//------------------------------//
// II - Escape 
// Story: Between 
// by Takarashi282 
//------------------------------//

"Wait," Fluorescence said, her voice round, "now?"

I nodded. "Yes, now. I'll be gone for longer with the new role I was given this meeting." I grabbed the sheet of leather and threw it on the ground in front of her. "Put that on."

Fluorescence opened her mouth wide, as if about to shriek, but she slowly closed it again and assumed a rather cute look of disgust. "I am not wearing that thing!" she hissed.

"Oh, yeah, you are."

"Isn't there something else I can wear? Like, cloth?"

"No cloth around these parts. It's desert. We'd have to import. And the market isn't so kind toward changelings."

She took that frustrated look again, that cute, scrunchy nose making me smile a little. 

I'm done trying to suppress it, I thought, Fluorescence is downright adorable!

"Fine," she sighed. "I guess it is a life-or-death situation here."

Then I remembered something that almost made me have a nervous breakdown. Her smell! I thought. Changelings could smell her if she got too close. I'm surprised my dad didn't catch a whiff of her.

And, we would be passing in close quarters with other adobes. It sucked having to sneak around with a pack of pony-tracking dogs.

"One more thing," I said. I didn't know if it'd work, but I grabbed an old water pouch and went outside. 

The night sky glistened with so many stars that it never ceased to amaze me. There were many constellations my mother had taught me about, teaching me mythology simultaneously.

I shook my head of the thought. Dammit... I thought. Not here... not now... I can't afford that. I managed to keep back stinging tears as I took in my surroundings.

I rushed the direction opposite the adobe. About two hundred yards away was a river. It wasn't big, but it meandered all the way to the dragonlands. It was used for multiple purposes, mostly for drinking and cooking, sometimes bathing or other sanitary needs. But I was about to do something very frowned-upon.

I set down the water pouch. I quickly and nervously glanced around, making sure no one was looking over where I was at. Then I took my position, and did number one into the pouch. 

Yep, I was going there.

I kicked the stinking pouch toward the river, and carefully picked it up by the side. I spilled some of the contents out, and put the mouth of the pouch in the river. Rinse, and repeat. It took seven repetitions until I got the product I wanted. 

I trotted back to my adobe, holding the sling strap of the pouch. When I trotted in through the door, Fluorescence was peacefully studying my stuff, which was fortunate. However, she was about to be less fortunate.

I dumped the contents of the water pouch onto her.

She shrieked, but managed to make it soft. She turned to me and glared. "Why did you have to do that? And why does it smell funny?"

I smirked, keeping laughter back. "It is... let's just say it's a natural cologne. I distilled it with water to the point that it didn't smell like you had soiled the bed."

Her face afterward was priceless. Her eyes went wide, and she pranced in place, probably trying to resist the urge to shake the peewater all over the place. She mouthed something that I couldn't really decipher, and then returned to her glarey-state.

"I will get you back for this," she promised in a hiss. 

I shrugged. "Remember, I'm kinda saving your life here. You'll be thankful."

"Not when remnants of your testosterone are all over me." She snorted. "I swear to Celestia..."

I tilted my head. Celestia? I thought. I've heard that name only a couple times...

"Anyway," I said, "We need to make this quick." Before Fluorescence had time to respond, I flung the leather rain fly over her. It was relatively thick, but it managed to drape over her eyes and over her hooves. The shadow of night should take care of the rest, I thought.

Fluorescence sighed. "All right... let's get this over with."

I nodded, and trotted to the doorway of the adobe. I checked left and right for any sign of changeling activity. Beside candlelight and silhouettes of changeling families, no activity whatsoever, and thankfully, no one was on the street.

"It's clear," I confirmed. "Come on!"

We carefully made our way through the meandering street. I couldn't tell whether or not I was quiet enough because my heart was thumping in my ears. If they catch us, it's over, I reminded myself, which wasn't exactly helping. I was doing everything in my power to keep myself from running.

I adverted my attention to the adobes that we passed by. They were all lumpy and lopsided, like a light-hearted illustration. But they were all in shades of grey and brown, and, of course, they didn't seem they were bouncing up and down, and side to side. Dim, yellow light came from nearly all of them, some with laughter and clinking of ceramic mugs, others with the shrill laughter of children playing with one another. 

But there were more than a few with no light at all. This would be odd normally, but I had a feeling these were the homes of the fallen soldiers. I couldn't imagine the pain their relatives went through, when they entered their home, the lack of their loved-ones' presence haunting them.

I winced at the thought. That was another aspect of death that lead me to my cowardice. I knew for sure that those individuals' friends and family would mourn. I couldn't live with inflicting a shockwave of pain, the worst pain of death.

Like the letter we'd received two years back, I thought. Then I closed my eyes so tight I thought I saw light. "Keep it together," I mumbled to myself.

"What?" Fluorescence asked.

"Hey, Reiss! Clopper!" said two slurred voices behind me. 

The next time someone calls me that... I promised to myself, angry. "What do you want?" I inquired, voice cracking.

"Where do you think you're going?" said one of them. He had a nasally voice, that was remarkably high for its masculine nature.

"I'm determining where to set up my scouting base," I explained, feeling a sudden pang of guilt when I realized Fluorescence was still along with me.

"Oh, so you're heading to the village, eh?" a lower voice hiccuped. "Sure is a long way. You'd be back here by dawn—"

"And I have no problem with that whatsoever," I said. "Don't wait for me."

One of them sighed. "Well, careful with your guy friend there," the nasally voice slurred. He sniffed. "He sorta smells like stale piss."

"Oh," the lower voice cut in, "is he a clopper too?" They both shared an uneven laugh.

I ground my teeth. "Goodbye, you two," I grunted. Fluorescence speedwalked out of that place before I took the opportunity to pummel them.

We were past the far reaches of the village when Fluorescence asked, "Scout? You're a scout, now?"

I sighed. "I guess. I couldn't opt out of this battle. We're so low in number that it would be treason."

Fluorescence flipped the leather over her head onto her back and scowled. "As if."

I scoffed at her ignorance. "And who saved you from certain death?"

She shut up. For ten seconds, then she asked a very peculiar thing, "How many of your numbers were vanquished?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. Why would she care? I asked myself. "Eighty percent. Eighty percent of our army died this past battle."

She took on a look of pity. "I... I'm sorry you lost so much of your guard. And, you're going to battle us again?"

I nodded. "Evras, the leader of the party, is very desperate to wipe your town out. He actually was going to put me on first command, to kill one of your ponies to stir them up and drive them toward us."

Fluorescence's eyes widened. "Why are you leading me back there, then? I'm most likely going to die there, undo what you did for me."

"I have the sense that Evras has been driven mad over the years from battle," I said. "The changelings might boot him from his position and scrap the plan. But, I'm not so sure. Our first gloria against you has given them more moral. They will most likely drive into battle because of that."

Her eyes fell to the earth. "Your little village there is going to be wiped out. Without your guard, and I've no doubt we can fend them off, I don't think the townsponies will show any mercy."

I sighed. "Our own pride will be what brings us down," I pieced together. "I've never thought that it would be this soon—"

Once again, an abrupt flash of my mothers face came into my mind. Her gentle smile, her beautiful eyes, her warm embrace...

I stopped in my tracks. "S-shit..." I managed, as tears started to dribble down my face. 

Fluorescence stopped for me, but, of course, didn't say anything reassuring. She turned her face away from me. And then she spoke.

"I never figured..." she started. "You... you are a lot like us. Nothing like the stories I've heard from my kin. We always thought you were heartless, parasitic, and bloodthirsty and love-thirsty. But, walking through your small village reassured me... there are families, friends, and emotion. Even seeing you spontaneously bursting into tears has set that confirmation for me."

I managed a chuckle. I adverted my gaze toward the ground. Should I tell her? I thought. I took another look at her, nervousness starting to flare inside of me. Would she understand?

I stamped my hoof against the ground. I went for it. "It wasn't that spontaneous," I started. "My mother—" I started to choke up again. "S-she was called for service under Queen Chrysalis. My father said he tried to convince her not to go, but she wouldn't listen. T-to serve under our greatest leader is a huge honor. She c-couldn't let it down.

"But then... two years ago, my father and I received a letter." As if I couldn't cry any more, I was about ready to sob. "'Condolences to Caesar and Reiss,' it said. 'Ramona, the mother of this family, died in a great battle in C-Canterlot.' That's all it said. There was no praise, there was no sympathy. Just 'condolences'.

"If you want to know why I didn't kill you, here's why: I know how it feels to mourn. I know that impact of death, that feeling that is worse than itself. I can't do that to anyone, even if I was convinced they were my mortal enemy."

I broke down right in front of her, sobbing like a little foal. I felt pathetic doing this, but for some reason, I couldn't stop. It was like holding back a broken dam.

Then, Fluorescence did something that surprised me. She hugged me. She was damp and smelled vaguely of urine, but regardless, she hugged me, just about as tight as my dad had on that day. When she pulled away, her eyes looked glassy.

"To tell the truth, I don't understand the pain of death," she admitted in a soft voice. "I'm fortunate to have close friends and family members still around. But, even if I'm two years late..." She smiled lightly. "... I'm here to mourn with you."

I stared at her for a second. Then I managed a small smile. "Thank you," I said. Then I stood. "But we need to get you back to your town. Besides, I wouldn't want you to be separated from your loved ones any longer."

She looked back up at me and nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, and stood back up. "We've got a long way to go."

I looked ahead of me, the broken ground and sagebrush of the badlands stretching over the horizon. "Maybe longer than you expect. You see, I'm not really familiar with this area."

Fluorescence shot me an adorable determined look. "Well, good thing I know this area soundly. I've been in three battles before this one in this common area. I could most likely walk home in my sleep."

My smile grew. "Well, you aren't sleeping until the sun's about to rise."

"If that's the case," Fluorescence said, "maybe you can tell me more about yourself to me, and I to you to pass the time?"

I considered it, but when I found that I'd told her my deepest and darkest secret, I nodded. "Yeah, that would be great."

She smiled in the cutest way that I thought was possible, and we started walking. 

"So," I said, "I had my turn. It's your turn, now."

She nodded, and adverted her gaze to the ground. "Hmm... where to begin..."





The east horizon was bluing when we arrived at her town. Fluorescence said it was a small town, with a population of only one and a half thousand people.

I couldn't believe her. We had had eight hundred civilians before the latest battle, and we managed to cram them within two or three acres. 

And the population seemed to match the number of buildings there. They were all very wealthy-looking ones, wood-built, towering from one story to about three stories. They were decorated in a good mix of color that shone in flickering streetlamps, sun-bleached yellows and oranges and reds prominent. 

My jaw dropped to the earth. "How can you say this is not big?" I echoed my thoughts. "This is freaking humongous!"

Fluorescence nodded from side to side. "As compared to your village, yeah."

I took a second look around the town, catching windmills and long cylinder-like things sticking out from the earth—grain silos, as Fluorescence told me. 

"Your town doesn't look all that combat-oriented," I blurted a thought. Fluorescence raised an eyebrow at me. "I-I mean, with being in our territory, I thought you might have strong defenses and a high military-type thing going on."

"We only act out of self defense. We never—" Fluorescence picked at the earth for a moment with a pained look. "Most of us never go looking for a fight."

I had seen that look before. When I came about the subject of war and how she got in, she would be very vague and put on that expression. Should I pretend to be ignorant? I asked myself. I don't want her to feel so uncomfortable. I studied her expression once more. Whatever she was hiding, it was way less open than my continued mourning about my mother.

A ring started in my ears as I spoke again, "You don't like being a military forward, do you?" As soon as I said that, I became lightheaded, as if I had made a big mistake.

But all Fluorescence did was sigh. "I don't... ah... I..." Her expression gained in intensity, to the point where I was intimidated by her. She sighed again. "You are correct," she said bitterly, "I don't like doing what I'm doing. Especially after what I saw in your village. I was forced to be in the army, to attack you. I am a unicorn with abundant skill in magic. Light magic, including electricity. I can blind my opponent, and/or electrocute them. It's a very effective offensive tactic. What quote-on-quote underground army wouldn't recruit a pony like me?

"But I had no interest in the army, then and now. What happened was... I was kidnapped. I was forced in training at the expense of my life. I'd tried escaping multiple times regardless, but before they could beat me to death, they decided to let me live. 

"I 'got my head straight' at that point, or, that's what they'd tell me. I was done resisting and complied with training. I was one of the best in hoof-to-hoof combat in my troop, as well as magic. But I was reluctant to use my abilities.

"Then, there came a point where I absolutely had to. The previous victories we had over you imply that I have your kin's blood on my hooves. As the battles continued, I grew more arrogant, and a grudge was slowly nurtured inside of me against you. But for some reason, I was not oblivious to my foe. I saw traces of companionship, what I would call disgusting and offensive. Through that window, though, I saw concern. I saw fear. I heard pleas for life. But, I was like a war machine."

I didn't notice my heart was racing, and I'd taken a few steps back from her. She was a cold-blooded murderer! I thought, my head throbbing with my heartbeat.

Fluorescence caught my gaze. She sighed once more. "I can see why you're afraid. I wouldn't blame you if you turned around and left right now. I killed plenty of your kin, and now I should be held responsible."

I swallowed a cannonball down my throat. As much as I wanted to hit the ground running, I couldn't. I felt so many things at once that I couldn't make a decision to do anything, much less talk. But as my mind started to clear, I realized I had nowhere to run; I wasn't paying attention to the path.

"W-why, then," I started, my voice hoarse, "didn't you add me to those numbers you killed? You sound like you could've done away with me."

Fluorescence nodded. "You said you can't kill, but your speed and agility were top notch when I engaged you in combat. I thought, surely, my life was taken from me then. I was so astonished that I had been bested, and your words put me into a shock. I complied, because I didn't want to die. To be completely honest, while you held me captive, I was greatly considering doing away with you and run. But as my thought process was cleared when you took care of me, even inside that small, woodcraft box..." Her voice faltered. "Anyways, like you said before, I need to get back to my village. But, I need to remember to lay low."

I was put on edge when she'd hesitated. I didn't wind down until a moment after she said that. "Actually..." I searched around the area. We were on high ground, overlooking the town, with a single Joshua tree at the crest of the hill. Probably... I thought. "Like you said, you need to lay low. I can't opt out of this upcoming battle, as I've said before. I will scout this town, find its weakness, and I hope to Chrysalis that Evras' plan will be denied. But I'll do my best to protect you from the, ah, quote-on-quote underground army."

Fluorescence shot me a confused look. "Why... why would you do that?"

I shrugged, though there was a nervous stirring inside me that made me sort of nauseous as I said, "Because I li—" I caught myself before I finished that statement. "I have a job to do. And I wouldn't want to have my hard work tonight be wasted—at least, not this soon."

She'd cocked her head at the unfinished statement. Then she nodded. "That's understandable. I'll be careful."

I nodded back and cleared my throat. "Now, if you don't mind, I am going to play as you alleged stalker and find weaknesses in your defense, m'kay?"

She giggled with a nervous edge. "Yeah. Good luck with that."

I nodded again and turned for the Joshua tree.

"Oh, and Reiss?"

"Yeah?"

She adverted her gaze to the ground once more. "Thank you... for, you know, not killing me and all."

I managed a small smile. "No problem."

Fluorescence looked back up at me again and smiled. "I'll leave you to your work then," she said, and then she walked down the foot of the hill, and broke to a gallop in the main avenue.

For probably the millionth time, I wasn't sure I was right to keep her alive.