Cloth and Henry crept behind the trees around the mountain, and from there, they stared at the only entrance available.
The chilling wind and the icy-cold rain violently showered the earth.
Henry said something, but it wasn't clearly heard to whoever was looking at them in a third-person-like view.
Cloth nodded.
---
"Uh..."
---
They carefully took down a number of green-eyed changelings they met inside the labyrinth-like dungeon inside the cave. They went through dim pathways, took both the dead-end and correct paths, and went up staircases. They had to be careful, they needed to, for they don't want to alarm the others who are unaware of their presence, especially their target.
Cloth crept behind a corner, looking for any signs of anything in the next path they're going to take.
There was nothing on the dimly lit path.
---
"Hhhh..."
---
There was a stairway at the end of the path, leading up to the next floor.
This was probably the last staircase they need to take before they'll face their target.
As they reached the final floor, what they saw in front of their eyes were a number of unconscious changelings. Their wings are different from the ones they took down, so they concluded that they're the brown-eyed changelings.
But that was not what truly caught their eye. There, on the opposite end of the dungeon floor was the Changeling Queens Chrysalis and Metamorph.
The queen of the brown changelings was chained on the wall, behind the grinning Chrysalis, who somehow was expecting them.
---
"M...mother..."
---
"Cloth, dear..." said Chrysalis, grinning evilly, "did you truly believe you can sneak up behind your queen?"
"Silence, devil!" Cloth shouted furiously beside Henry.
Chrysalis laughed, igniting Cloth's anger even more, but Henry wasn't paying enough attention. His mother, he couldn't believe her situation. His mother is weak, her life almost absorbed to her end.
He wasn't even sure if her condition gave her the thought that her son was here to save her.
Finally, his focus towards his mother broke after Chrysalis called his attention.
"Ah, little prince," Henry's worried look was instantly replaced by anger and revenge, "your mother doesn't have what I seeked. Maybe you have it? Hm?" she continued in a childish way.
---
"I'll...get...you..."
---
"I'll get you, Chrysalis!" Henry shouted in anger as he started running towards Chrysalis.
Cloth called out his name, but he ignored it. His anger was taking over his mind. Nothing was clearer to him now but to get rid of the witch standing right in front of his sight.
Just a few more steps, and he will satisfy his anger.
"Henry sir!" Cloth shouted, flying after him, but he was too late.
A group of green-eyed changelings, who hid themselves under the shadow of the ceiling, dived down and pinned Henry to the dusty floor.
Cloth flew to rescue his prince, but he stopped and stayed hovering in the air after he heard a very familiar cry where Chrysalis stood, and before his eyes, he saw his brother, taken hostage by Chrysalis and another group of changelings.
"You devil! Let him go!"
"Stand down, Cloth!" demanded the Changeling Queen.
Cloth had no choice. For his brother's safety, he needed to do what Chrysalis demanded him to do, and so he did. He landed a few feet from his prince.
"Cloth..." he heard his prince's voice.
---
"I'm...sorry..." Henry softly said, and soon, he slowly opened his eyes.
He felt that he was lying on a comfortable bed. He didn't move for a few seconds, trying to wait for his vision to focus. But his vision stayed blurry, even after he convinced himself that he was fully awake.
He didn't know why, but the only things he knew were he was lying down horizontally, he's facing a dark-gray ceiling, and he noticed that, other than his head and neck, the rest of his body is covered with a white blanket. Directly to his right was a small table, the same height as the bed he's lying on, and further, was a window; ninety-degree corners on the bottom, and curved corners on the top. The thin white curtains, a few inches taller than the height of the window, was softly dancing with the wind that was entering the room from the blue sky.
'Blue sky', he thought. If he's inside a room, shouldn't there be houses or trees outside that window? It would probably mean, he thought, that he's pretty high up. But he wondered, what kind of a house be this tall?
As he turned his head to his left, he just noticed something on the table, but he didn't bother knowing what it was for he just turned his head left. From what he can see through his blurry vision, is a rectangular brown thing on the wall from the floor reaching halfway to the ceiling. He assumed that it was probably a wooden door on a dark-gray wall.
He turned to the ceiling, but there was nothing interesting there except for it's dark-gray color.
He turned his head left, and stared at the table, where a blue flower vase was on it, and a yellow flower. The flower, however, seemed to be withered.
He blinked, he thought, yellow...
His sister!
Where he is right now, how he got here, or why, he didn't bother. He quickly rose up, but as soon as he did, a purple unicorn filly jumped out to the floor from the rear-end of the bed, frightened from his sudden action. He, too, was stunned from the sudden action of the filly.
They both stared at each other, blankly.
"Um..." the little purple filly said, shivering from fear, "...please don't hurt me..."
Henry blinked. He looked at his forelegs, and they were black. He knew why the little filly was frightened.
"I'm sorry..." he slowly said, "...I didn't mean to scare you..."
That somehow did the trick, but, it wasn't natural for the little pony to quickly be happy again and jump back on the rear-end of the bed.
Henry was beyond startled or confused. He's a changeling, that is clear, but shouldn't the little pony still be a little bit scared?
The purple filly sat there, facing the black changeling, and then she went back to reading her book. 'A book', Henry thought, 'where did that came from?'
No, there's something more important than such a stupid question.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but..." the little filly broke her focus on reading to face him, wearing a confused look, "...where...am I?"
The purple filly blinked. "Oh!" she shouted, startling the changeling, "I forgot, changelings don't know much about us ponies!"
She jumped to all of her four hooves and went down the bed, and turned to the still-startled changeling.
"Well," she began, looking at all corners of the room, "you are inside a room!" she happily informed him.
Henry gave her a disappointingly flat look. "I...can see that..."
"Oh? But I thought..." she trailed off, thinking.
Silence fell.
Still no response... Henry closed his eyes and sighed. He was about to say something when the brown wooden door opened. The purple filly had to move back on the bed so she won't get in the way of the turning door.
Who came inside but a brown middle-aged mare unicorn pony, who has a short light-brown mane and tail, and she was wearing a stethoscope.
She looked surprised to see her patient was already awake.
"Oh, hello Doctor Hoof. Good afternoon!" greeted the filly.
The doctor went to her and patted her head. "Twilight, you shouldn't be here."
"Oh, but Princess Celestia said I could be anywhere around the castle!" she cheerfully replied, snapping Henry's senses. "Except for the---"
"Princess Celestia? Wait..." he thought for a moment after he grabbed both ponies' attention. "You mean... I'm inside her castle?"
Both nodded. Both ponies then looked at each other.
"Twilight dear," said Doctor Hoof, somehow wearing a more serious look, "I need to talk to my patient alone. So if you wouldn't mind, may I ask you to leave us for a while?"
"Oh, uh, okay..." the little purple filly replied.
She jumped off of the bed and headed outside with her horn glowing purple, and following her was her book, floating behind her.
The doctor closed the door, and let out a heavy sigh. She then slowly turned to Henry.
"Henry Hoof, correct?" she rose an eyebrow.
"Y-yes ma'am..." he replied, feeling somewhat nervous.
But, no, wait! He shook his head. Now's not the time!
"I'm sorry, I need to go and find my---"
"Daisy's dead." she quickly said, eyes down on the dark-grey floor, her face, wearing anger and sadness.
"Wh-what...?" Henry was able to say the only word he could think of after quickly hearing those two words he finds difficult to accept.
It was quiet as the doctor slowly walked around the bed to get to the table on his left, where a small little stool was under it. She pulled it out and sat on it, facing her patient, who was still looking really shocked.
Again, she let out a heavy sigh.
"I-I'm sorry..." Henry said, still not believing what he just heard. "But I don't believe you."
"That is to be expected, but as I told you, my daughter's dead." she said calmly yet with a tone of sadness.
Daisy, the doctor's daughter, dead?
No, Henry needs proof. He will not buy it with mere words only.
His face was slowly showing anger and disbelief.
Again, the doctor sighed.
"I've been treating you ever since Princess Celestia and my daughter brought you here six months ago."
Six months...
He missed winter, his favorite season.
No, not the time.
"I suppose..." the doctor continued, eyes closed, "...you should know what happened..."
She then opened her eyes, "...you are her brother, after all..."
Henry didn't like her tone when she said that he is Daisy's brother, but he was willing to let it slide, and he's willing to listen.
---
After my daughter begged the princess to help you, she asked her guards to put you both on her royal carriage, and took you here.
I am studying medicine here in Canterlot to find a cure for...
I am the princess' royal doctor, and she gave me the task to treat you...and my daughter.
It was simple to treat you, for you were, after all, unconscious, but my daughter was not.
Yes, she was looking ill, clearly from her scar and her broken leg, but she won't let me take care of her. From her actions, I knew that she grew anger towards me.
She only settled down after the princess asked if she's alright to be treated in one of Canterlot's hospitals instead.
I was not able to tell her the truth of why I left. It took me almost two weeks to save you from death. I could have done the same to my own daughter, but...
No...
It wasn't their fault...
It's mine... I shouldn't have left them without properly stating why.
Henry, the real Henry, understood the reason, and I assumed Daisy understood as well...
She suffered a broken leg, hunger, mental stress, fatigue, and poisoning from the barks she ate.
("Barks?" Henry asked. The doctor slowly nodded.)
She died a few hours after she was hospitalized...
---
There was a long silence in the room. The doctor was clearly angry, not to anyone, but herself. She was looking on the foot of the bed as she told him the story.
Henry still couldn't believe it, but the way the doctor told him the story...
Tears ran down his face.
Daisy saved him...
It should have been the other way around...
---
After receiving Princess Celestia's permission, Henry disguised himself and together with the doctor, they went to Canterlot Cemetery.
He didn't bother looking around the place. He followed the doctor straight to the cemetery, and now, they're standing right before a shiny stone tablet sticking out from the ground, like the other ones in this quiet area.
On the tablet, despite his blurred vision, he read out the words, "Daisy Hoof".
And below the large letters of her name was a sculpted drawing of her infamous 'Miss the Mark' cutie mark.
Three circles, aligned horizontally, and a horizontal line underneath the three circles.
Miss the Mark. Doing things than the usual way of doing it...
He couldn't believe it.
She's gone.
He sobbed and sniffed.
He couldn't hold his tears.
How could he? He lost so much, and when he and Cloth and Daisy were able to return to Ponyville that day, he was sure that he'll be together with Daisy again, living a boring life as librarians, but...
He felt a hoof on his back. He didn't care.
The doctor rubbed his back.
She hated this changeling, but after seeing him crying like this, she knew that he really cared for her daughter. A tear run down her face.
---
It was a few years after me and my husband settled down in Ponyville.
I gave up my position as Canterlot's respected doctor, just to live in peace with my beloved husband and with our two children.
But a few months after, my husband was starting to feel ill. He said it was nothing, and truly, it did look like nothing, but after a year, his condition became worse.
It would be a lie if I'll say that I was not affected, but in truth I was. I was angry, I was frustrated, I was helpless.
The local doctors didn't know how to cure my husband. It took me a few months to convince myself to go back here and study more about medicine. Those months made me a terrible mother to my children. Even when my daughter got her cutie mark, instead to be proud of her achievement, I...
---
Silence fell once again. The doctor was using her magic to wipe her tears with her small white handkerchief.
Henry just listened, still staring at the stone tablet, as if waiting for yet another miracle to happen, like the faint explosion sound and the rainbow-colored wave in the sky that awakened her sister.
But, no miracles this time. Just the sad and terrible truth lying in front of him.
"Tell me..." the doctor slowly said, with a low voice, "...how is my husband...?"
"He's..." Henry said, the same volume, still not moving, "...gone..."
The brown unicorn felt her heart broke once more. All that research for nothing?
"Daisy said...his father died from a disease when he and his bro...true brother, were still young..."
The doctor slowly faced the stone tablet, feeling horrible. She lost her two children, and her husband. She's alone in the world now.
Henry felt the same sadness. He lost his mother, his friends, Cloth, and his beloved sister...
"I'm sorry..." the doctor slowly said.
Henry simply nodded.
The doctor hesitated to save him at first, and even those two weeks of operation.
Those two words was all she need to ask for his forgiveness.
Alas, it didn't brought her comfort in her heart, not even the slightest.
A moment of silence before the doctor took a deep breath.
"Life goes on," she said sadly.
Henry envied the doctor. She's a strong woman, not disabling her from her sad emotions.
One question is now ringing on Henry's mind.
What now?
---
Before they went back to the castle, Henry informed the doctor of his blurry vision.
They instead went to an eye specialist, who gave him the right glasses for his eyes after he took a few eye-related tests.
He took a train back to PonyVille after he informed Princess Celestia that he needs to go back, to his home. With the princess' presence was the little purple filly and the doctor. The doctor wished him well, and so did Henry to the doctor, while the little filly asked the princess the reason why he was leaving.
It was a lonely journey back. Evening came, and the train was halfway there, but he could not rest himself to sleep.
Despite his disguise, the ponyfolks still knew him as who he really is, but they still welcomed him back.
It, somehow, gave him something to smile about, but it wasn't enough to fill the hole of sadness and loss in his heart.
Cheerilee and Ditzy walked with him back to his home, and waved goodbye after they got in front of the door.
Inside, the quiet aura was immediately filled with sadness and loneliness on his first step inside.
The mayor and vice mayor stopped by, and said their condolences.
The news of her gone reached here. It, at least, saved him the trouble of informing every pony. The two ponies thought that maybe he'll cheer up if he keeps himself busy.
Busy of what, Henry asked. They gave him the keys of the library tree, where Daisy used to work.
Perfect, Henry thought. It might only add more to his sadness, remembering the days he spent with her there. With those thoughts, he let out a heavy sigh and thanked the ponies.
It was still morning, and instead of doing nothing inside her...his home, he instead went towards the library, for at least he'll have something to do.
He replied a weak smile and raising one of his front hooves to a pony he passes by that greets him. Some have told him that Princess Celestia told them that he was a very nice changeling, an exception of the ones they need to hate and fear.
Some gave him advice, and some even tried to cheer him up, especially that one little pink filly who somehow floated in the air, gasping very long and quickly zoomed away like she saw something...something.
Henry payed it no mind and walked on, and soon ran into Big Macintosh and his little sister Applejack. Oh, how he wished his little sister was still with him. He couldn't hold a tear to run down his face. Big Macintosh patted his shoulder.
He thanked him, and told him that his little sister used to mumble the red pony's name in her sleep. He then left the two, leaving the red pony blush with an even darker red.
He soon ran into little Rarity, and gave him a very classy hat. What's it for, the little filly said that after she heard what happened, she felt like she needed to do a little something for him, at least to help him heal the pain in his heart.
The classy dark green hat looked quite nice, for a mare pony, he thought.
Despite his innocence in fashion, he could at least tell what's right for a colt and for a mare.
Trying not to hurt the little filly's feelings, he gave a weak smile and thanked her.
It somehow did the trick and off she goes.
Finally, he's inside the library. A lonely, quiet, gloomy, and dusty library. He sighed, and strangely, he smiled. He turned around to face the open door. Despite the gloominess of the library, it was still allowing light to enter. All it needed was for someone to open the door and turn the lights on. Though he's not poetic, he compared it with his lonely heart. Yes, of course his great loss would greatly sadden him, but, all it needs is for something to open his heart back to the light, no matter how much he hated the light.
Despite him being a changeling, the ponyfolks of PonyVille still welcomed him, and even tried to cheer him up. He just somehow felt the warmth of being accepted. He managed to smile, without him knowing.
He walked up to the second floor, and on the table, covered by dust, was his little sister drawings and sketches and notes.
He softly blew the dusts away. Took him a few tries to get rid of the majority of the dusts.
"Daring Do, and the Quest For The Sapphire Stone..." he slowly said, and strangely, he smiled. The first time he read those, the last two words weren't there.
His sister wanted to write a book. And to write a book, he shall, for his little sister. He'll dedicate it to his little sister.
But first thing's first. He needs to learn, and how great it is to learn but to read all the available books inside this big tree he's going to take care of.
He smiled. Somehow, just like Cloth, he now has a new mission. A new journey.
And every journey starts with the very first step you take.
And the first step is to clean, and so he did.
---
He's sitting under his favorite tree in the park.
The sun was setting, the time he assumed was the time to close the library.
Finally the tree had leaves, he joked to himself.
He's feeling the cool breeze, eyes closed, and his back on the tree.
He imagined of his little sister, and their days of being together.
The happy and boring times.
He was sent back to reality when a little blue bird landed in front of him and started chirping. It was as though the little bird was talking to him, but unfortunately for him, he understood nothing.
He gave the little bird a confused look as a little yellow pegasus pony slow walked towards him and immediately asked for forgiveness, for his friend here (probably the blue bird) was disturbing him.
He smiled and patted the little filly as he said that it was no problem. And with that, the little filly flew away with the bird, flying very low however.
---
Finally, it was dark when he reached in front of his home.
He grabbed a hold of the door knob, and before he opened it, he smiled.
He didn't need to hide, he just needed who he is, minus the looking like a changeling.
He opened the door, and once he got himself inside, he closed the door, and right next to him was the light's switch.
He turned it on, turned around, and,
"SURPRIIIIIIISSSSEEE!!!" the pink little earth pony he met earlier popped right in front of him and greeted him, scaring his soul away.
Behind the pink filly were a lot of ponies, even the ones he met on his way to the library earlier today. And a white banner was hung above the crowd, with large words saying "Welcome to PonyVille" with different dark colors to stand out from the white background.
Everyone cheered, and after they allowed a moment of silence for him to talk, he bent down to the little pink pony's level and told her that he's not really new.
"Hm..." the pink earth pony thought for a moment.
And then, she smiled, and instantly vanished, leaving a large amount of air, enough for Henry to close his eyes on reflex, and after he opened them again, there was now an up-side-down 'v' in between 'Welcome' and 'to' on the banner, and above the tortured 'v' was the word 'back' colored black.
"How's that?" the pink pony cheerfully asked as she went out of the crowd.
"How'd you...?" he stopped after a familiar blue bird landed on top of his 'classy' hat. He completely forgot about that hat.
He looked to his left, and there he saw the yellow pegasus filly having trouble trying to behave her little animal friends, annoying the little Rarity who was close by, and the little Applejack having a hard time holding her laughter.
He faced the crowd again.
'Oh well', he thought.
"Thank you every...pony."
And with that, the pink pony declared to start the party.
Just before he started to join the happy crowd, he was stopped by a little blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored maned who 'shooed' the blue bird and took his hat.
"This hat doesn't fit you at all." he said, or she said. Henry didn't know. Her voice was a mixture of both a male and female little pony. Maybe she's a tomboy, a new word he just learned when he was reading earlier in the library.
The rainbow-maned pony threw the hat on his bed, somehow managing to ignite a spark of anger on little Rarity as she marched towards her and asked why the rainbow-maned pegasus threw her wonderful work of fashion.
The little Applejack tried to calm the two arguing fillies.
Henry didn't really like loud noises, but now that he's home, he'll just have to get used to it.
He smiled after he convinced himself that the years he'll be staying here will be really really...
"I dare you to say that, ONE.MORE.TIME!" little Rarity snarled at the rainbow-maned pegasus.
"Fashion..." the rainbow-maned pony slowly said, "...sucks..." and with that, Henry grabbed them both with his hooves, lifted them up and extended his hooves away from the two who were looking really ready to turn the house down...literally.
He sighed as the crowed laughed.
"Oh well..." he whispered, "...my life is about to get really...interesting..."
The cheerful smiles, the happy faces, the positive atmosphere, and the annoying quarrels of young fillies...
"I only wish you were here to spend it with me..."