"We're about to enter the Changeling Kingdom." Queen Chrysalis glanced back to Shining as they trotted towards a staircase heading upwards.
"Yes, Queen Chrysalis." Shining acknowledged. The group trotted up the stairs.
"Do not be surprised if you get a murderous look from my changelings. You and Cadenza aren't liked around here for fairly obvious reason." Queen Chrysalis said as she stepped up one of the stairs.
"Of course, your highness."
Queen Chrysalis stopped, standing at an old, rotting door at the top of the staircase, and knocked. The door cracked, and blue eye could be scene peaking through at them.
"Queen Chrysalis. Give me a moment, your highness."
The door opened after a moment. Queen Chrysalis stepped through, and Shining followed behind. Two sets of blue eyes stared at him from the right side of the room as he stood beside Queen Chrysalis.
"Do not worry about Shining Armor. He is no longer a concern." She turned to the pair of changelings. "Take Mi Amore Cadenza and lock her in the dungeon." Queen Chrysalis ordered. The changelings trotted close to him, causing Shining to back away.
"Wait!"
"What's the matter?"
"Let me do it. I-I can't let her get any more damaged, we need her, remember?"
"Not about to happen."
"But-"
"Don't you want to serve your queen?" Queen Chrysalis questioned. Shining opened his mouth to speak, but no words escaped him.
"Good. Now, let's get moving. We've got a lot to do." Queen Chrysalis said as she made a snapping noise with her wings. The changelings trotted to both his sides, taking a hold of Cadance's hooves.
I can't- there's no telling what they'll do with her by their selves!
"Please, my queen. You may do whatever you want with me after, but I cannot allow them to jeopardize her safety." Shining bowed his head.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen... fine. Guards, bring him back here when he's finished. And make it quick; he and I have a lot to do."
"Yes, my queen." The changeling pushed him forwards.
"Keep a close eye on him. Make sure he isn't doing anything too unusual." Queen Chrysalis warned as she trotted to the right of the door, sitting down. The guards nodded.
"Forward." One of the changeling's said. Shining trotted ahead.
---
"Here you go, Applejack." Twilight Sparkle and Applejack stepped into her room. There was a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room, a window at the middle of the wall, a small bookshelf at the side of the room, and had a wooden nightstand beside the bed that had a candle. "I'm sorry. I know it isn't a lot..."
"You kiddin', Twilight? This is plenty for me!"
"All right. There's servants and guards at the end of the hall, the guards' barracks are down the stairs to the left if you can't find any guards in the hall, and if you want to grab a bite to eat, the servants will lead you to the dining room. I'm going to go ahead and go back to my research."
"You sure y'all don't need some rest, Twilight? Y'all're lookin' a little run down." Applejack questioned, turning back to her.
"No thanks. I need to keep researching." Twilight ignored the heaviness in her eyelids, beginning turn.
"Sugarcube, you need to get some sleep. Y'all aren't goin' ta read over a book when yer 'bout ta pass out."
"I can't rest. If we don't hurry, Shining'll transform before I can cast the counter-spell."
"How long did y'all say the spell'da take to be finished?"
"From a few days to a couple of weeks."
"And ya can't take a couple of hours to rest?"
Twilight remained silent. She sighed in defeat.
"You go get'cha some rest. Fluttershy and I'll start tryin' ta find where they are after we all get some sleep."
"Okay... thank you, Applejack. I'll see you two in a couple of hours." Twilight stepped out of the doorway.
"It's no problem, sugarcube. You get'cha some good sleep now!"
She nodded, trotting sluggishly down the hallway and into her bedroom, her body severely fatigued. She collapsed onto the bed, asleep before she even hit the mattress.
---
Lance Force and I trotted passed a withered treeline, worn from days long past. She had the blanket wrapped over her neck, bobbing as we stepped over a small ditch.
"Do you see anything? A building, a bridge- anything to tell us where ever the hay we might be?"
"Nope." I huffed. "Nothing but trees and snow."
"Horseapples-" Lance lifted the blanket, putting it over my neck. "Hold her. I'll fly up and see if I see anything." She ascending high into the air, above the trees. She hovered in place for a moment, spinning, looking for any building.
"Horsefeathers!"
Lance hovered back to my side, taking hold of Blooming. "Nothing."
Horseapples. How the hay are we going to get back to the Crystal Empire?
"Let's take a minute to rest. Need to cool off." Lance stopped by a large, withered tree and sat down. I sat down at her right side as she sat Blooming down to her left.
"How's your hoof?"
"As good as to be expected; throbbing and swollen. How's your shoulder?"
"Fine." Lance glanced away for a moment. What's she hiding? "Here. Let me put it back in a splint. I bet we could use some of these branches" She stood, ascending up to the tree branches, breaking off a branch. Then another. She floated down and trotted over to Blooming, ripping off a piece of the cloth covering her.
"All right, hold out your hoof." Lance said. I held out my broken hoof.
"I guess I should brace myself-" Lance pulled my hoof back into place. A sickening pop echoed throughout my hoof. "Agh- ah!" I groaned in pain.
"What the hay?!"
"You were distracted." Lance reasoned. "The anticipation is worse than the pain."
"Ugh-- you're right. Horseapples, that hurt." I held my right fore-hoof, trying to sooth the pain. Lance held the two branches in her right wing, with the cloth in her teeth.
"Hold these at the sides of your hoof. I'll wrap this around them." Her voice was muffled from the cloth. I nodded and took the two branches in my left fore-hoof. How'll I do this... oh!
I held the branch at the left side of my hoof with my left fore-hoof and used my teeth to hold the branch in place. Lance began to tie the cloth around it, making a bow at my knee.
"Okay. I'm finished." Lance said. She stood, pulling me to my hooves.
"Let's see if it helps." I trotted pass the tree, circling around it. The weakness in my hoof was still there, but I could trot without limping.
"That should help things. Thanks, Lance." I said as I trotted over to them and sat down beside Blooming.
"No problem."
---
Shining Armor and two of the changeling guards trotted down hallway and opened a moldy wooden door. On the other side of the door, there was one small, dirty cell.
This must be a cell for special prisoners... like for Cadance or other royals.
"Put her in that cell." The changeling to the right said as it pushed Shining forward with the spear.
"All right... just give me a few minutes." Shining stepped towards the cell.
"You have two."
"Fine." Shining opened the cell and stepped in. His horn emitted his dark-green magic aura. He lifted Cadance off of his back and sat her down gently on cold cell floor. Her eyes clenched tight again, and then opened. She scattered to her feet.
"What- mmph!" Shining covered her mouth with his right fore-hoof
"Calm down. There's guards right outside." Shining whispered. Cadance relaxed, and Shining released her.
"What's happening?"
"You're in the changeling kingdom. That's all you need to know right now. Just- don't provoke the soldiers. I need you" Shining backed away from her.
"Shining, what are you..." Cadance slowed to a stop as she watched Shining step out of the cell and shut the door. The changelings came up to the door and locked it. Shining watched on as she looked at him in horror, tears forming in her eyes, leaving his wife behind to dwell in her sorrow.
She's just a pony... she's just a pony... we need her for her love.
Shining told himself that, almost trying to justify his actions. They passed the corner, and trotted into the corner that the walkway had led to.
"Ah, there you are. Are you ready, Shining Armor?"
Shining took a shaken breath. "Yes, my queen."
"Good. Follow me." Queen Chrysalis trotted out of the rotted door, leading Shining out into the open, Changeling Kingdom. He stepped out into courtyard like space. There were two lines of changelings soldiers at each side, leading to a large building at the middle of the courtyard. Each one of them wore black, cracked armor and had a spear at their side. The stone tiles beneath him were cracked, with mold growing in the cracks.
"Do not let your eyes wonder, Shining Armor. You're likely to be killed after what you did to me and my subjects, regardless of my presence."
"Yes, my queen." Shining immediately turned back towards the ground.
"It's important you don't speak unless we ask you a question, Shining Armor." Queen Chrysalis trotted through two large, wooden doors.
"Yes, your highness." Shining said. Queen Chrysalis magically pushed the doors open and stepped through.
"Ah, my queen. Good to see that you have returned safe." A feminine yet distorted voice said. It sounded very similar to Queen Chrysalis'. Shining glanced up again, to see another Queen Chrysalis stepping down from a throne. It began to shift into a different changeling, but Shining, not wanting to be seen disobeying his queen's orders, looked back down at the ground.
"Yes, yes. I have returned. Did anything out of the usual happen while I was gone?"
"Well, my queen..." The changeling's voice lowered, becoming a mere whisper. "I regrettably i-inform you that three prisoners e-escaped out of their cells..." She said, her voice trembling.
"What?!" Queen Chrysalis hissed. "Did they escape?!"
"Y-yes, my queen."
"I leave you to take care of my kingdom for two days- two days, Taltra!" She stomped towards the changeling "You couldn't even stop a couple of weakened crystal ponies?!" Queen Chrysalis yelled angrily.
"I-I sent guards after them, my queen. Somehow, they overpowered them. I've sent search parties out to find them already, my queen."
"Do not try to put the blame on someone else! I left you solely in charge while I was gone! Anything that happened in this kingdom in that time period is your responsibility!"
"Please forgive me, my queen..." The changeling bowed.
"You're lucky I don't throw you in the dungeon..." Queen Chrysalis said in a low voice, anger taking her over. "You won't get away with this without a punishment. Shining Armor," She turned back to Shining. He looked up to her, on a large staircase leading up to her throne.
"Yes, my queen?"
"You would do anything for your queen, yes?"
"Yes, my queen."
"Prove it." Queen Chrysalis stepped away, revealing a trembling changeling in the same spot where the other Queen Chrysalis was. Her dark blue, almost black mane covered her left eye and hung down to her left shoulder. Her blue eyes weren't like a normal changeling's, similar to Queen Chrysalis'. "Attack my adviser mercilessly. Kill her, if you must."
"Excuse me, my queen?"
"Attack my adviser. She mustn't go without a punishment for her incompetence."
"O-of course, my Queen." Shining agreed halfheartedly as he trotted pass Queen Chrysalis and towards the changeling that was formerly disguised as her.
"Please hit me... I deserve it for displeasing my queen..." The changeling looked downwards, closing her eyes tightly.
"Go ahead, Shining. Do as you're ordered. Prove your loyalty to me." Queen Chrysalis said. Shining lifted up his hoof and struck her, causing her to step back. He made sure not to put too much force into the punch, but enough to make it look like it hurt.
"Oh, come on-" Queen Chrysalis stepped forwards, backhanding the changeling on her left cheek. It made an audible sound, echoing throughout the room. Her mane slid atop her snout. She had a purple mark on her cheek. "You can do much better than that."
"Just- do it. I deserve it."
"Do it, Shining Armor." Queen Chrysalis ordered. Shining glanced down to his hooves.
"I-I can't. I'm sorry, my queen."
She huffed. "You're both pathetic. Fine." Her horn emitted her green dark-magical aura. "Since you don't want to follow my order, I guess I'll have to use this again."
Shining's horn began to painfully burn. He clenched his eyes shut and held his head with his right fore-hoof.
"No... ah! Please, my queen!" The changeling said as she shook her head violently and sporadically.
"The pain'll stop once Shining Armor decides to obey me."
"Just do it! Please!"
Shining opened his eyes and hit her on the jaw, causing her to stumble and fall onto the cold floor. The burning in his horn stopped.
"Thank... thank you..." She muttered as she stumbled up to her hooves and spit out some blood.
"Now, I think that is enough for now. We'll finish later. Now, Taltra, show Shining Armor to his residence. Make to have guards posted at his door. And do make sure that your ignorance doesn't get in the way of my plans again."
"Of course, my queen. Follow me, Shining Armor." Taltra wiped blood away from her lips as she began to trot towards a staircase. Shining followed behind.
---