"...beat... beat... beat... inhale... beat... beat... beat..."
"...pulse..."
"...beat... beat... beat... exhale... beat... beat... beat... beat... beat... inhale... beat... beat... beat..."
"...pulse..."
White Lie watched helplessly as Cadence and Shining Armor took ahold of Damascus in their magic; cyan glowed through his fur and magenta surrounded his skull. His chest expanded and contracted under Cadence's magic, and Shining Armor would fire pulses of magic into his horn between breaths.
"...beat... beat... beat... exhale... beat... be-"
A cough shot from Damascus' lips, his entire body convulsing inward with the force. Cadence and Shining turned off their magic immediately and pulled away, letting Damascus' body relax. Slowly, he stopped shaking and began to breath gently.
Cadence gently placed a hoof on his neck, feeling his pulse. "He's stable now."
Shining nodded. "The medics can check the rest of his vitals."
"I'll get them." Cadence turned to leave, stopping to glance at White before trotting away.
Shining Armor sat next to Damascus, keeping a hoof on him, feeling his pulse and breathing, looking him over for any other signs of damage.
White Lie lay on the floor with his eyes closed, breathing heavily.
"Thank the gods he's alright..."
Ever since the Canterlot invasion, White Lie didn't want see any more ponies die. Now, because of him, not only was Damascus almost killed, but all of the ponies here were also in great danger.
Opening his eyes, he turned to look at the still breathing Damascus. He found himself facing Shining Armor who sternly returned his gaze.
Shining spoke. "You know what happened, don't you."
White looked down at Damascus. His nose was bleeding, his expression, though gentle, was one of pain.
Shining coughed before continuing. "If you want him to get better, you need to tell us what happened so that we know what to check."
"But if I tell you everything that happened, you won't trust me anymore... and far more ponies than him will suffer because of it..." White thought.
"White Lie."
White looked up at the captain.
"I spoke with Cadence about the things you said." He let a small smirk escape before becoming serious again. "She's the princess of love for a reason. She said we should give you a chance. That we should help you."
A chance? What does that mean?
"However, I do have my own conditions about this. My first condition is that you answer truthfully every question that I ask you. And if I ask for more information, you give it. Understood?"
White nodded.
"Good. My second condition is that you are not allowed anywhere but where we say you can go, and you will be escorted at all times by guards."
"Wait, you mean you're letting me out?"
"Of this cell yes, but not out of the castle. You will stay here until we can determine what to do with you. You will be disguised of course. The only other ponies who know you are a changeling are guards and we would like to keep it that way."
Another nod.
"So, do you want our help?"
"Of course."
"Then you're going to tell me what happened in here."
White Lie hesitated, but ultimately knew that it was best that they knew what they were dealing with. "Chrysalis."
Shining Armor's eyes went wide. "Chrysalis was here?"
"Yes. She-... she was imitating Cadence again, trying to get information out of me."
The captain's expression suddenly became very serious. "What did she want?"
"She wanted to know where other changelings were. That was all she got to ask before-..." White stopped.
"Before...?" Shining prompted.
White swallowed. "She was going to kill me for refusing to answer. Damascus arrived just in time." His eyes fell once again to Damascus, still breathing, still bleeding.
Shining continued. "What was she doing here? Why you?"
White shook his head. "I don't know. No one expected her to be in the field herself so soon. She usually sends other changelings in first to gather the information."
"What does that mean?"
White Lie took a deep breath. "It means either she's much angrier than we thought she was, or it means that she is far more prepared to act than we thought she was. Both of those are bad things."
"I need to you tell me now, White Lie." Shining's tone was stoic. "What is Chrysalis planning."
"Death." White sat up in his chains. "She's planning death."
"Then she's already started."
"What do you mean?"
Shining armor looked up the hallway to the entrance and swallowed. "The two guards that were posted outside... their helmets were-..." Shining shook his head. "Anyway, we sent Damascus to escort you to us. No doubt he saw them on his way in."
White Lie was shaking now. "No... Not again..."
"It seems that Chrysalis got away. But now, knowing what we're up against, we don't have much time to waste. As soon as Cadence returns with the medics, you're going to come with us and we're going to talk about what we need to do."
White Lie was staring at the ground, his breathing heavy. If Chrysalis was already killing, then that meant that she probably had other changelings killing elsewhere right now. Although it looked like they were only after him and his friends, that wouldn't last very long.
"Poker... Quick... Please be okay."
"Poker? Quick? What are you talking about?"
White realized he had thought loud. "Oh crap."
"White Lie? What are you talking about?"
Just as White Lie was about to speak, hoofsteps echoed down the hall bringing Cadence and a few other medical ponies along with them.
"Here he his. Please take him immediately for inspection."
"Yes ma'am," they responded, rushing to set a stretcher where Shining had been sitting a moment before.
As they were lifting Damascus onto it, Shining Armor had walked up to the cell door and was in the process of unlocking it. After doing so, he entered and swiftly unlocked the chains around White's legs with his magic. "You're coming with me. Let's go."
White stood and caught a glance of Damascus before he disappeared around the corner with the medical ponies.
His thoughts were interrupted by the captain. "Come on. Put on your disguise. We don't have much time."
"Right." White shook his head and followed Shining Armor out of the cell.