Sifty was laid out on a mat, the last thing he remembered was Backfire being dragged underground by burrowing changelings and getting bitten by one of them after that he blacked out. Now he felt a slight pinch on his hoof, as he slowly became aware the pain became more intense until it felt as if somepony had covered a cut in salt. Sifty prepared to stand up but was held down by a green aura.
"Be still." Tatau said, Sifty using his eyes he looked down to see that Tatau was using ancient tools to create a tribal band on the part where his foreleg and hoof connected.
"What in the hay are you doing!?" Sifty said with rage, he didn't like being held down, ESPECIALLY by a changeling.
"I am giving you the mark of my ancestors, you are a soldier now, but soon you will be a warrior." He said adding the finishing touches to his work. Sifty in a fit of rage shot up as Tatau finished the band.
"Oh, you're trying to tell me how to be a warrior? So sorry, man! I thought I was just a worthless pissant, and not some highly trained killing machine that's ripped apart hundreds of your kind with my bare hooves. So sorry, bro, didn't mean to make that assumption!"
"I assure you, if you killed them, they were not like me." Tatau said coldly staring back at Sifty with his blue eyes. Then Tatau continued,
"I am not finished."
"Looks done to me." Sifty said looking at the band tattooed on his arm.
"I must empower it."
"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard, and I've been to canterlot!" Sifty said mocking the Changeling
"Do you want to save her?" Tatau asked staring at Sifty
"She's alive!?"
"Yes, they are in the hallows below, if you wish to join me, then you must let me finish." Tatau stated, knowing he struck a chord.
"Fine! Lets get this over with." He said laying down, as he did Tatau's horn charged up the Symbols coming alive and moving, almost speaking to him, then in a instant they stopped.
"What was that." Sifty said confused.
"Your compass."
"You're a strange Changeling.." Sifty said
"Enough talk," He said throwning sift the tip of Backfire's horn as he put on a saddlebag and poncho, "now shall we save your mare, eh?" Tatau smirked
"Lets kick some ass." Sifty shot up from the stretcher and the pair made it to the entrance of the cavern, joining Lyra, Canvas and Hilt, and the remaining soldier waited by the entrance, Lyra spoke up.
"Tatau, you sure we can find them in there"
"iwi poʻo, I know we can because we have him." pointing towards Sifty.
"You gave him the tattoo didn't you." Lyra said giving a smug look
"That I did." Tatau said nodding.
"What exactly did he give me?"
"Tatau here is the Changeling version of Zecora, what he put on you is a enchanted marking. It leads you to the person you hold closest."
"Does it work?" Sifty asked curiously.
"How do you think I found Bon Bon?" Lyra retorted.
"I'll be damned.."
"No, if I wanted to damn you, I would have made the marking on your back hoof." Tatau said with a informing grin.
Lyra chuckled at the comment, but everypony else just stared at the two ponies.
"Ma'am you are one strange pony, no offense." one of the soldiers said.
"Enough talk! We have some ponies to find!" Lyra said loading her cannon with a canister, and slinging Bon Bon's saddlebag and shotgun over her cannonless shoulder. Making their way down the cavern a patrol of two changelings came in sight of the group, before the Changelings could react Canvas and Hilt simultaneously created a magic wave slicing the two in half.
"Works every time!" Hilt said with a grin getting an immediate shush from his brother
"This IS a stealth mission you know!"
"Didn't say I couldn't kill anything!"
Hilt was about to say something snarky back but was interrupted by Lyra signaling them to be quiet. With a nod they silently regrouped and the party continued down the tunnel until Sifty noticed his tattoo starting to chant.
"Whats going on?" Sifty asked,
"They are close," Lyra said "Mines going off too"
Tatau closed his eyes, using his wings the rubbed them together creating a light humming noise, listening in he felt the presence of the two missing ponies, then down the cavern they were in a large group of Changelings heading for them.
"Are you ready" He asked the group.
"Why?" Lyra asked,
"They are going to swarm them, soon."
"where are they!" Lyra demanded,
"right below us."
"We can't make it to them at this rate of travel I shall make alternative route" Tatau said sniffing the air, then reaching into his pack pulling out a jar of powder, spreading it around the group in a circle he then flew up to the ceiling of the cave and attached a rope.
"What are you planning?" Hilt and Canvas said at the same time in a worried tone.
"SHORTCUT!" Tatau said in a maniacal, out of character tone lighting the chemical with his magic the cave filled with a flash of light and the floor gave in as they fell through the newly created hole landing a few feet below right in front of the pair of ponies surprising them. Sifty shook the dust off of him, his Tattoo chanting.
"How do I tell this thing to shut up?"
"Just touch the mare and the chanting will stop until you ask it to find her again." Tatau stated. as Sifty touched the mare who was frozen in shock by the sudden entrance through the roof the chanting halted immediately.
"Backfire?" Sifty said with a smile, Backfire snapping out of her trance a grin forming on her face she picked Sifty up into a hug throwing Sifty off by the sudden show of strength from her.
"Whoa, Good to see you too!" he said wiggling his legs in a manner as to ask to be put back down, Backfire complying with a blush and an embarrassed giggle, Sifty reaching into his vest he pulled out Backfire's horn, her eyes widening as large as her grin, with lightning speed she had Sifty in a thankful kiss completely stunning the now blushing Sifty with the sudden show of affection, Tatau stopped mixing some chemicals to look up and take in a breath of fresh air,
"Aahh, I love the taste of romance in times of peril!"
The comment from the changeling snapped the lovebirds out of their trance, after another awkward silence between the two that was sure not to be their last, Sifty place the horn on her head and took out some bandages and wrapped it into place for her, with two taps it sparked to life.
"Thanks for everything." She said,
"Just doing my job." He said with a smile.
"what is wrong with you ponies!" The solider said.
"I find nothing wrong with this." Tatau said defending the couple as he placed the various jars around the tunnel they were in then flying up the hole he created.
"Well you're a Changeling!" the soldier replied.
"This changelings getting out before his chemicals cave in the whole place." He said using his magic to scoop up the two brothers and throwing the rope down for the others, Lyra scooped Bon Bon in her arms, without a word and climbed the rope with her magic, Sifty and Backfire followed behind as they ran out of the cavern, hisses and snarls could be heard from the coming swarm.
"iwi poʻo, will you do the honors?"
"With pleasure!" Lyra said rolling a large bomb down the tunnel the beeping became faint then the snarls changed to screams of horror at the sight of the bomb, then suddenly the cave entrance collapsed with a puff of sand.
"That was anti-climactic." Sifty said.
"quite, I was hoping for a good fight, but we sealed the tunnel so it will be months before they can even think about trying to burrow out." Tatau said shrugging.
then Lightning and SP came trotting over the dune,
"HEY! WE FOUND A RIDE!" SP shouted enthusiastically, a few meters away a large truck with caravan style trailers was parked, each trailer was covered in armor and weapons all to protect one single tank of water. As the group approached the cab a peek hole opened, noticing Tatau immediatly sealed shut,
"You scared our ride." Sifty said sarcastically
"With respect, you are wrong." Tatau replied
then the hatch on the top opened up and a roughed up changeling popped out of the hatch.
"Hey I remembered the right place!" The changeling proudly exclaimed with a smug grin.
Tatau spoke up,
"Meet my brother, Ritz, he will be our method of transportation."
"Can we trust him?" Bon Bon asked Lyra,
"Yea, he's too lazy to try anything funny."
Bon Bon accepted that response as good enough and they boarded the trailer of the truck and began their ride to the base,
"Here's your stuff back." Lyra said handing the saddlebag and holster to Bon Bon,
"You're the best."
"Only on the days that end in Y." She said with a smirk.