//------------------------------// // Struggles // Story: Idol Hooves and The Deathly Tired Princess // by KarmaSentinal //------------------------------// The clipping of hooves on the stone floor came to a brief halt when the front door gave two loud thumps. The mare and filly’s ears were up and waiting to see if the sound would repeat- two more softer thumps confirmed that somepony was, indeed visiting them. “I got it!” “I got it Nymph, go finish packing so we can leave.” There could have been some mumbling from the young filly, but Topaz decided to let it slide for the sake of time. Her hoof steps came quick, giving the pony no chance to react, startling the apple red mare when she opened the door. “Hello. Can I help you?” “Oh! Hello! I.. errm..” the mare turned and began looking in saddle bag slung over her right shoulder, trying not to push whatever she had through hole in the left side. Topaz said nor did nothing while the curious mare searched for whatever it was she needed, only adjusting her brow upwards when the red mare pulled a small stack of worn cardstock from the bag. Having been in school long enough to realize the importance of such an action. She was about to be lectured. “You’re a salespony aren’t you?” the question smacked the nervous mare, causing the loose cardstock to scatter once it the ground. “Wh..nononono.” the mare blurted out, looking between Topaz and the cards on the ground. As a former student turned professor, seeing the nervous mare desperately collecting the cards from the ground made Topaz, in a small way feel bad for the mare. The embarrassment from dropping her own notes on occasion trickled into her memory. “Let me help you.” The mare stopped, taking a step back as Topaz gathered the cardstock, practically shaking from the embarrassment. “Here.” Topaz offered the cardstock back to the mare, who hesitantly accepted. “Tha..thanks.” The corner of her mouth arced up just a bit, before falling once her roaring stomach forced itself into the conversation. “Do you want something to eat?” Topaz offered when it seemed the hungry mare wasn’t going to say anything else. Her ears swiveled forward as her eyes started to sparkle. “YES!” the mare growled before composing herself. “I mean, yes. It’s why knocked.” Topaz, having jumped three hooves back stood her ground for another moment before finding the courage to approach the mare again. “You wanted me to feed you?” the mare nodded excitedly. “Yes! He said that you would if I ask.” “He said?” “Indeed.” “For free?” “Yes. NO!” the mare looked horrified, like she had said something wrong before looking down at her cards. She examined maybe three or four before finding the she was looking for. “I’m suppose to give you this.” “Look Miss…” “Found it!” the mare cut Topaz, only to suddenly present her with an old piece of fabric. “Uh, no thank you?” “Please.” The mare begged “I know it isn’t a sock, but it was all I could find.” “Sock?” The mare looked ready to cry, making Topaz’s own eyes water some from the raw emotion coming from this mare. “I’m starving. The crystal didn’t even last one day, and...”  A bulb lit up, and Topaz finally understood. “You’re an exile.” The mare flinched, but weakly nodded. “Please wait.” Topaz disappeared, leaving the starving changeling standing there as she quickly descended the stairs that lead to Idol’s room. Rarely would she ever go into the basement turned changeling nest, let alone when Idol wasn’t around but this was important and when she tells Idol about this, he would agree. The years have opened Idol to the idea of being a pony, and thus, allowed himself to partake in certain facets like buying a bed. Sure, he plastered it to the wall, but it was progress. Another trait Idol adopted was storing items of importance under the mattress, where after a second of digging, Topaz found the little pouch that held the crystals, the three larger ones glowing brightly and constantly while their four, smaller siblings sharing the same contestant glow, just not as bright. “I thought he had more.” She kept looking just to make sure this really was all the crystals, before doing a quick search of the chest he had bought some years back to house and protect his Guard kit. When the search came up empty, she grabbed the pouch and headed back upstairs. Waiting for at the top of the stairs was the small filly she has devoted her life to raising, waiting for her. “Nymph.” “I felt something.” Topaz could see her shivering, how somepony utterly terrified might look. “Oh.” She was caught red-hoofed with the crystal bag in wing, but opted not to acknowledge that fact. “Outside.” Her little head turned toward the door, where the exile was likely still waiting. Topaz resumed her ascent once more, if at a slower pace. “Yes.” She stated, not sure what to do or say that might ease the filly’s distress, and that hurt her. By the time she reached the top of the basement stairs, Topaz decided what to do and gave Nymph a quick muzzle before hurrying for the door. She found the door just as she left it, slightly ajar enough to allow mixture of daylight and fresh air to enter. That quickly changed once she opened the door to reveal the disguised changeling once more, only this time a little further away than before. “Take these.” Topaz instructed, only to toss the pouch when the changeling made no effort to move. The pouch landed just a hoof in front of the starving changeling, yet, she still made no move to retrieve it. Topaz made the first move and began walking toward her but stopped- that look. The disguise was good enough, but if the mare’s claims were true than it was a miracle it held for so long. While red coat held, her yellow, almost amber eyes kept flickering green and back again like a cat’s tail. Topaz blinked and found two fangs had exposed themselves, glistening with saliva that continued flowing off the tips and onto the ground. Topaz took a step back. The sudden movement sparked the changeling’s hunting instincts and she lunged for the pouch.             The aggressiveness caught Topaz completely off guard, having watch this meek mare practically begging transformed into a predator. She watched with morbid fascination as the changeling’s fangs easily pierced the pouch, cementing their hold so she may shake it violently-which the changeling did with vigor. “OH Celestia!” Topaz shrieked as the changeling’s disguise grew increasingly unstable. The red fur began flickering in patches along her spine and neck, unraveling, and ever further un-stabilizing the entirety of the changeling’s charade. Yet, before the changeling lost complete control the faintest wisps of pink and red mist started seeping through the punctures. The result was immediate. Starting with the patches along her spine, little fires of green began replacing the black patches with red, pony fur as her eyes finally lost their sickly green hue. She stopped throttling the pouch (because the fangs receded) and both changeling and Topaz found themselves in an uneasy silence, unsure where a desperate changeling and savior should go from here. It would be Changeling to make the move. Keeping the theme of silence, the changeling disguised as an earth mare, tilted her head down in a manner Topaz assumed was a small nod before turning and bolting to the street. Topaz didn’t even have time to lift a hoof before losing sight of the mare. “…the gate.” Topaz blinked, and turned her head back to the door where Nymph was standing. “The gate?” Nymph nodded, her head moving like an owl following a mouse through the short grass. “She’s leaving.” Topaz looked back to the street, briefly imagining the route the changelings might take before finding her way to the front door where Nymph stood, still following the mare. “How much did you see?” Topaz asked as sat down, draping a wing over Nymph’s back.    “Why didn’t she eat?” Nymph asked, finally looking her caretaker in the eyes. “It’s not that simple Nymph.” “How? I still ate in the tunnels, Idol eats sometimes. You eat all the time.” “Nymph.” Topaz didn’t even call her out on that last jab. “Changelings..well… that’s to say some, have more of a struggle than others.” The reason wasn’t the best but would help set the groundwork for a future discussion.  Instead of another question, she felt the ticklish tuff of Nymph’s short mane rubbing against her right side just below her rib cage. Topaz found herself pulling the filly in closer for a hug, who returned the gesture. Topaz and Nymph, a Pegasus mare and changeling filly not bonded by blood were in no way not mother and foal. “We should finish packing.” Topaz started before leaning down to deliver a nuzzle “Nanna doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” “Alright… mom.” That earned Nymph another nuzzle. Hearing that word on a normal day, while nice, was normally said with mocking intent. This wasn’t a normal day making the word that much more meaningful. Nymph after giving a nuzzle of her own bolted off to resume packing her bag, Topaz got up to collect the ruined pouch that held the crystals; opening it up revealed that out of seven, all three large cryastals and one small had been completely drained with another slightly dimmer than the rest.   “They even feel lighter.” Topaz noted as she put the crystals back in before drawing the string close. What had transpired wasn’t something Nymph needed to know about just yet, but she wasn’t exactly a small filly either. Good or bad, Nymph was growing and slowly becoming more aware of details most foals her age would start picking up on. Until a few moments ago, the biggest shocker for her was realizing why Idol and her made her wear disguises in the first place; the understanding soured the poor filly’s mood for almost a week, before leaving to hang out with some friends. Topaz ears went straight up as she recalled an overlooked detail. That mare had sought their home out, even wrote the address down most likely!   “He said…Idol? No. He would have mentioned her, but than who?”  She asked herself as she close the door, locking it for good measure. “We need to need to be more careful.” Topaz found herself listening to Nymph’s hoofsteps as she moved back and forth in her room trying to finish selecting what to bring. “We need to be careful.” She said once more, nodding as if the action made it law.