A Proxy is quite capable of bearing different Elements at different times. While this has happened only twice within the Elements' current cycle of activity, during the time of the Royal Pony Sisters it was much more common. It is interesting to note that nearly every time this has happened the pony who switched their Element began with Loyalty, though one of the modern instances began with Laughter instead. This might have something to do with the nature of Loyalty compared to the other Elements, and its place in binding Elements and Bearers together.

When a Proxy changes the Element they bear, it is a complete transition. They no longer have access to the powers of their previous Element, and it will no longer resonate with them the same way. This is an exception to the general rule that a Bearer is always connected to an Element once they have wielded it in creating the Magic of Harmony. The change in Element is also usually accompanied by a shift in personality. Commonly, this shift is seen as positive, a 'growth of character', rather than a negative transformation, as if the previous Element was a 'placeholder' for them until they could grow into the proper one.

This concept of 'growing into your Element' leads to some intriguing questions. Chief among them is a variation of a common question concerning the Elements: is it the pony who changes, and thus needs a new Element, or the Element that wants a new Bearer, and thus changes a pony to suit? While I have no answer to this question, what I know of the Elements has told me that the latter is certainly within their capability.

What is worrying is that all of this does not apply to true Bearers. Only Proxies may change the Element they wield. What this means for true Bearers and the differences between them and Proxies, I can only speculate.

-From the fifth section of Harmony Theory by Twilight Sparkle

Chapter Nineteen: Calling The Earth

The three of them sat around the table Star Fall had been using in her research, Star Fall having insisted that they come here once she had calmed down enough to start explaining. The table was a mess, with books and papers strewn across it from when she had jumped on it in her excitement. Many of those books were even in Old Equestrian, a language the two displaced ponies could read, though neither Dash nor Applejack seemed interested in reading them.

"Probably not so little no more," Applejack mused from her seat. "Even with how slow dragons grow up, he'll be an adult now. More than adult."

"Yeah, but... Spike!" Dash shook her head. "I didn't even think of him. Of course he'd still be around."

"It is Spike, but he's not the same Spike you remember," Star Fall pointed out. She shuffled a few of the papers to the side, then dragged a book closer to her and flipped rapidly through the pages. "He was just a baby when he knew you, that was a long time ago."

Star Fall waggled a hoof absently. "He does and he doesn't. How well do you remember your foalhood? It's like that, but clearer. He remembers Twilight. He talked about her often enough, but he didn't say much about the rest of you."

"I suppose a thousand years is a long time to be keepin' a memory alive," Applejack reasoned.

"Luna was kin." Applejack replied, "You don't forget kin. Plus, she had a big old reminder shinin' down on her every night. Spike didn't have that."

"Apparently he's got a statue of Rarity with the Element of Generosity attached to it," Dash said. "I think that's a pretty good reminder!"

"Girls!" Star Fall slapped a hoof on the table, catching their attention. "He remembers you. He remembers all of you. Maybe not perfectly, maybe not easily, but he does. And the statue? He might not even notice it is there."

"What do you mean, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, frowning at Star Fall. "He made the statue, right? So why wouldn't he know it's there?"

Star Fall shook her head, closing her eyes as she searched for the right words to explain. "I do not know for sure, but I think there is a spell on it. A spell that makes you not pay close attention to it, a spell that makes you forget that you have seen it."

"I think it is to protect the Element," Star Fall said. "I think that was the plan to keep it safe. I have seen spells like this before. Make something unremarkable and ponies will ignore it. The statues were displayed all over Equestria. That meant that the Element was out in the open where everypony could see it. But because it looks like the Element is just an ornament on a statue it becomes part of the..." She paused, wracking her brain for several long moments. Her grasp of Old Equestrian had improved immensely, but difficult concepts were still a struggle to convey. Finally, she found something that would suffice. "Background noise. Even if you're looking directly at it, you will not notice it. The statues take the attention, the Element becomes invisible. Eventually the statue might become invisible too."

"Harmony Theory," Star Fall replied. "The book Cash had. It has magic too, powerful and subtle magic, just like what I think is on the statue. I did not have a chance to look deeply, but I think... I think that the spell on the statue is supposed to be countered by the book. But only if you have more than one reference."

"You need... you need something more than the book, something to push your memory or force you to recognize it. You still see the Element, but it is background, unremarkable, remember? Even when you know about the Elements, the memory of seeing it is... locked. Reading the book lets you unlock the memory, but you will not suddenly remember seeing the Element on the statue, you still need to be reminded of it. For me that reminder was the sketches Gamma had made."

"This is mighty complicated," Applejack sighed, rubbing at her head. "And you're sure about all of this?"

"No," Star Fall said, and her shoulders slumped at the admission. "It is a leap of logic, and it is based on a lot of guesses and very little solid evidence. It feels right, but, well, I don't know. All I do know is that Spike has the Element of Generosity. That I am sure of. And... and I think Cash knows it too."

"He could be there right now!" Dash cried, jerking up into the air, her eyes wide and alarmed. "Star, we need to get there, like, now!"

"I know," Star Fall assured her. "I know, but Spike's cave is a long way away from here, and a long way from any road or rail. We can't get the transport, so we will have to go there ourselves. Even at my best speed it will take days."

"You could," Star Fall agreed. "But if you show up, what is Spike going to think? Rainbow Dash just appearing on his doorstep after a thousand years of being dead? He will think it is a trick, and Dragons are not known for their even tempers."

"Maybe, but that's not a chance we can take. What if Cash is there already? What if you fly right in there and he uses the Element of Loyalty on you again? What are you going to do then? You cannot go alone."

"I need to be there," Star Fall said. "Preferably with a team of soldiers and Griffins at my back, but there aren't any fliers here capable of making it. It will have to be you and me."

Star Fall shook her head. "We can't carry her, Dash, and she won't be able to keep up on hoof."

"Hold on, there," Applejack cut in. "I think Miss Fallen Star's right. I can't keep up with you in the air, Dash, you know that."

"Well, yeah, but you can keep up with her," Dash said, pointing a hoof at Star Fall.

"Dash," Star Fall said. "Applejack is very strong, but keeping up with us isn't about strength."

"No, it's about how fast you can run and for how long," Dash said. "And Applejack can run. Not as fast as me," Applejack snorted at this. "But fast enough. And definitely long enough."

"Star, how fast can you fly? Not sprinting, but for long-distance stuff?" Dash asked.

Star Fall sighed. "If I focus my magic on it and stay low enough that I don't get cold, I can fly faster than a car at top speed. Or a train, if you have a better idea of that. If I take good breaks and eat and drink regularly I can keep it up for ten or twelve hours a day. I can go faster for short periods, and a good tailwind can help me get more distance."

Applejack frowned a bit, but looked surprised. "I know how fast a train could go in our time. Assumin’ they’re about the same now, well, that's a bit of a tall order," she said.

"Yup," Applejack said. "It won't be easy, mind, and it'd depend on the lay of the land, but so long as I don't have to climb any mountains I can keep that pace."

"What?" Star Fall said, mouth hanging open in disbelief. "You can run that fast? Could everypony do this in your time?"

"No," Applejack said. "Most ponies from our time can't keep near that pace 'less they train for it. I do the Runnin' of the Leaves every year, it's hard on both speed and endurance, and I go for both. Plus, as they said in my time, this ain't my first rodeo."

Dash grinned at the praise, but Applejack shook her head. "We're just athletic," she said. "Dash here may be the fastest thing in the air, but I'm not close to that on the ground. Or at least I wasn't."

"You are now," Star Fall said, standing up. "We do not have a lot of time to spare. I will talk to Gamma, you two need to start packing. We will need rations for a fast journey, and water. I will tell one of the soldiers to get you anything you ask for."

"If we get there before Cash? We convince Spike to take the statue and we go back to the capital," Star Fall said. "If we don't get there first? I don't know. Try to protect Spike, try to stop Cash. Try not to get killed."

Applejack just nodded. "Then it'll do. Come on, Rainbow Dash, let's get packin'."

Astrid opened her eyes as the door to her hospital room swung open. "Hey, Fall," she said as her charge came in. She lay on the bed, mostly immobile. Only one of her forelegs had recovered enough to be useable, fortunately the one that hadn't had its claws mangled. The other was still bound up in bandages, which also covered most of her torso. Her wings were held outstretched by casts and wires. It was, in total, a hideously awkward way to lie. The only concession to comfort was the pillow under her head, and even that was small and hard. "Good news: they've taken me off of the blood thinners. Next time you see me I won't be puking and passing out every time I try to get up."

"Oh yeah, and have I thanked you for that yet?" Astrid snarked. "I think I remember something about telling you to just give me a bandage and leave it."

"For the last time, you were bleeding into your lung," Star Fall said. "I had to do something. Would you prefer I try to kick the wound closed?"

Astrid chuckled, her eyes softening. "Yeah, look. I'm not complaining that you saved my life. I'm just..."

"I hate watching that crap," Astrid said. "I need to be out of this bed and doing something! Cash and Charisma got away, I should be helping you track them down!" She snarled, her good claw flexing. Suddenly her eyes snapped to the bags hanging from Star Fall's back. "Wait a minute. Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"It's more important than that now," Star Fall said, looking at the ground. "I think Cash is heading there too, and I want to get there before him and pre-empt whatever it is he's going to do."

"You're going without me?" Astrid started up, rising from the bed as much as the restraints on her wings allowed before collapsing back down, light-headed. "Who's running escort?" she demanded.

"What? No!" Astrid snapped, giving Star Fall a hard golden stare. "Fall, you need someone watching your back. Someone responsible. Dash is too crazy and I don't even know this Applejack person!"

"There's no one who can keep up," Star Fall said, hanging her head. "You could have, but there aren't any Griffins on base other than you. Any pony with a Flight Talent has been redirected to deal with this Changeling situation."

"Keep up? I heard this Applejack was an earth pony," Astrid said. "How the hell is she supposed to 'keep up'?"

Astrid clacked her beak in anger, then took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Fall, this isn't a good idea."

"And leaving the Element of Generosity to Cash is? He'll hurt Spike to get it, Astrid. I know he will. I can't let that happen. He was my teacher, and my friend. I just can't let Cash have his way."

Astrid huffed at that, but hung her head. "I know. This has got to be done, but I don't want it to be you who has to do it. Not without me there to back you up."

"We're not going to be doing any fighting," Star Fall assured her. "Gamma's orders. Get the Element, get Spike, get out."

"Yeah, and considering how well our plans have gone so far, what's the chance of that actually working?"

Star Fall gently brushed some of Astrid's green-edged feathers out of her eyes. "It'll be fine. I've got two ancient heroes protecting me now. I figure both of them together can almost make up for one of you."

"Right, because flattery's gonna make it all okay," Astrid snorted, but her eyes brightened. "Don't fuck this up, Fall. I don't want to have to avenge anything. We Steelwings take vengeance seriously, so it'll be a real pain in the tail for me if I have to avenge you."

"I'll be fine. Now, you get rest. The sooner you're up and fighting again, the happier I'll be."

Astrid snorted at that. "I'm not planning on lazing around in bed," she said. "Be safe, Fall, I'll be coming as fast as I can."

Applejack checked over her bags again. The provisions the soldier had given her looked and smelled odd, but she'd been assured that they were safe to eat and full of everything a running body would need to keep going. There were a few items that she still didn't understand, like a jar with a slightly-glowing crystal floating in it that was apparently some sort of magical emergency flare, or a packet of little white tablets that she'd been told to put in whatever water she got from streams and rivers before drinking it, or a little book that had her picture and a bunch of words she couldn't read in it. The rest looked just like the stuff she'd take on a camping trip back in Ponyville. No tent or sleeping bag, but Applejack was no stranger to roughing it.

The thought of Ponyville gave her pause. She found herself staring at her packed bags without really seeing them, her mind a blank as she fought off a surge of tears. She tilted her hat down over her eyes, taking slow and even breaths as she struggled to put her thoughts in order.

The sound of hoofsteps behind her gave her enough focus to drag herself back to the present. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash, I'll be right along," Applejack said without looking up.

"My apologies," a strong, but very slightly raspy voice replied. Applejack pushed her hat back and looked up to find Agent Gamma standing before her. "I don't speak enough Old Equestrian to understand that."

"Sorry. I thought you were Rainbow Dash," Applejack said, giving the other mare a friendly smile.

Gamma did not smile back. Her blue eyes were focused squarely on Applejack's, so intense that they almost seemed to glow. "I've been told that you can understand Solar quite well, even if you can't speak it fully yet." Gamma said.

"And you are Applejack. Farmer, athlete, hero," Gamma finally broke eye contact, her eyes tracking down to the open saddlebags. The farmer knew that it hadn't been a contest, but even if it had been, Gamma's change of focus hadn't been a loss. It was a deliberate move, a message, but one that Applejack didn't understand. "I've been doing some reading up on you and your friends. Twilight Sparkle had much to say about all of you. Most of that lines up with what I have already seen regarding Rainbow Dash, but so far you are more difficult to place."

"Not trying to hide anything," Applejack said, the hackles on her neck rising and a nervous energy coiling in her legs.

"I didn't say you were," Gamma said. "But you are acting in a more reserved fashion than I had expected."

"Don't know what to say," Applejack said, taking a deep breath and forcing her legs to relax.

"Agent Fall trusts you. I hope you understand that I do not have that luxury." Gamma leaned down and sniffed at the stored rations. "These are quite good, you know. Still, after a few days of nothing but, you're going to be cursing them as cardboard and glue."

"An opportunity," Gamma replied. "I do not know you, Miss Applejack. I do not know your loyalties, I do not know your desires, I don't know what buttons can be pushed to make you go one way or another."

"No, you're a pony, and we've all got our points of cleavage. If you hit us the right way, we will shatter." She met Applejack's eyes again. "I do not want you shattering in the field with the lives of two of my agents on the line."

"'The most dependable of ponies'," Gamma said, and it sounded like she was quoting. "That's the legend of you. Applejack, the most dependable, hardworking, strong pony Twilight Sparkle had ever met. She never mentioned the Element of Honesty, but I suppose we can add that on. So, honest Applejack, why do you think I'm having difficulty in trusting you?"

Applejack waited for a long moment before deciding that Gamma wanted an actual answer. "You don't know me," she said. "You don't trust what you don't know."

Gamma nodded. "A succinct, but accurate, answer. I don't know you, and unlike Agent Dash I have been unable to come to know you through observation. You lack her exuberance, her need to be known. In the time you've been on this base you have been sullen, withdrawn, barely interactive. This does not line up with the descriptions of you from Twilight Sparkle, meaning I can't even use that source to come to base my conclusions on. So please, Applejack, tell me: how am I to know you?"

Applejack and Gamma stood in silence for a long moment. Applejack took off her hat, setting it on top of her bags, then pushed them aside so that she could face Gamma directly. "I don't know," she said. "Not enough time to know me right. But I will tell you why I am sad. I am sad because I have no home. I have no family. I had a sister, a brother, a grandmother, and many, many cousins. Now? Now I am alone. Rainbow Dash is my friend, and maybe I will make new ones like Star Fall, but they are not family. It hurts. It always hurts."

Gamma tilted her head to the side, her dark blue eyes seeming to find a new light to shine with. "Honest, indeed. If you had the chance to get back to them, back to your family, would you take it?"

Applejack shook her head. "You really do not know me. I would want it, yes, but I will never give up my friends. Not even for that."

"What if your friends weren't on the line? What if all that was required was that you do nothing while Max Cash took the Element of Generosity? No one would be hurt, all you would have to do is stand there, and you could see your family again. Would you?"

Applejack gave the idea all the thought it deserved, snorting. "No. Rainbow Dash says he's bad, that him getting the Elements is bad. That's good enough for me."

"Yes. I believe that," Gamma stepped back, her shoulders slumping as she relaxed. "Is your grief going to be a problem? Will you be able to handle it?"

Applejack considered that for a moment. "My family, they had good lives, right?"

Applejack nodded. "Well, then. I may not remember it, but a good life is a good life. I'll be fine."

"And on that, I think I can trust you," Gamma said, turning to leave. "I believe I know you a little better now, Miss Applejack."

"Hold on," Applejack said, making her pause. "It isn't really fair, you getting to know me without me getting to know you."

"Your grasp of Solar is improving at a fantastic pace," Gamma noted. "Even during this conversation."

"I am aware," Applejack said. "And don't change the subject. You heard somethin' about me, I want somethin' about you."

"And what makes you think you have any right to demand that?" Gamma asked, though there was no heat in her voice.

Gamma let out a snort that was almost a chuckle. "Fair enough. Would you like to hear about my family?"

"No, I don't think they're as important to you as mine is to me," Applejack said. "How about that scar?" Gamma raised a hoof to the scarf around her neck. "How'd that happen?"

Gamma touched the scarf, gingerly tracing the twisted marks underneath. "Twenty years ago I was a spy in the Republics. I was caught. The usual punishment for such crimes is execution by hanging."

"Nightmare Umbra," Gamma said, her voice holding a slight shake as she said the name. "Though I don't think saving my life was her intention."

"That's one of the things I'm afraid of," Gamma said. "She is a threat to the Kingdom, to the whole world. But what is worrying me more is that the mission where I got this scar, the mission where I encountered the Destroyer, is the same one that I first heard the name 'Max Cash', and I can't help but think this is all connected."

"It's classified," Gamma said, but her lips twitched up in a smile. "Make it back with my Agents safe and sound, and I'll tell it to you anyway."

"Good. Now, I have to be on the transport when it leaves, and I believe that Agents Fall and Dash are waiting for you outside. The quicker you start, the better. You have a long way to run."

"That I do," Applejack said. She slung the bags over her back, and thanked Gamma when the unicorn used her magic to cinch them tight. She picked up her hat and turned back to the spymaster. "I can't see us ever bein' good friends," she said. "But no one ever said that the 'good' part was the important one."

Applejack accepted it with a nod and placed her hat securely on her head, trotting out of the room and down to the training field. Rainbow Dash and Star Fall were both waiting for her in the middle of the track she'd been hauling multi-ton weights around earlier, each wearing their own bags. Star Fall looked pensive while Dash was zipping around impatiently.

"There you are!" Dash cried, flying up to Applejack in a rainbow blur. "What took you so long?"

"Talked with Gamma," Applejack replied in Solar, walking towards where Star Fall waited.

"Oh, man, how'd that go?" Dash asked, dropping to the ground and walking next to her.

Applejack nodded. "Got a lot better as I was talking to her. I think the more I use it, the faster I get good."

Star Fall paused, her face scrunching up as she squinted at Applejack. "Was that an accent?"

Star Fall rubbed at her head. "Impossible," she muttered, but shook it off. "Okay, Dash and I can fly pretty straight, but you're going to have to move with the land, Applejack. I've sketched out a quick route here." She pulled a map from her bag, spreading it in front of her. A long, snaking line had been drawn from a city to a range of mountains near the northern edge of the map. There were little red 'x's drawn at points along the map. "These are, I've been told, good rest points," Star Fall said, pointing to the markings. "If we go at a steady pace we'll be stopping approximately every two hours to eat and rest. Whatever stop we make it to when night falls is the one we're making camp at. Is that going to be alright with you?" Applejack nodded. "Good, this one's your copy. I know you can't read it, but the terrain features should be good enough to navigate by."

"If you get lost or in trouble, use the signal crystal and we'll come and get you," Star Fall continued, pulling out her own crystal-in-a-jar for illustration. "If you can't keep up and have to stop following try to make it to one of the towns. There's a military identification in your bag. Show it to town officials and it will get you to a communication crystal to call Gamma and arrange a pickup, as well as food and shelter."

"If she doesn't then we can't wait for her," Star Fall said, giving Dash a pointed look.

Star Fall sighed, folding up the map and giving it to Applejack. "Fine. Do you have any questions?"

"Nope," Applejack said, securing the map in her bags. "Just let me get set up and we can set off."

"No time," Dash said, lifting off and hovering above their heads. "Star, we're going now, Applejack will catch up."

"Now come on, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said, frowning at her friend. "Not all of us can just flap our wings and get going. It ain't so simple for the rest of us. It'll take me a minute or two to get my speed up."

"We've already taken too long," Dash said. "Cash could be getting to Spike's at any moment, we can't waste more time!"

"It's okay," Applejack said, cutting Star Fall off. "Go. I'll catch up. In fact, I bet I make it to the first rest stop before you do."

"Nope," Applejack said, letting out a cocky smile of her own. "I'm challenging Star Fall. I suppose if you kept to her pace I'd be challenging you too, but, nah, that'd be too hard for you."

"Oh no you don't!" Dash cried, poking a hoof at Applejack's nose. "You want me to have a handicap? Fine, I'll fly slow and still beat you there!"

"Really? Well you should get to flappin' then, shouldn't you?" Dash grinned and took off towards the forest north of the base, but Star Fall stayed, watching Applejack. "You go too," Applejack told her. "Go on. I might not be able to honestly win this race, but I won't be far behind."

"See you there," Star Fall said, then leapt into the air and followed Rainbow Dash towards the trees.

"Really, expectin' an earth pony to just start movin' like that," Applejack snorted. She trotted off the training grounds, past the track and to the wild field that led up to the forest. She stopped a little ways from the base, finding a place where the soil was loose and the grass fresh. Then she took in a deep breath that made the straps on her saddlebags creak and slowly let it out. She wiggled her hooves, digging them into the dirt until they were sunk to an inch beneath the surface.

She stood with her eyes closed, her hooves dug into the loam and her head dipped low. She could smell the earth, could practically taste the life growing through it. She dug deep with her senses, feeling the rock beneath the soil, tasting the water that ran through underground rivers. She could hear the singing of the metal ores that stretched in veins throughout the world, and beneath their song came the feather-light whispers of the rarer elements that hid in pockets amidst the crushing pressures of the stone. Further down, beneath the deepest bedrock, she could feel the fiery heart of the world take another shuddering beat.

"Howdy, there," she whispered, letting the feelings behind her words sink through her hooves into the sleeping world below. "I’m gonna need a little help with this one." There was a subtle tremble in the ground, barely enough to be felt, but she felt it all the same. Applejack smiled. "Thank you kindly," she said, tipping her hat to the ground, and called to the earth.

The earth answered her with power, giving its vast spirit to her need. She gathered it to herself. She drew up the heat of the world's core and set it in her heart. She took the strength of the stone and filled her bones with it. She drew up the song of metal and wove it into her muscles. She let the water of the rivers quench her thirst and the steady presence of the soil guide her hooves. It wasn't anything she could describe, nothing a unicorn would recognize, but it was magic, and she'd been doing it her entire life.

Finally, she took a deep breath. She breathed in the smell of grass, of trees and flowers and all the growing things of the world. She took it all into her and let it fill her blood with the effervescent energy of life itself. When she let the breath out the earth rolled in a wave that spread out from her. In its wake the grass was brighter, the trees spread new leaves and flowers bloomed, turning to face the earth pony who had awakened them.

This was her power, the strength of an earth pony. The pegasi could rule the skies and the unicorns could move the stars, but the earth was theirs. The earth was hers.

Her first step shook the ground like an earthquake, knocking ponies from their hooves and rattling the towers of the base. Her second step boomed across the ground with no less force, but she was focusing now, putting her gathered power to a purpose. She walked forward, each step shaking windows in their frames. Then she stepped up to a trot, and the world shook a little less. Then a canter, and the rumble of her passage only shook loose leaves from the trees. Then, with the suddenness of an earthquake and the force of an erupting volcano, she shot forward into a full-on gallop.

She rushed into the forest with the force of a locomotive, each beat of her hooves resounding through the earth. She could feel the path ahead of her, the raised bumps of tree roots and the deceptive hollows of animal dens, as clearly as if she had walked these woods a thousand times. She was already moving at a blinding pace, and she only accelerated as she weaved through the trees. She ducked under branches and leapt fallen logs. She rushed across a shallow stream so fast that the water sprayed up to either side of her in sparkling waves. Animals dodged out of her way, yet they were also drawn to her, and the eyes of beasts both large and small lined her path, watching her passage with wild interest.

She burst out of the woods and into the fields beyond, picking up even more speed as she spotted the pegasi ahead of her. She saw Rainbow Dash look back and let out a gleeful cry, and Applejack couldn't help but let out a joyful shout of her own. She might be stuck in the future, she might miss her family fiercely, but there was still joy to life, and friends to save. She lowered her head and set herself to running. It was time for adventure.

Lieutenant Hard Boiled opened the last drawer in his desk, the one that had held the Cash files and the crystal he'd used to contact Straff. Both were gone, but in their place was a note that said 'For safe keeping -T'. HB cursed softly and shoved the drawer shut. "Cloak and dagger," he muttered to himself, eyeing the rest of his desk. It was bare, most of the papers and files having been moved to the care of other detectives. A small box on the ground held all of the few personal effects he had kept at work.

He was just preparing to get up and leave when he saw the burnt-orange form of his captain heading his way. HB settled back into his chair, knowing that he wasn't going to get away so easily.

He and Captain Gerald Rivers went back quite a ways. They had served together for years before making detective and moving up in the ranks. Gerald had always been good at the politics of police work, and had advanced quickly because of it. When given command of the Special Investigations Unit he'd quickly offered HB a position there, leveraging their old friendship into scoring a departmental coup and getting the best investigator in the force on his team.

"You," Gerald snapped as he stepped into HB's office, shutting the door behind him with his magic. "What the hell is this?" He slapped a signed paper form down on HB's desk.

HB leaned forward and took a look at the page. "It's my acceptance of two weeks of voluntary leave after an injury on the job," he replied.

"And you expect me to believe this?" Gerald asked. "After you sneak out of your hospital bed to harass a Senator?" He shook his head. "What do you think you're doing?

"I was conducting a murder investigation, Captain," HB replied, sliding the paper back towards the captain.

"It's not just a murder investigation," the captain growled. "You questioned a Senator, HB! You questioned him off the record! Which you damn well know means that even if he did tell you something it would be inadmissible. Now whatever you said to him has got him pissed off and looking for blood. His goons and lawyers have been snooping around and demanding answers, of which I have none to give! They've been talking about launching an investigation into this department because of it!" Gerald slid a chair up to the desk and sat down facing HB, dropping his voice. "This is serious, HB. What you've done has got all the wrong eyes pointing at my unit, and you in particular. It's getting attention, and you know how badly that always goes. Some of the higher ups have petitioned to have you suspended."

HB leaned back, giving his old friend and superior officer as blank a look as he could manage. "And how did that turn out?"

The captain grunted. "No suspension. A bullshit statement about how the central police command 'has faith in the methods and integrity of one of their most celebrated detectives'."

"It's true enough," the captain allowed. "But central only uses flowery bullshit like that when they've been told to play nice by someone they have to answer to. Since the other side of this thing is a Luna-damned Senator I have no idea who you've got in your corner, but I sure as hell want to find out before my department becomes the center of a government turf war. So tell me, HB, as a friend. What the hell is going on?"

"I know. That's why I'm asking you straight out," the captain said, then he spotted the steady look HB was giving him. "And that was your answer, wasn't it? You're just not going to tell me."

"I wish I could," HB said, sitting up and laying his forehooves on the desk. "You have no idea how aggravating this whole thing is. I can't tell you more than what you already know, but I can tell you that I am working on solving this case. It's just bigger than it looks."

The captain shook his head and turned away. "When did you get involved in this crap, huh? You used to be the most dependable cop I'd ever met, now you're working for something that can override a Senator? Getting attacked in libraries and carrying around your gun?" He gave a pointed look to the pistol holstered at HB's side. "This isn't you, HB. You're not the shadowy type. Leave this bullshit to the Changelings."

"No I'm not," HB agreed. "But it's got to be done, and the bugs have their hooves full already. You heard about the Stile Islands, right?"

"It's just more Sunland posturing," the captain said, waving the comment away. "And don't change the subject. You're in deep, HB. If you stay down where you are right now, I can't help you when it starts to go bad."

HB was quiet for a long moment, thinking it over. In the end, he knew Gerald was right. He was in way too deep, and it was going to start crushing him eventually. For now, though, he had a job to do, and he intended to see it through. "There is something you can do for me, Captain," he said, tapping a hoof on the paper. "Approve that vacation request."

"Vacation my ass," Gerald grunted. "You're chasing down a lead and you don't want it on the record."

"I am, and I don't," HB admitted. "But this is way outside Orion City jurisdiction. I need to do this unofficially."

Gerald shook his head again. "You're gonna give me an aneurysm, HB. Fine, vacation approved. I'll get Barry to cover your current cases until you get back."

"Just come back in one piece," the captain grumbled before getting up and leaving the office.

Barry snuck in just as the door was closing behind the captain. "Hey, the boss give you an earful?"

"He's just worried," HB replied. "This investigation's kicking up a lot of dirt, it's making the waters murky and no captain likes it when that happens."

"But you’re actually taking the injury leave?" Barry asked. "I thought you were going to stick this one out."

"I am," HB said. "Barry, I've got a lead, but it'll take me out of the city. A long way out."

"Doesn't know about it," HB said. "And I want it kept that way. No itinerary, no travel plans. Just a cop on vacation."

"I actually do," HB confirmed. "It's not for certain, but if I do find what I think I will, well, this case might just crack wide open."

HB shook his head. "Need you here, if my lead doesn't pan out I want you looking into the local angles. Work the case, find the connections. Investigate Bay's people, his friends, his family, the whole works. But be careful. I don't want you ending up with a knife in your back too."

"Hey, don't worry," Barry said. "People are a lot less nervous when I'm on a case." HB snorted. "I'll stick to the gruntwork. Information gathering. When you get back, maybe you can figure it out." Barry turned to go.

"Hey," HB said, bringing the other pony up short. "You're doing good work here, Barry. The stuff you came up with from the college, everything you ran down for me when I was in the hospital, all good detective work."

Barry smiled, seeming surprised. "Thank you, sir. I don't get compliments like that often."

"Well, you deserve it this time," HB said. "I underestimated your skills before, I'm sorry for that."

"It's okay," Barry said. "A lot of people underestimate me. But in the end, I always show them." HB frowned at the bitterness he heard, uncharacteristic of the other detective. "I won't let you down, Lieutenant, you'll see," Barry finished, grinning.

"I know you won't," HB said. "Now, I've got a vacation to start. You've got all the files you'll need?"

HB left the office without any fanfare, slipping past well-wishers and curious ponies to the lamp-lit streets. The trip from the station to his apartment went swiftly, but not completely without incident. He spotted the pony following him almost as soon as he left the station, his magic notifying him of their attempt to be surreptitious. After catching a glimpse of his pursuer he recognized him as a local private detective of the sleazy-but-legitimate variety. That meant he was likely hired by Senator Birchfield and not sent by Max Cash. After the attack in the library, he doubted he'd recognize the face or Glyph of any assassin Cash sent after him.

Still, he made sure his gun was loose in its holster, ready for his magic to draw it at a moment's notice.

He didn't bother trying to lose the tail. He wasn't going to be doing anything unexpected, so making the private eye suspicious would just lead to more headaches. When he arrived at his apartment he noted how the detective walked past him as if he was just out for a stroll, but in the revealing glow of his magic he could see the camera in the window of a building across the street, pointed at his living room.

HB shook his head and headed up to his apartment. It wasn't a very large place, but it also wasn't as small as most. He'd gotten a good deal on the rent after helping the landlord legally evict some bad tenants, and he hadn't once regretted it.

The door was locked as usual, but something about it made his horn throb with a dull, insistent ache when he used his magic to open it. He paused for a second, then pushed into the apartment. It was very dark inside, the curtains pulled closed. He hadn't left the apartment that way. His horn was still lit up from opening the door, providing some light, and he used his telekinesis to carry his keys in front of him while also quietly lifting his pistol out of its holster.

He called on his Talent as the door shut behind him, letting his magic run at full blast. Details leapt out at him: a rug that slightly out of place, two picture frames showing the faint traces of a hoofprint smaller than his own. There was a smell in the air, a faint perfume that almost, but didn't quite cover up an unidentifiable odor beneath it.

He walked as casually as he could manage into the apartment, then tossed his keys over his shoulder. There was a soft cry as they hit the intruder who had been skulking in a corner that had been blocked by the open door. HB spun, whipping his pistol out and training it on the intruder while stepping away so as to avoid having the weapon knocked away from him. His magic flicked on a floor lamp. "Step into the light!" he commanded.

"Nice work," the intruder said, her voice like smooth silk, carrying a lilting, sultry edge. She stepped forward, a yellow mare who smiled at him with lascivious intent. "Straff is asking for an update."

HB's horn flared copper, almost glowing brighter than the lamplight. "State your identity and your intentions clearly and unambiguously."

She paused, frowning at him. "Please, Lieutenant, you know who I am. There's no need for games."

"I will not ask again," HB replied, putting enough pressure on the trigger of his pistol to have it slowly draw back.

She stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Good. My name is Traduce, I am the chief assistant to Director Straff of the RIA. You first met me in a car outside of Senator Birchfield's estate. I am here on orders from Straff to get a status update and offer my assistance."

"And, I intend to seduce you," she replied, her eyes flaring with a bright green inner light.

HB stared at her for a long moment before he lowered his pistol. “You've been to my office," he said.

"I can't have any other detective discovering your RIA connections," Traduce said, taking a slow step towards him. She glanced at his pistol. "Aren't you going to put that away?"

"I'll consider it," HB growled, then turned and walked into his small kitchen. "Is this how it's going to go? You lurking in my apartment, waiting for me to come home and nearly getting shot?"

"There are other ways," Traduce said. "None nearly as fun." HB grunted at that, pulling out a glass and pouring a small drink. Traduce raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you going to offer me one?" she asked with a coy smile.

"No," HB replied, opening one of the cupboards and pulling out three bottles of pills. He removed two pills from each bottle and began to swallow them one after another. "I only offer drinks to guests, and I believe you're here on business."

Traduce gave him an acknowledging tilt of her head, her smile never faltering for an instant. "As I said, Straff wants an update."

"I'm on vacation," HB said. "And I'm heading south. I'm going to investigate that crash site I told you two about."

"I am," she confirmed, laying down on his couch in a way clearly designed to be provocative.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" she asked, and he didn't need his magic to see that she was enjoying the thought.

"Straff thinks you need backup," she said, stretching very slightly in a way that made it clear she was going to ignore his request. "Especially if Cash's people are going to be looking for the same thing you are. He's already got you in his sights, we don't want you alone in the field. It's far too easy for a pony to disappear in the southern jungles."

"You, me, Straff," she replied. "That's it. We haven't found our leak yet, so that's about as far as the circle of information is allowed to extend."

"Sure we do," she grinned. "You're sleeping with me, and this is our romantic getaway."

"Who's joking?" she asked, laughing. "But since Straff didn't think you'd go for that one, he suggested that you've hired a bodyguard. Perhaps your brush with death has made you a little paranoid, perhaps you're just being pragmatic. Either way, I've been hired to watch your back as you do your little jungle cruise."

"I mean it's going to be very distracting to have you twitching your tail at me for the next two weeks, and I want to know if you can keep yourself under control."

Her smile faded and she regarded him with a spark of anger in her eyes. "I've been trained from birth, Lieutenant. Trained to be whoever and whatever I need to be to complete my mission. Whatever my personal feelings, I will not be jeopardizing this one, I can promise you that. Self control is a hallmark of Republics Changelings, and I'm no exception."

"I'm not lying," she said, half rising. "I'm not joking. I'm not playing an angle. When I say I want to seduce you, I am expressing legitimate interest."

"Because your interest is real, but you are lying," HB said, waving a hoof to indicate all of her. "That body is just a lie you've put on to fool the world. I can tell that, and every time I look at you my horn starts to hurt. I'm sure the body you've got on is very beautiful, but I can't see it. All I see is what's wrong with it. I'm sorry, even if we weren't working together, I could never be intimate with you. It's just not going to happen."

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head and laughing a slow, sad laugh. "Damn," she said. "It's always something."

She shook her head again, relaxing back onto the couch. "No, just another regret. When are we leaving?"

"In the morning," he said. "I've got a spot on a bus heading down to Leo city. From there we take a boat down to the Redwater Delta and head upstream. After that it's all jungle work. Are you going to be able to get passage? I only got one ticket."

He regarded her position on the couch. "Aren't you going to go and make your arrangements?"

"No," she said, grinning. "Straff thinks you actually do need a bodyguard, remember? I'm going to be sticking to your side until this is all over."

"I'm sure. But with this place already being watched, we thought it most prudent to have assurances," she said.

HB snorted. "Well, if you're staying, then there's an extra blanket and pillow I can get you."

"I know," she said, smiling at him. "I was hoping to spend the night in your bed, but I familiarized myself with the other options just in case."

"Sometimes you have to work for what you want," she said. "And giving up never got anyone anywhere."

"Because sometimes opposites really do attract," she replied. "But I'll keep it professional for now."

"Good night, Lieutenant," she called to him. "Sleep well, this is going to be a long trip."

He paused, but decided against replying. He knew that with her along for the ride, it was going to be a whole lot longer than he had expected.

"Pissed off and tired of sleeping all the time," Astrid growled, looking around bleary-eyed. "What time is it?"

"I'm glad you're feeling better," the nurse said, her eyes twinkling with too much good cheer for Astrid's liking. A hospital was supposed to be a morose place where people went to be sick and die, the sight of someone who seemed to genuinely enjoy being there put her on edge. "And it's after nine. How is your head?"

Astrid took a moment to evaluate how she felt. "Like some ass is jackhammering his way out of my skull from right between my eyes."

The nurse smiled again. "Great! You should be up for some solid food! Won't that be wonderful?"

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Is it going to be that vegetable mush or something that bleeds?"

"The mush, dear," the nurse replied, unflinching in the face of a disappointed carnivore. "Oh, don't give me that look. It's better for you until you've healed enough for meat."

The nurse glanced at the chart hanging from Astrid's bed. "From the look of this? I'd say you'll be dining on rabbits in a couple weeks."

The nurse shook her head. "I wouldn't jump the gun on that one, dear. Take your time, heal fully and heal right before you try to fight any more battalions on your own."

"Battalions?" Astrid repeated, frowning. "What kind of stories have they been telling you?"

"Oh, the soldiers talk," the nurse said, laughing and waving a hoof. "You've earned yourself quite the reputation on base. I'm told you were very brave."

Astrid snorted. "Yeah, sure. Brave is good. Victorious woulda been better." Astrid watched in silence as the nurse checked over her bandages and the wires holding her wings outstretched. As the nurse was finishing her inspection she decided to speak up. "I guess Fall's already left, huh?"

"Your friend? Yes, that earth pony who left with her made quite a stir. She rattled the windows."

The nurse shook her head, her eyes going distant. "No, she just... I don't know how to describe it. I think you'd have to be an earth pony to understand. Anyway, there was a lot of rushing around, but since the transport left everything's been quiet. Which is better for you."

"So long as you get plenty of rest and keep up a positive attitude," the nurse said, practically glowing with enthusiasm. "Why, a big, strong warrior like you? I bet you'll surprise us all and be out of that bed in a week and a half!"

Astrid felt her heart speed up at that. A week and a half, just to get out of the bed. She clenched her claw, taking slow breaths. "And that's good?"

"Right," Astrid said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Doing good. Just wait out my time, get healed, then I'm back in the fight. Nothing else for it. Nothing." She squeezed her eyes shut.

The nurse started humming brightly to herself as she checked the medication that was being dripped into Astrid's bloodstream.

"Yeah, screw this noise," Astrid said, opening her eyes and locking them onto the nurse.

"No. Getting knifed by a bitch I had dead to rights not ten minutes earlier bothers me. Knowing that my best friend, the pony I have sworn my life to protect, is flying headlong into danger without me, that bothers me. This pathetic rock hard excuse for a pillow bothers me. These fucking wing casts bother me. The humming? That I'm fine with."

"Oh, well, just bear with it, dear. By the time it's all healed it won't seem so bad."

"Sorry, but that shit's not going to fly with me until I'm flying myself," Astrid said. "Get me a healer."

The nurse paused, the pleasant gleam dulling for the first time. "A doctor, dear? Are you feeling any new pain?"

"Sure, I just gutted my own survival instinct and it fucking stings," Astrid snarked. "And I didn't say doctor. I want a healer. A full-on Healing Talent unicorn."

The nurse frowned. "That's a very dangerous avenue to take," she cautioned. "I can tell you right now that the doctors are not going to recommend it."

"Yeah, got the message loud and clear," Astrid said, pressing her good claw to her forehead and wincing. "But it's like this: I heal up nice, safe and natural and it'll take me weeks just to get moving, and then a lot longer to be back in fighting shape, right?" The nurse nodded. "How about if I do it the other way? How quick am I back up then?"

"But you've got experience. I can tell by the way you're looking at me that you've got an answer, you just don't want to give it. I want to hear that answer, and I promise that I'm not going to hold you to it. So spill."

The nurse held Astrid's gaze for a long moment before answering. "If the healer does their job right? You'll be out of the bed in a couple days, and back to your pre-injury condition within the week. If they do their job wrong..."

"But they usually treat minor injuries. Cuts and scrapes and bruises. You took serious wounds. Your lung was punctured, your wings broken quite near the joint. Those are delicate things to heal, and letting your own body do it at its own pace really is the best thing. As I said, the healers we have are very good, but for injuries like yours there's a lot they would have to keep track of, and a lot of places for them to make mistakes. And when a healer makes a mistake you don't notice it right away. Everything will look perfect right up until the bone cancer starts or your body tries to grow a third lung."

She shook her head. "There's no timetable. If you take magical healing you live the rest of your life knowing that the side-effects can appear at any time."

Astrid favored her with a raptor's grin. "In my clan we've got a saying: life'll gut you eventually, so dig your talons in while you've got the chance."

"I take that to mean you'll be ignoring my advice, as well as the advice of every doctor who's going to tell you not to do this," the nurse surmised.

"Well then," the nurse said, regaining her glowing smile. "I'll talk to the doctors and we'll get you a healer."

"Thanks," Astrid said, laying her head back down. "Oh, and a better pillow!" she called out after the retreating nurse. "And food that can try to get away! Vegetable mush, seriously?"

Rainbow Dash settled down on the sparse bedding of leaves and grass that she had put together. The fire was down to a few glowing coals, but the starlight alone was enough for her to see her companions lying on their own beds.

Star Fall was dead asleep, her wings twitching from the exertion she had put them through. Dash was proud of her for pushing the pace more than she should have, but they would have to take it a little slower the next day to let her compensate, and that delay galled.

Applejack was asleep as well, though she showed no signs of the fatigue that wracked Star Fall. The farmer had caught up and kept up, just like Dash had expected. She'd be able to make it all the way to Spike's place just fine.

At that thought Dash rolled onto her back, staring up at the starry sky. She would be asleep herself soon enough, but for this moment she was alone with the night. The moon was low on the horizon barely visible through the trees around them, but she found it easily.

"Hey, Princess Luna," Dash said. "So, uh, I'm trying this prayer thing again. I don't know if you had anything to do with Applejack being here, but, uh, thanks, I guess? Anyways, if you hear this, and if you have any way to help out, I'd really like it if we could get to Spike before Cash does. If he does anything to Spike and you could have helped us stop it... well, okay, I'll be really mad with you. I was going to try a threat there, but, yeah. Kinda dumb, huh?"

She sighed. "Look, I still suck at this, okay? Just, if you can do anything, anything at all, please help us. If you do, I'll call us, um, partly even, okay? Like, half-even. Anyways, just help us. Just, please, let Spike be okay."

The moon crested the trees, silvery half-light falling over the camp. "I hope that was a sign or something," Dash said. "Uh, thanks for listening again, Princess. I, um, hope you're okay too?" Dash shook her head, rolling onto her side and curling up. "Just be okay, Spike," she whispered into the night, letting sleep close her eyes and slow her breathing. "We're coming."

Harmony Theory

by Sharaloth

Chapter 19: Calling the Earth