The six bearers of the Elements of Wilderness met at Sugar-cube Corner the next day for breakfast pastries before they got around to what Geode liked to call saving-the-world-business. Mrs. Cake, who looked a bit distracted this morning, took each of their orders and pulled out all the pastries from the case in front of her. When Winter and Whirlwind asked her if there was something on her mind, the earth pony responded in a quiet, concerned voice.

"Well, I'm afraid Pinkie Pie never came home yesterday." Her face contorted with worry. "When she didn't leave her apartment this morning - she lives above Sugar-cube Corner you see - we saw that she's still not back yet!"

Whirlwind arched an eyebrow, "And she didn't leave a note or anything?"

"No, not that we know of! She didn't even find a pet sitter for Gummy."

Winter spoke, "That's awfully strange... It's not like Pinkie to just up and- Okay, let me rephrase, it's not like her to not let anypony know where she's going."

"Come to think of it," Mrs. Cake continued. "I haven't seen any of her friends today either."

"We'll keep an eye out." Said Whirlwind.

"Oh yes, thank you."

As the best friends headed back to their table, they spoke in quiet voices. Something was going on. And it reeked with the stench of sinister plots. It was all too coincidental with what was going on in Equestria. When they told the other four of what they just learned, Blaze and Tidal Wave agreed almost immediately. Their nearly catastrophic encounter with their foes in Canterlot had convinced them: Pinkie and everypony might have been captured.

Flora was in disbelief; the thought was terrifying! But if it was true they couldn't waste time. The enemy had grown strong enough to take down the ponies who had saved Equestria time and time again. As the information set in they finished at Sugar-cube Corner. Whirlwind scarfed down her breakfast (though she wouldn't admit it, she could be a nervous eater at times). Flora Blossom's stomach was in knots, so she hardly touched her pastry.

Once they left, they constructed a plan. Sort of. They were set on the task of finding their enemy, and taking the fight to them. Sure, fighting their enemy on home turf wasn't ideal, but the element of surprise would work in their favor. ("Let's bring the fight to them!" Said Blaze.) The Equestrian foes were working together, so it was logical they would reside together as well.

"Given that King Sombra is one of our foes, it's entirely possible that all three of them are hidden somewhere near the Crystal Empire." Said Winter.

Though Geode looked uncomfortable at the thought of King Sombra being so close to his home, he spoke without his voice wavering, "It would make sense. I say it's worth a shot."

"Wait, we're not just gonna run in there without any trainin' are we?!" Flora cried out. "How do we know that this is somethin' we're gonna win?"

"She's got a point. We're not soldiers, we're average ponies." Tidal Wave agreed with a stiff nod.

"Well, isn't this the part of the story where the heroes take down the bad guys despite it all?" Geode, the group's optimist, put in.

"As much as I want that to happen, we don't know for sure if that's how things will play out." Said Blaze.

Whirlwind let out a sigh as she looked at Winter, then the rest, "But what choice do we have?"

That got everypony to quiet down. After a moment, Winter took in a breath, stood up straight, and spoke to the group. She willed her voice not to falter, her eyes not to dart away, and her mind to come up with the right words.

"Whirlwind's right guys. Every second we stand here, stalling, afraid of what's going to happen next, is another second the enemy is capturing ponies, and gaining strength. Princess Twilight and her friends are captured, and if I'm being honest, other ponies in power positions are probably in the same position. Didn't you notice how the sun came up much later than usual? I think even the other princesses are in trouble! If we don't do something soon, we could meet the same fate. Blaze almost got captured back in Canterlot. Whirlwind, Flora and I were attacked by changelings! I know we're don't have a solid plan of attack. But with the power of the elements on our side, I feel like we can do this."

She looked at each and everyone of them. For what felt like several long minutes, there was silence, and Winter could feel her confidence fading. But then some started nodding, and others had a look in their eyes that was reminiscent of determination. Each of the bearers took out their elements and fastened them around their necks, the gemstones gleaming.

To her surprise Tidal Wave gave a small smile, something she'd only seen once or twice so far, "Well, we better get on the next train to the Crystal Empire then."

Winter smiled, and put on her element of ice atop her head, feeling the borrowed power flow through her. As they made their way toward the train station, Whirlwind put her wing around Winter, and gave her a proud smile, telling her, "You did good." What she said had motivated everypony. She didn't stutter, or stall. She showed all of them, why they were needed.

With the crowded train station in view, the bearers rushed to catch the train they saw coming in the distance. But as it got closer they noticed something wasn't right. Winter began to worry.

Bah-dum, went her heart. She was suddenly hyper-aware of it.

What they saw in the distance didn't have the bright colors of the friendship express. Quite the opposite actually. And it was bigger. Much, much bigger.

Bah-dum, bah-dum.

The oncoming mass emerged from the smoke, it was black as night and thicker than the densest fog. Beside it, a hulking figure, trudged along. It's movements seemingly slow, but the distance it crossed with each step it took made up for it.

Bah-dum, bah-dum, bah-dum!

Instead of a train whistle everypony heard... Could it be? Buzzing. Buzzing!

Winter's jaw dropped, her heart was practically beating out of her chest. Whirlwind's ears pressed flat against her head, and Flora took several steps back. Geode's sparkling coat faded, his constant happy mood vanishing while Blaze and Tidal stood stiff at the sight before them.

The rest of the crowd began to scream, and run back to town. Some lugging their bags with them, others forsaking their belongings in their efforts to get to safety. The bearers looked at each other, realizing their own panic. The enemy had the same plan as them: Take advantage of the element of surprise.

"We need to get everypony at the station safe!" Winter shouted above the crowd, the buzzing, and the terrified voices in her head. "That's our first priority. Then we need to warn everypony in town to stay inside!"

"Leave it to me." Whirlwind offered, her tone assertive. "I'll escort everypony back to town. Once I'm there I can warn everypony else."

"If we do this together, we'll be faster. I've got your back on this one, Whirlwind!" Geode volunteered.

The two of them took off as the enormous swarm of changelings approached. King Sombra's black smoke billowed out all around them while the giant clouds of dust Tirek's hooves kicked up filled the air. It all got louder, and louder, and louder. Winter exhaled, then spoke with clarity.

"We've got to hold them here at least until Whirlwind and Geode get back. We can't endanger anypony else for longer than we have to. Let's take these guys, one by one if we have to. I'm not giving up without a fight."

Changelings, a few that were faster than the rest, arrived. Blaze wasted no time in conjuring a flame, a second later launching it at a changeling. The creature, caught off guard by the speed of the attack, didn't have time to move, and its chest was burned by Blaze's fire. It eventually put out the attack that had singed its skin, but not before Blaze moved on to a few others.

More landed behind the trio, and yet another group was above them, like black foreboding rainclouds, hanging low in the sky. Tidal went high, soaring through the air to meet his foes, washing them out of the sky with a wave of water while Winter met the group behind her with ice attacks. The biting cold of a small blizzard she sent forward pushed her enemies back and limited their ability to see. That's when she made her move and blasted them with magic, freezing them all solid.

And watching from a distance were the leaders of beginning of this takeover. Every so often Tirek's hooves would paw at the ground impatiently, for he was itching to finally show his true strength. King Sombra's eyes were cold and calculating; he was plotting out his upcoming attacks. His dark magic would prove useful soon enough, a few of the queen's changelings were only the first wave. And there, with a sort of terrifying wonder and joy in her insect eyes, Queen Chrysalis flew above the other two and the soldiers awaiting her command.

"Let's allow them to believe they're winning for a moment before we truly attack. Might as well have some fun along the way." The queen said, then ran her tongue along her fangs as she looked at the three ponies taking down her changelings. "Who says a girl shouldn't play with her food?"