Sifting through the energy field was almost like solving advanced electrical puzzles, the constant repetition of specific tones of magic coursed through Jack's body in what seemed like a pattern. It was interesting what he was learned through experience alone, most of the magic was simply the manipulation of the surroundings at the cost of energy. The good news was he was learning. Learning a lot more than he had expected about magic. Time flew by almost as fast as the different energies in the air. Magic really was a giant puzzle to Jack, although the different patterns seemed to have different effects. Still, below the surface of the shield it was clear there were no solid objects, just the standard composition of air.
Scootaloo had been tugging at Jack's leg for approximately five minutes now, although it was clear he was too deep in thought (or examining the shield, it was difficult to tell). He had been in a trance sort of state for a while now, probably around an hour or so, but without any sort of clock it was difficult to tell how much time really had passed. Giving a sigh, Scootaloo leaned back against the shield, staring upwards into the sky. A few birds passed overhead, although they all avoided contact with the shield. Most of the little critters running around on the ground followed a similar technique, avoiding the shield altogether. Well, most of the small animals did. A few of them literally burrowed their way under the shield, a definite flaw in the protection.
"Hey, Jack!" Scootaloo exclaimed, excited with her new find. "I may have found a way back in!
>---<
It took Scootaloo another five minutes to finally get Jack out of the trance. He looked both physically and mentally exhausted, that is, should being able to physically express mental exhaustion be possible. After explaining that the shield did not go through the ground, Jack face hoofed for not realizing the obvious. It would be easiest to tunnel under the shield rather than brute force the magic that held it together. Then again, he still had no idea what he would be able to do to the shield to break it open. He thought about transforming into a creature that maybe wasn't a pony, but he had no idea what it would be like or how to do it. He assumed it would be the same way as transforming into a pony, however the only creatures he could really think of with a solid ability to dig would be Diamond Dogs. His memory of diamond dogs wasn't at its peak, however, and even as he focused his energy his physical form remained that of the grey stallion.
"Alright then..." Jack said, disappointed with the results. "I guess we got to dig through the hard way."
"With our hooves?!" Scootaloo cried. "You know these knobs can barely hold things let alone DIG!"
"Improvise. Use a stick like a shovel or something."
Scootaloo let out a long "Awwwwwww" before reluctantly agreeing. Bringing over two sticks, Jack and the orange filly began digging.
"So..." Jack said, "You looking forward to getting back into Ponyville?"
"Well, sort of." She replied.
"Why's that?"
"Everypony is really freaking out over this whole changeling thing. After finding out you were a changeling, I found out that not all changelings were so bad. I mean, it's okay to be afraid of something dangerous and stuff, but being afraid of somepo... Something like you, that just wants to fit in, shouldn't happen! It's not fair to all the normal changelings out there..."
Jack smiled down at the small filly. This was the first time that a regular (not changeling) pony actually didn't mind him being around. Twilight freaked out, and it seemed like she was still holding something against him. It seemed almost as if she was uncomfortable in his presence, and he could kind of understand why. Scootaloo, however, was quite accepting after Jack explained that he was a friendly changeling. Unlike Twilight, the filly actually wanted the people to stop going mad over the whole changeling thing...
Snapping back to reality, Jack saw Scootaloo hard at work, slowly inching her way downwards under the purple shield. Realizing he shouldn’t let the filly do all the work, he returned to digging as well.
>---<
Chrysalis' royal guards stormed through the Everfree forest. A small brigade of roughly 6 marched menacingly through the forest, draining the life force of the unlucky small creatures who encountered them. The path they had marched down was now worn into the grass. There may have only been six of them, but they were massive compared to the size of the average pony. The guards, however, were used to following Chrysalis wherever she went. Leaving the Hive without her felt very out of place, the last time she had left without notifying them she had been defeated in an attack on Canterlot. Pressing forward, the guard leading the group stopped abruptly, the ones behind him undergoing the same halting motions.
Standing tall, much taller than a tree, was a purple bubble shape surrounding a small town. The group of changelings stood among the outskirts of the Everfree forest, staring blankly at the bubble. They had never seen such a shield before. It was true that many changelings had seen a similair shield during the Canterlot attack, however the royal guards had never attended, seeing as the Queen assumed they would all stay within the Hive when she departed. It was true, they had stayed. If they had attended the assault, perhaps the Queen would have been victorious, but they had never been notified.
The shield was definitely a solid object, the magical aura emanating from the wall could be felt by even the weakest of changelings. One of the guards caught something moving near the side of the purple wall and pointed towards it. The other five guards took notice as well, and the brigade began marching once more.
>---<
Scootaloo was the first to notice the movement among the trees. She told Jack about what she had just seen, putting him on full alert. Everfree forest was full of all kinds of aggressive creatures, many of which could kill within a matter of seconds.
"Scootaloo, keep digging. If something is coming for us, we have to get through quickly." Jack said.
Scootaloo nodded in agreement, and began shoveling as fast as she could using her hooves. The stick wasn't even close to being as effective as a regular shovel; however it was definately much better than using hooves. A pony-like figure became visible among the forest trees, although the size was much too large. Squinting to get a better look, he saw a pair of blue eyes staring back towards him. Upon further inspection, he found several pairs of eyes watching him. Knowing there were changelings, Jack didn't want to take any chances. For all he knew, they could be aggressive, and could easily attack both him and Scootaloo.
Alright, we're going in!" Jack yelled, shoving Scootaloo into the tiny hole.
"W-What?! I don't fit yet!" Scootaloo yelped.
With force, Jack managed to move the filly through the opening. The earth shifted to accomadate the larger size object being pushed through, although Jack knew he couldn't get through quite yet. He turned around to see several larger changelings approaching. Much larger than the standard changelings. He recognized a few of them from a visit he made to the Hive a while ago, although the others were new to him.
"Scootaloo, go. I'll deal with them." Jack stated, preparing for an epic encounter.
"But-"
"No. Just go. I know how this kind of thing works... I think..."
Scootaloo took off in a hurry, heading further into the shield. Meanwhile, Jack dropped his disguise, and it looked although one of the changelings grinned at his new form.
"So, what could I do for you gentlecolts?"
>---<
For the majority of the time spent talking, the larger changeling in the front spoke in short sentences and was sure to keep things to the point. It seemed as if that was a common thing among most changelings, safe for him and the Queen. Then again, the Queen had to give orders, as for Jack... Well, he just knew how to get a conversation going. Most of the information seemed quite blunt, and the lack of expression seemed to make the conversation quite boring.
"So, where do I come in exactly?" Jack asked, rubbing his forehead with impatience.
"You are next." The leader said.
Well, Jack assumed he was the leader. He was the first to come out of the forest, and the other changelings were positioned carefully behind him, almost in a strategic manner.
"I'm next for what? Help find the Queen?" Jack asked rolling his eyes.
"No."
'These answers really aren't helping me...' Jack thought.
"Then what am I next for? You all couldn't have just shown up here for no reason."
The answer Jack finally got was quite unexpected. One of the changelings in the back finally spoke up, but this time the words that came from his mouth weren’t ended shortly after beginning. A change in a changeling’s method of talking, really.
"The Queen has gone missing. Not a changeling knows where she is. You have a gift. One that changelings have never had before. We are in need of this. The colony is dying without the Queen. You must part with your gift and feed the changelings."
"Wait what? What gift is this? Why do I need to part with it? What happens if I refuse?" Jack asked.
He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but knowing that the changelings weren't so easer to answer his questions in the first place, he prevented himself from asking more.
"You generate emotions. Changelings lack this ability. You can save the Hive. Refusal will result in forced removal." The changeling said, finally stepping into the front.
'I can take a guess at what they would forcefully remove, but I have no idea how. Still, it sounds painful.' Jack thought.
"The Queen left me with duties to complete here, first. I believe the Queen's orders overrule any other order, correct?
The changelings stared back at him, a look of anger developing in their eyes.
'Maybe that was a bad choice of words...'
The changeling that was originally leading the group stepped forward, causing Jack to take a step back. They were close enough as is, and closing the already tiny gap was not comforting. Preparing to run, Jack found the changelings had already circled around him. These changelings were not the common changeling for sure, they seemed much more aware of their surroundings, and moved in a very organized manner. Once Jack was surrounding, he finally realised the gravity of his mistake.
"Any last words?"
"Yeah, just one..."
>---<
Before even saying anything, Jack charged what seemed like the smallest changeling. Instead of hitting him with his body, Jack managed to manipulate the ground around him using magic, throwing off the balance of the circling changelings. The good thing about dealing with the foreign magic is it enlightened him on how magic works. While the changelings recovered, Jack fled into the Everfree forest, desperately attempting to re-disguise himself.
“Bye!” He yelled, as he gained a significant distance advantage over the changelings.
Maneuvering his way through the various floras, Jack found himself running through a patch of poison joke. Ignoring the fact that the next morning things may not go so well, he desperately sprinted in hopes of losing the changelings behind him. There was one thing for certain, though; the changelings were in much better shape than those he had encountered earlier. They easily managed to weave their way through the forest, even maintain pace with Jack. He didn't like bragging, although he was quite a fast runner.
Whipping under the swiftly approaching branches and hopping quickly over the roots, Jack was able to pull ahead of the changelings slightly. He was panting furiously for air, and his vision was starting to blur. Still, he managed to push himself further into the forest, although he still didn't want to look behind him. When he finally decided to look behind him, he couldn't see any of the changelings. Shaking his head knowing they were still onto him, he tripped over a small bush and tumbled several feet. He rolled head over heels several times before coming to a stop. In another patch of poison joke.
'Great, not only may I be caught, but I'm going to have a terrible case of whatever poison joke has to offer me...'
Jack was shaking profusely, and looking around him, he saw one of the larger changelings charging towards him. After the changeling saw Jack collapsed on the ground, he came to a skidding stop, just barely halting before Jack. Spitting the dirt Jack had inhaled, he looked up at the changeling before it spoke.
"Freely choosing punishment. No true changeling would do that..."