//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: A mother's choice and consequences // by Punsz //------------------------------// Both Twilight and I gave the Sun goddess a confused. “What are you saying?” I asked walking up to the sun princess. “What I’m saying is that I never made a decree of such to capture any surviving Changelings.” “Could it be a rogue group of ponies?” Her sister asked walking up next to her. Celestia’s face grew worried. “Perhaps this group is the same group I’ve been hearing around the council chambers.” Using her magic she pulled out papers from one of her cabinets. “I’ve been getting reports on a rogue group of guardsmen capturing Changelings and taking them to the barracks.” “Did you find any?” I asked frantically. “No I saw nothing it was empty all it was was a typical guardsmen barracks.” My eye’s fell to the ground as I felt any hopes of finding the rest of my children were swept away. “Did you talked to the guards stationed their?” Twilight asked. Her mentor nodded. “Yes I asked each one I even performed a detection spell checking for any secret passages or rooms.” Everyone in the room stayed quiet. “Sister is it possible that the changelings were taken from the barracks and to a different location.” The Princess of the moon suggested. “That’s right if they were taken to a different location then we could use one of the tracking spells to see where they were taken.” Twilight said. “But for this spell to work I need a something sharing any connection to a changeling.” “Slice.” I cut off a piece of my mane handing it to her. “This should work.” Celestia lead us towards the barrack where the suspected changelings were taken. We all walked in the hall with Celestia leading the way and her sister at her side. The pink alicorn walked behind the two and beside her was Twilight; Chirp sat on my back looking at her surroundings. “So Cadence if you’re here wheres Shining Armor?” Twilight asked. “Oh he had to stay back at the Crystal kingdom while I came to visit Canterlot.” The two continued their conversation with me following behind them. As I followed I felt a strange loss of weight on my back; I looked behind me to see Chirp missing. My eyes grew wide as I searched for my child finally I looked in front of me to see her walking next to Celestia herself. I calmed down a little breathing back to a regular pace; I saw Chirp walking as the same way the sun goddess was walking with her head up and her chest out. A smile came on the princesses face; she realized that the young changeling took interest in her mane as it swayed back in forth. Chirp stared at the multicolored mane with awe; taking notice of this Celestia picked up the young changeling levitating her on her back. Chirp was so amazed by the mix of color in ones hair, but what really got her attention was how her mane itself sparkled. “Pretty.” She chirped. She started to play with the colorful mane as if it was her play thing. Wrapping herself around or burying her face in it, she was enjoying herself. This adorable act caught the attention of a certain pink princess. Creeping behind her aunt she slowly made eye to eye contact with the small changeling. “Chirp?” “GWAAH you’re so cute.” She squealed grabbing hold of the young changeling with her magic levitating her into another hug. The Pink princess looked back at me while still hugging Chirp. “Can I ask you something?” I gave a curious look. “You may.” I said plainly. “Well why does Chirp look more like you and while the others look...well different?” This question caught the attention of the lavender pony as well. “Yeah now that you mention it Chirp does look more like you unlike the other changelings I’ve seen.” “Well there are two reasons one is quite obvious I’m her mother so she’ll have some of my traits and looks.” The two nodded understanding the logic to the first reasons. “And the second reason is that Chirp is the next to take the role of queen after I have moved on.” The two ponies mouths dropped towards the floor. “Wait so are you telling me that Chirp here is the next in line to becoming the queen of the changelings?” Twilight asked?” “Yes, but since most of my children are either lost, captured or dead Chirp can not take the role as Queen.” “But can’t she just make you know new changelings...since you guys just lay your eggs...right?” I gave her stoic look unsurprised of the ponies knowledge of changeling reproduction. “We do not lay eggs each changeling was born from me.” This really caught the ponies attention even the two princesses ahead of us. “All..of..them?” The pink princess gulped. I nodded my head. ¨Is there a Changeling King?¨ The lavender unicorn asked. ¨Yes, but the last one died long ago.¨ I said lowering my head. ¨He sacrificed his life to protect his children.¨ A single tear ran down one of my eyes. I felt a hoof on my shoulder seeing it was now the pink alicorn. ¨I´m sure he was a great king.¨ ¨He was.¨ We walked in silence Chirp was now sleeping on the sun goddesses back curled up in her hair. We finally arrived at the barrack where the suppose changelings were suppose to have been taken. Twilight began to activate the spell her horn glowing a shade of purple in no time a trail of purple was formed on the ground. ¨Follow that trail!¨ We all started to follow the purple stream guiding us to my remaining children. As we started to exit the city I noticed the trail heading into the mountains; we followed the trail to a cave in the mountains. We stood at the entrance of the cave the purple trail ending at the mouth of the cave. “They must be here.” I said rushing towards the entrance. “Wait!” I was stopped in my tracks looking behind me. “What?” I looked at Celestia. “We don’t know what we might face or find in there we should prepare for the worst and make a plan.” I looked back at the group and then to the cave entrance. “no...” I ran inside the cave in full speed ignoring what the others were saying. At first the cave was pitch black until I saw flashes of green light appearing opposite from where I stood. I ran faster and faster until I finally approached the light. I as I came closer I realized that the walls were covered with mark or symbols of some kind I then saw something hanging from the ceiling. I was stopped dead in my tracks as I got a more clear view of what it was. “No...” I saw the green blood dripping from it’s body next to it was another body and another. Row after row their bodies hung lifeless and empty. My children are...dead.