Dusty Tomes lay broken and bloodied on the snowy forest floor. If he had to guess, he would say that he was paralyzed from the neck down as he could not even feel Dugore and his lackeys pulverize his hind legs. They wanted to know what he knew about the Crystal Empire and its defenses but he had held out, silently praying for the sweet release of death as they continued to mangle his increasingly useless body in an attempt to make him talk.

“I must say, Equestrian, you are one of the most resilient ponies I’ve ever met.” The warlord said genuinely as his minions circled the bespectacled stallion, ready to reapply their favored manner of persuasion.

“You lack the wings of a pure-breed dragon yet your posture is not that of a drake.” A scholar to the end, Tomes analyzed his tormentor as it was all he could realistically do. "You also wear armor where most dragons rely on their scales. A new sub-species, perhaps?"

“It looks like you have a fan, boss.” One of the legionaries chuckled darkly.

"It's a defense mechanism." The armored dragon grunted. "He's trying to 'leave his body' so he doesn't crack. Smart but futile."

The legionaries flipped the crippled stallion over onto his broken back while Dugore knelt down to his level, face to faceplate.

“You know if you die before you tell us what we want…” The pillager cupped the defiant Equestrian’s chin in his gauntlet and forced him to look at the crystal pony curled up into a ball in her cage. “…we’ll do the same to her.”

“And maybe a little more.” A legion stallion added with a lecherous grin on his face.

“So I’ll ask you again." Dugore said threateningly, forcing Tomes to look at him again. "What is the Empire’s garrison?”

"The Crystal Empire was lost over a thousand years ago and has only recently returned." Tomes rattled off, spraying something disgusting on the warlord's helm. "This has presented countless avenues of research in magical study."

Dugore let out an exasperated sigh along with a few embers of dragon fire. He flicked the offending substances off his faceplate and gripped the side of the stubicorn's face with a thumb poised over one of his near sighted eyes.

“Wrong answer.” He snarled.

Tomes let out a bloodcurdling scream as the massive warrior jammed his digit through his glasses and into the eye socked. The pony writhed in the blood stained snow, unable to do anything to alleviate the pain shooting through his head as half his vision exploded into glass, blood and then blackness. Dugore hooked his thumb within the now half-blind pony’s skull and held him fast as he aimed a finger at Tomes remaining eye.

“I’ll go through all five senses if you don’t start talking!” He threatened as he brought the digit closer.

“Solar Guards!” Tomes shouted.

“Golden Boys?" One of the other interrogators asked. "What about them?”

“Celestia sent a company of Solar Guards along with us to the Crystal Empire.” The crippled stallion babbled, his resolve now completely broken.

The war monger released the stallion’s head and rose to his full height. He knew that there would be a few of the elite soldiers at the empire, thanks to Stone Skin, but if Celestia had deployed an entire company to the city that bode poorly for his coming siege.

“Do the Princesses know we’re up here?” He asked, casting a weary glance at the moon shining between the trees.

The researcher did not answer. He was trying to force his ruined eye into the snow to numb the pain. The Lash of the Legion kicked him a few times in his shattered ribs to keep his attention.

“I asked you a question, worm!” Dugore roared.

Despite the grievous nature of his wounds and the crippling pain he was in, Tomes managed give the armored behemoth his best death glare. He knew he was about to die but he still had one bolt left.

“If she did, you know you'd be dead already." He sneered. "You fear her, Dugore. That is why you have already fail-AH!”

The warlord stamped down on Tomes face and ground his boot into it.

“I'll take that as a no.” The pillager grunted.

Dugore shifted his full weight onto the boot and crushed Dusty Tomes' skull with a sickening crunch, finally freeing the bookish stallion from the cruel tyranny of life.

"Torture is a poor method of extracting the truth." A cool and collected voice said from behind him. "It is better used as a means of punishment and enforcing obedience."

“I do it for fun but you have a point.” A smooth and oily voice replied. "You're just beating a dead horse, Dugore."

The warlord looked behind him to see the wraith of Sombra and the shadowy creature emerge from the darkened woods. The war master turned to fully face the two as the legion guards dragged the ruined cadaver away.

“It’s not like I can beat you.” He said snidely as he scraped bits of grey matter off his boot on a rock.

Sombra could not help but smirk at the remark. He was in too much of a good mood to let the warlord’s quipping deflate him, again.

“Touché.” The wraith said before switching subjects. “Means of interrogation aside, did you learn anything useful from our former guest?”

“A company of Solar Guards have been deployed to the Crystal Empire.” Dugore informed the ghost.

“Oh shit, have we been discovered?” Sombra’s face dropped and he looked at the night sky with a fearful expression.

“No, thank the powers, but now we have some of Canterlot’s elite to contend with.” The massive marauder rumbled, memories of the gold armored guards clashing with his legionnaires some thirty years ago coming to the forefront of his mind. “They have fared better against my legions than most but they’re nothing we can’t handle.”

“Ah, good to know.” Sombra said relieved. “On a related subject, I'm proud to say that I've managed to convince our dark and spooky friend here to aid us in conquering the empire.”

“Oh really?” Dugore inquired as he glanced at the Lurker. “What did he promise you, fiend? Virgin sacrifices?”

"Information." The stygian being replied neutrally. "History, myth and lore, to be specific."

The dragon looked to Sombra again and cocked his horned head to the side curiously.

“What can I say?" The phantom said with a self-important smirk. "I'm a real charming fellow.”

“Well, as long as you didn't sell all of our souls for its help.” The war monger rumbled.

“Believe me; I'm not making a deal like that again.” The wraith mumbled more to himself than anyone.

Before Dugore could question Sombra further, the ghost drifted over to the cage containing Mica.

“If you’re not going to question this one, mind if I have her?” He asked as a wolfish grin spread across his face. “My other thrall is a little…used…if you know what I mean. I could use a fresh one.”

“I'm not surprised, considering she's servicing most of the males and some of the females.” The warrior said absently. “Go ahead. Take her.”

With a gleeful cackle only a lecherous stallion could produce, Sombra unlocked the cage and approached the hunkered down mare at the opposite end. If he was not so focused on her tail end, he might have noticed Mica perk up once the cage was open.

“Alright sweet cheeks, nice and –” Before he could snag the mare, Mica reared back and bucked the spectral stallion in the nose as hard as she could.

Sombra’s entire head dissipated in an explosion of ectoplasm as the crystal mare galloped past him and out of the cage.

“Impudent little whore.” Sombra growled as his head reformed. "Don't let her get away!"

Mica headed straight for the thicker woods. She ducked a swipe from the bulky Dugore by diving between his legs and resuming her gallop before he could turn around. The forest the legionaries had not cleared grew closer. Escape was just a few feet in front of her. She vaulted over a stump and was past the tree line, the legionaries in pursuit.

“Do not stop…must not stop.” She told herself as she continued into the forest at full speed.

With her focus on not running into a tree and staying ahead of the metal monster and her former slaver, the crystal mare did not notice the forest grow darker and colder nor did she hear the disembodied whispers of a long forgotten tongue. She ignored the black mist coiling around the treetops as she galloped through the forest. That was, until part of it coalesced into a solid mass and slammed down on top of her. She was knocked flat on her stomach as the weight shifted into a clawed hand and gripped her around her barrel.

“Aieee! Let go of me!” Mica screamed as she was lifted off the ground and into the air.

The mist and shadows of the forest came alive around the pony. They surged down from the canopy and collected into the looming stature of the Lurker. Mica could only struggle in vain against the iron grip of the ethereal shadows as their source loomed over her like some abyssal nightmare.

“NO! NOT YOU A-*gasp*!” Mica’s screams were cut off by the fist tightening around her, compressing her ribs against her lungs and reducing her voice to an oddly adorable yet totally inappropriate squeak.

“Your caterwauling has grown tiresome, mortal.” The otherworldly terror said in its unnaturally even tone. “You should know by now that only the legions and I can hear you out here.”

The stygian monster looked past the captive pony into the woods were the sound of metal clanking echoed about the area.
Dugore crashed his way through the woods to the Lurker's position, Sombra and a few legionaries not far behind him. They all stopped short when they caught sight of the dark being.

“What the?” The undead tyrant looked back toward where he had last seen the tenebrous terror and then forward. "How are you that fast?"

“There are advantages to being semi-corporeal.” The creature replied coolly before he changed the subject. “On a related note, I have devised a plan to infiltrate the Crystal City.”

“Really?” Dugore still did not fully trust the inky abomination but if it had created a plan against the empire, he wanted to know about it. “And what is this plan of yours?”

The Lurker loosened its grip around the squirming Mica just enough for her to breath before addressing the lash of the legions and the undead tyrant of the north.

“One does not simply walk into the Crystal Empire looking like this, correct?” The void exile asked, gesturing to its nebulous body with a free hand.

Sombra looked away sheepishly. He was guilty of trying just that when he first tried to retake his throne. It had not ended well for him.

“No, you can’t.” He said, slightly embarrassed.

“However, a pony like this crystal mare can.” The dark one pointed to the terrified Mica.

The wraith's eyes widened in an ‘Eureka!” moment as what his new best friend was leading to dawned on him.

“Ah, you're going to impersonate her and just trot right in, is that it?” He said with an excited gleam in his wicked eyes.

“More or less.” The ethereal interloper said with a non-committal bob of its head.

“Wait a minute.” Dugore interjected. “I thought shape shifting was something only those insectoid changelings could do.”

The abyssal shambler cocked its head at that. It had no idea what a ‘changeling’ was. It decided to add it to the growing mental backlog of terms, names, and phrases it had heard of and intended to research. The ancient apparition was in desperate need of an archive binge.

“I did not say anything about shape shifting.” It said. “I have something more intimate in mind.”

“Well, let's see it.” Sombra insisted eagerly.

With the two would-be conquerors watching, the Lurker shifted its focus to the crystal mare in its clutches. She tried to scream again only for the tenebrous creature to places a single claw on her lips like a parent hushing a child. It then dragged the talon down her chin and along her throat, stopping between her fore legs. Mica broke into a cold sweat as the Lurker pressed its palm against her.

“Do not resist.” It commanded in a tone of absolute authority.

The researcher's eyes shrank to pin pricks as the monster began whispering in that same insidious language she had heard in the mines. His hand vibrated as it invoked some unknown power. Mica's breath hitched in her throat when it phased through her chest and disappeared inside her. She could not scream. She could notthink. Her whole body felt like it had been dunked in a lake of ice. The Lurker continued its quiet chanting as it found what it was looking for and thrust forward. With practiced ease, the monster slowly withdrew its invasive appendage from Mica, her very soul impaled on the end of its claws. Her body let out a mournful sigh and went limp as her spirit struggled on the ends of the creature’s talons.

“What’s going on?!” Her ghost demanded in a panicked voice just barely above a whisper.

“I am just making room.” The Lurker replied evenly. “Do not worry though. I will not leave you here to haunt the woods for eternity.”

It then intoned another phrase and, like the phantoms at the mines, Mica’s spirit began to shimmer with an inner light.

“Welcome home, Mica.” The dark figure said calmly. “Do say hello to Copy if you see him. I imagine he is waiting for you.”

With that, the crystal mare’s soul vanished from the world of the living with a contented sigh. The hollow shell left behind stared with dull eyes at where her vital essence used to be.

“Celestia…” The empty mare droned, unable to comprehend her new found soullessness. “…help me.”

“She cannot help you.” The Lurker said neutrally, returning its attention back to the husk. “No one can.”

Dugore and Sombra watched this all unfold in a mix of curiosity and horror. Neither of them were strangers to death but seeing a soul be torn from its vessel chilled both of them to the core. The wraith had even retreated behind the armored war master, wary of what the fiend could do to him if it felt so inclined. The legionaries, to their credit, had not fled at the sight of such horror but were clearly unnerved.

“I think your friend just stole your new thrall.” Dugore said over his shoulder at Sombra. "Did you not call dibs?"

“It can have her.” The undead slaver said quickly. “I'm not going to argue.”

A hollow thrumming cut off any more discussion as the Lurker released its captive. Mica remained in the air as if suspended by puppet strings as the creature shifted into its amorphous cloud form. It lingered in front of her for a tense moment before it surged forward, phasing into the pony’s vacant body. As the last of the dark entity disappeared within her, the researcher fell to the ground in a fit of horrific twitching. Neighing like a feral horse, the mare kicked and thrashed violently in an instinctive attempt to reject the invasive presence filling the void left by her soul. Suddenly she threw her fore hooves into the air as if pleading with the moon hanging above the trees. She babbled a string of incoherent gibberish as her mind was subsumed by the Lord of Shades. The frantic mare topped this sermon of lunacy by vomiting up a putrid mess along with a pair of severed horns, some coins and an iron ring. She murmured one last non sequitur before collapsing backward, defeated.

“Well, I now know what Hell sounds like.” Dugore said bluntly.

"You're not far off." Sombra concurred.

"Permission to leave, sir? I feel the need to find a chaplain." One of the present legionaries spoke for his fellows to which the warlord nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Slowly and carefully, the pony rolled onto her belly and shakily got into a seated position. Once upright, she held up her fore hoofs and inspected them with a bemused expression on her face.

“I see this mare has taken good care of herself.” She said coolly while she flexed her limbs experimentally. "Diet and exercise has done wonders for her figure and fortitude."

Sombra stared at the mare looking herself over as the gears in his head worked to churn out what exactly the Lurker had done to her. When they did, his face broke into a wide and wicked grin.

“Possession.” He said evilly. “Yes, that’ll work just fine.”

The possessed mare rolled her neck, popping her stiff tendons with a loud snap. She then got to all fours and stretched out her back with another satisfying pop and grunt of relief. She took a few wobbly steps toward the two legion lords, getting a feel for her quadrupedal body and retrieved the horns and other trinkets from the puddle of sick and stored them, with some coordination difficulty, in her bags.

“It has a few quirks I will have to get used to, but I should be able to infiltrate the empire in this body.” She said.

“Indeed.” Sombra concurred after giving the equine a once over. “What do you say, my armored friend?”

The warlord just grunted at the wraith. He circled around the possessed pony slowly, looking for any obvious signs that could blow her cover. After inspecting her like a slab of meat, the Lash of the Legions crossed his arms and nodded.

“I don’t think the crystal ponies or their Equestrian cohorts would expect a thing. “He said with a hint of satisfaction. “So long as you act that part.”

“Most excellent!” Sombra cheered as he clapped his spectral hooves together.

“Before I depart for the city...” Mica interrupted the ghost’s celebration. “...is there anything else you would like me to do while I am there?”

Sombra shook his head no but Dugore was not about to let an opportunity go to waste, especially in light of what it had learned from Tomes.

“There is.” The war master said. “If the chance presents itself, undermine the defenders of the city; poison their food, destroy their weapons, assassinate their officers, whatever you can.”

“Does that include eliminating the Prince and Princess?” The crystal mare asked.

“Of course.” “No!” Dugore and Sombra looked at each other, both having spoken in unison.

“I thought you wanted them dead.” The warlord said testily. “Or would you rather do it yourself?”

“Believe me; nothing would please me more than to flay the flesh from their bones!” Sombra snarled, his witch-fire eyes flashing with malice. “But I need them alive…for now.”

“Suit yourself.” Dugore said with a shrug before returning his attention to the mare. “We’ll have vanguards watching the city along with our siege engines. Once the Crystal Heart is disabled, signal them with this.”

He reached behind his back and withdrew a bundled red cloth.

“Fly it somewhere high." The dragon instructed. "Once they see it, we’ll begin the siege.”

Mica took the banner with an understanding nod and added it to her supply bags.

“If there is nothing else, could one of you point me in the direction of the empire?” She asked.

“Head west out of the forest and keep going, you'll get there.” Dugore said.

“You should be able to see a tower reaching into the heavens once dawn breaks." Sombra added. "That’s the empire.”

Mica adjusted her saddle bags and clothes for the journey ahead. Once she was ready, she gave the legion salute to both the wraith and warlord.

“I’ll see you both at the empire then.” She said in salutation. “May the Fates smile on us.”

“Safe journeys to you.” Sombra and Dugore returned the salute.

They watched as Mica made her way through the woods, stumbling every now and then as the dark creature controlling her got acclimated to having four legs. Once she vanished into the thick woods, the two made their way back to camp.

“That fiend makes my blood run cold.” Dugore said as he stepped over a stump. “We hold no permanent power over it and the only reason it's assisting us is because you have something it wants.”

“I trust him to honor our arrangement.” Sombra assured the paranoid pillager. “But if he does turn on us, I’ve learned a trick or two that should take care of him.”

---

In the twilight hours of the night, a solitary figure emerged from the forest tree line into the snow fields of the Frozen North. With simple robotic motions, Mica continued her trek through the wintry land to the city. Once the Lurker within her had become accustom to four legs, he had set her into an ‘autopilot’ mode where she would continue on while he browsed the library of her mind. Unlike Copy, the stygian creature did not need to worry about the probe killing her as it was doing it from within and without resistance on part of the victim.

“Hmm, she was a foal around the same time as Copy.” The Lurker mused as he accessed one of Mica oldest memories. “The filly of a scullery maid, it looks like.”

He watched as the young filly was tasked to bring in food for some type of meeting. The little pony balanced a basket of apples on her back as she quietly entered a large, ornate room with a long table. Seated around the table were stallion of varying degrees of statue and importance, from a grizzled soldier to a well-fed noble, talking and arguing about something called the ‘Equestrian Issue’. They each took and apple from her as she passed without even acknowledging her. The sole exception was the large, dour stallion seated at the head of the table.

“Ah, this must be Emperor Morose.” The astral observer identified the Crystal Emperor from Copy’s memories and Sombra's recollection. “I see the family resemblance.”

Like the Sombra, when he was flesh and blood at least, Morose was ashen in color with a strong build. Unlike his son, the Emperor wore his mane short and where the tyrant was almost always smiling, his father seemed to be stuck in ‘serious business’ mode. The biggest difference, however, were the eyes. Morose’s were a stern slate grey in sharp contrast to Sombra’s manic witch-fire green and red.

“I doubt Sombra was born that way. They are likely a side effect of some serious dark magic.” The Lurker inferred. “That or his mother was a witch.”

The austere stallion looked down on the little filly and motioned for her to come closer. She did and knelt as best she could with a basket of apples on her back. The emperor leaned over and spoke in a tone the sounded more like a kindly teacher than a serious emperor.

"Pray tell, little one.” He said in a regal baritone. “If a base knave were assaulting thee or one of thine friends, what wouldst thou do?”

“I…I...” The tiny filly looked down at her hooves, unsure how to respond to the most powerful stallion this side of the Crystal Mountains.

“Do not fret.” He shot a disapproving glare at his arguing advisers and sighed. “Thou hast all the time in the world.”

The young Mica found her voice and ventured her solution.

“I would find an adult to stop them.” She said confidently under the steely gaze of the Emperor.

“That’s right.” Morose gave Mica a gentle pat on the head. “But say, gods forbid, that there isn’t an adult around. What then?”

“Uh…” She looked down at her hooves again. “…My mum taught me to buck them where it hurts and flee.”

The dour stallion tapped a hoof on his chin before he gave the filly an appreciative nod as he took an apple.

“Smart. Which, sadly, is more than I can say for this lot.” He reached out of view of Mica and produced two gold coins. “Here, buy thou and thine mother a sweet roll.”

The filly took the coins between her teeth and gave a muffled squee of thanks. She finished her rounds along the other side of the table and half trotted half bounced with the now lighter basket back to the kitchens.

“Very clever of you, Morose, using a child as an adviser. They may be naive but they have a unique viewpoint that most don’t consider.” The stygian creature mused. “I wonder if a child’s shade would be willing to work for me.”

Suddenly, the memory distorted and twisted in odd patterns. The image blacked out and was replaced with a set of very familiar burning eyes.

“Another memory block? The Lurker recoiled slightly in surprise. "Hmm, what don’t you want these mortals to remember, Sombra?”

The Lurker focused on the block and asserted its will in an attempt to break it. The mental block strained and wavered but ultimately held.

“Damn, this is some tough magic." The dark creature cursed its result. "I might not be able to break this myself. Not without damaging the memories beyond at any rate.”

He placed breaking the block on the backburner of stuff to do and skipped past it to Mica’s more recent memories. The Lurker was looking for any references to the untamed wilderness, the Silent King, or a place Without Birds but they seemed to be outside its host’s area of expertise.

“Nothing…nothing…boring…trite… this mare really needed to get out more.” He grumbled.

The infiltrator was about to leave Mica’s memories when he found one that caught its interest. The crystal mare was kneeling again, this time in front of an ornate golden throne atop a set of marble stairs. Seated in the throne was a magnificent alabaster Alicorn. Her pastel mane waved in the air as if caught in some ethereal breeze as she looked down on Mica with a warm and motherly smile.

“Princess Celestia; the Sun Child.” The Lurker deduced as evident by the sun cutie mark on the white mare’s rather shapely backside. “I can finally put a pretty face with that name.”

The two mares were talking about Mica’s research into the crystal unicorns but the way the Princess shifted in her seat and occasionally flitted her wings told the abyssal horror that something else was on her mind. Eventually, the talk between Mica and the Princess ended and the Alicorn addressed a unicorn that the Lurker recognized as the stubicorn pre-dehorning. She smiled and nodded as the stallion talked about his favorite pastime and it soon became clear to the Lurker that Celestia was an experienced politician by the way she maintained a pleasant expression even as her body language betrayed anxiety. Over what, he did not know.

“I know your pain, Princess.” The Lord of Shades though sympathetically. “The plebeians always seemed have something to say."

The Solar Princess shivered slightly as the unicorn mentioned something about hundred handed giants. The abyssal creature looked over at the stallion as he tried to pronounce their name.

“Did he mention the Hundred Handed Ones?” The Lurker thought. “Are they still around? They made fantastic guardians.”

Celestia had apparently heard enough out of the two as she brought their attention to an incident at the Crystal Empire. Mica suddenly began shaking like a leaf as familiar witch-fire eyes flashed across her vision. The Solar Princess calmed her and explained that a strange mist had intruded upon the city but had been expelled. Her and the unicorn were going there as a follow up.

"So that’s why you were here." The tenebrous terror realized. "Thanks, Celestia.”

As the two exited the throne room, the memory ended and The Lurker was left back in the subconscious of Mica’s mind. He processed what he had observed.

“It may have been a second hand first impression through the eyes of another, but Celestia strikes me as a kind and caring type.” He mused. "Yet, in my experience, no one has wielded such supreme power without being corrupted by it in some way. Could she be different or is there something...less benevolent she keeps buried deep away? Eh, questions for later."

The void stalker filed this observation away and quickly scanned through Mica’s memories for any information on the other three Alicorns. It soon became apparent that the mare had not met any of the others face to face; they were just names to her.

“Well, I think that’s the best I am going to get out of the memoirs of an anti-social pony.” He mentally sighed.

The stygian stalker decided to forego watching any more memories and instead flipped through Mica’s accumulated collection of knowledge like an encyclopedia. While she knew plenty about the empire and magic unique to the Frozen North, her intelligence beyond those subjects was rather basic. He was about to quit and focus on the journey ahead when one subject stood out.

“The Everfree: The massive woodland that covers most of the Equestrian heartlands. This forest is rife with wild magic, ancient ruins, and is home to all manner of animals great and small; benign and monstrous. Despite attempts to settle, exploit, or even destroy this wilderness, the plants continue to grow of their own accord and the weather is as chaotic as it can be. It is not a place for civilized ponies.”

The Lurker digested this piece of information. The Everfree seemed like an exact match for the untamed forest in the Light Keeper’s message. That meant that the place Without Birds had to be within the Equestrian woodland somewhere. There was just one problem.

“The Everfree is vast!” The soul taker balked at the idea of exploring the entirety of the forest with little more than Mica’s memory of the geography of Equestria to guide him. “I would need to find an expert or book on it before I start searching it.”

As the possessed pony continued on through the wintry fields, the first rays of dawn shone across the eastern sky, chasing away the night and illuminating the land. Mica crested a small hill just as the moon set beneath the horizon. In the distance, glittering like a diamond in the morning light, was the Crystal Tower.

“That must be it.” The mare said as she spotted the distant tower of the empire. “A spire that could pierce the heavens.”

Wondering if the city would be as impressive up close, the crystal mare continued hoof slogging through the ice and snow to her destination. While the weather was clear, the terrain was still treacherous. Mica missed a step on a ridge and took a fair tumble down into a snowbank.

“Gravity, thou art a cruel mistress.” The creature grumble as he pulled his host out of the snow. “Mica, why couldn’t you have been a pegasus?”

As the possessed mare was lamenting her lack of flight, a glint in the sky caught her attention. High above the rock and snow soared a formation of pegasi. They were way to organized to be of the legion and the plumage on their helmets was a give away as to their allegiance.

“They must be from the empire." Mica muttered. "Lucky me.”

The possessed pony got to her hooves and galloped out into the open. She balanced on her hind hooves and waved her front ones in the air, yelling as loud as she could to get their attention.

---

The squadron of Solar Guards scanned the ground far below them in search for the missing researchers and their protectors. As per their captain's instruction, they were fully armed and armored, eschewing the largely ceremonial gold armor in favor of the considerably stronger and heavier gilded steel plate mail. These also included blades fastened along their wings and talon-like shoes on their hooves. The kit traded speed and maneuverability for protection and offensive power, essentially turning the pegasi into flying knights. It was a bit unorthodox for a search and rescue mission but their commanding officer did not want to risk losing another group to an unknown foe. Thus, an entire wing of Solar Guard pegasi had taken off at dawn’s first light and was now scanning the landscape for any trace of their comrades in arms and their charges. They had divided themselves into four color coded groups to search the cardinal directions with red following their last know direction, east.

“Any sign of them?” The flight leader asked his wing mates.

“Just snow and ice, sir!” They responded.

The lead returned his gaze to the wintry landscape below them. They weather may not obey pegasi in the Frozen North but luckily it was a clear day, relatively speaking. If a blizzard swept in as they often do, they would have to suspend the search until it passed. They knew the longer their marks were out in the wastes, the more likely the rescue mission would turn into a recovery one. None of the Solar Guards were about to let that happen.

“Sir! I got movement!" One of the pegasi called out. "Two o'clock low by the ridge.”

The lead pegasus looked down just in time to see a figure waving frantically at them. It was hard to tell at his current height but it looked like a pony.

“Red two and three, you circle overhead." The squadron commander ordered. "The rest of you are with me.”

“Copy that, Red leader.” His wings mates complied.

Two of the guards saluted as the rest dove down to the deck and flew just above the treetops. They passed over the suspicious figure once, confirming it to be a pony, before looping back.

“I think that’s Mica, sir.” One of the guards said as they approached the mare again.

“I’ll verify that.” The flight leader said. “You two stay in the air, just in case.”

The two armored fliers hovered a few feet above the crystal mare as their officer flew toward her.

“Thank goodness you’re here- ah!” The exhausted mare was cut off as the guard tackled her to the ground and pinned her with a talon clad hoof on her chest.

“Don’t move!” He ordered.

He was not about to take any risks. The crystal pony squirmed under his hoof but remained silent as the pegasus produced a photo of Mica and Tomes. Aside from the messy mane, various cuts and bruises, and the dark circles under her eyes, she at least looked like the Canterlot researcher. He stashed the picture and pulled out a box similar to the one Mica had when she left. He clicked it on and ran the detector over her. The boxed clicked a few times from the ambient wild magic but almost fell silent when it got close to the mare. There was not any magic on her. He clicked off the box and looked Mica dead in the eyes, his own narrowed in an accusatory glare. He had one more test to try.

“What do you call a hundred handed monster?” He challenged.

“A hekatonkheires.” Mica returned the glare for a moment before answering neutrally.

The Solar Guard relaxed his stance. He had been in the throne room when Tomes had shared that bit of trivia and he doubted any changeling knew about the mythical monsters. This had to be Mica.

“So that’s how you pronounce it.” He said in a less hostile tone.

The search leader signaled for the hovering guards to join him on the ground. He got off Mica and helped her to her hooves.

“Sorry about that, Ms. Mica.” He said politely. “One can never be too careful, especially out here.”

“I wasn’t expecting an imperial inquisition.” Mica said in an annoyed tone as she shook off some clinging snow.

“No pony does.” One of the guards responded with a cautionary look around. “Best way to catch those freaky changelings or any other sneaky freaks.”

“Where is the rest of your group?” The other asked as he joined them. “Captain Copy, four-eyes, and the rest?”

The crystal mare’s miffed expression quickly turned into one of despair. She looked down at her hooves, unable to look them in the eye.

“Oh no.” The flight leader felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. “Are they…”

Mica nodded slowly. She looked really low. He put a hoof on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her but she did not acknowledge it.

“Dead. All dead.” She whispered.

“I see.” The lead pegasus sighed.

There would be time to mourn the fallen ponies but right now, he and his squad mates had a job to do.

“Red five.” He said somberly. “Find the rest of the search party and tell them to call it off.”

The pegasus saluted and took off into the mid-morning sky. He met with the two circling flyers and the three split off to deliver the bad news. The leader guided Mica onto his back, mindful of the blades on his wings. He carefully took to the air with his remaining squad mate and began flying back to the empire.

“Don’t worry, Mica, your safe now.” He told the mare as they flew over the frozen landscape. “Once we’re back in the city, we’ll get you a warm bed and a warm drink. You look like you could use both.”

“Thank you.” She said with a small but grateful smile.

“All too easy.” The creature controlling the hollow mare thought.

Next Chapter: Second Impressions Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 9 Minutes