//------------------------------//
// Badlands//Chapter 2 
// Story: The Rise of the Guardians and the Fall of One Hero 
// by TrinityDragon 
//------------------------------//

	“Hello, my dear one.”
Phebe jumped. “You-you-!” Her eyes scanned the surroundings speedily. She sat in a small, cozy bedroom wrapped in the warmth embrace of light. The room had a warm hue of blue for walls, and a cream rug covered the entire floor. A bed and dresser rested in the corner. Nonetheless, these details were unimportant in comparison to the figure that stood in front of her. It was I AM, and he appeared as an impossible to describe blaze in the color of brass. His voice sounded like a waterfall, yet it was perfectly gentle.
“Where am I?” She questioned.
“You did what I asked. You will receive your due reward.”
“What do you mean, I did what you asked?” Her head tilted. “To find Artemis?” She could not pin-point the meaning to the statement; Artemis found her. After the last two conversations, she expected that he would ignore her question; that's what he did those times. However, he surprised her this time.
“Yes, my bright messenger of salvation. You found him, as I asked.” I AM neared to her face. Phebe could not stand to look, but she could not turn her gaze from such beauty. At that time, a small flow of air brushed through her mane. “Receive my Spirit. My love will begin to burn inside you and as you grow, you will be unable to stay silent. I have chosen you to be my messenger.”
This thought nearly crushed Phebe. She wanted nothing to do with the Changelings. She didn't want to die for them, let alone live for them. On the other hoof, a sense of purpose crawled into her heart. Since the death of Pyre Sandshout, she had simply drifted through life—no sense of direction, but now she had a reason to live. At the least, it seemed that way.
One questioned pressed mind on the matter, so she inquired, “What is my reward?” Her voice broke, hurt billowing over the surface. Admittedly, she was empty inside. She had done much in her life, but most of her efforts brought her nothing.  Contentment was not her problem, for she didn't desire more stuff, more friends, more family, or anything like. Rather, she wanted her actions to have purpose—that is, she wanted what she did to mean something. In her mind, a reward would prove to her that her deeds were worth it.
He spoke, “I am glad you asked.” She imagined a smile on his face. “Your reward is Artemis. He will be your husband, and you will be his wife.” This left her speechless; not astonishment but horror clasped her tongue to the bottom of her mouth.  Before she could process what had just been said, I AM continued,“He will be a pillar for you that you can lean on in your times of weakness. You no longer have to face life alone.” A moment of silence was given before I AM concluded, “Now, my treasured daughter, go forth, for the Changelings await you.”


	~~~~~


A loud groan lifted. Why does everything hurt? Eyelids steadily creaked open. Suddenly, Phebe was greeted loudly by Artemis.
“You're awake!” He jumped for joy.
Trying to ignore the fellow, she craned her neck around to see the room in which she lay. She concluded that she was still in the tunnels because the ceiling and walls were made of rock. However, what catch her interest were the items inside the room.. Firstly, she rested on a hospital bed. Secondly, a pony-crafted table saw next to her bed. Thirdly, medicine for ponies was ordered neatly on that table.  Somehow, the Changelings had accrued supplies from her kind.
Looking at and feeling herself, she noticed a bandage that wrapped around her head as well as a soft cast that encompassed her back, barrel, and belly and stretched from the base of her neck to her lower back. Showing that the bandage and cast covered real wounds, every movement incited a plethora of aches.
Shrugging off the pain, she wondered, Where did they get all this stuff? She wanted to know. Curiosity did not normally accompany her anywhere, but since yesterday, it had been nagging constantly. In fact, its control over her had intensified since she fought the Guardian. She couldn't help but ask. “How did you acquire the medical supplies?”
Immediately and excitedly, Artemis answered, “Several of us went to Dodge City and purchased them. We were disguised as ponies, of course.” A beaming smile formed.
Phebe concluded that something didn't add up then. “How long did it take you to get those here?”
“Half a day.” The Changeling put a leg onto the bed. “You slept for eight days, though. You were hurt so badly; we didn't know if you would live. You had me worried.” Some anxiety could be read on his face. “How are you feeling?”
Instead of replying, she pondered what had occurred in the dream. He is going to be my husband. Sure, Lord, sure. But... a half a day? She commented on time it took for them to retrieve the provisions. That's short. She turned onto her side away from Artemis and glided her hoof across the bed. They probably had the bed already, though. The other chamber she had come across in the tunnels also had a bed.
Though thankful, she wanted to address the issue of marriage, so she moved onto that. She had an idea of where to start. If I AM said I'm to marry Artemis, it's possible he told him about me as well. “Hey.” She didn't face him while speaking. “You said you had a third part to your dream, right? Would you tell me about it?”
A nervous cackle floundered out of the Reform's mouth. “W-why?”
“I want to know.”
“I-uh-I... uhm...” Turning his head down and to the side, he removed his leg from the bed. “I'd rather not.”
“Artemis, I'm not going anywhere.” Phebe recognized the cast on her torso meant serious injury. In fact, if she were to prematurely walk about, she could sever her spinal column or something similar. Since she was essentially stuck, she would end up bored; therefore, she would make use of the situation to acquire the desired information. “While I'm stuck here, I would like to have something to talk about.”
“Oh! Do you know how I got my body back?” he changed subjects quickly.
The astute Unicorn squinted. I forgot about that. Last she knew, the Guardian had done something to him to make him unconscious—that is, “stole his soul.” She wanted to be informed of that as well. “All right. I'm listening.”
The nervous Changeling shook off his hesitant demeanor, smiled, and continued, “You killed the Guardian that attacked Shoe, Dark, and I. It had captured our souls.”
Phebe wondered about that. Was it possible for some creature to remove the essence of one's being? She figured a more logical explanation could be formulated, but she would bear with the one the Changelings gave. She listened to Reform spoke, “When you killed it, our souls were set free and returned to our bodies. You also set free one of the queen's officers who had been gone for several days.” His smile grew wider. “Because of that and everything else you have done, my people have a very high opinion of you already.”
Interesting. Hate towards his kind still buffeted her, but she had been growing softer towards them. Perhaps that was the “love” which I AM mentioned in that dream. “Explains why you went to such lengths to get me medical attention.”
“Yes.” He spoke that word quickly—too quickly. From her perspective, he seemed to be hiding something and was trying to avoid certain topics. She bet it related to his dream. “By the way, thanks for saving us. Honestly, I did not think I would return to my body.”
She ignored his appreciation. “How badly am I injured?” Assuming some small chat would cause him to grow comfortable would, she come back to the dream shortly
“Hm.” Artemis' expression became glum. “Bad. Your horn will regrow eventually, but you'll be without magic for awhile. Your skull is cracked, and we can't do anything about it. You have no other broken bones, but you are severely bruised. The cast isn't there to set bones; it's there to help you get around. You may not be able to walk at all without it.”
“Can I walk with it on?” She asked because she wanted to leave. Despite what I AM had said, she still didn't plan on sticking around.
“Maybe.”
“Can I go to a hospital?”
“No, we can't move you much, and even if we carefully brought you to Dodge City, the Guardians might attack again.”
“How long until I fully recover?”
The Changeling walked around the bed and spoke to Hoshana's face. “A month, at least, and you may have to be rehabilitated.” Her eyelids shut half way, eyebrows lowered significant, and a certain furl developed below her mouth. “I know that might b-”
“A month!” She shouted into his face sending spit in his eyes. “That's ridiculous. I'm leaving now. Good-bye.” She might have been willing to wait a little while, but a month was far too long. Without any thought to the consequences, she hoped off the bed. There was some pain in the movement, but she felt well enough until the landing. When her hooves touched the ground, her legs gave and she started falling to the floor. Fortunately, Artemis caught her.
Realizing she was at the moment showing dependency on him, she ordered, “Let go! If I fall, I'll get back up. I don't need you.” He didn't obey. She tried to stand up on her own legs, but they didn't obey either.
“You need rest.” He carefully lifted her by magic into the bed. Immediately upon being released, however, Phebe climbed off the opposite side of the bed. She managed to stand this time, but as she took her first step, she tripped over herself. Artemis caught her with levitation. “Chrysalis needs to talk with you soon. You can wait until then before trying to walk, okay?”
“No.” She activated her own magic and broke from the levitation. The action not only caused her head to burst into agonizing pain but also her balance to be lost. Multiplying her headache, she smashed her face into the floor
“Gah!” He rushed over to her side. “Are you okay?”
“Leave me alone!” she yelled into the floor.
Stomp. His leg pounded the floor next to her. “No.” His word was firm.
“You can't...” She tried to formulate a retort, but she lost her train of thought to the headache.
“You are not going anywhere.” Once more, he placed her in the bed. “I'll tell you the dream, but only if you sit still.” Instantly, he put her in her place; she wanted to know about the dream. Unfortunately, she would have to stay, so she groaned briefly before getting comfortable. “Because you have been such a problem, though, I won't tell you until tomorrow.”
“What!? No. Tell me now. I wa-”
“That makes two days you have to wait.”
“Are you kidding me?!”
“And three.”
“Grrr...” Phebe rolled onto her other side facing away from Artemis. “Fine.” Why do I care? Internally she sighed. While she was faced away, she tossed out another question. “What do you know about the Guardians?” This time her question was not delivered because of curiosity; rather, she needed to know in case they appeared again. “Am I correct to assume I'm the only one who can stop them?”
The Changeling smiled and then frowned. “For now...yes. If we knew more about them, maybe we could combat them.” He skirted around the bed to see her face again. “After our attack on Canterlot, we were thrown back here.”
“I know.” She brought to her memory the reports of newspaper agencies. She had been in Dodge City when the attack occurred, so she heard about the stir from other ponies and later read the newspaper to get the details.  This attack actually only took place a few months ago. Since then the Crystal Empire had appeared and King Sombra defeated. “Your infiltration of the city was nearly complete when Twilight Sparkle interfered and freed Princess Cadence. The whole of Equestria raved about that event.”
“Well... we weren't raving.” His gaze lowered. “Anyway, it was upon our return that they appeared. They told us that they were the Guardians, and then they said to leave their land—the Badlands.”
“And you didn't listen?”
“Not at first.” His leg raised and motioned upward. “We didn't fear them, and we didn't have these tunnels back then. I mean, we didn't know about them.” His tone darkened. “So... we had no hiding place. Shortly after their first peaceful visit, they confronted us and stole the soul of one Changeling. We tried to stop them, but our magic wouldn't work and we couldn't touch them, though they could touch us.” Artemis released a heavy sigh. “They kept coming back, and we had no way to fight back.  We tried to leave into Equestria, but Celestia and Luna noticed immediately. Even with our disguises, they found us and kicked us out. We tried to exit to the south, but Dragons blocked our path. We can't live among them either since we can't disguise ourselves as Dragons. Some of our officers met and pleaded with the Guardians, but they didn't listen to us.... I was one of those officers.” A powerful shiver ran down his body.  “Of the five in my group, I was the only one who made it back.” He turned away. “I'm sorry. I lost a lot of friends that day.”
Friends? Phebe paused at that word. Changelings have friends? This thought had not struck her before; only people have friends, not monsters like the Changelings. Within seconds, she realized how utterly faulty that line of thinking was. She recalled the distinct personalities of Dark Shade and Shoe Lace. They acted pretty different. It was not difficult to distinguish the two of them by how they spoke. She laughed inwardly. I never once thought that Changelings might be people too. That's a horrendously simpleminded assumption.
After some moments of silence, Artemis picked up where he left off, but he still kept his back to her. “Our queen grew desperate. She searched the land for anything that might help. Many times, the Guardians nearly got to her too, but she pressed on. One day, she stumbled into these hidden tunnels. As soon as she could, she brought us all down here, and we've been living in hiding since.”
“That doesn't help. I wanted to know about the Guardians, not the story of your people.” She huffed some air out of frustration, though she did find every bit of the information intriguing. “Do you know anything about them?”
“I told you everything.” Wings began buzzing, and they started to carry Artemis to the door. In the process, his back was consistently turned to her. “If you excuse me, I need to go visit a friend I haven't talked with in a long time.”
“Wait.” Some detail of his little story did not fit. “Are you getting any food?” Her words caused him to stop. “I mean love. You live off love, right? Where have you been getting it?”
“We haven't.” Without explaining, he exited the room.
Then a sweet savor nestled upon her heart. So, this whole time, they have been getting what they deserve. In the back of her mind, Pyre's death resided. Though, apparently, they don't need love to live. She pulled the covers of the bed over her eyes and got comfortable. She figured she would make the most of her bedridden state, so while enjoying the taste of vindication, she closed her eyes shut and drifted to sleep.


	~~~~~


Two days later Artemis Reform returned. He greeted, “Hey, Phebe.” Smirking, he strolled up to her bed. “I have something for you today.”
Being tied to a bed for so long had worn on her nerves. Despite having plenty of rest, Phebe was thoroughly cranky. Go away. Even so, her tongue refused to eject her words. Bleh... I feel terrible.  Her eyes did not meet the Changeling, though he was only a glance away. This guy is stubborn. He spent all of yesterday with me, and here he is again. I suppose I could bury my boredom with conversation.
As she readied to speak, she felt a thin object enter her mane. This grabbed her attention. When she turned her head, she saw Artemis with an outstretched leg. A flower was in his grasps. After placing the colorful plant into her silver mane, he removed his limb while beaming greatly.
“I don't like flowers,” she stated flatly. “I'm not that type of filly.”
“Oh really?” The Changeling lifted a vase full of the same flower with which he dressed her. “Even these ones?”
Her eyes grew large. “Black dahlias?!” That was the name to the plants. They were an average size flower of many small petals. The outer petals possessed a red tint, but the inner ones were pitch black. “How did you find those? They are incredibly rare!” In truth, those were her favorite. Though she would never admit to such a thing, her excitement had blown her cover.
For the most part, she preferred mastering magic and training her body over any “feminine” activity. She never dressed nice, she never cared for the spa, and she never fawned over stallions. Similarly, flowers fell into the category of “don't care”; nevertheless the black dahlias somehow mesmerized her. She did not understand why, but they did.
“I found them,” the reply struck teasingly. Giddily, Artemis turned to the side and began walking away. “I'll be back later.” Before she formulated a response, he was gone.
How did he know those were my favorites? In the midst of absolute boredom and undying frustration, she appreciated the gift. Still, his lack of explanation irked her. Whatever. She grabbed the flower out of her mane and smelled it. Wow, it smells sweet. The scent bewitched her. For a moment, she let herself indulge in the flower's essence.  
Snapping her daze, another Changeling came in carrying a dish of food. “Here you are,” she said before giving it to Phebe and leaving.
Because of flowers she had received, she began to consider the generosity of the Changelings. They feed me. Her gaze lowered looking at her bed. I have some place comfortable to stay. Even my injuries are being treated. She didn't understand how Changelings ate, but she knew, at the least, that they were sacrificing some of their food supply for her. At the most, they went in danger's way to gather the food for her. It's getting harder to hate them. Meh, haven't I wanted that?  She munched on her food quietly. Until I came here, I managed to keep my hatred for them under wraps. I guess seeing them face to face incited some old feelings. Regardless, the kindness they have been showing has helped me in alleviating my anger. A light slight smile developed.
Breaking her chain of thought, a tall figure tread into the room. Chrysalis. The queen came directly to the foot of the bed and looked down upon Phebe. “I have a question for you.” Her expression carried weight behind it. Clearly, she had something important to talk to Hoshana about.
With mouth full, the eating unicorn gave a muffled, “Mhm?”
“Are you the Phebe who studied under Pyre Sandshout?” In that moment, Phebe inhaled her food choking and coughing intensely. “Oh, I-I didn't mean to...” Chrysalis stood still and silentl as Phebe slowly recovered from her improper ingesting of food.
“Pyre?” She managed to get the one word out before another volley of hacking came about. When she finally ceased, she burst, “What do you know about Pyre!?” Her tone wielded excitement, not wrath. Pyre was her mentor, so she loved to hear anything and everything about him. If somehow how this Changeling knew something she didn't, she wanted to receive that information.
“I asked you a question first,” the curt response came.
In a more calm fashion, “Yes, yes I am. Why do you ask?”
The tall one sunk her head into the bed. To the extent that no one could hear, her words flowed weakly. She inhaled deeply, lifted herself, and restated her sentence, “I am sorry then. I am so sorry. I ordered the attack on your village. I am responsible for his death, and I am at your mercy. Please forgive me.” Her face went to the floor, and she bowed.
Phebe hadn't the ability to respond. Her mouth hung open revealing her half-chewed food. What do I say to that? Caught in disbelief, she neared the edge of her bed expecting that a better view of the bowing Changeling would aid her in grasping what had just transpired. Sorrow suddenly gripped her heart. Recalling the memories of her most valued friend, she faced once more the fact she would never see him again. Tears would have fallen, except Phebe had none to shed anymore. There was only the pain. “I forgive you.” There was no point laying a burden on the queen when Phebe had no grudge against her. More accurately, part of Phebe wanted to hold a grudge, but she quickly threw away the thought. “That is in the past.” What a lie. Despite having put his passing behind her for years, her sense of loss, like many other emotions, had returned. In other words, she had long been over the loss of Pyre—until now.
The Changeling stood up and walked towards the door. She grabbed something from one of the guards. “I have something for you.” Levitation brought the item to Phebe.
“A letter?” An opened tan envelope hid a sheet of paper inside which Phebe soon pulled out.
“We found it in the village, and we wanted to use the magic that Pyre wrote on it.” The queen shook her head. “We couldn't, though. You should have it—something to remember him by.”  Thank you for you forgiveness.” After one quick bow, she left.
Disregarding any hesitation, she pulled out the letter, rolled onto her belly, placed it upon her pillow, and began reading:
“My faithful student Phebe Hoshana, you have mastered every spell I have shown you, despite your special talent strictly dealing with water and despite your youth. Moreover, you have learned to tame your emotions, exactly as I taught you. I have nothing more to teach you, so this letter is my certificate of 'graduation' to you. In case your family asks if you have done anything with your life, you can now show them this. Lastly, I have a special treat for you. It's a spell that I invented, but I have not perfected it. I cannot guarantee that I ever will, so I am entrusting you to do so. It is called 'Whisper in the Wind.' May I AM watch over you, oh bright one of salvation. Your servant and teacher, Pyre Sandshout” At the bottom of the sheet, an incantation read, “Oh give ear, you figure distant. Do not be resistant, for I am insistent.”
Because of the letter, she reflected on her teacher. A certificate of graduation? Since he was the only one who knew about my family situation, he did do everything he could to mediate between them and me. And... this letter was his last attempt at reconciliation.
During their time together, Pyre cared for her without question of her attitude or actions. He allowed her to make all her own choices. He always comforted her when she made the wrong ones and consistently congratulated when she made the correct ones. In case of the letter, he set out to encourage her in her success. Despite having received the piece of paper years later, Phebe felt satisfaction deep in her soul. Thank you, again, Pyre. But, her reminiscence filled her further with sorrow. If only I could have saved you. If I hadn't run away, you wouldn't have had to die. If I let them capture me... Her head shook lightly. No point in regretting. Otherwise, I would violate that which he taught me. I can't change anything.
She forcefully directed herself into positive thoughts. I have this spell to work on. “Oh give ear, you figure distant. Do not be resistant for I am insistent.” Might as well call Artemis. She focused a mental image of the changeling. “I want to to talk to you.” It hasn't been long since he left, so he should be pretty close. In other words, if the spells functioned properly, the Changeling would arrive shortly. After a few seconds, her horn engaged. Due to its still damaged state, her head ached in the process, but the spell ended before the pain became substantial. By all appearances, nothing happened. So, she waited.
In the meantime, she skimmed the letter once more. As she read the words, she pondered, Chrysalis never had to apologize, nor admit her part in the attack, though it was obvious, nor give me this letter. How much do her actions weigh on her? She has realized her mistake, but she can't apologize to everypony. Concern billowed. I've been there. That was my childhood. I never got anything right; my dad thought I was useless. Her father grew wheat, and as the child of a farmer, it was expected she give a helping hoof. She did. However, she did not have the knack for farming. Even with her talent for water, she could not make basic irrigation. Of course, she was a Unicorn doing an Earth Pony's job; why would she be good at it? The rule was that Earth Ponies had a better hoof with most manual labor over Pegasi and especially Unicorns, and Phebe was not an exception to that rule. Her dad, an Earth Pony, along with her Earth Pony siblings, could farm well, but she and her mother, both Unicorns, had much difficulty working for the family business. I felt like my whole life was a screw-up. I would not be surprised if the queen feels that way now. I'll try to talk to her, if I can.
“You called?” Artemis questioned from the entryway. “And... you got Pyre's spell to work.”
Phebe flipped from her belly position onto her back and looked at the one who she summoned. “And... you know who Pyre is.”
“Of course I do.” He strolled up to her casually. “What did you call me for?”
When she cast the spell, she had no purpose other than to test it out, but she decided to make use of the moment to satisfy a burning curiosity. “I want to know where you got those flowers. Please tell me. I sit around in bed all day, so my life is dull.”
Concession. “All right... I got them from the mountain which Canterlot is on.”
Amazement. “Is that a joke?”
“No.”
Artemis Reform had gone halfway across Equestria braving Guardian and Pony alike to pick her favorite flowers and bring them to her. She had never had anyone go to such lengths for her—that is, except Pyre. “Oh... I... thank you. How did you know I liked these flowers?” By this point, it was pretty obvious that she liked them, so she didn't try to hid it anymore. “I already have to wait for your dream. Don't keep everything a secret.” Lord, please have him tell me, she asked without thinking, but it was heavy on her mind. Did Artemis know her before? Did he have a source of information concerning her like a biography or journal? She never wrote a journal, though.
He looked away. “Well, this spoils part of tomorrow, but I will tell you anyway. I knew because of the dream. That's all I'll say.”  Like the last time the dream was brought up, his anxiety appead. “Uhm... I... I will be back tomorrow. Bye.” She didn't stop him. Obviously, he was uncomfortable with the talk, and if she pressed, the longer it could take for him to open up. Shrugging, she laid her head down and went to sleep.


	~~~~~


The following day arrived, but passed on uneventfully. The nighttime hours had arrived, and yet Artemis hadn't showed up. “Where is he?” Hoshana asked restlessly. Over the simple matter of his dream, she couldn't sleep. “Hey!” she called to a guard outside the room. “Do you know where Artemis Reform is?”
The reply resounded, “He left. The queen sent him on a mission yesterday, and he won't be back for several more days.”
Heart sank. “Oh... kay.” Ugh... that explains why he didn't visit me at all today. Hah, I do miss his company. I wonder why Shoe Lace and Dark Shade haven't visited either. Artemis said I returned them to their bodies too. I would expect them to be grateful.
She had to bide her time somehow, so she brought herself back to Pyre's spell. What did he mean perfect it? It was easy to use. She skimmed right over the oddity of that. She shouldn't have such ease with that kind of spell, but for the time being, she didn't care too much about it. Is there more that I can do with it? Hm... if I can project my voice to a faraway place, I wonder if I can project other things as well. Another spell? That would mean I wouldn't need to be close to my target to use a spell.
She spoke a modified version of the incantation, “You figure distant, do not be resistant, though I am persistent, I am benevolent.” I'm sorry Chrysalis. A image of levitating the queen struck her mind. Her horn sustained the spell for several seconds, but pain forced her to stop. Sighing, she thought, I honestly can't wait for my horn to return. Anyway. I should talk with her. Whether or not her redesigned “Whisper in the Wind” had succeeded, she also cast the standard one asking Chrysalis to come visit.
As intended, the queen came. “Was that the spell Pyre wrote about?” she inquired abruptly before rubbing her head groaningly.
“Oh... did my levitation spell work too?”
“Yes.” The tall Changeling walked to Phebe and lay down. In this manner, her head hung just above bed's edge. “I did not think it was possible to make his spell work like that.”
“Either did I,” the unicorn admitted sheepishly. “I did have something to ask you.” She faced the queen by rolling onto her side. “How are you doing?” Cocking her head immediately, Chrysalis squinted, but Phebe explained, “In the last several days, you have been through a lot. It was not long ago that you threw me in prison, but now you are caring for my injuries, feeding me, and reconciling with me. That has to have some effect on you.”
The queen averted her gaze and lowered her head to the side; furthermore, a heavy sigh fell from her mouth. Before replying to Phebe, she addressed the guards, “Leave.” When her underlings left, she stated, “Yes, I am struggling. I don't even understand what has happened these last days; it has been a blur. This... I AM sent you to save us, and you did just that. For that, we are forever grateful, but...” Her eyes turned to the pony. “But, I don't know what this means for me or my people. Until you showed up, my kind was completely disillusioned and hopeless. We had given up. Even though you gave us hope, you gave us very little.” A frown came upon her as she continued. “Our situation has not changed. The Guardians are still at our doorsteps, and we cannot go to those who feed us love because we made enemies of them. We have nowhere to go, but we have to go somewhere.” A brief pause arrived. Given by a pensive, distant stare, she clearly had more on her mind.
Hoshana knew that look. “I want to help.” What am I saying? In truth, she didn't know anymore.  “However, if you want my help, I need to hear what is bugging you.”
Without any wait, Chrysalis asnwered, “It hurts inside.” She had a great ability to hide this. If Phebe hadn't gone through such horrible circumstances herself, she would have never known what this Changeling could have been suffering. Any other person wouldn't have cared or noticed her pain. The queen went on, “I have done so many terrible things. I don't want to repeat them, but in order to save my people, I may have to. The Guardians get more of my kind every day, and I think an attack on Equestria may be our only chance at survival.” Teeth grit. “I don't want that, but what choice do I have!?” Lungs loosed their full capacity in a single huff. “You have heard enough. I will stop bothering you.”
“Stay.”
“What?”
Phebe squirmed to the side of her bed and placed a hoof on the Changeling's head. “Stay here, and don't question your worth.” A warm smile developed. “I don't know what to tell you except that you are worth something.” Where are these words even coming from? I mean... this is what I have learned, but why am I sharing this? In her moment of pondering, she came to the answer. She gave me that letter. My appreciation cannot be hid, and I am forced to act upon it. In other words, her kind deed causes me to return a kind deed whether I intend to or not. She concluded, Interesting. “Do you believe that you can't make a right choice?” Hesitantly, Chrysalis nodded. Phebe explained, “That belief makes you feel worthless, but your feelings are lying to you.” The Changeling went wide-eyed, bobbing her head back suddenly. “I can't make the hard choice for you, but I AM said to turn around. You did. He did not demand you to have all the answers, you are trying to do the right thing, and you have an emergency on your hands.” Phebe's following statement would have come as “I am not him, but I believe he will understand” except a sudden idea flooded her mind and transformed that statement. “He will understand no matter the choice you make, and he does understand. Am I clear?”
Phebe had captured Chrysalis' full attention, for the queen stared blankly at the pony with her mouth half ajar. The one who had lost her closest friend to the Changelings now smiled upon the leader of them all. “Thank you... friend.” Standing up, she concluded, “I need to discuss with my officers. Once I confer with them, I will make a decision. Phebe Hoshana, thank I AM for me. Thank him for sending you. I'll see you tomorrow.” Lifting off by wing power, the encouraged Changeling excitedly left the room.
“Yeah... tomorrow.” She waved lazily after the queen had already exited. Heh, these are not the same people I met back then. I don't understand. I am not the same person since then. Emotions returned, hate partially conquered, and friendships created and maintained. Satisfied with her day so far, she snuggled into the pillow. “Good night.”


	~~~~~


“Get out of the tunnels!” A shout shook Phebe from a sound sleep.
She rubbed her eyes, moaned, and shook her head before rolling out of bed and limping to the doorway. What is going on? Chrysalis accompanied by four Changelings zoomed down the passageway towards her. “Phebe!” The queen stopped in front of the Unicorn while the other four went on ahead. “The Guardians! They've found us, and a lot of them. We need to leave.”
“No... that's not right.” Yawn. “You turned around... and... there should be no judgment.” The waking Unicorn stumbled to the side. “Ugh... I need to go-”
“Come on.” Without hesitation, Chrysalis snatched Phebe and hurried down the hall in flight. The less-than-careful grab irritated Phebe's injuries.
“Hey! Ow! What are you doing?! Let go!” Panicking, the pony struggled to loose herself from the grip pounding her hoof on Chrysalis' leg repeatedly. “I will stop the Guardians if I have to. Just put me down!” Her captor didn't concede, so she ceased struggling. What a way to be woken up.
After a short journey, the traveling took a turn and lead directly up. Within moments, they were on the surface. Phebe expected to only see the barren ground and rock pillars typical to the Badlands, but what actually came to her view was much more frightening. Shivers sprung down her back. “No way! No way!!!”
“I told you,” the queen answered curtly. “That's why we need to go.”
Strewn across the land were hundreds of bodies of Changelings, and they all were motionless. Hundreds more duked it out with a countless host of wispy blurs, and as no surprise, the Changelings were losing rapidly.
“We need to fight back! Let me help them!” Phebe pleaded, but Chrysalis kept flying. “COME ON!!!” Ignoring all precautions, Phebe focused all her magical might and teleported to the ground at the edge of the combat. “Get away from them!” she shouted trying to get the attention of some Guardians. 
In the meantime, she tried to activate her Element, but for whatever reason, she was unable to. Taking the problem in strides, the water bender sought out another source of water. The wells she had tapped into early must have emptied out by now, but she hoped that another well might be around. Therefore, she placed her head to the ground listening for water. Unfortunately, over a dozen Guardians heard her yell and started floating towards her. Additionally, they popped out their arms from their shadowy mass and readied to attack.
Thud. Thud.
Phebe couldn't detect any source of water. Lord, help! Help me! Getting up, she began limping to another section of ground. In the process, she clambered over and through corpses—whether dead or soulless she couldn't tell. This can't be happening. This isn't right!
Shrriiikkk!
She placed her head down again. This time she met success. “Ahah! Found you!”
CRUNCH!!!
The Unicorn was too busy to notice oncoming attacks. At any second, they would have hit; however, the queen of the Changelings landed in the way at the appropriate time. She received the brunt. The attacks vaulted her into Phebe, and after that, the two of them were sent a significant distance. They landed together but were split from each other after contacting the ground. The landing wasn't soft either.
Ignoring the aches and pains that now thrust through her still-recovering body, she forced herself upon her hooves and rushed to Chrysalis. “Hey! Hey!” What she found caused her heart to sink deeply. “Chrysalis... you saved me.” That was not what she wanted to say. Rather, she desired to comment on the condition of the queen's body.  The wounds the Changeling had sustained were mortal. The front half of her carapace had been ripped apart and her interior flesh broken. Blood poured out unceasingly.
Two Guardians drew nigh. “G-get away!” Phebe pleaded.
“Run...”
“Huh?”
“R-run...” The queen had kept herself conscious. “Get... out of... here.”
Phebe was in no condition to escape. Even if she tried, she could not evade any attacks. Making that determination, she stood in between her dying friend and the ghosts. “I can't. I will fight.” Element. Work. Work! This isn't a joke. I AM, where are you!? This isn't a time to play jokes! A single attack from a Guardian threw Phebe back. When she hit the ground, a snap sounded from her left foreleg. She attempted to stand up, but she failed. Her one leg had broken and thereby lost all its strength. The other ones did not carry enough to pick herself up. Now she could only watch in horror as one of the Guardians picked up Chrysalis and started draining her soul. Phebe yelled, “Why... why!?”
In her last moments, Chrysalis reached out with a leg and spoke some words. As much as she desired to, Phebe couldn't hear them. Then the queen fell limp. If that was not enough, the Guardian performed another attack on her, but instead of attacking from a distance, the Guardian smacked her with its arm. The result was a complete ripping apart and scattering of Chrysalis' body. The sight made the already wearied Unicorn absolutely disgusted.
The Guardians moved to Phebe next. She couldn't move much less fight back. No. I don't want to die this way. Chrysalis! Anger suddenly surged through her veins. You took her away from me! Just like Pyre was taken from me... The anger turned to rage and rage to fury and fury to violent indignation; unfortunately, all the emotion in the world could not cause her body to cooperate. As hard as she tried to the contrary, she found herself helplessly waiting her doom.
Without a warning, her body lifted off the ground, and a beam of green flung at the Guardians. “We've got you, Phebe.” That was the voice of Dark Shade, but instead of bringing reassurance, an intense fear shrouded Hoshana. She didn't want to lose him too.
A sudden flash blinded her. Without explanation, they gained a significant distance from the Guardians. Actually, there was one explanation—that is, a teleport. Apparently, Changelings could learn that spell. Soon enough, Dark Shade cast a quick succession of teleport. The battle could no longer be seen.
 “Whew... we're safe,” Dark commented. “Hah... I'm glad my queen had me practice this spell all this time. Oh.” A sharp realization cut threw his positive attitude. “My... queen.” In silence, Shade carried Phebe north.