It was a long, difficult way to their destination. The maps were right to warn them about how challenging it would be. Ponies without wings would be far better off finding another way to climb. Equestria had to have other waterfalls worth hiking to, and other secrets hidden in the trees.
Amie might've turned around, if only Ivy would let her. The unicorn only grew more determined as they hiked further, ignoring her growing exhaustion and the growing number of scrapes and bumps they took along the way.
"Dad thinks I couldn't make it in the guard," she muttered, mostly to herself. "Wants me moving back to Canterlot. What does he know?"
They might not have made it, if it wasn't for Amie's magic. She wasn’t able to fly, but she could still lift things. More than once, she turned her horn on Ivy, grabbing a hoof before she could go tumbling back the way they'd come.
Compared to the trails she sometimes took with human campers; this one was only moderately challenging. But those campers were primates who could climb rocks with their hands if they had to. Hooves made them more stable, but just didn't have the same grip.
Amie had to burn magic all the way, but eventually they reached the top—an outcrop of dark rock, then a sudden clearing filled with swaying grass and a lake of crystal water. She made sure she was behind Ivy when she made it up, nudging her the rest of the way with a gentle hoof. She hung behind, waiting for Ivy to offer a leg down to her, rather than levitating up on her own.
Ivy squealed with delight, and Amie joined her. It didn't matter if her coat was soaked in sweat, and her muscles would be aching for days—they'd made it! "Couldn't make it in the guard..." she whispered. "Wait until he hears about this! We'll carve our names in a rock, set it by the water there... proof. I made it!"
Amie winced, but she was too tired to sit up just yet. She lay still, breathing heavily. "D-do you think... that's a good idea?"
Ivy jerked forward into a sitting position, nudging Amie with her foreleg. "He's been saying my whole life that I didn't belong here. I wasn't strong enough—only the best unicorns could make it in the royal guard. If I'd been a pegasus, that would be different. Even an earth pony could dig ditches. But a unicorn needs to be a master spellcaster..." Ivy rehearsed, her tone stretching more exaggerated with every word.
"So maybe I'm not an earth pony. I don't have the magic strength. I can still have just as much determination as anypony else! The princesses would be lucky to have me wherever I'm working for the Crown! Wouldn't they?" She met Amie's eyes, staring expectantly. Waiting for the obvious answer.
Ivy's father would've seen this as an ideal moment to turn her away from a path he didn't want for her. But why should that be Amie's place to begin with? Why would it be Commander Path's?
Amie nodded. "They would be. No question. That doesn't mean it's the place you would be happiest, though. There are other ways to do all this, besides the military. You don't have to be part of the royal guard to adventure."
"Maybe not, but I'm not sure where else I could go," Ivy said. "How would you know? You're the same age as I am!"
Amie grinned, then rose. She'd done plenty of hiking in her life, and this trip was definitely up there with the most interesting destinations she'd visited. The lake looked clear and perfect for swimming, with the promised waterfall not much further. It would be a frightful jump into the water without wings—but even if Amie had them, she couldn't use them. So she wasn't missing much.
There was something else about the place, something she couldn't quite put a finger on. She felt something here, off in the bushes. Emotions? "I worked at an adventure camp. It wasn't much for a job, about two thousand for the whole summer after they took out my room and board. But I got to do all kinds of awesome stuff like this. Hiking, climbing, boating, shooting. You shouldn't dismiss it!"
Ivy rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you had fun. But saying you got two thousand bits for the whole summer isn't really selling me." She walked past Amie towards the water, cutting directly across the gently-swaying grass. With as clear and refreshing as the water looked, she could hardly blame her.
Bugs could swim, they'd learned that back at Stella Lacus. It left their wings feeling soft and fragile until they dried—but since she didn't have those right now, she didn't have to worry.
The lake had a shore of black sand leading into the water. Amie could tell just by looking it would be icy cold, and she stopped Ivy before she could get in. "Wait. The sun will be down in an hour—we should have a fire and a tent up before going in. Trust me, that water is freezing."
Ivy rolled her eyes, then lowered one hoof into the water. She shivered, yanking back almost as quickly. "Buck! Have you been up here before?"
"Not here, but my camp was in the mountains too." She shrugged out of her saddlebags, setting them down beside her companion's. "Tent, or gather firewood?"
Ivy's horn flickered, then went out. "Firewood. All those little stakes and lines are better for somepony with good levitation."
She turned her back on Amie, setting off towards the nearby grove of trees. They were evergreens, pines covered in vivid growth. It was still too early in the year for snow, despite the chilling wind. That meant they might actually find something flammable. "Careful with the slope!" Amie called. "Might drop off unexpectedly!"
The other unicorn nodded, walking slowly away. The tall grass soon concealed her from sight. It couldn't stop Amie from watching her emotions. If anything changed, she'd know it.
She occupied herself with the usual camp setup, the same as she would've done for any overnight. There was no need to hold back her magic when Ivy wasn't around to watch and feel self-conscious. She picked a flat patch of ground, set up the tent, then started clearing a place to make a fire-pit.
She was just about finished lining it with rocks when she heard the scream.
The underlying emotions came a few seconds later—a brief surge of shock, followed by terror.
Amie was already running in her direction by then, cutting straight across the tall grass. As she did, she realized what she should've from the beginning—she was sensing other minds. The emotions were just incredibly weak, so much that she barely felt them over the pony's burning pride and satisfaction at their victorious conquest.
Seconds later she reached the trees. Ivy stood beside a fallen bundle of wood, staring down at another camp.
The tent was larger and more sophisticated than the one they'd brought, a human dome tent with the standard cross-pole design and dark green fabric. The door was open, revealing a collection of standard survival fare. A propane stove lay on its side, with a solar lantern glowing so faintly within that it was barely visible even over the orange sunset glow.
Of course it wasn't the tech that terrified Ivy. It was the pair of changelings, laying just within.
Amie felt a stab of pain as she looked, and recognized both of them. That was Rick and Beth, from her hunting group. They were both shriveled and sunken, with a worn look visible on their shiny black bodies. Beth's eyes were closed, her chest barely rising with her breathing. Rick had one eye open, staring at Ivy.
"There are changelings up here!" Ivy whispered, backing towards her. "We have to run, Amie! They're about to attack!"
Soon she was behind her, body crouched low in preparation for a desperate flight. If you try to run back down the trail we climbed to get here...
"They're not going to attack," Amie said flatly, advancing towards the camp. Maybe if this was Garcia, she could've turned around and played along, and left him to his fate. But not her kids, not ever. "They're dying, Ivy. They can barely move."
The unicorn's fear ebbed, from terror to discomfort. "Oh. That's..." She tilted her head to the side, confused. "But they're our enemies, aren't they? This is why Agate Base exists, to stop them from escaping!"
Amie kept going. Her companion didn't follow, so that now they were at least twenty feet apart. Amie stopped outside the tent, though she was very close now. Almost close enough to reach inside and touch her struggling kids.
"Maybe we are," Amie agreed. "But do you really think we should just leave them to die? Is being born a bug enough of a crime for that?"
Ivy grunted, settling uncomfortably onto her rump. "I don't know, Rain Fly! But what are we supposed to do about it? How would we even know what's wrong with them?"
"I'm an EMT," Amie shot back. "A doctor. Gallop over and get my satchel, Ivy. Hurry, please. I'm counting on you."
Her friend rocked back and forth, making another series of unhappy horse noises. "If you're sure—"
"Yes!" Amie yelled. She couldn't keep pretending, not now. She'd spent two weeks with these kids, then an eternity. She'd met their parents, heard Rick talking about how his older brother picked on him, and how Beth was self-conscious that she wasn't as pretty as everyone else her age, and that she was too interested in "boy stuff."
She'd spent the first night of Beth's camp telling stories for their cabin, until she felt safe enough to fall asleep. "I'm not losing a goddamn one of my kids, Ivy! Bring me that satchel, now!"
Maybe it was her commanding words, or the desperation in her voice. Whatever the reason, Ivy turned and galloped off, back the way she'd come.
"W-h-y?" Rick asked. His mouth opened and closed, exposing sharp teeth. "Help?"
Could she tell him? Her campers were smart, but these two were also starving and delirious. If they said anything now...
"Because it's right," she said. "Hold on. I have something that will help you. I need you to stay calm and trust me, okay?"
His face twitched, almost a nod. "A...mie. Kn-knew you..."
Shit. He figured it out. "Don't tell the pony," she whispered. "I'm undercover. If she finds out, we're all screwed. I don't even know what Commander Path would do if he found out I was—" She trailed off, feeling the unmistakable presence of Ivy cutting back across the field. Her fear was entirely gone now, replaced with determination, with a faint undercurrent of resentment.
She arrived a few seconds later, tossing the satchel down beside Amie. "I would've helped, Rain Fly," she said. "We're the good guys. We don't let creatures die if we don't have to."
Amie upended the bag completely, tossing it out onto the ground at her hooves. There were a few camping tools, her pocket knife, the handgun wrapped in cloth. She ignored that, and the first-aid kit, focusing instead on the canteen Pachu'a had given them.
They'd never even found out whether Wes could drink it or not—he'd taken one look at the glowing goo, and decided on salad instead. Amie lifted it into the air, levitating it over to Beth, and unscrewing the cap.
"You don't want the kit?" Ivy asked, tilting her head to the side. "It's a little weird, but isn't that a first-aid kit?"
She nodded, then braced against Beth's chest, rolling her onto her back. She tilted her head back, opening her mouth. "This is more serious than first aid. They need my... emergency healing potion."
Ivy whistled. "You got the quartermaster to give you a regenerative? He's not gonna be happy you gave it to the enemy."
Amie tilted the canteen back, dribbling a few glowing drops down Beth’s throat. The result was immediate—her eyes shot open, her breathing went from shallow to deep and ragged. Her mouth moved, but Amie just pressed her down, one hoof gently on her chest. "It's okay, Beth," she whispered, in the same voice she'd used on her first night in Stella Lacus. "You're not alone. Everything's gonna be just fine."
Tears streamed down her face. Her mouth moved, but Amie didn't let her speak. She tilted the canteen back, letting her drink greedily. She gave her about half the bottle, then pulled away.
Rick was watching her as she approached, eyes unblinking. Maybe he could sense what she'd done for Beth, or maybe he just trusted her. Either way, he accepted the bottle without complaint, and drank until it emptied.