Rainbow stood up and hesitated a few more seconds in front of the knife that might have almost killed her moments ago. She shook herself free of it before flying the few feet to where Flix was sitting with her eyes closed and head turned away from the dead changeling. Rainbow hesitated another few seconds before reaching out to place a hoof around Flix's whithers.
Flix's wing twitched in surprise at the unexpected gesture. She looked up at Rainbow as if to see if she meant it, then gratefully accepted the hug. “Thank you, Dash. I mean it.”
Rainbow let go and tried to look like it was no big deal. “Hey, no problem. Just don't think I'm going soft or anything,” she added and glanced away at the corpse lying next to her. She had never actually seen a dead pony before. Even though this was not strictly a pony, the sight still made Rainbow feel uncomfortable and a little bit sick, but she tried not to show it.
“I know, and nor am I.” Flix ruffled her wings and stood up, giving Rainbow a best attempt at a smirk. Rainbow thought Flix had to have killed before, the way she did it so cleanly, but it had clearly affected her anyway. Perhaps you never got used to it, or at least you weren't supposed to get used to it.
Flix held up a hoof. “So we're in agreement? Neither of us is growing soft, right?”
Rainbow gave it a bump. “Deal.”
Flix took a deep breath and ruffled her wings again before turning to the dead changeling. She stood for a time staring at the corpse in silence, body sort of slumped. Then, with a long sigh she trotted around it and looked up at Rainbow. “Will you help me bury her? I … want to bury her,” she said and looked around before pointing at a spot. “Let's bury her there.”
Rainbow took a glance at their surroundings. “How do we dig the hole? We don't have any shovels.”
Flix followed her wandering eyes. “I … guess we'll just have to use our hooves.” She stepped up to the spot she had pointed out and began digging. Rainbow followed suit, working next to Flix in silence. It was hard work, especially having to watch her broken leg, but the ground was thankfully soft and easy to dig in.
Half an hour, or maybe an hour later, Rainbow stepped out of the hole and wiped her brow with a muddy hoof as she looked into the shallow grave they had dug. Flix jumped out and trotted up next to the body. Rainbow followed, and together they carried the corpse into the grave, laying her carefully on her side in the hole with her hooves bent and her head touching her chest.
Flix and Rainbow stepped out and stood next to the open grave together. The dead changeling looked almost peaceful now. Rainbow wondered what it was you were supposed to say at funerals. Something about the deceased, probably, something about their life and who they had been. She looked up at Flix uncertainly. “You knew her?”
Flix kept staring at the open grave and the dead changeling lying within. “Not well. I met her a few times in Canterlot. She was sent there shortly before the big wedding attack, just before they sealed off the city, to aid in preparing the way. Young one, very eager to serve, always believed strongly in the whole thing. They all do, you know?” She closed her eyes and shook her head before trotting around the grave and starting to push the earth back into the hole. Rainbow watched and listened as Flix continued speaking. “We all get fed the lies from birth, but the saddest ones are those who spend their entire lives among ponies and still don't see it.”
Rainbow turned around and idly poked open the changeling's saddlebag. She sat down with it between her hooves and rummaged around inside. There were some small bottles and a bundle of papers. She sat the bottles on the ground and pulled out the papers, carefully unrolling them. “See what?”
“That it's damn stupid, that's what!” Flix paused briefly to shake her wings angrily before continuing her work. “We need love. We don't die without it, but we grow weak and after a while without it you lose your mind and become more and more like an animal. We don't need much to live comfortably, but too much drives you crazy. You know, my brother is a good pony, but he needs to watch out or he might start wanting more than is good for him … and for you. The Q—Chrysalis!” Flix hissed the name and closed her eyes. “I still can't say her name without feeling like a betrayer of my race.”
Rainbow looked up from the papers and reached out a hoof to Flix. The changeling nodded and straightened back up. “Anyway, Chrysalis was utterly lost long before she came to Equestria and set out on her mad quest. It's because of having thousands of fanatical changelings who would probably die for you … that kind of blind love just drives every queen completely crazy and they can't get enough, they want more, and they want the real deal, the purest love they can find. It drives them to desperation, and their insanity rubs off on every changeling in the hive.”
She pushed the last bit of earth onto the grave and patted it with her tail. “That's what we fight against, and why we need a queen who ain't a changeling and won't go mad from our love. We just want to get by without taking more than is good, but we'll never get there with a queen who goes nuts and attacks your capital in a love-addled craze.” She pointed at the bottles sitting on the ground next to Rainbow. “Be careful with those, they look like poison.”
“Wh—” Rainbow looked up again, then glanced at the bottles. “Oh,” she muttered and held up the papers for Flix to see. “There's a map of Ponyville and some drawings of my friends on these.”
Flix took the papers and glanced through them. “Yes, and one of you,” she said and held up a picture of Rainbow on the back of one of the papers.
Rainbow stared from the bottles of poison to the knife still stuck in the ground and the pictures of her and her friends. Images of the grave monument and Pinkie's lifeless body flashed before her eyes. “They're going to kill my friends!” she cried and jumped up. “I have to warn them!”
“Rainbow, wait!” Flix called, but Rainbow was already through the canopy, speeding towards Ponyville in the distance. Flix's calls soon faded away behind her.
***
The sun hung low over Ponyville as Rainbow raced out from over Everfree Forest and landed near Fluttershy's cottage. It would be a few more hours before it set. She hesitated, feeling her heart grow frantic as she looked at the lonely cottage. A few chickens were scraping inside their pen, birds were flying between the trees, and little critters were playing around the house and in the bushes. Somewhere she would find Fluttershy and then …
If she had a breath she would have found it hard to breathe now. But she had to face this. She had to warn her friends, even if it meant talking to Fluttershy. She had the guts to do this!
She got back on her wings and circled around the cottage. At this hour, Fluttershy was probably in her garden somewhere with her animal friends. “Fluttershy?” she called out. There was no answer, and no sign of the yellow pegasus. Her heart sank as she searched, picking up her pace. “Please don't be too late,” she begged. Fluttershy was not in her garden.
Rainbow looked towards the cottage and quickly approached the front door. It was silent aside from a few critters hopping in and out of their holes and nests. Trembling, she knocked on the door and called out when there was no response. “Fluttershy?” Perhaps she had gone to see one of their friends, or something. Perhaps Fluttershy wasn't home, but a nagging fear demanded that she be sure.
She flew over to a nearby window and peeked through, searching the simple home for any sign of her friend. Her heart skipped a beat as she spotted a lump on the couch under the window. Fluttershy shouldn't be resting already, the sun was still shining! “Fluttershy!”
She looked up frantically. Fluttershy always had an open window or two, so that birds could come and go, and to keep the air inside fresh. Rainbow flew around until she found the window to Fluttershy's bedroom open enough that for her to get through.
“Rainbow!” Flix came around the house from the opposite side and spotted her half-way through the window. The changeling quickly hurried up to her and looked inside. “What are you doing?”
“Finding my friends before it's too late,” she said and continued across the small bedroom. Flix hurried after her as Rainbow flung the bedroom door open and rushed down the stairs to the first floor.
“Fluttershy!”
She spotted the bundle on the couch and raced towards it. Before she could reach the couch, something fell from above and a blanket of darkness wrapped around her, blinding her and causing her to lose her direction. “Hey!” she cried and hit the floor as somepony jumped on her back and forcefully tackled her to the ground.
“I got one!” she heard a voice shout above her, trying to be heard over a sudden din of voices and loud crashes near the stairs. Another set of hooves quickly grabbed hold of her. Rainbow struggled, kicked and cried as her legs and wings were locked in an iron grip. A wave of pain shot through her broken leg, causing her to scream in agony.
“Argh! It bit me!” a voice roared somewhere.
“Get it!”
“It's getting away!”
Rainbow vaguely registered the sounds of frantic hooves and furniture getting thrown down the stairs, resulting in more screams and loud cursing. “Let me go!” she cried, struggling hopelessly. The reply was a hard hit to the back of her head. She groaned before collapsing.
***
Darkness and consciousness slowly came back into focus. Rainbow groaned and tried to move, but quickly regretted it as a fresh wave of pain shot through her leg. She quickly assessed that her head was covered in black cloth, and her legs and wings had been tied with rope. She was lying on a hard wooden floor which was rolling slightly … a wagon. She was on a wagon. She groaned and tested the ropes on her legs.
A hoof hit her in the side. “Be still, changeling scum!” The voice was young, a stallion, and full of contempt.
Her head hurt from the hit she had received, but the words slowly registered in her mind. “I-I'm not a changeling!” she protested and groaned as her head punished her for the outburst.
“Yeah, right, and I'm the princess' own mother,” the unknown stallion said. “You've got to be the world's dumbest change—”
“Private Snout!” another voice interrupted, this one older and more gruff. The younger guard seemingly snapped to attention. “No talking on duty!”
“It's Private Silver … sir,” the young one grumbled, although too low to be heard by anypony but Rainbow. Or at least if they did hear it they said nothing.
“My name is Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow said, growing angry. “Rain! Bow! Dash! I'm not a changeling, you blasted foals! Let me go! I have to warn my friends!”
A hoof hit her on the back of the head again, causing her to bite her lip and making the darkness swim before her eyes. She let out a low growl and fell silent. Except for the slow grinding noise of the wagon as it rolled along the road, and the regular march of the guards, nothing but stoic silence now greeted her. Listening carefully to the hoofsteps, Rainbow guessed there were three guards, at least near enough to hear.
She carefully tested the ropes again, trying to do it as silently and inconspicuously as she could. Perhaps if she could get a hoof free she would be able to get her muzzle out of this bag, and then she could use her teeth to help her with the other ropes. They would probably notice it, but she had to give it a try. She had to get free!
At length the wagon stopped. Two of the guards remained by the side of the wagon while the third continued for a few seconds before saluting at somepony. Rainbow tensed and strained to listen, trying to pick up anything useful. Thankfully she didn't have to hold her breath to hear the two voices up ahead.
“Sergeant.”
“What is the situation, corporal?”
“It is still out there and on the loose, but I have three parties on its trail.” The corporal's voice sounded like the gruff one she had heard before.
“And the village is secured?” The sergeants voice was lower, and Rainbow strained hard to make out the words. It sounded like a mare.
“Aye, safe and sound all around, no other sightings yet. What are our orders?”
“We are still awaiting a decision from Gloaming or Canterlot.” There was a brief silence and the second voice continued more quietly. Rainbow tensed, but couldn't hear what was being said.
“Good grief, damn insects everywhere,” the corporal rumbled after a few seconds. “Then we wait here for now.”
“Very good.” The sergeant paused before adding, “Why have you not sent Private Silver with one of the search teams? He would be optimal in that endeavor, would he not?”
“Lack of ponies, sergeant. The prisoner and the safety of the town are top priorities.”
“Careful as ever, corporal? You seem to have this one well under control, and two guards watching her should suffice. I shall take Private Silver with me and organize another search. If one is on the lose, we must do our best to ensure its capture.”
The corporal saluted, and Rainbow heard him turn. “Private Snout!”
There was a sound of restrained annoyance from one of the guards next to Rainbow. “Sir?”
“Sergent Stormheart requests your service. Don't make her wait.”
“Yes sir!” Private Silver Snout saluted and hurried off to his new duty. Rainbow got the impression he was happy to be away from here, away from the corporal and away from guarding prisoners.
The two officers saluted, and Sergeant Stormheart departed. The wagon rolled into motion again but stopped soon after. No further conversation or action followed for what seemed to Rainbow like a veritable eternity. She could tell that the sun was setting because it was slowly getting a little colder in the air.
One of her legs was sleeping and she was lying awkwardly on her back. “Ugh,” she sighed in frustration. “Is anypony still there?” Perhaps if she was alone she could better make an attempt at wriggling free of her bonds.
“Anypony?”
“Shh!” The hush was so quiet, Rainbow could have almost missed it. It wasn't the kind of hush that said, “Be silent you damn insect.” Instead it was the kind of hush that tried to tell you, in its own limited way, “I'm here to help, so be still or you'll get us both in trouble.”
Rainbow shut her mouth and would have held her breath too if it wasn't somewhere else at the moment. Where it was she couldn't begin to guess, but she would bet a lot that this was all its fault. Damn dopplegänger probably set her up or something. She resigned herself to waiting, hoping her silent friend knew what she or he was doing.
***
Seconds stretched into minutes, maybe hours. Rainbow wanted to groan. She wanted to complain very profusely and very, very loudly, but even more she wanted to be free and out of here where she could stretch her wings and legs. The constant pain from her broken leg was driving her insane. Suddenly a voice broke the silence at last, but the words didn't fill Rainbow with hope at all.
“By Celestia, Private, will you stop twitching! What is wrong with your wing?”
There was a nervous shuffle from beside her. The one who had presumably hushed earlier stood to attention and ruffled a wing. “It's the cold, sir,” she said with a tiny hint of desperation that might well have passed Rainbow's notice entirely.
The other guard stood up and trotted closer. Despite the black hood over her head, Rainbow could clearly picture the scene in her head. The officer narrowed his eyes a little at the private. Rainbow prayed that she kept her cool, so to speak, and didn't sweat. “Yes, these summer nights sure are chilly, aren't they, Private Whistler? Perhaps you need to report for inspection. We can not have sick guards on duty.”
“Sir, to leave the prisoner alone with only one guard is against regulations, sir. I can not leave my duty now. I shall report first thing in the morning, sir.”
There was an extended silence as the officer subjected the poor private to a long and scrutinizing stare. “Remarkable. Tell me something, Private Whistler. Who gave you that scar on the side of your head, and what did I tell you when you woke up afterwards?”
She didn't know the answer. She had no way of knowing. Rainbow was sure of this the instant the corporal began his question.
Private Whistler ruffled a nervous wing. “Sir—”
A sudden and complete silence fell over the camp. It was the kind of silence that could have stopped a train wreck in its tracks and caused every screaming pony within to stop and stare in drop-jawed tension. It was the kind of silence that could even get an officer to suddenly forget all about the suspicious behavior of one very poor private. Rainbow had no idea what was going on.
The sound of distant thunder is always a bit delayed, Rainbow knew this well. The one that followed had traveled a few miles at least when it hit her. It began as a low rumble and built up into a roar like that of some titan beast of fury. The ground was trembling, and the whole wagon was shaking like a pony in a snowstorm. And then it faded into a mere distant rumble and the echo of a storm, like a brooding dark rage. It stayed like a faint audible gloom in the distance.
In the relative silence that followed, there was a hollow sound as of something hard hitting a head, and somepony collapsed with barely a groan. Frantic teeth pulled at the hood covering Rainbow's head. The cloth disappeared and a bright light flooded in. Rainbow grit her teeth and closed her eyes tight. “What is going on?” she moaned as her would-be savior tore at her ropes.
“Shh! No time!”
Rainbow's eyes slowly and painfully adjusted to the light just as her legs got free. She was unceremoniously and roughly pulled off the wagon by a pegasus dressed like a royal guard with a somewhat distinctive scar on the side of the head. “Flix?”
“Yes, now hurry!” the changeling pulled at her frantically. “Into the forest before they see!”
Rainbow stumbled and spread her wings, too dazed to understand what was going on as they were speeding towards the nearby forest. Rainbow had no clue where exactly they were, except it looked like the outskirts of Ponyville. Flix didn't give her time to look around. She caught sight of a few guards hurrying to and from, yelling and looking like the sky was falling down. The guards could spot the two any moment.
Nopony did. They ran and flew under the cover of the trees for several minutes before Flix finally calmed and slowed down enough to speak. “I think … we escaped them,” she said, glancing back the way they had come. There was no sign of any pursuit. “That was too close for my comfort.”
“What the hay is going on?”
Flix took a moment to look around before saying, “They must have got word of the threat to your friends and thought you were a changeling who wanted to hurt them. There are two of you, recall? They probably know where your double is, and knew you couldn't be her. And you really need to be careful you don't run right into her by accident, you know?”
Rainbow hadn't thought of that. She had been too concerned for her friends to think of her own situation. “But … how can I help my friends if I can't get near them?”
“You can get near them, just not near yourself.” Flix picked up pace slightly again. “Just … you need to be careful and think before you rush in like this. You won't help your friends by dying.”
Rainbow was about to kick a tree in passing, but stopped herself. You never knew if the tree might take offense, this she had learned the hard way. Instead she just sighed. “Yeah, alright. I get it.” She kicked the air. At least the air couldn't take offense and hurt her … probably. “So what now?”
Flix glanced up, clearly alarmed, and grabbed Rainbow. She looked Rainbow in the eyes, her expression serious. “Go back to where we buried the changeling and get the herbs I left there. Don't take anything else, and don't linger, just grab the herbs and hurry back to Eden. Do you understand?”
The tone of Flix's voice had become frantic. Rainbow nodded. “But what about you?”
“I need to warn my brother. He must have returned to Gloaming already, and I bet our cover is blown after this, if it wasn't already. He doesn't know, he'll run straight into their hooves and get caught. I can't leave him at their mercy.”
Rainbow opened her mouth to ask something, but another more pressing question rose to her lips instead. “What happened back there? That guard was sure to get you, and then … bam! Like—”
Flix stopped and turned Rainbow's head upwards. It was pretty bright tonight, she had noticed. The moon was high on the sky, shining down at them. No … that wasn't what made this night so bright. Rainbow would have gasped, but she had no breath to do it with. Instead she just stared.
“Whoa! Impossible!”