With a low, abrasive creak, the front door of the house opened, and the suspicion-filled face of a Solar Guard poked through the gap, her horn glowing a faint pink light. A freshly-sharpened spearhead was the next thing to enter the house as she took a cautious first step inside. Behind her, a Crystal Praetorian cranked back the bolt on his crossbow before following her inside. Outside, the remainder of the platoon hid in the shadows surrounding the house, weapons and spells at the ready.
The two scouts held their breath as they crept further into the foyer, the floor crackled and clinked underhoof with every step, the tiny purple crystal buds that poked through the floorboards shattering into dust. The light from the Unicorn’s horn illuminated the room nicely, casting the house an eerie glow. The walls were a mixture of cracked, splintered wood and sheets of crystal and there was a thick dusty substance in the air that glimmered like little gems in the light, but there was no movement and no immediate threat.
The two scouts glanced over at each other and nodded. “Clear?”
“Clear.”
The Praetorian moved to the back of the foyer and pressed himself against a wall, pointing a crossbow at one of the two doors that led out from the foyer, while the Solar Guard lifted up her left arm and tapped the Comm-Gem on her fetlock. “Foyer looks clear sir.”
“That’s good to hear corporal,” Shining replied, his voice emerging from a tiny speaker. “You and Flare keep it secure until the rest of us move in. Be vigilant.”
“Acknowledged sir,” the mare replied, lowering her arm and turning to face her companion once more. Her horn suddenly flickered, and the light spell sputtered out, plunging the room in darkness once more. “Aw come on...” she grumbled, tapping her horn in annoyance.
“Twist, what happened?” Praetorian Flare asked, followed by a grunt and the sound of him tripping over something in the dark.
“Stupid light spell’s not working,” Twist replied. “Might be that magical interference again. Fall back to my position, we shouldn’t be separated in the dark.”
There was no response, only the sound of creaking floorboards.
“Flare?” Twist called out, gripping her spear tighter. “Did you hear me? Get over here.”
When her companion didn’t answer once more, she furrowed her brow and tapped her Comm-Gem once more. “Just lost contact with Flare, sir. I’m gonna check it out.”
Static was her only reply.
“Crap...” she murmured, raising her spear in a defensive stance. “Flare, I’m on my way to you, stay where you are.”
She took an experimental step forward, cringing as the crystal buds crunched like glass. She pressed on, trying to avoid as many buds as she could, though it was difficult with her eyes only slightly adjusted to the darkness. Eventually she made it to the back of the foyer, feeling as if she had walked a mile and hearing her heart beating in her ears. Flare was nowhere to be found, although she did smell something bittersweet, and the edge of her right forehoof felt something slick underneath.
After a moment, her eyes adjusted a little more to the darkness, and she chanced a glance down to her hooves, seeing a small splash of something dark and bubbling on the floor, smearing in a trail towards one of the crystal walls, where it ended abruptly.
Flare hadn’t tripped over himself.
Twist’s jaw dropped, the spear quivering in her grasp as she started to inch back towards the front door. “Fall back...fall back...!” she whispered urgently, feeling her heartbeat quicken and her breathing fail. Forgetting decorum and any sense of bravery, she bolted towards the door, only for her eyes to widen in horror as the door closed on its own volition.
Something wet and sharp latched onto her leg, and she felt something curved and even sharper pierce through her armor and into her gut. She sprawled onto the floor with a shriek, the spear slipping out of her grasp and tumbling away as two pairs of dull yellow eyes glared down at her through the darkness. She felt herself being lifted into the air by some unseen force, blood dripping from her as she screamed. Behind her, the crystal wall opened up like the maw of some great beast, more yellow eyes behind it. She saw a flash of shredded Praetorian armor as what was once Private Flare yanked her into the opening in the wall with tremendous strength, his body covered head to hoof with crystals.
With one last shriek and plea for help, the crystal wall closed up once more, sealing the mare inside. There was a pulse of purple light throughout the house, and then there was silence as the two pairs of eyes fled into the darkness.
“Corporal Twist, report,” Flash spoke into his Comm-Gem. “Corporal Twist, Private Flare, please respond.”
“We should’ve gotten the all-clear by now...” Sunburst noted with a hint of worry.
“Yeah...” Shining murmured. “I don’t like this. We’re going in.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Flash questioned. “Somepony or something just got two of our Ponies already.”
“Which is why we need to act now before they take any more,” Shining said grimly, putting his helmet on and holding up a sword with his magic. “Charlie-One, Charlie-Two, secure the exterior. Everypony else, cover the entrances and move in.”
The assembled Ponies moved into position, while Thorax took one last look up at the window where he had seen the eyes before. The eyes were gone now, but he still could feel them on him from somewhere. They were still being watched.
“On three?” Shining said once his team was braced against the wall near the front door. “One, two, three! Breach, breach, breach!”
The four of them burst into the house, weapons and spells at the ready. Nothing was there to challenge them, which only seemed to make the situation worse. There was no sign of the two missing Praetorians.
“Spread out,” Shining whispered. “Check every room and leave no cupboard unopened. Whatever’s going on in this place, I want to find out what it is. Flash, you’re with me.”
Flash nodded and the two stallions stepped through the door Flare had been checking earlier, vanishing into the darkness. Their hoof-falls seemed to reverberate throughout the house before falling into silence. Thorax and Sunburst glanced at each other nervously before going to a second door, stepping through and entering a long hallway covered in crystals. They could hear water dripping from somewhere, and it sent an inadvertent shiver up both of their spines.
“What happened here?” Thorax wondered as he stepped past one of the black crystals, recoiling at the sight of it.
“I don’t know...” Sunburst murmured. “The last time I saw dark crystals was when some of the Palace researchers preserved a few pieces of King Sombra’s old magic for study. But these look different. Almost...otherworldly, I’d say. The magic that they’re exuding feels tainted in some way.”
“T...tainted?” Thorax stammered.
“If I would describe to in words how it felt, it’d probably scare the both of us, so let’s leave it at that, please?” Sunburst replied. As he stepped over a vein of crystals they suddenly sprung to life, pulsating with purple light. “Whoa, back up!”
“What in the...?” Thorax whispered harshly as the purple light spread up the crystals on the walls. The two of them watched as the light continued on its path across the crystals until disappearing around a corner. The hall once again fell into darkness.
“...That...was creepy,” Sunburst gulped.
Thorax didn’t respond.
“...Thorax?” Sunburst turned around, but the Changeling was no longer next to him. Strange, he didn’t hear anything. “Thorax, don’t leave me here! Come on!”
Silence.
“...Buddy...you okay?”
So, the guests were on the move, eh? That didn’t bother him. He had been expecting guests, after all, and he was eager to invite them into his parlor.
He was especially eager to meet the shapeshifter. It had been a long time since he had seen one, not since he had wiped them all out on his world. But this one was different. This one had telepathic abilities, and seemed to be linked to a Hivemind of some sort. Intriguing. He would have to study this creature further to see what made him tick.
The others were interesting as well. Quadrupeds, like his original form. But these were equine, which felt...odd. Fuzzy. Furry. Long, silken manes. Strange, and rather unimposing. But the power! The untapped potential! The magic that coursed through their veins was immense, even for such normal commoners such as these. They didn’t know what they had. They hadn’t delved into the study of magic like he had. He had been taught by masters, and he had surpassed them with his knowledge. He discovered ways to unlock potential in magical creatures that his teachers could only dream about.
And they cast him out for it. Fools. Hypocrites. Medieval peasants. They, like these equines, would learn one way or another how magic was meant to be used. His destiny would be fulfilled, and their fate would be sealed within it.
But for now, he would entertain.
Starting with those outside.
Private Rosy Cheeks yawned as she continued to watch the windows of the house, keeping alert for any movement. So far there was nothing, and even the sounds of the interior search teams had gone silent. It was giving her the willies, but she was a Praetorian, so she kept that nervousness in check.
Still, going into a haunted house at night? She had read that book and seen that film before. Bad idea. What was the Prince thinking?
Inside...
Rosy blinked. Where had that come from?
Come inside.
Rosy shook her head. Bad mind! Heel! She wanted to stay outside. Those were her orders.
Come. Inside.
...On the other hoof, she was curious. Maybe a quick peek wouldn’t hurt?
She made sure nopony was looking her way, and then she took a few steps towards the house. A pair of yellow eyes followed her, although she didn’t notice them. She was focused solely on the door leading into the darkness beyond.
She stepped over a crystal vein, and behind her, it pulsed with purple energy briefly before going dark once more. Then it began to move, slithering up behind her like a snake and coiling around her back fetlocks.
Rosy slammed into the ground before she realized what was happening, knocking her unconscious. The crystal vein lifted her up off the ground, and a hole of shadow opened up below her. The crystal tentacle let go, and she vanished into the pit, a lid of crystal closing up after her.
There was silence for a moment, before a stallion in Solar Guard garb trotted over to Rosy’s former position and looked around. “Rosy?” he asked, drawing near and looking around. “Where’d you go?”
“I’m here...” said Rosy, emerging from the darkness and rubbing her head. “Must’ve dozed off for a second there.”
“Yeah, I feel ya there,” said the stallion, glancing up at the house. “Still, we best be alert. Don’t let the captain catch you dozing off when he comes out of there.”
“Yes...alert, right,” Rosy said with a smirk. Underneath her helmet, purple crystals began to form on her red mane, and her eyes slowly began to turn a dull yellow. She patted the stallion on the shoulder then returned to her post, watching the house with eagerness.
The stallion frowned and then turned away, returning to his patrol. Already the crystals began to grow on his shoulder. Perhaps he should check up on the other exterior guards? Yes, that was a good idea. They’d enjoy his company.
The fake Rosy grinned and then vanished, the crystals in her mane falling to the ground and taking root.
Underground, the real Rosy screamed and writhed as crystal veins dug into her body. They went into her ears, her nose, her mouth, her eyes...her mind...
Welcome to the family, child.
He was relentless. He was too powerful.
Now, let’s unlock that potential, shall we?
His name was...!
Her body shook from a sudden spasm and there was a loud cracking noise in her head, and then she went limp.
Flash and Shining breached another door, pointing their respective weapons through the frame and looking inside. More crystals, and still no sign of anypony alive. That made five doors so far. Just what did a family of three need with such a big house anyway? And what was with these weird crystals everywhere?
“Clear!” Flash announced, lowering his spear slightly.
“Kinda wishing it wasn’t this time,” Shining muttered with a dark chuckle. “At least then we might get some answers.”
“Have you tried doing a scan on those crystals?”
“What do I look like, my sister?” Shining snorted. “I’m a soldier, not a scholar. One crystal’s about the same as the other in my world, although these ones are a little weirder than normal, I’ll give you that.”
“...So you’ve tried, then?” Flash deadpanned.
“Oh yeah.”
Flash chuckled, despite their surroundings. “You’re way too predictable sometimes, you know that?”
“Guess that’s why the Changelings beat us the last time...” Shining murmured.
Flash looked around the room. “Do you still think it’s them?”
Shining shrugged. “I don’t know, this doesn’t feel like them. Cocoons, slime, twisting tunnels, and lots of icky green things, that’s their motif. Not...purple.”
“I suppose...” Flash replied. A flicker of purple light distracted him. “What do you think those weird lights are about?”
“I don’t know, but they give us a little bit of lighting in this place, which is fine by me. I’d rather--”
The walls around them creaked, and hoofs clanked against the floorboards. Which was odd, because hoofs normally didn’t clank.
The two stallions brought their weapons up once more, staring out into the hallway they just came from. Flash held up a wing and made a few silent gestures with his feathers, and Shining nodded. Flash crept up to the wall next to the door frame and peeked out around the corner.
Though the hoof-falls continued, and seemed to get louder, he saw nothing.
When he turned back to let Shining know, he found himself alone in the room. A large hole had silently opened up where Shining was, and the Prince was nowhere to be seen.
The hoof-falls continued, and then suddenly stopped. All Flash could hear was his own heartbeat.
Then they started again, and a grey hoof embedded with purple and black crystals stepped around the corner in front of him. He held his breath and stared at it, not daring to blink. A head poked into the room, covered in the same crystalline material. Its eyes were dull yellow, and half its jaw was missing, replaced by two large purple “tusks” of some sort. It began to look around the room, taking keen interest in the hole where Shining had once stood.
Flash’s eyes widened. It was wearing a Praetorian helmet, and a crossbow was in its other hoof.
The...thing that used to be Private Flare then growled and turned around, creeping back into the hallway.
Flash waited several agonizing moments before finally letting loose a hyperventilating breath as the echoing hoof-falls faded. This was not what he was expecting to find tonight, and now his Prince was missing. He had to get out of here and call for backup. Things were going south far too quickly for his liking.
As he carefully hurried out of the room, three pairs of yellow eyes followed him through the walls of crystal, and then the walls bulged as hooves emerged...
Thorax shivered, not knowing where he was. Wherever it was, it was black. Too black to see anything beyond an inch in front of him. There was also lots of room to walk around, and the ground felt slick. Not wet, but slippery nonetheless, as if he was standing on a giant piece of crystal or ice. He had to use his wings to hover slightly in order to keep his balance.
He didn’t know how he got here, or when. All he remembered was talking with Sunburst one moment, and then he felt something grab him and pull him into the wall, and then...nothing. He woke up in this room, and then tried to call for the others, but his voice failed him. It was a struggle just to breathe, but breathe he did. Whoever or whatever had captured him, he wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing him afraid. He was a Changeling, and all Changelings were proud. They were strong. He was strong. He had friends! They would come for him!
A low chuckle echoed throughout the room as he thought this, and he froze, backing himself into a corner. At least then he’d know where it was coming from. The laughter continued, growing in both mania and malice even as it deepened. it came from all around him, and burrowed into his mind.
Thorax squeezed his eyes shut and whispered a silent prayer to Faust for protection, and once again reaffirmed to himself that he wasn’t alone and that his friends would find him.
Are you sure?
Thorax cracked open an eye and looked around him frantically. “Wh-who are you?!” he croaked out at last. “W-why are you in my head?!”
Wouldn’t you like to know...
A massive headache overcame him, and Thorax cried out, clutching at his head. “Leave me alone! Please!” he screamed, then curled up and whimpered. “Please...don’t kill me...please...”
What are you?
Thorax shook his head rapidly. He wouldn’t tell this abomination anything. The headache turned into a migraine, and his hooves shook.
What. Are. You?!
“No...” he whispered. “I won’t...”
Tell me now, or your friends die.
“No...!”
Are you so eager to cast them aside, shapeshifter? Is that what your kind is? You create friendships and siphon off their kindness towards you, and when you don’t need them anymore, you let them go? Hmhmhmhm, and they called ME a monster. At least I rewarded those who served me well.
“Get out!”
Ahhhh, that’s what it is, isn’t it? Your emotions betray you...Changeling, is it? And your thoughts...such tempestuous turbulence. But you have a map to navigate it. Where does it lead, I wonder? A Hivemind, perhaps? Intriguing. So many souls...so many thoughts. Unclean. Diseased. Vampiric. Wicked. Just like YOU. Why do you hide from your own kind? I wonder...what would happen if I were to shine a light on you?
Thorax whimpered, just as the floodgates opened in his mind.
We can see you now, brother.
So, he finally shows himself.
Is it you?
What have you done?!
Can’t you see we love you, brother?
Thorax?
Where are you?
Traitor!
Betrayer!
Death!
Return!
She commands it!
Miserable Pony-lover!
I miss you, little brother...
Love thief!
A king ‘ling, what--?
Traitor to the Hive!
Can’t you see that we love you?
Oh brother, where art thou?
Don’t listen to them...
We love you, Thorax!
Your sisters miss you, Thorax...
Traitor!
RETURN!!!
And then, just as soon as the voices came, they went silent, and Thorax choked out a breath, his tears splashing against the floor. “Why...why are you doing this...?” he pleaded. “How can you be so cruel?”
Cruelty is in the eye of the beholder, young Changeling. Don’t you want to unlock your True Potential? I can see it within you. I can see it within ALL of you. It is a beautiful thing. I can help you find it, and all you need to do is accept me, accept your brothers, and accept your sisters. We could do great things together, Thorax...
I understand your pain, little brother. Come back to us. She misses you. She desires you back.
Let go...
Thorax sucked in a breath. This was wrong. This creature was evil itself! Thorax was not evil. He was not like the others. He would never be evil again, not while he still drew breath.
Let go.
Come back to us!
Thorax gritted his teeth and snarled. He would not abandon his friends, and they wouldn’t abandon him. He loved them.
LET! GO!
“GET OUT!!!” Thorax roared, suddenly standing and slamming his hooves against the floor. “I don’t know who you are, or where you came from, but I am not evil! I may be a Changeling, but I’m not one of them! I’m not...I’m not a killer! I have done what no other Changeling has done before: I made friends. They give me my strength, and I don’t know how, but I will repay them a thousand times over for their kindness and mercy! I will never let go of them! I love them, and they trust me! I will never go back to the Hive!”
Silence met his ears. The voices disappeared. The Hivemind was silent. He was alone. His thoughts were his once more.
And then...
Fool. You sound just like that pathetic purple whelp...so high and mighty, so hung up on chivalry, morality, and friendship. You are just as disappointing as he was. Very well, keep your friends, for as long as they will last. It won’t matter in the end. Farewell, little Changeling. I look forward to dissecting you when I am whole.
With that, the presence in his mind left him, and Thorax gasped, falling forward on the floor and breathing heavily. He remained in that position for several minutes, feeling weaker than when he was starving for love when he first came to the Crystal Empire.
And yet...he didn’t feel hungry this time. That was odd. He usually felt hungry for love even though he was in an Empire full of the stuff. Something...wasn’t wrong, but wasn’t normal either. He felt...good. Physically weak, but...
...Why was the room glowing a soft green color?
He cracked open his eyes even further and blinked. The glow didn’t go away. Then he realized the glow wasn’t coming from the room itself, but from him. He looked over himself, not noticing anything new at first, until he saw his wings. They were...well, he wouldn’t exactly call himself “beautiful” by any means, but these wings were a fair bit more whole now. Less tattered, more sparkly.
“...That’s new,” he muttered, standing up and fluttering them slightly. They buzzed with newfound strength, and the glow coming off of them felt warm and comforting somehow. As if his friends were right there with him.
He looked around the room, the glow now illuminating it slightly. The room wasn’t as large as he first thought, but it was covered from top to bottom with purple and black crystals in spiralling patterns. It was creepy, and yet the warmth he felt in his chest seemed to alleviate his fear somewhat.
“Heh...guess Princess Cadance was right...love does conquer all,” he said, smiling. Then he winced. “Faust, that was cheesy. I need to get outta here. But first...” He walked over to the room’s door, which seemed to have opened up for him. He narrowed his eyes, defiant against the darkness in front of him. “Gotta find the others.”
He stepped out into the shadowy hallway beyond, and felt no fear. His thoughts were once again his own, and his friends were always with him.
Shining knew he wasn’t falling, but it still felt like he was. How long had it been since he started feeling this way? A few seconds? A minute? A year? A lifetime? It didn’t matter, because however long it was, it never seemed to end. He continued falling...falling...falling...
He suddenly felt himself slamming into something wet and spongy, and he bounced back up again. He let out a groan, and then...stood up. He shook his head and looked down. He was standing in a field of stars, and yet he could feel solid ground beneath him. He tapped a hoof on the floor, hearing the ringing of metal on crystal. Black crystal, he presumed. And yet, he definitely felt something wet. He tapped the floor again, and this time it wasn’t crystal. He lifted his hoof up and saw a black, viscous liquid dripping off of it. Based on the scent, it was ink. He hoped.
And then the ink disappeared, and the floor was crystal again. He sniffed, and confirmed the smell was gone too. The stars around him shifted, and he could now see nebulae and planets, or at least, he thought he did. They shifted too fast for him to get a clear look at them. But he did see one planet that looked like it was in the middle of being blown to pieces, and a purple glow was emanating from it in waves.
Then the stars shifted again back to their original positions, and he blinked, and suddenly the floor below him became more opaque, although the field of stars remained above him. There was some very powerful magic at work here.
For a simple corn plantation, this place was messed up.
Ah, a sense of humor, I like that.
“Who said that?” Shining demanded, whirling around as the voice echoed around him. The field of stars moved with him.
Why don’t you try to find me? Perhaps then I’ll reward you with my name. Maybe. Come to the parlor; it has been so long since I entertained a Prince, equine or not.
With that, the voice went silent, and despite Shining’s repeated attempts to get its attention, it never came back. He was alone once more.
Then a purple light shone from behind him, and an invisible door opened as the crystals around it retracted with disturbingly lifelike motions, beckoning him forward.
Shining, however, had other plans. “Right, like I’m going to go through that. I’ll make my own exit, thanks.” His horn lit up with a teleportation spell...
Then two black, crystalline claws burst out of the ground and grabbed onto him, cancelling his spell and dragging him towards the door with a yelp of surprise. He tried to grab for the floor, but even as he watched, the field of stars seemed to shatter into millions of pieces, and suddenly the entire room was swallowed by a crevasse. It continued to fall until it was lost in the icy caverns below. Pulsating, purple and black crystals lined the walls of the crevasse, two of which were holding him up in front of the door.
“...Oooookay, that parlor sounds good right about now,” he muttered spitefully and let the crystals deposit him at the door, which seemed to be the only part of the structure remaining. He shivered as the “claws” released him and then literally slithered underground.
Looking past the door, he saw a long, twisting tunnel of purple crystal leading further down into the earth, and several veins of black crept up the walls like vines. As he looked closer, he could see several yellow dots moving back and forth through the walls, although what those belonged to, he couldn’t guess. Or even dared to.
He swallowed, then drew his sword and lit his horn with a light spell. The yellow dots didn’t react. “Well...” he said, taking a step forward. “Tally-ho.”
A few steps later, and the door sealed up behind him. Now he had only one way left to go: deeper down.
Flash quickly found his way back to the foyer and slammed the door to the hallway shut, before shoving a decorative table in front of it, huffing and puffing all the way. He had seen more of those crystal...zombie...things on his way back. One of them had been an Earth Pony mare at some point, judging by the shape and the lack of armor. Probably Crop Duster’s wife, if he had to guess. Poor mare...nopony deserved a fate like that.
Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he rammed into the front door, breaking it off of its hinges, and flew out into the night. The house’s exterior still looked largely the same --- still creepy, but he preferred the outside. More room to breathe and to move around.
He dove towards one of the patrolling Praetorians and landed in front of her, panting. “Go...into city. Get reinforcements. The Prince has been taken...go!”
The mare didn’t move.
“Sergeant, didn’t you hear me? I said g--” He froze, then his jaw dropped.
The crystal-encrusted Praetorian smirked, and her yellow eyes glowed bright as she stabbed at him with her spear.
Flash jumped into the air and kicked the spear away, flying up to get a vantage point of the house. All the Solar and Praetorian guards stationed outside were looking up at him with yellow eyes, and some of them were screaming wordlessly.
The whole platoon had been compromised.
“This is a nightmare...” he whispered hoarsely. A crossbow bolt zoomed past his ear, then another past his face. His eyes widened and he began to weave and bob through the air as more bolts were shot at him. He then made a break for the city, fully intent on getting help. If he could just--
A bolt buried itself into his side and he tumbled through the air in a downwards spiral. His breathing became heavy, and the pain shot up his barrel in a torturous wave. Then, moments later, he crashed into the dirt below and rolled for a good thirty feet before coming to a stop. He weakly planted a hoof down to push himself up, but the pain was too much for him and he blacked out a moment later.
Sunburst crept further down the hallway, pulling his robe tighter to his body and readjusting his glasses. He had heard plenty of strange and terrifying noises throughout the house as he stumbled through the darkness, including what he thought was somepony screaming “get out!” at some point. It sounded like Thorax, but he couldn’t be sure. In any case, he was now thoroughly creeped out, so he instead focused on the mission instead of the sounds.
He was running a constant scan spell as he followed the corridor, which seemed to go on forever. Somehow, despite the small size of the house, it seemed that whoever was stealing the Crystal Heart’s magic was using it to create a spacial warping spell to make the interior larger, which made locating the source that much harder. Joy.
He poked his head fearfully around a corner, gulping as he saw more crystals in his path. “I swear,” he whispered. “I’ll never look at the Empire the same way again, nor do I ever want to look at anything Sombra-related for the rest of time.” He stepped forward...
...And tripped.
Muttering curses under his breath as he picked himself off the ground, he lifted his eyes up to suddenly see a Pony in front of him. He recoiled, startled at the sight, then blinked. The Pony had crystals covering their entire body, and even their mane had some hanging off of it. Their eyes were bright yellow, and their lower jaw had been replaced by a few “tusks” of some kind.
“Oh, ponyfeathers...” Sunburst declared, just as the crystallized Pony screeched at him and lurched forward. Sunburst cancelled the scan spell and backed up, charging up a bolt spell. He wasn’t the best at magic, but he still knew some of the basics. He just hoped it would be enough.
The creature flung itself at him again, and Sunburst let the magic bolt loose as it was right on top of him. The magic bolt sang through the air and slammed into the creature, blasting a hole in its chest and causing it to fall to (thankfully rocky) pieces. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t a Pony anymore...poor stallion. Or mare. Or whatever.
Sunburst breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against a wall, putting a hoof to his chest. “That...th-that was something...” he coughed. He sat there for a moment, staring at the destroyed remnants of the creature before standing up once more and gingerly stepping around the remains. “Okay, so avoid anything on four legs. Got it...right...”
“Sunburst?” called a voice.
Sunburst froze mid-step, and his ears flicked forward. That sounded like... “Thorax?”
“Sunburst!” The Changeling flew down the corridor Sunburst was following, embracing the Unicorn. “Oh Faust, it’s so good to see a friendly face.”
“Yeah, it’s good to see you too,” Sunburst replied, smiling. He meant it, too. “What happened to you? When you disappeared--”
“I’d...rather not talk about it,” Thorax replied, looking a little glum. “I’ll tell you later, when we’re out of this forsaken place.”
Sunburst looked over his friend’s shoulder and noticed a change. “Your wings!”
Thorax buzzed them a little and smirked. “Yep! Got these not that long ago, although I’m not sure how. Either way, I feel a lot better, and a lot more confident, somehow.”
“I can tell,” Sunburst remarked proudly. “I’m happy for you.”
Thorax looked behind Sunburst and saw the creature’s remains on the floor. He gave Sunburst a deep frown. “Was that...?”
Sunburst nodded slowly. “Yes...it was. I didn’t want to, but I had no choice.”
Thorax then did something that Sunburst didn’t expect. He hissed in rage. “That monster will pay for what he’s done to the Ponies here!”
Sunburst raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“The monster that’s behind this whole thing. The crystals, the takeover of this estate, the siphoning of the Crystal Heart, all of it.”
“...How do you know that?” Sunburst asked incredulously.
“Because I talked to him,” Thorax replied. At Sunburst’s dumbfounded expression, he added, “Not face-to-face, he linked to my mind. I don’t know who or what he is exactly, or what he’s planning, but he’s very interested in Changelings for some reason. And with those Changelings nearby...we cant let him get into contact with them. We need to find the source of this crystal infection and get rid of it somehow.”
“Agreed,” Sunburst said with a nod. “I’ve been following a conduit of energy that seems to be leading somewhere, although I’m not sure where. This place is larger on the inside, it seems.”
“Tell me about it, I’ve been wandering this place for what seems like ages. Saw a few of those crystal creatures too. It looks like the other search teams didn’t fare too well...”
Sunburst frowned. “We’ll mourn later. Right now we need to stop this thing before it weakens the Heart any further or claims anypony else.”
Thorax nodded. “Lead the way, then.”
With that, the two once again walked through the darkness, although with a lighter heart than before. Despite the situation they found themselves in, it felt better having a friend at one’s side.
Around them, the walls bulged, and yellow eyes watched them from afar...