Blueberry left for another pass. She had to find Vanilla.

She just expected Peppermint Swirl had managed to escape. If she was lucky, the changeling guards would take a while to get rid of her trap.

She had no idea where Vanilla was, but there weren't many places where she could be.

The truth was that Vanilla was lost. She entered through a secret passage to avoid some guards, but following the tunnel, she found herself in an unknown part of the passages. When she tried to go back, she had been lost even further, now wandered aimlessly through the tunnels, looking for any exit or some sign that she recognized.

This woudn't be easy.

Blue didn't expect to find two guards protecting a cell.

Where was Vanilla? It was the only access to the upper floor of the castle, impossible that she had simply passed by.

Well, she had a few tricks in the saddle. And she had the perfect trick to the moment. A small bottle containing a pink powder taken from laughter gum. She hid in a secret pass and threw the bottle on the floor between the guards, the bottle broke, releasing the powder, so she created a light breeze, spreading it.

The guards came toward where she was, trying to figure out what had happened, but passed right by her hiding place and continued their way, not long after she heard laughter coming from not far away, but they didn't recover in time to prevent her.

Having left the key with Peppermint, she pulled out an explosive gum and threw it against the cell door, ran in then.

"Blue" Starlight saw her before she saw her friend.

And she wasn't alone. The other missing candy ponies were there too.

"Star! Thankfully, I was worried!" She hugged her friend, then realized that the candy unicorn was somewhat stunned. "What happened?"

"I'm fine. Just effect of whatever they gave me to prevent me to use magic to get us out. What're you doing here, Blue? It's not safe. I don't believe, is King Candy who is doing it! and Vani turned in an evil unicorn and..." She started to say all this very fast, but Blueberry cut her.

"He isn't King Candy, is Dusky. He became a kind of changeling creature and is using the form of King Candy to fool everyone. And that isn't Vanilla. Vani organized this little invasion to rescue you. That's her lost sister. I explain in our way out."

"We can't go." Chocolate Arrow said. "There are other ponies prisoners here."

"Get away from the wall." Blue ordered. Nopony dared to argue, so she used another explosive gum to open a passage. "Get out of here. I'll take care of it." And with that she ran out. She had to be fast, the guards would soon come back.

Vanilla finally found an exit, where she had no idea, but opened it and went through the opening to find herself in the hall of the tree.

The first thing she noticed was Shield Heart, not far stuck by a kind of green goo.

"Shield" She ran up to him excitedly. Apparently forfeited brought him luck.

"No, Vanilla! It's a trap!" He shouted.

Too late. Vanilla turned up to see the muzzle-to-muzzle with her sister, Candy Shine.

"So that's where the little rats are hiding?"Candy scoffed. "You should have stayed in hiding. And I know you called reinforcements, but don't worry, they should be back to where they should never have left at this point."

"But I didn't call reinforcements!" Vanilla protested confuse.

"You're right." The mysterious voice Vanilla always heard replied, and the little princess finally could see the pony who it belonged. Was a changeling probably Celestia's height and with a wicked glint of intelligent in her eyes.

"But, lady..." Candy started to protest.

"Who are you?" Vanilla interrupted.

"Why did you call them?" Candy could finish her question.

"Why? Revenge, my little pupil. Regarding your question, princess..."

"She's Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings!" Shield intruded.

"Chrysalis..." Vanilla murmured.

Then she remembered. A story that Golden Hammer had told her and Moonlight once, but they pledged to secrecy. The story of how the Platinum Blade ended up in the soldiers' academy in Dragonia.

She was from lands beyond Equestria until the changelings attacked her hometown on the day of her wedding and her fiancé had been killed during the battle. She swore revenge.

One day, she and a group of soldiers found the kingdom of changelings. More than half of it was destroyed before the rest of the changelings flee. This time was Chrysalis who swore revenge, but Platinum had fled to Equestria and ended up in Dragonia, where she lived until then.

"So why ordered the attack to the group?" Candy asked. "They should be back to Dragonia now."

"Ah, not all them. It's exactly what I want. Lead a group to investigate the tunnels. The little candy rat shouldn't have come here alone. As for you," She turned to Vanilla. "I would behave if I were you, if you want to see your father again."

Vanilla had to struggle to hide a smile. She was a hoof ahead. Unfortunately, these benefits never lasted.

Dusky chose that moment to enter running in the hall, back in his normal form.

"You!" He exclaimed upon seeing Vanilla.

"She is no longer a problem." Chrysalis said. "Any particular reason you're here?"

"The prisoners fled!" He finally announced, but seemed somewhat scared.

"And you let this happen?" The Queen shouted angrily.

"The guards tried to stop her, but there were clouds of cotton candy, laughter powder and explosive gum, and one of the ponies had a master key."

Vanilla hid a giggle with a coughing fit.

"So that's how you play, princess?" Chrysalis turned to Vanilla. "Serving bait so your friends can escape. Pity that you've fallen into the trap."

Vanilla reacted fast, spitting an explosive gum on the ground as far as possible from the tree, then tried to fly to the tunnel, but before she reached it, she saw that his exit was covered a green slime, the same that tied Shield and the smoke from the explosion already dissipated.

"Nice try, Princess, but you're dealing with a superior mind now." Chrysalis laughed.

"Platinum Blade will never fall into your tricks!" Shield Heart shouted.

This time it was Dusky who laughed.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

At that moment the doors opened and Platinum Blade went in, her armor was missing pieces, her wings tied and she was conducted by a group of six changelings. By her cuts and scratches the battle hadn't been easy, but she has been caught, Vanilla didn't doubt that the army she had seen in the canyon had reached the castle.

"Well, well, well, we meet again, Platinum. Or should I say Sergeant Platinum." Chrysalis laughed.

"It's me you want! Let the others go!"

"For what? For that I would give myself the trouble to get them again. I understand why you ran away to Equestria. Such a place full of life. So full of love..."

"You don't know anything!" Platinum shouted back.

Vanilla and Shield were accompanying the discussion without understanding anything.

"And you know? After committing the three biggest mistakes of your life you think you know something?"

"That wasn't my fault. And came here wasn't a mistake. The error was yours for attract me here."

"Your mistake was coming here alone. You know you was never a match to me alone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to address. I'll take care of you later. And I will confiscate it, so don't try anything."

And with that, Chrysalis and her guards left, taking Vanilla's trick's tank and locking them inside.