“Ten bits,” the bartender said as I ordered a drink. I fished the money out of my bag and levitated it onto the counter. He grabbed my coins and looked at me, “Something bothering you kid?”

“I, uh... I...yeah,” I hesitated, but finally managed to say.
Normally I’d keep any of my problems to myself, secrets are a changeling’s essence after all, but the stress of it all was wearing me down. I had to talk to somepony and Celestia knows I couldn’t talk to my hivemates about this, so the local bartender would have to do.

I took a sip of my drink, a little more bitter than I was used to, and began talking, “Have you ever wondered if what you were doing is what you should be doing? Like, somepony tells you to do something and you aren’t sure you should but they’re in charge of you so you can’t really say anything back?”

The bartender put down the glass he had been cleaning, “Having problems with work are you?”

I sighed, “You could say that.” I took another sip and continued to talk, “Sometimes I wonder if the ones in charge are doing what’s really best for us. I look around and see how happy everypony not working my job is and can’t help but wonder if what we’re doing is right.”

“I know what you mean. I used to be a lawyer a few years back. Lost a case prosecuting a pony responsible for the death of two foals and he was acquitted because of me. I did everything by the book but when the case was over I heard him talking with his lawyer about it and it turned out they bribed the judge. Can you believe it? After that I wasn’t sure if I should keep doing the lawyer thing and quit. So many years, so much studying and money, down the drain.”

“What’d you do after that?” I asked, taking another sip.

“I thought that was pretty obvious, I got my license as a bartender and opened a bar by the sea. Good business and I help ponies escape their troubles for a short while, even if they do something stupid with it later.”

“I wish it was that simple for me, I’ll never be able to get out of this job. I’m stuck for my life, or at least up until I can’t work anymore. After that I’ll be tossed aside to make room for the next cha-pony in line,” I said, brooding over my life as I knew it would be.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad. You got a job and a place to live right?” he said to me, I could feel his attempt to cheer me up just as much as I could see it on his face.

“Yeah, I do, but-“

“But nothing,” he interrupted me. “If you aren’t satisfied with your job now, then why don’t you get a new job? I mean, look at me. I went from the Bar exam to a bar and I’m glad I did. Now instead of making bits off of the fates of others and chancing another pony’s life for my own bank account, I can say I own a bit of business that lets me meet new and exciting ponies every day.”

Another pony came up and ordered a drink, taking it to his own table full of what I could tell from their emotions were his friends... and one that might soon be his fillyfriend if he played his cards right.

The bartender sighed and came back to me, “I guess what I’m trying to say here is that it’s not too late to change who you are kid. You’ve got time to change to who you want to be.”

I chuckled at that, if he only knew. Smiling, I put a few more bits on the table and gulped down the rest of my drink, taking a breath when I finished. “Thanks for the talk.”

He smiled and I could feel his sympathy for me, “No problem kid, just remember that the ponies you work for can’t tell you who to be. Follow your heart and you’ll never go wrong.”

I waved at him and headed out the door... and woke up.

I woke up alert, seeing very little as the room I was in was underground and without lighting. My body was covered in dry blood and my leg was swollen around the wound, now covered in a wool wrapping. I tried to get up but fell on my butt, my blood loss seemed to be causing me some lightheadedness and my body didn’t want me to move quite yet. Too bad for it I was in control.

I got up slowly and tried moving around, only to hit a wall and fall back on my butt but this time with some minor face pain.

“Ouch,” I said, rubbing my face, wincing at the pain in my leg. The sudden darkness that this cave, I was sure it was a cave, had compared to the bright daylight and soft moonlight practically left me blind. Actually, without any light at all I was pretty much blind.

I remembered Com being taken right before me before I passed out, was he also here?

“Com!” I shouted. After a few seconds of silence I tried again, “Com!”

I was awarded with no response and decided to try to figure out if I could get out of this darkness and get into some light.

It was weird, walking around in a place this dark and not encountering any... well nevermind, there’s a creeper wandering right in front of me. I know it was there because I just bumped into it. It spared me one glance and continued on its merry way into the wall that wasn’t going to move anytime soon.

“Well, at least I’m not alone,” I consoled myself.

About fifteen minutes later I thought I heard something that sounded like a Player and stood still; straining my ears for any sound that could confirm my suspicions.

“I wish I had some lighting,” the voice said. I was ecstatic when I heard this as the voice belonged to Com.

“Com?” I spoke into the darkness, hearing the sound of him smacking the wall cease.

“Craft, is that you?” Com said back.

“Yeah, where are you?” I could hear his voice, but it sounded like it was bouncing off the walls.

“I’m over here,” he said, his voice reverberating off the walls as I suspected.

After a short game of “follow the echo”, we met back up.

“Com, do you remember what happened?”

“I’m not sure, one moment the soldiers tossed me to the floor and the next moment I woke up in a dark cave with a massive headache.”

“That’s pretty much what happened to you. After that, the prince was preparing to execute you but those endermen came back and snatched us up. I only remained conscious for a few moments after that.”

“Oh, your injury, is it ok?” he asked, with a tone that sounded worried.

“Yeah, it’s fine for now. Someone wrapped it though, was it you?”

“No, I woke up in an area back in the direction I came from.”

“I wonder who wrapped my leg then,” I pondered to myself the possibilities. Given how the endermen brought us here, I assumed it had to be them. I heard a zombie wandering nearby and my thoughts went to the trio. “The trio!”

“It couldn’t have been them; they don’t seem the type to know how to do that.”

“No, Com, the trio! Where are they?” I asked with urgency. Given how their cave took less time to reach than it took me to reach Com, the Players could’ve easily gotten to them and killed them with time to spare for a trap or something for our return.

“Calm down, Craft,” he said, putting his arms on my shoulders, the slight increase of pressure on my hurt leg causing me to wince audibly, “Sorry. I don’t think they’d just sit there and let the others take them down without a fight, would they?”

“It might’ve been night when we left them but who knows how long we were out! We could’ve been out for hours! Even the trio could’ve been killed by the Players in that time.”

I felt around until I hit a wall and began smashing it, planning to make a path back to the surface.

“Craft, what are you doing? We don’t know where we are; what if we’re under a pool of water? We might drown,” Com said, worry in his voice.

“It’s a risk I have to take,” I said back, resolved to return to those three who cared for me. To save them from a fate they didn’t deserve. That prince was the true monster, sacrificing his soldiers without care. They likely had families and friends who worried about them every day and without care he just tossed them in the path of lethal danger. So what if the world wouldn’t let them stay dead this time, what if it chose not to next time?

Com kept telling me to stop being reckless, and I ignored him and kept going, wincing with each fruitless block broken. I really wish I had brought a pickaxe with me.

Over the next few minutes the stone turned to dirt and then finally fresh air. I took a quick look around and saw we were near a desert connecting to a jungle, the moon hanging high in the sky. I took that as a good sign. Behind me I heard a high pitched cackle and swung around with the most vicious look I was sure I had ever made and dropped it when I saw what looked like a villager wearing a witch’s hat and standing around a cauldron of water. Were witches a thing in this world? If that were true, then why won’t my magic work?

“Well now, if it isn’t one of you outsiders. Wait, make that two?” the witch said, walking around her cauldron and then toward us. “It looks like your bandages are holding, that’s good.”

I adopted a less fierce scowl and stood between her and Com, now emerging from the hole.

“No need to be so testy shape shifter,” she spoke at me, knowingly.

I dropped my face again, with the addition of my jaw this time, but quickly recovered.

“How do you know?” I asked, wondering how she could possibly know. The most I’d said to anyone in this world was that I was a changeling, and that was to the Players. Was she in league with them?

“I can sense it within you. I can sense your magic. Yes, this world has magic, but you can’t tap into it can you? Were you born here then maybe you’d be able to, but that isn’t how this world works.”

“Were you the one to wrap my leg?”

“Oh yes, that was me. Forgive me for not leaving a trail for you to my hut, the creatures of this world’s night can’t stay, nor come to be, in its presence for long, so I usually leave the lights off. Forgive this old maiden’s rudeness towards guests.” For a witch, she was being very polite.

“Thank you for helping me and my friend.”

“Oh it was no trouble; I was quite surprised to see one of these outsiders with the nocturnals.”

“It’s a long story, and I’m sorry but we don’t have time to explain. I have to get back to the trio before the prince and the other Players get there.” I turned to leave but felt something touch my shoulder.

“Wait.”

“There’s no time! They’re in danger and I have to save them or they’ll die!” I practically screamed. Then a bottle was shoved in my mouth, the contents spilling onto my tongue and a strange feeling coming over me. It felt as though I could run a marathon while doing jumping jacks and not be tired. I took the bottle out of my mouth and saw Com drinking one too. “What was that?”

“That was an energy potion and it will only last a few minutes. I heard the commotion from before and it came from west of my hut. If that was you then I suggest you hurry and get to them quick. And would you mind telling-”

I didn’t catch what she said next because I ran as fast as I could west, across the desert, not really sure how she heard the fighting when she couldn’t possibly have heard it when it was in a grassy plains and she was nowhere near anywhere like that. I didn’t have time to question it now, however, as I had to get back to the cave and save my friends.

Author's Note

Not my best, but I honestly wasn't exactly sure what to do here. I wanted them to get back but not too fast, however Craft wants to get back as fast as possible. I haven't much experience writing stories so I'm still learning how to handle things like this. I'm prepared for the worst, so how am I doing? If the witch thing feels rushed, she'll be back, so don't worry about how she kinda came and went right here. Also, having those little things about how Craft's life was back when he was still incognito, how do you like them?