Cee gave a thoughtful sound, looking down at the diagrams in front of her. The entirety of the group was ranged around her. Princess Luna, Raindrop, Sentinel (keeping careful distance from the changeling), Wisp, Remedy, and lastly, Firebrand.
Cee was formulating a plan.
“Yer say that there have been no changes ter the basement kitchens since yer training as a guard?” Cee asked over her shoulder, raising a brow at Sentinel.
Sentinel nodded once. “Indeed. I used to sneak down there for food all the time. It hasn’t changed a bit in the last decade or so.”
“That’s good,” Cee said, scribbling another line onto the piece of paper. “Now... Ah think we should separate.”
“Separate?” Raindrop asked flatly.
“Dividing forces is only useful when there are two objectives at stake,” Firebrand pointed out. “Unless you wish to create a flanking manoeuvre, which, frankly, is impossible in such close quarters.”
“We do have two objectives,” Cee responded with a shake of her head. “The Element of Harmony themselves, Chitin, and Princess Celestia.”
“What’re you on about?” Raindrop asked flatly, a feeling of foreboding making itself known to her.
“While yer all rescue the Elements of Harmony, I’m going ter go speak to Chitin. Failing that, ah will attempt ter release Princess Celestia,” Cee said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Ah wish to know what Chitin is thinking with her crazy plans. Maybe ah can reason with her.”
Luna cleared her throat, silencing them all.
“Princess Celestia is of the same mind. She is where she wishes to be,” Luna stated.
Raindrop blinked once, an ear perking. Sentinel looked downright livid.
“You mean she wants to be a prisoner?” Raindrop asked uncertainly.
“Indeed,” Luna responded, giving a wan smile. “Celestia thinks there is a chance that discourse will solve this problem... but without an opposing party with which to broach such discourse, peace talks are rather hard to create.”
“But what can she possibly be intending to do?” Raindrop asked with a shake of her head. “They’re changelings.”
“I do not fathom my sister’s motives. But she has asked that I do not mount an attempt to rescue her, and I intend to honor her wishes,” Luna said with a sense of finality in her tone.
Raindrop snorted and shook her head.
“Either way. We must split up,” Cee said firmly.
“But why, Cee? What are you not telling us?” Raindrop queried.
Cee gave a wan smile, looking back over her shoulder at her granddaughter. “Surely yer must have noticed it... Being in yer presence, Raindrop. Ah’ve gotten stronger. Ah’m drawing energy from yer, from yer love.”
Raindrop blanched at that, wrinkling her nose and taking a step backwards. “Then stop it!”
“Yer don’t understand... It’s not something that ah can control. It’s like breathing, see? Even if ah tried ter ‘hold mah breath’, as it were, ah would still continue breathing,” Cee said with a shrug.
“But... If you’re stealing love...” Raindrop trailed off, putting two and two together.
“Eeyup,” Cee said with a sad smile. “Whatever the elements did ter me is well worn off. Ah’m back ter being a changeling.”
“Then you’re not... going to die of old age?” Raindrop queried, her ears splaying backwards, unsure what to make of the information.
“Ah don’t intend ter persist in this world. Hence, ah want yer ter leave me,” Cee said with a firm nod.
Raindrop snorted once, shaking her head. “But you’ll die.”
A soft laugh left the changeling, and she shook her head slowly. “Child... Yer just don’t get it, do yer? That’s the point. Ah want ter die. Ah’m done with this world. Without Evergreen, this world is just... It’s not bright fer me any more. It’s like all the colour been drained right out of it. None of this matters. Ah’m going ter fix mah mistake, and then I’m gone.”
Raindrop’s ears pinned back a little bit more at that, and she hung her head slightly. “But... I...”
“Child... When yer get ter be mah age, yer’ll understand. Life aint about living fer the sake of living. When yer lived everything yer need ter live, when yer done everything yer need ter do... then persistence is just selfish. Ah chose to leave this world with Evergreen. Ah failed him in that. Ah’ll not disgrace our love by choosing ter persist.”
Raindrop nodded quietly, understanding that she wasn’t going to be able to convince her grandmother away from her choices.
Cee passed over the map with a slight smile, lifting a hoof ter rest on Raindrop’s shoulder. “Ah’m proud of yer, Raindrop. Yer got thrown a curve ball by life, and yer facing it head on. There’s lotsa ponies who woulda gave up a long time ago.”
“I have good friends,” Raindrop said in a strained sort of way, giving a soft smile at her grandmother.
“Ah can see that, though ah’m not so sure about this one,” Cee said, pointing a hoof at Sentinel. “Ah can see yer two beating eachother up every time yer get into an argument.”
“We got past that point already,” Raindrop admitted. “Now we just have angry, violent sex.”
Sentinel stiffened slightly at that, Remedy rolled her eyes, and Wisp giggled.
“Atta girl,” Cee said, patting her granddaughter on the shoulder. “Now leave. Every minute yer here, is another minute ah’ll have ter spend in quiet reflection wait fer the end. Ah’m not one ter like waiting.”
Raindrop nodded, and then leaned forwards to hug the changeling, squeezing her tight. “Goodbye, Cee... I’m... glad we got to talk before... you know...”
“Ah know, ah know. Now go, yer got elements ter rescue!”
Raindrop, Sentinel, Wisp, Remedy, and Firebrand all walked up the path toward Canterlot. Raindrop held the map, inspecting it. Wisp was checking over her improvised explosive devices, Firebrand was flexing her wings, and Sentinel was stretching his fore and hind legs, getting ready for a workout.
“So what’s the plan?” Sentinel queried Raindrop.
“Well, these scribbles tell me how to get into the crystal chambers beneath the palace. From there, we break into the kitchen, knock out some changelings, and then head up to the Hall of Harmony, steal the elements back, and then we fly away. Anything else, we just wing it.”
“Winging it seems to be our favorite plan, doesn’t it?” Sentinel asked with a shake of his head.
“It’s the one that works,” Raindrop replied with a grin, nuzzling against Sentinel’s cheek gently as they walked.
“You guys fine with this plan?” Sentinel asked over his shoulder.
Wisp shrugged noncommittally, Remedy nodded once, and Firebrand snorted, rebuking, “I would have to be presented with an actual plan before weighing in judgement one way or another.”
“We have no idea what we’re walking in to. I’m going to assume that Cee will distract Chitin with whatever she’s going to do... Chitin will be just as surprised as we were. We’ll take back the elements. By the time we get back, Luna should have retrieved the doctor, and the bearer for magic. Then we just need to find loyalty, and then go and whoop Chitin’s ass back to wherever she came from,” Raindrop said confidently.
“Well, when you put it like that, it sounds easy,” Remedy said sarcastically.
“She hasn’t taken into account the law of probability. Whatever can fuck up, will,” Firebrand said with a shake of her head.
“I have improvised explosives for if we come up against a locked door!” Wisp said with a happy bounce. “I don’t even mind if you accidentally lock it so that it needs to be blown open!”
“Those are safe, right?” Remedy asked cautiously, taking a step away from the smaller griffon.
Wisp giggled again. “As safe as a sleeping dragon! Which is pretty safe if you don’t wake them up, uh-huh.”
“That’s what I thought,” Remedy said, taking another step away, bumping into Firebrand.
Firebrand huffed, pushing the nurse with a hoof, sending her stumbling back towards Wisp.
Raindrop turned around, stopping and growling at the three of them. “Alright, children, do you think you can possibly keep it together long enough for us to get this done?!”
“If Wisp doesn’t blow us up,” Firebrand stated immediately.
“If you keep that thing away from me,” Remedy said, pointing at Firebrand and scowling.
“If I don’t blow us up!” Wisp squeaked in affirmation, nodding earnestly.
Raindrop rolled her eyes once, huffing and turning to face the front again.
“This is going to go spectacularly wrong, isn’t it?” Sentinel asked of Raindrop.
Raindrop nodded once, sighing. “So spectacularly wrong.”