A few days had passed since the sun and moon began to move again. The zebras all moved together during the day, and slept during the coolness of the night. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike all felt like the desert continued on for forever, stretching across the entire world.
"Are we there yet?" Scootaloo asked out loud.
"Patience, you must have, my friend. For we are reaching the end," Ziljo, chief of the zebras, responded with a smile. He led his tribe of zebras from the front as they marched through the desert. The group has been able to make much more progress now that the heat is not bearing down on them throughout the entire day. In fact, as Apple Bloom looked up at the sun, it seemed farther away than normal.
"Do ya see that?" Apple Bloom spoke up, prompting the others to look up in the sky in turn.
"The sun?" Scootaloo asked, wincing as she stared right into the giant ball of fire.
"Yeah," Apple Bloom cleared her throat. "Doesn't it look like it's in a different spot than before?"
"The sun moves across the sky, Apple Bloom," Spike retorted quickly. The lines between his scales were filled with sand, and his head drooped low.
"I know that," Apple Bloom sighed. "Ah'm talkin' about its latitude....North and south?"
"I'm not following..." Sweetie Belle squeaked. She had fallen behind the others and quickly trotted forward.
"How do ah explain...During the summer when we were in Equestria, the sun would be really big and hot, right?"
The others nodded in agreement. Apple Bloom continued.
"And during the winter, the sun looks smaller and colder, am ah right?"
Another nod of agreement.
"Well, the sun right now looks like it's far away, and you've all noticed it's been a little colder here than before...so, ah guess that means the sun must be big and hot in Equestria right now...It's summer in the north."
The other fillies looked up at the sun again. Spike was the one who spoke up. "I think I see your point," he said.
Apple Bloom nodded. She looked up once more at the sky. "But look...doesn't the sun seem a little too far north?" The sun sat in the sky, north of where it usually would sit at this time of the year...whatever time of the year it really was, Apple Bloom wasn't sure.
"So you're saying..." Scootaloo trailed off as Sweetie Belle continued the sentence for her.
"Twilight and Cadence moved the sun to the wrong spot?"
"Ah don't want to say that ah know better than them, because ah don't...but, yeah," Apple Bloom brushed her mane back as she continued along. "It's just somethin' ah noticed, that's all."
*********
As the sun slowly set down, and the moon took its spot in the sky, the zebras decided to set up camp. Apple Bloom could see the edge of the desert was nearing, as patches of soft grass appeared more frequently, and the air itself grew cooler. The zebras had abandoned the tents and fires, fearing that the changelings may find them more easily if they used them. Instead, blankets were rolled out and everypony lay under the stars. Dinner was nothing more than some oats and hay; the food supply, while still plentiful, was running thin. Before long, if the group did not make it to Saddle Arabia, they may starve.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike placed their blankets somewhere near the edge of the camp. After eating, they watched some foraging parties take off before they sat down and tried to find something to talk about. They had been moving around for so long, it felt weird to just sit down and have nothing to do. It made the fillies anxious.
It was Scootaloo who broke the awkward silence. "Want to go exploring?" She asked the others.
"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Sweetie Belle responded, looking out into the darkness beyond the camp. "What if we run into changelings...or Sleipnir..."
A dark curtain surrounded the camp. Apple Bloom felt that on the other side of that curtain could be anything. It could be something dangerous, something safe, or anything in between. Apple Bloom didn't really feel like pulling it back to find out, but she also thought about whatever's on the other side, and if it could pull the curtain itself...they wouldn't have much of a choice then.
"Ah think we should go," the yellow filly said. "It's been a while since the foraging party left, what if something happened to them?"
"If that's the case," Spike said. "Shouldn't we get someone else to go?"
"It has to be us!" Scootaloo responded. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders never back down from a task! We need to go help them!" Without another word, the orange filly got up and flew right out through the curtain of darkness. The others were quick to get up and follow.
Sweetie Belle used her magic to create a light to help them see better. The patches of grass grew more and more abundant, with rock formations following not far after. A small orange blur flew forward and suddenly landed on one of the rocks.
"Wow..." Scootaloo gasped. When the others made it to her, she only stared ahead. A massive ravine sat before them, cutting deep into the earth. Apple Bloom immediately thought of the mountains in Griffonia, where Scootaloo learned how to fly. This looked even more massive than that. On the other side, more mountains littered the horizon. Off on the side, a tiny speck caught Apple Bloom's attention. It looked just like a castle - Saddle Arabia.
"How do we get across this?" Apple Bloom spoke. She looked to the left and right, but didn't see any bridge or path that they could take. Do we have to travel miles to get around?, she thought to herself.
"Maybe it's best to go back..." Spike panted, catching his breath after running to reach Scootaloo. His claws were on his knees and he was bent forward. "We can at least tell the others about this ravine. It's a good thing none of you fell in!"
As he spoke, the sound of crumbling rocks came from one direction. They quickly turned in shock to see a group of zebras standing near the edge of the ravine, a half a mile down the way. One zebra was hanging off of the side, with four others standing above it, helping as best as they could.
"They need our help!" Scootaloo shouted before she turned to fly away. However, before she did, Apple Bloom put a hoof out to stop her flight.
"Wait a second..." Apple Bloom said in a low voice. Scootaloo squirmed to try to get past, but to no avail.
"Hey! What gives!?" She said, placing a hoof on her friend's back.
Without another word, Apple Bloom made a sound. The others immediately recognized it as the call that the zebras used to find other zebras...or to find out who is a changeling.
The call echoed through the ravine, until the group of zebras pricked their ears in response. A few seconds passed.
No response.
As the fillies and Spike started to gasp, the zebra hanging off of the edge placed another hoof on the ground. After that, a faint, desperate sound echoed back through the ravine and towards the fillies. It was the same call.
One of the zebras on top of the ravine quickly realized, and turned to kick the zebra hanging off the side. The fillies heard the screaming echo through the ravine...and then, silence. The zebras all turned to look at the fillies. While it was still dark, Apple Bloom could make out their zebra outlines...or rather, their disguises.
Her bones shook, keeping her in place. Her breaths grew more frequent and labored. She didn't take an eye off of the zebras, who were well-aware of their presence. She couldn't see their eyes, but she knew they were staring right through all of them.
After what felt like forever, one zebra took a step. That step sounded like a hammer in Apple Bloom's ears, causing her to flinch.
"...run!"
All four immediately turned and ran away from the ravine. The zebras, who by now reverted to their changeling form, took off after them. Apple Bloom was tired of running so much, but her hooves kept her moving forward. She didn't want to get caught by the changelings, not now. Not when they were so close to safety.
The camp soon came into view, but that didn't give any of the fillies any solace. The could see outlines of changelings littering the area, with zebra bodies placed all around on the ground. The fillies turned quickly and dashed in another direction, with Spike following closely behind. He made it far enough to jump onto Sweetie Belle's back. She stopped moving for a second before she picked up her pace once again.
"Spike! Don't do that to me next time!" She quickly panted, catching back up to the others. But, it was no use. The fillies were soon surrounded by changelings taking the form of the zebras that they had traveled with for so long. With the zebras that had saved their lives in the desert. And now...
One zebra looked at the rest and swiftly shoved the others, causing the changelings to fall. Another zebra stood and shoved the other side. One of them was Ziljo! Ziljo made the call, which sounded like music to the fillies' ears. He then turned to run, moving his head in that direction.
"If you want to be free, you have to follow me!" Ziljo shouted. The fillies did not need to be told twice.
The six survivors ran away from the camp, back towards the ravine. Apple Bloom quickly said that they needed to follow it more to find a way across. Looking behind, Spike saw the others were falling behind. The rocks grew bigger and more jagged, slowing their pace down. Spike jumped off of Sweetie Belle's back and made his own way through, only to fall down between a couple of rocks.
"Spike!" Everypony stopped and turned towards the dragon. Next to him, a small alcove embedded in the rock could be made out.
"In there!" Apple Bloom shouted before running in, and the others quickly followed suit.
Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Spike, Ziljo, and the other zebra sat quietly, as if holding their breath. A slight rumbling shook the alcove as the changelings flew overhead, passing them by. Spike went to look outside, but was quickly stopped by Ziljo.
"Wait here. Wait until there's nothing outside to fear."
What seemed like hours passed as they all sat inside the cave. To their shock, it began to rain outside. Slowly at first, the water picked up its pace as it fell from the sky. Spike was the first to look outside and caught some of the water in his mouth. He turned away for a second, then look back at the others with a smile. It wasn't acid rain this time. They all took turns poking their heads outside to catch the water in their mouths. As the droplets fell on Apple Bloom's mouth, she felt like she was in heaven. She had never been so happy to be drinking water before.
"Is it safe to go?" Scootaloo spoke up after a couple more hours passed. The rain was as strong as ever, but that didn't stop them from exiting and continuing along. The two zebras led the way, with the fillies close behind, and Spike taking up the rear.
Apple Bloom stared at the other side of the ravine as they moved along. The palace sat just beyond the abyss of the ravine. Before long, they would be on the other side and in the company of the Saddle Arabian ponies. She turned to look at her friends, her companions that she would never abandon. They've all been through so much together that she felt confident that they will always make it through.
At last, she turned to the zebras. The ones who were able to guide them this far, who found them in the desert and gave them food and water. Who-
Apple Bloom's eyes widened as she stared. Ziljo trotted along as always, but the other zebra had a kink in his walk. It seemed too abnormal for a zebra's leg to move the way this one's did. Apple Bloom didn't notice anything bad happening to the zebra during the encounter, so why did he walk that way?
She stopped in her tracks. Scootaloo noticed and stopped to look at her friend. "Something wrong?" Scootaloo said. At this, everypony else realized and turned to look at Apple Bloom.
The filly's heart jumped. Her voice was shaking once again, similar to when she noticed the changelings knock that zebra off of the ravine. With one clumsy breath, she made the call as loud as she could. The fillies and Spike returned it quickly, followed by Ziljo. The other zebra, however, hesitated for a moment before making some sort of noise.
It wasn't the call.
Ziljo looked at the other zebra with suspicion. "Are you-"
BANG
Apple Bloom saw Ziljo's face sink underneath the ravine. She couldn't even process what was going on as a low humming filled the air. The humming filled her ears quickly as time seemed to slow down. It was the sound of something she didn't want to hear again. It was the sound of something that could crush her dreams, her hopes, and her sanity.
It was the sound of Ziljo's screams as he fell into the abyss of the ravine.
The zebra, now outed as a changeling, turned to try and bite at the fillies. They scattered, unsure of what to do. Apple Bloom had no idea what to do, say, think, or feel. She ran away from the ravine, the changeling in hot pursuit behind her.
Oh, what is this? Apple Bloom looked at the tears flying from her eyes. Her mind felt numb. Am ah movin' now? Why? Why don't ah just let him get me? It would be quicker.
"Apple Bloom! Run this way!"
Sweetie Belle's voice brought her back. She picked up her head and veered left, back towards the ravine. Scootaloo was waiting there. The changeling nipped Apple Bloom right on the tail, causing the filly to jump forward.
"Keep running forward!"
"But, the ravine!"
"Trust me!" Sweetie Belle's voice knocked away the dark thoughts. The dark curtain that surrounded Apple Bloom was replaced with a bright, white one. She picked up her pace and ran right off of the ravine.
The changeling skidded to a halt right at the edge of the ravine, looking down at the falling pony. Before it could move, Spike jumped from behind a rock and screamed, grabbing onto the changeling's wings before it could even react. With all of his might, he scratched and pulled, damaging the wings. As the changeling screamed, Sweetie Belle turned around and bucked it right off the side of the ravine.
Apple Bloom fell, screaming as loud as she could. Is this it? She thought to herself. But, an orange blur appeared from the corners of her eyes. Scootaloo took a hold of Apple Bloom's hoof, and slowly made her way back up to the edge of the ravine. The changeling flew down next to them, trying to grab a hold of Apple Bloom. In response, Scootaloo veered left, causing the changeling to miss and continue its descent.
Scootaloo made it back to the top and placed Apple Bloom down on the edge. "That's twice you've had ta save me from fallin' off a cliff," Apple Bloom said with a smile. The girls all began to laugh. "Thank you," more tears fell from Apple Bloom's eyes as she moved to hug her friend. As she did, she noticed Sweetie Belle looking down at the ravine.
"Don't worry, he won't be back," Apple Bloom said, reassuring the unicorn.
"That's not it," Sweetie Belle said in a hushed tone. "I...I killed him..."
Silence. Apple Bloom stood up and made her way to Sweetie Belle.
"Don't think about it, okay? We're alive now. We can keep moving on."
"But...Ziljo..."
"Would want you to keep moving forward," Apple Bloom said. As she tried to comfort her friend, she knew those words were something she needed to tell herself. Ziljo's death must not be in vain.
"We have to move on. Ziljo wouldn't want us to be sad over it. He would want us to get to Saddle Arabia. I'm sure of it."
Sweetie Belle began to cry. "I'm just...tired of ponies dying...we were all supposed to stay together forever..." Apple Bloom knew she was talking about Rarity now. The yellow filly did nothing else but hug her friend, as the only sound she could hear was the sound of water hitting the ground. The sky was crying for those who have died, just as Sweetie Belle was. For a moment, Apple Bloom felt as if they were the only ones left on the planet. Alone among the tears from the sky.