but at this point, Thorax didn't care. His kind deserved better than serving a mad queen, and Thorax did have followers in this hive. Maybe helping these six ponies was the best way to take a step in the right direction to bring his kind out of centuries of being feared by ponykind.
"Twilight Sparkle?" he said cautiously.
"Yes?" Twilight answered testily. "What do you want?"
"My name is Thorax," the Changeling said. "I can help you and your friends get out of here."
Behind Twilight, Rainbow Dash scoffed loudly. "Oh, sure you can!"
Thorax narrowed his eyes slightly. "Well, do any of you have any better suggestions?"
When none of the ponies answered, he looked at Twilight again. "Please. I know you have no reason to trust me. But by working together, I believe we may be able to help each other."
"How?" Twilight asked.
"You need to get out of here and stop Chrysalis, and I need to convince the rest of the hive that we shouldn't serve her anymore. This may seem hard to believe, but not all Changelings like the idea of world domination and being feared by ponies. Some of us really wish there was a better way. But as long as Chrysalis is in charge, we'll never be free. They're simply too afraid to oppose her." He sighed. "I only want the best for my kind. They deserve so much better than to be seen as monsters."
"D'you honestly expect us to believe that sob story?" Apple Jack said.
Thorax sighed. "No. But let me ask you this: What choice do you really have?"
Twilight was silent for a few minutes before answering.
"What do you have in mind?"