The ground shook slightly beneath Cipher's hooves as he came to a halt, looking back the way they'd come. The air had finally cleared enough to take a breather and assess the situation...He hated to admit it, but things were only getting worse. The shaking had come from Bulwark dropping back onto his haunches, clearly in bad shape. Healing Wave was doing her best to treat him, but her magic had been largely depleted in the battle and she was having to rely on her hoofwork alone for now. Cipher watched them for a second before checking their location. The tunnel they'd ended up heading into was a dead end, but it was small enough to hide in and seemed out of the way. It would have to do for now.

"Buddy to anypony, is anypony nearby?" He said quietly, hoping against hope that one of his four missing teammates were close enough to pick him up. "I repeat, is anypony in communication range?"

Several seconds passed. Nothing. Unpleasant but unfortunatly expected.

"Darnit," He muttered to himself before turning back to Bulwark and Wave. "Haven't had a chance to ask, but how're you two holding up?"

"Could be worse," Wave replied, her voice betraying her tiredness. "We can't go any further now though. Bulwark didn't suffer anything too serious but it's been piling up during the retreat and he still needs medical attention."

"Alright, we'll hold here for as long as we can...What about you? You did good back there, but you don't look much better."

"You chose me because I'm good under pressure," Wave replied simply, applying disinfectant to Bulwark's wounds before stepping back slightly and sighing. "I just hadn't had much sleep before Rainbow Dash was injured, that's all."

"Don't worry about me too much," Bulwark commented, undoing his mouthplate and taking a deep lungful of air. "These are just minor issues. If they're clean, I'll be fine with just a painkiller for now."

"Alright, I'll stay on watch while you both rest up." Cipher said as he took a water bottle out, taking a swig before passing it to Bulwark for him to help down the tablets Wave gave him.

As they finished the treatment for now and both settled down to rest, Cipher turned away and looked down the tunnel. A small part of him was glad for the helmet, making sure neither of them could see his face right now. It had been years since the last time he'd led his follow ponies from the frontline, but he'd never forgotten how hard it was to see them in trouble, wounded or dying. More pragmatic-minded leaders would be more focused on how the team was down to one third strength, he couldn't stop thinking about how four of his friends had been separated from the other, each isolated against the swarm that nested within the mountain.

Aurora was probably in the best situation, he reasoned. The youngster had a lot of magical ability left to give and he knew how to handle himself in a straight, fair fight, even if the changelings rarely went for such things. He'd probably teleported to safety, maybe even gone for help if he was calm enough for such a rational thought. Flash Sentry and Rainbow Dash were hopefully still together as well. She was injured but not seriously, the two of them could hold their own and come up with a plan together. Water Flare...With what he'd seen of the drop when they were initially scouting the cavern, from that height, it was more likely that she hadn't survived. When the mission was complete and the mountain cleared, he'd have to make sure that her remains were brought home.

Such thoughts wouldn't help him in the moment though. It hurt to think about, but for now he had to settle down and make sure his remaining teammates remained safe. As the sounds of Bulwark going through his bags for food and Wave dozing off reached his ears, he settled down to keep watch.

The next few hours passed in relative silence, broken only by the occasional faint echo from deeper within the mountain. Thinking about just what might be causing those sounds kept him on alert and ready to act on a moments' notice. Every so often he quietly checked his comms to see if the others had wandered into range, every time being met with the same silence. It didn't help that lingering feeling that slithered through his mind that they might be the only ones left, though he refused to give it any more recognition that the initial thought. He was so focused on watching out for any sights or sounds of incoming trouble that the sound of Healing Wave yawning behind him actually made him jump slightly.

"Feeling better?" He asked quietly as he turned to check on them. Both Bulwark and Wave had been able to get some sleep and were stretching slightly as they stood up again.

"Me? I'm fine now. What about you, patient?" Wave asked as she gave Bulwark a check over. Most of his light injuries had started to heal up while he slept and the worse ones only required minor attention by now.

"Better than I was, now I've spent some time not breathing pure dust," He replied, giving a more relaxed smile before looking over at his leader. "What about you sir? You need to eat too."

"How'd you know?" Cipher asked, even as he relented, undoing his mouthplate and opening his bags. Satisfied that there was still more than enough food to spare, he took out some hay and water to chew on.

"Because you're a devoted leader." Bulwark replied, smiling more. Cipher gave him a knowing nod and sat in silence for several minutes as he let his food settle before standing up again.

"Thank you. Alright, for now we need to focus on finding an exit to this mountain. If we can find signs of the others along the way, all the better. But our mission was to verify a changeling presence, we can't risk losing everypony now."

"That's a tough call to make...But I trust you sir." Bulwark said, exhaling in saddened understanding before focusing again, reattaching his mouthplate as Cipher did the same.

"Same here, lead the way, Colonel." Wave added. Cipher gave them both a thankful nod before leading them back into the tunnels, looking for signs that might lead to a way out. Thankfully their eyes had adjusted to the dark by now and it was easier to keep on watch for anything that might help.

'One way or another, we'll find you, everypony,' Cipher thought to himself. 'I promise.'

"So if I'm getting this right, changelings can acquire love without a pony feeling it?" Aurora asked. He'd lost track of how long he'd been walking, constantly asking and answering questions the whole time, slowing breaking down the language barrier with the changeling he walked side by side with. He didn't mind in the slightest though.

"If careful," Ymir answered, scanning the area ahead to make sure they could keep moving. "Queen likes force more."

"I'm not surprised, knowing what she did to my parents." He commented, holding that small flicker of anger that flared up when talking about Chrysalis down in his chest for now.

He wasn't going to let it sour his mood too much though. So far the walk had given him so many opportunities to learn and teach Ymir about their different species. He'd been able to put down a number of misconceptions that had sprung up as a result of Chrysalis attempting to stir further aggression against Equestria, like her claim that captured changelings were kept as slaves. In exchange, she had given him so much information that ponies lacked on changelings, even the most basic biological notes. His personal highlights included the facts that all females lacked horns, their entire race only required water and love for basic sustenance, and that they had both regular and lateral sets of eyelids to maximise protection for their more sensitive eyes. As an added bonus, he was learning so much about their language in the process.

"Bosch, hi devi?" He asked, waiting for her reaction. She glanced down slightly and looked away.

"Hi schneelaz me'q me'ek chimi rolaef. Very bad." She clarified, poking her head into an open area before them, ears twitching slightly.

"I can't imagine that-"

"Sepsis xin!" She suddenly hissed, placing a hoof on his chest and pushing him down to the floor.

Aurora pressed himself down, keeping low and fitting his mouthplate again as Ymir kept watching, wondering what she was doing. A few seconds later, his answer came with the fresh sound of buzzling wings in the air. She motioned for him to wait and stepped out into the cavern ahead. He took a quiet breath and waited, knowing he was in the shadows but wondering if it was enough. A minute later, half a dozen changelings flew into the area and stopped upon noticing Ymir. Aurora simply stayed down and silent, too far away to listen in properly as she went to them and discussed something, the parts he heard were changeling words that he hadn't learned yet.

His heart started hammering in his chest as a new thought came to him. What if he really had put too much faith in her? If he was sold out now, it would be seven against one and he doubted he could take those odds. She'd been so open with him though, was it all an act to lure him into a trap? Part of him wanted to slip away now, but what if he was just being paranoid? The conflicting options clashed in his head until he simply pressed down lower, deciding to teleport away the second it looked like things were going wrong.

It didn't seem to be going that way though. All the changelings there were bigger than Ymir and they seemed to be harassing her, though he had no idea why. After several minutes of this and with a parting smack of her shoulder, the group finally moved on down another tunnel and she returned to Aurora, looking stressed out.

"Are...You ok?"

"Yes." She replied simply, glancing behind her.

"Wh-what did you tell them?" He asked quietly.

"Expis banti cidi wev nemos," She said to herself before looking at him more hopefully. "Good news, they don't find the others yet."

"Really?" He perked up on hearing that, though still making sure to keep quiet.

"Yes," She nodded. "Looking, but your friends safe. Know route to find safe leave for us. Close."

Aurora nodded, his mind racing. Just as Ymir went to move on, he put a hoof on her shoulder to stop her. He couldn't just overlook how she had been treated back there. She tensed slightly and looked at him in surprise, relaxing again when she realised it was his hoof.

"I...Why were they being so mean to you? Do changelings normally do that to you?" He asked quickly, unable to keep himself in check.

"Kop..." Ymir replied quietly, looking away. "Usual changelings, queen, do that lots. I deal it all the time, do not want to be like Thorax."

"Who's Thorax?" Aurora asked, hoping his curiosity would keep his anger at hearing how she was treated under control.

"Usual changeling, but like me, friendly," She explained, sitting down and looking back at him. "I was told he was in the attack on Canterlot, first force against a pony army post. Died in huge pain, caught in two pony units. Changelings say, same happen to me if I get ideas."

Aurora's jaw dropped behind his mouthplate. While everything he knew about Chrysalis meant that he wouldn't put posting a changeling that opposed her ideals on a suicide mission past her, the fact he was actually hearing it happened had caught him out. He shook his head slightly, understanding that even if the other changelings had been exaggerating to intimidate her, this explained a lot for why she was so timid.

"Nin foulke, ka bisse zess erane."He told her gently, patting her shoulder gently. She simply nodded, turning away.

"Ho quis, lares nectal cuaa kergi." She replied, seeming like she wanted to move along rather than think about it.

"Okay...How did you get rid of them?"

"Ka..." Ymir took a slow breath, sounding like she didn't want to finish the sentence. "Sent them where you killed him."

"Oh. Nin foulke." He said softly. To his surprise, she looked straight back at him and managed a small smile.

"Thank you. He was just a team changeling though, blind loyal to queen."

"What does that make me?"

Ymir simply turned and motioned for him to follow again, sensing they were clear to keep moving. Aurora quickly checked with his magic to make sure they really were alone and followed. Once they'd crossed the cavern into another tunnel, she stopped and let him draw alongside before looking at him, mouthing words to herself for several seconds before focusing on him.

"Somepony better."

Hope was a fine thing, but it couldn't keep a pony going by itself.

All her water was gone, her bandages weren't keeping up with her bleeding, her leg was still barely able to take any weight and she was completely lost. Hope alone didn't hold much weight against all that.

Water Flare gritted her teeth harder to keep herself from panting and stopped to sit down and get her breath back as best she could. It felt like hours since she'd started walking and things hadn't gotten any better. For all she knew she'd walked into one of the other mountains without realising it. At this point she'd almost settle for encountering changelings, since they tried to take their targets alive. She couldn't afford to give up though, not when she needed to find her friends. A small part of her wondered if it was her own mentality that was playing a part in this. A pony who wasn't so...Energetic, might have struggled to keep going through all she had been subjected to so far.

But that wasn't happening here. She was going to push onward, find her way to safety and show the others she really could keep up under extreme duress. She felt a fresh well of drive forming within her, weaker than her previous ones but enough to keep her walking once she had her breath back. As Flare let herself relax slightly and stopped focusing on herself, her ears twitched as they picked up the sound of...Something. She couldn't figure out what it was, but it was a sign of life, and right now that was almost definitely better than nothing.

After another few minutes, she summoned the will to get back to her hooves and gingerly tested her bad leg. It still hurt to put any serious pressure on it and the painkillers were starting to wear off, spreading the pain back into her chest. She did her best to shut it out and limped onward, pushing herself to the end of the tunnel she had been and rounding the next bend. It took a moment to realise just what she was seeing but the moment she did, she froze in place. The cavern ahead of her was enormous, stretching at least ninety feet wide and four hundred feet long, a dozen thick columns of rock holding the roof where a number of stalactites hung. Normally, such a space would have been dark enough that she wouldn't be able to see very far. The reason she could see was the reason for her fear.

Changelings. Hundreds, likely thousands of them. She could see them on the walls, the ceiling, all throughout the cavern. They weren't like the ones she knew though. None of the ones she could see up close sported light blue eyes and dark blue carapace. She could see those with green, yellow, white, purple, it wasn't hard to imagine changelings of every colour being present. There was one, standing in the middle of the horde, that drew her eye above all else.

Standing eight feet tall, ten including the horn, was what seemed to be another changeling leader. It had a bulker frame than Chrysalis had though, as well as a shorter mane that only reached the top of the neck and a larger carapace that encompassed its entire chest and upper torso. Its horn was also completely whole and curved inward, leaving the tip pointing forward from its head. It also had a broader head and larger lower jaw, leading Flare to realise what she was looking at, was more likely a changeling king. The colours it bore were the most worrying thing though, a deep black body with dark red covering the carapace, the colour of old blood. The mane and tail were only slightly lighter, like the colour of lava, all capped off with piercing dark gold eyes. Eyes that were staring straight at her.

Flare's eyes widened slightly and her legs began to shake before the reality of the situation hit her and she blacked out.

Author's Note

So, I don't actually have anything against Thorax, it was just necessary to keep things simple. You'll see what I mean.

Also, I know I've jumped ahead a bit but, does anyone really want an entire chapter devoted to a pony and a changeling trying to translate each other? I've decided to save everyone the time and make a translation here.