"Hello?... Ma'am?... Are you ok?"

Sweetie Belle's eyes opened to see a dark figure looming over her.

"Yeah... I'm-"

Her words were instantly silenced when her eyes adjusted enough to see that the figure was not another pony, but a changeling. She shot herself upwards, hitting the changeling in the jaw with her front hooves as she stood up. She attempted to use her magic, but it didn't work for some reason.

"Ow!" The changeling yelped. "I- EEK!"

The changeling opened its eyes only to be met with a sharp horn pointed directly at its muzzle.

"Where am I, why is my magic not working, and who are you?" Sweetie Belle demanded with the most powerful voice she could manage, even though she was terrified of facing the changeling.

"L-Listen ma'am... I-I'm not fully sure of our current location either!" The changeling said with a quivering voice. "B-But... your horn is blocked by a magic suppressor, a-and I don't know my name... Just don't s-stab me with your horn!" It pleaded with tears in its eyes.

Seeing that the creature had no intention of hurting her, Sweetie Belle slowly lowered her defenses a bit. As she allowed her other senses to kick in, the putrid smell of blood and urine struck her harder than a manticore. She scrunched up her muzzle furiously while still aiming her horn directly at the changeling. She cautiously turned her eyes to look around the room they were trapped in. They were in a rectangular room with a single light dimly illuminating the strong metal walls that surrounded them. There was a rectangular crease in one of the walls that signified an opening, but without her magic or a handle, there was no way she could possibly open it on her own. She slowly turned back to the creature.

"...Why didn't you feed on my love?" She asked, puzzled at the thought of a nice changeling.

"Oh! Make no mistake ma'am, I-I don't do that... Anymore..." The changeling answered.

"Uh-huh..." Sweetie belle said with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, I trust you. Just don't try anything stupid, got tha-"

"Understood Ma'am!" The changeling saluted.

"Right... Do you have any idea how we could get out of here?" She asked while skimming over the room once more.

"I haven't tried it yet, but that large rusty spot on the wall seems to be unstable enough that it could break... If you hit it hard enough that is..."

The creature cowered back down.

"How would that work, exactly?" She asked.

"Well, that door is obviously electrical, considering there is no key hole, or knob." The changeling replied. "And the rusty spot is near the door, meaning there is a possibility that you could find some wires within the wall, and perhaps cutting one will override the door controls, setting us free."

"Oh... Well, okay." She replied.

Sweetie Belle slowly walked to the rusty spot, turning around and getting into a bucking stance.

"Wait... why can't you do this?"

"Changelings have an advantage in magical power, not strength ma'am, and I can't really do anything with this suppressor on."

"Okay... I'm not a very strong mare, but... I guess I'll try." Sweetie belle sighed.

She lifted her legs up as high as possible, then thrust her back hooves into the rusty spot, making a crack in the rust. She lifted her legs once again and bucked the spot again, and the oxidized metal shattered. Sweetie Belle looked back at the hole, completely stunned that she was able to even damage the spot, much less completely destroy it.

"Ma'am?... You seem a bit... Confused..."

"No... It's just... I didn't expect to actually break it." Sweetie Belle replied.

"Hmm... In my personal opinion, every creature has hidden potential, even if it's small things like that." It said.

"Huh... Well, It seems we're in luck, there are a few wires in the wall. How do you suppose we cut them?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, we could use your pendant. It looks awfully sharp. Then again it is made of metal, which means... Hmm..."

"Meh I'll try it."

"Y- Huh‽" The changeling was stunned by Sweetie Belle's disregard of the possibility of being electrocuted. "Ma'am, with all due respect, we don't know how much electricity is travelling through that thing. It could kill you!"

"I've already been bitten on my neck by a bird-spider-bee. This will be nothing."

"W-Well, if you insist..."

Sweetie belle held the silver pendant between her hooves and carefully slid it into the rusty hole. She cut the wire and the door swung open.

"Well... That's convenient... And nice." Sweetie belle said.

"Are you alright?" The changeling asked.

"Yeah... It actually didn't really shock me at all."

"Wait... That's not possi-"

"Why the hell is the door open? You fucking idiots. You let them fr- wait... They're gonna escape!"

Sweetie belle dashed forward at the bipedal figure and jabbed her horn straight into the creatures neck. Blood poured out of the wound and onto her forehead. She pulled out her horn and wiped the crimson liquid from her face. To her surprise, it was a dragon. The dragon fell to the ground.

It was dead.

She looked down at the lizard, wondering why a dragon would do something like this. Especially considering the truce the dragons and the ponies made only a few months ago. This of course, did not help suppress her urge to vomit.

The changeling looked stunned as it wept uncontrollably.

"Oh... I forgot you were there. Lets go."

The changeling whimpered as it cowered away when Sweetie approached it.

"It's okay!" She reassured it, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

She carefully picked up the creature and hung it over her back. Sweetie carried it out of the room and onto a campground of sorts. Multiple metal chambers similar to the one they were held in surrounded them. All of which were empty. As Sweetie Belle was looking in the last chamber, she caught a faint glimpse of a red dot moving along the wall towards them and eventually onto her head. She squeaked and quickly ducked down.

BANG!!!

Sweetie Belle heard metal breaking. The magic suppressor fell off her horn as she quickly dashed behind one of the chambers.

"Shit!" She heard a voice yell from far away.

Sweetie belle put up a magic shield and dashed into the forest. Hearing at least 3 more bangs before they finally stopped. She ran for what seemed like 30 minutes before finding and running into a cave.

"So, uhh... You alright?" Sweetie Belle asked as she carefully set the changeling on the ground.

"Y-you killed him! You stabbed him in the neck!" The changeling remarked as it backed into a wall of the cave. "The heck do you mean 'am I alright‽'"

"Just asking a question... You wanna come find some resources with me deeper in the ca-"

"No thanks I'm fine!" The changeling sarcastically replied.

Sweetie Belle sighed as she went only a few meters deeper into the cave until her hooves were swept off the ground by the wet rock beneath her. She tried to catch herself, but failed as she fell into a deep hole in the cave.

"Ma'am!!!"

Author's Note

aaa chapter lol but here let me tell you a story: im lazy

listening to the song game over by jan animations absolutely skyrocketed my motivation.

• Beg

Marching band hurts. Beg is slow. Correct my grammar.

• geb