The Greatest Show of Kindness
Chapter Twenty: Caught
Star Spinner awoke in the hospital ward of the caverns, a giant headache rocking his head like a hurricane. His eyes were bloodshot and red, sleep eluding him from the previous night. The intense magical tornado had died down by then, merely leaving a couple small sparks.
The first thing that shot into his mind was the little changeling that sheared his horn and how terribly the other guards treated not only him, but also every other changeling. He told himself that he would get to the bottom of this issue, and he thought that Bumble would be able to help.
He had a plan to get through this, and he hoped that it would be sufficient.
Rolling out of the bed, he landed on the floor. Luckily, this time, he didn’t have the sensation of his eyeballs literally exploding, but he did still wince. A mixture of a powdered form of the painkiller he’d taken the night before, Toravline, and water soon found its way being guzzled down his throat. A satisfied sigh escaped from Star’s mouth.
Star hobbled off in the direction of Bumble, the pain dimming instantly from the nasty tasting mixture. He passed by multiple guards making their rounds, tipping his head in false respect for his fellow guards.
He came up to the main room of the cavern, where the entrance was located, and found most of the ranks lined up before an earth pony in big, spiky, light-orange armor. The earth pony looked his way, nodding at Star. One of his brows was raised as he noticed Star’s horn.
“Prahvate Star Spinner, you are late!” he shouted, the loudness of the sound causing Star Spinner’s headache to return.
“I-I understand that, Sergeant Shell Cracker. I-“
“Be sahlent and join th’ ranks!”
“…Yes, sir!” Star Spinner trotted over to his spot amongst the lined up soldiers, standing himself as tall as he could.
“Attention, Prahvates! We’re expectin' four shipments from Manehatt’n, Balt’mare and Las Pegasus today! They are to be intercepted and brought int’ the far-west caves! The changelin's already here are to be brought to the undersahde at exactly one-thousand and thirty hours! Other than that, y’all 're slackers! Get to filin' yer reports, stat!”
“Yes, sir!” Everypony saluted and began to go in different directions.
At the mention of the “underside,” Star locked up. One of his eyes twitched. He envisioned a ruin, filled with spikes, rusted metal and fire, all lashing out in their automated power.
‘Why in the world would Shell Cracker want to send changelings to the underside? That place is filled with ancient traps! He wouldn’t actually want to-‘
A horrifying realization came upon Star Spinner as hard as a tree falling.
‘He’s going to destroy the changelings!?’
With this terrible awareness in his senses, he waited for all of the guards to disperse. He knew that he would have to act fast in order to figure out what was wrong with everypony and save the changelings, but before he could act and get Bumble, Shell Cracker approached him.
“Prahvate Spinner!”
“Yes, sir!”
“What happened t’ yer horn, private? Did one of ‘em buggers get ya!?”
‘What do I say? How should I-‘ Star Spinner thought, multiple beads of sweat dripping down his face. Shell Cracker’s thick, southern accent intimidated him very much.
“Spinner! Answer me immediately! Did one of the changelings harm ya?”
“Yes!”
Star Spinner blurted that word without even a thought. A wave of guilt suddenly washed over him as he put a hoof to his mouth, holding in a gasp. He couldn’t believe that he had just said that, and he felt like an idiot. He did not want to let Shell Cracker know that he was on the side of the changelings, so he coughed.
“Which one of 'em did this to you!?” he shouted, stamping a hoof in absolute anger. Star Spinner gulped nervously, an icy chill running down his spine. He knew he had to think quickly.
“I don’t know! They all look the same to me, sir.”
“Well then, in that case, Ah’ll have t’ punish each and every one of those nasty varmints! Ah’ll be back in fahve minutes!” Shell said, turning his back and walking towards the eastern caves. In his mind’s eye, he thought back to his plan, and this was an opportune moment to act on it.
“I have one question, sir.”
“What is it?”
“What time is it?”
“It’s one-thousand and six hours, soldier. Now, get to yer report!”
“Yes, sir.”
Shell Cracker continued walking on his way, and Star Spinner grinned as his plan fell into place. He was figuring that he himself would have to come up with a distraction for the other guards to do, but that step was efficiently knocked out by Shell. Now, he was the only pony soul in the room, and his plan could now be begun. He looked over to the caged changelings over to his right flank and trotted over.
Meanwhile, Bumble was laying in his cage. He could feel his connection with Fluttershy dwindling ever so slightly, and this scared him senseless. It had been only a day and a half since he was taken from her, but the strain that caused on his heart was great. It felt just like after he lost Flutter.
He felt a longing he had never felt before in his life. He couldn’t help but remember an old lullaby his hatch-mother sung to him every single night when he was a baby. He heard his mother’s voice speak to him in his heart.
"Well, my little snuggle-bug, it’s time to go to bed now," she would say. "Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?" He would nod happily every single night, and she would sing to him in her beautiful voice until he fell asleep.
‘Even if some of my emotions are to remain in this world,
That one whispered word from you is like a flower.
While I was confused, a miracle on the path of my dreams appeared.
“Welcome,” he cooed gently, extending out his hooves in aid
The spells piled on and twisted together,
Were shaken and untangled.
Toward that unchanged bond, you have leaded me far.
Even if all that was remaining in this world were my lost emotions,
There was always one light that lit my world—and that was you.’
Bumble was starting to cry at this point—the soft voice bounced around in his head, and endless memories sprung up of him and his mother.
‘I was very hurt, and my lonely heart needed to be ascertained.
“What a vague existence,” I recalled, yet you only laughed.
In the many dancing flower petals,
It looked like you belonged.
The pale of your fleeing face led me to the now.
Even if, after this, some tears flow out of my wary, tired eyes,
At least, in the end, I’ll understand your smile in my dreams.’
Bumble remembered his first day of school. Immediately as he arrived, his mother said, “Well, I hope you have a wonderful first day of school, my little snuggle-bug,” and nuzzled him. He could sense the blush on his four year-old face as she left him, and he entered the building.
Not even a minute in, he met three middleclassman changelings—Spinner, Strider and Ambrosia—and they hazed him. They told him that he wasn’t a “real changeling” if he couldn’t go and pick a fight with a middleclassman female changeling, which was something of a common opening ritual for new male students in the military school.
Of course, he wouldn’t do it. Just the thought of hurting another without any provocation or another reason was foreign to his innocent, young mind. He denied, and thus began a day of utter hell for the young child, filled with teasing and physical harassment. He was hit in the side, smacked across the face, slammed on the top of the head for what felt like an eternal ten hours. “Weakling” and “coward,” they called him.
When he got home from school that day, he couldn’t help but jump into his bed and cry until his mother finished her day of work at her market stall, where she sold jewelry. She returned a half-hour later and saw how broken down he was, and just cradled him until he was consoled. When she asked him what happened, he only said that it wasn’t a big deal. No matter how much she tried to pry the information out of him, he wouldn’t give in—he was just too scared of what would happen to him if he did. She cradled him until he fell asleep.
‘Inside the endless slow of this sensation,
I’m sure there’s an impulse stirring up in my heart.
Within this endless strife, there’s a single, unwavering flower,
That will modestly bloom into full.
Even if the scenery of life may already be drawn for us,
We will still be able to reach the petals in the sky.
We’re able to go.
Even if this world was completely engulfed in my feelings and thoughts,
There was always one light that lit my world—and that was you.
While I was confused, the warmth of our connected hooves,
Was the sign that I could faintly see to the future.’
All of the memories of Bumble being cradled, nuzzled and loved by Flutter, all the times she showed him just how much she felt for him melted away into the scene of Queen Chrysalis killing her. Bumble broke into a full sob.
Star Spinner observed each changeling to see which one was the one who saved him from his evil ways. All over, they looked the same—holes in their legs, perforated insect wings and giant fangs; however, he saw that one’s fang was chipped and wing was folded. He knew that changeling had to be the one. When he saw Bumble crying, he became concerned.
“Hey, you,” he softly said, kneeling down to the little bug. Bumble nearly jumped out of his sob and daze, pushing against the back of the cage in fear. "Are you all right?"
“Get back!” Bumble desperately cried, forcing his head against the side of the cage.
“Please, be quiet! I’m going to get you out of here!” Star hastily said, looking for the lock on the cage.
“You’re going to… break me out? Why?” Bumble seemed to become a bit less tense as the guard searched the cage.
“You were able to somehow save me from my internal demon, and I owe you a whole lot for it, little guy.” He noticed that the lock was on the bottom of the cage at the backside, so he went over and pulled out a pocket knife.
“Wait… are you the pony that I hurt?”
“Yeah, but it’s alright. You saved me, so now I’m returning the favor.” After fumbling around with trying to pick the lock with his knife, he just slashed it off. The sound of soft rattling rung in the corner of the room, and the door of the cage flew open. He sheathed his blade, walking back over to the front of the cage.
“But, aren’t you going to help any of these other changelings?”
“Well, for just this moment, you’re my priority.”
After he said that, Star felt such guilt. He felt selfish for putting his feelings for one of the changelings over the others, but he did feel that he had a debt to pay to Bumble. He took a deep breath. “C’mon, little guy. Let’s get you out of there.” He extended a hoof towards Bumble and a few awkward moments arose.
“…Are you going to help me out of here?”
“My hoof is there. Grab it!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m blind, so you’re going to need to help me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Here.”
Star Spinner softly extended his hoof under Bumble’s bum leg, making sure not to apply too much pressure. Using gentle force, he put his other hoof under Bumble’s other hoof and pulled him out of the cage.
Once out, Star helped Bumble stand up, holding his bad hoof softly. “You got it?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Mister…”
“My name’s Star Spinner, bud.” He smiled inwardly.
“Okay, Mr. Spinner.” Bumble grinned up at where the voice came from. “I’m Bumble.”
‘He’s a cute little kid, gotta give him that.’
“Let’s go. I’ll move your bad hoof on the count of three, okay?” Bumble nodded at Star, who counted, “One, two, three.” Exactly as told, the three moved forward a step with each hoof. “One, two, three.” Once again, they moved in rhythm.
The three continued to move toward the trap door, and Bumble could just feel love energy radiating from Star, and only being next to him made him feel full.
The two had already made their way to the exiting end of the cave, and Star was trying to figure out how he was going to get them out of there. He looked between their escape route and Bumble. He felt compunction wash over him as he decided that their priority was getting out of there. He frowned and went back to his task.
After another minute of Star Spinner having trouble hopelessly trying to climb the wall, the realization that he had no way to get out in his current state dawned on him. Not that it mattered, anyway, as Shell Cracker came back into the room. Star Spinner heard the clacking of Shell’s hooves on the ground.
Star panicked, jumping off his back hooves as hard as he could to gain as much height as possible. It was all for naught, as Shell galloped up.
“Hey, what’dya think yer doin’? Stop!”
Star landed on the ground, not turning to face Shell. He gulped; he knew he’d been caught.
‘Dang it! Why couldn’t I figure it out?’
“Hmm… It looks like we’ve got a traitor on our hooves.” Shell cracked a small, wicked grin as he grasped Star by the shoulders, turning him towards him. “Oh, I’m gonna beat yer-“
Shell Cracker couldn’t finish that phrase as Bumble rammed his horn into his side. He gasped, losing his breath, a wave of pure rage shooting through him. He turned towards Bumble, who stood with his fangs bared, and a deep, throaty growl and hiss arising.
“You will not hurt my friend,” he growled, pulling back his fore hoof.
“You’re going to regret that, you insolent worm!” Shell shouted, lunging backwards away from Bumble. He drew his blade from its sheath before shooting back forward.
Suddenly, Bumble remembered a skill he’d been taught in his year and a half of military school. He clicked his tongue, sending a wave of sound throughout the room. In his vision, he could see a quick flash of the room around him, allowing him effectively to sense Shell’s movements—echolocation. He lifted his bad hoof and used his other three to jump to the side, behind Star, causing Shell to miss Bumble and stumble forward.
Shell turned back around, giving a loud yell as he brandished his sword. Quickly Star pulled out his miniature knife in attempt to chance his overseer’s strike.
“Why’re you protectin’ that l’il cretin, Star Spinner? Answer me!”
“Because your problem isn’t with him, it’s with me! If anything, you should be angry at me for trying to escape with him! Punish me instead!”
For a moment, Shell thought about it. He could reprimand either of them, or even…
Both of them.
He sheathed his blade, giving a little chuckle. He took two sets of hoofcuffs, slamming one around Star’s and the other around Bumble’s. Bumble winced at the sudden pressure of his bad hoof, but he held in his cry.
He galloped to the barracks, and in a half-minute, he came back with six guards, each of which had lances drawn.
“You six take these morons up to the princesses. They’re no better than the dang changeling queen.” The six each nodded with no haste, one of them opening the hatch of the caves. Quickly Star and Bumble were lifted up out of the hole, as the guards were teleported out. Once they were all up, the sound of Shell Cracker’s maniacal laugh could be heard as the turf slammed back down, sealing the entrance.
They then began to push the two towards their fate.
Very sad n dramatic chapter. We need to see Mothershy save her baby!
Thanks for the thanks! XD happy to assist!
I have a feeling it will take another month or two for a new chapter
It's coming
My theory:
When Cadence and Shining used that love explosion, it sucked out all the love in Equestria, replacing it with hate. And soon the Windigoes will come...
Surely the Princesses (not gods, by the way) would realize that a child is of no threat to them? Because if they refuse to see his age and see only an enemy, I'll lose it at them.
5084502 It'll probably be between a month and a half, because I'm writing two other stories alongside this one.
5084546 hi fireheart
Oh wow, I just noticed this got featured on the front page! Congrats, Sonik!
5084612 Thanks, bro! It's sure been a long time since I've seen you. How're things going?
So, what you're saying is that Shell Cracker is the equivalent to Hitler?
5084652 Since when the hell did I equate Shell Cracker to Hitler? That's quite the hyperbole, sir. I'm going to need a reason why you draw that conclusion.
first, you're not dead!
second, is it wrong if i think that celestia is going to try and kill bumble, but luna stops celestia?
5084666 Let's see. 1) Trying their hardest to kill an entire RACE of beings 2) imprisoning anyone without court and shoving them to certain death.
5084724 Well, to this point in the story, there's no evidence that any changelings have been killed (by ponies), but the jail without trial is true, I suppose.
5084693 You're not too far off of what I plan on doing, actually.
5084610 O hai
5084740 You did say straight forward that he is intentionally leading the changeling race into a death trap, AND you also said in the story that Shell Cracker wanted the WHOLE race to be eliminated...
No evidence? Yeah right...
Wait, internal demon, I have a feeling that Stars wasn't the only one with a "internal demon" in them... Question is how did it get in them, and who released these "demons" to begin with... I've stated my suspicions previously but there's no new clues beyond this that I can spot immediately...
i think you meant "Star panicked, jumping off his back hooves as hard as he could to gain as much height as possible. It was all for naught, as Shell galloped up."
well, interesting, and confusing. it really seems like all of equestria's turning evil. maybe after a full blast of love from shining and cadance, there was a backlash. for so much positive energy, you had to face the same amount of negative?
5085884 Thanks for pointing that error out to me, sir. :D
Well at least they're goinygoing to get an audience with the princesses. Things are looking up a bit!
Keep going!;)
did you give the sergeant a British-Yorkshire accent?
Pretty short, but still good.
Princess should be able to solve this, she's a kind and benevolent leader.
...
Right?
I suspect the presence of Windigo(s).
5086385 why didn't I think of that?
I thought this was a glitch I checked the story yesterday and didnt see and update and was like, 'whelp, guess the story's dead...' So glad i didn't block fimfiction emails or I would have missed this chapter. Sonik, take your time, when school starts up its chaos for months, but please don't kill the story! Would love to see more, even if it takes months totaly worth it
Maybe cadence mixed her hate with the love, poisoning the changelings
5086197 I was actually going for a southern accent.
5086740 Thank you for the support!
5086868 oh, in Yorkshire they tend to miss out the 'he' entirely:
for instance 'I'm off t' pub'
5086242 Luna? Maybe. Tia in this story? In the words of chuggaaconroy: NO!
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I'm out of chapters
5084742 yay!
Hmm, still the same need for better flow and rewording. To be quite honest, there are a number of instances you could drop words and retain the same meaning without stating the obvious. The base of the story is fine, however the technical implementation is making my inner writer cringe with how things are laid out.
Quite frankly, you need practice in your prose. The imagination involved in the creativity is fine. Positively painful prose however, perturbs. Please practice prodigiously, post-haste.
Anyway, as I said, you need practice and perhaps a broader set of reference material in stories you have read and can thus compare your writing against. Again, I highly recommend Stardust here on FiMfiction. In addition to an excellent and nuanced story, the writing is superbly handled. I encourage you to look it over to compare with your own methods, as well as most any published novel.
And in the event this comes across as more hostile than intended, please understand it isn't my intent. I'm working on a story myself and know how much hassle and headache my own errors provide me. I simply think you'll do much better with broader exposure and more practice.
5094825 Well, I've got some pretty thick skin, so I don't really find any harm in words anymore. I appreciate the feedback, sir!
5096104 You're welcome.
And there is a difference between being given respectful words and simply being able to weather them. I try to stay on the better half of that.
5096263 And I commend you for it. There are so many dicks on the internet that you're not sure which one to go and suck.
Err... Was that too far? Well, anyways, you understand what I'm saying. Thanks for being a good person.
5096278 I wouldn't say that's too far, more like entirely the wrong direction.
There is also something to be said for maintaining a certain level of propriety in one's language. It is a rather subtle effect, but when you maintain a higher refinement in the words you use, your own behavior tends to be more naturally held to a higher refinement as well. Be it on the internet or face to face with someone.
Sadly, it is a sorely lacking realization today.
Mr. Cracker certainly has a wide repertoire of insults. Varmint, slacker, cretin... Insolent worm... That last one seems out of place, actually...
Oh, and he laughs maniacally. And punishes all changelings for the actions of one. I guess he thinks it's so easy when one's evil.
5267854 Which one?
cancelled story.
WOO! STARDUST!5094825
Can't wait for the next chapter I hope it comes soon this is an amazing story
I loved that song. And the whole chapter too.
5480676 I'm glad you enjoyed.
5481541 Please confirm the fact this is cancelled.
5624519 It is NOT cancelled. I just need to find time to write this story. I have never been this busy in my entire life, between school, IB testing, my job, my personal life, etc.
5625279 Ah. Got it,
Sunday's?
I'm pretty sure you get a break or something, right?
5628171 Sundays are the days I have the most homework. :O
5628174 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!