That Which was Lost

by LadyRFC

One Spell

“They ain't after us yet. We should get some rest.”

Applejack relaxed slightly when the changling carrying her, Lostress, slowed down. They were far out of sight from the armored army from Sheon, but they were still only halfway towards the event gathering.

“If the dragons are there,” Rainbow panted, slowing her pace beside her friends, “everything should be fine, shouldn't it?”

Blue Flame turned around and walked slowly backwards, keeping up with the others, his ears pricked forward towards the army. He was frowning.

“I think they've started moving again, abit slower this time...” he warned, squinting his eyes against the fog in vain.

“We can't stop then,” Lostress hissed, beginning to pick up its pace once again.

Applejack bit her lip. She didn't like having to ask for help, but what she hated even more was completely depending on somepony else. She felt, not for the first time, that she was a burden, wondered how much she weighed, made a note to eat healthier and avoid so much cake at Pinkie Pie's next party and generally felt bad about herself.

She flinched as Lostress nearly stumbled over a root poking up from the dark, vapor filled ground. She felt so useless. She had been injured over something so small and pathetic. She hadn't been hit. She's gone down due to a muscle strain. It was embarrassing.

Squeezing her eyes shut against the horrible feeling in her stomach, she buried her face against the back of the changling's neck, expecting a mane to be there and realizing too late there wasn't. This changling lacked any kind of mane, its coat extremely glossy and smooth. It was actually far more slick than a pony's coat. As she pulled her head up a bit with a blush, she wondered if the difference accounted for their speed. They seemed faster on land and in the air than the average pony. Having a slicker coat would probably aid them in such a feat.

Lostress continued its quick trot, seeming not to notice Applejack's movements. There was still so little ponies even knew about changlings. And what little they had thought they'd known was obviously untrue. They weren't monsters. They weren't evil.

Even if they did have fangs that reminded her of those spooky vampire fruit bats back home.

“Hey isn't that -” Rainbow's eyes were focused on the sky, but before she could finish her sentence a loud clatter broke over the forest behind them.

Blue Flame picked up his pace, turning around to face the front. “They picked it up. They must figure we'll warn our own ahead or regroup.”

“I thought that's what we were doing,” Marina called out ahead. She was in front of the group, picking her way through the foliage, trying to make as straight a path as possible, the proper trail lost to the fog.

“They're gonna catch up,” Blue Flame called. He looked back over his shoulder. Rainbow Dash had stopped cold, still looking into the sky. “Come on, Rainbow. They're gaining.”

The pegaus looked at him with a grin. “I think we'll be just fine.”

Before any questions were asked, a familiar frame landed right next to her. Purple coat and mane looking nearly black in the darkness of the forest, Twilight turned to look at them with a mixture of concern and relief.

Everypony finally stopped forcing themselves forward, their legs beginning to shake once again at the stop.

“I'm so glad you're all okay,” Twilight began. Her small smile faded when her eyes caught Applejack's form draped over a changling's back. She rushed over, concern winning out. “Applejack! What happened? Are you alright? Do you need a healer?”

The earth pony put on a brave smile. “Ah'm just fine, Twiahlaht.” She shook her head a bit as her words slurred over from exhaustion. “Just really tired and a bit strained. But Ah'm fine. Lostress is taken good care of me.”

The changling under her grinned good naturally, even though it was clear that it'd need rest quite soon.

Twilight shook her head as she looked them all over. “You all need rest. Lay down.”

“Twilight, uh,” Rainbow trotted over towards them, “we're still being followed.”

The alicorn raised an eyebrow and turned back around, noticing for the first time the sound coming closer with every second that passed. Her eyes narrowed. “That won't be necessary. I'll be stopping them right here.”

She trotted between her friends and a new line of dense tree cover, waiting.

“Princess Twilight, forgive my disbelief,” Blue Flame risked, avoiding Rainbow Dash's eye, “but what are you planning to do? There's an entire army headed our way!”

“Not the whole thing,” Twilight answered as she sat down calmly, the misty fog wrapping around her and sending a light chill down her spine. “The unicorn units are at our back. Princess Lily is dealing with them. I wouldn't be surprised if part of the army is back there too.”

“Even so,” Marina spoke, her voice sounding soft, like a small wind in the night air, “there is a great number headed here. Surely you do not have the power to fight each one.” The changling's eyes grew. “Do you?”

Rainbow sniffed. “Twilight can do anything! She's a princess, after all.”

Twilight looked over her shoulder with an odd look. “Thanks for the confidence, Rainbow, but I can't do everything.” She looked forward again, a determined look on her face. “But I can change just enough to make it too difficult for them to get much farther. It should only require one spell, too. I can manage that.”

“What spell?” Blue Flame asked, curious as to what could stop an entire army in one move. The sound at this point was deafening. They were very close.

“If any are unicorns, it won't work on them. But I'm sure there aren't any in this group,” she answered vaguely. Even the clink of the separate armor could be heard now.

The fog finally pulled its icy hands away from the soldiers marching through. Some of the first few in line stumbled in their march upon seeing Twilight. But they set their jaws and kept marching towards her.

Twilight's horn began to glow a bright purple. The stomping of hooves soon turned to only the clanking of armor as the units began to squirm and struggle furiously to move their hooves. Looking closer, they realized the ground they had been walking on, covered in green grass, had been transformed. The grass was now a thick, sticky green substance making it impossible to walk on, let alone march through.

As Twilight walked over towards her friends with a grin, Blue Flame couldn't help giving a whistle of amazement.

“One spell,” he whispered.

Rainbow beamed. “Told ya.”

Comments

[Starcat5]

OHKO! Nice one, Twilight!