In the Hive's prison cell, Fluttershy was having trouble sleeping.
It wasn't that she couldn't get to sleep, she could do that easily. It was because she kept waking up due to nightmares, dreams of what she thinks the Changelings will do to her.
In the end, Fluttershy stopped trying to get to sleep and had a look around the room, trying to find and think of a way to get out of there.
Finding no hope around the 'bed' she went over to the door and looked around as far as she could. The bars, Fluttershy realized looked like it was made of the stuff that held Princess Cadence in place in Canterlot when Chrysalis was gloating over how she fooled everyone with her plan.
Looking around for something sharp to cut at the 'stuff' Fluttershy heard buzzing coming from down the corridor, and backed away from the door but keeping her eyes on it.
Coming from the left was a Changeling that look familiar, not that Fluttershy had much luck knowing, to her they all looked mostly the same.
"Is there something wrong Fluttershy?" it buzzed in a voice Fluttershy had heard earlier that day.
"Er... No Nurse.... er..." Fluttershy tried to remember the Changeling's number.
"516," the nurse finished for her.
"Oh ok," Fluttershy said. "Er... why do you have numbers and not names like us?" Fluttershy asked looking to the Changeling seeing a surprised look on her face, as though this was the first time she had been asked that question. "Oh but if you don't want to tell me that's fine..." Fluttershy said looking away.
After a while, "We have numbers, because there are too many of us to give names to, or to remember names for," the nurse said. "Doesn't your colony have that problem?" she asked.
"Er... my colony?" Fluttershy asked coming closer to the door.
"Yeah, all those ponies that live in Equestria, do you know all of their names?" the nurse asked.
"Er... no," Fluttershy admitted. "I barely know half the names of the ponies that live in Ponyville. But Pinkie Pie knows...." Fluttershy cut herself off. Not because she was giving the enemy information, but because just saying Pinkie's name got her to thinking about her friends.
"Who's Pinkie Pie?" Nurse 516 asked.
"One of my friends," Fluttershy answered going back over to her bed.
....
"What's a 'friend'?" the Changeling asked.
"You don't know what a friend is?" Fluttershy asked lifting her head off of her pillow.
....
"A friend is someone you can count on, who knows they can count on you as well. Someone will always make you feel better, who's always there by your side. And will come and save you no matter what the dangers that will await them." Fluttershy said tears forming in her eyes as she thought about her friends.
Nurse 516 was confused by the Element of Kindness's speech. At first, she was confident, happiness coming off of her. Then she was sad, depression being felt, and had tears in her eyes.
"Then... Then where are your 'friends' now?" she asked.
"I... I don't know," Fluttershy said crying into her pillow.
Nurse 516 thought that was the time to leave.
Somewhere else in the Hive a Changeling the size a small filly or young colt, was cornered up against the wall surrounded by three of her same day born siblings, who were much bigger than her.
"Hey guys," the one in the middle said "I've just thought of a new game. It's called 'Squish the Runt'" he said charging up his horn with the Changeling's green magic and shot it just inches away from the smaller one's face.
"Yeah," the other two said laughing and charging their horns too.
"Workers 719, 720, and 721," someone called down the corridor. "What are you doing?" A solider Changeling came up to them not looking pleased.
"We were just taking care of the runt of our lot Solider 213," the leader (719) said turning his attention to the solider.
"That is not one of your jobs Worker 719," the solider said seeing the smaller Changeling. "Now get back to it, all of you." he said walking away.
"We'll get you later runt," 719 said turning to the smaller Changeling, and then walked away to do his jobs with the other two.
The small Changeling, even though having just been ordered to get back to work, went the other way, to the Hive's entrance and slipped outside.
After flying around for a few minutes she decided to land and have a little think.
"Why am I always picked on," she asked herself buzzing. "I can't help it if I'm small." she said tears in her blue eyes. "Well whatever it is, I'm definitely not going back." she said walking away from the Hive and the only home she's known.
Now being a young Changeling in a big would is not the wisest of choices. Mostly because young Changelings don't have that much control over there camouflage techniques, but also because it's a big world, and they don't know where any thing is.
After about ten minutes, the young Changeling started feeling rain drops on her head.
"Whats going on?" she asked herself. Then turning her head to the sound of thunder, she saw rocks falling down the mountain. Frozen in fear, the Changeling did nothing, and was hit by one of them and flown almost completely back to the Hive.
The scouts that were out at that moment, started flying back to the Hive mentally telling the solider to close the door as soon as the last scout was in.
"Wait!" the small Changeling said limping her way back, unable to fly due to her injured wing. "Wait for me! Please!" but she wasn't fast enough and the door shut seconds before she got there. Now she really was alone.
In the Buffalo Village, Rainbow Dash was looking up at the sky.
"There's not suppose to be storms over here," the weather pony said staring at the clouds.
"You sure Rainbow?" Twilight asked looking up now too.
"Twi, I may be set to only do Ponyville, but all weather ponies are told of all weather planning all over Equestria." Rainbow said. "And there are not suppose to be any storm clouds here until two weeks on Wednesday." She said flying up to the cloud to try and beat it away nearly getting zapped with lightning.
After failing another two times, Rainbow came to rejoin her friends.
Twilight stepped forward now, using her magic aiming at the clouds. Scrunching her eyes in concentration, Twilight focused on trying to shrink the clouds compacting them and holding them in place until Rainbow could beat them to disappear.
"That was strange," Twilight said rubbing her head a bit.
"Yeah, I hope it's a one off mistake," Rainbow said coming back down. "Now, what are we going to do about Fluttershy?"
"No offense or anything Sugarcube," Applejack said. "But I think there a tiny bit more of a problem than finding a lost Fluttershy."
"You take that back Apple!" Rainbow said flaring her wings again.
"Actually I agree with her Rainbow Dash," Rarity said "Remember it was because on some lightning that our ship crashed in the first place."
Taking in deep breaths, Rainbow turned to the others. "And what do you think?" she asked strongly.
"Er..." was all Pinkie had to say.
"I think we should see to the weather first..." Twilight began before.
"Fine you do that. All of you do that," Rainbow Dash screamed hovering above them now. "But my best friend is out there somewhere captured by Changelings, and I'm not going to lose her because the idiots back in Cloudsdale have there dates wrong!" And with that Rainbow Dash flew off to the Macintosh Hills and the Badlands to get her friend back.
In her cell, Fluttershy's ears started to twitch.
"Rainbow?" she asked looking up and seeing around ten Changelings at the door again.
"Um..." she said not knowing what to say. "Can... Can I help you?" she asked.
"We want to learn about 'Friends' too please," a young female in the front said her eyes gleaming.
"None of you know what a friend is?" Fluttershy asked getting off of the bed to sit in front of the door, seeing all of them shake their heads.
"Well..." Fluttershy said thinking how best to but this. "There are four types of friends," she began "First there are just 'friends' who are ponies you like, and know. Then there are 'best friends' who are a little closer to you, as in you care about them a bit more. After that there are 'sibling friends' who are friends that feel like what a family should feel to you, these are normally friends you've known for a long time. Like me and Rain..." Fluttershy stopped herself sighing and looking away a bit.
"And the fourth 'friend'?" the child said cocking it's head to one side.
"Er... The fourth one is a boy or girl friend," Fluttershy answered blushing a bit. "You normally get these ones when you fall in love with someone."
All the Changelings at the door could feel the love radiating off of Fluttershy as she talked about this 'friend'.
"Do you have one?" another Changeling asked a confused look on it's face.
"Er..." Fluttershy said. In truth she did have one but she wasn't about to say anything to these Changelings just in case any harm comes to him and his family.
The child in the front raised it's hoof and asked "Miss Fluttershy... How do you get friends?"
This took a bit of time to answer.
"Well, it can start with someone doing something nice to or for another someone." Fluttershy said smiling. "Rainbow Dash and I became friends because she stood up for me against some bullies and then I got my Cutie-Mark because of the race she did against them." she stopped again thinking of the memory made her remember that she wasn't with her friends. Slowly she went back over to her bed and pulled her blankets over her head and began to cry.
Feeling the sadness come off from the pony, the older Changelings said it was time to go, leaving Fluttershy alone.
After hearing the Changelings all go away Fluttershy poked her head out and saw a desert flower on her side of the door. Going over to it Fluttershy asked herself. "Why are they all wondering about friends all of the sudden?" she said putting the flower in her hair and going back to bed.