“Well, Carve? I thank you immensely for helping me with reviving Carina. She looks like a completely new changeling. Perhaps Thorax’s rebellion did lead to something useful.”
Chrysalis pats my back, proud of the sight of Carina’s bright white wings and rejuvenated complection.
“I’m happy to help, Chrysalis. I doubt there will be any complications from here on.”
“If there isn’t anything else over here to be informed of, I actually shall be returning to the hive. You can stay with your friend now if you so choose.”
“Well, of course I want to. This is going to be my first Christmas.”
“Very well. Will I see you in the new year?”
I nod.
“Good. I must depart now. Lomenalada, Calev. Lomenalada, Calina.”
I wave goodbye for Chrysalis until I look over at Carina, who looks a bit confused.
“What does that word mean? Goodbye?”
I shrug.
“Well, pretty much.”
“Alright. Um... Carve? Have you ever ridden in a-”
“Yes... yes I have. Can we move on from that?”
“Uhhhh... okay... why do you seem scared of that experi-”
“The first time I ever went on a ride, I lost my love, err, lunch, uh-”
“Don’t worry, Carve. I know what you mean. Within time though, you’ll get over motion sickness. But for now, since Jon and I are heading there anyway, why don’t I accompany you on your flight to my place?”
“And what about Aita and So- oh yeah. They live next door. So, what if I teleported us?”
“That’s not going to work, Carve, at least not for me. The egg’s supposed to come tomorrow, so I can’t pop anywhere without the risk of feeling sick, or doing any damage to the egg.”
“Fair enough. Flight it is then.”
;=;
After Carina consults with Jon, Carina and I have permission to get home by flight while he drives home. However, Carina and I beat Jon to the house, meaning that it’s locked at the moment, as I can tell from Carina having a hard time opening the main entrance.
“Okay. I have an idea. I’ll get in first and unlock the door from the inside, that way you can get in.”
“Oh... for a second I thought you were going to-”
“No one forgets that easily. I know you’re not in the best state right now, and that’s why I thought of the plan you heard.”
I change into Twilight and teleport to the living room of the house. I proceed to unlock the door and open it.
“Wow. You're good.”
“Thanks. It was partially a trick that came to use in Akron.”
“Oh yeah. You were in the Rolling Acres Mall. Jon said it was in Akron, Ohio.”
“Well, I was, but that wasn’t when I first pulled it off.”
Shortly after door had opened, Jon’s car arrives in front of the house, right where it was when I was first here.
“That timing though. Let’s head in.”
“So, you two made it before we did. Congratulations, especially considering it’s one of the last few days of Aita being an only child.”
Suddenly, a scent of embarrassment heaves over me.
“Jon, I don’t think Carina appreciates that fact being mentioned.”
“Thanks, Carve.”
As the three of us make ourselves at home, Carina and I head upstairs to leave Jon with taking off his coat of upper clothes.
“Hmm... Carina? Has your throat been hurting? I noticed you’ve been sounding raspier than normal, although that’s not saying too much.”
“Heh, funny you should say that. This is nothing compared to what happened in ‘09. I feel tingly in the throat, yes, but my voice doesn’t seem deafeningly squeaky.”
“With a rasp like that, I wouldn’t count on no squeak.”
“Trust me. It could be worse.”
Carina proceeds to use her wings to give me an idea of what her voice sounded like, by recalling what I assume was a conversation with her and Jon at the time she was getting at.
Can I... come?
Where? With me on my walk?
Mhm.
Well, I guess I could take you. She never mentioned whether or not I could take you with me.
She?
Ow.
Um, who are you talking... about?
Queen Chrysalis.
QUEEN CHRYSALI-
AAAAAH!!!! Good grief, Carina! What the heck happened to your voice?!?
When Carina shouts Chrysalis’ name in shock, I pull my ears to my head, though I could still hear the conversation going on. Suddenly, Carina’s face turns to a grey as light as her mane and tail.
“I-I’ll be right back, Carve.”
Carina gallops down the stairs with a hoof on her mouth, her cheeks expanding little by little every second.
“Carina?”
I subtly follow after her and-
HUUUUAAAGHHH!!!!!!
“Vido Clisaris! Vido Clisaris!”
I gallop down the stairs starting about the first quarter of the way down after hearing Carina.
“Carve! What’s going on with Carina?!?”
“I don’t know. She showed me what she sounded like when she was having Aita and-“
BUUURURURURURURURURUREEUGHH!!!!
I hold my mouth as a reflex to how gruesome Carina’s cry sounded. I shake my head immediately as there is silence.
“Jon, do you have some paper?!?”
“Sure.”
Jon heads to a weird looking box and slides out some paper compartment from inside. And would you look at that.
“Here you go.”
I levitate the paper over in front of me and start up the writing spell from when I watched over the hive. In the middle of the spell though, my thoughts are intensified when I start hearing Carina coughing like there’s something in her windpipe, followed up by brief moaning.
Seconds later, the letter is finished, so i roll up the paper and send it to Chrysalis.
“Okay. Now, time to check up on Carina.”
I trot through the living room and take a right at the start of the kitchen to reach the bathroom. The door is closed, but I don’t hear anything coming from it anymore. It sounds hopeful, but I don’t think Carina would be awake after how badly she sounded in there.
When I open the door, whatever hopes I previously had has been dashed with Carina sprawled out on the floor, next to a toilet with both platforms up. Every grey part of her body is exactly the same shade: fifty percent. When I look in the bowl, all I see is what looks like chunked water, but I know exactly what it is: the very love that I shared with Carina back at the vet.
“Carina...”