//------------------------------// // The Anomaly (revised) // Story: Requiem of Equestria // by TheBlox //------------------------------// Moving as quickly as they could to gather the other ponies, Chrysalis lead Scootaloo and Flake through the abandoned tunnels of her hive. With the Changeling Queen on their side, Scootaloo and Flake knew their mission was going to come to a close much sooner than they had planned, thankfully. Unless, of course, there was something she was hiding from them, but with their time rapidly running out, they saw no other options. They traveled to unexplored tunnels, where the walls appeared to be ominously crystallized in this sector of the caverns. Eventually they came to a halt, and Chrysalis landed next to a large boulder. “Here we are,” she exclaimed, gesturing to the heavy stone. “Applejack is hidden in a crevice beneath this rock.” She leaned into it to push, and she gestured to the others. Flake and Scootaloo nodded and helped push it with her. With the three of them putting their backs into pushing the large rock, it slowly began to budge, gradually shifting across the floor. “This would be a lot easier if I had a strength potion…” Scootaloo groaned, putting all her might into moving it. Chrysalis’ ear twitched and she turned to look into the darkness of the cave. The thought of a wandering Dozer crossed her mind in response to Scootaloo’s mention of her potions. The changeling carrying her saddlebag should have found them by now, she thought. “Chrysalis?” Scootaloo questioned her. “Everything alright?” “Fine. Keep pushing,” the distracted Queen exclaimed and went back to pushing the boulder. Once they had moved it far enough, they exposed a hole in the ground. They pushed the boulder until the crevice was uncovered enough to enter it. Chrysalis took initiative and jumped into the hole while Scootaloo and Flake waited at the top. In moments, she flew back up out of the hole with a cocoon in her grip containing a pony inside it. Scootaloo recognized her; it was indeed Applejack. Carefully, the changeling queen rested Applejack down on the ground. Standing upright, she looked back to Scootaloo. “Should I be present when she awakens? Or should I hide to give you time to explain our situation? Surely she will be afraid to see me.” “Maybe so,” Scootaloo suggested, “But to be honest, I think it would be best that she saw you right away.” Chrysalis tilted her head, raising a brow. “Okay?” “She will have to see you eventually. It would be better if she saw you and Flake with me first hand.” Chrysalis slowly nodded. “Alright then. Let’s not waste any more time.” Her horn illuminated, and she cast a spell down upon Applejack’s cocoon. The cocoon’s tint of colour faded, and it began to melt. “She’ll be awake in a few minutes,” said the changeling Queen, stepping back to stand by the others. “If you have anything to say that will convince your friend that you are not a changeling, now would be the time to think about it.” Scootaloo nodded, and the cave fell silent as they waited. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity remained by the riverbed next to Rainbow Dash’s cocoon of healing magic. Expressions of concern were upon their faces. “It’s good that all of my friends are coming back together again,” Fluttershy whimpered. “But what if Rainbow Dash doesn’t make it?” A tear rolled down her cheek as she rested to her haunches. “And what if Scootaloo and the others don’t make it back?” “We can’t afford to think of such possibilities,” Rarity exclaimed, eyeing down to her friend concealed in glowing mesh. “Have faith; Rainbow Dash will heal just fine.” “Scootaloo won’t let us down,” Twilight said with confidence, stretching her wings for comfort. “They’ll be back before you know it.” “Oh… I hope you’re right,” Fluttershy murmured, looking off into the distant caves where they had made their exit. “They’ve been gone for an awful long time.” “How are your wings, darling?” Rarity asked the wounded pegasus. Fluttershy nibbled her bottom lip and slouched lower. “They hurt...” Twilight sighed and trot next to her. “Fixing broken bones with magic is not fun. But it is important that we’re all in our best condition as soon as possible.” “Not… fun?” Fluttershy questioned her, not liking the sound of that explanation. “Either we allow your wings to heal naturally—which could take days, or even weeks... or, I speed up the process with a spell. Which will unfortunately really hurt…” “Huh?” Rarity looked to her curiously. “What spell?” “Uh…” Twilight just made an uncomfortable expression. “Levitation magic…” “Levitation… Wait, you mean you want to physically move the bones inside her wings?!” The unicorn was wide-eyed and nearly disgusted. “Twilight, that can’t be comfortable!” “I said it hurts.” “We can’t put Fluttershy through that, there must be another way!” Twilight shook her head. “Magic isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Not every spell works without any consequences or side-effects. Sometimes, there is a catch, too.” She looked down to Rainbow Dash and relaxed her eyes. “You remember when Rainbow Dash broke her wing? I never told her I could fix it, because I know how painful it can be.” Fluttershy clenched her teeth at the thought of it, and she remained curled up on the ground. “The reason I didn’t tell Rainbow Dash wasn’t only because I know it can be painful, but also because, back then? We had time to allow it to heal naturally! Right now, we don’t.” She rolled her eyes. “And also, if Rainbow Dash knew I could fix broken bones, considering how stubborn she is, she would have wanted me to heal her so she could get back to flying again as fast as possible. If she knew I could heal her and I told her no, she would have gotten mad at me because I refused to help... And if I said yes? She would still have gotten mad at me, because if I healed her, it would have hurt, and she’d wonder why I even suggested it.” Rarity shrugged. “I guess that makes sense on Rainbow’s behalf.” She then gestured back to the pegasus beside her. “But this is Fluttershy, dear! We can’t do that to her.” “I’m slowing the rest of you down… aren’t I,” the quiet pegasus murmured. “Huh?” Twilight blinked. “I… No! I just don’t know what else to do!” “No. It… it’s fine,” the wounded mare whimpered. “Just do what you have to… If you really need me to fly, then fix my wings.” She was shivering, and clearly scared of the thought that it may be very painful. Twilight took a long moment to watch her cower and whimper, and she turned to Rarity, who looked back at her. “Do we really have to?” Twilight didn’t know what to say in response to Rarity’s question. She sighed and sat on her flank, lowering her head. Then after some moments in thought, she slowly shook her head. “You know just as well as I do that I can’t do that to her.” She looked to Fluttershy with a saddened expression. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy.” “But… but I’ll just slow you down.” “We’ll deal with it,” said the Princess. “We can carry you if we need to get to higher places.” “Oh, no! You shouldn’t have to do that.” Fluttershy’s ears sank to the sides. “What if… what if we’re being chased? You can’t carry me then!” “Yes I can,” Twilight declared, and she trot closer to Fluttershy to gently hug her. “You’re my friend. I won’t allow you to go through such pain.” “But…” Fluttershy whimpered, and began to gently cry. “It’s alright. We’ll be fine.” She pat Fluttershy’s shoulder to comfort her. “You shouldn’t have to go through any more than you already have.” Fluttershy continued weeping on her shoulder. Twilight exchanged concerned looks with Rarity, and the cave fell silent. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Scootaloo, Chrysalis and Flake stood watching Applejack, waiting for the earth pony to wake up. Until finally, she wiggled in her sleep, and slowly opened her eyes. “Ugh…” Applejack pushed herself upright, rubbing her eyes. “Wh… what happened…?” Looking up, the first thing her eyes met was Chrysalis. Her eyes jolt open, and she stumbled back. “You!!” “Applejack,” Scootaloo called to her in a calming tone, “It’s alright. We—ohh no... ” Before she could finish, Applejack was already in full, furious gallop toward the Queen. “Y’all are dead!!” Applejack hollered, and she leapt through the air toward Chrysalis. Colliding head on with the wide-eyed Queen, Chrysalis collapsed onto her back with a dumbfounding shriek. “Applejack!” Scootaloo was quick to try and stop her. She jumped onto her, and made the attempt to pull her off of Chrysalis. “Stop!” I response to her tugging gesture, Applejack kicked up, and bucked Scootaloo straight to the head. The echoing impact sent Scootaloo collapsing hard, and she tumbled a few feet across the ground. She skid across the mesh and soot, and bumped into a rock, stopping there in silence. “Scootaloo!” Flake shouted, running for the downed pegasus. Applejack’s ears twitched when she heard the name, and she turned to Flake and Scootaloo in question. Raising a brow, she stepped away from Chrysalis. “Hold on a minute. Scootaloo?” The grey earth pony turned back to Chrysalis and squinted at her. “What the buck is goin’ on here?!” Chrysalis stood up tall, towering over her in height. The changeling Queen gnashed her teeth, and she growled. “Do not attack me again,” she threatened in a deep and aggravated voice. “Scootaloo,” Flake whimpered her name, shaking the unconscious mare. Flake’s cries caught the attention of Chrysalis and Applejack, and they turned to see the situation for themselves. “Scootaloo, come on, wake up,” his voice was slowly turning into a hiccup. Applejack was dumbfounded and wide-eyed. For starters, it made no sense to her that the changeling was calling the wounded pony Scootaloo. However, what really surprised her was to see a changeling actually care about a fallen ally. Slowly it came together, and it started to make sense without the need of an explanation. There is only one pegasus that she knew by the name of Scootaloo, and there was no way a changeling would call another by that name. Loud and afraid, Applejack turned to Chrysalis and pointed a hoof to the pegasus lying in the dirt. “Ya mean ta tell me that’s not a changeling?! That’s actually Scootaloo?!” Chrysalis didn’t respond, she just frowned at Applejack and stepped past her. Applejack turned quickly back to Scootaloo and felt a lump in her heart. “A-ah didn’t mean… I was defending myself!” “I know,” Flake croaked, looking to Applejack. “This was bound to happen. What else can you expect when the last thing you remember after being cocooned was a war between ponies and another species that can turn into ponies?” Applejack blinked, trying to put it all together. Flake’s tears showed mercy, and she wanted to know why. She trot to the scene herself and looked down to Scootaloo with a guilty conscience. “I don’t get it,” she murmured, “I’ve never seen a changeling express an emotion such as love or friendship.” She looked to Flake, who looked back at her. “You mean you actually care about this pony?” A small and weak groan emanated from Scootaloo. She wiggled a bit, and slowly opened her eyes, looking up to Applejack. After a moment’s glance, she held her aching skull with her hooves, cringing from the pain. “Ngh… my head.” “Scootaloo,” Flake spoke down to her, and he reached beneath the pegasus to help lift her up. “Are you okay?” “I’ll be alright…” the aching pegasus muttered, trying to sit upright. Applejack nibbled her lips and stepped back. “I-I’m really sorry, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo simply let out a chuckle, “Heh. Rainbow Dash hit me, too.” “Can you stand?” Chrysalis questioned her. “We need to keep moving.” Applejack raised a brow as Scootaloo struggled to push to her hooves. Confused and concerned, the earth pony turned to Chrysalis and looked up to her. “Ah’d like a bit of an explanation. What’s the hurry? And why are you suddenly helping?” “Trust me, Applejack, it’s a long story,” Scootaloo exclaimed on the Queen’s behalf, finally managing to regain her balance. “We’re rounding up the Elements of Harmony. We need all of your help to confront the Changeling King.” “Uh…” Applejack scratched her head, clearly unfamiliar with the situation. “Pard’n?” “The Great Changeling King has the strength equivalent to Celestia’s father—the god of balance. And he is about to be reborn,” Chrysalis explained solemnly to Applejack. “There is no telling what he will do.” “Never heard of ‘em.” The stubborn earth pony rolled her eyes. “And after everything you’ve done to us, why should I help you?” Chrysalis sighed and her ears lowered. “I don’t expect you to wish to help. But if we don’t stop him, both ponykind and changelings alike will be in grave danger. He will consume everything in his path to become stronger.” “Uh, huh,” she muttered. “I’ve just got a question…” She pointed to Scootaloo. “She’s a fully grown mare. If that’s the same Scootaloo that I knew when she was just a filly, then I must’ve been in that cocoon for years!” She stomped her hoof. “How long has it been, a decade er somethin’?!” The Queen slowly and regrettably nodded. “About that.” Applejack had to take a seat, and she placed a hoof over her eyes, shaking her head. “Sweet Celestia…” Putting her hoof back down, she looked back up to the Queen. “So… where are the others?” “Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight are in another part of the caves by our underground river,” she explained. “We just need to find Pinkie Pie, then we will have all of the elements. That is, providing Rainbow Dash gets better…” Scootaloo murmured. “Rainbow Dash?” Applejack stepped forward. “She’s hurt?” Scootaloo nodded slowly and silently. “Chrysalis put her in a cocoon of healing magic for now, in hopes that it cures her… But, we don’t know.” Applejack was stunned, and her eyes wandered. “Ya mean… she’s on the verge of dying?” “She was lucky to still be alive before I put her in that cocoon,” Chrysalis revealed, hesitantly explaining the situation. “Even so, she may not make it.” “W-what?!” The concerned pony stepped up to her. “Where is she?” “Uh…” “Take me to Rainbow Dash, I gotta see ‘er!” “But, we are too short on time,” Chrysalis muttered. “She is with the others, so she is safe there.” “No, I need to see ‘er right now! I don’t want to get back to her later and find she’s died before I got to see her again!” “Applejack, she’s not coherent right now, she is asleep,” the Queen continued. “Chrysalis.” Flake stepped up to her. “I can take her back. You and Scootaloo go on ahead and get Pinkie Pie. You know where she is, right, Queen?” Chrysalis looked to Applejack, who seemed to be in a panicking state of mind, anxious to see her friend. Rolling her eyes, she nodded. “Alright, fine. You and Applejack go on ahead. Scootaloo and I will get Pinkie Pie and regroup by the underground river.” “Alright.” Flake looked to Applejack. “Follow me.” “Uh…” Applejack looked to Scootaloo with an uneasy expression. Scootaloo nodded. “You can trust him, Applejack. If the changelings wanted you in a cocoon right now, they wouldn’t have let you out.” “...Ah guess so,” Applejack murmured nervously. “Well, alright then… Ah suppose ah don’t have a choice right now.” Flake nodded to Applejack to reassure her of his trust, and then looked to Chrysalis and Scootaloo. “Good luck.” Scootaloo nodded. “You, too.” Flake turned and began galloping through the darkness, and Applejack followed behind. Scootaloo and Chrysalis were about to wander the other direction when Flake suddenly stopped. He turned back, and he trot back to them. Scootaloo caught on and watched him curiously as he trot closer to her. “Flake? Did you forget something?” Without hesitation, Flake brought his front hooves around Scootaloo, and gave her a hug. Scootaloo was wide-eyed from his unexpected approach. Applejack was dumbfounded to see such an act from a changeling, and Chrysalis was lost for words herself. “Please be careful, okay?” he requested solemnly. “I… Yeah. We will,” Scootaloo promised the changeling embracing her. Flake then released her and stepped back. He looked into her eyes for that brief moment and nodded again, smiling. “I just… needed the reassurance.” “Heh. Well… Alright!” Scootaloo smiled back. “You be careful, too.” “Yeah…” he whispered as he turned away once more, and galloped back to return to the others. Applejack raised a brow, looking back and forth between Scootaloo and Flake. Scootaloo just shrugged to Applejack’s questioning expression in regards to what had just happened. Then before Applejack lost track of the changeling leaving the scene, she turned and galloped after him. “Ah guess we’ll meet up later!” she called to Scootaloo. “Right!” Scootaloo called back. Then without wasting any more time, she and Chrysalis turned and began trotting the other way. Scootaloo took a few steps before she stopped to look over her shoulder, watching Flake disappear into the distance as Applejack followed behind him. “Scootaloo,” Chrysalis called to her. “Let’s hurry.” “Right, coming!” Snapping out of it, she turned away from the corridor where Flake made his exit, and she followed the Queen. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy waited in silence, sitting around Rainbow Dash in the form of a circle. They all continued to watch over her, hoping and praying that she was going to get out of her healing cocoon alive. Then among all the silence, they heard the sound of trotting hooves. Their ears twitched to the noise, and they were quick to turn to where the sound was coming from. Upstream, they saw Flake approaching them by the river shore, and Applejack galloping along side with her. “Aha, they found her!” Rarity said joyously. Flake and Applejack reached up to them, huffing from galloping most of the way here. Applejack had a big smile on her face to see her old friends grouping together. “Boy, is it great to see you girls!” Applejack was ecstatic, and simply seeing her friends again revokebrightened her coat from its faded grey colour. Most of her orange had come back; seeing the others brought back old memories that sparked her with a smile. “This is so amazing! The gang is slowly getting back together again!” Twilight exclaimed, leaning forward with a risen front hoof. “I take it you’re a bit confused with everything that’s going on…” “You could say that…” “Um, so, where is Scootaloo?” Fluttershy wondered. Flake cleared his throat. “Scootaloo and Chrysalis are searching for Pinkie Pie as we speak. Applejack wished to come meet up with the rest of you.” “Oh, I’m glad to hear they’re doing alright.” The pony of kindness tilted her head, smiling. “It is really wonderful to see you again, Applejack.” After their happy moment, Applejack looked down to see the cocooned pegasus on the ground. Her smile slowly faded, and she trot up to the sleeping, wounded mare. The others caught on that Rainbow Dash was primarily the reason Applejack had come here sooner, and they stepped out of the way so she could look at her. Applejack trot up to the downed pegasus, and sat on her flank, looking down into the sleeping mare’s closed eyes. “Hey, R. D…” She lowered her head. “Just wanted ta make sure I got ta see ya… I dunno if ya can hear me er not through that cocoon, but… I just wanted ya to know, I’m here for ya. We’re all here, and Pinkie’s comin’, too.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Traveling into further corridors of the caves, Scootaloo followed Chrysalis into the deeper unknown. Eventually, they found themselves at a dead end. They stopped, and Scootaloo raised a brow in question to her directions. “You’re sure this was the right way?” “I hid Pinkie Pie extra carefully,” Chrysalis exclaimed, charging up her horn. “I had to put her behind a crystal wall.” “What? Why?” Chrysalis launched a spell into the wall, and on impact, there was an explosion of debris and smoke. As the smoke cleared, she turned to Scootaloo to reply, “Because it’s Pinkie Pie.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes and she nodded, understanding her fair point. After the airborne dust had settled, they could see the cocooned earth pony hanging on the ceiling in a small, enclosed room. A grin formed on her face, and she stepped closer to the imprisoned pony. “Alright, let’s get her down, open up her cocoon, and get back to the others.” Chrysalis nodded and plucked the cocoon off the ceiling. She rested her down onto the floor, and cast a spell into the mesh entrapping Pinkie Pie. It sizzled and glowed a warm orange, and it slowly began dissolving. “And now we wait,” the Queen declared. Scootaloo nodded, and the two of them stepped back and took a seat, waiting patiently as Pinkie Pie was being released. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Seated around Rainbow Dash, Flake and the other ponies watched over the downed pegasus as she slowly healed. There wasn’t much said, but there was comfort to see an improvement on Rainbow’s burn wounds from earlier. Keeping their spirits high, they remained by one another’s side, keeping each other hopeful. As they waited, something caught Fluttershy’s eye that was floating in the water. “Oh my gosh!” She gasped, and galloped to the edge of the stream. The others all turned and saw what she was looking at, too. A changeling was floating in the waves of the river, still alive and struggling to keep himself surfaced. Flake immediately took initiative, and he leapt after him, flying over the open water. Swooping down toward the drowning changeling, he grabbed onto him by the shoulders, and pulled him out of the water. Once surfaced, the struggling changeling coughed and gasped for air. Flake brought him back over the others, and descent back down to shore, resting him on his side. The changeling coughed a few more times, hacking up water. “What in tarnation?” Applejack trot up to the downed changeling, confused and concerned. “Do you know this changeling?” Twilight’s question was directed to Flake. He nodded. “He is one of the changelings in charge of our central dome.” It didn’t take him long to spot a burn wound, clearly caused by the Red Death spell. Now heavily worried, Flake immediately questioned him, “Buzz… Did Chitin do this to you?” “What has gotten into him…?” Buzz whimpered in an aching voice. “He’s psychotic!” “Buzz, what happened?” Flake attempted to keep the conversation going. “Chitin knows you’re all here... He tossed me in the river, making the assumption you’d find me.” “What happened?” he asked again. Buzz groaned and curled up. “It hurts…” his voice was hoarse and agonizing. It was clear that he was dying, and there wasn’t much anypony could do. “Buzz, please,” Flake murmured, feeling sympathy for the changeling. “You said Chitin wanted us to find you. Why?” “Hold on a minute. Who is this Chitin?” Applejack questioned out loud. “Right… you haven’t met him yet,” Flake determined. “...I thought he had good intentions… when he wanted those ponies from the cocoon dome.” “Which ponies?” The two names that he breathed sent shivers down everypony’s spines. “Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom… He has them hostage, and… he told me to tell you.” Rarity gasped and held a hoof to her mouth. Tears immediately began to trickle down her cheeks. “Sweetie Belle…?” “Well what the buck would he even want with mah little sister?!” Applejack became hysterical. “Somethin’ ain’t right here!” “What else did he say?” Twilight asked. “Where is he, and what does he want?” Flake questioned him further. Buzz coughed a few times. “I don’t know where he’s hiding,” he sorely admitted. “But… he said that Scootaloo would know.” Flake squinted. “What? That doesn’t make sense. How would Scootaloo know?” “He said to tell Scootaloo this… When she escaped the hive, she made a choice. A choice to move forward, or to dive into the river.” “Right, she went in the river during her escape,” Flake recalled. “What does that have to do with where he is?” “...Chitin is in a room down the path she ended up not taking. You can find him there… But...” He coughed. “If you want Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle alive, then he wants Scootaloo to go to him... alone. He wants to trade… Scootaloo for Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. One for two...” Flake’s eyes widened. “What? That’s not gonna happen!” “...He has the two ponies. And he was very clear about one thing… If Scootaloo does not go alone, or if anypony else chooses to go instead, Chitin will execute them both on the spot.” Another agonizing jolt of pain rushed through him, and he curled into a tighter ball. “H-he’s not bluffing!” “No!!” Flake stomped out of a fit of anger. “What does he want Scootaloo for?!” “I-I don’t… I don’t know. I-I... “ Buzz’s breathing became more of a hyperventilation. Then after an increase in his breathing, it suddenly all stopped with a silent exhale. He lied there, absolutely still. “Is he…?” Fluttershy weeped. Flake lowered his head over the deceased changeling, feeling the anger stir in his heart. Then looking up to the others, he began to shed tears. “What do we do?” “We gotta save Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!” Applejack exclaimed. “Our sisters need us!” Rarity whimpered, tears leaking from her eyes like a broken faucet. “Everyone calm down,” Twilight tried to reason with the other ponies, and Fluttershy dropped to the ground, sobbing and holding her hooves over her eyes, trying to block it all out. “This isn’t fair!” Rarity shrieked. “This can’t be happening!!” Applejack yelled. “It just can’t!” “Everypony shut up!” Flake shouted, catching everyone’s attention. A few hiccups in the sudden silence were heard. “How can we do this without risking the safety of any of them?” he asked as calmly as he could, though most of it was coming across as a panic. “We can’t send Scootaloo in there alone, and if anypony else goes in there, then the blood of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are on our hooves.” He stomped his hoof again. “I-I can’t lose Scootaloo... I can’t,” his last words broke out into more of a sob. “Jez, you sure care about that pony,” Applejack exclaimed respectfully. Flake exhaled deeply, and he nibbled his bottom lip nervously. “Okay… We can’t do anything until Scootaloo returns, because we don’t know where Chitin is anyway.” Trying to calm himself, he exhaled slowly. “According to Buzz, she’s the only one who will know where to find him.” “So… what do we do?” Twilight solemnly asked. “When Scootaloo and Chrysalis return with Pinkie Pie… We ask Scootaloo…”