“Daddy, where’s Mom?” I couldn’t remember if that was the second or third time in the past hour she had asked that question. “Mommy’s fine, her and the other ponies are safe.” “…Are we safe?” I opened my mouth to answer, but there weren’t any words, so I swallowed the lump sitting there instead. I glanced ahead at the line of ponies before us. All ragged and worn, heads down, marching double file towards... They flanked us on our sides in packs of three or four. Black, chitinous carapaces that sparkled in the early morning sun, hissing whenever one of us dared look up or step out of line. Silver Shard peeked out from between my legs, eyeing everything with a worried expression, her tangled mane hanging in knots that fell around her ears. “Daddy?” “We’ll be fine, sweetheart. Mom’ll be back soon, and she’ll bring all the guards in Canterlot, and the Elements of Harmony and even Celestia herself.” “Really?!” She squeaked back. I gave a small nod, couldn’t risk her hearing the wavering in my voice. They led us through the mountains, the snow-capped peaks barely hiding the smoke rising from Canterlot behind us in the distance. It was early in the morning when they led us into the caves. Dark burrows that fed down into the centre of Equestria, so deep you could see the mana leylines etched into the rock faces. So dark that the blackness ahead stretched on for an indeterminate distance. The air hung thick and heavy in the air, making each breath laborious, and the very pressure of the earth weighed down our bones. They had carved cells out of the cold stone, and the guards led us into one at the end of the hall. No bed, no blankets, nothing. Just the hard floor and the darkness. The food was sparse at first. Delivered several times a day. Colourless, odourless, tasteless piles of gruel in sharp bowls that cut your tongue when you ate. But I was grateful. Every second Silver spent eating was another second she was quiet, another second where she wasn’t asking. “Dad…” “Soon, dear. I promise. Be strong for Mom, okay?” The hours turned to days, turned to weeks, turned to… … Every now and then there would be a creak of metal as a cell was opened, and the sounds of a struggle. Sometimes a grunt, sometimes a scream, but eventually the noises would stop and only the darkness would remain. But I kept lying. “It will be soon.” “Tomorrow.” “Next week.” “Everything will be fine, please stop crying.” But then the food stopped, and eventually I was too tired to speak, and Silver was too tired to ask. Truth be told, I’d seen the changelings swarm into the castle. Watched them and their queen subdue the princess, her student, and her friends. The guards… Diamond Dust… There wasn’t a rescue coming. … I felt Silver Shard collapse next to me on the floor. “Mom’s not coming, is she?” My eyelids were hardened concrete, and even turning over to face her made aches surge through my body. We both didn’t hear the creak of the cell door, or the sound of hooves on damp earth. “Mom…?” Silver’s dry voice echoed in my ears, and I forced myself to turn over again in the dirt. “Mom!” And there was that youthful energy I remembered from her, as she raced towards the figure standing by the open door. Creamy, white fur. Sparkling silver hair. Diamond Dust. Exactly like her… down to the exact detail. Except for the poisonous green eyes. Those were HERS. I forced myself to stand. The imposter chuckled, bending low to nuzzle Silver. I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. It was only then I noticed the two guards flanking both sides of her, dark enough to blend in, only the slightest green of their irises and glint of their fangs visible. Hungry. Silver was crying, nuzzling into the imposter. “Ssssh, it’s going to be okay.” Her voice, but it wasn’t. But she was staring through Silver, at me. Her horn glowed, and in all the instant I saw each and every horror that would be done to us. There was no resisting. No hope. Just certainty. “It’s fine Sweetie, go with Mommy. Daddy needs some rest…” My words, but not my will. Silver Shard disappeared around the corner with HER, as the two guards entered my cell and closed the door behind them.