//------------------------------// // Missing // Story: Warped Mind // by TheUnknownPerson //------------------------------// Shining Armor took a few deep breaths, trying to catch his breath. His sharpened teeth poked at his gums, and he now had fangs that visibly stuck out under his upper lip. His chest was tight. Sweat rolled down his fore-head as he leaned up to look at Cadance. She was leaning over Taltra, with her head laying on her chest. After a moment, she stood straight up. "C'mon..." She quietly said, gently shaking Taltra. "Please be okay..." "C... Cadance?" Cadance immediately turned to him. Her eyes widen and a large smile spread across her face. "Shining... thank Celestia you're okay." Shining smiled at her, before losing the strength in his hooves and collapsing, landing back on the ground with a thump. He coughed as Cadance quickly trotted over to the corner. After a moment, she returned with a bucket of water. "Here--" Cadance put her hoof on the back of Shining's head and lifted him to where he could reach inside of the bucket. "Drink." Shining dipped his mouth into the bucket and drank the musty water. He didn't mind the taste, anything would help. After a moment Shining pulled up from the bucket and laid on the ground. "Are you all right?" "I'm fine. Are you okay?" "My chest is so tight..." Shining said, wheezing. "Oh... don't worry dear. J-just lay down and relax." Cadance said. Shining nodded and laid his head back on the ground, setting the right side of his face on the ground. He saw Taltra, leaning against the wall and unconscious. "What about Taltra?" "She passed out right before you woke up." "No doubt Queen Chrysalis had something to do with that." "Mhmm..." Shining sighed as he looked at the ceiling. However, he now noticed that his horn wasn't straight like it previously was. Now it was curved upwards. "C-Cadance?" Shining asked, his throat suddenly dry. "Yes, darling?" "What the hay happened?" He asked, turning to Cadance. --- Blooming Lily trotted beside the buttercup pony, staring at the ground as to not make eye-contact. The wind had begun to pick up and snow began slowly fall, the sun near-setting. Shadows cast over them as they passed under the withered trees. She trotted pass a large tree and to the east, where Lance and Rocky were. "My name is Fluttershy." Blooming looked back up at Fluttershy. She wore a welcoming smile. "I-I'm Blooming Lily." "Hi, Blooming Lily." Fluttershy said kindly. Her face became flushed as she immediately directed her gaze back down to the ground. "So, how'd you and your friends get all the way out here?" "Um..." Blooming trailed off. She didn't like to talk about what happened at the Changeling Empire. "I promise I won't make fun of you if it's anything like that. Or if you don't want to talk, that's fine too." "N-no... I-I'll talk." Blooming said, turning her head away from Fluttershy. "We w-were prisoners in the Changeling's Kingdom." "Oh..." Fluttershy said. "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't k-know. Y-you don't have to g-go on. I-I mean if you f-feel uncomfortable..." Blooming looked back up at Fluttershy, seeing her face quickly redden. "It's okay." Blooming said, taking a deep breath. "They held us in there f-for days... it was so dark and cold..." Blooming said, keeping her face turned away from Fluttershy. "I-I even watched... he did something bad to get us out..." She finished quietly, her ears falling to her head. "Oh... I'm so sorry." "We got out after and we've just been out here since. Lance and Rocky have been trying to find the Crystal Empire, but we have n-no idea where it is." Fluttershy remained quiet for a moment. She pursed her lips, before turning her head back down towards Blooming. "I could lead you all back there." Blooming's ears perked up, as she turned to Fluttershy. "Really?" "Mhm." Fluttershy nodded. "I could take you all back and get back to my friends in a day." "Well... my sister has a dislocated wing, and she's really sick right now. Rocky's fore-hoof is broken." "Even more reason to get all of you there." "Thank you." Blooming said, allowing a small smile to spread across her face. --- Twilight Sparkle sat behind a large tree, with Applejack sitting behind the one to the right of her. They had followed the changelings to a small building and hadn't come out. "Twilight, y'all see any more of them changelings?" Applejack whispered, leaning pass the edge of the tree, staring at Twilight. She shook her head. "They'll have ta come out sometime... then we'll find that base of theirs." "Maybe we should--" Twilight stopped as a large, black figure trotted towards the building. "Is that..." "It's too big to be a changeling. But what the hay would a crystal pony be doing out here?" The black figure trotted up to the building and put it's hoof on the door knob. It looked over to the tree line. Applejack ducked behind the tree, but Twilight continued to look at it. "Hey!" The figure called out, waving to Twilight and trying to get her attention. Twilight leaned further out. "Twi', get back behind the darn tree!" Applejack whispered. Twilight didn't notice her words, intently staring at the figure. The door of the building behind him opened. "Look--" Applejack grabbed Twilight and pulled her behind the tree, covering her mouth. Her hat got knocked off, but she managed to grab it before it went out in the open. After a moment, Applejack released Twilight, who proceeded to look back out from behind the tree. The figure was now gone. Snow and dirt had been kicked around as if there was a struggle. "What the hay, AJ?!" Twilight quietly said, angry. "Sorry sugarcube. But y'all gotta be more careful." "We could've helped that pony!" "There was nothin' we could've done. It'da just have gotten their attention to us." "There was something we could've done! We- we could've warned him!" "Sugarcube, please calm down. We need ta stay quiet if y'all wanna find Shining Armor and Princess Cadance." Applejack said, wiping snow off of her hat and putting it back on. Twilight sighed, calming herself. "You're right... sorry. I just--" "I know. Y'all don't have to explain nothin' ta me." Applejack said. Twilight turned away from her. Shining... Cadance... "Let's... let's get going. I think we found their outpost." "All right. We'll head back here later with the rest of 'em." Twilight and Applejack trotted away discreetly, making sure they wouldn't be seen. I promise I'm gonna find you. Just hold out a little bit longer. --- "Oh, sorry--" Fluttershy took off her scarf and sat it across Blooming Lily's ribs. "Here. You must be cold." "T-thank you..." Blooming said, blushing. "I think they're over here." Blooming finished, recognizing the opening in the bushes. She trotted to the bushes, only to be pulled back behind the brushes as Lance rushed out. "Who are you?! What were you doing with my sister?!" Lance said, extending her fore-hoof and placing it over her chest, preparing to strike in case Fluttershy tried something. "Lance, she's wasn't trying the hurt me." Blooming quietly said, gently pulled Lance's left hind-hoof. "P-please, calm down. I'm-" "Are you a changeling?! What the hay do you want?!" Lance interrupted, seemingly not hearing Blooming. "Give me a m-moment to explain, please. M-my name's Fluttershy. My friend and I found Blooming Lily. I-I thought I'd get her back to you and your f-friend." "How do I know you're not a changeling?" "Well, i-in all honesty, y-you don't. And if I were, I-I would've just taken Blooming instead of going through the trouble of finding you." Lance stood back up, lowering her guard for the moment. She sighed, before breaking into a coughing fit. She placed her hoof against the tree, using it as a support. "No... no, you wouldn't have." Blooming relaxed, knowing that her sister wouldn't proceed to beat the hay out of her new friend. "Sorry... just don't like my sister hanging out with ponies I don't know out here. Never know who's a changeling, you know?" Lance said. Fluttershy nodded. "I was walking Blooming back here and s-she told me that you and your friend-- I think his name was Rocky, were trying to find your way back to the Crystal Empire." "Go on..." "I-I could bring you back to the Crystal Empire." Fluttershy said. Lance's eyes widened. "You're kidding." Lance said in disbelief. Fluttershy shook her head. Lance chuckled. "I-I can't believe this. Let me go get Rocky and then we'll be on our way with you." Lance said, turning around. She scooped up Blooming from the ground and hugged her. "Good job." Lance whispered as she sat Blooming back down and trotted pass her. --- "Taltra said that everything'd be all right, and then said her son's name. But after that... she just passed out. She's still alive, but her heartbeat's weak." Cadance finished. Shining looked over to Taltra. "I'm sorry." He quietly said before turning back to Cadance. "Did she say anything-" Shining's chest suddenly pulsated, sending a wave of pain throughout his body. He grabbed his chest as he coughed hoarsely. "What's wrong?" "My chest!" He said, leaning up. "I know it hurts, but please try not to move." Cadance said. His chest pulsated again, and the pain spread to his hooves and neck. Shining tightly shut his eyes. "Oh... oh no..." Cadance said. She sunk down beside him, holding his hoof. "O... okay dear. Do you feel anything?" "Pain!" Shining exclaimed. Cadance held his left fore-hoof tight. "Don't worry dear. This'll be over soon... I'll be here with you every step of the way." Shining banged his right fore-hoof against the ground and squeezed Cadance's hoof with his other. He released a final choked howl as his pain hit a boiling point. His heart pounded nearly out of his chest as his pain slowly leaked away from his chest, back up to his head and horn. "Is it over?" "I... I think so." Shining asked, opening his right eye. His coat had now changed from light grey to dark grey and his mane had from light blue and blue to dark cerulean and black. "Is... is this what happened with Taltra?" Shining asked, his heart racing. He looked over to her, seeing her coat was now almost a golden color, and her mane was red. "Yes, but not this." "Oh; okay. Just... just give me a moment." Shining said, sitting his head against the ground and shutting his eyes. --- Blooming Lily sat beside Fluttershy, waiting for Lance to return. She had been gone for a good few minutes, maybe more. She's been out there awhile... maybe I should go check and make sure everything's okay. Blooming bounced her hoof against the ground for a moment more before standing. "I'll go check and see what's wrong." "Okay. Just let me know if something is up." Blooming nodded as she trotted pass the bushes. "Lance?" Blooming called out. She looked around the area, checking for her or Rocky. Taking a step out into the open, she saw Lance, collapsed onto her hind hooves, standing on her fore-hooves. Blooming rushed up to her side, taking hold of her right fore-hoof. "Lance! Are you all right?!" "I'm fine-" A scratchy cough interrupted her. "Rocky's gone..." Her voice was somber before she punched the snow. "Why?!" She was furious, livid even. "Don't- don't worry, Lance. We can get Fluttershy, she can help us." "I don't know where he went..." "Is everything all right?" Fluttershy stepped in from behind the bushes. --- Twilight and Applejack trotted back towards the south, towards Pinkie Pie and Rarity. The sun had began to set, and Pinkie and Rarity had already sat out their sleeping bags and had even made a small fire. Rainbow Dash had gotten back, sitting in front of the fire as Rarity sat out their food on a large cloth and Pinkie was taking out the drinks. "We'll wait out the rest of the night and then we'll head out tomorrow morning for that building." "All right sugarcube." "Darling, you are aware that Twilight isn't going to be very... er... content, with that. Right?" "Yeah. She gonna be one angry mare when they gets back!" "What else were we supposed to do? Leave the filly out there to freeze to death?" "I know. But she specifically said she didn't want anypony by themselves. Not to mention that you were--" Rarity suddenly stopped as she noticed Twilight and Applejack approaching. "Hello, Twilight, Applejack. How did it go out there?" "We think we found their outpost. We'll head back out there tomorrow and check the place out." Twilight said. Everypony was quiet; even Pinkie. "So, Rainbow Dash, how'd it go out there?" "Er... you see, when Fluttershy and I got there, there was just this burnt down house. The place was in smolders by the time we got there. There were no changelings that we could see, so we landed. We looked around the place, trying to find anypony that could've been hurt, but before we could finish, a changeling just jumped out of the bush and just stabbed me." "Are you all right?" "Yeah. I and Fluttershy got outta there as fast as we could. She bandaged me up with a piece of her scarf after we were safe." "Good... where's Fluttershy?" "Uh oh..." Pinkie quietly said. Twilight glanced at her for a moment before returning her vision back to Rainbow Dash. "That's where it gets complicated. While Fluttershy was bandaging me, a filly trotted up to us. She was covered in ash and soot." "Was she a changeling?" "No. We made sure before we got too close to her. Afterward, we talked to her for a moment when she mentioned she had a group. Fluttershy wanted to help so..." Twilight looked around the area, now noticing Fluttershy's absence. "RD, you didn't..." "I promise that she'll be all right. She was just gonna take her back to her ground, maybe help them out a bit, then be on her way back." Twilight sighed. "All right... I'll go see if I can find her. You guys just stay here and I'll be back." Twilight said, trotting towards the north. However, before she could go too far, she noticed three figures in the distance. One of which was flying above, and the other two were trotting below. ---