Day 3 Part 2
It was quickly decided that they would find Spike and get him to find the ingredients while the rest of them rescued Zig-Zag in order to save time and reduce suspicion which was realized as a possible problem when Zecora explained how she had been being watched by changelings nearly every time she left her hut, however, she was not entirely sure by how many although she could recognize some of them instantly.
It occurred to Twilight Sparkle that Zecora would have to think up a question only Zig-Zag would be able to answer in case it was a changeling in disguise, as there was a possibility that Queen Chrysalis might expect a rescue attempt; and for Zecora to give them a question only she could answer in case they were set upon by an army of changelings all disguised as her. Twilight Sparkle really hoped this wouldn’t happen as they didn’t have the time for unnecessary complications.
They warned Spike to watch out for any suspicious ponies and to make out, if asked, that the ingredients were for soup, before setting off. They walked quite close to the edge of the Everfree Forest but never left it, then took a sudden sharp turn going deeper into the woodland. As they went further, they noticed a gradual increase in the amount of slime on the plants and trees.
‘We must be getting close!’ said Rainbow Dash.
‘Stay alert and watch out for changelings,’ Twilight Sparkle told the others. The sound of buzzing became louder as they got closer. Although it was evident that this wasn’t the changelings’ place of residence, there seemed to be quite a few in the area. The group had to dodge behind a tree or hide among other foliage to avoid being caught sight of by a couple of changelings who appeared to be patrolling the area.
Suddenly, Fluttershy, who hadn’t made a sound until now, yelped in pain. Rainbow Dash swiftly grabbed her, revealing a trap to have clamped around her hoof and leg. Within a few paces, the others began to hear snapping sounds beneath their hooves as traps tried to snap shut on them.
‘Go!’ shouted Rainbow Dash, ‘we’ll catch up to you as soon as I’ve freed Fluttershy,’ The others hurried ahead, only just avoiding many of the snapping traps.
‘Run closer to the areas where the slime is,’ called Twilight Sparkle, ‘there’s less likely to be traps there!’
At last they were out of the area and onto what seemed to be something like a dirt track. They stopped and waited for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Twilight Sparkle wished they would hurry up both for Cadence’s sake and for their own as the dirt track made the area more open and there were few places to hide in.
Due to Rainbow Dash’s rapid flight speed, she and Fluttershy caught up pretty quickly; Zecora did her best to treat and bandage Fluttershy’s injuries, she almost seemed like her old self again for a few moments.
The group kept close together as they walked on in the increasingly horrible environment. The place was filled with a terrible stench, somewhere between the smell of drains and rotting flesh. All the trees and plants were dying and covered in oozing sludge and slime. There was something in the air too which made it hard to breathe and hurt their eyes.
‘This is simply horrible,’ Rarity complained, ‘how can they possible live like this?’ No-pony answered. If the changelings didn’t live here, Twilight Sparkle hated to think what their home was like. As they turned a corner they were greeted by the sight of what looked like some sort of encampment swarming with buzzing changelings.
‘You-you don’t think they’ll be able to smell us do you?’ Fluttershy asked nervously.
‘With this stench in the air!’ exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
‘I didn’t mean like that,’ Fluttershy replied softly, ‘I meant like our friendship . . .’
‘Huh?’ said Applejack, confused.
‘I think what she means is that you are friends,’ said Zecora, ‘on each other you do depend. Such love, a changeling could probably sense from far above.’ Twilight Sparkle looked at Zecora, thinking about what she had just said and that her sentences were beginning to rhyme again.
‘So let’s just stay a little further from the camp them!’ Pinkie Pie suggested.
‘Pinkie’s right,’ Twilight Sparkle told them, ‘but if we’re going to find Zig-Zag we’ll have to take the risk and be as quick as possible.’ They walked in single file round the edge of the camp, stepping in each other’s hoof prints in case there were any more traps in the area.
‘I’m fed up with walking,’ sighed Rainbow Dash, ‘can’t I just fly over and look for Zig-Zag by air?’
‘Rainbow Dash,’ Twilight Sparkle responded, ‘changelings can fly too,’
‘And you could easily get noticed,’ continued Applejack.
‘And get caught,’ added Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash snorted.
‘You may be a very fast flyer,’ murmured Fluttershy, ‘but there would simply be too many of them.’
‘And think of Cadence,’ exclaimed Twilight Sparkle, ‘we don’t have much time left to save her. Do you want to be responsible for her death, or force us to choose between saving her and rescuing you when you get caught?’
‘Alright, alright,’ muttered Rainbow Dash, ‘you’ve made your point.’
‘Hush and keep your heads down, quickly!’ Zecora ordered urgently. They managed to hide themselves just before Queen Chrysalis, who was cackling, stopped close by, accompanied by another changeling.
‘In agony, you say! Tossing and turning! Wriggling and writhing! Screaming out so loudly the whole of Equestria can probably hear her! And poor Shining Armor can’t do a thing to help her!’ The changeling queen burst into a fit of creepy giggles. Twilight Sparkle was having to use a lot of self-control not to attack her. ‘And to think how easy it all was, ‘Queen Chrysalis continued, ‘that poor princess practically poisoned herself, and that zebra was so easy to persuade . . .’
‘Are you going to give that zebra back her niece, your majesty?’ the other changeling asked. The queen snorted.
‘Of course not! She’ll only think I have, just as her niece will think that you’re her aunt,’ The other changeling gave a nasty grin. ‘They’ll be drained down to the bone.’ The queen remained silent for a few moments, smirking to herself. ‘You know, I really think I ought to pay our little patient a visit, don’t you?’ she said through chuckling. The other changeling sniggered. ‘I ought to give her a good send off, shouldn’t I?’
Zecora and Rarity were struggling to hold Twilight Sparkle down. After a minute, Chrysalis turned to the other changeling again.
‘It’s time to change the guard on that zebra,’ she stated, unaware that she was gesturing in the direction that Zig-Zag was being held, ‘go and inform those who are to take over.’
‘Yes, your majesty,’ the other changeling replied before hurrying off. As soon as the smirking queen had walked away, chuckling evilly as she did, Twilight Sparkle turned to the others, rage pulsing through her veins.
‘Right, let’s go,’ she snapped, before charging off.
‘Twilight, not so fast!’ Rarity called in a low voice.
‘We’ve gotta catch her before she does something crazy!’ said Pinkie Pie.