Warning: The next chapter contains violent gore scenes, or explicit sexual content, so reader's discretion is advised.

Moonbeam

Chapter 30 – The Deal.

The darkness of the night turned the Ever free forest into a terrifying place. They could feel the eyes of the creatures that watched them in their path, the howls of the Timberwolfs bristled the hairs of their backs and the smell of death that still haunted the surroundings of the abandoned hive did not help to calm the nerves of the two ponies that made their way through the swampy road.

-And to think that the place looked scary by day-, Siegfried said, descending completely until his helmets touched the muddy surface.

-And you weren't here when they were alive-, Alcor added, descending behind Siegfried.

Both ponies watched the surroundings, scrutinizing each bush with their eyes adapted for hunting in the dark.

-Well, it seems that there are none of those creatures left in the surroundings-

-How can you be so sure?, Epsilon said that they could take the form of another pony, what if they can take the form of other animals that inhabit the forest-, Alcor added nervously.

-Well, while that's true, I don't think there are any of them here just waiting for us, and it doesn't make much sense for them to come out taking the eggs and larvae if they thought of returning-, Siegfried said as he made a gesture with his wing to tell his brother to follow him.

-If you say so, but this makes me feel uneasy- said Alcor, keeping his wings slightly separated from his sides in case he had to defend himself.

Both advanced by entering the abandoned hive, the inner tunnels seemed to suck the light as if it were a completely different world, making it difficult for even the night vision of both ponies to be enough to navigate with ease.

Alcor began to guide Siegfried through the tunnels following the trail of rotting bodies that were devoured by small insects and scavenging animals that snarled at them, though none of them seems to be interested in any of the two Night Guards.

They stealthily scoured the tunnels through which they had escaped from the dungeons, looking for any hint of the unicorn.

-Damn, it's hard to find any trace with this awful smell- Siegfried said, placing the turtleneck he wore under his armor to cover his muzzle.

-It's just a matter of getting used to the smell brother-, Alcor replied.

-I'm surprised you can smell something in this whole mess-, said the smaller stallion. -You’re lucky that your body is immune to poison and toxins, otherwise the gases in this place would have already affected you-, Siegfried said.

-I'm just a little more resilient than you, that's all, I'm sure if you were a normal pony, you wouldn't have gotten that far either-.

-It may be, but the aroma is still unpleasant, I can hardly bear it-

Both continued to advance until they reached the dungeon of the hive, where the smell of dirt, defecations and blood was more abundant to the point of forcing Alcor to cover his muzzle in the same way that Siegfried had done it before.

-We must check each of the cells-, Siegfried said, approaching one of the cells that housed the remains of some kind of animal inside. –But be careful, we don’t know for sure if all of them are already dead-.

-I would be surprised if that is the case, Epsilon said they looked pretty bad when we first arrived and several weeks have passed, I doubt any of them is still alive-, added the larger stallion as he pulled out one of his daggers that was hidden under his wing.

-Still, I don't want any surprises-.

Both started searching at each side of the corridor of the dungeons, skillfully both ponies opened the locks of the bars using their daggers. After all, Siegfried did not want the sound of his transportation ability betray their presence, so both considered that opening the locks would produce less noise.

Siegfried approached the body lying in the first cell he was to check. The putrid smell combined with the fecal and blood made it almost impossible to get close enough.

-Really, why do we end up doing these jobs?- he said as he advanced to the body.

With his fore hoof he moved the creature keeping his weapons ready at all times under his bat like wings.

When pushing the body with his hoof, he noticed that it seemed to be stuck to the ground, by something sticky, he applied a little more force using his two fore hooves to move the body and be able to observe the silhouette better.

CRACK

Suddenly the skin and bones of the creature burst, causing his hooves to sink inside the corpse to his shoulders, forcing his nose to end up directly in front of the putrid skin of the dead body.

-Ewww! How disgusting! Damn I don't think I’ll be able to take away this smell from my fur in weeks-, Siegfried said loudly as he flapped his wings so he could pull his limbs out of the inside of his body.

-It's your fault for pushing it so hard-, said his brother, who had just left the cell he had entered to inspect the body inside.

-I needed more light to get a good look at what it was-, Siegfried said, shaking off the remains of the creature's guts from his hooves, chest and chin.

-Well at least we know that's not Chrysi, it's too big-, Alcor said, barely holding the urge to laugh.

-You know it's not funny-

-Of course it is, it didn't happen to me-, his brother continues giggling a bit.

Both continued with their work advancing one by one, reviewing the contents of each cell, inspecting those that still contained the body of an animal and those that were empty.

-Alcor…-, Siegfried spoke, his tone denoted a certain anxiety.

-What is it?- replied the eldest of the Night Guards.

-Have you... Have you noticed something strange in Epsilon since our last battle in the crystal empire?-

Needless to say, the question caught the other stallion off guard, who simply turned his gaze to his brother whom he could barely distinguish in the darkness.

-I think we all have been acting a little odd since we lost Megres, Can you really blame her?-, replied Alcor.

-I don't mean that, I mean… you know, like if she is… Sick. Kind of like when you get a cold-, the youngest asked.

Alcor paused as he continued to examine another of the bodies, trying to think of something that was far from their sister's usual behavior.

-Well, if you ask me. I think Epsilon has been more aggressive lately. Especially with all of this Chrysi’s thing, I understand her annoyance, but it seems that she was really angry, although I could notice that she was quite controlled in the presence of Princess Celestia-

-Is that all, haven't you noticed anything else?-

-No… But it seems that you do- added Alcor looking at Siegfried, who sighed heavily.

-Certainly-

-What had happened to her?- asked the tallest stallion genuinely concerned.

-I think… I think she's been suffering…-

Alcor approached his brother entering the cell in which Siegfried was located. The eldest lifts his brother's chin with his own hoof, forcing the younger colt to look into his eyes. Both pairs of amber eyes looked at each other, the young brother's gaze looked exhausted and carried a certain hint of pain and sadness.

-You know what's going on, don’t you?- he asked, without stopping to look at him even when Siegfried's gaze deviated from his.

-It's her blood, it seems that the toxic nature of her blood wasn't so natural after all-.

-What do you mean?- asked the eldest of the brothers with a serious tone.

-I imagine that you also thought that Epsilon's toxic blood was just one of her abilities, like my ability to transport my body from one place to an other-, Alcor nodded slightly, after all, each member of the Night Guard was able to control the arcane Magic, a kind of magic that uses the life energy of its user to cast certain types of spells. -It seems that this is not the case… last night when she returned from her secret mission, she was more exhausted than usual. Enough to enter the bathtub while I was inside-, Siegfried added. -While we were getting ready, suddenly she started coughing, it didn't seem normal especially when I noticed that her coughing attack was not stopping, so I got up to help her, but Epsilon pulled me away with her wing-.

His brother simply nodded once more telling him to continue.

-When her cough attack ceased, I could see some blood on her forehooves and lips-, Alcor's face looked as expressionless as a stone. -When I asked her since when she had been sick, she told me that everything had started since her fight with the manticore-

-I don't get it, that incident happened years ago-, Alcor interrupted.

-It's the same thing I told her. Then Epsilon commented that everything had gotten worse since the wound she received with the heraldic spear… this is just a guess, but… I think that somehow the poison of the manticore caused Epsilon’s blood to become contaminated and because of its regenerative capacity the poison in her blood also strengthened, combining with her blood, it began to make it more and more toxic…-

-… To the point that her own body has become unable to prevent the damage that her blood constantly causes her-, Alcor concluded by understanding Siegfried's reasoning. His brother nodded.

-I think the damage she received from the spear only aggravated the situation by diminishing her ability to heal herself-, the smaller stallion added.

-I guess she didn't want to give you any more explanations and She leaves you there-, said the older brother.

-Not precisely, I mean, she leave me here, but it is simply that I-I did not know what to tell her, I froze there without being able to move a single muscle. So, by the time I reacted she had already gone-

-We must talk to Merak first and then the three of us together will talk to Epsilon, otherwise her foolishness and pride will prevent her from listening to us-.

-I guess she's more likely to listen to all three of us than she would be if is just one of us-, Siegfried said. Alcor nodded once.

-Now we must focus on our task, we must find some evidence that tells us if Chrysi is still alive or some evidence that she was here-

-I just hope that we are still in time to save her, I wouldn’t want to think about how bad Luna will feel if something happens to her-

-You read my mind-, said Alcor.

Finally, Siegfried reached the only cell that was open. He carefully went inside and advanced cautiously.

The ground was full of marks caused by a creature's hooves, there were a couple of bloody chains, and the place gave off a strange smell of semen combined with what appeared to be blood and sweat, all scrambled with the same scent of excrement and urine.

-Alcor-, said the stallion calling his brother.

-Did you find anything?- replied the other from the other cell.

-I think this is the clue we were looking for-, said Siegfried as he took something off the ground with his hoof.

Alcor approached his brother creating a small fireball that glowed in a shade of blue and white light source that seems to emerge from his own forehoof.

-What are you doing? You know you shouldn't use that-, replied Siegfried a bit concerned.

-It is the only source of light we have-, Alcor responded somehow not amused by his brother’s reaction.

-But the more you use that…-

-It doesn't matter now, plus it's only a small amount, now show me what you found-.

On the surface of Siegfried’s hoof were a few deep black bloody hairs.

Alcor sniffed the aroma of the sample, the strong scent of the grotesque mixture was difficult for him to identify but not impossible, and he already knew that non other of his siblings will be unable to detect anything.

-Well, is it hers, is it Chrysi's?- asked Siegfried.

-The aroma of blood and sweat is hers, there is no doubt of it. Although this strand of fur seems much darker than hers, but I could be wrong, however I can sense a small amount of Luna’s Scent too-.

-Then she was here-, Siegfried said, taking advantage of the small blue light source of the flame that his brother was holding with his hoof to observe the cell in greater detail.

The interior was full of scratches caused by the hooves of the captive pony, Chrysi’s blood and sweat permeated every corner of the cell but were especially concentrated in the chains’ reach area, four in total, which surely served as a restriction to keep Chrysis’s hooves at a safe distance from the entrance of the fence, preventing the black unicorn from moving freely.

-I think this was where she was tortured, although it is strange that we only find a few fur samples, specially taking into account the marks that you had mentioned to me-, Siegfried said.

-When we took Chrysi out of the hive she had multiple wounds on her body, however, there is not much evidence of flesh or fur. I can understand that when a wound is made on the skin, it contracts leaving exposed the inner flesh, but the fur that should have been cut should be on the ground and, however, there is almost no indication of it-, commented the eldest of the brothers.

-Tell me Alcor, the pony that was taken out that night, had the same smell as the blood from this cell?-.

-Yes, everything seems to indicate that we managed to rescue the real Chrysi, what I do not understand is at what point it was that she and the impostor swap places-

-Maybe the swapping happened later, although those things left this place shortly after you attacked them, they were too many to keep track of everyone-, Siegfried said, scratching his chin with his hoof thoughtfully.

-We make sure to go deep into the forest before changing direction to mislead them. I'm sure none of them followed us…-

-And what if one of them took another form?- asked Siegfried.

Both opened their eyes suddenly understanding the whole situation, at that time, Luna, Epsilon, Merak and Alcor did not know that those things were capable of taking the form of another creature and assuming the worst case, the changelings could be able to adopt any form of any living being, so it would have been impossible for them to identify if a spy was following them with an aspect that they would not recognize, so surely the attack would be carried out after finding out where the group was going.

-If they followed us to the castle, they knew it was well protected while Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were there, but as soon as they returned to Canterlot we also let our guard down, it is likely that they replaced Chrysi, while we focused on keeping the princesses protected in Canterlot-, Alcor said.

-The Heart’s Warming Eve…- Siegfried said. -That night I gave Chrysi a little privacy to groom herself, she wanted to look astonishing for Princess Luna, it is possible that they made the swap then-.

-Now that you mention it, Chrysi's attitude with Luna was a bit strange during the party especially after their dance, she was a bit more… distant-

-If the kidnapping occurred in the castle of the two sisters we must talk to the princesses, I am sure that at this time they must be about to arrive at the old castle-

Alcor nodded and after turning off the small light source both proceeded to leave the dungeons.

Chrysalis opened her eyes with difficulty, her head was still quite dazed and she could hardly focus, she tried to get on her four hooves, however, she noticed that something was holding her firm in place, which led her to focus her gaze on her forehooves.

Both hooves were wrapped in a viscous and extremely sticky green mixture that prevented her from moving freely.

The changeling princess turned her neck noticing that her hind hooves and wings were in a similar situation. She tried to remember, but a pain in her head made her growl.

-I'm glad to see that you’re conscious princess-, said a voice to her right.

-Moth…? But what happened to you?- asked the princess noticing the state of the other changeling, one of her wings seemed to have been forcibly torn off, Moth’s hooves were partially devoured and he had a burn in the middle of his face that had caused several deep cracks in his small horn.

-Oh this-, said the changeling looking at his battered body. -It's just my punishment for having betrayed the queen. It's not the big deal-, he admitted smiling.

-Not a big deal…? OUCH!-, complained the Changeling Princess once again.

-I wouldn't move much if I were you princess, especially after a blow like that-, said the soldier, -The queen placed something on your horn, it seems that it is blocking your magic. Although I've never seen a device like that before, I have no idea where she got it, it’s like a ring but had a purple gem on it.

“An heraldic Gem device” Chrysalis thought.

-Are we still in Canterlot?- asked the princess.

-Yes well, close, we are on the slopes of the mountain on which the capital is located, but I doubt that any pony will listen to us, especially at this time of the night,- said the soldier.

-What's going on?- asked the princess, still somewhat stunned by the sharp pain in her head.

I'm not surprised that you don't remember, the queen hit your head pretty bad, for a moment I thought she had killed you, after all Cocoon didn't seem very happy when you two returned from the capital-, the soldier said.

-When We return… What?, wait no! I came back from the capital along with you, you were guiding me here and then…-

-I guess that explains your reaction when you saw me princess-, the soldier said.

AAAUCH

The princess growl as a twinge of pain invaded her head.

Flash Back

-So you left the hive?- asked Chrysalis rather upset.

-After your crazy girlfriend murdered so many of us, it was useless to continue in such an unprotected place, so the best option was to move to another place and honestly the hive is now much better prepared, what happened in the forest will not be repeated. If anyone stupid enough decides to get too close they will suffer their punishment-, Moth declared.

-Yes, surely mother put some kind of death trap nearby-, Chrysalis respond.

HAHAHAHA

Her companion, who remained with the appearance of the newspaper seller, laughed. She, however, had heeded the suggestion of her companion and had changed her appearance to that of another pony. Although Chrysalis had refused to take off the scarf that waved gracefully before the cold currents of winter.

-The queen is not such a simple changeling, you know that she likes to hunt her prey every time she has the opportunity-, Moth said.

-It's true, she is fascinated by her hunting periods-, Chrysalis Replied.

-Tell me, do you really want to get your mother's throne?- asked the changeling soldier seriously.

-Well yes, I think it's the best. I will challenge her to a duel for the hive, she will not be able to refuse, it is part of the rules of our kind-.

-Yes, that is true, in a fight for the crown only a princess and a queen can participate, the rest of the hive cannot get in the way-, said the soldier.

-First, I'll make sure I take control of the hive, then I'll force my mother to tell me the secret to stop my body from continuing feeding on Luna’s love, so maybe I can be with her after all-, she said smiling.

-If I were you, I wouldn’t be so enthusiastic. First of all, you have to be victorious-, the soldier replied cynically, causing the princess's humor to fall.

-I know, mother is not a changeling with which you should play. I know very well how dangerous she can be but, even so, this time I am sure that I will beat her, the love I received from Luna is enough to face her in battle. All I have to do is hit her once, that will be enough-.

The soldier looked at the princess raising an eyebrow before turning his gaze ahead once more.

-Good luck with that-, said the changeling.

Both approached a small hut fiercely guarded by several changelings armed with swords and protected by metal armor. As soon as they entered their field of vision Chrysalis and Moth abandoned their costumes taking their real forms.

Recognizing them, the soldiers turned away allowing them passage, although the princess could notice a strangely confused look among the elite soldiers, who seemed to look at each other.

-So that's the elite guard-, Chrysalis said.

-They are imposing, don't you think so, they were trained by the queen herself, which makes them just as effective as she is-, said the soldier.

-Do you envy them, Moth?-asked the princess.

-Actually… No-, replied the soldier opening the door.

The princess crossed the threshold followed by the soldier whose smile grew from side to side showing his sharp teeth.

The cottage did not look really old, but abandoned, they could see the accumulation of dust in the few furniture, floor, walls and ceiling, some parts were inhabited by small insects, among with several spiders.

Chrysalis scrutinized the place from top to bottom completely alert and ready in case her mother suddenly appeared. Upon crossing the threshold of another door, she was greeted by someone she did not expect to see sitting in that particular place.

-Greetings princess, I'm glad everything went well-, Moth greeted her with a pronounced bow.

That small moment of uncertainty was enough, when the princess tried to look behind her back, she received a strong blow on the back of the head, the inertia of the impact caused her skull to bounce against one of the wooden walls before ending up unconscious on the ground.

End of Flash Back

-She set a trap for me-, said the princess, gnashing her teeth.

-Finally princess, I can see you can remember what had happened-, said the soldier kindly.

-She did that to you for trying to defend me, right?- it was more of a statement than a question, yet the soldier answered.

-Yes… when I saw her attacking you, I couldn't hold back and pounced on her. I must say that I won this for my carelessness, it was the second time I let myself be guided by my impulses, but this time I ended up much worse-, said the soldier looking away.

-The… Second-

-The night that the princess of the night rescued you from the dungeon, one of her soldiers wounded my beloved Spurg in the back with a feather-shaped dagger-, the soldier closed his eyes remembering that day. -Queen Cocoon decided that there was nothing to do for him and after receiving the information she needed, she plunged the knife into his neck killing him instantly-

-I… I’m Sorry-, said the princess unable to look the soldier in the eye. She couldn’t help but felt responsible for that, after all, Luna Killed a lot of changelings that night in order to rescue Chrysalis.

-It wasn't your fault princess, you don't have to carry that weight on your shoulders. But I want you to know that I don't regret protecting you, not even after this–, Moth mentioned referring to his numerous wounds.

-Is the elite team still here?- the princess asked.

-I doubt it, the queen sent them to deliver the love we collected the night before so that the rest of the hive could feed. Although I must admit that I found it unnecessary to have part of my hooves ripped off before leaving, I guess they wanted some meat for the trip. After all the new hive is much further away than the previous one-

-Don't worry I will find a way to get you out of here Moth, I will not let my mother hurt you anymore-, said the princess.

Suddenly she felt the strong grip of a pair of forehooves lifting her chin and placing a long, curved blade in her throat, the intruder had just taken her completely by surprise.

-Oh my dear, you should care about yourself right now– that voice, those hooves and that particular weapon, there was no doubt about her identity and Chrysalis knew her very well.

Minutes before

Epsilon advanced following the same path she did during that morning, until she reached the slopes of the mountain, there, hidden among the trees was that cottage, for a moment she felt a serious frustration when she noticed that the guards who guarded the place that same morning were no longer in the surroundings.

-Damn I should have entered instead of going back to the castle, I'm sure I could have finished off at least half of them, but…-, the mare looked at her hooves. -Maybe if I had used my blood on them… No, what am I thinking? even if I had used that I would have to face that damn traitor and the other soldiers inside and if I had lost too much blood the result would have been the same–, Epsilon told to herself. She just hoped that the swarm would have left a trail that she could follow. Suddenly the cottage’s door opened, a set of changelings began to take flight.

Understanding that she seems to have arrived still on time, Epsilon focused her wounded eye, covered by the darkness of the night, the black and white eye of the mare watched the soldiers retreat, none of them looked particularly different from the rest but, all seemed to retreat to the west’s arid lands. Epsilon turned her gaze to the cottage, where her eye could perceive the presence of a creature inside the cabin and two more inside a small warehouse, Epsilon noticed that two of the creatures were much larger than her, while the other seems to be the same size.

-Did they all really go?- There is only one soldier left inside and the other creature may be a soldier disguised as her to act as a decoy in case of an attack, this will be simpler than I expected, said the mare with a smile of satisfaction, taking her ethereal shape she approached the cottage.

She press her back as much as she could to the wooden walls trying to hear any noise or conversation from the inside.

She slightly caught the voice of the creature inside the cabin who seemed to converse with herself. However, Epsilon did not know how long it would take the guards to return, so she decided to go first for the traitor and her guardian, she advanced through the property to the small warehouse in which the essences of the soldier and the traitor were located. She will deal with the third creature later.

Leaving the area of the hut, Epsilon hid herself into the darkness provided by the huge trees and was able to reach a small warehouse that was blocked with a bar of wood and rusty iron. She throated around the perimeter taking special care to observe any possible trap and focused the eye that the deity of the night had given her, to investigate any trace of spell or magic. The only thing Epsilon could feel, however, was the presence of the creatures inside, as well as an object that appeared to be at the base of the traitor’s horn.

Without making the slightest noise, the mare took her ethereal form again to access the warehouse through an opening located at the back of it.

Returning to her physical form, the mare approached quietly while listening to the conversation, closed her damaged eye and focused her attention on her amber eye, trying to adjust her night view to the interior of the warehouse.

Epsilon was quite surprised to notice the soldier's condition and her victim's inability to avoid their imminent fate. On the other hoof, that was too easy, if those creatures were from the same hive, why would the creature in the cottage kept these two in such a state?

Epsilon could feel that something was not right, one of those strange sensations that she had developed on the battlefield and that had eventually helped her survive in one way or another. Now, however, that strange feeling had materialized out of nowhere and seemed to come from the same direction in which her victims found themselves. The Night Guard didn't have much time to do the work, she had to do it now that she had the upper hoof.

Without further thought she pounced on the larger creature holding its chin tightly as she placed one of her blades against the traitor’s throat.

-Oh my dear, you should care about yourself right now-, she said almost mocking at the creature she had at her complete mercy.

-Epsilon,- Chrysalis said genuinely surprised.

The mare deeply inhaled the essence that the hairs of the changeling gave off, confirming her suspicions.

-You know, I'm glad to be the one who discovered you and not Princess Luna, at least now I can blame these things for your death. I'm sure that this will hurt Luna’s heart, but it will hurt less than knowing that you have been deceiving her all this time-, the captain of the Night Guard said, tightening her grip as she brought the edge of the dagger even closer.

-Wait Epsilon, I can explain it-

-Why would I listen to you?- said the mare, sliding the dagger enough so that the sharp blade began to make its way through the joints of the scales of the insectoid until it ran into the flesh of the changeling.

-Epsilon-, Chrysalis said in a barely audible tone. -Please listen to me-, Chrysalis continued through her teeth as she felt the blade give her a slight wound.

She couldn't move her limbs, or use her magic and if she moved too much she was sure that that metal dagger would slice her neck like butter, so she only had one option: try to reason with the angry mare.

-Do you know what we had to go through to rescue you from that cell?, Do you have any idea how powerless I felt to see the princess shattered in that way before seeing how she unloaded her fury against those soldiers?- Epsilon said squeezing the grip causing the oxygen of the changeling princess to begin to run short. -I failed Luna that night, and I decided that I would not let her hooves get dirty again… Especially with the blood of the one she fell in love with. From that night I decided that I would be the one who would be in charge of been the one covered in blood instead-.

Noticing that the mare was not joking, the soldier intervened.

-If you murder my princess, yours will also die-.

The night knight's gaze focused on the soldier who remained on the ground unable to move.

-If I leave her alive Luna will be in danger-

-Maybe it's the best, end up with this once and for all Epsilon, you won't have another chance like this-, Chrysalis said, resigning herself, she understood Epsilon's words, and it was certainly one of the reasons she had run away from Luna in the first place.

-No princess! you don't understand, the heart of the princess of the night is connected to you right now, if this pony kills you the same will happen to the princess of the night-.

-What do you mean by connected?- the mare demanded without letting go the changeling princess.

-It's the reason why Princess Chrysalis abandoned Princess Luna,- said the soldier, -When Princess Luna voluntarily opened her heart to my princess, they were both united, if one of them dies the other will too-, the changeling added.

-You whore, how you dared…?- said the mare squeezing her grip on the dagger that began to tremble in her hoof due of the force with which she held it.

-Princess Chrysalis didn't know anything-, added the soldier. -Our race is forbidden to feed on someone we appreciate, but the only one who knew the reason for that rule was the queen, she knew that, if Chrysalis fed on Luna after falling in love with her, both would be victims of the Changeling’s curse-.

Epsilon looked at the face of the Changeling Princess, who looked as surprised as herself.

-We are immortal creatures who feed on the love of others to preserve our strength, but if we fall in love with one creature, our body becomes unable to consume the love of others, forcing us to completely consume the love of the creature we fall in love with. When that creature dies our inability to consume the love of others will sooner or later starve us to death, that way we will not be condemned to live eternally apart from our other half. And the same goes for the creature with which the bond is created, since when it opens its heart, it is united to us, so if something happens to the changeling, the creature with which it is linked will also die-.

Epsilon remained silent trying to understand the soldier's words.

-Princess Chrysalis didn't know! Is it that you are so blind that you don't see that she is also suffering from this?! Do you know what it means to find out that you will be the reason for the destruction of the one you love?- he asked looking at the mare with tears sweeping down his cheeks.

Epsilon could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she held her grip firmly on the traitor's chin. She just had to slide the dagger and the work would be done, but her body refused to obey her, evenworse, she was sure that the soldier was not lying. And if she dared to slice the throat of the changeling, there was a huge possibility that this act would also affect Luna. Epsilon couldn't take a chance knowing something like that.

GRRR-AAAAHHHH

A cry full of rage produced by the pony gave the chills to the other two. For a moment, Chrysalis felt the dagger vibrate on her neck ready to open her throat before being completely freed from the mare's grip.

Epsilon turned away from Princess Chrysalis by taking several steps back while keeping her eyes tightly closed debating against her own conscience. She again raised the dagger and swing it against the viscous material that held the princess in place cutting the ties instantly.

-Epsilon-, the Changeling Princess said completely surprised by the pony's decision.

-Don't be under any illusions-, said the mare with metallic blue fur. -I have simply decided to take you with Princess Luna, in your true form, so she will be who decides your fate-, Epsilon said before turning around, hiding the daggers under her wings once again.

-You won't regret it-, said the changeling.

-For your own sake, I hope not-, the mare replied looking at her with her wounded eye.

Chrysalis observed that black eye whose iris was white and resplendent like the moon itself, she could feel a strange magic coming from it, a magic very similar to the one she had felt when Luna had transformed into that black mare.

-There are much worse things I can do to you than just slit your throat-, the mare sentenced, returning her attention to the warehouse door.

-You must go now princess, I'm sure the queen must have already listened to us,- said the soldier.

-Wait Moth we can't leave you like this, we'll take you with us, I'm sure Luna will be able to treat your wounds-, said the princess as Epsilon scrutinized the inside of the warehouse.

-I will only be a burden, I will only delay you, now flee princess-, said the wounded soldier.

-I can't leave you like this, she will torture you until she gets tired. If we don't take you with us you will suffer…- said the princess caressing the soldier while Epsilon took a rusty old machete.

-You will be a great queen one day-, Moth said, moving one of her battered hooves to place it on her princess's cheek.

-Moth…-

-We must go-, said Epsilon carrying the machete over her shoulder.

-Are you crazy?, how are we going to go out using that, it barely has an edge-, said the Changeling Princess.

-Leave that to me-, said the mare, opening a wound in her forehoof using the machete before sliding the wound all along the length of the weapon to cover it with her blood.

Instantly both changelings could see how the steel of the weapon began to decay emitting a very particular sound as the wound on Epsilon's helmet faded completely.

Without waiting for the answer of either of them, Epsilon wielded the weapon and gave a precise swing against the door, the blood allowed the weapon to cut the wooden and iron bar that kept the door locked from the other side with terrible ease. Then the mare threw the machete aside letting her blood finish destroying the edge of the rusty blade.

-There is no one outside, we can leave now-, Epsilon said after peeking outside.

Epsilon noted Chrysalis's concern, who was looking at the soldier lying down.

-I can do it quickly if you wish-, said the mare approaching them.

Moth nodded to his princess who, after looking at him one last time turned around towards the exit.

-Please don't make him suffer anymore-, said the princess as she passed by Epsilon.

The mare approached the soldier.

-Queen Cocoon is capable of anything, be very careful and… take care of her in my place-, Moth pleaded.

-I will, but only because Luna would be in danger if something happens to her-, replied the mare.

-It's enough for me-, said the soldier.

The mare stood behind the creature wrapping his face with her forehooves.

-I'll take care of her, I promise you-, Epsilon said, making the changeling smile satisfied.

With a quick movement the mare broke the neck of the soldier who fall down motionless to the ground. Epsilon stared for a moment at Moth's face on the ground before leaving the warehouse followed by Chrysalis.

"Excellent job soldier… you can rest now" the mare thought. Epsilon couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for the changeling soldier, after all, Moth had sacrificed all he had to save his own princess just like she would to save hers.

Author's Note

I was finally able to update a chapter before the end of the month, hahahaha. I hope you enjoyed the 30th chapter of this series. WOW I don't even think there are so many of them and thinking that it all started as a little idea in my crazy mind. Hahahaha.

Well now the power of the third night guard has been exposed, I guess it may sound a bit cliché but, they are not ordinary ponies, so they have a special and unique ability, although unfortunately everything comes with a price.

It seems to me that this story is escalating in number of deaths quite quickly, but I have been satisfied with Moth's work, after all it turned out to be a soldier who gave everything to protect his princess until the end.

It is curious, but Moth died by Epsilon’s hooves, who in turn was the one who threw the blade at Spur's back causing a fatal wound.

I must say that Chrysalis is quite lucky, despite being in complicated situations she has been doing well, I wonder how long it will last.

This is all for now, see you in the next chapter… ALLONS-Y

In memory of Victor Fidel Amado grandfather and mentor.

March/1938 - October/2018

In memory of Carolina López Beloved aunt and life's example.

May/1947 - February/2020