My blood chilled at the sight, though whether it was due to shock or the massive drop in temperature that seemed to flow from the cavern’s maw, I couldn’t tell. The bones and discarded remains of devoured animals was proof that whatever lived in that cave was not to be taken lightly. Though it wasn't the biggest cave, the presence it gave off warned that delving inside without a plan was a fool’s errand.

All of this paled in the face of one alarming fact: I was fetlock-deep in snow.

Tiny icicles hung from tree branches closest to the cave. Layers of thick snow trailed out of the opening, frost coating the outer lining of the cave’s mouth. My wings tingled with a strong, uncomfortable sensation as I observed this frozen portion of Everfree. I had to remind myself that we were not even in summer, yet this area looked like it was dead set into the winter.

We treaded closer to the cave, minding every step to avoid noise. Some of the remains looked broken in unnatural ways, as if frozen solid first and then shattered into thick chunks of ice. Even more alarming were the tracks in the snow, which I wasted no time attempting to decipher. The deep impression and lack of leaves on the snow told me something moderately large left the cave somewhat recently. Hopefully none of its friends were still here.

“Zecora, when did you notice this?” I asked quietly.

“Early this morning I encountered this patch of snow. Whether it was there beforehoof, I don’t know. The last few weeks have been most bizarre, but this snow is the strangest thing I’ve seen so far.”

“The last few weeks?” I had a bad feeling about this. “How many weeks do you mean exactly?”

Zecora paused to think. “Three weeks, maybe a few days past that I would say. I’ve been busy, so I don’t always keep track of the day.”

So right around the time I first arrived. Definitely sensing a pattern.

“Zecora, please tell me everything you can about the bizarre happenings in those weeks.”

“The first night I knew something was amiss was quite clear. I happened to be in town gathering last minute supplies when I heard a piercing howl rip through the air. When I rushed for the source at the edge of town, I saw no danger worthy of fear. When I witnessed explosions and light within the forest I rushed as fast as I could to see what was happening there. But I was too late, nopony or clues were anywhere near. All I knew was that whatever happened was only the start of the despair.”

Zecora’s expression hardened as her eyes scanned the area, ears occasionally twitching. “Things only got stranger as the creatures of the forest grew feral. At times I feared my own life was in peril. The herbs and moss I used for protection kept the creatures at bay. Despite it being the season of mating, this level of violence is certainly not nature’s way.”

Unnatural violence in an already dangerous forest. No denying the pathos had a field day here. Yet that didn’t explain the snow I was seeing here, nor the fact I couldn’t see this level of frost when I was above. The only conclusion I could make was that the frost didn’t come from above the trees, but rather ground level. Something was capable of producing ice. Something likely involving that cave.

“Zecora, do you know what lives in there?”

“Timberwolves reside in this cave. For wooden beast to live in this frozen climate, they are either foolish or brave.”

That was an interesting thought. If the wilting leaves and trees blackened from frostburn were any indication, Timberwolves couldn’t survive for long here. But if that was the case, the Timberwolf tracks shouldn’t be so fresh. This was starting to make less sense with each passing second.

Going into my saddlebag, I pulled out a chrome-colored metal box. Sitting it on the ground I flipped the lock and opened it, revealing several small jars comfortably settled in velvet insulation. With the jars I started scooping up samples of whatever I could fit: snow, frostburned tree bark, and frozen pieces of the cadavers. Just enough of a sample size to get it to Sunburst later to have analyzed.

Zecora tilted her head as she watched me gather seemingly random materials. “What do you make of this bizarre snow? If there is a secret to be found, I would love to know.”

“You and me both. Wish I had an answer,” I replied. Once I collected enough samples, I packed the case back into my saddlebag.

I didn’t want to linger around here any longer than I had to, but there was one more place I needed to investigate. If Zecora was a Changeling in disguise, she was the last pony I would want to have around me for this.

“Thanks for showing me this, Zecora. I shall look into this further. Go ahead and head back.”

Zecora shook her head. “Silly pony, did you believe I would simply return to my home after bringing you here? If so, then allow me to make my intentions clear. I’m not going to turn a blind eye to this blight. If there is danger to be found, I will stay with you and fight.”

I fixed her a small frown. “Look, I appreciate it, but I would rather not put you at risk if I can avoid it. Please, go back.”

“You are free to return to safety, if you desire. However, I will not ignore an issue this dire.”

My eyes narrowed. “As a member of the Royal Guard, I cannot let you put yourself in needless danger. Please go back.”

An amused smile danced on her muzzle. “A member of the Royal Guard, indeed you are. But you must not be a big fan of rules if you waited to speak of this until I’ve come this far. A timberwolf, if hungry, even alone, is no runt. Is it wise to send me back, alone, to face their hunt?

I paused to take a calming breath. The last thing I wanted to do was to continue arguing in front of the Timberwolf den. Zecora was clearly not going to comply, and going inside the cave alone with her without knowing if she was Changeling was out of the question. Even worse, she had a point: sending her back alone was a major oversight on my part, and in retrospect I should have asked for a map and went in alone.

My shoulders sagged as I sighed in surrender. I was starting to wish Trojan was here to verify if Zecora was a—

The moment the thought entered my head I facehoofed. I actually wanted Trojan’s help. I refused to go crawling back to that Changeling for help. Even if having her help would solve this dilemma in one fell swoop and provide valuable backup upon finding a threat, I needed to deal with this without her help.

I flinched at the touch on my shoulder, my eyes locking onto a concerned Zecora. Her tone and expression softened. “There is more to your frustration than this mess. I’m willing to lend an ear if you want to release some stress.”

My eyes locked on hers for a moment before I tore my glance away. The offer was inviting for sure, but discussing that particular topic would only serve to annoy me further. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the only sensible course of action was to escort her back and deal with this another time.

Just as I prepared to call this expedition to an end, a guttural, distorted growl rippled through the air.

Immediately, we drew our weapons and stood back-to-back, searching for the source. The growl was too difficult to pinpoint where it came from, but it was very close by.

A tingling sensation coursed through the back of my neck, accompanied by tightening of muscles and sharpening of senses.

One of us was about to die.

With only a few scant seconds to react to the unseen threat, my eyes swept around to see what was trying to kill us. My answer came in the form of a thick shard of ice rushing out of the west side bush and toward Zecora’s temple.

I shoved her aside just as the shard slipped past us and shattered against the tree. Two more shards shot out, this time toward me. I rolled to avoid the shards and bounced to my hooves, readying myself as I took position between the attacking source and the now recovering Zecora.

The foliage blackened and fell apart in the wake of the creature that leapt out from cover. What I noticed immediately was the wooden body frame of the creature, unnaturally formed together in the shape of a wolf that stood almost twice as tall as me. It leered at us with hungry, glowing eyes. By definition I knew this to be a Timberwolf, but this didn’t look like any Timberwolf I’ve ever seen before.

The darkened wood limbs were covered in a thick layer of ice that conformed to its wolf design with jagged edges. The mere presence of this abnormal Timberwolf drained heat from the area and chilled it even further. Eyes that should have glowed green from its unique magic now flashed white, reminiscent of Thorax when he went berserk.

Those eyes landed on me as the wolf opened its mouth, a swirl of black energy forming in its maw.

Within seconds, a flurry of ice shards rushed in my direction. I propelled myself through the air using my staff to dodge. One of the shards flew past my head and grazed my cheek. The other tore through a few of my left feathers, thankfully not enough to affect my ability to fly. I took to the air to strafe around the wolf, allowing Zecora to flank it.

In the span of three swift cuts, slicing into the frozen frame, Zecora was in and out of the Timberwolf’s paw range, narrowly avoiding a furious swipe. Keeping her body low, she moved at sporadic patterns and speeds to throw off the Timberwolf’s ability to land a blow on her. A quick juke to the side from Zecora made the Timberwolf stumble.

I dove in from behind, driving my blade into its back. It howled and glared back at me, jaw opened.

The energy that swirled and prepared to blast me was stopped by Zecora’s blade as she sliced through its jaw, dismembering it.

That gave me the chance to get a few more stabs in before hovering away, keeping a safe distance away from the Timberwolf. So far so good.

Until a white aura covered the wolf.

The change was slight, but the Timberwolf grew slightly taller. The wounds we inflicted rapidly healed. Where Zecora sliced off the jaw, ice extruded and formed a new, sharper jaw. While the wooden frame beneath the ice was still severed or damaged, the iced portion made up for it.

Zecora distanced herself from the Timberwolf, teeth gnashed together with frustration. “Something most foul is at play. Direct combat is no longer the way.”

The Timberwolf looked between both of us, likely trying to figure out who to strike first. I also kept a reasonable distance. “In which case, I think it’s time we got out of here.”

“That is a wise plan, that I cannot deny. However, there is one answer to this madness I would like to try. I may have something to end this battle swiftly. All I ask is for you to distract it while I prepare it quickly.”

I looked between Zecora and the Timberwolf, whose eyes began lingering on me. Looks like I was being considered the bigger fish to fry. If Zecora had a trick up her sleeve that might bring this monster down, I was all for it. It would also provide more data if there were more Timberwolves like this one.

“You get one shot. If this doesn’t work, we’re out of here,” I said.

“Agreed. Hopefully, one shot is all I need.” With that, Zecora distanced herself further and got to work. What the nature of that work was, I had no time to analyze as a pair of ice shards were launched in my direction, faster than before.

I dropped to the ground to avoid the attacks and swooped in to score a few quick strikes. Barely a nick into the frame that might as well be armor now. The tingling in the back of my neck triggered as the wolf’s paw clawed at me with alarming speed. It wasn’t until one of the swings I blocked sent me flying that I fully understood the damage an unblocked swing would have done to my skull. Time for a change of strategy.

Stabbing my spear into the frozen earth to keep it still, I flexed my legs and flared out my wings as I waited for the charging Timberwolf to approach. Three meters. Two. One.

Let’s rock.

I swiped the snow and threw it at its face as it lifted a paw to strike. It blinked. The paw struck air. By the time the Timberwolf realized I was to its left, it received another flurry of snow to the face. It turned quickly and pounced where I was half a second ago.

Suddenly, it released a howl of pain as my back hooves crashed into its back kneecap, shattering it. So far so good.

Though the broken knee was already healing, the drop of speed the creature suffered in the meantime allowed me to flip over its back and fly toward its face, unleashing a barrage of hoof strikes. Without much time to do any damage, I aimed for the ears and eyes, crunching and cracking its flimsier wooden parts beneath my hooves and knocking its head back. Still, the shock in my legs from striking such a tough hide was very noticeable, and would tire me out quick if I didn't find a weak spot.

I flapped my wings to fly out of reach, but it grabbed my leg faster than I could move, slamming me into the ground like a ragdoll. Celestia that hurt like a bitch!

It’s paw pressed onto my chest to keep me pinned, the only thing saving my life being my armor and inability to let this bastard win without a fight. I punched at the paw with all of my might, struggling under its grip. I was definitely in trouble here.

The wolf lurched forward, its chilling breath causing me to shiver. Jaws open, I noticed the swirl of energy in its mouth like it was preparing another shard projectile. Instead, it was a white vortex of magic essence similar to what I saw when Thorax was infecting Carrot Cake. Something about it felt oddly alive.

Within the vortex, I heard something that was almost imperceptible until I listened closely. Was that… laughter?

“You will do.”

Now I know I’m going crazy. The Timberwolf’s mouth did not move, but I knew I heard something. I had no time to ponder what when I noticed Zecora flanking the wolf and throwing a brown bag at it. Upon impact, a flurry of sparkling dust fell over the beast. The effect was instant.

At first, it coughed and wheezed after inhaling the substance. Then the legs started shaking, and it stumbled to the side, giving me ample opportunity to roll out of the way.

Wisps of smoke or some other vapor escaped its mouth with each cough, keeping the wolf off-balance, staggering about in a drunken fashion. The magic in its eyes flickered weakly as its limbs struggled to maintain its connection.

Now was the time for me to strike while it was vulnerable.

It let loose a pained, ear-piercing howl, a perfect clue that it had cleared its airways just enough. Before it could recover, though, I rolled over my blade that was nearby, came up in a crouch, and launched forward with an overhead swing right between its eyes.

The forged steel blade of my swordstaff met hard wood fiber with an intense crunch. Its head, likely weakened already from the freezing of its natural hide, split like a melon, following the downward force of my weapon all the way to the ground. A mixture of greenish sap-like blood and white powder that might have been ice crystals spewed out of the hole that was once the timberwolf's forehead.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, the creature crumpled to the turf with a loud thump. Silence fell over us as the bright magic flaring in its eyes faded. The Timberwolf laid still and silent.

My battle stance lingered for a few more seconds, awaiting any more surprises. I belatedly pulled the business end of my staff out of the timberwolf's head. Interestingly, nearly all the greenish sap that had collected on the blade was… hardening, as though it had just decided to give up the whole idea of moving. I tossed an incredulous look at Zecora. “What in the world was in that stuff, and where can I get it?”

Zecora laughed. “Timberwolves are animated by magic. The right mixture of ingredients interrupts the flow and grants them an end most tragic. Perhaps we can discuss this later when we leave this place. Should we linger further, there may be more danger to face.”

A shrill wail suddenly ripped through the air, causing us to freeze in place. That didn’t sound like any creature I recognized. A haunting dread creeped into my spine.

Any elation we had at taking down the Timberwolf vanished as we caught sight of the white essence flowing through the broken wolf and emerging from the husk. It looked like its very life force was pulled into the swirling vortex above where the wolf lay.

The energy stretched and contorted until it took the form of an abnormally tall equine. White outlines painted the picture of an otherwise ghostly presence. Piercing azure eyes materialized, staring into our souls. As it floated onto the ground, frost spread wherever it touched, the very atmosphere drained instantly of heat.

Zecora’s jaw dropped as she stared at this ghostly pony, her mouth moving but not forming words. Once the clues clicked into place, my expression followed suit.

The rage-related magic. Bizarre weather patterns. All of the ice and chilling presence brought with this thing’s presence. I knew what this creature was. I couldn’t believe it, but I couldn’t deny what was right in front of me.

It was a windigo.

Fierce eyes glared murderously at Zecora, who stood rooted to the ground with pure terror in her features. Another angry, blood-curdling howl ripped from its lungs as it rushed forward. Training and ingrained instincts broke me out of my own stupor and allowed me to take action.

“ZECORA!”

I dove towards her, shoving her away from the charge. With my Sentry Sense, I knew it would give me the boost I needed to dodge this powerful charge.

It never triggered.

The windigo crashed into me with hurricane force, sending me tumbling across the ground. I couldn’t stop myself from shivering as my body seemed to drop in temperature. Expecting another attack, I quickly bounced back onto my hooves and readied myself to face the windigo.

It was gone.

My heart raced mile a minute as I tried to process what happened. The windigo crashed into me, then suddenly vanished. Did it run away? Tackle through me? I shivered as I looked around for any sign where it went.

“Where did that damn ghost go?!” My voice came out a little stronger than I would have liked. Then again, my nerves were shot to Tartarus from acknowledging that freaking windigos even existed. That’s when I noticed Zecora staring at me, shock etched into her face.

Zecora made several false starts to speak, gaping. After a few tense seconds, she fixed me with a hard look.

“Though I wish it wasn’t true, the spirit went inside you.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“W...what?” I asked once I found my voice.

“The spirit, that windigo, is inside you,” Zecora repeated. “You must remain calm, no matter what you do.”

Memories flashed of Pinkie Pie when she was possessed by pathos. So much rage and destructive power. If that same force was now dwelling in me, then that meant I would suffer the same fate. If I lashed out like that at Zecora… or even Twilight...

Words were coming out of Zecora’s mouth, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat and rapid breathing. What was a windigo even capable of doing inside a body? Could it be listening to my thoughts right now? Would I lose control and hurt Zecora? What could I do to get it out?

“...ash… own… Flash, please calm down!”

I blinked as I found myself being shaken out of my frozen state by Zecora. Once I found my senses, I gently peeled her hooves off my shoulders and smiled apologetically. “I’m good now, Zecora, thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Zecora said grimly. “I know next to nothing about how to deal with this threat. If the windigo was capable of corruption this strong, in regards to your health and safety, there’s no telling what could go wrong.”

As if on cue, a cacophony of howls echoed around us. Timberwolf howls.

Zecora just had to ask the universe for trouble, didn’t she?

“We’ll deal with that windigo later,” I said as I made for the treeline we came from. Zecora nodded and followed.

As we made our mad dash away from the den and howls, the chill never left me. There was a disturbing sense that I was being watched.

We were about to burst through the trees when we stopped dead in our tracks, using the trees for cover. Danger greeted us in the form of three Timberwolves, each covered in ice and of a similar, but smaller build to the one we defeated. The howling around us intensified, the wolves in front of us waiting for dinner to arrive. I cursed under my breath. Not good.

WIth the windigo dwelling inside me, we couldn’t afford to be delayed. My attention went towards Zecora, whose eyes narrowed at the wolves prepared to pounce us any minute. Her safety needed to be my number one priority, and I knew only one method to secure that.

I pulled Zecora close enough for us to whisper. “Listen. I need you to take my saddle bag, which has the samples we collected, and take it to Spike. When I give you the signal, I need you to gallop as fast as you can to the castle. Don’t fight unless you absolutely have to. No matter what you see me do or what happens to me, don’t stop running.”

Zecora blinked as she fixed me an odd look. “And what about you? While I am running for my life, what shall you do?”

Unsaddling my bag of samples and supplies, I hoofed it over to her.

“My job.”

I am now convinced that all of Everfree is trying to kill us.

The moment Zecora and I made our blitz for the exit, it was a never-ending barrage of predators coming at us. The Timberwolves came at us in droves, as more attempted to flank us from all directions. Though the corruption that turned them into frozen variants of Timberwolves was still present, our only solace was the much lower severity. The downside was their numbers.

For the sake of speed, I took into the air, crossing through gaps and breaks of the trees while staying as close to Zecora as possible. Though she was far more agile on the ground, sliding under vines and leaping across hazards and obstacles with shocking ease, I was more than capable of slipping around the trappings of Everfree as long as I was able to stay in the air, occasionally slipping in and out the surface of the treeline to maximize my mobility and keep Zecora and any ambush zones in my sights.

This combination worked well to our advantage. I was able to swoop in and pick off pursuing predators while Zecora used both the environment and her supply of powdery concoctions just as skilfully as her spear, keeping as many obstacles between her and her pursuers as possible to slow them down. Yet they still continued chasing and somehow finding us, as if they had a perfect way to track us.

Through all of the fighting and running, I’d begun to notice strange sensations and shifts in my stamina and strength. Every blow exchanged, whether a Timberwolf struck me or I cut them, a burst of heat flooded my veins and invigorated me. The slowly dwindling number of Timberwolves was growing easier to take down. Each bear, giant python, and chimera that rushed at us with murderous fervor went from harrowing encounters to bumps on the road before me. I felt like I could take down anything.

“Over here! Hurry!” Zecora cried out to me as she tore down the path, tripping the lone Timberwolf that attempted to swipe at her with a sweep of her spear.

“Keep going! I’ll hold them off!” With a cry, I dove in from above the tree line and thrusted both of my back hooves into the face of the chasing Timberwolf, shattering the thin layer of ice and the wood structure beneath. It collapsed, thankfully tripping over one of its overeager buddies. That bought me enough time to end its chase with a blade to the head before I hurried behind Zecora on hoof, several more Timberwolves in hot pursuit. I was surprised to find they didn’t have the healing factor like the first one.

I quickly recognized the path we were crossing. This winding path lead through a rocky ravine that we used to cross dangerous territory without notice. Once we crossed this path, the exit wouldn’t be much farther.

Rushing through this ravine blind was not a smart move, and it was evident from Zecora’s heavy breathing and slowing pace that marathoning this long path was that much less an option, especially since night was quickly approaching. I would rather not have Zecora collapse in exhaustion while we were being hunted.

“Zecora, find a spot to hide and rest up! I’ll cover you!”

She slowed down and looked back at me, her face riddled with confusion and sweat. “Just… a little… further…!”

...She had a point.

The sooner we were out of this forest, the sooner she could rest. She might get a little tuckered out, but Zecora was strong. I knew she could make it.

A distant memory flashed in my mind just as I opened my mouth to tell Zecora to keep going.

“We can’t keep this up, L.T.”

“You can’t be serious. We’ve already come this far. We can’t give up on them.”

“This is different. We’re not giving up on them, but they won’t last like this. We need to push them, not break them. Let them ride this out as a victory, and we can build them from there.”

That snapped me back to my senses. We had to be smart about this.

“No, we need to rest!” I quickly scanned our surroundings. Only a few meters away was a small cave big enough to fit us into. It would have to do. “Hide in that cave over there-gah!” I gasped as a chill ripped through my chest. What in the world was that?

Zecora’s worried glance lingered for a few moments before she nodded and altered her course for the cave I'd pointed out.

That plan immediately fell through as she narrowly dodged a Timberwolf pouncing down at her from above, scrambling toward me. The wolf didn’t advance immediately, but was smart enough to stand in front of the cavern entrance. I spun around and slid into a halt, standing back to back with Zecora.

With a quick headcount, I saw that five Timberwolves blocked off the path we came from. Four more jumped from the topside of the ravine on the other side, cutting off our escape in a pincer attack. My condition wasn’t much better than our predicament.

My armor was cracked, my steadily growing number of wounds bled profusely, and my bruises darkened from repeated impact. Though I couldn’t feel the pain, exhaustion threatened to take over my consciousness with occasional spurts of dizziness and migraines. Zecora didn’t have nearly as many injuries, but I doubt she had the bolstering effects I did, leading to the disheveled state she was in now. Admittedly, this was a grim position to be in.

It startled me to feel my staff wobbling in my hooves. Took a second to realize I was actually shaking. The reality was setting in: we were about to die.

What hit me hardest was that I screwed up.

This entire disaster of a scouting run could have been avoided if I simply sucked it up and stuck around for the meeting. No wonder Shining contemplated taking me out of the mission; he wanted to avoid a situation like this. Everypony must be pissed that I turned out to truly be a failure after all.

I failed Zecora. I failed my current team. I failed my previous team during the invasion. Shining Armor, Spike, Twilight, Trojan, and even Sunset Shimmer. My life has been nothing but a road paved with defeat, and this was the culmination of that fact.

Until the very end, I was a failure. The Changelings won.

“...No.”

My grip tightened on the shaft of my staff in a vice. Not this time. It can’t end like this. It won’t end like this.

“No fear…!”

Wings flared out in defiance of the fate I was given. To die now would be to fail Equestria. We can’t let the enemy win. Never again.

“Yes I can…!”

My flared nostrils took in the smell of blood and smoke around me. Screams and agony filled my ears. Ponies crying for help, pleading for somepony to save them. The Changelings were going to kill them all!

“No mercy...!”

The ice that had settled in my veins from fear burned away in unrestrained fury. Adrenaline and resolve flooded my system.

We are not dying tonight.

They are.

“NO RESPITE!”

Unleashing a soul-crushing battle cry, I hurled myself headfirst into the half dozen pack of Timberwolves.

Their movements were like molasses as I weaved my blade and hoof strikes through them. Limbs splintered from my blade strokes. Wooden skulls shattered under my hooves. Every injury or cut I received only fueled my strength and resolve further, all of my pain channeled through my hooves and into their fragile bodies. It didn’t take long to kill them.

The instant I finished my side, I turned around and rushed at the remaining enemies. Suddenly, four Changelings had joined the fight in place of the Timberwolves, assaulting a familiar lime-colored mare with a short, teal mane where Zecora had been previously. I didn’t allow my momentum to drop as I grabbed one their heads and smashed it into the cracked pavement of the street.

With a spin, I locked eyes with the second Changeling and hurled my staff. The blow connected, impaling the Changeling into the side of a posh building. One of them bit into my foreleg in a vain attempt to rip it off. I returned its attempts in kind, using my other hoof to smash its face repeatedly until it caved in and shattered like glass.

The last one rushed at me in a blind rage, jaws open to devour me. With a strike to the temple, I floored the bug and immediately pounced on it, raining blow after blow until I was sure it stopped moving. Served them right.

With the current threat eliminated, I yanked my staff out of the wall of the building, the Changeling I had impaled falling slump to the ground. I turned towards the mare I saved, who in turn looked paralyzed with fear.

“Nitro, are you hurt?”

She gulped after a few false starts, catching her breath, “Flash, I know not of this Nitro you speak. However, you are clearly not well and medical attention we must seek!”

I’ve never heard her speak like this before. Perhaps it was a case of shellshock distorting her perception of reality. No choice then.

Before she could have a chance to refuse, I slipped her on my back, using my wings to provide support. “No time! I’ll get you as far as I can, but we have to rally our team and reach Shining Armor and Cadance before it’s too late!” I mustered my newfound strength and made a mad dash for the Canterlot Castle.

I had no idea how long I was running for, riding on pure adrenaline and rage. The damage to Canterlot was extensive; fallen debris, both pony and Changeling corpses, and collapsed buildings impairing my path as if I was in a concrete forest. Nitro kept muttering something about illusions and seeing things. Typical side effect of dealing with Changeling mind control magic. I couldn’t take any of her words seriously, but would definitely find her help the moment I found the rest of my squad.

I was about to find my way out of the residential district and into the castle grounds when, in amidst the flames and debris, I found another one of my allies. The youngest in the Royal Guard, but definitely one of the brightest soldiers; Wind Stride. His dark purple coat and bright green mane stuck out like a sore hoof.

Unfortunately, he was surrounded by Changelings.

I placed Nitro on the ground as carefully and quickly as possible, making sure she didn’t end up getting herself hurt. “I’ll save Wind Stride. Go seek help.”

“But—”

“Look, there’s no time to talk! Get your head together and do your duty! We can’t let the Changelings take over Canterlot!”

With my sights set on the true enemy, I took into the air, preparing a surprise attack for the bastards.

They wouldn't know what hit them.

Author's Notes:

What's up, my fellow paladins?

You guys have no idea how excited I am to have finally reached this part of the story. When I first came up with the story, this was one of the scenes that stuck out as a must-have moment. Now we get to see Flash undergo quite the stressful event as his "house guest" takes him for a ride.

Clearly this is going to be a happy ending.

Look forward to seeing you all next chapter!

Stay classy, my paladins.