As the moon was rising, Starlight, Trixie, and Sunburst locked the front doors of the School of Friendship and checked the classrooms to make sure they were empty. Once they checked out the premises, Starlight pulled out a carpet from the floor and opened up a door.
The trio stepped down into the basement and closed the door. There, they saw multiple hippogriffs, changelings, and griffons huddling together, warming themselves with their blankets, and eating whatever food they had left.
“How long are we gonna stay in here?” a changeling asked.
“I…I don’t know, but we’re gonna continue to keep you safe,” Starlight assured.
“Do you think they might find us here?” a griffon asked, shaking.
“They won’t. We made sure that our hideout remains a secret, so you have nothing to worry about,” Sunburst replied.
“I’m scared.”
“Me too!”
“Fear not, young creatures! The Great and Powerful Trixie is here to protect you!” Trixie spoke up, wearing her old magician attire.
The children however continued to keep themselves warm without even looking at her. “Huh…this usually works. Younglings love to look up to Trixie! Why aren’t they encouraged?”
Sunburst then nudged her as he noticed something in her eyes. “Uh, Trixie? Are…you feeling alright?”
“Ha, me? Trixie’s more than alright! Giving hope during our darkest hour is what I do!” she happily replied. Then a tear fell out of her eye. After a few seconds, she trembled on the floor, sobbing.
“Forget it, I’m not okay! Trixie gives up!” she cried.
Sunburst then embraced her, quietly calming her down. “It’s alright, Trixie. Let it all out.”
“Why are things much more horrible than they were before?! When will this nightmare end for Trixie?!” she wailed.
“We can only hope it’ll end sooner than we think,” Sunburst replied, depressingly sighing.
Starlight then noticed one of the young hippogriffs quietly sobbing. Concerned, she went over to the corner where he was and gently laid her hoof on his shoulder.
“Ares, what’s wrong?”
“*sniff* N-nothing. It’s just…I—I miss my family. My mom and dad. I’ll never see them again!” Ares wept.
Starlight hugged him. “I’m so sorry. I wish there was something we could do, but…*sigh*…we just have to keep you safe until it’s all over.”
“When will it be over?” Ares asked.
Starlight was silent for a moment until she hugged him again. “Soon….soon…”
Back in the throne room, Thorax and three of his royal advisors were chained together while they were surrounded by six frobots. The former changeling king was sadly looking downward with his eyes closed whereas his friends kept shaking in fear.
“I think they’re gonna…t-torture us!”
“I hoped this day would never come…*gulp*…and now we’re at their mercy.”
“Hey, it’s gonna be alright. I won’t let them hurt you guys,” Thorax comforted, looking at them compassionately.
“Really?”
“Of course! Our kingdom may be destroyed, but that doesn’t mean we surrender. Changelings don’t cower before the enemy,” Thorax assured.
His advisors then calmed themselves and nodded in agreement. “Ha, I’m sure Chrysalis would’ve been happy to hear that coming from you.”
“Yeah, well, that’s the only true lesson she ever taught me. Guess it’s in our nature,” Thorax chuckled.
They were silent for a moment, contemplating on everything that has happened so far. Then as Thorax turned his face toward the frobots, he narrowed his curious gaze on them.
“Have you guys ever wondered where these creatures came from?” he asked his friends.
His advisors looked at one another puzzled. “Actually, yes. We assumed that this alien invader whom General Feisty calls emperor created them out of pure magic…but it seems there’s more to them then meets the eye.”
“Wait…could it be possible there’s a world where sentient frogs exist? Because these beings look like frogs!” one of them wondered.
“I dunno. But whatever they are and wherever they came from, they’ll think twice before getting rid of us,” replied Thorax, glaring at them.
However, the frobots remained unfazed by his comments and stood on guard. This surprised the prisoners as they noticed their lack of reaction.
“Huh, I guess they’re emotionless too?”
“Seems like it,” Thorax replied, shrugging.
Suddenly, the doors burst open, revealing a smug unicorn who was accompanied by two more frobots. Thorax glared daggers at her while his advisors tried to put on brave faces.
“Feeling comfortable, your ‘highness’?” Feisty mockingly welcomed.
“You’re never getting away with—,”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, ‘…getting away with this! Oh, the Magic of Friendship will destroy me! Oh noooo!!!’ Hahahahaha!!! Keep dreaming, bug face, keep dreaming!” Feisty taunted, mimicking Thorax’s voice.
“What are you gonna do? Torture me? Because it’ll take a lot more than that to break my fighting spirit,” Thorax challenged.
“Torture? Oh, no, I’m normally not into that sort of stuff…” she replied, circling her prisoners. “…although I could at least give it a shot…” she playfully added.
She then produced a dagger made purely out of magic and pointed it right at Thorax’s chest. “You’re keeping secrets from me, and I want to know them all. Otherwise, what will be left of your entire existence is what you’re named after.”
“You can threaten me all you want, but I will never give up my family to the likes of you,” he defied.
At that moment, she hatched an idea. Evilly smirking, she trotted over to Thorax’s advisors while playfully brandishing her dagger. “Do they share the same sentiment?”
Widening his eyes, he tried to break the chains, but the frobots knocked him back down. Then they aimed their blasters at him.
“NO! Don’t you hurt them!” Thorax pleaded.
Feisty stabbed one of the changelings in the leg and twisted his wing. He screeched in pain and fell on the floor. “Tell me where your surviving bugs are, and I will let your little buddy live.”
Then she pressed the tip of the blade on his belly, slowly pushing it. Tears came out of his eyes.
“You already ransacked and murdered half of my people! Haven’t you had enough?!” Thorax yelled.
Wickedly smiling, she slit the other changeling’s throat. He fell on the floor and exhaled his final breath. “Does that answer your question?”
Enraged, Thorax broke free of his chains and tried to lunge at the general. However, the frobots subdued him and held him firmly on the floor.
“Ready to talk?”
The former king hatefully stared back at her, spitting at her face.
Shrugging, she nonchalantly wiped the spit off her face. “Oh well, I guess we’ll get ‘em next time.” She nodded to the frobots, and they lowered their weapons. Her dagger disappeared.
Thorax looked at her confused but internally sighed in relief.
“At least we have your brother…” she remarked.
Snapping his head backward, Thorax struggled against the frobots. “No…no…NO!! You leave him alone!! Your battle is with me!!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll have you be a witness to his grand finale—his ignominious execution…” Then she teleported to his spot, angrily looking at him in the eyes. “…and I will make you watch. Take him away.”
The frobots forcefully took him back to the dungeon while he continued yelling in a distance.
“What about these two, General?” a frobot asked.
“Keep them. I’m sure they will be somewhat useful to the Emperor,” Feisty commanded.
The remaining two changelings looked at each other uncertain. The frobots also took them back to the dungeon with Thorax, preparing them for the big day tomorrow.