In Appleloosa, ponies were getting a little short tempered with each other...
"Hey give that back that's mine."
"No it isn't it was clearly on my side of the table."
"Oh will you just shut up you two."
"Why don't you!"
A fight broke out between these four ponies with crowds either joining in or cheering them on. Stopping when Twilight shot Silver Stars gun.
"Ponies," she started. "Now is not the time to fight against one another. We need to work together to think of a plan to get to the weather machine that's causing this."
After some murmurers of agreement and 'I'm sorry's', every-pony turned to face Twilight to listen to her plans.
"Now we have worked out that the weather machine came from Cloudsdale," she said using her magic to project a map of Equestria behind her. "and is somewhere between right over Appleloosa or above the Ghastly Gorge or Doge Junction." She said using a teaching stick to point to the appropriate places.
"I propose we split up and try to find it, so we can shut it off and STOP this weather!"
Cheers came after this, then one mare said.
"But how are we going to shut it off?"
"As soon as Rainbow Dash gets back from rescuing Fluttershy," Twilight said knowing that question would come "We will head out, and as soon as we find it, she will fly up and shut it off."
More cheers followed this, and the ponies started dividing themselves into groups waiting for Rainbow to come back so they could head out.
"You sure that's the right thing to do Twilight?" Rarity asked coming up to Twilight after she got down from the stage. "I mean I don't want to jinx anything, but what if she doesn't come back? Or what if something's wrong and she can't fly when she gets here? Or..." the frantic fashionestia asked only being stopped when a purple hoof shoved itself into her mouth.
"Rarity," Twilight said looking her friend in the eye, "You have to remember this is Rainbow Dash you're talking about. The Element of Loyalty, the pony who..."
"Never leaves her friends hanging. And the most awesome friend any-pony can have." a cocky voice at the back of the room next to the open doors said.
Every pony turned to see a smirking Rainbow Dash, a scared Fluttershy, a eye rolling Applejack, a calm but worried looking Strong Heart and Braeburn and two...
"Changelings!" Pinkie screeched and ran up to attack them casing Meep to scream and run behind Rainbow Dash covering her head with her hooves, and Rainbow to glare at her with her wings spread.
"Rainbow!" Twilight said running up to her friends, "What are you doing you know what they are."
"Yeah. I what they are," Rainbow Dash said stepping aside to hold a scared Meep in her arms. "They're like us. They get scared and bullied, they work all day every day, some stand up for one another, in their own way they have family's and those who care and look after them. And you should know it was because of Meep and Nurse 516, along with some more smaller Changelings that we got out of the Hive at all!"
All the ponies in the room just stared at the cyan blue Pegasus comforting the purple tear crying 'Meep', and looked away ashamed.
"But they took Fluttershy..." Pinkie said pointing a pallet knife to the Pegasus in question.
"Yeah but they didn't do anything to her," Rainbow spoke for her friend. "As I understand they only fixed her up and asked about friends..." she said looking to Fluttershy to confirm this getting a nod in return.
"Ya'll should be ashamed of yourselves," Applejack stepped forward looking mostly at her friends. "Didn't we learn not to judge covers when we met Zecora? Twi I know what they did at Shining Armour's wedding, but they were under orders remember. Get them alone, spend some time with them and you'll see there's not much difference between us."
All through the two speeches, Twilight was thinking about what was said. Then when Applejack got around to Zecora she realized she was right. Sighing out of guilt Twilight walked up and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry, both of you." she said looking at the two Changelings seeing understanding in the bigger one but fear still lingering in the small ones eyes.
"Right. Now getting back to this dumb weather machine," Rainbow said snapping every-pony back to how they were before. "You should also know Twi, the Badlands are having some trouble as well, but it's not as bad as around here." she said as the doors were finally shut by some other ponies.
Turning to the map of Equestria that was still up, Twilight started to think.
"Ok so that doesn't rule out Dodge Junction, but that it's closer to Appleloosa."
"So what do we do Twilight?" Fluttershy asked speaking up.
"Rainbow, you take one group and look around Ghastly Gorge. Er..." Twilight said turning to...
"Nurse 516," she said.
"Can you turn into a Pegasus and take another group to look around Dodge Junction. The rest of us will stay here and search around Appleloosa." she said speaking up as she handed out the 'leaders'.
Rainbow Dash nodded and after giving Meep to Little Strong Heart and Fluttershy to look after called one of the groups and ran with them to Ghastly Gorge.
Nurse 516 changed into a light green Pegasus so she could be seen by the other ponies and then ran out with them and headed to Dodge Junction.
Then the rest of the mares and stallions, ran out with Twilight to search every inch of sky over Appleloosa. Leaving Strong Heart, Braeburn, Fluttershy, and some foals in the town hall.
In the Buffalo Village, every one was gathered in to a group trying to keep warm against the snow and wind, the older ones trying to keep the children happy and distracted by how cold it was.
But all Thunder Hooves could think of was Little Strong Heart and how up set she was.
Had he done the right thing in keeping the knowledge of the Changelings away from her?
As though he knew what he was thinking Thunder Hooves' best friend Joe came over to him and said "She was going to find out someday Chief,"
"I know, but I didn't think it would be like this. And so close to her marriage as well." he sighed looking up into the sky.
"You know she's still with you Chief," Joe said changing the subject when he saw where his friend was looking at.
Everyone knew, that no matter what you are, when you passed away, the Princess of the Night, Luna would hang a new star up in the sky so they could look down on their friends and family, and in turn they could look up to them and remember and ask advice from them when it was needed.
At that moment both of them were looking up at where Nala's star was at night both thinking of Strong Heart's mother.
"I know," Thunder Hooves said thinking of his wife. "It is just she always knew what to do in things like this."
"You'll know what to do when it comes around to it Chief," Joe said returning to the group, leaving Thunder Hooves to his thoughts.