"Sweetie, is that one of your friends?" Neos said, looking at something behind the unicorn. Sweetie's look of confusion turned into wide eyed fear, the Changeling Praetorian hissing from its position on the cliff side.

"This way!" Sweetie panicked, using a bit of magic to nudge the alicorn along and make him run.

"What's that?" Neos asked, a lot less perturbed that most would be when facing a slavering beast.

"A Changeling Praetorian! They kill all ponies who aren't in their zones! They're at war with us! If we don't fight them, they'll kill us!" Sweetie babbled, her words barely recognizable as she shot a few balls of green magic at the Changeling, neglecting to put up her bubble due to being in such a narrow part of the gorge. She needed a bit more room. The Changeling dodged the blasts with ease, scurrying along the wall like some demonic spider. Finally, Sweetie found the room she needed and formed the purple shield around herself and Neos. The Praetorian snarled and fired off a few blasts of acid from his tail, splattering harmlessly against the shield. Sweetie powered up, her shield preparing to drill...then she felt nausea hit her again and her charge failed, the shield going wide and missing the soldier.

"Weak!" the black bug hissed, slapping down with his tail to knock Sweetie and Neos to the ground.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Neos asked, shaking his head woozily from the crash.

"No. Not again. Why? Why won't you just listen, Magic?" Sweetie muttered to the Element of Magic, not caring how pitiful she sounded. The Praetorian cackled, advancing slowly, taking his time. "Run, Neos. Run and don't look back" Sweetie murmured, turning to face the beast. "I'll hold him off" Sweetie growled, her horn sparking.

"But you.." Neos started, pink eyes wide.

"Everyone important to me dies" Sweetie growled, cutting Neos off. "I'm tired of seeing ponies die! I don't care what happens to me, so long as no one else is hurt!"  Sweetie yelled, firing a green ball at the Changeling. The Changeling merely chittered and leaped out of the way.

"Do you really want do die?" Neos asked, his voice even. "If you are frightened, you should run. You mustn't die" Neos spoke, pulling Sweetie back.

"I'm not afraid" Sweetie hissed, keeping her eyes locked on the slowly advancing beast.

"You mustn't lie either" Neos countered. "Come, let's escape together" Neos smiled, grabbing Sweetie's tail with telekinesis and physically dragging off the stunned unicorn. The Changeling just laughed and charged, moving at speeds that would catch them in less than second. A spear bloomed from his chest with a thunk, the pointed stick burying itself deep in his torso.

"I won't let anyone else die!" Babs snapped, rapelling down the cliff side and throwing another javelin at the squealing Praetorian.

"Not on my watch!" Spitfire agreed, looping in and slamming her hooves into the creature's impaled chest, smashing its rib cage and staining her hooves green, finishing it off. Babs landed at the bottom of the cliff and looked at the alicorn accompanying her friend with curiosity.

"Hello everyone, my name is Neos" the prince said with a smile once out of the cliff. "I'm Solar Queen Celestia's first prince. A pleasure to meet you all" Neos finished, tilting his head like a cat in front of the assembled audience of Freedom Friends that had gathered to help rescue Sweetie.

"What'd she say?" Bon-Bon sputtered.

"The Solar Queen? Isn't that the enemy's boss?" Silver Spoon asked, eyeing the alicorn suspiciously

"She's an enemy!" Spitfire growled, stomping her hoof. This opened the flood gates to an outburst of yells.

"The enemy's son"

"A deserter"

"A spy"

Sweetie ignored them and looked at Neos. How could he be so calm? He must be crazy.

"Thanks for the meal" Neos nodded, finishing up a fruit that was supposed to be disgusting and for prisoners. "It's really delicious, thank you, Pumpkin Cake" Neos told the cook of the team. Spitfire's scream broke the awkward silence.

"What are you guys, stupid?!" the middle aged mare snapped, her patience rubbing thin. "Why are you sitting around over a friendly dinner!?" Spitfire yelled to Neos's supposed jailers, the Cake Twins, who were simply talking to the alicorn. "We don't have to roll out a red carpet, this is an interrogation!" Spitfire growled out, slamming the table.

"Well, you're a spunky lady. And what's your name?" Neos asked, keeping that ridiculous "kitty face" on.

"I am Spitfire, captain of the wonderbolts, and leader of Freedom Friends" Spitfire answered, her eyes narrow.

"Nice to meet you" Neos acknowledge with a small bow of his head.

"Just because you act like a lost puppy doesn't change the fact that you're the enemy!" Spitfire roared, leaning over the table.

"What does enemy mean?" Neos asked, eyes wide, causing Spitfire to slam her head against the table in frustration.

"An enemy is someone bad! Someone you gotta beat up!" Spitfire yelled, veins bulging from her face as her blood pressure soared.

"What does beat up mean?" Neos continued, not aware of violence related terms.

"It's when you take something and then belt someone else with it" Spitfire hissed, her teeth gritting so hard, it looked like one would shatter.

"She was supposed to be interrogating him, he's interrogating her" Soarin' chuckled. Next Chapter: Closure Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 8 Minutes