A cold breeze went and graced his face, touching each feature gently. First his mane and horns, quickly flowing to his wings and tail. He tried enjoying it as much as he could, even as booming thunder sounded above and rain slowly started to fall, seething as it evaporated the moment it touched his body.
Today was not a good day.
From his position on the hill, Neltharion could see all of Ponyville, and the mountain the village stood beneath. He could see the inhabitants hurry inside as the wind and rain got rougher. Relaxed was how he felt, empty. Nothing mattered in this moment. Mind scattered, he let his sight go out of focus to the point where he might as well have watched nothing, but merely heard the screeching wind, the booming thunder and the rain as it battered against his plates, clinking. Everything had come down to the news he had received only hours ago. Now what was he to do?
Taking a deep breath, Neltharion focused and forced the natural heat of his body to diminish.
And then it came.
He almost flinched as the raindrops touched his body, wetted his mane and seeped into the cracks in his armor. Seething could be heard around him as it made contact with his molten blood. Drops of it could be seen dripping down on the grass, turning it withered and lifeless.
A sudden thought caught Neltharion at the thought of it reaching the ground. He could almost hear her.
Nothing will grow for ten-thousand years.
“Alexstrasza.” The name escaped his jaws as a whisper. He suddenly felt an urge to move away from the grass, and escape to somewhere else. But where could he go? His corruption would follow and more blood would spill. There was always more of it. Where was his place now?
A new feeling caught him. One he hadn’t felt before. There was a stinging behind his eyes. Where was it coming from? What had triggered it?
He knew this feeling, the feeling that was grasping his insides and knotting itself in his stomach, sadness. He’d felt it many times before in his time on Equestria, but this time it was different.
Somehow his thoughts were drawn back to Valissa and her offer. Now more than ever it seemed so tempting, but inside, Neltharion knew it was not what he wanted, not really. The thought of power was no longer appealing. How could so much change in so little time?
Lying down, Neltharion thought of the events that had brought him to Equestria, and the events that had followed since his arrival. There was so much bad, and today only seemed to solidify that thought. Although he felt the good things touching his insides as well, it was not nearly enough to outweigh the bad. What did he have? He had Twilight, maybe Discord, and…
His mind went blank. There was no one else. Again, his mind was drawn back to Valissa, but he pushed her image away. It was a false image.
He felt the stinging in his eyes again, and this time, something formed at the corner of his eye. It streamed down his chin and brought up a hoof, taking it away before it hit his metal jaw. It was a tear. A clear pure tear.
A scarred brow rose on Neltharion as he stared at the tear. Amidst the storm and rain, nothing seemed to matter. The tear sat alone, quiet, isolated.
Then he realised it.
The thought of never seeing his siblings again was overwhelming. Now that hope was gone, what could he do? What was he supposed to do?
Neltharion suddenly felt angry, and with it came his natural heat back in full force, forming a small bubble around him where the rain couldn’t enter, and evaporating the tear from his hoof. Putting his hoof back down he watched as the grass around him withered and caught on fire within his hot bubble. And he didn’t care. At least he didn’t want to admit that he did. Everything had gone silent within his bubble. Neither wind nor rain could enter. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of the good times, only to be disappointed to find out that he could hardly remember anything pleasant from back then. In the back of his mind, he could feel his corruption lurking around, slithering its way through his head, accessing his thoughts. He could almost feel its satisfaction, and yet, there was a certain sadness to it as well.
Suddenly, an increasing buzzing filled his ears and he opened his eyes just in time to see Chrysalis land in front of him, drenched in rain, and an unamused frown on her face. Attempting to approach, Chrysalis was hit with the wall of intense heat and was forced away.
Taking a deep breath, Neltharion decreased the heat, and Chrysalis stepped inside, her eyes barely open as she went inside the hot air. As she drew closer, Neltharion adjusted his heat further until the rain just managed to reach him before evaporating.
Sitting down beside him, Chrysalis looked stared on to Ponyville that they still had a clear view of.
“Why are you here?” Neltharion asked, looking at her.
“You didn’t exactly come and get me like you said, so I had to take the initiative,” Chrysalis answered looking at Ponyville.
“I see.”
Chrysalis looked at him. “What happened?”
“A lot.”
“Bad?”
“Very.”
“Serves you right.”
Neltharion was caught off guard by that, but he didn’t protest.
“Words cannot describe how much I hate you. If I could, I would expose you to every possible pain known and make you watch as I tore Equestria apart.”
“I know.”
“But after what you did, I’m not sure I want that anymore.” Chrysalis looked down. “I’m not a queen, not without my hive. Without it, what am I?”
Neltharion watched as tears fell from Chrysalis’ eyes, just as they had done the past night. Yet despite it, he felt no remorse.
“What am I going to do now?”
Neltharion shook his head. “I don’t know where you should go, but I know where you can start.”
Looking up at Neltharion, Chrysalis wiped away the most recent tears. “Let go of your hate towards Twilight, her friends, and Equestria. It will get you nowhere.”
Chrysalis laughed. “Like you’re one to talk about letting go of hate.”
“This is not about me.”
“Oh I know that perfectly well. The fact that you are so arrogant to lecture me about overcoming hate says a lot about you!” Chrysalis spat. “Why are you telling me this nonsense if you can’t let go of your own hate?”
“Because this is not about me. I’m telling you this so that you can do better.” Neltharion looked down. “Hatred will get you nowhere but pull you further down your own personal pit and slowly rip to pieces until you don’t even recognise yourself.”
“Speaking from experience, are we?”
“Yes.”
The clouds were starting to disperse and the rain was stopping its fall. No howling wind or outside noise. They sat there quietly, contemplating each other’s words.
“Are you the last changeling?” Neltharion suddenly asked. “Or are there more out there somewhere?”
“A bold question,” Chrysalis snorted. “I don’t know. There might.”
“What do you mean?” Neltharion looked back at her.
“Sometimes there have been...deviants, failures that has disappeared out of nowhere. Soft cowards who could not carry out their queen’s command, so they opted to flee the hive instead. Other than that...no. You took everyone.”
“Then why aren’t you out looking for these deviants?”
“Haven’t you been listening? They would not obey my command--”
“Blindly?”
Chrysalis froze. “What?”
“I saw how you commanded your troops. They followed you blindly and I figure that has been your way of sorting the ‘weak’ from the ‘strong.’ Are you so afraid of them not following you that you would rather cast them away?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chrysalis snarled. “You don’t know what it means to lead an entire race! Sometimes you have to cut away the weak to preserve the strong.”
Neltharion could only deadpan at that, but decided not to comment on it. Nevermind he was the leader of his entire black dragonflight. Or at least, he used to be. “Well now you don’t have the luxury of picking them apart. Rally them.”
“But I don’t know where to look.”
“Then ask the princesses for help.”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened. “What? I can’t do that!”
“Of course you can. I’m sure the princesses would be more than happy to help you locate other changelings, as long as you don’t turn on them.”
“If you think I’m going to be ‘friends’ with those pathetic insolent little ponies, you are sorely mistaken.”
“I’m not asking you to befriend the ponies. I’m asking you to live alongside them.”
“I can’t do that. The ponies wouldn’t forgive me anyway. Just look at what Twilight almost did to me this morning.”
“She was angry. In time, she will lose the hate. They call her the princess of friendship for a reason. But you have to take the first step.”
Chrysalis gulped. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“I don’t know if you can either.”
They looked at each other for some time. Neltharion could see the looks of doubt on Chrysalis’ face. Her journey wasn’t going to be easy, but if she could accomplish it, she could become better, become more. More than he ever was. More than he can ever be.
Neltharion stood up. “Strive to become better. Be the leader that your kind deserves. Not a tyrant. Not a dictator, but a leader. Take advice from the princesses if you have to, or don’t. But when you finally find your path, stick to it. Let those so-called deviants inspire you to become a better leader instead of terrorising your own subjects. Pull yourself up from the pit. And in time you could give them an ideal for every changeling to strive towards. They will race behind you, whatever flaws you think they have. In your journey you may stumble, and fall, but in time, you will find your place in the sun.” At those final words, Neltharion moved forward, spread his wings and took a deep breath. “Take the time you need. I’ll see you later.” Flapping his wings, Neltharion rose into the sky, leaving Chrysalis back on the hill looking after him as he flew back towards Ponyville.
Today got a little better.