//------------------------------// // Act 1 chapter 12 // Story: Diamonds are a girl's worst enemy // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// Silent as the night itself had the company managed to sneak its way through the sleeping nest of changelings. None of them knew how they actually managed to do it, yet somehow they didn't woke up a single one of the bugs as their exit came right into view. Nopony knew where it would be leading them, though the thought of someplace better than they were was all there in their minds.         Of course did the chance exist that everything could have been going wrong as soon as they turned around the corner. It was a haunting thought for certain. But also one they just couldn't discard as being unhelpful. They weren't in territory where the laws of the ponies applied. They were in the domain of the changelings and crystalline giants. Two species of beings who had their own rules and happily crushed anything that didn't live by them. Friendly wasn’t a word they knew.         Terror was the emotion that was surging through most of the members of the group. All while Rarity herself was almost constantly looking back and forth between all of the walls. One mistake and it would all have been over, that much she knew. Yet none of them wanted to go down without a final stand.         With the silence in their hooves had they managed to get finally across. Velvet Fashion gave one last look into the chamber before a shudder came to her spine. Seeing the changelings sleeping like that against the walls was already more than enough for her to get creeped out. She wasn't the bravest nor the strongest, but she did happen to be one of the wisest of the bunch.         It was Rarity who first walked into the new hallway with a pounding heart. She looked whether or not the coast was actually clear for them to proceed further. Brush and Drawn remained behind together with Rare Thinker, who released a quiet sigh in silence as he took a rest against the side of the cavern. None of them wanted to talk but their thoughts were all on the same place.         The eerie silence in which the ponies found themselves was only made even more creepy, thanks to the horrible sounds that the sleeping bugs made. That annoying hissing while drops of saliva fell down to the ground, at the moment there was no other sound they heard. It were bugs, beasts even, so much manners weren't that much expected.         Eventually had Rarity made her returned. She gestured with her head that they needed to follow her. A thing they would be doing without much a question towards her. They all wanted to leave the place and the chance was finally there. The group of ponies turned into the other hallway and the further they stepped away from the sleeping changelings, the more the desires to talk arose in each of them.         In the end it was the unicorn herself who dared to break the deadly silence with a rather happy announcement. “If you like to talk, you can talk all you like but keep the volume down. We don’t know what lays around the next corner,” she said to each of them. Her motions never ceased, she continued her trotting as if nothing had happened before.         A massive sigh of relief was given off by each of the members of the team and the conversations erupted in a bit of a whisper. The ivory coated unicorn didn't exactly knew what they were saying yet she didn't care about it either. She had the way ahead to take into her account and therefore couldn't be bothered less with simple small talk as it was done by them. ---                       Minutes passed by before another light gave itself away in front of them all. Rarity managed to get the ponies to a stop as she narrowed her eyes to witness. None of them knew what it could possibly coming from though the thoughts were already terrible. “What do you think it is?” Rare Thinker spoke up before he turned his attention towards the unicorn.         “If I would have known it, I would have told you. But now it can be anything we have dealt with so far…or something we have never seen in our lives,” replied Rarity to him. The fright was being heard within her own tone. She really and honestly didn't knew just what it was that they were looking at. For all they knew, they could be walking straight into a trap.         All that they know for certain was that they were looking at an orange light that came out of the end of the cavern. All of them began to fear that some kind of new crystalline giant would be waiting for them on the opposing side or that they had stumbled upon the throne room of the changeling ruler. Both terrifying for certain, yet nothing could prepare them for what was really inside of the room. Another room which they sadly had to pass through.         “It really is out of the frying pan and into the fire now, ain't it brother?” Drawn Brush spoke up before the other twin simply gave a silent as conformation. Yet that very nod actually confirmed the terror that miss Fashion had already been fearing since they had started.         “Proceed with caution and keep yourself quiet, if you value your life. We don’t need another rehash of the troubles with the giants. They are slow, blind and whatever you do, do not touch any of the gems around here,” explained Rarity in a demanding, but also rather humble tone for a change. She was concerned about something. She was truly concerned about the well-being of her team. ---                       So with caution and their abilities all set on sharp, they managed to proceed through the cavern. With the tips of their hooves they all walked towards the light while the thoughts began to haunt them. The darkness behind them was an excellent cover for an ambush unseen. It was a thought that each of them tried to suppress to the best of their abilities. Some managed, others needed a bit of help with it. Even though they suppressed it, the tingle atop their coat made them realize the danger.         Yet there was nothing in the world that could have ever been able to prepare them for the horror that they would be facing around the corner. For in the second that Rarity peeked her head inside, the rest of the body suddenly followed. The entire team gasped for air before they made the rather foolish decision to follow her blindly.         The end of their company could have been reached there, they could be facing the elite guard of the changelings for all they knew. Yet instead where their eyes fixed on something else. Something monstrous. Something that was truly gruesome to watch and behold.         “Mother of mercy…” Rare Thinker dared to speak up as he looked at the contraption.         “The stories, are true,” Velvet Fashion whispered before she released a deep gulp.         “The missing ponies…” Brush Drawn then said.         In front of them was a machine-like structure. A thing that seemed to be made out of organic material and filled with orange colored sacks. Sacks that held a pony in each of them. Liquid had filled the things as a cord was attached to a facemask on the pony. There was no doubt about it all and Rarity dared to say what was on everypony’s mind. “Conversion center…”         Myths and many legends once spoke about changelings being able to harvest ponies. After which they would convert them literally into kin of their own. Yet those tales went back to the time when Nightmare Moon roamed the lands. All conversion centers were destroyed in the time after it. Yet one managed to survive all that onslaught. And if one did, how many would there be left?         “The poor souls never stood a chance,” whispered Rare Thinker. His eyes focused themselves on a pony who was already halfway converted. The process seemed painful by the way that the eyes were shut. None of them could imagine how it felt to make the transition from pony to changeling.         A shudder went over each of their spines before Rarity found a way out. A way that was leading them straight through the chamber. “Let’s go, we can’t save them, not anymore.”         The rest of her team followed and once more they tiptoed through the place to get the hell out. They suddenly all knew what they had signed up for and weren't particularly pleased with the outcome that was given to them. Yet they did place their faith in Rarity even though some didn't wanted to admit that little fact.         Though when they were almost at the end, one of the sacks began to move violently. Each of the ponies looked up. They shot their eyes towards it with a horrified expression. The cord that was attached to the mouthpiece seemed to be growing longer and tangle itself around the poor soul. What happened next was something none of them wanted to see, just before the silence in the sack returned. As if nothing had happened.