A Fear Worse Than Most Feared

by Josh Crapo

Solved

Wrench and Dry Stone lead the other fifteen of the ponies and changelings walk to a spacious area. "Jig, Hut, Lean, Node, Rep, Map, Loan, Will... you ready?" Wrench asks.

Jig nods. "Sure are."

Wrench turns to the three unicorns. "Aura Draft, Tingle Doo, Reprise?"

Aura Draft also nods. "Yup."

"Then let’s do this," Wrench says with confidence. All at once every other changeling, in addition, the three unicorns, light their horns up as Wrench stands in the center of the circle of eleven. "May our queen be with us and may we be with her. And now, may we hear the wings of her purr."

Time passes as the three earth ponies and the three pegasi stare weirdly at the changelings.

"Um, nothing happened," Mud Stick remarks.

Suddenly, teleporting in is Queen Shell, herself. "You rang, subjects?"

"Greetings queen." Wrench bows her head.

"Is your call about your investigation I tasked you with?" Shell asks wrench.

"Of course. We’ve successfully found the base cause of the rising dust all over Equestria. And the ponies here know about what caused eternal day already."

Shell puts on a small smile. "So, what is this base cause?"

"Come with us. Lean, will you lead way?"

"With pleasure," Lean answers to Wrench.

---

"When Cool Aid and I saw this fence that was split in half, I originally saw that it was split in half where one side shifted by a drastic 18 inches. Just after that, we had a large jolt, afterwards seeing that it shifted 7 more inches."

"Are you describing the cause of the dust rising in Equestria?" Shell asks.

Lean nods. "Yes. It’s because of a jolt that happened back a week ago that dust had risen over here."

"Okay. So now about the part with eternal day?"

Cool Aid steps forward. "That was because of the dust rising here. Princess Celestia and Luna controlled the sun before this whole incident arose. And because practically no city was safe anymore, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had gotten increasingly sick from the dust."

"Practically, they died about fifteen to twenty hours after they started getting sick," Mud Stick adds.

"Well, that shall be easy for me. First, we must get Cloudsdale moving over to Yakyakistan. (I haven’t been in touch with that nation in years, so now will be my chance to catch up.) Secondly, by getting Cloudsdale over to Yakyakistan, the weather factory will work properly once again. And by having working weather, making it rain will diminish the dust in Equestria as well as getting life here back on track. Thirdly, I shall be in charge of day and night from now on and kindly rule both Changico and Equestria. You ponies deserve better than this dreadful Dust Ride. And I shall change that."

And with that, over the final hours of the ongoing day, the two groups of nine, of changelings and ponies, minus Air Wiff, but plus Queen Shell, all work together to push the entirety of Cloudsdale north. The three unicorns and the ten changelings levitate the entire city as the two pegasi push the combination of a whopping thirteen auras around the entire city north. Over at Yakyakistan, Cool Aid and Snow Flake find Air Wiff, who is out with Endless Riches.

"There you are!" Snow Flake hugs Air Wiff.

"Hey Snow, Cool Aid."

"We’ve moved Cloudsdale all the way over here."

Cool Aid's statement astounds Endy. "Really! That’s impressive! Was it only you two?"

"No. We had some assistance from Aura Draft, Tingle Doo, Reprise and the changelings we met." Snow Flake points to the ponies and changelings nearby.

"You’ve met one of them."

"Oh yeah! Wrench! How could I forget?"

"Did Dry Stone, Oak Quilt and Mud Stick come along too?" Air Wiff asks.

Cool Aid nods. "Uh huh."

"Cool! Then let’s replace the cobwebs with activity in that old abandoned factory! We have weather to produce!"

And with that, the pegasi get to the weather factory in its dusty glory, opening the door as the dust blows over the three, unleashing a coughing spell out of one of them. After ten to twenty seconds, the dust clears and the coughing stops.

"Okay ponies! Let’s test this molly!" Air Wiff leads the two pegasi with a cloud each in tow.

"You ready?!?" Mud Stick asks.

Air Wiff nods. "We are! Fire away ponies."

Where Mud Stick stands is next to a patch of dirt newly eroded as a mole hill. At zenith is a large cloud that Cool Aid lands on. Bouncing on the cloud, she causes it to shed water droplets. On the mole hill sprouts a small bud. "SUCCESS!!!"

---

All the while, Shell checks her watch, finding out when to set the sun and bring out the moon.

"8:21 A.M. Sheesh! And I thought I would have to wait a while."

Wrench comes up to Shell. "So, will you rule both Equestria and Changico?"

"Yes. Do you know how you took leadership of taking the other eight over to investigate?"

Wrench thinks back for a while, brainstorming exactly what she remembers.

"Promise me you nine will call me when you find the cause to the heat and eternal day down here?" The room fell silent. "Well?"

"We’ll do it Queen Shell."

"Oh?"

"And we will not fail to keep our promise. Us changelings will investigate to the best of our ability. And we will never rest until we find the cause."

"Wrench, how bold of you to say that."

"All you need to concern yourself with is our call to you. I’ll take the investigation from here."

"I’ll be awaiting your call Wrench."

"You won’t be disappointed. Now, come on changelings! Let’s move out!"

After the flashback plays, Wrench nods. "Yes."

"Not only were you bold enough to lead the other eight, but you kept your word about contacting me when you and your party found the cause of all this calamity in addition to that. That’s an admirable feat you accomplished. And for that, I’m promoting you as right hoof mare of Changico."

"Queen Shell, I’d be honored to be your right hoof mare."

"Whenever I’m needed in Equestria, you’ll be the first changeling I’ll turn to to take over for me."

"I won’t let you down, Queen Shell!"

"You’re my right hoof mare now, Wrench. Just call me Shell."

"Thank you so much."

Shell and Wrench hug in genuine happiness and pride.

A tear rolls down Shell's eye. "Things will be different in Equestria. No more putting the lives of ponies in danger under Princesses Celestia and Luna."

Over time, heavy rain pours all across Equestria, efficiently dwindling the dust that plagued the landscape. The New Dust Ride is over. And the battle for survival has come into the advantage of the last of ponykind. Equestria has come to its former glory.