At the same time, a bat pony walked along the Macintosh Hills, not caring about the weight of the two weapons she carried, nor about the patrols of lunar soldiers who roamed the last fertile land before the Badlands. She finally arrived at her destination. "Swift!" grunted the bat pony as she landed next to him, checking the Badlands to make sure there was nothing on the horizon.

The bat pony did not look away from the arid and inhospitable expanse in front of him. "Oh, Cute Bite, are you checking on the patrols?"

"Swift, you left your weapon at camp. Again," she said with a sigh, gently tapping the flat of her weapon on the indolent soldier's helmet.

He didn’t react to the tease, used to the bat pony ways. "I didn't leave my head at the camp. It's well screwed on my shoulders.” He grinned. “Oh wait, are you talking about the sword? What's the point of taking it, Cute Bite? Nothing's been going on for three months."

The mare frowned, her irises so small that her eyes were almost entirely amethyst. "Rule number nine: Never move without your soldier's weapon." She stood on her hind legs, raising the sword high before knocking the flat blade down on him again.

Swift reacted with a quarter of a turn. After all these years, he could read her like an open book. He rolled to the side, dodging the attack before leaping on her. He then took advantage of the proximity to gently hit Cute Bite's helmet as many times as she had hit him with the sword. "When I see how you use it, I tell myself I don't need it to defend myself against anypony."

With one hoof, she pushed away the hooves that were pounding her helmet. "Oh, really? Yet, you always had trouble defending yourself against-" She suddenly stopped, realising that she had just put her hooves on a slippery slope. Seeing the glow in Swift's eyes, she knew that she was not going to escape from it.

"Against whom? Oh wait, you remind me of that bat pony... What was her name? You know, the one you idolise so much. Please help me, what's her name again?" he said warmly with a broad grin.

The bat pony dropped the weapon on the ground, disgusted by Swift's attitude. She knew where this conversation was going. Turning her back, she walked a few steps away. Ears lowered, she observed the Moon, "Swift, you can't do your shift without your weapon. I'm not going to be able to cover you forever."

Swift sighed. "It was worth a try," he thought as he stayed in his corner, knowing full well that it was useless to try to and approach her when she kept her distance. "What's the point? The changelings are dead, I tell you! Two months, and they haven't given the slightest sign of life."

"And if they were to attempt a breakthrough tonight, how would you repel them?" she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Are we talking about the rest of the changelings that survived the genocide? Those who hadn’t had the opportunity to feed on love for three months, thanks to us?" Swift mocked. He stood next to his friend, pointing his hoof at the Badlands. "Do you really think they have the strength to try anything? If they have, they’d feast on us on the way before they go for the ponies of Equestria. Whether I am armed or not, I doubt it will make a difference," he argued.

Cute Bite remained stern. "Orders are orders, Swift.” She paused, lowering her voice as she grinned. "If you want to continue to play the foal, I can use your childhood name again if you prefer. Drooling Fangs."

"Oh, you've been doing this since you were a filly, and I in return have always called you Cute Bite. I look forward to seeing the faces of the others when you start giving orders, Major." Swift pushed her gently with his right foreleg, going a bit further with his teasing, yet not past anything she was used to.

Cute Bite inhaled through her nostrils, holding her breath four seconds straight, then exhaled through her mouth. "Can't you ever be serious for two minutes?"

"When necessary, I can be serious, Cute Bite. Like when, during our last assault on the hive, I made sure to keep the changelings at bay while you followed orders to the letter and took on the role of commander to assist our queen up to the end of the battle." He sighed, his satisfaction showing with a simple smile on his lips.

She turned towards Swift, her mind full of doubts. "And you still don't regret it? You’ve always been the smart one, so it would have made more sense for you to second our queen, and for me to defend the immediate perimeter around her highness."

Swift unfolded his wing to hit his friend on the back of her head. Cute Bite didn't like this habit, giving him a reproving look out of the corner of her eyes. She put her helmet back on, nearing a growl. "My poor Cute Bite. What am I going to do with you? You look so much at the past. You think too much about the choices that have been made and their consequences when you should be living in the present. Those of your lineage have always been by the side of our queen. It was much more logical that this responsibility should be yours rather than mine."

"But that's stupid reasoning!" she shouted, before continuing in a more calm tone. "You should be the Aide de Camp, you moron! You should be the one of us who attends important meetings, and all that that implies."

The bat ponies that were sitting at their own surveillance post thirty metres away from Swift’s took an interest in the commotion at Swift's position.

Swift looked around, seeing that she had attracted attention, before lowering her voice. "There is hardly a great spirit that does not have a touch of madness. You're younger than me. You still have a lot to learn, and this is a great opportunity," he said, before continuing louder. "Yes! I'm stupid! It is Equestria that makes me this way! Too much oxygen is the problem! It goes to my head!"

Cute Bite answered in a whisper, "Swift, stop making a spectacle of yourself. It's embarrassing."

"What would be really embarrassing is if you missed this opportunity. Imagine how disappointed your parents would be if you remained a mediocre, non-commissioned officer," he said quietly before resuming his acting. "We have to raze everything, Cute Bite! We burn it to the ground, as dusty as the surface of the moon," he shouted. He walked across the flat peak on which they were standing, taking a few steps away from her before facing her again. He smiled at her and murmured, "As dusty as your useless sister was when she was alive." He choked on his own words, hating himself for saying that, but he needed to provoke her. If he could not push her to stop chasing her dreams, he should at least push her not to stumble, ensnared by her own doubts.

She swallowed the bait, although it was obviously a lie as big as the moon. She couldn't let him spit on her sister's memory. She had to act. She grabbed her blade with her right hoof, unsheathing it and scraping the metal on the ground, sending stone projectiles flying towards the male bat pony.

Swift protected his face in reflex. He tried to dodge to the side, but she didn't give him time to breathe. She rushed into him with her shoulder. Swift fell to the ground. The impact on the spiky stones made him realise that the inhospitable character of the Badlands had crept down to the hills. His armour cushioned most of the blow, but he still felt his head spinning mildly.

The still enraged soldier took a quick look around before placing a hoof on Swift's sternum. Too many witnesses. Carefully, she pressed the tip of the blade against his throat and took a deep breath before setting him straight. "Private Swift Chess, cut the crap! That's an order!" Before lowering her voice to whisper, a tear glistened in the corner of her eye. "Don't you ever call her that again, you moron."

"Major, yes, Major," Swift replied. "It's getting easier and easier to let her win. Or am I getting sloppy?" he asked himself, muttering under his breath.

The bat pony looked up at the curious soldiers who were watching from their posts. "Our queen ordered us to watch the border! What are you looking at?!"

None of the guards dared to answer. They all turned back to the Badlands, repressing a smile. From an outside perspective, the yelling between Swift Chess and his childhood friend was a common thing. There was always a reason. Silly at first, more serious since the night of the genocide, and always ending in a short brawl. The majority of the stakes were on the blank flank at the beginning. However, since her promotion to Major, it had become difficult to know who would win.

Cute Bite hit Swift on the head with the flat side of the sword before putting it away. "Moron." She pushed herself off his sternum so she could turn away from him and get closer to the edge of the hill overlooking the forest. She looked at him over her shoulder as he stood up straight. "I'm going back to the..."

He expected yet another reprimand, but it did not come. Looking up at her, he saw she was absorbed. He went to see what was going on. At first glance, everything was calm, but when the noise of hoofsteps reached his ears, he understood. There was something galloping down below. "Do we have an intruder? At least he's on the worst side of the hill. What do we do now?"

The major threw an echolocation to her left. The bat ponies looked again to find the reason for the sudden call. Using her wings, she passed the following message. "One intruder spotted. Pass the message for the camp to send reinforcements. I'll intercept them and hold them off until reinforcements arrive." Once she saw the message going from one bat pony to another, she dived to take off in pursuit of the trespasser. Less than thirty seconds later, Swift joined her without his helmet. "What are you doing here?!"

"I couldn't let you go alone. I told the others to cover for me, and even planted my sword in the ground and put my helmet on it! It will be as effective at watching the border as if I had done it myself, I assure you."

"What am I going to do with you?" said Cute Bite, exasperated, before diving below the treetops, closely followed by Swift.

"First, we deal with the intruder. You can deal with me later."

Taking turns throwing echolocations, they slalomed between the trees. In this part of the forest, the foliage was so dense that the rays of the moon hardly reached the ground. Everything was just a shade of dark grey. "You! In the name of the Lunar Guard, I order you to stop!" yelled Cute Bite.

Gamine felt the effects of the sleep deprivation coming back. She stopped on the spot, only because it was useless to try to run away at this point, and tried to fight off her fatigue by inhaling through the nose before exhaling through the mouth.

The monster sighed in exasperation. "Twice in ten minutes! Are you trying to break a record, Gamine? Give me back control! You are good for nothing!"

Swift placed his wing on Cute Bite's shoulder to signal her to stay still, then moved forward. "Identify yourself. What are you doing here?"

"Let you handle the situation?” Gamine exclaimed in her mind. “You would not be able to do anything without leaving a bunch of dead bodies in your wake." There was no answer to Swift's words. Only the sound of breathing broke the orchestral symphony of the forest.

Bat ponies might have been predators, but this intruder—who remained with their back to them, breathing with a laborious and sonorous sound—somehow made them uncomfortable.

"Take a good look at me, monster. I shall show you that, unlike you, I can achieve a goal without killing anyone."

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Swift raised an eyebrow at the lack of reaction from what looked to be a pegasus at first glance. But after going around them to get a good look at the intruder, they suddenly turned their head towards him. He made a few steps back, spreading his wings.

Gamine concentrated, her horn charged with magic, illuminating her face. Her gaze was devoid of malice, but it expressed her cold determination to overcome what stood in her way.

This look struck Swift in a way he had not expected. It reminded him of a friend who had disappeared. A wound reopened in his heart, one he was trying to hide from everypony. Stunned, he asked, "Antarès?!"

The magic changed in nature, drawing its power from a darker source. It became purple with a green aura, just as the eyes of the alicorn became entirely green. Before either of the two soldiers could react, Swift was struck by magic and disappeared, leaving only an empty armour and sabatons on the ground.

Pepper raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Cute Bite watched the scene from her position, letting her subordinate handle the intruder. She realised that what she thought was just a pegasus was actually a white alicorn with a carmine mane. She knew who she was dealing with. Drawing her sword, she jumped on the criminal. But the latter hit her in the side, manipulating Swift's armour with telekinesis. The calculated attack slammed Cute Bite into a tree and stunned her.

The colour of the alicorn’s magic shifted back to gold while she picked up a candy from where Swift's armour had been a few seconds prior.

“So the decoration was truly Celestia’s cutie mark, I wonder what is the meaning behind his,” noted Pepper.

Assessing the situation, Gamine assumed it was now under her control and she didn’t need to use violence anymore. Her eyes turned to the bat pony, who was just recovering from the shock. "Listen carefully. If you want to see your companion once more, you and the others shall let me pass."

Cute Bite watched the mare for a moment, fighting down a shiver. "You're the one who abducted Princess Celestia, aren't you?" The bat pony knew she wasn't in a position to say no. The orders were to monitor the activities of the changelings, not to prevent anyone from going into the Badlands. In addition, she had some cards to play. "Well, I have no choice, but I will impose two conditions: First off, I’ll decide which way you’ll take to pass; and secondly, you will answer my questions." She had to take advantage of the opportunity to gather new information.

Gamine briefly observed the surroundings before looking at the mare. "Fine, but in that case it shall be just me and you. For each of my answers, I shall be entitled to one question myself. And if any bat pony tries anything, being turned into a candy will be a way more enviable outcome compared to what will remain of all of you. Should I have to bring down all those who dare to stand in my way, I shall begin with you."

“You are overdoing it. The more long-winded your threat, the clearer it will be that your lies ring hollow,” Pepper commented.

Getting up, the Major had to resign herself to accept these conditions. If everything was going according to her plan, Nightmare Moon would be there in time. She was the only one who could defeat her, and this mare obviously had no idea that the queen was free again. She had to keep this information from her to give Nightmare Moon the possibility of a surprise attack. "In that case, I have to inform you that I already alerted the camp and that a troop will be here shortly. I'll tell them to notify the guards and the camp so no one will interfere."

"Go ahead." She gave the candy to Cute Bite. "You hold the life of this warrior in the hollow of your hoof. Do everything you can to make sure that I can lift the spell once we are on the other side of these mountains."

Said squad arrived only a few seconds later. The officer approached them and explained the situation before giving them orders. At the same time, without Gamine's and Pepper’s knowledge, Cute Bite made signals, indicating that she would try to make the journey last until Nightmare Moon arrived. All gave a sharp nod before dispersing in accordance with the orders to prevent any incident while they’d cross the mountains. Cute Bite looked over her shoulder. "Follow me," she ordered as she headed towards the camp.

Gamine observed the edge of the mountain next to them. She looked over to the bat pony and started walking behind Cute Bite, who was walking at such a slow pace that it didn't take long for the alicorn to catch up. "This is not the shortest way; you must really have a lot of questions to ask me. I am listening."

"The most obvious question should have been the fate of Princess Celestia. But seeing that the colour of your magic is no longer the same as the one described in the file concerning you, I deduce that she is now officially dead." She looked at what was left of Swift. "So the question is, in the event that she has suffered the same fate as the moron I'm holding - are they still conscious in this state?"

Gamine was on the lookout. Even with a hostage, she didn't trust the bat pony and expected a sneak attack at any time. "No, once in this state, everything about them is frozen. When I dispel it, he will have no memory of it. He will be in the same state of health, at worst a little confused by the sudden change of scenery. For the rest, yes. Celestia is dead, Luna is now aware, and the aura of my magic is indeed proof."

Furrowing her brow, Pepper continued to remain silent.

"If she's telling the truth, then Nightmare Moon must also be aware," Cute Bite thought. As Gamine didn't seem to have any questions, she went on. "Where are you going?"

"Across these mountains," said Gamine, pointing a wing at the hills.

"No, I mean, for what purpose?"

"I answered your question. Next time, be more specific. By the way, what is your name?"

"I am Major Antarès, Aide de Camp of this Lunar Guard detachment. The moron you took hostage is called Swift Chess. What exactly is the reason you're moving so far south?"

At first Gamine thought of lying, but she decided that the truth would be good enough. "Would you believe me if I said I felt some sort of a call? Nothing audible, but an unpleasant feeling in my heart, animating my body on its own. An almost sickly need to move beyond these mountains. To go there, to act."

"According to your file, you are a liar and you usually play on words. So I'll pretend that I believe you." She looked at the candy. "You were wrong, Swift, they're still alive," she thought.

The alicorn took a shot in the dark with her next question: "Would you have an idea of why I feel this call toward the south?"

"Maybe," Antarès began. "We were ordered to decimate the changelings."

"Changelings? I have heard such a name before," Pepper said.

At these words, Gamine's frightened eyes betrayed her emotion, unable to keep acting after such a revelation: "What do you mean, you were ordered to decimate the changelings? Who? When? Why?" she asked with sudden agitation.

Cute Bite was surprised by the sudden flow of questions, which were asked with a restlessness that contrasted with the emotionless tone used until now. She was tempted to maintain the rule of an answer for a question imposed by the one she thought was Pepper, but Swift's life was heavy in her hoof, she finally thought it would be wiser to satisfy the monster's curiosity. "Without going into detail, after Princess Celestia's abduction—or, should I say now, her murder—Princess Luna ordered the eradication of the changelings."

Gamine lowered her gaze to her hooves, her heart troubled by this information.

"Enough, Gamine. What is done is done. It is up to Luna to answer for this crime, as she alone gave the order. Now you have to calm down and keep questioning her. Occasions to gather information so easily are very rare."

The alicorn composed herself, and put the now cracked mask she had been wearing for the past two days back on and looked up at the bat pony. "These changelings you are talking about, could you tell me the essentials about them?"

"They are best known for their failed invasion of Canterlot at the wedding of Princess Twilight Sparkle's brother. They are a race halfway between an insect and a pony. They’re metamorphic predators that feed on love. Is death a necessary step in the process of stealing the magical power from your victims?"

"Oh, yes, I heard about this wedding," Pepper said distractedly. "So changelings are just love eaters?" Gamine could hear Pepper sigh in relief. "As long as these shapeshifters do not take the form of a chest around a corridor, everything should be fine."

"Yes it is,” answered Gamine. “Since when is love nutritious?"

They entered the tunnel that separated the two regions. The alicorn mare kept an eye on the surroundings. The bat pony was still walking, her eyes fixed at the light at the end of the tunnel, hoping to see Nightmare Moon's silhouette. "I don't know, probably since friendship and harmony can be used to overcome any problem," replied the Major sarcastically. "What will you do once you find the changelings?"

"I shall do whatever it takes to make the call stop. In the event that you are the problem, I shall give you a chance to leave. Enough blood has been spilled already," said Gamine as she used magic. The aura ran over her body once more, this time to make the wings disappear.

"Good call to prevent these changelings from seeing an unknown alicorn in their territory. That would undoubtedly be a mess," noted Pepper.

Antarès looked at this physical alteration without being very surprised. "How generous. There is something I can't figure out, however. If you can travel through worlds, why did you come back here? And above all, why do you stay?"

"To answer your questions, Celestia's death had to be clearly announced. I could not let Equestria keep hoping for her return in vain." The bat pony’s second question made Gamine smile. "I already answered this question. I heard a call. I have to answer this call. And act."

"So, in your opinion, in the event that a pony has disappeared, it is better to shatter any hopes of seeing them return? Does your cruelty have no limits?"

Gamine kept her head down. "She is dead. No hope will change that. False hope only prolongs suffering."

Preceded by Antarès, Gamine arrived in the Badlands. She had only gone through a tunnel and yet she was presented with a new world. Standing on the edge of this enclosed basin, she set her eyes on this region for the first time. A downward slope before her led to a barren land that was desolate as far as the eye could see. It was flat and empty, except for a few rock formations, as if the sun itself had come to crush down on it with all its weight. Ashes had turned to dust, and life itself had given up any hope of claiming the affected area once more.

The soldier looked up at the bat ponies who were watching from the top of the hills. After an exchange of signs, she understood that her plan would not be crowned with success, but she still would have done her best to delay the regicide. She signalled to stand by for the moment and turned to Gamine. "You are now past the mountains. Release Swift!" ordered the officer.

The unicorn struck Antarès with her magic. "Would you kindly remain motionless and silent for three minutes?"

Narrowing her eyes, Pepper held her tongue.

The bat pony, under the spell of obedience, tried to move, wanted to scream, but her body no longer obeyed her. She was under the influence of the spell and at the mercy of the mare who was now facing her for the next three minutes.

"You can also add this to your file," said Gamine, turning to Cute Bite to get closer. Magic began to accumulate around her horn, targeting the candy in the mare's hoof. The sweet began to levitate and was put on the ground against the wall, next to the entrance to the tunnel. Out of the bat pony's sight, she cast a spell upon it. Once again, she wore that mocking smile, that look that seemed to be detached from everything. She acted without blinking. "Did you really think that I would keep my word? That I was honest? Poor Antarès. Have you forgotten who I am? How do you think I got in this situation? You are but another victim to add to the list of my achievements, and this soldier is a victim of your immaculate naivety. But, do not worry, I will manage alone now and I thank you for everything. Our conversation has been pleasant." She started to walk away, her gaze lost in the vagueness. She inhaled through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth before turning around to look at Antarès again with a softer smile. "I hope the next time we meet, you and I may share a cup of tea." Without waiting for any reaction, she galloped off to continue on her quest.

Unparalleled wrath coursing through her, Antarès had every opportunity to curse the unicorn inwardly with all possible qualifiers before her three minutes were up. As soon as she felt the spell lose its effect, she inhaled to bark her orders. "Guards! Catch Pepper Chilly at any cost! I need her alive!" She shouted like the angry mare she was. Head lowered, anger giving way to self-pity, she sat down in front of the candy. "I'm sorry, Swift. It's all my fault," she whispered. With all the hope she could hold on to, she remained confident in the ability of the faction guards. They would bring Pepper back prisoner and force her to lift the spell. "You'll see, they'll bring her back soon. You'll be yourself again, and we'll laugh about it." Her eyes wet with tears, she lifted her chin and prayed to the stars. "I've already lost my sister. I beg you, not Swift, too," she said in a sob.

Suddenly, a golden light emanated from the candy. Before Antarès could react, she was hit in the jaw by Swift's head as he returned to his former self. It was such a strong impact that she landed on her back.

Swift rubbed his head. He felt a bit lost as he looked around, noting that he had lost his armour, that the scenery had changed, and that the intruder was nowhere to be seen. "Why are we here? Where is the intruder?" he asked, turning his attention to Cute Bite.

She held back her tears with great difficulty. There was a flood of conflicting feelings in her heart that she couldn't stop. "It was the regicide, Pepper Chilly, and she left. The others are pursuing her."

Swift could only imagine how his precious Cute Bite could end up in such a state, but he was sure that she needed to think about something else. He knew exactly what he had to do. He stood on his four legs and imitated the chief instructor from when they were still simple cadets. "Grunt Cute Bite! What is this attitude?! Look at your armour, it’s so dirty I can't see myself in it! I've seen a lot of bat ponies like you, Grunt Cute Bite! You weaklings are always welcome to resign and leave! For this is not how you will carry Antarès' name into the legends," he said, speaking normally, but loud enough to give the impression that he was yelling at her. He leaned over her and hit her on the sternum with the tip of his hoof, his wings spread to their full extent.

"Moron!" barked Antarès, her rage suddenly dominating all the other feelings deep in her heart as she gave him a perfect uppercut to his jaw. Swift bit his tongue as a result and almost blacked out, falling flat on the ground. "Moron," she whispered again, as she took him in her hooves and folded her wings over him, crying with relief.

"Yaour ‘elcome," Swift replied in a whisper with a swollen tongue.