Crystal friendship

“So how will I do this?” whispered Deeter, when he watched pair of changelings walking in front of entrance to a cave hidden deep in Hayseed Swamps, several days later.

Since he left Zecora´s hut, he travelled as fast as possible, to this abondoned corner of Equestria, to find a prison showed in the map.

The journey was long and boring, he didn´t realize before, how he grow used to Snaky and his eternal optimism. But now he stood there alone and without an reliable plan. Planning never was something what he did, even as vice-captain he was used to listen orders, not to make them and if so, then he went for quick, direct solution.

Deeter wished to not be in freaking swamp where all the wood was wet. If he was somewhere dry, he could set forestfire to lure changelings out of the cave, but here it wasn´t an option.

“But there is something else, I can do.” unicorn smiled and by sneaky movement, so the changlings didn´t notice him he walked to the mountains, which made nature border between Hayseed Swamp and Badlands.

It was dangerous, even though not for him, but for ponies imprisioned deep in the cave. But there was no other option he couldn´t possibly fight all the changelings head to head and he also couldn´t just left the ponies there.

His horn shined with red magic and beam of light began to melt the stone, where it touched it and burned deep straight hole into side of the mountain. The hole was ruffly half of feet wide.

Then he raised his hoof in front of his eyes, an red ball of energy appeared and the more magic Deeter gave to it, the larger it got, until it even began to pulse like a heart.

“Snaky would surely make some stupid joke on this.” murmled white unicorn and pushed the ball, inside by him created hole.

Then he rushed back to the entrance to the cave and hide behind large rock, right above it, so the changlings didn´t see him, unfortunately, he realized that he will not be protected from what he was going to do, so he had to rely on his magic.

Many unicorn in general were reyling on it on daily basis, but he prefered to use his physical ability, rather then the powers of his race.

When he felt ready, his horn, which was glowing up until now returned back to normal. In that very second, an explosion shaked with entire swamp and ripped out giant pices of rocks, like when dentist rips out bad teeth.

Avalanche continued to spread and Deeter had to create shiny red shield around him, so he didn´t get scrushed. Fortunately, from what he saw - which wasn´ too much, since lots of rocks, stopped on his shield and nearly blocked him from the world - none of the falling pieces, or the explosion itself, didn´t reveal any caves, which didn´t of course mean that they weren´t damaged.

But none of that was vice-captain´s goal. What he wanted was to lure the changelings out of the cave, which he did.

From the entrance rushed several dozens black and green, insect-like beings and gathered in front of it, seemingly waiting for orders from some of their superiors.

“They will not have time to accomplish them.” mumbled Deeter, still trapped under pile of giant rocks and teleported just far away, so he didn´t get immediately crushed. With his barier, blocking the stone pieces gone, the rest of the avalanche fell down in front of the cave, right on group of waiting changlings, who were too suprised from sudden destruction, that they didn´t even fly in the air and got crushed.

“I still have to be careful, there might be some alive. Either outside, or inside the cave.”

Deeter carefuly walked down from the place, where he teleported – the ground was very unstable and he didn´t want to get killed too – and rushed to the cave, so if there were alive enemies, they didn´t have enough time to prepare for him.

Among the rocks, which he let to fall at the end was several badly injured changelings, which he quickly took down with few magic blasts.

Unfortunately, the entrance was blocked, so he had to carefuly crush the stones, until he made small door, leading inside.

With small magical light he walked down the hall. Along the way he noticed one corridor, which was completly blocked by stones and further examining revealed, that it was propably burried completly.

Another suprise were changelings, or at least their parts, sticking from under of pieces of ceiling. After some time, he began to think that he was alone, at least in matter of enemies, but quiet scraping of rocks warned him about an ambush, which came just senconds later.

On his back jumped changeling and tried to bite him in the neck. Vice-captain was stronger, so the first thing he did, was move backwards and slam with him into a wall. Shape shifters grip weakened, so Deeter finished him up with magical blow into face.

But when he wanted to continues, he noticed, that something was stucked in his mane. Unicorn pulled it out with his magic and discovered, that it was a crystal similar to the one what he found in stomach of the dead changlings, when he and Snaky got eaten by a hydra. The changeling had to choke it out, when he hit the wall with his back. Without interest Deeter threw it away.

“What I want to know, is why they attack head to head? From what captain told me, they used shape shifting almost everytime, before attacking. I didn´t see them do it once. Hmmm, maybe it is because I am alone and they weren´t expecting me, so there wasn´t any reason to try to trick me.”

The trip inside the cave was so long, that it seemed like an eternity. The only things, that kept him interested was dangerous terrain and occasional dead changelings. And of course, concern, about lives of those, who he came to rescue.

So he walked, until he found a dead end. The corridor was blocked and according to iron bars, he had to be in the prison area.

“Damn it! Hopefully they are still alive.” without hesitating he blasted the blockage and entered.

“Is somepony alive here?” asked, right when he crawled through small hole he made.

“Kinda...” caughed voice of a pony, who he couldn´t see because of all the dust, which still didn´t fall on the ground.

“Wait a second I will get you out of here!”

Quickly he found the mare, who spoke at him, she had nice blue fur and amazing rainbow colored mane. From what he knew, her name was Rainbow Dash. Fortunately she didn´t seemed hurt, just she had to have dust in lungs.

“You are alone here?”

“No...there should my my friend too...Fluttershy. I didn´t hear her...for a while now.”

“I will find her and take her to the surface. You go through this hole and continue straight. You shouldn´t miss the exist. I will follow you right away.”

Mare again coughed and did what he told her. Quickly he continued through the prison and soon he found the pony, who had to be the other pegasus and former Element of Kindness. Just when Deeter was about to speak to her, he noticed bloody wound on her head. Some of the rocks propably hit her in the head.

Vice-captain freed her fom chains, by which she was being holded to the ground and put his hoof on her forehead.

“Thanks Celestia, she is just unconsciousness.” So he put her on his back and hurried towards the exit. The dust was starting to be way too much for him.

* * * * * *

They kept on coming, but the changelings were no match for him, not with the new magic, going throught his veins. Dozens of shape-shifter were lying on the ground either dead, or insane from fear, which nopony should ever feel.

Some of them had wouded bodies, when they tried to get rid of beings crawling out of them. They of course existed just inside of their imaginations. Illusions, which were evoked, when they looked into eyes of grey unicorn, slowly walking through the cave, which they used as a prison.

When there was nobody left to endanger him, the pony sadly looked into pool of blood and angrily tried to stare at one of his eyes. They used to be green like deep forest, but now one of them was red like liquid on the floor and hapilly looked around.

“Is this how you use my magic? Pathetic.” grawled Snaky at the pool and the red eye tried to look at him back.

“Pathetic you say? Isn´t tricking others your favourite hobby?” answered him voice, which was coming out of his mouth, but sounded completly different and also sounded like an echo.

“Ts! My magic is like a knife. You can be sleek and throw it, or you can mindlessly stab, which is exactly what you are doing.”

“Doesn´t matter to me and it shouldn´t matter to you either. We have a deal, so the only thing you should concern about is to fulfill it.”

“Watch your tone. I am the one who saved you and as you said, we have a deal and you still have something to do for me too.”

“What a spoiled brads are today. You saved my life? I could´ve use anypony, not just you. It was actually me, who saved you, when you threw yourself like a fool into danger, when you were saving that precious orange friend.”

The only answer he got was scraping of grey pony´s teeth.

“I hope you didn´t forget. You are a great liar, when it comes to words. I actually was suprised how easily your friends believed, that everything was just and illusion, but we both know that it isn´t true. After you went behind your limits by squeezing more magic out of you by pain, you allowed me to wake up. You would die, if I didn´t heal you and didn´t give you some of my magic.”

“I know. “ whispered Snaky and looked away from the pool.

“You being overly dramatic was lots of fun too. When you presented the wounded illusion of yourself as your former self or when you said that he was just a mistake.”

“Shut up. What I said back them was completly true. I never should let friendship get so deep inside of my heart. But that doesn´t matter anyway because at the end of our deal, I will have enough power to fulfill my dreams without friends.”

“Friends? Ha! Weren´t you paying attention during your trip to that zebra? They don´t trust you. That crystal pony had his doubts about how much can he trust anything when he´s near you and nopony of them could even undestand your cutiemark, the first thing they though of was that the apple was a bait! Trust me young one, they will betray you, the second they loose that bit of trust they have.”

Few moments there was silence, but then the grey unicorn began to laugh. It was similar laugh like the one what others heard, when they returned for him into the prisorn, but back then it came from darkness within him. Now it was he himself.

“You don´t understand! You might be powerful, but I didn´t expect you being so wrong!”

“What do you mean?” growled owner of the red eye.

“All I care about are my goals and entertainment. If they will betray me, then all it means to me is discovery of new feelings, which will keep me interested for a while. I will have so much fun searching for their meaning!”

Snaky had to stop for a moment and take a deep breath.

“I am actually looking forward to them betraying me.”

With these last words he forced the red eye to turn green again and continued through the cave, to save Princess Twilight and her friend.