“There’s some more tracks over here!” called out one of the guards.
Applejack, who was searching in the opposite direction, came sprinting to the spot the guard was standing at, scanning the ground with an desperate furiosity that had the guard backing slowly away.
“Come, this way, they’re leading this way.” he said, trotting deeper into the orchard.
Applejack, giving up on finding the near imperceivable hoof prints, followed the guard, every other pony in the group following quickly.
Cutting a path through the underbrush, the guardsponies in the lead set a grueling pace, not even daring to slow as they cleaved their way through the thickest of branches with their stubby swords that were being swung with their unicorn magic in tight controlled swings.
“Hurry, the mountains are just ahead.” yelled Rainbow Dash from somewhere above the canopy, along with a good dozen guards all flying in a disciplined formation, protecting their earth-bound fellows below from the dangers above.
“They must be headed towards the caves that Granny warned us about when we were little.” Big Mac said from back towards the rear, the only ponies behind him being more guards.
“You mean those deep dark caves that are full of scary things?” asked Fluttershy, her voice and eyebrows creeping higher and higher with each word.
“Ja, but don’t vorry, ve guards vill protect you vith our lives.” Sasha said, not out of breath in the slightest despite the large age difference between him and every other pony minus Luna
“Well, I for one hope it does not come to that.” huffed Rarity, who for once, was ignoring how dirty she was getting... for the most part at least.
“Ja, of course, but in case it does, make good and sure you’re behind the ponies vith the swords.”
“We might need more than just a few swords if they were able to get Cass.” Applejack muttered to herself, almost too quiet for even herself to hear.
“Oh little filly, where are you?” taunted the changeling from deep in the shadows.
“Eep!” Scootaloo chirped as she scuttled out of her hiding spot in a hurry.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” it sang, teasingly close.
Scootaloo, scared beyond coherent thought, sprinted further desperately. She cared little for where she was going, as long as she was away from that...Thing!
Sprinting down a long lonely stretch of tunnel she spotted an offshoot to the side. Sliding past it she quickly squeezed her way in rump first, squatting down as low as she could, trying to make herself as invisible as possible.
It was a long few seconds before the opening darkened suddenly, a massive shape had moved in front of it. Whatever form it had assumed, it was truly massive.
After what seemed like an even longer few seconds, the shape huffed and moved on. The heavy tread that was silent before was now crunching loudly, the sound echoing down the cave.
Only when she was certain it was gone did she finally dare slowly release the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Scooting her rear further into the crack she found that it eventually opened up much wider deeper in. When she finally managed to force her way into the wider area she found she was able to turn around and was disheartened by what she saw.
It was another tunnel like the one she had escaped from, nearly identical in all the muddy details that she was able to make out in the murk.
With a choking sob, she sat down on the floor, tears streaming down her face. All she wanted to do was run screaming and crying, but she knew for certain that would be her doom.
Sitting on the floor she slowly patted herself down, checking for and finding quite a few places where she had scratched and bruised herself. Whimpering in pain as she pressed on one particularly painful spot she had the sudden realization that she had to pee....
Finding a lone corner, blushing bright enough that she feared that she was lighting up the cave she prepared to conduct her business.
“Oh hello there, did you really think you could find a path I couldn't fit through, in my cave?” asked a dark liquidity cloud as it stormed out of the crack she had made her escape through.
Scootaloo, all other thoughts pushed from her mind, did the first thing that came to her mind.
She ran, screaming louder than ever before.
“Wait, did anyone else hear that?” asked Applejack, holding up one hoof to halt all the other ponies in their group.
“Yeah, we must be getting close!” said Rainbow Dash, who was flying low above them.
“Come, ve must hurry then, that vas not a happy scream!” Sasha said as he stormed out of the orchard towards the cliff face that was littered with caves.
“What was that?” I asked, leaning up off the couch in Dr. Luna’s office.
“What was what?” she asked, looking up from the notepad I’m sure she was drawing on rather than taking proper notes.
“I thought I just heard someone scream.”
“Well we are still near the mental ward, and you are one of the less disturbed patients here.”
“Still a patient though.” I said sourly, looking with disgust at the straitjacket they were forcing me to wear.
“Only for your protection.” Twilight...I mean, Dr. Luna said as she sat down her notepad, face down.
“Huh, then what's next, one of those cone collars?” I asked sarcastically.
“Only if you bite me.” she said too cheerily. “But I don’t see that being necessary, soon we are going to attempt to reacquaint you with society.”
“Really?” I asked, suddenly interested for once in what the Doctor had to say.
“Yes, you have shown a lot of improvement here in the last two years. Especially after we coaxed you out of the ridiculous ‘human’ phase.”
“Yes yes, you mentioned something about me leaving this place?” I asked, leaning forward until the chain attached to the back of my jacket stopped me short with a clink.
“Under my strict supervision of course.” she said, a little miffed that I hadn’t raised to her jab at what was a mindset that I had defended for a long time.
“Yeah yeah, whatever, but I get to see the outside, maybe get some real food and see the sun without bars in the way?”
Smiling and laughing to herself quietly, she sat further back into her comfortable looking leather chair. Grabbing her notepad she smiled as she said.
“I will miss these little talks of ours though. It was always a bit of a highlight of my day, talking to somepony who doesn’t try to eat me seems to be growing rarer each day.”
“I don’t know Doc, you look tast—” I was interrupted by her little kitchen timer that she had sitting on the counter. Looking at that evil little clock I laid back down on the couch and shuffled a little inside my itchy straight jacket.
“Well, looks like our time is up.” she said as she pressed a worn red button on the arm of her chair.
With little hesitation, one of the large grey orderlies walked into the room pushing a wheelchair.
“Take him back to his room please.” the doctor asked kindly.
“Ja, I vill also deliver him his lunch.” he said with a russian accent as he picked me up gently and placed me in the chair, and with practiced ease, put the two straps across my chest and unhooked the chain from it’s mooring under the couch.
“The masses are rejoicing over this new food source my queen.”
“Of course they are!” Chrysalis said with a huff, “He alone can feed us for much longer than all those guards combined.”
“But we still have an issue of feeding everyone. We still have the starving in the streets! We still need to find more food.” the queen’s counselor continued.
“YOU PRESUME TO GIVE ME ORDERS!!” the queen yelled, sending the small changeling sliding back a few feet with nothing more than the power of her voice.
“No,my queen, but may I make a suggestion? Perhaps it would be in our best interests if we attempt to bring more of his kind here.”
“Only if you have fixed your mistakes! We cannot waste our resources to bring another human here if we’re just going to lose them to the ponies. It was a miracle that I was able to capture him at all!”
“Yes, my queen, and we have already prepared the chambers, they are awaiting you to assume your role.”
“Good, but leave me now. I need to feed more if I am going to be able to cast that much magic on my own.”
“Shall I call forth the magic you stole from the princesses?”
“Yes, but less of Luna’s, we do not need her noticing her sudden waning powers.”
“Why hello my dear are we enjoying ourselves?” asked Discord as he stood outside of the cell bars.
“Hello again, are you here to taunt me some more?” Celestia asked, rattling her chains as she looked up at the strange creature.
“Nope, just here to spread some of my goodwill.” he said with a grin.
Celestia just looked at him blankly for a few moments, unsure of what he meant until a cotton candy cloud floated into her cell, and well within her limited reach.
“Thank you,Discord, though I do wonder why you have not left this abysmal place?”
“What, and leave you here alone? While, yes I do blame you for trapping me in that statue for so long, I do not wish to leave you here in the clutches of those things all on your own. And besides, I also want to greet our new guest when he arrives.”
Celestia, mouth full of cotton candy, nearly choked when she heard this. She sat up to the limits of her chains and looked wide eyed at him.
“Oh, yes, you don’t know about the humans, do you?” he said with a mischievous grin.