Prologue

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An Ice Pony was trying to hide in the storm, lightning flickered across the dark clouds. FreezingDome was clutching his fragile cargo closer, If he could make it over the mountains, he'd be safe. He'd escaped the Pegasus tribes palace unseen and the secret cave was so close, but his theft was not as stealthy as he thought, and sets of different coloured eyes where already tracking him from below.

The Silent changling on the mountain ledge had lighter skin then other Changlings that shined with the reflection of the eternal darkness, her purple, bug like, eyes narrowed, watching the motion of wings far up in the clouds. She covered her broken horn with magic, waiting for it to go from green to dark red and behind her two Pegisi with swords in there mouths rose to the sky and dived down into the heart of the storm, A piercing shreak echoed off the mountains as there swords siezed the moon-pale Ice Pony.

"Bind his wings!" The waiting waiting Changling ordered as her soldiers threw FreezingDome on the ledge in front of her, he was already stretching his ice-like wings for a BlizzardSlash.

"Quickly!!" She shouted, one of the Pegasus soldiers grabbed some chains from a pile of smouldering cloals, he threw it over each of AirStrikes wings, clamping his ice-like wings together with a sizzling smell of burning feathers. FreezingDome let out a horrible shreak of pain.

"To late." The Changelings forked tongue slithered in and out of her mouth.

"You won't be using your deathly BlizzerdSlash on us, Ice Pony." She said, one of the soldiers moved forward.

"He was carrying this, Queen Scorn." He said while handing her a Pegasus foal with a Rainbow Mane, Scorn squinted at the newborn through the downpour.

"This isn't an Ice Pony foal!" She hissed. "You stole her from the Pegasus palace." The Ice Pony stared back at her. Hissing steam circled his wings where the hot chains met cold silver feathers.

"You thought you where unnoticed, didn't you?" Scorn said. "My Pegasus ally is not a fool. Queen Hurricane knows everything that happens in her tribe. Her lookout reported an Ice Pony thief sneaking away, and I decided finding you might add some...violence to my boring visit." Scorn held the small foal up to the light of the fire and turned very gently. Magic particles hovered over the foal as the light of the fire shone over her.

"Yes. This is a Pegasus foal about to age." Scorn mused. "Why would my sister send you to steal a Pegasus foal? Ebony hates any pony or HippoGryph younger and prettier than she is." She thought for a moment as rain drummed on the ledge around her.

"Unless...the brightest night is tomorrow..." She then created a scorpion like tail that connected to her own bug like tail, she then flicked it over her head, the poisonous garb inches from FreezingDomes eyes. "Your not not in Ebony's army, are you? You're one of those insipid underground piecebringers."

"The hooves of peace?" Said one of the Pegisi soldiers. "You mean they're real?" Scorn snorted.

"A few weaklings crying over a little blood. Unwrap his chains. He won't be able to strike us until his wings cool down." The the queen sized Changeling leaned closer as her soldier pulled the chains away. "Tell me, Ice Pony, do you really believe in that pompous old Alicorn's prophecy?"

"Haven't enough ponies, HippoGryphs and Changlings died for your war?" Snarled FreezingDome, wincing at the pain in his wings. "All of Equestria has suffered for the last twelve years. The prophecy says--"

"I don't care. No prophecy decides what happens to me." Scorn interrupted. "I'm not letting a bunch of words or young ponies, a trator of a Changeling and a HippoGryph choose when I die or what I bow to. We can have peace when my wretched sisters are dead and I am queen of the Changelings." Her magical venomous tail dipped closer to the Ice pony.

Rain patterned on FreezingDome's fur. He glared up at her. "The Elements of Harmony are coming, whether you like it or not, and they'll choose who the next Changeling queen should be."

"Really?" Scorn stepped back and turned the foal slowly in he magic. Her forked tongue slipped in and out of her smile. "So, Ice Pony. Is this foal a part of your pathetic prophecy?" FreezingDome went still.

Scorn tapped lightly on the foal's forehead with one of her black and buggy hooves. "Hello?" She called. "Are you an Element of Harmony ready to age and end this big bad war?"

"Leave her alone." FreezingDome choked out.

"Tell me." Scorn said. "What becomes of your precious prophecy...if one of the five foals never aged at all?"

"You wouldn't." he said. "Nopony would harm a foal." His blue eyes were fixed desperately on her magic.

"Nopony...I'm a Changeling. And...no 'Element of Loyalty to save Equestria." Scorn said. "What a sad, sad story." She then began play in around with the foal in her magic. "I guess that means you should be very, very careful with this terribly important--oops!"

With an exaggerated lunge, Scorn pretended her magic wasn't working and just deactivated...and she let the foal fall over the side of the cliff into the rocky darkness below.

"No!" FreezingDome shrieked. He threw off the two Pegasus soldiers and flung himself towards the edge. Scorn covered his neck with her magic and slammed him down.

"So much for destiny." She smirked. "So much for your tragic little movement."

"You're a monster." The Ice Pony gasped, writhing under her magic. His voice cracked with despair. "We'll never give up. The Elements--the Elements will come to stop this war."

Scorn leaned down to hiss into his ear. "Even if they do--it'll be far too late for you." Her magical scorpian tail ripped through the Ice pony's wings, shredding them as FreezingDome shrieked in agony. With a swift movement, she then stabbed her magical poisonous tail through his skull and flung the limp, white pony over the edge of the cliff. The Ice Pony's screams cut off long before the echoes of his corpse slamming into the rocks below.

The Changeling turned her purple, bug eyes to her Pegasus soldiers. "Perfect." She said. "That should be the last we hear about that wretched prophecy. " she held out her one buggy hoof so the rain could wash away the glistening Pony blood that covered it. "Let's go find something else to kill." The Changeling and the soldiers lifted off into the dark clouds

Some time later, far below, a Pegasus the colour of lava flew over the rocks to the broken body of the Ice Pony. She nudged one of his wings aside and lifted a strand of a rainbow mane then hovered back into the labyrinth of caves under the cliff. Stone walls brushed her wings. She grabbed and ignited a torch and held it in her mouth to light her way along the dark passege, deep into the mountain.

"I stand with the hooves of peace." Hissed a voice in the shadows. "Amber? Is that you?"

"Where awaiting the hooves of magic." Answered the red Pegasus. A blue-green HyppoGryth emerged from a side cave, and she tossed the strand of rainbow mane at his front talons. "Not that it will do us any good now." She snarled. "FreezingDome is dead."

The HyppoGryth stared at the strand of rainbow mane. "But...the Pegasus foal--"

"Dead." She said. "Gone. It's over, Onyx."

"It can't be." He said. "Tomorrow is the brightest night. The moon will be at it's fullest for the first time in a century. The Ponies, the Changeling and the HyppoGryth have to age tomorrow."

"Well, one of them are already dead." Amber said. Rage flickered in her eyes. "I knew I should have stolen the Pegisi foal myself. I know the Pegasus tribe. They wouldn't have caught me a second time."

Onyx grimaced, fiddling one talon over his sea-Crystal that was around his neck. "SandStorm is dead, too."

"SandStorm?" A spurt of magic shot groom Amber's wings. "How?"

"Caught in a battle between Ebony's and Chrysalis's forces on the way here. She still made it with the orange Earth Pony foal. But she died of her wounds stoon after." He answered.

"So it's just you, me and Cliff to raise the little weaklings." Amber growled. "For a prophecy that can never be fulfilled. Let's just kill the annoying foals now and be done with it. We'll be long gone before the hooves of peace return for the Elements"

"No!" Onyx squarked. "Keeping the Elements alive for the next eight years in more important than anything. If you don't Want to be part of that--"

"All right, enough." Amber snapped. "I'm the strongest pony in the hooves of peace. You need me. It doesn't matter how I feel about weak foals." She eyed the strand of Rainbow mane on the floor, rubbing the back oh her neck with one of her wings. "Although I thought at least one of them would be a Pegesus."

"I'll find us a fifth foal." Web's pushed past her, feathers scraping against fur.

"There's no way way back into the Pegasus tribe, brainless." She said. "They'll be guarding all the foals closly now."

"Then I'll get a foal somewhere else." He said grimly. "The Unicorns don't even look after their foals...I could take one from there tribe without any of them noticing ."

"Of all the horrible ideas." Amber said with a shudder. "Unicorns are lazy creatures. Nothing like a Pegisi."

"We have to do something." Onyx said. He squarked as his tail sent the strand of mane skittering across the floor. "In eight years, the hooves of piece will come looking for three ponies, one Changeling and one HyppoGryth. The prophecy says five, and we're going to make it come true...Whatever it takes."

Chapter 1

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AppleJack didn’t think she was the right pony for a Big Heroine Destiny. Oh, she wanted to be. She wanted to be the great Earth Pony savior of Equestria, glorious and brave. She wanted to do all the wonderful things expected of her. She wanted to look at the land, figure out what was broken, and fix it. But she wasn’t a natural-aged heroine. She had no legendary qualities at all. She liked farming more than studying, and she kept losing chickens in the caves during tracking practice because she was paying attention to her friends instead of watching for feathers.

She was all right at fighting. But “all right” wasn’t going to stop the war and save the pony tribes, Changeling tribe and HyppoGryth tribe. She needed to be extraordinary. She was the strongest mare, so she was supposed to be the brave, tough one. The minders wanted her to be bravely dangerous. AppleJack felt about as dangerous as cauliflower.

“Fight!” her attacker howled, flinging her across the cavern. AppleJack crashed into the rock wall and scrambled up again, trying to grab her hat. Red wings raked at her face and she ducked away. “Come on,” the red Pegasus snarled. “Stop holding back. Find the killer inside you and let it out.”

“ah'm trying!” AppleJack said. “Maybe if we could stop and talk about it--”

She lunged for AppleJack again. “Feint to the left! Roll right! Use your special ability!” AppleJack tried to duck under her wing to attack the Pegasus from below, but of course she rolled the wrong way.

One ofthe Pegisi's hooves smashed her to the ground, and she yelped with pain. “WHICH LEFT WAS THAT, USELESS?” Amber bellowed in her ear. “Are all Earth Ponies this stupid? OR ARE YOU JUST DEAF?”

'Well, if you keep that up, ah' will be soon.' AppleJack thought. The Pegasus lifted her hoof and AppleJack wriggled free.

“ah' don’t know about other Earth Ponies.” She protested, flicking rubble off her hat with one hoof. “Obviously. But perhaps we could try fighting without all the shouting and see--” She stopped, hearing the familiar sound that came before one of Amber’s SoundBlast. AppleJack took her hat off, lowered her head down, and rolled into the maze of stalagmites that studded one corner of the cave. Lava-coloured sound waves blasted the rocks around her, singeing the tip of his her gur.

“Coward!” the older pony bellowed. She smashed one of the rock columns into a shower of sharp black pebbles. AppleJack covered her eyes and almost immediately felt Amber stamp down hard on her tail.

“OW!” She yelled. “Ya'll said stomping tails was cheating!” Sye seized the closest stalagmite between her hooves and scrabbled up on top of it. From her perch near the roof, she glared down at her guardian.

“I’m your teacher.” Amber snarled. “Nothing I do is cheating. Get down here and fight like a Pegasus.”

'But ah'm NOT a Pegasus.' AppleJack thought rebelliously. 'Ah'm a Earth Pony! Ah' don’t like breaking things with one buck or running around in circles hitting at any species.' Her hooves still ached from Ambers’s well-built body.

“Can’t ah' fight one of the others?” She asked. “Ah'm much better at that.” The other Elements were her own size (nearly), and they didn’t cheat (well, most of the time). She actually liked fighting with them.

“Oh, yes? Which opponent would you prefer, the hyperactive Changeling or the lazy Unicorn?” Amber said. “Because I’m sure you’ll get to choose out on the battlefield.” Her wings glowed like Lava as she striked them back and forth.

“Rarity’s not lazy,” AppleJack said loyally. “She’s just not built for fighting, that’s all. Onyx says there’s not much to fight about in the Unicorn tribe because the Unicorns have all the jewels they want. He says that’s why they’ve stayed out of the war so far, because none of the rival tribe queens want Unicorns in their armies anyway. He says--”

“STOP YAMMERING AND GET DOWN HERE!” Amber roared. She reared up on her back hooves and flared her wings so she suddenly looked hoof bigger. With a yelp of alarm, AppleJack tried to leap to the next stalagmite, but her hooves missed and she smacked into the side of it instead. She let out another yowl of pain as Amber flew up between the columns, seized AppleJacks blonde tail in her teeth, and yanked her out into the open. Her wings closed around AppleJacks neck as Amber hissed in her ear.

“Where’s the violent little foal I saw when you aged? That’s a pony we need for the prophecy.”

“Gawp.” AppleJack squawked, hitting at her grip. She could feel the strange scars on Amber's wings scraping against AppleJacks fur. This was how battle training with Amger always ended--with AppleJack unconscious and then sore or limping for days afterward. 'Fight back' she thought. 'Get mad! Do something!' But although she was the strongest of the Elements, they were still a year away from being fully grown teenagers, and Amber was way bigger than her.

She tried to summon some helpful violent rage, but all she could think was. 'It’ll be over soon, and then I can go have dinner.'

So, not the most heroic train of thought. Suddenly Amber let out a scream and dropped him. Spears made of water blasted over AppleJack’s head as she hit the floor with a thud. The red Pegasus whirled around. Behind her, panting defiantly, was the Element of Kindness, SilverStream. A Lava-red feather was caught between her white teeth. She spat it out and glared at their teacher.

“Stop picking on AppleJack!” SilverStream shouted. “Or I’ll strike you again.” Her light-pink fur shimmered like peaches in the torchlight. The sea-crystal necklace around her neck were glowing like it always did when she was angry.

Amber sat back and flicked her tail around to examine the strike mark. She flared her wings at SilverStream. “Aren’t you sweet. Protecting a pony who tried to hurt you while you were still a foal.”

“But luckily you big adults were there to save our, lives.” SilverStream said. “And we sure appreciate it, because now we get to hear about it all the time.” She marched around to stand between AppleJack and Amber. AppleJack winced. She hated hearing this story. She didn’t understand it. She’d never want to hurt the other Elements. So why had she attacked them during their ageing process? Did she really have a killer monster inside her somewhere? The other caretakers, Onyx and Cliff, said she’d been ferocious when she aged. They’d had to throw her in the river to protect the other foals from her. Amber wanted her to find that monster and use it when she fought. But she was afraid if she ever did, she would hate herself, and so would everypony, Pinkie and SilverStream. Thinking about what she’d nearly done to her friends made her feel like all the strength had been sucked out of her.

She didn’t particularly want to be a violent angry monster, even if Amber thought that would be an improvement. But maybe that was the only way to make the prophecy come true. Maybe that monster was her destiny.

“All right,” Amber said dismissively. “We’re finished here anyway. I’ll mark another failure in your report,
Earth Pony.” She flapped a small SoundBlast into the air and swept out of the cave.

AppleJack flopped down on the floor as soon as Amber's purple tail had vanished from sight. It felt like every part of her nody was stinging from the cuts and bruises. “She’s goin' to be so mean to you during your training tomorrow.” She said to SilverStream.

“Oh, no,” the Element of Kindness gasped. “I’ve never seen Amber be mean before! That’ll be so unexpected and out of character!”

“Ow.” AppleJack groaned. “Don’t make me laugh. Ah' think my ribs are broken.”

“Your ribs are not broken,” SilverStream said, poking AppleJack in the side with one talon. “Earth Pony bones are almost as hard as diamonds. You’re fine. Get up and jump in the river.”

“No!” AppleJack buried her head under her hat. “Too cold!”

'Jump in the river' was SilverStream’s solution for everything. Bored? Aching bones? Being dirty? Brain overstuffed with the history of the war? “Jump in the river!” she’d shout whenever any of the other Elements complained. She certainly did not care that she was the only one who could turn into a Sea Pony or that most other tribes hated getting wet. AppleJack didn’t mind being wet, but she couldn’t stand being cold, and the underground river that flowed through their cave home was always freezing.

“Get in,” SilverStream ordered. She seized AppleJack's tail between her front talons and started dragging her toward the river. “You’ll feel better.”

“ah' will not!” AppleJack shouted, hitting at the smooth stone floor. “ah'll feel colder! Stop it! Go away! Argh!” Her protests went up in a cloud of bubbles as SilverStream dumped AppleJack in the icy water. When AppleJack resurfaced, SilverStream was floating beside her, flipping her Sea Pony tail and splashing water over her mane like a beautiful overgrown fish. AppleJack felt like a gawky orange blob next to her. She then splashed into the shallows and layed down on a submerged rock ledge, with her head resting on the bank of the river. She wouldn’t admit it, but the scratches and aches did feel better in the water. The current helped wash away the smoky rock dust caught in her dry fur. Still too cold, though. AppleJack scratched at the rock below her. Why couldn’t there be just a little tree down here?

“Amber will be sorry one day, when I’m queen of the HyppoGryths.” SilverStream said, swimming up and down the narrow channel.

“Ah' thought only the Queen’s, Tribe co-owner's daughters or sisters could challenge her for her throne,” AppleJack said. SilverStream swam so fast. AppleJack wished she was a HyppoGryth so she can turn into a Sea Pony, and she would be so powerful she could nearly empty the river with one big splash.

“Well, maybe the HyppoGryth queen is my mother and I’m a lost princess,” SilverStream said. “Like in the story.”

Everything the Elements knew about Equestria came from books picked up by the Hooves of Peace. Their favorite was The Missing Princess, a legend about a runaway HyppoGryth filly whose royal family tore up the whole ocean looking for her. At the end she found her way home, and her family welcomed her with open wings and feasting and joy. AppleJack always skipped the adventures in the middle of the story. She just liked that last part...the happy mother and father. And the feasting. The feasting sounded pretty great, too.

"Ah wonder what my parents are like.” AppleJack said.

“I wonder if any of our parents are still alive,” SilverStream said.

AppleJack didn’t like to think about that. She knew Ponies, Changelings and HyppoGryths were dying in the war every day...Amber and Onyx brought back news of bloody battles, destroyed land, and rotted piles of bodies. But she had to believe her parents were still safe. “Do you think they ever miss us?”

“Definitely.” SilverStream flicked a spray of water at AppleJack with her tail. “I bet mine were frantic when Onyx stole me. Just like in the story.”

“And mine tore apart the farmlands.” AppleJack said. They’d all imagined scenes of their parents’ desperate searches ever since they were young foals. AppleJack liked the idea that somepony out there was looking for her...that somepony missed her and wanted her back.

SilverStream flipped onto her back, gazing up at the stone roof with her translucent blue-violet eyes. “Well, the hooves of Peace knew what they were doing,” she said bitterly. “No HyppoGryth would ever find us down here.”

They listened to the river gurgle and the torches crackle for a moment. “We won’t be underground forever.” AppleJack said, trying to make SilerStream feel better. "Ah' mean, if the Hooves of Peace want us to stop this war, they have to let us out sometime.” She scratched behind her ear thoughtfully. “Twilight says it’s only two more years.” She only had to hold on that long. “And then we can go home and eat as much as we want.”

“Well, first we save Equestria.” SilverStream said. “And thenwe go home.”

“Right,” said AppleJack. How they were going to save Equestria is a little fuzzy, but everyone one of them seemed to think they’d figure it out when the time came. AppleJack pulled herself out of the river, her soggy hat heavy and drooping. She twisted it front of one of the torches, arching her neck and trying to get warm. Feeble waves of heat wafted against her fur.

“Unless . . .” SilverStream said.

AppleJack lowered her head to look at her. “Unless what?”

“Unless we leave sooner,” SilverStream said. She flipped over and pulled herself out of the water in one graceful motion, turning herself back into a HyppoGryth in an instant.

“Leave?” AppleJack echoed, startled. “How? On our own?”

“Why not?” SilverStream said. “If we can find a way out...why should we have to wait another two years? I’m ready to save Equestria now, aren’t you?”

AppleJack wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to save the land. Shee figured the Hooves of Peace would tell them what they had to do. Only the three guardian ponies...Amber, Onyz, and Cliff...knew where the Elements were hidden, but there was a whole network of Hooves of peice members out there getting ready for the prophecy.

“We can’t stop the war by ourselves,” AppleJack said. “We wouldn’t know where to start.”

SilverStream flapped her wings at AppleJack in exasperation, showering her with cold droplets. “We can too stop the war on our own.” she said. “That’s the whole point of the Elements of Harmony being a thing.”

“Maybe in two years.” AppleJack said. 'Maybe by then I’ll have found my dangerous side. Maybe then I’ll be the ferocious fighter Amber wants me to be.'

“Maybe sooner." SilverStream said stubbornly. “Just think about it, all right?” AppleJack shifted her hooves. “All right. Ah'll think about it.” At least that way she could stop arguing with SilverStream.

SilverStream cocked her head. “I smell dinner!” The faint smell of fresh fish and apples came up from the tunnel behind them. She poked AppleJack cheerfully. “Race you to the hall!”

She whirled and pounded away without waiting for a response.The torches in the battle room seemed dimmer, and cold water was seeping down AppleJack’s fur. She placed her hat back on ner head and swept her body through the debris of the smashed rock column.

SilverStream was crazy. The five Elements weren’t ready to stop the war. They wouldn’t even know how to survive on their own. Maybe SilverStream was kind, brave and tough like a hero should be, but Pinkie Pie and Rarity and Twiloght Sparkle...AppleJack thought of all the things that might hurt them and wished she could give them her strength for extra protection.

Besides, there was no way to escape the caves. The Hooves of Peace had made sure of that. Still, part of her couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to go home now instead of waiting another two years. Back to the Farmlands, to the Fields, to a whole tribe of Earth Ponies who worked like her and thought like her...back to her parents, whoever they were...What if they could do it? What if the Elements could escape, and survive, and save Equestria... their own way?

Chapter 2

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AppleJack swept the apple cores and fish bones from dinner into the river with her hooves. The stripped shapes of food bounced awat in the current. Fires flickered around the edges of the giant central cave. Echoing space yawned overhead, dripping with stalactites, like huge shsrp teeth. The cave dome was big enough for 1 full-grown dragon to fit across with its wings extended. The underground river flowed along one wall, muttering ant gurgling as if it were plotting its own escape. AppleJack glanced at the two sleeping quarters that opened onto the hall...currently empty...and wondered where the other Elements had gone while she was cleaning up.

"AHA!" Yelled a voice behind her. AppleJack grabbed her hat and covered her face.

"What'd ah' do." She helped. "Ah'm sorry! It was an accident! Or if its the extra Apple, Cliff said I could have it because Onyx would be out late but ah'm sorry and ah' can skip dinner tomorrow!"

A small black and pink muzzle poked AppleJacks head. "Calm down, silly." Pinkie Pie said. "I wasn't aha-ing at you."

"Oh." AppleJack calmed her breathing and twisted around to look at Pinkie, the weirdest and last-aged of the Elements. A straw that was connected to a cup was in her Pinkie Pie's mouth. She grinned at AppleJack.

"That was my fierce battle cry." She said. "Didn't you like it? Wasn't it scary?"

"Well, it was certainly surprising." AppleJack said. "Love again? What's wrong with apples?"

"I can only taste love, not normal food." Pinkie said. "You look all serious."

"Just thinking." AppleJack was glad Amber and Cliff couldn't read minds like Alicorns. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about the idea of escape all through dinner. Pinkie then began jumping around AppleJack. She was too small and the wrong colour than normal Changelings...She had a very faint and dark-pink tone instead of pure black.

"Cliff says we should go study for an hour before bed." Pinkie said. "The others are in the study cave already."

Cliff, the maimed caretaker, who taught them survival skills, was a Changeling, and so was Pinkie...more or less. There was something not quite right about the littlest Element. Not only was she slightly pink, but her eyes we're light-blue instead of glittering black. But for some reason, her magic was way more convincing than the entire Changeling tribe combined. As Amber often said, Pinkie Pie was completely un-suspicious when disguised, but also really annoying...and what good was a annoying Changeling? But, she fit the instructions in the prophecy, so she was their "Element of Laughter", whether the Hooves of Piece liked it or not.

Of course, there were no "Element of Generosity" in the prophecy at all. The other Elements had all heard...many times over...about how Rarity was a last-minute substitute for the dead Pegasus foal. Amber and Cliff called her a mistake and stared at her a lot. None of them knew whether the prophecy could still happen with a Unicorn instead of a Pegasus. But from what AppleJack knew about Pegisi, she was very glad they had Rarity instead of another grumpy, SoundBlasting Amber. Besides, if any of them was likely to mess up the prophecy, it was AppleJack, not Rarity or Pinkie Pie.

"Come on." Pinkie said, jumping around AppleJack. AJ followed Pinkie across the central cave. Twisting stone tunnels led off in four directions: one to the battle arena, one to the caretakers' cave, one to the study room and the one to the outside land. The last was blocked with a metal door that had a password that none of the Elements knew. AppleJack stopped and placed in a randem combination into the door as they went by. She often tried to open it when the caretakers weren't around. Someday it would open when she had the right password.

'Not today. Maybe someday' She thought. AppleJack followed Pinkie Pie down the tunnel that led to the study room, her strong hooves tiredly scraping across the wet stone floor. Even though she had lived undr a mountain her entire life, it still hurt to walk on bare rock. She was constantly stubbing her hooves and always ached at the end of the day.

SilverStream was strutting around the study cave while barking orders. Pinkie and AppleJack sat at the entrance. A breath of air drifted down from the hole in the roof, far overhead...The only window to the outside in any of the caves. At night, without the distant hint of sunlight, the room felt colder and more hollow. AppleJack stretched up and gazed at the darkness that had fallen on the other side of the hole.

A map of Equestria hung on the wall between the torches. SilverStream and Twilight Sparkle loved staring at the map, trying to figure out where their hidden cave was. Twilight was pretty sure they where somewhere under the clouds of CloudsDale. Pegisi preferred to live high in the clouds, so anything could happen on or in the ground below without being noticed.

"All this history is so confusing." Pinkie murdered to AppleJack. "Why don't the three princesses sit down have a party and talk out an end to the war?"

"That would be great." AppleJack said. "Then we could stop studying it." Pinkie giggled at what AJ said.

"Stop that." SilverStream said bodily, stamping her talons at them. "No whispering! Pay attention. I'm assigning parts."

"This is not proper studying." Twilight Sparkle pointed out. Her nature body was surrounded by Brookes and scrolls that not even the torches could reveal her. She lifted a all the scrolls and books in her magic and began to neatly place them back where they belonged. "Perhaps I should read to everyone instead."

"Dear Fuast, anything but that." Rarity said from the ledge above the Alicorn. "Maybe later, when we're trying to fall asleep, darling." Her clean, white fur glowed in the lights from the torches, near her was 5 gems (out of 10) that somehow changed colour depending on her emotions and tonight they where vibrant purple.

If it weren't for Rarity and her gems, none of them would know how many colours there where in Equestria. AppleJack wondered what it must be link to live in a tribe with loads of gems and colours and a home to ponies that are extremely fashionnable.

"Shush." SilverStream scolded. "Now obviously I'd be the best queen, but let's make Pinkie pie the queen, since she is a real Changeling." She bustled over and pushed Pinkie Pie into the center of the room.

"Well, sort of." Rarity murmured under her breath.

"Hsst." Twilight flicked Rarity with a wing. None of the Elements ever talked about why Pinkie didn't look like a regular Changeling. AppleJack's guess was that her younger self was left alone in the sand and was not near her home. Maybe Changeling goals needed to Benin the hatchery back at their home until becoming a teenager or older, or else they'll be funny looking...although personally AppleJack thought Pinkie looked just fine.

SilverStream tapped her talons on the cave floor, studying her freinds. "AppleJack, you want to play the Diamond Dog?"

"Thats hardly fair." Twilight pointed out. "She's twice as strong as Pinkie. A Diamond Dog would be weaker than her, Acording to this scroll over here. It says that Diamond Dogs are really weak unless in a pack of 10. And they love treasue as more as any other tribe in Equestria. The scrolls say Diamond Dogs attack anything and steal..."

"OH MY FAUST, WE KNOW," Rarity snapped. "We were all here for the fascinating lectures about them. Don't make me come down there and slap you, darling."

"Ah'd like to meet a real Diamond Dog!" AppleJack said. "Ah'd buck there backs until they cry! And buck there heads!" She pounded her front hooves on the stone below her. "Ah' bet it would be better than the fights Amber gives us all."

"Poor AppleJack." Pinkie teased.

"When we're free, well go find a Diamond Dog village and beat up all of them." SilverStream promised, nudging AppleJack with one wing.

Pinkie Pie blinked at her. "When we're free?"

'Oops.' SilverStream and AppleJack exchanged glances. Pinkie Pie was funny and trusting and absolutely terrible at keeping secrets but is good at stopping everyone else from breaking secrets.

"I mean, after we fulfil the prophecy, of course." SilverStream said. "AppleJack, be the Diamond Dog. Here, this can be your weapon." She flew up into the air and smashed a stalagmite loose. Shards of rock flew across the cave, and the Elements ducked. AppleJack heated the sharp rock spear in her hooves and grinned wickedly at Pinkie.

"Don't actually hurt me." She said nervously.

"Of course she won't." SilverStream said. "We're just acting it out. And the rest of us will be the Changeling princesses. I'll be scorn, Rarity can be Chrysalis and Twilight will be Ebony."

"I had to be a princess last time, too." Twilight observed. "I'm not sure I like this game." She stretched her wings and her mane flowed freelynin the non-existing wind.

"It's not a game, it's history." SilverStream said. "And if we had any more friends, we could play it differently. But there are three Changeling princesses, so you have to be one, so stop complaining." Twilight shrugged and settled back into the shadows, the wat she always did when she couldn't win a fight or just wanted to vanish into thin air.

"All right, go ahead." SilverStream said, hopping onto the ledge next to Rarity.

"Um." Pinkie said. She eyed AppleJack warily. "Right. Here I go, la la la, queen Demonia of the Changelings. Im so very important and, uh...royal...and stuff." SilverStream sighed. Rarity and Twilight hid their smiles.

"I've been queen for ages and ages." Pinkie went on. She strutted across the cave floor. "No Changeling dares challenge me for my throne! I am the strongest Changeling queen who ever lived!"

"Don't forget the treasure." S ilverStream hissed, pointing at a pile of loose rocks.

"Oh, right." Pinkie said. "It's probably because of all my treasure! I have so much treasure because I'm such an important queen!" She swept the rocks towards her and gathered them between her bug-like hooves.

"Did someone say treasure?" AppleJack bellowed, leaping out from behind a large rock formation. Pinkie helped with fright.

"No!" SilverStream called. "Your not scared! You're queen Demonia, the big, bad queen of the Changelings."

"R-right." Pinkie said. "Hisssss! What is this weak Diamond Dog doing in my hive? I am not afraid of weak Diamond Dog! I shall go out there and kill it with one strike!" Rarity started giggling so hard she had to lie down and cover her face with one hoof. Even S ilverStream was making faces like she was trying not to laugh.

AppleJack swung the stalagmite in a circle. ""Bark bark, ruff!" She shouted. "And other annoying Diamond Dog noises! Ah'm here to steal treasure away from a magnificent Changeling! "

"Not from me, you wont." Pinkie said, bristling. She stamped forward, spread her bug-like wings, and created a scorpion tail with her magic, only without the poisonous garb that other Changelings can create. But none of the other Elements pointed that out.

"Yaaaaaaah!" AppleJack shouted, lunging forward with her rock blade. Pinkie darted out of the way, and they circled each other, feinting and jabbing. This was AppleJack's favourite part. When Pinkie Pie forgot about trying to act queenly and focused on the battle she was fun to fight. Her small size made it easy for her to dodge and slip under AJ's defences. But in the end queen Demonia had to loose...that was how the story went. AppleJack drove Pinkie back against the wall of the cave and thrust the fake weapon between her neck and bug-like wing, pretending it went through her heart.

"Aaaaaaaaargh." Pinkie howled. "Impossible! A queen defeated by a lowly Diamond Dog! The hive will fall apart! Oh, my treasure...my lovely treasure..." She collapsed to the ground and let her bug-like wings flop lifelessly on either side of her.

"Ha ha ha!" AppleJack said. "And bark ruff! The treasure is mine!" She stopped up all the rocks and paraded away, flipping her hat proudly.

"Our turn." SilverStream said, jumping off the ledge. She hurried over to Pinkie, clashing her talons and pinkues hooves together, and let out a cry of anguish. "Oh, no! Our mother is dead, and the treasure is gone. But worst of all, none of us killed her...so who should be queen now?"

"I was about to challenge her." Rarity cried. She sniffed her mane up dramatically. "I would have fought her to the death for the throne. I should be queen!"

"No, I should be queen!" SilverStream insisted. "I am the eldest and quickest and would have challenged her first!" They both turned to look at Twilight, hidden in the book pile. The lavender Alicorn looked as if she was trying to become even more invisible.

"Come on Twilight." SilverStream said. "Don't be such a lazy..." She caught herself just before saying 'Unicorn.' The caretakers said things like that all the time: "If you don't study, you're no better than a Unicorn"; "Whats the matter, somepony replace your brains with a Unicorn's?", "Still sleeping? Anyone would think you where a Unicorn!" (That last one was mostly for AppleJack.)

But the Elements all knew Rarity hated it, no matter how much she pretended she didn't care. It also seemed really unfair. Rarity was the only Unicorn any of them had ever met, and she studied and trained harder than anyone else.

"Er...pony." SilverStream finished awkwardly, with a quick glance at Rarity. "Twilight, get over here."

The Alicorn shuffled foward and looked down at Pinkie, who had her eyes scrunched shut. "Oh dear, oh dear." She said. "Well, now I should be queen. As the youngest princess, I could have the longest reign. That would be good for the Changlings. Also..." she paused and gave a long-suffering sigh. "Also, I am the far prettiest."

Pinkie giggled, and SilverStream poked her to keep still. AppleJack swept her treasure rocks into a pale and sat on them.

"I should kill you both right now." Rarity hissed.

"You and what army?" SilverStream taunted her.

Rarity stretched her neck up and hissed loudly. "That's a great idea. I'll go get an army...an army of HyppoGryths...and then you'll be sorry."

"You not the only Changeling who can make alliances." SilverStream said. "I'll get the Pegisi's on my side. And the Earth Ponies! Then we'll see who wins the war!"

There was a pause. They both looked at Twilight again. "Uh, yeah." She said. "You do that, and I'll ally myself with the Ice Pony tribe. Also, by the way, most of the Changelings want me to be queen,"

"They do?" Pinkie said, opening her eyes. "Who says?"

"Stop talking." SilverStream, poking her with one talon. "Your dead."

"There are lots of recent books and scrolls about it." Twilight explained pompously. "Ebony is very popular with her own tribe."

"So why can't she be queen?" Pinkie said. "If that's what they want?"

"Because Scorn is stronger and scarier and could easily defeat Ebony if they fought hoof to hoof." Raritychimed in. "And Chrysalis...that's me...is smarter than both of them together. She knew she couldn't defeat Ebony in a regular battle. It was her idea to involve all the other tribes and turn their Changeling throne battle into a war. She's probably waiting for the other two to kill each other."

"Which one do we want to be queen?" Pinkie asked. "We do get t pick, right? When we fulfil the prophecy."

"None of them." Twilight said gloomily. "Ebony is about as smart as a concussed sheep, Chrysalis is most likely plotting to become queen of all the tribes somehow, and if Scorn wins, she'll probably keep the war going just for fun. They're all pretty nasty. I guess we'll see what the Hooves of Peace decide."

"The Hooves of Peace don't get to decide." SilverStream said, bristling. "They only think they're in charge of us."

"We can still hear them out." Twilight argued. "They want what's best for us and Equestria."

"Easy for you to say." Rarity snapped. Her crystals flared orange. "You weren't stolen from your home. The Alicorns were pretty eager to hand you over, weren't thet." Twilight flinched.

"Boring!" AppleJack shouted from her pile of rocks. "Stop fighting with each other! Come fight me for this treasure instead!"

"No one knows what the Diamond Dog did with the Changlings treasure." Twilight said in her 'top of the class' voice, turning away from Rarity. "Among other things, he stole the golden phoenix, the burning Changeling sceptre, and the eye of Devastation, which had been in the Changeling treasury for hundreds of years."

AppleJack stamped her hooves. Twilight's lectures always made her fur itch. "Ah' just want to fight someone!" She said. Somebody who wasn't trying to beat her into I violent rage, preferably. As if the thought had summoned her, Amber suddenly loomedin the entrance of the cave.

"WHAT is going on here?" Amber's homing voice made all five Elements jump to attention. Pinkie slipped as she tried to scramble to her way into a standing position, and Twilight used her magic yo catch her.

The adult red Pegasus flew into the cave, glaring down at them. "This doesn't look lik studying." She hissed.

"We're s-s-s-sorry." Pinkie stammered.

"No, we're not." SilverStream shot the Changeling a glare. "We were studying. We were acting out the death of the Changeling queen that started the whole war."

"You mean play-acting." Amber growled. "You are too old for games."

"When were we ever young enough for games?" Rarity muttered.

"It wasn't a game." SilverStream said. "It was a different way of learning history. What's wrong with that?"

"And now your talking back." Amber said. She looked smug, as she always did when SilverStream got in trouble. "That means no sleeping near the river tonight." SilverStream scowled. Amber tapped the pile of books and scrolls with one wing. "The rest of you, learn from the HyppoGryth's mistakes and study the correct way."

"That's not fair." AppleJack spoke up as Amber turned to go, even though it made her heart pound. "We were all doing the same thing. We should all be punished." Rarity shook her head at her, but beside her, Pinkie nodded.

Amber stared towards AppleJack. "I know who the ringleader was. Cut off the head, and the problem goes away."

"You're going to cut off SilverStream's head?" Pinkie squeaked.

Rarity sighed. "It's a metaphor, darling."

"Now go to bed." Amber said. She turned away and flew out of the cave, knocking over Twilight's heat stacks of books and scrolls as she went.

AppleJack nudged SilverStreams wings with her shoulder. "Sorry, we tried."

"I know, thanks." SilverStream said, pushing AppleJacks hat down over her eyes. "Hey, Pinkie, would you mind taking those scrolls and books back to our sleeping cave?"

The small dark pink Dragon brightened. "Sure, I can do that!" She hurried to the entrance, gathered the scattered scrolls and books in her front cloves, and whisked out of the cave.

"I can't stand this much longer." SilverStream said as soon as Pinkie was gone. "We have to get out of here, and soon."

AppleJack glanced at Rarity and Twilight, who didn't look surprised. "You talked to them about it?"

"Of course." SilverStream said. "I needed their help figuring out an escape plan." AppleJack couldn't help but notice that SilverStream hadn't asked her for any escape plan ideas. Even her friends thought she was pretty useless.

"I'm not sure we're ready." Twilight said, stretching her wings. "There's so much we haven't learned yet..."

"Thsts what the caretakers want us to think!" SilverStream said. "But we'll never know until we get out of these horrible caves and see Equestria for ourselves."

"What about the prophecy?" AppleJack asked. "Shouldn't we wait two more years?"

"I font see why." Rarity said. "I'm with SilverStream. Harmony is Harmony, right?" So whatever we do must be the right thing. We don't need a bunck of adults telling us how to save the wotrod. they're not in the prophecy."

"When do we tell Pinkie?" Twilight asked, glancing at the cave's dark opening.

"Not until last minute." SilverStream said fiercely. "You know she can't keep a secret, Twilight, promise You won't say anything to her."

"I promise...Cross my Herat and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She said, placing a hoof over one eye then retracting it seconds after. "She's not going to like it though. She thinks everything is great here."

"Of course she does." SilverStream said. "She doesn't care that we get treated like cracked eggs even though we're supposed to be the key to peace or whatever."

"She cares." Twilight said defensively. "She just doesn't whine about it."

"Yowch." Said Rarity.

SilverStream whirled to glare at Twilight. "Say that to my face."

"I am saying I tou your face." She said. "Or was I saying it to your flank? It's easy to get the two confused." She ducked behind AppleJack before SilverStream could even jump at her.

"Hey, stop. Quit arguing at each other like mini Ambers." AppleJack said, standing up to keep SilverStream and Twilight between her. "None of us are happy here. Pinkie Pie deals with it differently, that's all. But remember what we decided...we five stick together or else everything gets worse, right."

Twilight hunched her wings forward muttering.

"AppleJack's right." Rarity said. "The last thing we want is to be like Amber or Onyx or Cliff."

SilverStream sighed for a moment, then shook her head. "All right, I know. I'm trying. But this place is slowly killing me." She said. AppleJack shivered at the fierce look on her face. She would not want to be the creature standing in her way.

"As soon as we have a plan, we go." SilverStream, looking at them each in the eye. "Let's see them force our destiny ont us when they can't find us anymore."

Chapter 3

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Suddenly there was a big thundering crash from the central cave. AppleJack heard the metal door so am back into place, and then the rumble of heavy steps. From the extra scraping sound of them, she knew it must be Onyx

"Something's happening." SilverStream said. She hurried to the door, her ears twitching. "We have to go listen."

Twilight spread her Wings slowly. "I'm sure we'll find out what the fuss is in the morning."

"I don't want to wait that long." SilverStream spun around to stare at her, then looked away with a grunt. "Don't be weird! Let's go!" She bolted out of the cave. AppleJack winced as her sore muscles sprang into action. She followed Rarity to the central cave. Rarity quickly hovered a very decorated blanket from the Elements sleeping quarters and covered herself with it. Then out of nowhere the blanket started changing to match the mottled grey-and-black rocks. In a moment she'd be nearly impossible to see.

Twilight slipped past to join her, and she casted a personal invisibility spell, and the two of them hurried away towards the tunnel that led to the caretakers' cave. They vanished almost immediately into the shadows. Rarity hidden by her blanket and Twilight with her spell, they'd get as close as they could to eavesdrop. But AppleJack and SilverStream had an even better shot of hearing everything, if they hurried. SilverStream was already charging across the cave to the river.

"What about Pinkie Pie?" AppleJack called quietly. She could gear the Pink Changeling rummaging around in her sleeping cave, putting scrolls away.

"We'll come up with something to tell her later." SilverStream whispered back. AppleJack felt sorry that Pinkie was the only one who didn't know about their spying games. But they'd learned their lesson about trusting her with secrets years ago. Pinkie hadn't meant to tell Cliff about the pile of rocks the Elements were collecting. Their plan was to build a tower to the sky hole, back when they where to young and when SilverStream, Pinkie and Twilight couldn't fly. They'd only want to stick their heads out and look around. But one day, Pinkie forgot to be careful around Cliff, and the next day all the collected rocks were gone from their hiding place. That was the end of that plan...and of Pinkie getting to know anything.

Silverstream disappeared into the river with a nearly soundless splash. Her necklace changing her as she swam upriver. AppleJack in after her, as she did so, SilverStream grabbed her necklace and grabbed hold of one of AppleJack's hooves, and with one quick flash. AppleJack changed form. Whenever the Elements wanted to spy on the caretakers, they mostly let AppleJack and SilverStream take the river route.

AppleJack caught up whith the HyppoGryth turned Sea Pony as she was wiggling through the underwater gap in the cave walls. It made AppleJack nervous every time, squeezing through such a small space. She wished she hadn't eaten that extra apple at dinner. Then with a whoosh of bubbles, she popped through and shot after SilverStream.

The three adult caretakers hardly played any attention to the river, except Onyx, who sometimes slept in the shallows. It would never occur to them that two pairs of ears might be poking out of the water, listening. AppleJack drifted to a stop near the entrance while SilverStream swam to the far side of the room. That way at least one of them could hear, no matter where the caretakers were talking.

Tonight, however, AppleJack was pretty sure every one of them could hear everything, including Rarity and Twilight in the passageway outside. From the way Amber was shouting, It was possible even the Pegisi's up in the shy and clouds could hear her.

"Coming, here? With no warning? After six years, suddenly she's interested?" A jet of magic shout of her wings and blasted the nearest rock column.

"Maybe she wants to make sure they're ready to stop the war." Onyx suggested.

Cliff hissed. "These Elements? Then she's going to be very disappointed." He eased himself onto a flat boulder, stretching his front bug-like stump and mangled wing towards the fire. The adult Changeling never discussed his scars or how he lost his hoof, but the Elements could guess from the anger in his voice whenever he talked about the war. The fact that he couldn't fly was probably why he was chosen for underground Element-minding duty. He clearly wasn't picked for his warm, nurturing personality.

"We've done our best." Onyx said. "The prophecy chose these elements, not us."

"Does she even know what happened? " Amber demanded. "Does she know about the dead Pegasus and the Unicorn? Or the defective Changeling?" AppleJack winced, poor Pinkie. She floated closer, keeping her Orange body below the surface of the dark water. Through the ripples she could see the blurred shapes of the Caretakers gathered around the fire.

Onyx flapped his wings. "I'm not sure what she knows or why she cares. The message just said 'Luna is coming.' I'm supposed to meet her and bring her here tomorrow."

Luna. That sounded familiar. AppleJack racked her brain. Someone from history class? One of the tribe rulers? No, it can't be; all the tribes were ruled by queens.

"I'm not worried about Pinkie Pie." Cliff said. "We followed the prophecy's instructions. It's not our fault she's the way she is. But the Unicorn...she's not going to like that."

A deep growl rumbled in Amber's throat. "I don't like it either, I never have."

"Rarity's not that bad." Onyx argued. "She's smarter than she wants us to know."

"You overestimate her because you brought her here." Cliff said. "She's lazy and worthless like the rest of her tribe."

"And she's not a Pegasus." Amber snapped. "We're supposed to have a Pegasus." AppleJack wished Rarity didn't have to hear all this. The caretakers never hid how they felt about her, and she never acted like she cared. But she wished she could tell her she was just as important and smart as any Pegasus.

"Well, I never thought Luna would come look at them!" Onyx said. "After she dropped off Twilight Sparkle. I assumed we'd never see her again. The Alicorns have nothing to do with the war."

'So she's a Alicorn. Which means superpowered and mysterious and full of herself.' That was all AppleJack could remember about Alicorns. She found herself actually wishing she could get a lecture from Twilight. The epic wonderfulness of Alicorn s was the Element of Magic's favourite topic.

"Did the Hooves of Peace say what she wants?" Amber asked.

"Well, it's her prophecy." Onyx said. "I guess she wants to make sure it'll actually come true."

'Luna.' AppleJack felt a jolt run through her, like the stinging shock she sometimes got when Cliff whacked her with his magic scorpion tail for not paying attention. Luna was the Alicorn who had spoken the Element of Harmony prophecy ten years ago. They had learned about her in history, but it was one of many facts AppleJack could never remember. Who had delivered the prophecy never seemed as important as who was in the prophecy.But maybe Luna was more important than AppleJack had realized. After all, she was coming to see them. Perhaps she would take them out into Equestria. Perhaps they didn't need to escape after all.

Perhaps everything was about to change.

Hooves of magic: The Element of Harmony

by Velvet dropped

The Elements of Harmony prophecy (SLIGHTLY CHANGED)

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3