Patriots of Equestria, Part 1

Starlight and her entourage followed a witness who saw the bombers into his delicatessen, knowing that they were indeed beginning to get somewhere in terms of finding the Changelings who carried out these atrocities. Like all the businesses in the path of the carnage, Carnegie Deli's business suffered damage consisting of broken windows.

"Watch the broken glass," he warned as they walked around shards of broken window. "The darn blasts destroyed my windows."

"I'll take care of this," said Discord, snapping his fingers and donning a janitor's outfit while holding a broom in his lion paw, getting right to work. "Believe me, you'll be free of any glass by the time I am done."

Carnegie turned to Discord and couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement. But, he focused on the four unicorns and what they were seeking. He led Starlight and the others into his office in the back of the store.

"You know, its fun how nopony in law enforcement came to ask me about any suspicious activity," he said as Starlight and her friends surrounded his desk. "Those two ponies were certainly in a hurry and I knew that they were up to no good."

"Well, when you say that they were up to no good," asked Moon Dancer, who had a small notebook and a small pen in her aura. "What do you mean that they were doing?"

"They were crazy, missy," he explained. "I was planning on going out to watch the runners make it to the finish line, but again, business as usual. I had several customers in here and I couldn't leave. Then, they came in and ordered several pounds of meat for a long journey."

This to Starlight and her friends was downright odd. As far as they were concerned, Changelings always fed on love and not on anything else, including meat.

"Why would Changelings want to have meat?" wondered Starlight. "It doesn't make any sense at all. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I certainly do," remarked Sunset, pondering exactly what was being said at that moment. "Believe me, when the Sirens caused havoc at Canterlot High, they also ate normal food as opposed to feeding on hate. Could these Changelings have a similar diet that we don't know about?"

"If these are Changelings," said Moon Dancer. "Then, it goes to show that they don't just survive on a diet of love alone. Guess all that studying over the years is paying off."

Carnegie Deli then reached into his desk and pulled out what appeared to be a book, a book about Changelings and their diet habits much to the surprise of the four unicorns that sat before him.

"You aren't the only ones doing their studying," he said, sliding the book to the unicorns as they opened the pages and began to read what was inside. "Ever since I found out about the Changeling attack in Canterlot, I've often wondered if they were after something other than love. It turns out that they also feed on meat and not just beef, pork and chicken, etc."

As Carnegie spoke, Starlight and her friends came to a part of the book that made them sick and in fact, Trixie had to turn away and retch in disgust when they came to the part.

"Are you all right?" he asked to the sickened magician. "You're not afraid of a little facts are you?"

"The great…and powerful Trixie," coughed Trixie, turning around and facing Carnegie Deli. "Is a little sickened by what is in this book of propaganda."

"Yeah," remarked Moon Dancer, pushing the book back. "I could definitely do without seeing that."

"However, it is very true," said Carnegie Deli, getting up from his desk and looking towards of picture of himself and a young filly on the wall of his office. "Very few ponies know this, but Changelings are also meat eaters. They will go after any kind of meat that is out there, even pony meat."

All of the unicorns were shocked to hear something like this and it gave both Trixie and Starlight a very sickening feeling at what Chrysalis was planning to do had her plan come to fruition.

"I can't believe Chrysalis would dare to do something like that," gasped Starlight, looking right at Trixie. "Chrysalis…was going to…eat you and my friends?"

Starlight was now beginning to think back to what Twilight had told her that night on the balcony. The creature she was trying to offer friendship to was going to kill everypony that gave her a second chance. She now understood that Twilight was indeed right about Chrysalis not being able to be reformed.

"After absorbing your love," said Carnegie Deli, holding the book with his hoofs. "Oh yeah, there is much more to Changelings then meets the eye. After absorbing love, they kill their victims and eat their meat. Believe me, I didn't want to believe this was true either. But it is. And after what had happened today, well you might as well say that I am not taking any chances."

Carnegie reached into his desk drawer again and pulled out what appeared to be a butcher's knife, laying it down on his desk for all to see.

"But Carnegie," said Starlight as they all examined the butchers' knife that was laid on Carnegie's desk. "What if there is a situation where a pony acting suspiciously who is not a Changeling comes in?"

"I can tell by their behavior," explained Carnegie. "And when those two colts came in before the bombs, I can tell that they were up to no good. If they were to come back, then they will know what is coming to them and I don't care if I go to jail for it. Everypony needs to defend themselves after what happened and thank Equestria that our princesses are still alive after what happened to them."

…

Just then, Discord appeared in a burst of white light, no longer dressed like a janitor.

"Your glass is all swept up," said Discord, also taking note of the knife. "What's this little thing you got here?"

"Something I was showing to your friends here," said Carnegie. "I was telling them about how Changelings fed on meat, not just love and not just the usual meats, but pony meat as well."

Upon hearing this, Discord's face drooped and he quickly snapped his fingers, producing a black bucket and turning around to retch into it. It took several minutes for him to do his business before turning back around.

"Are you telling me that they were going to eat Fluttershy?" asked Discord, who was angry but also feeling sick to his stomach. "Then there is no time to waste! They have to be stopped and fast and I know just what to do with them once they are captured!"

Snapping his fingers again, Discord placed himself in a standing up stretcher, tied down and his face placed in a mask. Because the mask covered his face, he couldn't speak, but was nevertheless trying to get his point across. However, Carnegie Deli had his thoughts about four ordinary unicorns going after such dangerous creatures.

"Youse aren't serious about going after these two, aren't you?" he asked in a worried tone. "The police are saying that they are dangerous and should not be approached."

"That's true," said Starlight, firmly. "But these are creatures that we had faced before and we know what they are capable of. The police have tried everything, but even they are no match for the power these creature possess. We have to find them and convince them to give up their evil ways."

"Hello! Earth to Starlight!" cried Trixie, waving her forelegs in Starlight's face. "These are killer creatures here that eat ponies and their love! Convincing them will do us no good! Perhaps that we should let somepony in the law deal with them!"

However, Starlight was not the only one who decided to ignore Carnegie's warnings.

"I agree with Starlight," said Discord crossly while swinging around a .344 magnum revolver in his eagle claw. "I'm not going to rest until the ones who did this to Fluttershy pay for what they did to her! In fact, you got to ask yourselves one question, 'Do we feel lucky? Well do you, punks?'"

With those words, Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared from view.

"Never heard those words before," remarked Sunset.

"That doesn't matter now," Starlight said, firmly. "We have to leave now and continue finding these Changelings before they harm anypony!"

Before Carnegie could say another word, Starlight and her friends darted out of the office, leaving the Deli store owner wondering if they would indeed be successful in their upcoming quest now that he had told them these important details…