Changeling Quest Book 2 : Journeyby LoveEspeonChaptersChapter 1 : Fighting off the First AttackChapter 2 : ExploringChapter 3 : Second AssaultChapter 4 : Imposter!!Chapter 5 : What is going on?!Chapter 1 : Fighting off the First AttackTwilight positioned herself in front of Flash's trap. Changelings were coming. She sure hoped Flash was done setting up the trap. Soon the party of changelings came into view. "Hey! Uglies!! Over here, you pieces of vermin!" yelled Twilight as loud as she could. The changelings gave chase. Twilight dashed off. The changelings were fast. She swerved madly, narrowly avoiding branches. Her right wing was aching all over. She didn't know how long she could hold on. Then something shot her from behind. "AAAAAAHH!!!" Just as she rounded the corner; right into to Flash's trap; a bolt of light slammed into her chest. She fell down. Smashing onto the forest floor she could hear the changelings laugh, then shriek as Flash's trap quickly....desposed of them. Twilight could barely stand up. She was panting. Groaning from the pain of the impact, she staggered to her hooves, only to collapse back down. Her right wing was sore, and she had hurt her already injured hoof. Oh the joy of saving the world. She could hear wingbeats coming from behind. Then the earth shook a little as something landed right beside her. She looked up, her vision blurred a little. Why was it so dusty here?! She could just make out the shape of a stallion with wings. Twilight could only lay there. Then something picked her up. She felt herself being dropped onto something soft. Rubbing her eyes she saw the face of Flash Sentry stare worriedly at her. "Yaaaahh!!!" she screamed in surpise. Flash couldn't help grinning a little. "Sorry. You were brave back there. Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly. Twilight didn't know of any good answer to that question. She only nodded. Then Flash took off, Twilight still on his back. The blast of the wind instantly startled Twilight. "We still need to patrol the border. I could drop you off at camp if you're still too weak to do it. Seeing as to how you were so easily shot," yelled Flash, the wind tossing his words into Twilight's ears. She took offence at this. Whatever Flash thought of her state she was a princess. She was supposed to be the strong one. But yet, she was on the back of a guard, apparently battered and injured. She tried to say something, but the only thing that came out was coughing. Flash tilted his head. "I'll take that as a yes then." He glided over to Haven Lagoon. There he paced quietly into Twilight's tent. Gently setting her down on the sleeping bag, he was about to go outside. "Wait.." Twilight began. "You need to rest. We've been looking for this place since two days ago. You looked the most tuckered out," interrupted Flash, giving Twilight a mischievous grin. Twilight sighed, nodding her head. Flash gave her one last look, before stretching his orange wings and swiftly shooting over the treetops. Twilight sighed. They were going to need more of those 'traps'. What Twilight didn't know was that those 'traps' were actually killing machines. Chapter 2 : ExploringTwilight could no longer hold it. She had been trying to stay awake ever since Flash dropped her off at the tent. She instantly collapsed onto her sleeping bag. Trying to fight the urge to sleep, she closed her eyes. Morning. Something prodded Twilight in the side. She groaned. Opening her eyes a little, she was blinded by a white light. Then her vision suddenly became clear. Flash was looming over her. "YYAAAAAAAHH!!!!" she screamed. Flash was startled too. He screamed as well. Then Twilight slapped herself. Ouch. Even moving her hoof made her whole body ache. Apparently last night's battle made her sore. Flash stopped screaming as well. Then he gave her one of the fruits on the trees surrounding the lagoon. She ate it quickly. Instantly she was healed, her aching going away. That fruit was very helpful. "Well, now that the ordeal is over, let's go scout ahead; if you're up for it. We have to leave sooner or later." Flash stepped forward. Twilight felt her face grow hot. She wasn't that pathetic!! She nodded. "I'm not that helpless you know!" she couldn't help but snap at him. Flash grinned. "Whatever. Now stop talking and lets go." Twilight got up on her hooves. Giving herself a quick brush, she followed Flash out of the tent. Twilight still gaped in awe at the beauty of Haven Lagoon. She trotted over to the lake. Grabbing her canteen she quickly filled up the bottle with water. Slinging the canteen around her neck, she galloped away to find Flash. She found him waiting at the far end of the waterfall. "Flash? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked as she slowed beside the waterfall. Flash gestured for her to follow him. As she carefully made her way around the flowing water, she found Flash trotting into a cave. A cave behind the waterfall? Too convenient. She leaped over the rocks that were in her way. Then she was blinded by a white light. At the far end of the cave, a new valley was spread out in front of her and Flash. "Woah.." Flash looked blankly at the scenery before them. It was blank, with grey trees and grass. There was a black castle in the distance. "That must be the castle," she whispered to Flash. Then Flash pulled her into a crevice under the ground. "Wha?!" "Get down!!!" she fell beside him. She was about to say something when Flash put a hoof to her muzzle. Up there, they could hear voices. "They aren't here!" grumbled a scratchy voice. It sounded....animatronic-like. Changelings! "I could've swore I saw two ponies here; one orange pegasus stallion and a lavender alicorn!!!" protested another changeling, this one sounding younger. "Hah, I don't think so, Acrisius," laughed the first voice. "Hmph! Just because I'm the new guard doesn't give you the right to pick on me!!! I swear I saw them here!!" protested Acrisius. "Ya right. Let's keep going," said the first voice. Then, grumbling, they flew off. Twilight was dumbfounded. These changelings were a lot like Sunset Shimmer when Twilight first met her. "Is it safe?" she whispered to Flash, who had poked his head to check for enemies. He nodded. Shaking, Twilight pawed her way out of the hole that had hid them. "We need to tell the others. They are coming closer and closer to this place. We need to leave. Soon," said Flash. They both galloped out of the cave as fast as possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Me and Twilight will go find another place. The rest of you, grab as much supplies as you can, and prepare for teleportation," instructed Flash after he explained what happened. Umbra trotted up. "We need to move fast. I'm coming with you." Flash nodded. Twilight felt her heart racing. Another dangerously crazy adventure. Flash saw her ruffled wing feathers and came over to comfort her. "It's going to be fine. I'm here for you." Twilight nodded. She folded back her wings, which she had opened a little to smooth out the ruffled feathers. Pacing around, she started to think of the trail ahead. "Don't focus on the future, focus on the now," she muttered to herself. Jerking her head up, she used her magic to levitate her saddle bag. Slinging it over her back, she put in two fruits and a bottle of water. "Ready to go?" asked Flash, spreading out his wings. Twilight spread out her wings and nodded. "Good." Flash flapped his wings, slowly lifting off the ground. Umbra began flapping his wings. They were flapping so fast, now they looked like two blue blurs, a humming sound slowly flowing from them. Twilight flapped her own wings. Then all three of them flew off. Chapter 3 : Second AssaultTwilight tried to match her pacing along with Flash and Umbra's. She was lagging behind, her wings refusing to flap faster. She landed on a cloud. Guess I'll do cloud hopping for now, she thought. She leaped from cloud to cloud, wings open in case she fell. Flash noticed Twilight wasn't behind them and looked around. He found her hopping on the clouds and flew down. "What are you doing??" he asked, clearly confused. Twilight nearly fell off the cloud in surprise. "Um..cloud hopping?? Ugh....I couldn't catch up with you. My wings won't cooperate with me," sighed Twilight, leaping onto the next cloud. Flash landed beside her. Whistling to Umbra, he pointed to Twilight with his hoof. Umbra nodded and flew over, landing on a cloud in front of Flash and Twilight. Then they all hopped from cloud to cloud together. Suddenly Umbra stopped. "My kind is coming!! Quick, hide!!! In the cloud!!!" whispered Umbra to Twilight and Flash. Twilight felt her adrenaline pump. She was getting used to it. Frantically flapping her wings, she sunk into a big fluffy cloud, followed by Flash. At least they could breathe. Umbra was being questioned by the two changelings from earlier (read chapter 2). Then, the cloud was destroyed. Twilight was still sheltered, but Flash was visible. The two changelings gasped in shock. "I told you I spotted them!!" yelled Acrisius, pointing at Flash. They quickly advanced on Flash. To their surprise, Umbra blocked them. "What are you doing?" yelled Acrisius, clearly confused. "This is my friend, and you will not hurt him!!" spat an angry Umbra, his red eyes blazing like two burning rubies. "Treachery!!" yelled Acrisius' older companion. "Where's your alicorn marefriend?" he taunted. Flash growled. "Twilight is not my marefriend!!!!" Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She could tell that his tone sounded true enough to the changelings, but he really liked her on the inside. "And nopony gave you the right to pick on us!!!" He bolted forward, kicking into the two changelings. They hollered in rage. "Where is your alicorn friend?!" Twilight couldn't take it anymore. She burst out of the cloud and rammed into the one she was sure was Acrisius. "Right here!!" she yelled, firing lasers at the other one. He let out a back up call. Soon there was a whole swarm of changelings behind them. Twilight hovered in midair. Even though she glared at them, inside every instinct was telling her to run away. But there was no going back. Suddenly the changelings let out a horrified cry. Twilight gasped as she saw their bodies turning to black crystals....something only Sombra could do. She turned to see Umbra's horn glowing a deep shade of blue. "What? But how?" Umbra gave her a look that said I will explain later. She nodded and began firing lasers at the remaining changelings...erm...finishing them off. Flash was dumbstruck. That battle was over in a few minutes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So you studied Sombra's crystal spell for years?" Twilight looked shattered. Umbra nodded. "My mother said it was very fitting for my name." Flash cast a glance at Twilight. "We'd better get going before another swarm decides they want to kill us," he joked. Twilight laughed. Umbra had a small smile on his face. "Then let's go." Twilight spread out her wings and raced after Flash. After about an hour or so flying, the group rested on the branches of a tree. Twilight pulled out the snacks she had stored in her saddle bag and handed them out. Umbra just took the water, while Flash and Twilight broke a fruit in half and shared the slices. After that, the three of them continued flying towards the place that Umbra had suggested; Orios Fyr, or Sheltered Forest. As soon as they reached the forest, Umbra found a spot. But it was full of changelings. Twilight hid in the tree, serving as backup if the two stallions were outnumbered. Flash started by taunting the changelings while Umbra turned them to stone. But there were too many, and Twilight could hear Flash scream in agony as something snapped his wing. Oh shoot, she thought. Bursting out of the trees, she attacked with full force, kicking and firing lasers at the changelings. A changeling scratched her on the flank, knocking her backwards. Driving her hooves onto the ground, Twilight ignored the pain as she rammed into the changeling, driving her horn into his flesh...if there were any. It screamed. Another changeling came up behind her. She whipped her head around and shot a blast into it's chest. More changelings surrounded her. Something snapped inside Twilight. Suddenly her eyes glowed white as a large purple star; her cutie mark; spread across the floor as she stamped her hooves on the ground. It knocked back the changelings, instantly killing them. She was panting. That took a lot of energy. Stumbling, she leaned against a tree trunk for support. She glanced at Flash. He looked surprised. Then Twilight was aware of blood trickling down her flank and head. Pain shot through her body. She groaned quietly and staggered over to Flash. Pulling out the last fruit, she divided it into three pieces. Handing them out to Flash and Umbra, Twilight washed off the blood with the water from her canteen. Then she quickly gulped down her fruit. She felt better, but it only numbed the pain on her flank and head. Flash groaned as he saw his limp wing in the ground. Feathers were plucked out where the changeling had snapped it. Blood was drying along the joint. Twilight gave a muffled cry of horror. She yanked open the cap off her canteen and poured the liquid all over the wing, washing off the blood and cooling the burning sensation of the pain. Then Twilight's legs buckled and she fell onto the ground. Propping herself up, she stretched out her wings for balance. That power up drained most of her energy, and even the fruit could not help her. Umbra was limping from a broken hoof. At least they managed to fend off the second attack. But next time, Twilight feared, it would be much,much harder. Chapter 4 : Imposter!!Twilight, Flash and Umbra forced themselves to keep going. Flash had a broken wing and Umbra was limping on three feet. As for Twilight, she was fine. Only that she had two scratches and a power up that drained most of her energy. Finally the group reached a big clearing, sheltered by the trees and surrounded by bramble bushes. "Looks like a good place," grunted Flash, his left wing hanging limply from his back. Umbra nodded. They both looked at Twilight. Taking a deep breath, she lit up her horn. Prepare for teleportation, she thought, thinking of her friends. Her horn began lighting up with a brilliant light. Twilight was sweating. Surely a teleportation spell wasn't that hard to accomplish, especially for an experienced alicorn like Twilight. She concentrated harder. Pop. The tents appeared. Then her friends. Lastly all their supplies. Twilight noticed, with alarm, that her magic was running out. How is this happening?!she thought desperately. Then she suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Whatisgoingonwhatisgoingonwhatisgoinon?!she repeated the question in her mind over and over again. Flash hurried over. "Twi! You alright?" Flash sat down beside her. Twilight managed to lift her head up. Applejack and the rest came galloping over. "What in da hay is goin' on in here?!" she yelled. "Twi, you alright?" Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight's forehead. I wish I wasn't getting all this attention... thought Twilight bitterly. "Well, you're fine," declared Fluttershy. Then she noticed the condition of Flash and Umbra. With a horrified gasp she began examining them. "What in Equestria happened to you?!" asked a now worried Fluttershy. Flash grunted. "Changelings. I don't know what exactly happened, but Twilight went all.." he rolled his eyes around and made a funny face. Despite being drained of her energy Twilight managed to slap him on the hoof. "I didn't go crazy!!! That was just a....power up, nothing crazy!!" snapped Twilight. The pain in her scratches was burning again. Fluttershy looked at Twilight. "A...a power up? I don't know what that is, but it looked like it drained your energy Twi," said Fluttershy while wrapping a bandage around her hoof and sticking plasters on her scars. Twilight thought back to the battle. That could be it. Rainbow's voice broke her train of thought. "Coooooooooooll!!!! What was your new power? What did it feel like? Wha-" she was cut off by Fluttershy. "Not now Rainbow. Twilight, Flash and Umbra need to rest. Why don't you round up AJ and Pinkie for a patrol?" Rainbow nodded and dashed off to find the two said ponies. Pinkie was dead serious.....for the first time. "Now, let's get you into the tent," said Fluttershy. "Me and Umbra can walk. It's Twilight that could use a lift," insisted Flash. Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'm not helpless, you know!" she said. Flash sighed. "Fine. But don't make me remind you that you were drained of your energy, stripped of your power and therefore, unable to walk," he said mischievously. Twilight groaned. Fluttershy sighed. "Let's go inside before the rain decides to drench us." *** Twilight was back on her hooves after two days in the camp. Finally. She just found out from a helpful letter by Princess Celestia that it was a special power up. Apparently her power as an alicorn had evolved and now she could use it to fight off stronger enemies. But she needed to learn how to control it. Twilight was outside stretching her wings beside a puddle that had formed from last night's rain when something bumped into her side. "AHHHHHH!!!!" she fell headfirst into the puddle. Mud got stuck in her mane and leaves were sticking out of her fur. She wiped her face and pushed strands of her fringe from her muzzle. She heard a stallion laugh somewhere and saw Flash Sentry grinning cheekily at her. "FLASH!!!!!" she groaned. Twilight got up and shook the water off of her fur. Then she lit up her horn and plucked the leaves from her fur and mane. Twilight glared at Flash. "What the buck were you doing?!" she snapped at him. Somehow Flash was acting stranger than usual. She treaded over to her tent. Then she yanked out a towel and started to mop her mane. Somehow this mud was harder to wipe off. Flapping her wings momentarily she flung the mud on top of Flash. He screamed. Then Twilight went back to mopping the mud off her face. Finally she got all the mud off her face and fur. Instantly she got out a bucket of rainwater and washed the towel in it. Leaving the towel to dry, she stomped over to Flash. "Okay, what is going on?! You're acting strange," she asked. He nodded. "Come with me," he said, gesturing to a deep part of the forest. Twilight was worried. Why would he want to talk in secret? Reluctantly she followed. Instantly Flash was surrounded by a bright green light. When Twilight looked, there was a changeling in front of her. "Wha-" without warning the changeling shot a fainting spell at her. Twilight coughed and the world went black. What happened to the real Flash?? Chapter 5 : What is going on?!Twilight was wondering what the changelings had done with Flash. No wonder he was acting strange. She recalled, the day after they had been attacked, Flash had gone out by himself. When he came back, he started acting really weird. She knew Umbra wouldn't have planned this; he was in the med tent the whole time! Now she woke up in a big metal cage. She instantly got up and fired a spell at the bars. It was resistent. Darn it, how would she get out?! "How..." she thought to herself. What did the changelings want? Then she saw a huddled shape across the room. It was covered in chains and was stuck in a cage. Like her. Then as a shaft of light hit the shape, she instantly recognised it. "Flash?!" she yelled at the cage. He looked up. "Twilight!!! I am so sorry! They wanted to get you, and they used a clone of me as bait!!!" he yelled. "But for what?! What do they want with me?!" she asked. Flash flattened his ears, looked around, then whispered it as loudly as he could to Twilight. "They want your alicorn powers," he explained. Twilight wasn't surprised. Chrysalis had been trying to get it the whole time. But why lure her here using Flash as bait? "Well, forget about that. How do we get out?!" she yelled. "Let's just hope that the others find out where we are and come," said Flash. "I wish they didn't chain me unlike you." Twilight was about to scream something at him when chains wrapped themselves around her hooves and wings. "Wha?!" "Well, never mind," joked Flash. "We need to get out of here," said Twilight, blasting the chains. "Why don't you use your power up?" suggested Flash, trying to squeeze out of the chains. Twilight stared at him. "But..what if.." Twilight stammered. Flash looked lost for words. "You don't have to if you don't want to.." he finally said. Twilight made up her mind. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath. Then her eyes glowed white. Twilight stamped her hooves on the ground, creating a blast of magic that shattered the chains and bars of the cage. Panting, her eyes returned back to normal. Hey, she was getting used to it. Stumbling out of the cage she ran over to Flash. Using another one of her power ups, she smashed the bars and chains. Flash grinned and shot out of the cage. Twilight opened up her wings. But before she could take off, something pulled her inside. "What?!" she yelled as she saw the same changeling that got her and Flash. She fired a blast at it. It dodged and shot another blast at her. She ducked out of the way just in time. Flash then rammed into the changeling. Twilight shot him a grateful look. Then a cackling sound echoed across the hall. A blast of ice shot towards Twilight and Flash. Instantly they were frozen. *** Twilight awoke to find herself attached to some kind of machine. With a sinking feeling she recognised what machine it was. She tried to break out of the chains. She knew it would be useless to use her power up now, the machine would suck it all in. Flash was stuck in a cage...again. Beside Twilight. She glanced at him helplessly. Then an icy blue changeling trotted up to them. "At last, Princess Twilight. I have been attacking your precious Equestria just to get you out here and into my trap. But now, you won't be able to get back to Celestia to explain it!" she cackled. Twilight was about to say something when an agonizing pain shot through her body. The changeling had turned on the machine. Twilight screamed. Flash was banging against his cage in fury. "Let her go!!!" he screamed. The changeling merely laughed. "Well well well....what do we have here? Oh I can feel your love for her. I am feeding off it right now!!" she laughed. Flash grew even angrier. "Just let her go!!" The changeling was about to say something when another one; strangely familiar; smashed into her side. Twilight's eyes grew wide as she recognised him. "Umbra!!"
Chapter 1 : Fighting off the First AttackTwilight positioned herself in front of Flash's trap. Changelings were coming. She sure hoped Flash was done setting up the trap. Soon the party of changelings came into view. "Hey! Uglies!! Over here, you pieces of vermin!" yelled Twilight as loud as she could. The changelings gave chase. Twilight dashed off. The changelings were fast. She swerved madly, narrowly avoiding branches. Her right wing was aching all over. She didn't know how long she could hold on. Then something shot her from behind. "AAAAAAHH!!!" Just as she rounded the corner; right into to Flash's trap; a bolt of light slammed into her chest. She fell down. Smashing onto the forest floor she could hear the changelings laugh, then shriek as Flash's trap quickly....desposed of them. Twilight could barely stand up. She was panting. Groaning from the pain of the impact, she staggered to her hooves, only to collapse back down. Her right wing was sore, and she had hurt her already injured hoof. Oh the joy of saving the world. She could hear wingbeats coming from behind. Then the earth shook a little as something landed right beside her. She looked up, her vision blurred a little. Why was it so dusty here?! She could just make out the shape of a stallion with wings. Twilight could only lay there. Then something picked her up. She felt herself being dropped onto something soft. Rubbing her eyes she saw the face of Flash Sentry stare worriedly at her. "Yaaaahh!!!" she screamed in surpise. Flash couldn't help grinning a little. "Sorry. You were brave back there. Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly. Twilight didn't know of any good answer to that question. She only nodded. Then Flash took off, Twilight still on his back. The blast of the wind instantly startled Twilight. "We still need to patrol the border. I could drop you off at camp if you're still too weak to do it. Seeing as to how you were so easily shot," yelled Flash, the wind tossing his words into Twilight's ears. She took offence at this. Whatever Flash thought of her state she was a princess. She was supposed to be the strong one. But yet, she was on the back of a guard, apparently battered and injured. She tried to say something, but the only thing that came out was coughing. Flash tilted his head. "I'll take that as a yes then." He glided over to Haven Lagoon. There he paced quietly into Twilight's tent. Gently setting her down on the sleeping bag, he was about to go outside. "Wait.." Twilight began. "You need to rest. We've been looking for this place since two days ago. You looked the most tuckered out," interrupted Flash, giving Twilight a mischievous grin. Twilight sighed, nodding her head. Flash gave her one last look, before stretching his orange wings and swiftly shooting over the treetops. Twilight sighed. They were going to need more of those 'traps'. What Twilight didn't know was that those 'traps' were actually killing machines.
Chapter 2 : ExploringTwilight could no longer hold it. She had been trying to stay awake ever since Flash dropped her off at the tent. She instantly collapsed onto her sleeping bag. Trying to fight the urge to sleep, she closed her eyes. Morning. Something prodded Twilight in the side. She groaned. Opening her eyes a little, she was blinded by a white light. Then her vision suddenly became clear. Flash was looming over her. "YYAAAAAAAHH!!!!" she screamed. Flash was startled too. He screamed as well. Then Twilight slapped herself. Ouch. Even moving her hoof made her whole body ache. Apparently last night's battle made her sore. Flash stopped screaming as well. Then he gave her one of the fruits on the trees surrounding the lagoon. She ate it quickly. Instantly she was healed, her aching going away. That fruit was very helpful. "Well, now that the ordeal is over, let's go scout ahead; if you're up for it. We have to leave sooner or later." Flash stepped forward. Twilight felt her face grow hot. She wasn't that pathetic!! She nodded. "I'm not that helpless you know!" she couldn't help but snap at him. Flash grinned. "Whatever. Now stop talking and lets go." Twilight got up on her hooves. Giving herself a quick brush, she followed Flash out of the tent. Twilight still gaped in awe at the beauty of Haven Lagoon. She trotted over to the lake. Grabbing her canteen she quickly filled up the bottle with water. Slinging the canteen around her neck, she galloped away to find Flash. She found him waiting at the far end of the waterfall. "Flash? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked as she slowed beside the waterfall. Flash gestured for her to follow him. As she carefully made her way around the flowing water, she found Flash trotting into a cave. A cave behind the waterfall? Too convenient. She leaped over the rocks that were in her way. Then she was blinded by a white light. At the far end of the cave, a new valley was spread out in front of her and Flash. "Woah.." Flash looked blankly at the scenery before them. It was blank, with grey trees and grass. There was a black castle in the distance. "That must be the castle," she whispered to Flash. Then Flash pulled her into a crevice under the ground. "Wha?!" "Get down!!!" she fell beside him. She was about to say something when Flash put a hoof to her muzzle. Up there, they could hear voices. "They aren't here!" grumbled a scratchy voice. It sounded....animatronic-like. Changelings! "I could've swore I saw two ponies here; one orange pegasus stallion and a lavender alicorn!!!" protested another changeling, this one sounding younger. "Hah, I don't think so, Acrisius," laughed the first voice. "Hmph! Just because I'm the new guard doesn't give you the right to pick on me!!! I swear I saw them here!!" protested Acrisius. "Ya right. Let's keep going," said the first voice. Then, grumbling, they flew off. Twilight was dumbfounded. These changelings were a lot like Sunset Shimmer when Twilight first met her. "Is it safe?" she whispered to Flash, who had poked his head to check for enemies. He nodded. Shaking, Twilight pawed her way out of the hole that had hid them. "We need to tell the others. They are coming closer and closer to this place. We need to leave. Soon," said Flash. They both galloped out of the cave as fast as possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Me and Twilight will go find another place. The rest of you, grab as much supplies as you can, and prepare for teleportation," instructed Flash after he explained what happened. Umbra trotted up. "We need to move fast. I'm coming with you." Flash nodded. Twilight felt her heart racing. Another dangerously crazy adventure. Flash saw her ruffled wing feathers and came over to comfort her. "It's going to be fine. I'm here for you." Twilight nodded. She folded back her wings, which she had opened a little to smooth out the ruffled feathers. Pacing around, she started to think of the trail ahead. "Don't focus on the future, focus on the now," she muttered to herself. Jerking her head up, she used her magic to levitate her saddle bag. Slinging it over her back, she put in two fruits and a bottle of water. "Ready to go?" asked Flash, spreading out his wings. Twilight spread out her wings and nodded. "Good." Flash flapped his wings, slowly lifting off the ground. Umbra began flapping his wings. They were flapping so fast, now they looked like two blue blurs, a humming sound slowly flowing from them. Twilight flapped her own wings. Then all three of them flew off.
Chapter 3 : Second AssaultTwilight tried to match her pacing along with Flash and Umbra's. She was lagging behind, her wings refusing to flap faster. She landed on a cloud. Guess I'll do cloud hopping for now, she thought. She leaped from cloud to cloud, wings open in case she fell. Flash noticed Twilight wasn't behind them and looked around. He found her hopping on the clouds and flew down. "What are you doing??" he asked, clearly confused. Twilight nearly fell off the cloud in surprise. "Um..cloud hopping?? Ugh....I couldn't catch up with you. My wings won't cooperate with me," sighed Twilight, leaping onto the next cloud. Flash landed beside her. Whistling to Umbra, he pointed to Twilight with his hoof. Umbra nodded and flew over, landing on a cloud in front of Flash and Twilight. Then they all hopped from cloud to cloud together. Suddenly Umbra stopped. "My kind is coming!! Quick, hide!!! In the cloud!!!" whispered Umbra to Twilight and Flash. Twilight felt her adrenaline pump. She was getting used to it. Frantically flapping her wings, she sunk into a big fluffy cloud, followed by Flash. At least they could breathe. Umbra was being questioned by the two changelings from earlier (read chapter 2). Then, the cloud was destroyed. Twilight was still sheltered, but Flash was visible. The two changelings gasped in shock. "I told you I spotted them!!" yelled Acrisius, pointing at Flash. They quickly advanced on Flash. To their surprise, Umbra blocked them. "What are you doing?" yelled Acrisius, clearly confused. "This is my friend, and you will not hurt him!!" spat an angry Umbra, his red eyes blazing like two burning rubies. "Treachery!!" yelled Acrisius' older companion. "Where's your alicorn marefriend?" he taunted. Flash growled. "Twilight is not my marefriend!!!!" Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She could tell that his tone sounded true enough to the changelings, but he really liked her on the inside. "And nopony gave you the right to pick on us!!!" He bolted forward, kicking into the two changelings. They hollered in rage. "Where is your alicorn friend?!" Twilight couldn't take it anymore. She burst out of the cloud and rammed into the one she was sure was Acrisius. "Right here!!" she yelled, firing lasers at the other one. He let out a back up call. Soon there was a whole swarm of changelings behind them. Twilight hovered in midair. Even though she glared at them, inside every instinct was telling her to run away. But there was no going back. Suddenly the changelings let out a horrified cry. Twilight gasped as she saw their bodies turning to black crystals....something only Sombra could do. She turned to see Umbra's horn glowing a deep shade of blue. "What? But how?" Umbra gave her a look that said I will explain later. She nodded and began firing lasers at the remaining changelings...erm...finishing them off. Flash was dumbstruck. That battle was over in a few minutes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "So you studied Sombra's crystal spell for years?" Twilight looked shattered. Umbra nodded. "My mother said it was very fitting for my name." Flash cast a glance at Twilight. "We'd better get going before another swarm decides they want to kill us," he joked. Twilight laughed. Umbra had a small smile on his face. "Then let's go." Twilight spread out her wings and raced after Flash. After about an hour or so flying, the group rested on the branches of a tree. Twilight pulled out the snacks she had stored in her saddle bag and handed them out. Umbra just took the water, while Flash and Twilight broke a fruit in half and shared the slices. After that, the three of them continued flying towards the place that Umbra had suggested; Orios Fyr, or Sheltered Forest. As soon as they reached the forest, Umbra found a spot. But it was full of changelings. Twilight hid in the tree, serving as backup if the two stallions were outnumbered. Flash started by taunting the changelings while Umbra turned them to stone. But there were too many, and Twilight could hear Flash scream in agony as something snapped his wing. Oh shoot, she thought. Bursting out of the trees, she attacked with full force, kicking and firing lasers at the changelings. A changeling scratched her on the flank, knocking her backwards. Driving her hooves onto the ground, Twilight ignored the pain as she rammed into the changeling, driving her horn into his flesh...if there were any. It screamed. Another changeling came up behind her. She whipped her head around and shot a blast into it's chest. More changelings surrounded her. Something snapped inside Twilight. Suddenly her eyes glowed white as a large purple star; her cutie mark; spread across the floor as she stamped her hooves on the ground. It knocked back the changelings, instantly killing them. She was panting. That took a lot of energy. Stumbling, she leaned against a tree trunk for support. She glanced at Flash. He looked surprised. Then Twilight was aware of blood trickling down her flank and head. Pain shot through her body. She groaned quietly and staggered over to Flash. Pulling out the last fruit, she divided it into three pieces. Handing them out to Flash and Umbra, Twilight washed off the blood with the water from her canteen. Then she quickly gulped down her fruit. She felt better, but it only numbed the pain on her flank and head. Flash groaned as he saw his limp wing in the ground. Feathers were plucked out where the changeling had snapped it. Blood was drying along the joint. Twilight gave a muffled cry of horror. She yanked open the cap off her canteen and poured the liquid all over the wing, washing off the blood and cooling the burning sensation of the pain. Then Twilight's legs buckled and she fell onto the ground. Propping herself up, she stretched out her wings for balance. That power up drained most of her energy, and even the fruit could not help her. Umbra was limping from a broken hoof. At least they managed to fend off the second attack. But next time, Twilight feared, it would be much,much harder.
Chapter 4 : Imposter!!Twilight, Flash and Umbra forced themselves to keep going. Flash had a broken wing and Umbra was limping on three feet. As for Twilight, she was fine. Only that she had two scratches and a power up that drained most of her energy. Finally the group reached a big clearing, sheltered by the trees and surrounded by bramble bushes. "Looks like a good place," grunted Flash, his left wing hanging limply from his back. Umbra nodded. They both looked at Twilight. Taking a deep breath, she lit up her horn. Prepare for teleportation, she thought, thinking of her friends. Her horn began lighting up with a brilliant light. Twilight was sweating. Surely a teleportation spell wasn't that hard to accomplish, especially for an experienced alicorn like Twilight. She concentrated harder. Pop. The tents appeared. Then her friends. Lastly all their supplies. Twilight noticed, with alarm, that her magic was running out. How is this happening?!she thought desperately. Then she suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Whatisgoingonwhatisgoingonwhatisgoinon?!she repeated the question in her mind over and over again. Flash hurried over. "Twi! You alright?" Flash sat down beside her. Twilight managed to lift her head up. Applejack and the rest came galloping over. "What in da hay is goin' on in here?!" she yelled. "Twi, you alright?" Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight's forehead. I wish I wasn't getting all this attention... thought Twilight bitterly. "Well, you're fine," declared Fluttershy. Then she noticed the condition of Flash and Umbra. With a horrified gasp she began examining them. "What in Equestria happened to you?!" asked a now worried Fluttershy. Flash grunted. "Changelings. I don't know what exactly happened, but Twilight went all.." he rolled his eyes around and made a funny face. Despite being drained of her energy Twilight managed to slap him on the hoof. "I didn't go crazy!!! That was just a....power up, nothing crazy!!" snapped Twilight. The pain in her scratches was burning again. Fluttershy looked at Twilight. "A...a power up? I don't know what that is, but it looked like it drained your energy Twi," said Fluttershy while wrapping a bandage around her hoof and sticking plasters on her scars. Twilight thought back to the battle. That could be it. Rainbow's voice broke her train of thought. "Coooooooooooll!!!! What was your new power? What did it feel like? Wha-" she was cut off by Fluttershy. "Not now Rainbow. Twilight, Flash and Umbra need to rest. Why don't you round up AJ and Pinkie for a patrol?" Rainbow nodded and dashed off to find the two said ponies. Pinkie was dead serious.....for the first time. "Now, let's get you into the tent," said Fluttershy. "Me and Umbra can walk. It's Twilight that could use a lift," insisted Flash. Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'm not helpless, you know!" she said. Flash sighed. "Fine. But don't make me remind you that you were drained of your energy, stripped of your power and therefore, unable to walk," he said mischievously. Twilight groaned. Fluttershy sighed. "Let's go inside before the rain decides to drench us." *** Twilight was back on her hooves after two days in the camp. Finally. She just found out from a helpful letter by Princess Celestia that it was a special power up. Apparently her power as an alicorn had evolved and now she could use it to fight off stronger enemies. But she needed to learn how to control it. Twilight was outside stretching her wings beside a puddle that had formed from last night's rain when something bumped into her side. "AHHHHHH!!!!" she fell headfirst into the puddle. Mud got stuck in her mane and leaves were sticking out of her fur. She wiped her face and pushed strands of her fringe from her muzzle. She heard a stallion laugh somewhere and saw Flash Sentry grinning cheekily at her. "FLASH!!!!!" she groaned. Twilight got up and shook the water off of her fur. Then she lit up her horn and plucked the leaves from her fur and mane. Twilight glared at Flash. "What the buck were you doing?!" she snapped at him. Somehow Flash was acting stranger than usual. She treaded over to her tent. Then she yanked out a towel and started to mop her mane. Somehow this mud was harder to wipe off. Flapping her wings momentarily she flung the mud on top of Flash. He screamed. Then Twilight went back to mopping the mud off her face. Finally she got all the mud off her face and fur. Instantly she got out a bucket of rainwater and washed the towel in it. Leaving the towel to dry, she stomped over to Flash. "Okay, what is going on?! You're acting strange," she asked. He nodded. "Come with me," he said, gesturing to a deep part of the forest. Twilight was worried. Why would he want to talk in secret? Reluctantly she followed. Instantly Flash was surrounded by a bright green light. When Twilight looked, there was a changeling in front of her. "Wha-" without warning the changeling shot a fainting spell at her. Twilight coughed and the world went black. What happened to the real Flash??
Chapter 5 : What is going on?!Twilight was wondering what the changelings had done with Flash. No wonder he was acting strange. She recalled, the day after they had been attacked, Flash had gone out by himself. When he came back, he started acting really weird. She knew Umbra wouldn't have planned this; he was in the med tent the whole time! Now she woke up in a big metal cage. She instantly got up and fired a spell at the bars. It was resistent. Darn it, how would she get out?! "How..." she thought to herself. What did the changelings want? Then she saw a huddled shape across the room. It was covered in chains and was stuck in a cage. Like her. Then as a shaft of light hit the shape, she instantly recognised it. "Flash?!" she yelled at the cage. He looked up. "Twilight!!! I am so sorry! They wanted to get you, and they used a clone of me as bait!!!" he yelled. "But for what?! What do they want with me?!" she asked. Flash flattened his ears, looked around, then whispered it as loudly as he could to Twilight. "They want your alicorn powers," he explained. Twilight wasn't surprised. Chrysalis had been trying to get it the whole time. But why lure her here using Flash as bait? "Well, forget about that. How do we get out?!" she yelled. "Let's just hope that the others find out where we are and come," said Flash. "I wish they didn't chain me unlike you." Twilight was about to scream something at him when chains wrapped themselves around her hooves and wings. "Wha?!" "Well, never mind," joked Flash. "We need to get out of here," said Twilight, blasting the chains. "Why don't you use your power up?" suggested Flash, trying to squeeze out of the chains. Twilight stared at him. "But..what if.." Twilight stammered. Flash looked lost for words. "You don't have to if you don't want to.." he finally said. Twilight made up her mind. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath. Then her eyes glowed white. Twilight stamped her hooves on the ground, creating a blast of magic that shattered the chains and bars of the cage. Panting, her eyes returned back to normal. Hey, she was getting used to it. Stumbling out of the cage she ran over to Flash. Using another one of her power ups, she smashed the bars and chains. Flash grinned and shot out of the cage. Twilight opened up her wings. But before she could take off, something pulled her inside. "What?!" she yelled as she saw the same changeling that got her and Flash. She fired a blast at it. It dodged and shot another blast at her. She ducked out of the way just in time. Flash then rammed into the changeling. Twilight shot him a grateful look. Then a cackling sound echoed across the hall. A blast of ice shot towards Twilight and Flash. Instantly they were frozen. *** Twilight awoke to find herself attached to some kind of machine. With a sinking feeling she recognised what machine it was. She tried to break out of the chains. She knew it would be useless to use her power up now, the machine would suck it all in. Flash was stuck in a cage...again. Beside Twilight. She glanced at him helplessly. Then an icy blue changeling trotted up to them. "At last, Princess Twilight. I have been attacking your precious Equestria just to get you out here and into my trap. But now, you won't be able to get back to Celestia to explain it!" she cackled. Twilight was about to say something when an agonizing pain shot through her body. The changeling had turned on the machine. Twilight screamed. Flash was banging against his cage in fury. "Let her go!!!" he screamed. The changeling merely laughed. "Well well well....what do we have here? Oh I can feel your love for her. I am feeding off it right now!!" she laughed. Flash grew even angrier. "Just let her go!!" The changeling was about to say something when another one; strangely familiar; smashed into her side. Twilight's eyes grew wide as she recognised him. "Umbra!!"
