Featherweight and Lighthoof rejoined us before Meadowsweet and Tizzy came back out of the cell they were in, both looking far too satisfied with themselves.
I was reminded of an old meme song from the internet, but banished it from my mind the very moment after it popped up. This world was not ready to be introduced to the internet at large and wouldn't understand the joke.
Cubitus and Crook had fallen into a conversation about Cubitus' first and second books, with the author trying his hardest to assure Crook that the third and fourth volumes of the series were far better than the first two without spoiling things for his newfound fan.
Glottis just sat by himself watching us all with a bemused smile on his face. I could only guess at what his thoughts were and what it was he could see that we didn't.
I turned to Oval and gave her a friendly hoofbump against her left shoulder. "What do you think of our new team? Can we get through to our family who are touched more by their hunger than we are?"
Oval looked over the ponies and Changelings gathered around us, then gave a slow, thoughtful nod to my question.
"We should have enough of us to tackle small groups and get them sorted. We're just going to have to figure out how to sneak everyone out of here without digging our way out or getting the guards called on us. That's the thing I'm most worried about right now," she confided in me.
"We should be able to disguise ourselves again if Twilight gets through to Celestia and Luna," I pointed out. "We have to put our faith in her and Applejack."
"Yes, but that's what worries me as well. We've been down here for, how long now?" Oval started. "We haven't heard anything from Twilight, and I still feel that nausea come up when I try to think about taking on a guise."
I considered that and reached out with my magic in an attempt to take on my own disguise.
My stomach started to burn with acid and my balance shifted so it felt like the world was turning itself upside-down, bile rising in my throat immediately after. I stopped trying to disguise myself and the symptoms subsided again.
"Oof... Yeah, that's definitely still there. I think it might take some convincing for even the princesses to get the barrier taken down, given how the Tantabus works," I considered.
"Yeah, well, I would feel a lot better if we had some way to be made aware of their progress is all I'm saying," my sister decided. "Which is why I'm keeping our digging plan as a viable option. Deadbolt might not like it, but it would get us out of here fast if the ponies can't get themselves under control."
"Camellia and Meadowsweet have managed to," I pointed out, turning to face Camellia so I could point my hoof in her direction.
Camellia was already walking up to me as I did, a serious expression on her face.
"Pearl, Oval, can I get you to come with me to talk with Deadbolt for a moment?" she asked.
"Sure," I agreed, following her as she walked away again to take us away from the group of other Changelings.
Oval grumbled under her breath but followed as well. "What is it now?"
I shrugged and looked at the older pony as we joined him enough of a distance away from the cell and other Changelings so the soundproofing magic would keep them from overhearing. "I'm sure he'll tell us."
The four of us moved to stand in a little circle, Camellia, Burst and myself looking at Deadbolt.
He looked at me directly as he started, looking solemn.
"There are about ten to fifteen Changelings per cell in the third section. Six cells on the left, four on the right. There are two empty cells on the left, four on the right," he listed. "I have had to use my magic to form a barrier on the inside of those cells to keep them from storming the door when I threw a new one in there, and they still charged the barrier as if possessed."
"That would be the hunger," Burst grumbled. "It drowns out all rationale."
"As far as I understand it from what you told me, this is because they try to charge upon us ponies to feed on us, yes? Would it be different if we weren't visibly there?" Deadbolt wondered.
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"I'm suggesting I give you the keys to those cells and walk back toward the exit with miss Camellia and Meadowsweet," he revealed. "That would put us far enough away that we can't be seen by your friends, can't be easily sensed with magic, and should keep your friends calm enough that you can speak with them?"
I looked at Camellia who gave a slow nod. "There's a range to all magic spells, and this place dampens vibrations to keep the area quiet. It would have the same dampening effect on magic, severely limiting the range we could normally cast it at."
Oval considered this. "That might also keep princess Twilight from teleporting in here, or sending a telepathic message or some such."
"Yes, it would. Ain't no use having a jail if everypony could just teleport in or out of it or reach beyond the walls with telepathy," Deadbolt impressed upon us.
"That makes sense," I agreed. "So you're saying you trust us enough to wrangle the..."
I did a quick headcount.
"Hundred and thirty-odd of our family still down there?" I finished.
"I don't think I have much of a choice if, as you say, they will break out on their own if we do nothing. They attack my magic as if they don't care about their own lives, so they are more than likely doing the same to the walls and door to their cells, even if I am not inclined to go check on that right now," he pointed out.
"I wish I could say you're wrong on that," Oval grumbled, "but I was there with the last assault on Canterlot and saw how our siblings attacked the protective barrier back then as well. Some of us came away with it with broken limbs, concussions, and open wounds."
"Much the same as those of us who tried to protect the city then," Deadbolt remembered. "Both sides lose when there's a war."
"You're right there. I am glad we didn't try to attack Canterlot again, especially given the current situation. It would have been devastating for both of our people," Oval spoke darkly.
"More to the point of our current problem," Camellia brought the conversation back on track, "I think we should try and convince that Tizzy to come join us near the exit. I don't think her mind is up for dealing with a grouping of starved Changelings. It would just destroy the progress Meadowsweet has made so far."
"I'm going to say Featherweight and Lighthoof should be with you as well; they're new to this world and don't seem to understand the danger they're in. They're much too absorbed in one another," I considered. "They are clearly lovers and I would hate to sour their experience more than it already has."
"I agree," Oval stated.
"So do I," Camellia added. "We'll take them under our proverbial wing then. Do you think the rest of you can do it?"
"We don't have much of a choice," I sighed.
"Well, no time like the present," Deadbolt prompted. "Some of us are not as young as they used to be, and I am certainly feeling it."
"If," he continued, narrowing his eyes at Oval in particular, "I suddenly find a new hole in my jail, I would be very displeased. I will already have to explain my role in this to the princesses, so please don't make me have to drag your friends along with me."
"Noted," Oval responded flatly. "It's a last resort, but I will take full responsibility for it if we have to use it. Don't put Camellia or Meadowsweet through something they don't deserve."
"But Celery Stalk," I brought up.
"I'm the one who brought it up, I should be the one to stand trial for it," she spoke firmly. "It's about time I take responsibility for my own actions."
Camellia smiled weakly. "I appreciate it, Oval. But please, I took you into my home, so I am at least partly responsible for what happens here."
"You said it yourself; you only took us in because Pearl seemed trustworthy. I didn't," Oval pointed out.
"I might have been too hasty in my judgement, Oval. You have proven yourself trustworthy since," Camellia spoke. "My door is always open in case you need to drop by."
"I don't want to rush you all, but," Deadbolt started.
"Yes, it's about time we face the family proper," I agreed.
"Let's see if Tizzy is ready to leave her cell yet," Camellia suggested.
Deadbolt started to walk off in the direction of Featherweight and Lighthoof, and motioned his right foreleg at them as he drew near, clearly ordering them to follow him.
Camellia wandered off toward the cell to explain to Meadowsweet and Tizzy within what the plan was.
Oval and me stayed behind a moment, and I noticed a thoughtful look on my sister's face.
"What are you thinking about?" I wondered.
"I'm not so sure I'm ready to take her up on that offer, but I think that was genuine," she murmured. "I could feel energy flooding me as she spoke just now."
"I had that earlier with Meadowsweet," I remembered. "I think we can trust them, sister."
"I sincerely hope so, but our family's been betrayed before whenever we thought we could trust the ponyfolk. I'm going to have to see what the future brings," Oval decided. "First things first; we have a hundred or so of our siblings to wrangle into some sort of organised mass."
"Yeah, about that," I started.
"I'm sure I'll be the one everyone looks at when it comes down to it. I don't know why they keep doing that. I might be able to shove the leadership role onto Forsythia or maybe Cubitus. They look like they can handle it, although they would most likely follow Forsythia because of her sturdy appearance before they would Cubitus; he's too softspoken," Burst continued.
"So, what I'm thinking is," I tried again.
"Crook is not the right Changeling for the job. A lot of our family knows him and his tricks. And I wonder how many of them would trust Glottis, for much the same reasons I told you before," my sister rambled on.
"Oval," I sighed. "Oval, I think I'm going to have to do it."
"I wouldn't want to... what?" Burst's ponderings came to a sudden halt.
"I think I have to do it," I said to her. "In the past few days I've heard more than one pony claim that I was the reason they started to consider us Changelings being their peers. That we were equals to be listened to rather than scary creatures to run away from."
"Yes, but," Burst started, but I wasn't having it and continued on myself.
"I think there's something to what was said about me being a nexus of sorts which fate turns around," I considered, noting how at least two big events had happened with me near the center of them, much the same as had happened to Twilight Sparkle in the show back home.
"Right, but you don't have to do it alone," my sister stumbled, still caught off guard by my decision.
"No, but I supposedly have a 'way with words', according to all of you. I might be a Hatchling to some, but apparently there's something to the way I try to work through problems which gets others to see it my way," I explained.
"Well, yes, you do seem to break things down to basics. It's absolutely bonkers to consider sometimes, but you've been right about a lot of things so far," Burst spoke. "Like when you said we should gather around Camellia's coffee table so the ponies could share their friendship with us. Totally bonkers to consider they could share their love with us with us being out of our disguises. Yet it worked."
"Because we were our genuine selves," I pointed out. "We weren't hiding away from them, we weren't lying to them."
"I have done nothing but hiding myself away and lying about who I was to those I care deeply for," Burst sighed with an undertone of sadness to her voice. "If it wasn't for that damn magic spell I would have never considered showing them my true self."
"I am sure the same holds true for a lot of our family," I reasoned with her, reaching out with my left hoof to touch her right shoulder in a friendly gesture.
"I'm not going to convince every Pony and Changeling to accept one another, but just look at what we have been able to do in a few short days already," I pointed out, looking over at the small group of Changelings standing in the middle of the hallway up ahead.
"We're going to have to get our family down here to focus on getting out of this jail, out of the palace grounds, and out of Canterlot," I listed. "To get to safety without attacking any of the ponies in this city. To flee to the nearest Hive and get patched up by the local Matrons before returning to their lives and trying to get their fill of love again before the hunger gets too much."
"And you think you can convince them of that?" Oval asked of me.
"No, I'm worried that I will say the wrong thing or won't be believed. But I have to try," I returned with a growing knot in my stomach.