Chapter 47
Fillia was tired. Tired of suffering from hunger, tired of hiding, tired of lying to everypony she met, and just plain tired of being tired. But no one, save for a dead changeling, would stay in bed when summoned by the Queen herself. With a loud sigh, she rose up from her bed and stretched out her stiff legs. She heard her roommate downstairs scraping breakfast together - the thought of being left hungry after another meager, unsatisfying meal made her want to curl back up in bed.
“Breakfast is ready!” exclaimed the voice downstairs. Sighing again, Fillia opened up the door to her room and descended the steps to her friend in the kitchen.
“How was your night?” asked the changeling named Mutare. She set two plates with small pink gems on the table. These gem were filled with love that have been stolen from some other pony and they were the only way to store the love.
Fillia sat down silently. She opened her mouth and let the love-charged gem’s energy enter her body. It wasn’t satisfying, but it was better than nothing, even if tasted bad in comparison to…
“Still thinking about him, huh?” Mutare asked while she consumed the love from her own gem. Since the last mission in the gryphon kingdom, Fillia have been acting more strange than the usual, like if her mind was somewhere else.
“If only you could have tasted it,” answered Fillia, “It was better than what we will ever get in our life. I cannot even compare it to something else. It was unique, but at the same time so familiar.”
“I think you are over doing it again. Love is love, it can’t taste so much different from the love we steal from the others.”
“No! It was different! Unlike the others, this time the love was for me, the real me, not for an illusion of somepony else.”
“Maybe, but dreaming about this will certainly not satisfy your hunger, so finish your meal. You don’t know how much money I put into these rations.”
***
“So what will you be doing today?” Fillia inquired to her roommate as they were both outside of their house, in front of the main door.
“I’m going to pay a visit to the south part of the town,” answered Mutare as she put some food rations in her saddlebags, and with them a map of the city, “and you?”
“I guess I will go relax somewhere, and profit off this break from my spy job,” answered Fillia.
They then said their goodbyes to each other before they went about their daily lives. On her way, Fillia could not keep herself to think about how her roommate was someling with a big heart, even bigger than her own. It was not the first time that Mutare was going to the weaker part of the city to help the other Changelings by offering them filled gems. She even sometimes was jealous of her passion. Outside of spying for the Queen, Fillia did not know what much to do with her life, unlike her roommate.
“Hey Fillia,” called a voice from behind her, interrupting her thought. FIllia looked behind herself to see who it was calling her. At first she did not see them, until she looked up to see another one of her friends with a huge smile on his face, flying upside down above her.
“Hi Spray,” welcomed Fillia with a giggle. Even with the starvation, Spray had always been joyful, and with that he had always made her smile. And like her roommate, he was always helping the other Changeling who was the more in need of help. Especially the younger ones. Spray could pass the whole day in the orphanage, which was becoming more and more populated with each day, trying to put a smile on the face of all the orphans.
“Whatcha doing?” asked the male Changeling, dropping to her side. “Wanna go out with me?” He rapidly asked back, preventing Fillia to answer to his first question.
“Spray, I already told you I have no feelings for you,” answered Fillia with a heavy sigh, “ I mean, you are one of my best friend, but it ends there.”
“Right, right, I know, still thinking about your mysterious creature.” answered back Spray, with a bit of disappointment, “but you know, we could still hang out somewhere if you don’t have anything else to do.”
Fillia thought about it a little, she saw no harm with being with one of her best friends and who knows, maybe his continuous good mood will make her happy.
“Ok Spray, I accept your offer, this time.”
The reaction of Spray was immediate, his smile became even bigger, like if that was even possible, and he immediately grabbed Filla’s hoof to bring her somewhere else.
***
Back to the council
“NO” yelled Celestia at the top of her lungs, but before she could react and try to protect her son, The Emperor made a move toward the Zebra Shaman, by which the Zebra answered by sending his guards put shackles on Celestia’s son while the Emperor was smiling evilly. Onyx tried to defend himself, but the zebras were more skilled than him, and finally, Onyx could not move anymore, now prisoner of the gryphons.
Celestia tried to go help him but Luna kept her from doing so, having Celestia attack a member of the council would make the situation even worst.
“You can’t take my son! No no no!” She yell between her sobs. Onyx meanwhile could only watch around him, knowing that his world will be destroyed, that he will never be able to see his mother or Twilight. But fortunately for him, not all the members of the council was against him.
“Can someone explain me what is happening here!” yelled the Dragon Elder, his voice shaking the room itself. “Is this how we deal with a prisoner? As if he’s some kind a beast? As far as I know, this creature has been declared coupable, but it is not a reason to treat him like if he is a danger for us!“
“Listen here you old lizard!” answered The Emperor. “Onyx is now MY prisoner, and so he is under my control and it is my right if I want him to be put in shackles for his crimes against my country.”
The dragon Elder did not appreciate his answer. For him, the council was supposed to be something where everyone has his rights and should be treated equally, and with respect. “Gryffin, As long as this creature is in the presence of the Council he is not your… property… And I don’t think that giving him the right to say goodbye to his adoptive mother will cost you anything, so why not do what a good leader would do and give Celestia the chance to hug her son one last time before you take him away from her,” answered back the Elder. The Emperor really did not wanted to agree to this, but having an angry Dragon after you was a really bad idea.
“ Fine, let the monster have a moment with his mother.”
The guards listened and free Onyx from his shackle. Celestia teleported herself to his son and hugged him tightly, her tears falling down on Onyx’s back while he was frozen in place.
“My son. No.” She keep repeating. She did not want it to end like that, it could not be end like that. All these years trying to protect him and taking care of him, all of this will be taken aways from her.
“Wait!” Exclaimed Shining Armor, cutting short to the sobs of Celestia. “You can’t take Onyx away!” Every leader look at him with a look of surprise, which make Shining lost a bit of his confidence. “I mean, Onyx does not have to go with The Emperor..“
At these words, both Celestia and Onyx raised their heads to look at him with desperation in their eyes, hoping that Shining really had found something to help Onyx, but the Gryffin will not let this happen.
“And who are you, first?” Asked the Zebra leader, slightly irritated that this pony was trying to reverse his judgement.
“Uhm. My name is Shining Armor, Captain of the royal guards from Canterlot. I have been chosen by Princess Luna to be her assistant.” Say proudly the captain.
“Hum, I see… Unfortunately young pony, you have no right of speech here, only the leaders of their country can have the right to talk in the council. Your only purpose in this place would be to replace your princess if they were absent. Which they are not.”
At these words, The Emperor fought back his smile, happy that the Zebra was still on his side. Unfortunately for him, Luna had no intention to let her sister lose her son. So she casted a teleportation spell and teleported herself back to Canterlot. At the same time, she gave Shining Armor the right to talk.
“Well… It seems, now that Luna is gone, I can share my idea with everyone.” Shining proudly announce.
“I don’t think so pony, the council already declared judgement anyways, so I don’t see why should we listen to you,” answered back the zebra with bitterness in his voice.
“Because this our job to do so!” roared the Elder dragon, tired of the lack of competence in the Zebra Shaman. “It is our duty to give the right verdict, so even if this new information came a little late, we have to listen to him.”
“FIne,” sighed the Zebra, “Anyway, I hardly think that you can show us something that will make me change my verdict.”
Celestia, who the whole time was trying to find what Shining could have found that she did not, nodded to the captain. Giving him a look full of sadness and hopes, hopes that she could still be with her son all the while.
Shining finally cleared his throat, and started his speech.
“Correct me if I’m wrong but this council is a place where every leader of each species regroup each three years in this place for deal with all the important stuff.”
“Congratulations you figured out what it is we do during these meeting. Is that all?” The Emperor answered in a harsh tones, clearly starting to hate the captain.
“ And each leader has the right to vote, like you all just did for the fate of Onyx?”
“Yes…” the Shaman said slowly.
“Well if this is true, why does Onyx, who is a different species, not have the right to vote. Being the sole member of a completely different species would make him the representative of his species and therefore give him the right to vote would it not?” questioned Shining Armor.
The Emperor would have killed Shining if it was not for the fact that he would be banished from the council and maybe from his own country.
“But that would lead to a tie, no!” exclaimed The Emperor.
“And the rules are perfectly clear.” The Elder dragon finished, happy that the strange creature had been saved, for now. “In case of tie in the votes, we have to re-vote on the issue at the next meeting, which is in three years.”
“YES!” exclaimed Celestia, hugging her son, all the while still crying. Though this time, it was tears of joy that were falling down her face.
“You’re coming back home with me, Onyx.” she whispered in his ear.
Onyx simply hugged his mother back, his mind still too much in shock to properly understand what was happening around him.