The two words coming from nowhere and everywhere took the group by surprise, but they quickly realized what they meant as all eyes turned to Thorax, who looked very uncomfortable.

"Pharynx? Is that you?" Thorax responded, looking around the chamber.

"Oh, so you do remember me, you little traitor!" the voice answered, sounding gruff and bitter.

"Pharynx, whatever you may think of me, I am not a traitor!" Thorax protested, sounding a little defensive and a tad whiny. "I care about the Hive, but the Hive is being misled. Chrysalis is insane!"

He got an angry echoing buzz in response and the voice spoke again, "You dare besmirch the name of our mother and queen?! It's bad enough that you abandoned your own species for these self-righteous ponies, but worse yet you dragged along an innocent changeling nymph! We know she's here, we sense her!"

"Elytra would have grown up to be what I was, what you still are, Pharynx," Thorax furrowed his brow, speaking more boldly, "A slave!"

"Our unquestioning obedience and absolute devotion to our queen is for the good of the Hive!" Pharynx's voice admonished. "From a tiny newly-hatched grub to the most battle-hardened drone! We all must make sacrifices for the sake of the changeling race!"

Shining Armor stepped forth and called out, "Your so-called sacrifices are in vain and unnecessary! If Chrysalis would be willing to compromise we could discuss a solution that could bring about lasting peace for both changelings and ponykind, perhaps even a means from which both species could mutually benefit.

"I have more reason than most ponies to hate your kind. But Thorax and Elytra have shown that changelings are capable of change and peaceful coexistence, even friendship!"

"Pah! Her Majesty is right," spat Pharynx's voice, "You're as soft in the head as you bleed from your heart, Armor!"

"You don't have to live your entire lives hiding and struggling to survive," spoke up Sunburst. "Thorax and Elytra are living proof that a peaceful and amiable coexistence between ponies and changelings is possible!

"You could sustain yourselves off of friendship and love you earn rather than lying or stealing to acquire!"

"It's true, Pharynx! Ever since Shining Armor and Cadance welcomed us into their homes and their kingdom, Elytra and I have lived happily and never gone hungry," Thorax added, "because we've earned love and friendship! We don't need to hurt or trick others, and we're so much better off!"

"SHUT UP!!" shouted Pharynx's voice, sounding angry and spiteful before more voices joined with his own and they spoke as one:

"We are the Hive! Throw down your weapons and surrender. We will harvest your love and your knowledge to nourish our own. Your species will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."

Midnight furrowed his brows before calling out, "You have made an unprovoked attack on the Crystal Empire, an ally of Equestria! Your attack has resulted in innocent ponies being hurt and afflicted by a malediction that we know is the work of changeling magic.

"However, we acknowledge your actions are by the orders of your queen. If you surrender, you will be shown leniency."

"You? Show us leniency? Heh, this coming from a species that relies on such a pathetic protector!" responded Pharynx's sneering voice, "Wouldn't you agree... dragon?"

Astral's eyes widened with realization as he put two and two together regarding a feeling he'd had since this Pharynx began talking to them.
"That was you! You set that bomb that sent me for a loop!"

"Yes, and you couldn't even stand your ground against a little breeze!" Pharynx mocked, his voice echoing around them. "Why don't you go crawling back to your nest like the wimpy salamander you are."

Anger boiled within the drake as his irises slightly glowed red. This insolent pest had attacked his protectorate, threatened the ponies under his protection, and now dared to insult his worth as a protector?!

He snorted fire from his nostrils before he drew his swords and snarled, "I'll show you what this wimpy salamander can do, bug!"

He flapped his wings and zoomed down the hall, ignoring the others yells to come back, Midnight groaning, "Ugh! We better go after him."

"I'm gonna have words with that drake after this is over," Shining Armor huffed as they galloped down the tunnel after their friend.

The tunnel didn't last long and they soon found themselves in another chamber, almost as large as the prior one. But this one was most assuredly not empty. The walls and ceilings were coated with hardened changeling gew, spikes, and some fresher gew dribbling from the walls and hut-like structures.

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU COWARDLY VERMIN?!" Astral roared, looking around, burning for a fight. "SHOW YOURSELVES!!"

"Astral, calm down!" Shining Armor ordered as they hurried over to him, "Don't you realize they're just baiting you?"

"This is most certainly a hive base," Thorax looked around, "but I don't sense Pharynx or his swarm are here!"

"So then where are they?" asked Sunburst.

All of a sudden, they heard a moist and disgusting squelching sound behind them and looked to see thick and viscous changeling gew glowing as it moved by itself... and then sealed up the passageway they'd just come from. Midnight launched a score of Magic Arrows at the mass of gew, but it held strong.
"They've sealed us in!"

"Foolish ticks! They've trapped themselves in here with us!" Astral growled.

Midnight glared at Astral, marched over to him, and wingslapped him on both cheeks before yelling, "You mean, you let them get to you and now we've fallen into their trap, you dummy!"

"Er..." Astral rubbed his cheeks, having gotten his common sense back from those wingslaps as he realized he'd just done a major 'uh-oh', which was emphasized as the buzzing they'd heard earlier came back and was growing louder and louder!

"Form up in a circle, facing outwards!" Shining Armor called out and the five did so, in order to have each other's backs and to have no blind spots.

The hard and dense mounds of changeling gew then opened up... and out came around a dozen changelings, all buzzing and snarling viciously as they rushed out and surrounded the five heroes. Thorax gulped as he saw many of them glaring at him with abject hatred and they heard them whisper in buzzing undertones, things like...

"Traitor!" "Deserter!" "Fool..." "He will pay dearly!" "He will answer to our mother-queen!"

Remembering his promise, Astral said, "Thorax, get behind me..."

While Astral raised his swords, ready to defend Throax, Midnight summoned his sword and uttered, "Find the Light... Nightfall."

The blade became his pair of armored gauntlets with claws while Shining Armor and Sunburst summoned their own swords.

Unbeknownst to them, in the chamber they'd been in prior, an old rock erupted in green flame, revealing itself to have been a changeling in disguise! Remembering his role in the plan, he made for the tunnel that led back to the Empire.

"Wait... Pharynx isn't here!" Thorax spoke up in alarm. "He's the leader of this swarm!"

"But if he's not here leading them to fight us...!" Midnight suddenly sensed something and shouted "MOVE!!"

They all rushed in different directions in the nick of time as large sticky globs of changeling gew fell from above, having come very close to engulfing the five heroes and immobilizing them.

"That was close!" Sunburst kept his sword raised and nervously pushed his glasses back in place.

"ERGH!!" They looked up to see the source of that frustration was a changeling with a carapace and eyes colored purple and a red spine, snarling, "Don't get cocky! We still outnumber you!"

"Pharynx..." Thorax looked up sadly at the changeling, who returned his look with one of contempt.

"It's been a while, little brother...." Pharynx growled as he buzzed down to join his swarm.

"I had to leave, Pharynx!" Thorax pleaded, "I am no longer connected to the Hive Mind. The queen would have killed me once she found out."

"I would have stood up for you, assured her that as long as you remained loyal and obedient there would yet be a place for you among the Hive," Pharynx snarled, but deep down... he knew Thorax was right. The queen would never have tolerated the existence of any changeling she couldn't control. He narrowed his eyes, ordering via the Hive Mind, Separate them, they'll be easier to pick off...

Then aloud, Pharynx said, "Then you should have just left! But no, you had to run off with our little sister! What kind of life is one for a nymph to spend her whole life running and hiding? Endangering her just because you couldn't let go?"

"But we're not running or hiding," Thorax furrowed his brows and glared back at Pharynx with a boldness the older changeling had never seen from his brother.

It honestly surprised him... and deep down, he couldn't help but feel a little pride.

"Elytra and I, we have true friends, a place to belong," Thorax went on, "a place to be free and happy and alive! But the Hive? Each and every changeling is born into unquestioning slavery under a queen who serves herself above all! The rest of the Hive are just her servants despite the fact they are her children! You know it's true, Pharynx, all of you do:

"Chrysalis doesn't care about anyone but herself."

Pharynx growled... when he felt something through the Hive Mind. Out the corners of his eyes, he noticed his swarm appeared to be taking Thorax at his word. He sensed their doubt, their concerns, their pondering of Thorax's words, and that infuriated him!

Thorax is mine... deal with the others once you've separated them, he ordered via the Hive Mind. When they all looked to him, he threatened, Do it! Unless you would like for the queen to know you've been thinking traitorous thoughts...

Sensing their fear temper their resolve, Pharynx sneered... before he opened his mouth and shot out a line of gew, ensnaring Thorax, whom he jerked forward. Before Midnight, Shining Armor, Sunburst or Astral could do anything-

*Ker-floomf*

Trapdoors opened right beneath their hooves (and feet), as Midnight and Sunburst fell through one and Shining Armor and Astral fell through the other, all of them crying out in alarm as they vanished into darkness, the trapdoors closing shut, and Thorax gulped now that he didn't have his friends with him.

He struggled to stay calm, even as Pharynx glared at him before sneering, "What say, we catch up on some brotherly bonding..."

A lone guard walked through the halls of the crystal castle. It'd been difficult acquiring the armor, but necessary for the ruse. He gave appropriate nods and salutes to other guards he passed by, inwardly relishing how easily he was fooling them.

Guided by his powers, he found the door he was looking for... except there were two guards station by it, as well as one guard positioned at each end of the hall.

He needed to complete his mission at all costs! But an integral part of this mission was to get in and out without exposing his true nature.

I need to lure them away for just a few moments! the infiltrator thought. But how...?

Looking around, the halls were somewhat sparse in decor, but every half a dozen pony lengths stood a pedestal that had either a luminescent globe, a crystal bust, or a cultural piece of pottery on display. Then the infiltrator sneered as he thought, Sometimes I amaze myself with my own brilliance!

He snuck away from the hall, had a look around and saw just what he needed a good-enough distance away. Making sure nopony was around, he ever so gently tipped a large pottery just enough, rushed behind a heavy window curtain (shifting in size to better conceal himself) and....

"What was that?!" the infiltrator heard a guard say and then he heard urged hoofsteps coming to investigate.

He held absolutely still behind the curtain, waiting for the guards to pass him by, and once he was certain, he peeked out, The coast is clear...

He saw down the hall that the guards were checking out the broken pottery, and once he was sure they weren't looking he stole back down the hall, back in his guard disguise, and carefully approached the door he was looking for.

He raised his hoof... and set a tiny box in front of it before giving the door a knock.

He rushed away and hid behind a statue, carefully peeking out to see the door open a little... and out peeked Elytra, curious to find nopony there. The changeling filly felt a brief apprehension that was dashed once she noticed the little box on the floor, and picked it up.

Inside the nursery, Cadance sat with Spike (who had been cajoled into wearing a dress, to his bitter chagrin) and little Cora, sitting in a special high chair so she could join them for their tea party. As promised, Cadance had come by to check on the young ones to be sure they were fine, but Elytra had pleaded Cadance to stay with them for a while and even suggested a tea party. Cadance had agreed and Elytra then guilt-tripped Spike into wearing a dress as Duchess Spinel.

Spike had almost refused until Cora had joined Elytra in giving him the most heartbreaking sad eyes he'd seen since Apple Bloom, so he'd caved and decided as long as it was kept between them, he'd do it for his niece (and just die a little on the inside).

Elytra returned to the tea party, Cadance asking, "Who was it, Elytra?"

"Nopony, I didn't see anyone there," Elytra answered, sounding confused. "Even the guards were gone."

Cadance suddenly felt wary and stood up, "All of you wait here."

Cadance gave Cora a loving nuzzle and motherly kiss before she went to the door and said, "I'm going to speak with the guards and lock the door. Don't answer it for anyone! I'll be right back."

She left, locking the door behind her, and Spike and Elytra shared a concerned look.

"You really didn't see anypony, Elytra?" Spike asked, a tad worried.

"No, it was weird," Elytra confirmed, sounding puzzled.

"Well... I guess Princess Cadance will make sure everything's okay," Spike put on a brave face when Cora fussed. "Oh! Okay, Little Princess, here's your tea."

Spike gave the fussy filly her "tea" (which was actually her baby bottle), not noticing the bracelet Elytra now wore on her left forehoof. It was a deep green cord... with a tiny butterfly charm on it. The charm reflected a faint green. The same green that shined over Elytra's seashell pink eyes as she rejoined the tea party and smiled as she offered Cora her Whammy.

Sunburst groaned as he slowly returned to consciousness when he felt a gentle prod to his barrel.

"Sunburst? Are you okay?" came the voice of his master, Midnight, and Sunburst felt his glasses, which had been askew, get set straight and he opened his eyes to see Midnight looking at him in concern.

"Ugh, I feel a little sore, but... yeah, I'm fine," Sunburst rubbed his aching backside as he sat up... and realized where they were. "Wha- We're in a cage?!"

"Just woke up myself," Midnight nodded as he looked around.

They were inside a cage that was suspended from the floor of a modest-sized room. A glob of changeling gew on a nearby wall glowed, providing luminescence, and they saw the cage was suspended by gew affixing the cage to the ceiling.

"Those changelings had this all nice and set up," Sunburst realized. "We have to get out of here!"

"Easier said than done," Midnight gave Sunburst a wary look before indicating the cage's bars. "This cage is ensorcelled with some rather strong wards and is charmed to be unbreakable. I could overpower it but it would take time, not to mention there might be some kind of alarm or more surprises if I force the cage open."

"Hmm, how are you with Abjuration?" asked Sunburst after considering Midnight's words.

"I'm competent but I'm no master," sighed Midnight, sounding displeased with himself. "I'm way better with Enchantment, but this cage is warded against enchantments."

"Urgh, I'm well versed in Abjuration but I don't think I have enough magical power to undo the spells on this cage," Sunburst grumped.

"Hmm... perhaps we can work with that," Midnight suggested.

"What do you mean?" asked Sunburst.

"I'll provide the power but you have to wield it," explained Midnight. "You know much more about Abjuration than I do, but if I provide you with my own magical energy you should be able to utilize it and get us out of this cage!"

"Collaborative casting!" Sunburst realized before smiling, "That could definitely work!"

"Alright, are you ready?" Midnight asked as he lit up his horn.

Sunburst took a deep breath as he ran the proper abjuration spells through his mind and closed his eyes to focus. He nodded to his master to go ahead... and Midnight began to gently channel his mana from his own horn to Sunburst's. Sunburst softly gasped. Midnight was being gentle and careful, but Sunburst still felt the enormous gap between them as Midnight's mana was added to his own.

It threatened to overwhelm him, so he got started on the incantation.

"BWAAUUGGHH!!!" Astral screamed, too riled and panicky to focus but Shining Armor wasn't.

The trapdoor had dropped them at least five stables down before they felt themselves reach a slippery slope and were now sliding to Goddess knew where. Wherever this was taking them, Shining Armor knew it wasn't somewhere pleasant. He ignored the drake screaming beside him and the velocity they were building from their sliding, and focused his mana, casting one of his favorite Shield spells.

It conjured a mana construct shaped like a shield ahead of them and was large enough to block the way down, causing the both of them to crash against it.

Groaning as they pushed themselves off it and shaking it off, Shining Armor carefully angled the Shield downwards until it was horizontal, serving as a sort of platform for them to stand on.

"Ech, what a ride..." Astral rubbed his snout, which had unfortunately smacked dab into the Shield. "But at least we're okay."

"We would have been just fine if you hadn't charged into an obvious trap," scolded Shining Armor, causing Astral to wince. "Astral, what were you thinking? It's not like you to make such a crucial mistake like that."

"I know, I know! I messed up..." Astral sighed, looking ashamed of himself, "It's... I've been trying to focus on the mission, to do my duty, but... I failed in my duty, Shining Armor."

Shining Armor's frustration softened with sympathy, especially when he saw Astral shed a tear, "What're you talking about Astral? You haven't failed, you're here! Doing your part, sworn to see the citizens of the Crystal Empire are protected."

"But I was right there!" Astral insisted, "I saw him, that changeling Pharynx. I was right there when he set that bomb and I could have stopped him! If I had, then maybe I would have stopped their plan before it happened, and those afflicted ponies wouldn't be suffering...

"The Empire, Midnight, you and your family! I'm a Hood and I was charged to serve and protect you all. When Pharynx said all those things in that last chamber... I felt the full sting of my failure to do my duty."

"He was rubbing salt into the wound..." Shining Armor noted, sounding like he understood. "Astral, you are charged to serve and protect us here in the Crystal Empire. But the fate of the Empire and everypony in it doesn't fall squarely on your shoulders alone.

"I've been there, back when I was Captain of the Royal Guard back in Canterlot. Whether you're a soldier or a leader, the burden of duty can feel heavy on anyone's shoulders. But it helps lighten the load a little if you trust in your fellow protectors to help you carry that weight."

Shining's words had just the effect he'd hoped, as Astral shyly peered over at the alicorn prince.

"So you let the enemy get one over you, big deal! What matters is that you keep going and do your duty: Protect the people you've sworn to defend," Shining Armor furrowed his brows as he stood up and offered his hoof.
"Now, whattya say we get outta here and kick those changelings' buggy butts all the way out of the empire?"

Astral looked down... then furrowed his brows as he accepted Shining' s hoof and the prince hauled the drake back to his feet.

"I say, we kick them even farther," Astral smirked. "Because, technically... we're already outside the empire."

Shining raised a brow and let out a laugh, "Heheha, very good point!"

"Thanks, Shining Armor," Astral said with grateful respect.

"You're welcome, Astral. Now..." Shining Armor willed the shield spell serving as a platform onward down the way the slide had been taking them, "Let's see where this leads. We can't go back, this tunnel isn't big enough to accommodate our wings to fly back up."

The end of the tunnel came and they saw if they had kept sliding they'd have been dropped into a cage, waiting for them. But the room the cage was in was spacious enough for them to spread their wings and safely glide down to the floor.

"Ha! Won't they be surprised when we show up?" Astral boasted.

"Let's hope Midnight and Sunburst are okay," Shining Armor said as he pointed towards a doorway, "because that's the only way out of here."

Back in their cage, Midnight continued to channel his magic to Sunburst, as his apprentice put his greater knowledge of Abjuration to good use.

"Almost there... just have to dispel one more cantrip..." Sunburst groaned in discomfort as he was sweating and a vein pulsed on his forehead.

"Hang in there, Sunburst, you can do it!" Midnight encouraged as he maintained the ebb and flow.

"Nearly there, and..." Sunburst applied the last counterspell and felt the magic safely break, his eyes popping open with excitement, "Bingo!"

"Let's blow this joint!" Midnight raised the clawed gauntlets of Nightfall and uttered, "Night Saber!"

Extending from each gauntlet conjured a blade of lunar energy, and Midnight gave Sunburst a playful smirk, "You might wanna duck."

Sunburst flinched and quickly ducked down, allowing Midnight to spin`round, the energy blades effortlessly cutting through the bars of the cage, and they felt the floor beneath them give way. Quickly, Midnight dispelled the Night Sabers, grabbed Sunburst, and as they fell to the floor beneath them, where the cage floor clattered, Midnight's shadow enveloped them both... and they impacted upon the stony floor in a puff of vaporous shadow!

The shadowstuff quickly gathered, and from it rose Midnight and Sunburst, safe and sound.

Midnight let Sunburst go, as the unicorn shivered slightly before asking, "What was that?!"

"Shadow Morphing," Midnight answered, "Shadow powers is one of the primary magical abilities of lunar ponies. Shadow Morphing allows me to slip into a... alternate space while my presence is marked in this plane by shadowstuff. Then I can emerge anywhere as long as there is space enough to accommodate me."

"Fascinating!" Sunburst whispered in reverence of his mentor.

"Now..." Midnight looked around the room before pointing, "There! It's the only way out of this room, and we gotta find Shining Armor and Astral and rescue Thorax."

"Then we should hurry, lead the way," Sunburst urged and they rushed out.

The passage led them on a curving turn, and ahead they heard running hoofsteps, causing them to quickly halt as Midnight focused his natural nightvision and saw...

"Shining Armor, Astral!" He smiled and they approached their friends as they too had paused.

"Midnight? Is that really you?" Shining asked warily.

Midnight chuckled in understanding before he saluted and said, "To Equestria, I pledge my life along to everypony..."

Shining Armor smiled in relief as he too saluted and finished it, "To safeguard all from fear and strife alongside my best brony!"

The brothers-in-law happily chuckled as they rushed to meet each other in a happy hug and Astral and Sunburst came over to join them.

"I'm glad to see you guys are okay," Shining Armor said, "but we need to get back up there and help Thorax before that swarm does anything to him."

"And it looks like we've found our way up," Sunburst brought up as he pointed to a nearby set of stairs that went up.

*THWACK!!*

"UGH!!" Thorax was knocked onto his backside from the force of Pharynx striking him in the face.

"You can make this a whole lot easier, if you just cooperate and talk, little brother..." snarled Pharynx as he reached down and pulled Thorax closer. "Patrol schedules, access points, anything at all! Help us and perhaps the Queen will show you leniency once we return to the Hive."

"N-n-no..." Thorax weakly refused, despite the pain.

For the past several minutes, Pharynx had been beating him, demanding information from him. Clearly, he wanted to do worse than he already had to the Crystal Empire, and he believed Thorax would be a gold mine of information. Which he wasn't. Thorax never bothered to learn things that could be used against the Empire or his friends, and he'd sadly kept Elytra from interacting all that much with the ponies as well. It'd hurt him to do so, but as she was still connected to the Hive mind the risk that she could inadvertently provide the Hive with even a tidbit of information was too great.

So Elytra mostly kept to inside the castle and spent a lot of time playing with Princess Cora. But since Throax himself was no longer connected to the Hive Mind, Pharynx would have to... persuade his wayward brother to spill his guts.

One way or another.

Unbeknownst to Pharynx, in the chamber beyond the one his swarm was using for their hideout, two of his underlings were nervously approaching a large cage, draped over with a heavy fabric, a couple lengths of chains reaching in through the bars.

Above the cage... hung a pod of changeling gew, glistening with radiant and positive colors. It was the sac of all the positive emotions that their bombs were draining from the crystal ponies who'd been afflicted by the blasts. Once their operation here was fulfilled, they would take their prize back to the Hive for Chrysalis and their fellow `lings to gorge themselves.

"Let's get this over with..." said one of the changelings as they approached the cage, carrying a platter of raw meat. "I don't wanna be anywhere near this thing a moment longer than we have to!"

"Honestly, I don't know what Pharynx was thinking arranging for this thing to be part of our mission!" agreed the other as he hesitantly opened the cage door.

The inside was darkened by the fabric covering the cage's exterior, while it's interior was large and massive, enough to contain half a dozen buffalo.

The changeling holding the platter gulped nervously and gave the other a pleading look.

"Ah! Don't gimme that, you lost the coin toss!" the second narrowed his eyes as he stayed behind the cage door. "Just leave the platter within its reach and get the heck out! I'm ready to shut the door once you're clear."

The changeling holding the platter whimpered as he fearfully took a hesitant step into the cage, staring at the darkness on the other side, but unable to see anything. He was about to set the platter down when something caught his eye. He looked... and felt his blood run cold as he saw the chains were no longer attached to the cage's occupant!

Before he could scream or warn his compatriot, something shot out of the darkness and latched onto his throat with a crushing grip! It prevented him from crying out or screaming as he felt two fangs puncture his throat and squeeze like a vice, though he managed to choke out a few agonizing croaks as he dropped the platter, which alarmed the other changeling that something was wrong.

The sound of a struggle alarmed him further that he couldn't help but peer into the cage... and saw his swarm-mate was gone! All that was left was the platter of raw and blood meat on the cage floor. Whimpering, he was about to shut the cage when something big and hungry reached out from the darkness with a massive paw with claws extended to grab onto the changeling's head! He tried to scream but the paw was wrapped around his face, its claws securing its grip, and it dragged him inside!

The changeling's stifled screams were silenced and followed by the sound of a sickening crunch... and green blood began to spread around the cage floor as two pairs of eyes stared out the open cage and growled with soft hunger...

Next Chapter: 395. Crystal Quest - Part 5 Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 21 Minutes