[Thursday, 19 May 2016, The Equestrian 30th Day of Love, Outside the Castle of the Two Sisters.]

It had been a while since Ocellus had run off into the forest, leaving Becky with Luna passed out in her lap and Zecora eventually ditching most of the rhyming.

“So… sex… with a pony…” Zecora struggled to ask.

“Totally illegal where I come from,” Becky answered again. “And it has nothing to do with the lack of having a kid together. It's the whole view of it being abuse because they can't consent-thing. They're only animals in our world. Not even like the animals of this world, from what I've seen from the show I told you about. Even the birds and other critters Fluttershy can talk to have minds at least similar to ours. They have wants, needs, concerns, and… I'm guessing the full range of cognitive thought. Those on our world don't. That's why we had such a hard time at first.”

Zecora tried again to process what she was told. All the complexities of physical contact and wealth of details compared to what little Fluttershy had briefly told her before meshing together into a more complete theory, though still lacking.

“And these feelings of bliss… There is still something I fear I miss.”

Becky hung her head and sulked, having her fill of the rhyming scheme returning.

“Zecora, please…”

“Sorry,” Zecora chided. “I know it can be a bit much to take. It’s an even harder habit for me to… stop myself from doing. But there is much we both wish to learn from each other. It is clear to me that you must be right. These new… understandings and sensations in our bodies, even the blood-related injuries, they must have some connection to you and your friends.”

The whole conversation was mostly a repeat of old topics and theories for Becky, so she was still mentally spinning her wheels.

“Yeah… It has to be a mix of hormones and physical contact. Maybe fluid contact and exchanges are required for stronger effects to take hold and last, but there’s no getting past the physical reactions.”

As a means to prove a point they both knew to be true, Becky reached out, pulled Zecora’s head into her side, and began to stroke her cheek. Perhaps Becky needed the comfort as well to help her destress.

Either way, Zecora melted under Becky’s touch and hummed happily with the human fingers strumming down the underside of her jaw.

“Mmm… I may be a mare, as I’m sure you can tell. But your fingers stroking up and down do pleasure me as—”

“Gawd damn it, Zecora,” Becky said through a muted laugh. “Don’t go and take what I taught you and turn it into a dirty joke like that. But come on. You said you might have a potion capable of healing us? What’s that all about? Isn’t that what started the topic of us opening up more capabilities for all of you or something?”

Zecora hummed another happy note as Becky trailed her thumb under one of the rings around the mare’s neck and then ran her fingernails behind the mare’s ear.

“Hmm, yes, my dear,” Zecora continued. “A simple concoction that I have brewed. One that will may have your injured flesh renew—damn it. You have me rather distracted. I wasn’t even trying with that one.”

Becky chuckled to herself and continued running her fingers over Zecora’s ear and over her scalp, letting the zebra mare deal with the distraction of her gentle petting.

“Yeah, well. At least it wasn’t a dirty joke. But, if we have time, do you mind if I pull you to the side for something? Not a lot of ponies that I trust, and… fuck… I’m not even sure if it will be worth the effort… But anyway. The potion?”

Whatever Becky was saying, Zecora was entirely tuned out to but also completely on board with her friend’s invitation.

“Pull me here, pull me there. With those hands, pull me anywhere.”

“Gawd damn it,” Becky grumbled, pulling her hand back.

“No-no,” Zecora quickly corrected herself, rolling onto her back, failing to grab Becky’s hand and pull it down to her chest to begin rubbing her again. “We talk of changelings, medicine, then sex, and now you want me focused on my potions, of which there are many types. But Becky, you must know when I am distracted, you cannot change the way I speak no more than you can change my stripes.”

For the time being, Becky was stuck with a depressed, sleeping Luna on one side of her lap, and helpful Zecora took up the other side, who may, in fact, be able to help her answer some of the questions Redheart couldn’t. So, she gave in and returned to petting Zecora. The effort was low, but the was heavily amused by the mare’s effort, so the output was more than palpable.

“Fine, fuck’n stubborn ass, bitch. Think you’re so damn cute.” She turned her head to look down at the grinning mare, slowly batting her brilliant, luscious blue eyes and her forelegs raised up, hooves relaxed, almost like a puppy begging for attention. “Gawd, I hate how adorable you bitches are… Fucking beat-box the whole thing if you have to. Just tell me already.”

Zecor grinned wildly as Becky’s hand returned to her chest, gently stroking her chest and rubbing her up and down over her belly, easily coaxing the desired information out of her.

“There is no denying the truth any longer. Something about you humans make ponies stronger. There was Spike with his flames and Starlight’s devastation. Those were the first two examples from my observation. Next came Fluttershy’s restored memories and desire to rut with Justin. She knew his penis had to be stiff and where she needed his thrust’n.”

The cheerful delivery of Zecora’s rhyming explanation had Becky leaning back, covering her mouth with her free hand so she wouldn’t wake Luna with her laughing, though she rocked back far enough to make the princess stir slightly.

“Oh, my gawd,” Becky struggled to say, her voice muffled behind her hand as she laughed. “Come on, Zecora. Tone it done a bit, will ya?”

Zecora grinned, enjoying the humor of her little joke and the strumming of Becky’s fingers pleasing the lowest exposed portion of her neck as she considered how to continue explaining her thoughts.

“Harmony left our minds simple and dumb. Our bodies were durable but numb. Your presence awakened new thoughts and temptations. Your touch brought us new pleasures and sensations. We were puppets on strings; it’s all plain to see. Then you risked your lives to set us all free. Now, I wish to repay you for your dedication and strife. If I can heal Justin’s wounds, I’ll be closer to saving your life.”

Taking a deep breath, Zecora took her hooves and placed them on Becky’s hand to keep it held on her chest over her heart, letting the steady thumping below her chest beat through into the hand comforting her. When she knew Becky took notice of her pause, she turned to meet her gaze.

“Becky… I worked with Fluttershy to treat your symptoms. Sunburst has been helpful trying to assist me with my potions, but what we know is not meant to treat the ailments as serious we’re now facing. I need to make my current potions stronger. I need stronger magic to improve them if we have any hope of them affecting bodies so resilient to magic like yours and your friends. Sunburst is willing but, unfortunately, not up to the task… Whatever it is you and your friends have done to increase the potential of our kind, I need that.”

Reluctantly, Becky withdrew her hand, understanding the interactions that brought about the changes that empowered every pony her friends were with. At the same time, her life was potentially in Zecora’s hooves.

“Chris pointed out that raw magic barely works on us in our weakest state. However, we didn’t really notice it at first, but potions have about a maybe a thirty percent rate of effectiveness on us… but that was only one time on Kelly when she was in a weakened state. So, we don’t know the conditions needed for potions to work on us for a longer period of time or what conditions have to be met to make them work long-term. Even still… what are you thinking? What makes you so sure you can do this?”

To answer the question, Zecora sat up, urgently pressing Becky for a vote of confidence.

“Becky, please hear me. I know I have not been allowed all the details, but was it not how it happened for the likes of Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and all those closest to you and each of your human friends that fought the echoes and Harmony herself? A titan of power we thought unbeatable. Mear ponies, not even alicorns or the might of Discord, defying the odds of pushing past their limits of power, speed, understanding, tactics…” She started to stumble on finding the words to say. “I thought Water Bug to be a lost foal close to death from Harmony’s crimes. In truth, you show me today that she is a changeling child saved from death by Justin. A sweet child who no longer craves to feed on others because she is full, beyond measure, and loves not only her new family but trust in the company we all call friends. If I am wrong in believing that the gifts you share make us more than what Harmony would have let us be, please tell me so that I may search elsewhere for solutions. But as we sit here, Justin still suffers, and your lungs grow weak. There is a solution for you both, I know it; that is all that I seek.”

The case had been rather clearly laid out in front of Becky, and she was unsure how to respond to Zecora's admirable wishes. However, one of the last points reminded her of a problem she had lost track of, making her reach for her neckless.

“Awe, shit. Water Bug.”

After saying the name Ocellus preferred, Becky pulled out her necklace and gave three soft puffs on the attached whistle.

It took only about ten seconds for three bat guards to emerge from the castle, each landing with a bow to the left of Becky.

“Lady Landon,” the first guard greeted her. “You require assistance?”

Becky looked at the three guards, glad to see the whistle still worked but not happy to see that these were the guards to arrive.

“Sort of,” she said hesitantly.

From the treeline, a rustling from the branches broke free, and another batpony erupted out, barreling down to meet up with the other guards.

“Hold on,” Becky said, turning her attention to the newest arrival as he skidded to a stop, huffing and puffing. “Where’s Water Bug? She’s been out there for a while. Is she getting tired yet? Is Midnight still with her?”

The guard rose from his bow, still panting, and wiped his brow, heavy with sweat.

“Lady Landon,” he huffed. “Water Bug. She—” he stopped to swallow hard and breathe deep again. “—that child is unnatural.” He stated with bewildered amazement. “She breathes heavy but not slowed her pace. We have—” He took a moment to sit to breathe easier. “We follow her in turns now. We can’t keep up together. We don’t think… How is she not exhausted?”

Whatever Zecora may have wanted to discuss further or any possible solutions to work out would have to wait. Becky didn’t know how safe it was for Ocellus to push her body with such prolonged exertion.

“Luna,” she said, raising her voice and lightly jostling the sleeping princess. “Hey. I need you up. Come on. Nap times over.”

“Ugh,” Luna groaned, disappointed to have her nap ended while while still feeling so tired. “Must you wake me?”

Unfortunately, Becky felt she had to, so she lifted Luna’s head from her lap so she could stand.

“Send one of your letter things to Twilight and have her bring Ben here. I don’t think Ocellus can run off the extra energy she has, and she’ll probably hurt herself with all the strain she’s putting on her body. We’re going to have to get more involved.”

[Back in the caves of Mount Everhoof.]

Urtica and Arista led the large group back down the path into the large open area Thorax had tried to abandon Rainbow and Spitfire in earlier. Pharynx followed a few paces behind, with Elytra at his side and Gaster's limp body slumped over her back. The hulking mass, Bulky, eyed them with malice from behind.

“Hurry up!” Bulky ordered. “Our Queen expects you to prove your devotion.”

Riding the high of this new victory, Bulky turned his head to look behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he sized up Spitfire guiding Rainbow, still under her wing, which brought a sneering grin to his lips.

“Been waiting for another chance to pay you back for the last time we fought, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow slowed her pace to look up at the voice speaking in front of her, her eyes squinting and tearing up from the irritation, but a hoof from another changeling shoved her forward.

“Gah! Knock it off! I don’t know any of you! What payback? Is this for the Canterlot wedding, or did your mamma land on her sandy vag so hard after she got booted out it cracked your egg, and you were born ugly? Cuz that’s not my fault. You’re all born ugly.”

Bulky made a quick turn, closing the distance to Rainbow and picked her up by the throat with his front hooves as he fluttered his wings to raise her in the air.

“Not Canterlot! After that! The village of creatures we conquered. You and Applejack tried to take us head-on, but we had you cocooned up in no time.” He watched Rainbow squirm and gasp as she tried to pry his hooves away from her neck. “Put up a good fight, but Twilight brought the castle down on us after you cheered her on. Had us buried under all that rubble for weeks… Maybe we should throw you in with Pharynx. See if ponies float in that black stuff.”

“Drop her!” Arista demanded from the front. “Our Queen wants both ponies brought back. Thorax and Urtica will take their places, but we need them breathing to be interrogated.”

There was a moment of hesitation where Bulky continued to stare Rainbow down, waiting for her eyes to open. They flickered slightly, but after only a few more tears streamed out, he dropped her and fluttered back to the ground, sounding off with a dismissive tone.

“Bah! Wouldn’t be any fun if she can’t see me do it anyway.”

Behind him, Spitfire knelt down and wrapped Rainbow in her forelegs, pulling her tight to her chest while Rainbow coughed and gasped for air.

“Dash! Breathe, girl. You okay?”

Rainbow’s breathing was deep, ragged, and raspy. Her coughs sounded wet, and she shivered a bit.

“Fucking assholes…” She wheezed and coughed, then snorted hard through her nose, clearing a stream of mucus building up.

Slowly, Rainbow lifted a hoof to wipe the tears from her eyes and raised her head. She took a deep breath, cleared a few more coughs, opened both eyes, squinted, then closed her left eye and tried to focus on the blurred mass before her.

“Oh, yeah… You’re that big one Applejack knocked the lights out of?” She asked with a laugh, which brought about another wet cough, though she smiled through the exchange. “Six of us against over twenty of you holding three foals hostage? Yeah. Real tough talk. Must really impress your pals. Choking a blind, sick mare half your size after you have her surrounded.”

The cave was so quiet a pin drop could have broken the silence.

“Then again,” Rainbow said with a smirk, still wheezing and stifling a cough. “Guess I can’t blame ya. I’m only outnumbered, sick, blind, and underweight… If I were you, I’d think it was my only chance of putting hooves on me without getting hurt for once, too.”

“Shut up!” Another changeling demanded, shoving Rainbow's face to the ground from behind. “Don’t go picking a fight you already lost. Sick, blind, young, old, big, small, we don’t care. Everypony is weak to the swarm eventually.”

As the hoof holding Rainbow pulled back, Thorax finally walked by with all four sacs holding the scarab devices.

With the situation so dire, Rainbow had to make some kind of move to work her way out of this.

“Thorax, I really did trust you, so I’m asking you to trust me. Don’t do this. I know more about that gunk down there than any of you do. Even if you hate your brother, you don’t want to kill him. And I’m telling you, a little might hurt, but tossing him in WILL kill him. If you let them go and come back with us, I’m sure we can get you the help you need. We have friends that stop creatures like you from dying.“

Thorax stopped in his tracks, feeling a new weight to the scarab devices he carried pulling down on him with Rainbow’s offer. More than the weight, a hesitancy was hanging with his hope that instantly doubled the pain pulsing through cracks in his not-so-proverbial armor.

“Creatures like me?” He asked, slowly craning his neck down to face Rainbow as she tried to assess him with her one partially open eye. “I don’t think you’re seeing me well enough yet, Rainbow. I don’t need pity or friends. I need love. That’s what changelings need to stop from dying. What pony medicine could fix the cracks in my face or the—”

“I’ve seen worse,” Rainbow smeared, making her cough hard enough to momentarily drop her head out of eye line. “Had a changeling get lost and cross paths with us just before The Darkness came and attacked your hive and everywhere else. A young one. Got attacked by an owlbear. Damn thing scratched her back all up. Scratch her up so bad she couldn’t turn into a rock to hide herself, so she turned into the big bug thing like you did in your story. Turns out she hadn’t fed enough in a while, so she couldn’t hold up the big bug form for long, and it eventually got her. Bit a hole into her chest and back. Tore her up a lot worse than you are now.”

There was a chance that playing this angle wouldn’t work out, so Rainbow had to change the story up a bit and leave out some of the details. The last thing anyone needed was changelings going on a hunting party in Ponyville.

“We barely got there in time to save her. She didn’t think we would. Didn’t think we could. She was too weak to even feed herself… Tried. Didn’t work. But my friends found a way. Healed her broken shell and—”

“She’s lying!” Arista shouted from the front of the group, having grown impatient as well as annoyed with Rainbow’s stalling. “That’s practically a retelling of the same story she just overheard you telling all of us a few minutes ago, but with Gaster’s condition thrown in and an owlbear to make it sound scary. Don’t listen to her. She’s just trying to save herself because she knows Twilight isn’t here to bail her out this time. Make the call to Queen Chrysalis.”

Thorax sighed with a look of disappointment and turned with the bags swinging out in front of him, leaving behind the hope, the weight, and the pain it brought. He walked past his brother and the other two condemned, not even bothering to turn a glance at any of them. Instead, he took comfort in the ease of suffering by accepting his anger and resentment from his previous ambitions.

“Mother was right. When friendship fails… treachery prevails… Even ponies will say anything to save themselves. Now, move aside. I need more room to set this up, and you three are in the way.”

The scarabs were slowly getting set in place, and Rainbow’s last-ditch effort was a bust. The look of dejection and fear began to take root as Bulky shoved Pharynx and Elytra closer to Spitfire and Rainbow.

With one final shove, Bulky slammed Pharynx into Elytra, knocking them both onto the ground and Gaster off Elytra’s back to lay lifelessly in front of Rainbow’s hooves.

Pharynx, if not for his own life, was desperate to at least save another’s and turned his attention to Rainbow, who looked just as out of options as he was.

“You weren’t lying, were you?” He asked in a voice low enough that all could still hear him but quiet enough not to cause a fuss. “You’re friends? The changeling… Did they really save her? Was a changeling really that badly injured she needed to be saved but couldn’t do it on their own? Could your friends save Gaster?”

Rainbow raised her good eye to the battered changeling who spoke to her. She figured if he was about to die and she couldn’t save him, the least she could do would be to offer him some peace of mind.

“I was with her every day my best friend did everything to keep her alive… Pony food, medicine, oxygen, injections, weird… medical shit that’s too smart for me to understand. Every day, I watched that poor kid struggle more and more to breathe, and more of the blue in her eyes fade to white… But it took another friend. He shared part of himself that saved her. I swear it’s true. And I am sure they could save your… Gaster.” She turned up a nasty glare toward Thorax. “Could probably unfuck your face if I asked them nicely.”

If there was a moment for pleading, as pathetic as it was, this was all Pharynx had left.

“Thorax. They can help you. They can save Gaster. You don’t have to do this!”

Something about hearing that statement made Thorax slow his motions. Memories of Shelby’s body lying motionless with the blue faded and the white glaring out. Those pale, haunting whites. That much couldn’t have been a retelling of anything Rainbow overheard, and that made him stop short of sliding the last scarab device in place.

Self-preservation changed so much of his perspective on things. Now, another opportunity was revealing itself, and he wondered… with the last scarab only inches away from sliding into place, making the call to his Queen and information that could swing the tides of wars for his kind by saving lives, save his own…

But would Rainbow still trust him enough to prove it?

“Rainbow Dash…” Thorax slowly asked, his voice low and uncertain. “This young changeling you claim that was saved… If it’s not all a story—”

Standing not far behind Thorax, Arista’s eyes danced between the last device that needed to be placed and Thorax's staring at it.

“She’s stalling, Thorax! Just make the call!”

“—what was her name?” Thorax finally finished asking.

This was Rainbow's last chance to save herself and maybe even a few others. All she had to do was keep a few more details hidden or outright lie, and maybe she could bring a few more changelings into the fold. If nothing else, she didn’t see these new changelings she was held prisoner with as any creatures worth killing. She had to say something.

“Uh… Sh-she said her name was Ocellus.”

Both in front and behind her, all the changelings who had stood guard exchanged stares of shock. It seemed Rainbow had said the correct name, but she couldn’t expose much more without putting others in danger.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, trying to sound confident and mask her fear as she coughed again. “That’s what she told us before she flew off.”

“Hmph,” Thorax huffed as he stood up straight and dropped the final device to the ground. “Can’t believe after everything I’ve done, you still trust me… Like we could actually be… friends.”

Behind him, Arista was furious.

“Thorax! What are you—”

Tink!

With a tap of Thorax’s hoof, the fourth and final scarab device was kicked.

Green lights and shadows formed as the dark orb rose into view, and the Dark Queen’s projection once again came into view from Thorax using his hoof to send the final scarab device into its proper alignment.

“Arista!” She barked with a growl, finding him farther behind Thorax. “What took so long!”

Before Arista could finish his bow, Thorax cocked his head and stared at his mother's projection with joyous anticipation.

“Treachery, of course. Rainbow Dash wished to bargain my health and comfort in exchange for freeing our prisoners so I would return with them. Instead, I led her to confess that she has friends with abilities capable of healing injured changelings at the brink of death as well as feeding them to restoral even if they are too weak to even feed themselves. I’d have pushed for more information, but…” He turned his and Chrysalis’s attention to Rainbow, her mouth agape and one eye open as far as it would allow. “Tsk… It seems that you’ll have the honor of extracting that information. Starting with where they found Ocellus. They apparently know that grub by name. I wasn’t even aware that she was away from the hive, but Rainbow Dash claims that she and her friends allowed one of your precious, underdeveloped daughters to be attacked by an owlbear.”

Again, the cave was silent… but only for a moment.

“YOU ROTTEN, TWO FACED, LYING FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” Rainbow shouted, projecting spit and flem as she began to stand up but was promptly tackled from behind.

No sooner had she been tackled by two changelings, Spitfire was up and trying to reach for Rainbow but was grabbed by Pharynx. Quickly, he wrapped Spitfire up in his forelegs as he took her to the ground next to Gaster’s body.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “I need you to save Gaster, please listen to me.”

As Rainbow struggled against her captors and Pharynx held Spitfire down next to Rainbow to protect her from getting swarmed, Thorax gloated and continued to explain his findings.

“It seems Rainbow Dash also has information about this gunk that attacked the hive as well as injuring me. I thought she was just talking out of anger earlier, but she called it The Darkness.” He turned his attention back to his brother and the other two doomed changelings. “I… don’t think she’s lying about that gunk being able to kill a changeling. Do we really need to throw them all in?”

A stillness washed over the group, and Pharynx felt his heart beat wildly in his chest. While the act of compassion should have sickened him, he had to marvel at how expertly his brother had managed to play upon the pony’s weaknesses to pry the information needed to leverage an argument to save him and his comrades.

“My Queen,” Pharynx pleaded, finally releasing Spitfire to stand up and properly address Chrysalis. “If what Rainbow Dash says is true healing Gaster and Thorax, it would strengthen the swarm. Much more resilient for your plans.”

There was truth to what Pharynx had stated, and Chrysalis was not about to waste good intel. At the same time, she was not about to let her authority go unchallenged, so she turned her attention back to Thorax through the projection.

“We know this Darkness, as Rainbow Dash calls it, is dangerous. What of your brother's other claims? He still has yet to prove himself worthy of returning to the swarm. Do you expect me to welcome him back and threaten the safety of the hive without validating his claims or allowing him back to weaken us from within with his compassion? The same compassion that has held you back? Aren’t you tired of being weak and mocked?”

Thorax kept his eyes on Pharynx. Memories of their young years that had shaped his development replayed in his mind. Echoes of mockery mixed with masked words of encouragement. Beneath the abuse, there was brotherly love and a sense of protection, but it was always overshadowed by disappointment and ridicule. It was an uneven balance of being told who or what to be while never accepting who or what he was.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

“No,” Thorax finally answered, feeling a part of him die a little inside as something else took root. “I remember what happened to Shelby after the invasion of Canterlot. She was too hurt to feed herself, and she couldn’t stop the crystals from taking her. And maybe we should have let her go if she couldn’t bug up and fight back. But it sounds like Ocellus fought back against the owlbear, and Rainbow Dash’s friends can heal those of us who know what it means to be a real changeling.”

He turned his eyes to Elytra. A momentary flash of compassionate thoughts came to mind, but only as memories of a mentality that failed him.

“We only need to throw in one changeling to see if they can crawl out. I’ll feed on Pharynx after Elytra takes his place. He can prove his devotion by ensuring I have the strength I need to take Rainbow Dash’s place when I fly back to the Crystal Empire with Urtica… Sound fair, my Queen?”

Beyond the projection, a fire in Crysalis's eyes began to burn with excitement. The cruelty, betrayal, decisive decision-making, and terror it brought upon its victims created such a wicked smile she couldn’t contain herself. Slowly, her toothy smile was revealed from behind her lips, and her gleeful eyes fell shut as she began to giggle, falling into a full-throated roar of laughter.

“YES!” She finally belted out. “I love it! Let Pharynx reap what he has sown! See what his compassion brought him.” She turned to glare down at Pharynx, still frozen in shock and awe at his brother’s rise to the position of his executioner. “It appears to me that all you have is your own little hive of three. And all your little hive of three has is you to blame.”

As panic overtook Elytra, realizing any room for bargaining had been removed, something Thorax said finally clicked in her mind. With her thoughts racing, she said the first thing that came to her, hoping to buy them a little more time, if not unravel some of that mystery itself.

“Shelby? That was her name? That’s who you tried to help. She was a soldier like me. What crystals took her? I thought she ran away?”

Her tactic came without the response she desired, given how Bulky hooked his fetlock under her foreleg and began to drag her to the ledge.

“You heard our Queen. In ya go!”

Elytra clung tightly to Gaster’s body, dug her hooves into the frozen dirt, and screamed, hoping to stop this madness.

“Nooo! Please!”

“Wait!” Chrysalis shouted, making Bulky halt his march to the edge. “Shelby? Perhaps I was too caught up in the moment, but Thorax, do tell me. Who is this Shelby you speak of? And who would dare take one of my minions? A stray is one thing, useless as they are to me.”

As anxious as Thorax was to get everything over with, these new memories had been eating at him. So, he wasn’t shy about sharing them.

“After we landed in the village with all those creatures. Shelby… I noticed that she landed on her neck. And it bent…. It bent, or more like it turned like yours can, but ours can't do that. Her eyes weren’t bright anymore, she didn’t blink or breathe. I tried to talk to her, tell her to feed… said that she could have my share… Then… something came out of the ground.”

For a moment, Thorax looked lost in thought, lowering his gaze to the glowing crystals that illuminated the cave’s interior around them. A little more of it seemed clear to him now.

“They were crystals… Growing up like a plant covered in thorns. I… barely noticed it—noticed them. They were almost outside of view. Every changeling else didn’t seem to notice while they were feeding. Not even when it pulled her underground.”

He raised a hoof to his missing ear, rubbing it gently down along the crack in his shell, feeling the protruding shard had grown larger. Pressing in left him wincing from the pain, but he persisted until he felt enough of the red had covered his hoof to show his Queen.

“She also had this red stuff leaking out of her… Now I have it, too.”

Despite the distance and poor lighting of the area, Spitfire noticed the red smear on Thorax’s hoof he showed to Chrysalis, and she couldn’t help but blurt out what she saw.

“Holy shit, he’s bleeding.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t need to see the blood, nor could she while still being held down under two of the other changelings. Too much of the story had Harmony’s thorny vine tracks raked all over it.

“No shit, he’s bleeding,” she angrily grunted before shifting her focus to the changeling everyone had their eyes on. “Thorax, this is your last chance. I don’t know why that other changeling was allowed to die, but sometimes that happens, and their bodies are taken away with the memories of those who knew them. It happened to all of us, too. But if you’re bleeding, then you’re not as strong as you used to be, and just feeding won’t stop you from dying. We went through all this with Ocellus, just like she didn’t think she could trust us ponies or make friends. She’d be dead if she didn’t believe in having friends or changing how she thought she was supposed to act because she was born a changeling.”

Rainbow started to cough again as the changelings holding her down pressed harder against her back, but Thorax waived a hoof to motion them to stop.

Given the room to breathe again, though still pinned down, Rainbow went on to try to give reason to Thorax.

“Your death will be slow and painful, and that’s if something else doesn’t kill you first because you’re not as durable as you used to be. Maybe none of you are if it’s spreading farther than we thought possible. Either way, only my friends can save you, but you won’t know who they are or where they are. And they’re not gonna do shit unless I say so.” There was one more long-shot approach to try and take that might shift this changeling’s mind. All Rainbow had to do was phrase it right. “You might think there was something inside you telling you to hurt others. To be evil, like those thoughts weren’t really yours. You don’t have to be that kind of changeling. You can be better, all of you. Be free. If you really want to change and live somewhere that you belong, this isn’t it. You won’t be the first ones my friends can help change for the better.”

Unphased, Thorax surrounded himself in a flash of blue light, emerging as the blue Earth pony form he held earlier once again.

“I listened to that little voice once, Rainbow Dash. It led me here, and nothing got better until I stopped listening to it. I’m exactly where I belong now that I know the truth. In fact, I know I’m stronger than I was before. You saw the shape I’m in. No changeling with this many injuries can hold a transformation for this long. But even low on love, I only needed to take a few breaks long enough to let you two rest the whole time we were climbing our way out of here.” He flashed out of the transformation, returning to his normal self, a look of anger and contemplation mixed upon his face. “But if only your friends can save me, and they’ll only listen to you… I guess I can’t exactly go back as you. Not if I’m to learn their secrets…”

He brought a hoof to his chin, then his eyes fell upon Elytra still holding onto Gaster. Somehow, everything all seemed to come together for him in an instant.

“I guess I’ll have to go as myself. Thorax, the changeling who barely got away trying to save the brave and loyal Rainbow Dash. All because he wanted a friend but could only save a Wonderbolt instead.”

He stepped to the side and nudged Urtica with his elbow, who finally got the hint and took the cue to transform into a perfect copy of Spitfire.

With his new partner in crime at his side, Thorax was ready to gloat, though more pain was showing through on his face.

“Ow… All this celebrating is making my face hurt,” he said with a pained smile. “But I’m sure after they hear that I was injured trying to save you and that only I know where they’ll be keeping you, and that only I can help them.”

He grinned, feeling more of the cracks on his face spread open, but without as much pain as before.

“They’ll have no choice but to show me how they do all those amazing cures you promised me they can do.” His grin turned into a toothy smile. “The power of friendship. Such an amazing weapon when put in the right hooves. It’s making me feel better already..”

Without taking his eyes off Rainbow, his grin turned to a sour, grimacing sneer. He resolved to end it all.

“Bulky, get rid of Elytra and Gaster. Looking at them keeps reminding me of how stupid friendship is and only proves how deadly it is to changelings… Couldn’t save Shelby. Won’t save any of them.”

This time, when Bullky took hold of Elytra, instead of crying or screaming and digging in her hooves, she only held tightly around Gaster. Her forelegs were secured firmly around the limp mare’s neck, and her rear legs were anchored around the mare’s waist as she held her chest to chest.

“I won’t let go,” she hushed, her voice trembling.

Bulky didn’t even wait to reach the edge. Flexing his strength, he twisted and curled up his foreleg to toss up Elytra and Gaster, ensuring neither would have a chance to reach out and grab the edge or cling to the wall’s surface on their way down.

“Climb out if you can, Elytra! Maybe you can walk your way home with that busted wing once you ditch all that dead weight!”

Fearing how it would end, Pharynx, Spitfire, and Rainbow watched Elytra finish her downward arch out of sight, never letting go of Gaster while the other changelings laughed. Only Thorax stood out, watching with discontent, as if he were angry that any of it even had to be dealt with.

Then, only a dim disturbance of green light reflected off the walls gave any hint of their demise. There were no sounds of splashing or screams. Nothing could be heard over the laughter, and that wouldn’t do for Chrysalis.

“Quiet! All of you!” She shouted her orders, then looked over to Pharynx. “Too bad. Now you’re a hive of… Well, I suppose one doesn’t exactly make you a hive at all, now does it? Only I hold that title.” She giggled to herself; the pleasure she took in the execution was enough to make anyone nauseous. “If it makes you feel any better, we can let you join your little hive when Thorax is finished with you. Hmm? No? No better? Oh, well. Any last words?”

More than disgusted, hurt, and betrayed, Pharynx was seething with anger. His nostrils flared, huffing and snarling as he stared down his once-favored Queen.

“I… gave you… everything. I… EXUTED the changeling way! Sacrificed my integrity to try and save Thorax in a way he would understand. And even with my mistakes, whether you approved of them or not, I provided for the swarm. But we are the hive. All we have is the hive, and all the hive has is us.” His eyes narrowed as he crouched lower, baring his fangs. “And you know what? My mind has become more clear over these past few days as well. From here on out, I’ll take care of my hive the way you never could.”

While the short speech was delivered with enough bravado to impress Chrysalis, she still laughed at his claims.

“Ha! Your hive? Pharynx, we’ve been over this. I am the hive. You’re not even a part of the swarm any longer. You. Are. Alone.”

Pharynx drew a deep breath and hissed, waiving his forked tongue at his former Queen in the most disrespectful fashion he could to show his retaliation.

“I may not be a part of your swarm any longer, but you’re wrong about my hive. Even from the start of things. You said I was a hive of three…” His purple eyes flashed with violent brilliance, and his horn flared defiantly with magic despite being outnumbered and surrounded. “I’m still a hive of four.”

Suddenly, it dawned on Chrysalis that she might have overlooked something if not failed to witness something important, and she turned to the edge where Elytra had been tossed over.

“You fools! Where are the bodies!”

Bulky was still the closest to the ledge and darted over to look for any signs of the remains.

“I don’t see any sign of them! There’s no way either one of them could have—”

In his frantic search to find any wakes stirring in the oil or signs of a changeling not returning to the surface, he caught sight of something completely unexpected. Something that was hanging just below the ledge that he had to peek his head over the side to get a better view of.

“What the? It’s Gaster? She’s been cocooned here the whole time!” He tapped his hoof to the green exterior. “This has been here longer than we have!”

Now Chrysalis was infuriated, and she turned back to Pharynx.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

Pharynx returned a grin that bore every bit of hate and malice deserving of her disownment and abuse.

“Haltere asked me what would happen if we could never come back, and I told him not to worry. Not because I knew it would all work out, it was because one way or another, I’d take care of them. That’s what a hive does. What it should do. So, I knew that if you stuck true to your word, that I couldn’t come back, fine. But I knew there was a chance you weren’t going to save my brother, save Gaster, or let Haltere or Elytra back in… and by my own words, I knew what that would mean for us. Because I knew you wouldn’t risk runaway changelings interfering with your plans, so I had to play nice. And if friendship fails?”

From down the long, crumbling path beyond everyone, a sudden rise of grotesque squeals and rumbling roars started echoing up.

As all the new changelings took notice of the sounds of horror calling out their way, Spitfire sprang forward, shoving the two changelings off Rainbow and pulling her back next to Pharynx before they could reposition. Even as they started to move in, the howels from the depths below cried out with such dark, ominous howls that the once boisterous changelings were too afraid to move.

At that point, Thorax understood what his brother had done. He was surprised that he never caught on.

“Treachery… You had Haltere swap with Gaster and play opossum this whole time? That’s why Elytra never let go… They’ve been adjusting their plans the whole time together right in front of us.”

While the exposition was enlightening, Chrysalis was stuck behind her projection, trying to ascertain what new threat was heading toward her minions.

“What is that awful noise?!”

Pharynx stepped in front of Rainbow and Spitfire, ready to make a new deal.

“That’s the sound of my hive bringing the cold ponies back where we found them. We know how to fend them off. Thorax and the rest of your swarm, they don’t. Let us go safely with these ponies and my brother, and I’ll let our hives part ways.”

The tide had turned, and Chrysalis still wasn’t completely sure why or how it all happened, let alone what these cold ponies were. However, before she could give her reply, Halter flew in with Arista still clinging to his underside.

The two flew in high and swooped in next to Rainbow. Elytra rolled into a fighting position while Haltere adjusted his helmet.

“Gah! Stupid pony. I told you we had a plan. Did you have to keep yapping so much?”

Rainbow arched her back and cracked her neck, still unsure what to think of these new changelings.

“Yeah, yeah. Wait until we attack. Real specific on the details. And you couldn’t clue any of us in before psycho brother over there tricked us? You’re lucky your leader gave better instructions to Spitfire… And don't think that this means we trust you, either.”

Elytra stepped back and repositioned next to Rainbow’s exposed side, shielding her from the other changelings. She did not look all too pleased about the new alliance, either.

“We’re not your friends, and you’re not in our hive. We get you out of this, and your friends save Gaster.” She turned her eyes toward Thorax just long enough to shoot him a dirty look and then returned to sizing up the other changelings still surrounding them. “Maybe him, too, but I hope not. After that, we get a pardon, and we’re out of you pony’s lives for good. We won’t bother you. You won’t bother us. And Pharynx, we put a few hits on ‘em, so they're good and mad. Get ready.”

Meanwhile, Pharynx stood in contest with his former Queen, staring her down, letting the wails and squeals that grew louder do most of the arguing for him.

“Well?”

The grinding of teeth from Chrysalis could have shattered the molars of a lesser creature, but in a sudden passing of her fury, a passive sigh escaped along with a dismissive smile.

“You are in no position to make orders of me. Although, this whole endeavor has provided a wealth of new and exciting information for me to explore once I find out who these friends of Rainbow Dash are. And all I wanted to was to have Thorax returned so he wouldn’t interrupt my plans by being discovered. So, how about instead of making a deal, I let my minions kill you, and I have Thorax kill these cold ponies just like he did the last time? Nothing has changed at all.”

From the entryway where the dark howls came, two icy hooves gripped the sides of the mouth of the entrance, spreading cracking shards of ice. A flowing ghost-like mane drifted into view, leading a long horse's head with early glowing eyes of a ghastly unliving white.

“Windigos!” Spitfire shrieked. “Cold ponies are windigos! What the hell are they doing here?!”

As if summoning demons from the coldest depths of hell, five more pairs of glowing eyes rose up from behind the first, each of them creeping closer into the open air.

Whatever odds Rainbow thought they had about escaping this already slanted scenario drastically plummeted as she watched the haze of blue floating forms drift closer into view of her only working eye.

“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. You guys actually have a plan, right? This wasn’t some big bluff that isn’t about to bend us over, right?”

Pharynx started to step back towards his comrades, his horn primed and his confidence high.

“I know you’re a pony, but try to stay calm. Do what we tell you. We’ll get you out, and then you hold up your end of the deal. We know how to deal with these things.” He looked at his brother. “Thorax… please…”

As the Windigos crept nearer, crawling closer through the air like sharks stalking their prey, Arista and Urtica backed closer into Thorax. Neither of them knew what they were looking at, but Urtica was the most unnerved.

“Uh, Thorax? What do we do here?”

Thorax kept his eyes locked on his brother, the one shamelessly now guarding the enemy. There was no going back for him, and his anger pulsed out, widening the cracks in his fractured carapace, dropping a piece down next to his hoof, the protruding shard on his cheek now larger and sharper.

“There’s far more of those things down below. We’re boxed in up here. Pharynx and the rest have nowhere to run, but neither do we.” He eyed the group of exiled changelings and the two mares protected between them. “Don’t look at the cold ponies. Don’t run. If we can recapture my brother and the rest of them, we’ll just bring this whole place down. If the mountain doesn’t crush them, The Darkness will finish them off.”

Suddenly, Pharynx realized his plan was about to be caved-in on, and he was still one changeling short for his exit strategy.

“Uh… crud… Elytra, Haltere? I need one of you two to get Gaster. Rainbow Dash, Spitfire? I know you’re pretty weak, but I really need you to not be weak right now. We’re going to have to fight our way out of this.”

As soon as Pharynx tried to step closer to approach his brother, Rainbow lurched over, grabbing him by the head and pressing her muzzle to his ear. At first, his reaction was to bring his front hoof back to toss her off as hard as possible, but then the words she whispered to him set off a chain reaction of explanations and forced reconsiderations.

“Oh, come on!” He belted out. “That’s so stupid!”

The whispers from Rainbow were repulsive in nature but also confirmed his own strategy against what he came to know as cold ponies, or windigos as they were correctly identified, now. Only now, he’d have to hope that he could work against that theory to save his hive, even if it meant putting himself in harm's way. The threat became evermore present as the Windigos circled everyone in the wide-open area, chilling the air to a frightening degree.

“Haltere, Arista…” Pharynx whispered. “New plan. I’ll distract the cold ponies and the rest of our former brothers and sisters. Both of you get Gaster. Protect Rainbow Dash and Spitfire, but no fighting along the way. Not unless you absolutely have to. We’ll meet back at the entrance and… be nice.”

“What?” Haltere question, a little louder than a whisper. “How hard did Bulky hit you? You’re not making any sense.”

Spitfire pushed closer to Haltere, still wary of trusting these new allies but still trusting the plan more.

“Unless you wanna be frozen where you stand, shut your trap and do it. We don’t like it either, but I’m pretty sure we can keep you safe from the windigos.”

“Pretty sure?” Haltere angrily grumbled as he hunkered down, half tempted to buck the mare off the ledge himself. “Gaster is going to owe me half her rations for the rest of her life if we get out of this alive.”

It was a three-way standoff. Pharynx staring down his brother, Thorax eyeing up his brother and those he wanted to take prize of again, the rest of the changelings trying not to look at the windigos and waiting for one of the enemies to make a move, and the windigos circling above. The only non-combatant was Chrysalis, watching everyone, impatiently stewing on her thrown, waiting for her prisoners to be reclaimed and four loose ends to be removed.

Finally, Pharynx picked his target.

“FOR THE HIVE!”

With a full charge of his horn ready, Pharynx turned his head away from Thorax, leaping into flight, and discharged a bolt of magic at the closest changeling on their flanks.

Bulky was struck in the chest, erupting in a burst of explosive green magic and smoke. The hulk was thrown back, and the six remaining reinforcements held off their retreat. His body tumbled, knocking over one changeling and tipping over another, who jumped into flight.

“Get him!” The changeling demanded, bringing the other four battle-ready changelings to join him.

“No!” Thorax shouted, seeing the windigos already funneling in on the group. “No sudden movements! You’re gonna—”

It was too late. Volleys of green bolts shot down, all of which Pharynx flew between, changing his path to bring the fight closer to the last three still standing on the sidelines.

“Idiots!” Thorax shouted, extending his wings, more blood starting to leak from his face as he shouted new orders at the last two changelings behind him. “Focus on Haltere first! Elytra will go down easy after that. Then capture the ponies!”

With the new orders given, Thorax lept into the air to meet his brother, focused his magic around his body, wanting to meet him with maximum force, seeing Pharynx preparing a transformation of his own.

The two flashed out of their spells. Thorax revealed himself, flying out with four of his massive insectoid limbs, ready to meet his brother. Pharynx burst from the green lights as a tiny flying squirrel, passing under his brother's massive gaps of armor.

“You rotten—” Thorax tried to shout but collided with the first windigo chasing Pharynx.

Passed Thorax, Pharynx used his elusive appearance to glide in close to the last two targets, flying in just close enough to finally be noticed and transforming back to his normal form above their heads before they could reach his hive mates.

“Eyes open, scout!”

Hearing the callout to his position, Arista turned in time to see Thorax kicking his hoof down and taking the full blow to his snout.

“Gah!”

Urtica had dodged to the side far enough to avoid staying in striking range but, upon seeing Arista taking a hit, pivoted to engage Pharynx.

“Dirty, pony-loving traitor!”

As Urtica narrowed in to attack, she was hit from behind by Thorax, his massive insectoid frame smashing her past Pharyanx just in time for him to fly off unscathed. She skidded on her side, quick to turn and search her surroundings, finding Thorax fighting off not one but two of the windigos.

Each of his sharpened limbs steadily grew more layers of ice as he attempted to bat them away. Their angry howls and piercing shrills release plumes of frosted air that covered his limbs and chest.

“They're getting away!” Thorax shouted, swinging one of his ice-covered limbs to bash away one of the windigos. “Stop them!”

With all the chaos of fighting breaking out and enough distractions created, Haltere saw their opening to cross the small land bridge’s width.

“Let’s make this quick! Stay close!”

Together, Haltere started their short sprint across, ducking below Pharynx leading a trio of windigos toward Thorax and the other two changelings. It was nearly impossible to keep track of all the moving bodies flying and diving overhead and behind them, but he had to stay focused on his hive mate, who still needed to be rescued.

“Not so fast!” A changeling called out, sounding male in voice, diving in and slid to a halt in front of him with another at his side. “Just give up. You’re still outnumbered, weak, and out of tricks to pull.” He motioned to his left. “Scutellum, don’t let them get past you.”

Scutellum, the other changeling, charged her horn, side-stepping to block a path forward or any offensive posturing.

“You miserable, rotten, pony-loving—”

Crack!

Behind the two changelings, one of the windigos landed with a rough impact, shaking the questionably stable landbridge and knocking both changelings off their hooves. Both changelings shook themselves free from the initial shock, the male skidding off to slide further away and jumping to his hooves while the female rolled to her side, slightly more dazed, and turned to face the ancient entity.

The windigo’s eyes narrowed, piercing her presence, huffing plumes of icy trails of exhaust with each step it took forward of its only two legs. Its ghost-like lower torse trailed off and flowed as if half in the living world and half still drawn into the afterlife. Every inch it drew closer, the air grew colder, thicker, harder to breathe; focused in on, as if vexingly curious to this particular changeling.

“Get away from me, you ice-covered freak!” Scutellum scretched, recharging her horn and dispersing a bolt to the creature’s face.

The bolt exploded upon impact, leaving a puff of smoke and flakes of ice dropping behind another harsh cry from the windigo.

From the projection, Chrysalis had been observing with wild excitement and frustration as her minions had split to evade and clash with these ancient creatures of magic and lore. Thorax had impressed her with his physical prowess, but finally, one of her subordinates had shown their might.

“Ha!” Chrysalis exclaimed. “Yes! Excellent! Scutellum! That windigo didn’t stand a chance! Now, Plumose, just like Scutellum, show Haltere and Eletrya what happens to those who—”

An angry cry from the beast bellowed out from the smoke, spewing forth a stream of white frost that washed over the still-downed changeling. The frost attack forced all to back away except Plumose, caught in the mist as she tried to take flight. The white mist enveloped her body, her forelegs and upper torso that barely reached out.

Haltere initially backed away to avoid the mist, but the shock and terror he saw in Scutellum’s eyes as the breath was stolen from her had him rear up and push his party back behind him with his forelegs forced out. He quickly found himself back from where he sprinted from, and Spitfire had to stop him from pushing her into the oil as Scutellum dropped out of flight from her hasty failed attempt to flee.

Scutellum landed uncomfortably, her limbs numb from all but cold she couldn’t hide.

“Ah!” She tried to yell, but the chill in her lungs shuttered her cry, raising her head and charging her horn to retaliate. “You… m-m-miserable… in-n-n-n-s-s-sssignif-f-f-fficigant-t-t—”

The windigo’s eyes glowed, focused on the changeling. Beneath Scutellum’s hooves, more shards of ice sprouted up, trapping her in place before growing up her legs, stifling her chilled words of contentment.

“—We… are…”

A brighter flash glowed, growing the pillar of ice up the changeling’s torso, leaving only her head exposed.

“...the su-su-swarm.”

As her horn primed with the final bit of power needed to launch another attack, she was swallowed whole by the ice, no differently than the ponies in stories of old folklore.

Plumose remained fluttering in the air, awe-struck at the sight of watching one of his own overwhelmed by this creature’s breath and stare. For a moment, he had sworn that his hive-mate had struck the beast down, but instead, there it stood, in his way.

“You… victory stealing, party crashing, cold-hearted, fake-pony, freak!” He screamed, diving down at the beast. “That’s our job!”

The windigo turned to face the dive-bombing changeling, its eyes flashing bright, casting a layer of ice around Scutellum’s wings.

Scutellum’s target was close enough, and his rage was high, so he chose to abandon flight altogether. With a quick flash of light around his body, his wings were removed, the ice still partially adhering to his back as he dropped out of the vanishing light as a raging longhorn bull and slammed his head into the windigo’s body with all the inertia, he could deliver.

As the path before the small group of heroes was cleared again, minus the new changeling icicle for them to move around, Spitfire swallowed hard and moved closer to Elytra. Spitfire started to take their first steps forward, still cautious of their surroundings but Elytra wasn’t making any snide remarks or attempting to force any distance between each other, which she was grateful for.

“Until we make it out of here, you and I are gonna be best of friends,” Spitfire encouraged. “No fighting. No fussing…” Their cautious steps sped up to hurried trot as they neared the frozen changeling, with none of them able to resist their eyes taking in the frozen features of Scutellum. “No freezing to death.”

Elytra looked to her right, taking quick notes of Thorax thrashing his limbs at the windigos and walls to break off the layers of ice building up his appendages. Urtica and Arista were zig-zagging around the same group, taking pop shots with magic, yielding questionable results, as far as she could tell. Scutellum was just getting up, his bull horns covered in ice, and this new windigo target of choice looked to be spreading more ice as it rose up. Another quick glance to her left showed the remaining changelings firing their green bolts, the mini-eruptions breaking loose shards of ice and rock, the windigos spreading and growing more ice as they chased down their targets, slowly fighting the frost taking over them. However, there was one changeling with his head on a swivel, still trying to shake Bulky back out of his daze, even though the windigos ignored them despite being wide open and unprotected.

“You ponies figured it out, too, huh?” Elytra asked, assuming it was true but hating what it confirmed. “Fine, but we’re only friends until we get out of this.”

Together, the small group reached the steep edge.

“Alright,” Haltere said, looking over the ledge. “Watch my back. It wasn’t easy putting Gaster in here when I had Pharynx helping me; it won’t be easy getting her out.”

From down the ways of the bridge, Bulky was finally coming out of his daze, rubbing his chest and chasing the stars out of his vision.

“That sneaky little…“ He grumbled, finally getting his bearings. “Where’s Pharynx?”

The shaking changeling coaxing him pointed to Pharynx on the run, speedily turning round columns of stone and narrowly avoiding blasts of icy breath or new shards of ice that erupted from the walls and ceiling the windigos created with their stares. That bug was already on the ropes, and Bulky wasn’t about to try to match speeds with a more nimble opponent when a superior flier was on his target’s tail. Instead, he saw a more vulnerable group and a mare he was looking forward to paying back.

“Malpighian, join the others,” he grumbled. “I’ll thin out the weak ones. Then we’ll have our prisoners, and we can bring this place down.”

Bulky rose to his hooves and shook off the dust from the blast in his tumble while he marched toward the rainbow-maned mare he had his sights set on.

“Alright, ponies. Sick, weak, blind—” he grinned wide, flashing his fangs. “—or only half blind, but still outnumbered. You can come along quietly…” He stopped a few feet in front of the group, staring down Elytra in a crouched position, her wings fanned out, rattling, shaking off parts of her damaged wing, hissing her forked tongue, and still favoring her injured leg, making it all the more enjoyable for him to sneer down at. “...or you can make this fun for me.”

Haltere could hear Bulky’s voice from the side of the ledge.

“Elytra! Keep him away! We can’t save Gaster without those ponies!”

Elytra hissed again, posturing as best she could. Her heart was racing. The first swing she took could bring down any number of the windigos, but that was if Bulky didn’t smash her out cold first.

“I got this one,” Spitfire announced confidently, stepping out from behind Elytra.

Rainbow reached out, grabbing Spitfire by the tail with her teeth.

“No!” She growled with a wheeze and a cough. “No figh—”

“Too late, Dash!” Spitfire snapped back, jerking her hips to the side to free her tail from Rainbow’s maw, then rearing up on her hind legs into a human fighting stance. “We can argue all day and night whose fault this is why we’re in this mess, but I’m the only close to being fit to fight right now. Either way, neither one of us are gonna be getting out here without them helping us, so let me take the lesson Thunder Glide beat into me so we can thank Justin for it later. Keep the windigos off my back until then.”

It couldn’t be helped. A touch of pride, a sliver of wanting, and a flicker of a flame started to burn inside Spitfire as she thought about what she said. Returning to Justin as a warrior who stood alone after taking his teachings. Granted, they were only what she learned second hand from Thunder Glide, but this would go beyond the needs of grudge match or what Harmony presented. She was stepping up in a new way.

“Fun way it is,” Bulky said with a grin, rising up to try and match Spitfire’s stance. “Rainbow Dash was just a replacement for that orange Earth pony anyway.”

Time to take some humility to work, and thankfully, Spitfire had years worth of experience and a calmer mind to put them to use.

“I don’t mind being the stand-in for Dashy over there. Us Wonderbolts are always on standby for cleaning up loose ends like you after the Elements have their fun. We’d let the Filly Scouts of Equestria help out, but they already get a merit badge for picking up the trash.”

Bulky’s grin dropped into a snarl.

“Fine! Just fun for me then!”

[Back in the Crystal Castle.]

The long day had been mostly quiet for Cerb. Having spent much of the day comforting Fleetfoot, then helping her sober up, discussing possible future plans, but they hadn’t much else to do. At the same time, the silence wasn’t sitting well with Cerb.

“It’s getting dark. They should have been back by now.”

Thunder Glide looked out the open balcony from the bed next to Cerb, watching the sunset with him. Her concerns were much the same.

“Rainbow Dash and Spitfire are both experienced fliers, and you know they can handle themselves in a fight. Certainly, Dash can… but the weather out here is pretty harsh, and I’m in no condition to be out looking for them.”

On the other side of Cerb, Fleetfoot tapped her hooves together, humming and thinking.

“Hmm… Cold weather operations.” Tap-tap-tap. “Night-time flight procedures… Winter season training cancellations…” Tap-tap… Tap. “No… Something’s wrong. Thunder Glide, go get Cadance. Spitfire knows not to be out this late.”

Hearing the request but not understanding, Thunder Glide turned and gave Fleetfoot a confused look.

“What? What’s wrong? What does she know?”

“GO!” Fleetfoot shouted, pointing her hoof at the door. “I need Cadance up here, now! I’ll explain it to her so you don’t have to! Go!”

That was a clear enough motivator for Thunder, and she hurried off the bed and was out the door. However, now Cerb was even more concerned. His rapidly rising anxiety had him sliding off the bed to fetch his clothes.

“Fleets? Tell me, what's wrong? Give me the quick and dirty.”

Fleetfoot tapped her forehooves together a few more times, her eyes twitching back and forth, internally searching her memories again for all the details while watching Cerb struggle to dress himself.

“We have year-round cold weather rescue training for all Wonderbolts. We need it for all the kingdoms we might travel into, as well as high-altitude complications… but here… Night time. Winters. Always the same problem.”

She stopped tapping her hooves and started to sit up. Every motion she made caused her pain, but lying down was no longer comfortable for her either.

“It gets too cold, even with our flight suits, and Spitfire knows that. She wouldn’t risk her safety or Rainbow Dash’s… Something had to have gone wrong. We’re going to need to mobilize a search team, and I can’t do that like this. I mean, I could if I could get the word out, but—”

With a little last-second help from Cerb, Fleetfoot sat upright, her legs propped up with pillows.

“Emph… yeah… This is going to be an emergency order only a Princess can authorize to get the help we need.”

Author's Note

I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out. Motivation was a little low this month. Simply put, it's been rough with health, doctor appointments, legal matters (work-related, nothing against me), depression in general, and you know how life goes... but worse than normal because... shit sucks.

As for the story, was it what you expected? Probably not. This is a brave new world, and who knows exactly what any creature is capable of doing with a will of their own?

I'd say more, but I'm having a hard putting all my thoughts together at the moment.

I'm sure all of you want to know how this stand-off is going to end, but to find out, you'll have to come back and read:

Chapter 14.
The Dark One.

Oops, I forgot to mention that I screwed up with the file size for the pic of Zecora, so it was posted on a different site than usual. If you want a full-size version of the picture, you can find it here: https://derpibooru.org/images/3327673

Also, acknowledgments to my story support:

The Fan Without a Face:

Editor for Chapters 01 - 03, 5, 7

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