Rainbow glared at the monarch before her.
"You don't know how bad you messed up, do you?" She asked, comforting Zap beneath her wing. "You know damn well the princesses will come looking for me, and when they find out you kidnapped me, they won't be as nice as they were at the wedding you crashed."
The insect queen suppressed a laugh. "Let them come. They'll never find you." Chrysalis took another step towards Rainbow and Zap's cage. Zap withdrew further behind his mother as Rainbow tried to comfort her son with her wing. The queen stopped right next to the cage, shuddering as she took a breath.
"Yes, that's it," Chrysalis smiled, licking her lips. "There is no love more pure and delicious than the love of a mother and child. I will be feeding off you two for the rest of your lives."
"Like hell you will!" Rainbow charged at her, knowing it would be worth it if she could just give her one good smack. Just as she reached the bars, the changeling queen repelled her with a blast of magic, sending her tumbling to the ground in a heap of singed fur and feathers.
"Momma!" Zap cried, racing to his unconscious mother's side, shaking her desperately.
Chrysalis took one more deep breath before turning away from the cage. The hardest part of the plan had been completed. All she would have to do now is wait for her moment to strike.
Mac headed back towards the nicer side of town with his 'proof' that the job madame Flowers tasked him with had been completed. Now all he had to do was get her info, and honor his word to rescue an indentured servant bartender. One was certainly going to be easier than the other.
He strode into the bar and found madame Flowers waiting by the bar. A mare behind the bar bore a peach flower on her flank. 'Great...' Mac thought as he approached.
"Madame," he said, tipping his hat.
"Do you have something for me?" she asked.
Mac nodded, trying to hand over the items as discreetly as possible to avoid the eye of Peach Blossom. Having her think her future fiance was dead would only complicate her escape.
Unfortunately his attempt proved futile. He could see the poor mare covering her mouth with a hoof as tears welled in her eyes. She dropped the mug she was cleaning and scampered off to a back room behind the bar.
"Something the matter with her?" Mac asked,
"Tears of joy, Mr. Macintosh, I assure you," she said, putting the bloody bolt and the bolo tie in the pocket of her fancy dress.
Mac nodded. Looked like she was going to keep up the lie. "Now, I've kept up my end of the deal," Mac said expectantly. "I believe you owe me some information."
Madame Flowers smiled. "A deal's a deal. The gang that came through town with a mare and foal was headed west, most likely the town of Amalga."
Mac nodded. "Does this gang have a name?"
"The Talon gang, they call themselves. A griffon named Daltus runs the show. He'll be the one you need to talk to." Madame Flowers produced a bottle from behind the bar and retrieved two shot glasses as she took over tending bar from her recently distressed barmaid. "But if your past behavior is any indication, I suspect there won't be too much talking, will there?" She asked, pouring two shots.
Mac took his drink and nodded thankfully in her direction before downing it. "That's entirely up to him."
He slid the small glass back to Flower's end of the bar and took his leave. He would need to catch Peach Blossom by herself in order to explain his actions. Which he knew may be easier said than done. After all, who would want to talk to someone whom you believe to be your fiance's killer?
But, Mac liked a challenge. As the madame busied herself running the bar, Mac peeked behind it, trying to get a bead on where his wayward bar maid. Once madame Flowers had engaged another patron, slipped into the hallway behind the bar and followed the sobs to their source.
In a storage room, sitting on a keg, a grieving mare wept for her fiance. Females crying never sat right with him.
"Ms. Blossom? There's somethin' you need to know,"
Mac's training was going to be brief, but such was the nature of his mission. He followed Bentgrass out of Luna's chamber and into another brightly lit room full of unicorns in lab coats and goggles, mixing various chemicals and casting spells over everyday items.
"This is our research and development department. Any and all weird or fantastical theories and objects have been researched, tested, and unfortunately, rejected within these walls."
"Ah see..." Mac said, following him, his head on a swivel, trying to observe all of the magic and science happening around him.
"You may be wondering how we're going to turn you from a farmer into a thunderous iron hoof of the Princess' will." Bentgrass continued, stopping in front of a table where another unicorn waited for him. "Mr. Apple, this is our senior researcher, Agent 26." Before him stood a middle aged unicorn mare with a mocha coat, covered by her lab coat.
"Howdy, miss... 26," Mac replied.
"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Apple."
"Agent 26 has been working on a spell to transmit years of practice and knowledge of a subject using a single spell!"
Mac stood for a moment, trying to process what Bentgrass said. "So she's just gonna put a spell on me, and make me a secret agent?"
"Yes."
"Isn't that kinda... easy?" Mac asked.
"Look, we're very limited on time, do you want to rescue your family and save equestrian civilization or not?" Bentgrass asked.
Mac nodded.
"Okay, now hold still," Agent 26 charged her spell and faced Mac. "Also, if you could, please take note of any side effects, we haven't tested this spell on ponies yet."
Mac's ears perked up. "What?"
A bright flash swallowed him, followed by a tingle starting at his head and traveling to his hooves.
After an undisclosed amount of time, Mac opened his eyes. He rubbed them with a hoof as they focused on the ceiling above him. It was certainly far more ornate than that of his and Rainbow's room. His head was still a bit foggy, but he remembered bits and pieces of what brought him to what he assumed was the castle. He sat up in bed and put a hoof to his head. Instead of his thick tuft of blonde hair, he felt a bandage.
'Oh Celestia, what did those shifty government types do to me?' He thought. A sliver of moonlight shone through the lone window when a knock at the door drew his attention.
"Mr. Apple?" The door creaked open to reveal a castle servant with a tray of food. "Good to see you awake. Care for something to eat?"
Mac's stomach answered for him as he blushed, and nodded. She set the tray on the night stand next to him. A nice plate of dandelions and fruit slices waited for him.
"I'll inform Agent Bentgrass that you're awake," she said, leaving the food and turning towards the door. "He should be with you shortly."
"Thank ya for the food," he said as she departed. Mac ate every last bit of the provisions, leaving nothing but an ornate silver serving tray beside him. Before long another knock and the door opened to reveal Bentgrass.
"Mr. Apple, how are you feeling?"
"Got a bit of a headache... feeling kinda groggy, but I would like ta know why my head is bandaged," Mac replied in annoyance.
What could loosely considered the tiniest of smiles hinted at his lips before he spoke. "You'll be pleased to know the bandage is not a direct result of the spell. You simply hit your head on the floor when you passed out."
"Oh..." Mac said, as though that was supposed to make it better.
Bentgrass stepped further into the room. "So, Mr. Apple, have you experienced any SIDE EFFECTS?!" He shouted, before turning and throwing a knife at him by surprise.
Mac inhaled sharply as the knife rocketed towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, the glint of the serving tray caught his attention. He slammed his hoof onto the edge of the tray and then swatted it toward the knife with his other hoof, without so much as a second thought. The tray deflected the knife back towards Bentgrass' face. The blade stuck into the wall about two inches from where his face would have been, had he not dodged.
"Well, the spell seems to have taken," Bentgrass replied, turning to his knife and trying to dislodge it. He struggled with it for a moment before giving up and turning back to him, as though nothing had happened.
"And what if the spell didn't work?" Mac snapped.
"Well, I suppose I'd have some explaining to do, but unfortunately we don't have time to allow you to fully recover from your experience. Every day that passes, the world gets closer to war," He explained. "We'll equip you with everything we can, and give you all the intel we have... but the rest, is up to you."
"S-Stay back!" Peach Blossom shouted, as Mac quickly shushed her. "You monster! He was the sweetest stallion in the whole world and you... you..."
"Miss, ya have ta listen to me, Ah didn't kill your fiance!" he whispered harshly before peeking outside the room to make sure Madame Flowers did't hear him.
"W-what? But his tie, and—"
"I know what it looks like, but I worked out a deal with him. I faked killing him so I could get the information I needed to find my family." Mac checked again for the Madame of the brothel. "Tonight at high moon, Tumbleweed will meet you and me outside the saloon, and ya'll will be on your way."
Her tears had stopped, but her eyes were still wet. "Really?" She sobbed. "But, why would you do this to help us?"
Mac exhaled, adjusting his hat. "Because I know what it's like to be in love, and I know what it's like to be apart. What Madame Flowers is doin' to ya'll ain't right." Mac brushed a tear from her cheek. "Don't forget, meet us at high moon. Don't be late."