Enchanted

by The Whiskey Spirit


Ch 58: The First to Fall

By the time they landed, Carina wanted nothing more than to hug the ground as though it were a long lost family member. Ashwyn had grabbed him and flew them to the hive in just under two days, having only stopped when she needed to rest. Despite doing none of the flying, he felt exhausted just from having made the trip, and yet Ashwyn looked like she barely broke a sweat.

“Where?” She demanded. The fury she held had diminished considerably over the two days of travel, but she still held a cold look in her eyes. Even so, he was incredibly anxious around the mare, sure that any refusal to adhere to her demands would result in his immediate termination. And not in the business way.

“J-just beyond that hill. The entrance is obscured by an illusion that looks like a pile of rocks.” She nodded and took a step forward. She stopped after a moment, however, and for the first time since she heard the news, her expression shifted.

“Should not come if not want to.” She said softly, shocking the scared changeling. He could still feel her cold fury, but there was a tenderness there that he didn't detect before.

“J-just, please… don’t kill them all. They’re not a-all bad.” Her face hardened once more, clearly not liking his response and turning to face the direction of the hive.

“No promises.” She mumbled before marching forward.

~-~

Cilia let out a tired yawn.

It was another boring day, guarding the entrance to the hive. Much like the many she had already served. If she were to be honest with herself, she would rather be a part of the infiltration crew. They always seemed to get into something exciting.

She, however, merely got to sit in the middle of a cave tunnel, and do nothing. Nothing was all that ever happened to her, as it had been a long time since anyone had stumbled upon their home. It was considered one of the easiest jobs to get, but at the same time, it was known to be the most mind numbingly boring job as well.

It certainly didn’t help that she didn’t have much to think about. It wasn’t like she had a changeling waiting for her in her room. She had a couple friends, but they were out helping with the infiltration of Canterlot castle. She had nothing to do, nothing to look at, and nothing to think about.

Then something happened.

The faint clacking sound reached Cilia before she truly registered what she was hearing. Once she did, however, she focused on it intently. If she was to wager a guess, she’d assume some animal had wandered in. Ponies didn’t have claws that would make such a sound on the stone, and neither dragons or griffins were particularly common in the area.

That was why it came as a surprise when the white snout of a pony came into view, quickly followed by the rest of the body.

Cilia’s eyes widened in intrigue and surprise, momentarily forgetting she was supposed to be a guard and was to drive off the intruder. It was just that this pony was so strange. She bore paws that had large claws that no doubt was making the sound she had heard. Even as the pony pulled her lips back in a snarl, she noticed the decidedly sharp looking teeth that filler her maw.

Then suddenly, she was on her back. A fact which brought her mind back from thinking about how strange the pony looked. Finally realizing her mistake, the pony had confirmed herself a threat, having been the swift force to knock Cilia to her back.

She began to charge a spell in an attempt to blast the mare off her. It was far too slow, however, as the moment her horn lit up, the pony’s head shot forward.

Teeth easily pierced her chitin, sinking into the flesh beneath. She would have screamed in pain, if she was able. Her breath had caught in her throat and all she could do was stare, wide eyed, at the ceiling as pain coursed through her body.

The teeth were in her for only a moment, but it felt like an eternity. Fighting past the pain, she attempted to swing a hoof at the mare, only to find her leg unresponsive. She tried again, with another appendage this time. It was the same result.

Frantically, Cilia attempted to move anything, but nothing worked. She could only move her eyes, and what they saw, she didn’t like.

The mare was peering down at her with cold eyes, filled with murderous intent. She could feel the mare’s rage boiling to the surface of her thoughts, even as the mare raised a paw, claws extended.

They remained that was for some time, neither moving. The rage that was building inside the mare became a swirling mix of emotions. Too many for the paralyzed changeling to accurately read, but in the end, she didn’t need to.

The claws retracted, but that didn’t halt the attack. The mare’s paw hurtled towards her face, slamming into the side of her head with enough force to turn her vision black. She desperately wanted to stay awake, but it wasn’t to be.

As such, darkness took hold of her mind as she lost consciousness.

~-~

Ashwyn couldn’t help but frown as she looked down at the changeling she had knocked out. That, in itself, was the issue.

She thought herself capable of killing these creatures. Swatting them aside like the insects they were, but… she couldn’t. Not when she looked into the changelings eyes. Despite how different they looked, they were no less expressive than her own.

She could see the fear in the changeling’s eyes. Could see it silently begging for its life, and in that moment she knew she couldn’t do it.

Her mind had turned to the Alpha. What would he have thought of her? In some part of her mind she knew that the Alpha had killed before. He had expressed as much during the rare occasion he would talk of his own world. Though she didn’t know how he felt of the act personally.

Throughout the time she had known him, he had never raised a hand against anyone. Choosing to only save his magic for the monsters of the Everfree instead.

Did he wish not to kill again? Or did he merely do so when he needed to? Would he be angry if she were to slaughter every changeling in her path, or would he be angry if she let them live?

She did not know the answer, and she would not know until she had found him. Glaring down the path, she frowned in consideration. How many changelings would she have to deal with before she found him. How long would it take? What if there were too many?

Questions she would rather not think about, but no less demanded an answer. Answers she didn’t have.

That seemed to be happening a lot lately. Always, she was the last to know things. The last to understand. She was getting tired of it, but what could she do? As of yet, there was nothing for it but to find the Alpha. He had the answers to every problem she had. He always did.

If she just could find the Alpha, everything will be okay.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself again, her rage having simmered down to a strong anger. Prepared for whatever came next, she took a step forward, over the unconscious body of the changeling below her.

That step was the only one she got, however, as she could hear the sound of hoofsteps behind her. Instantly, the mare’s wings shot open and launched her upwards. Her body twisted around to allow her to dig her claws into the stony ceiling, where she remained.

The sound grew closer and closer until a figure came into view. Releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding, she found it was merely the informant changeling that followed her in.

Dropping down, she landed directly in front of the bug pony, making it jump in surprise. “Though you wait outside.” She stated as it attempted to steady its breathing.

“I-I was going to. Then I realized you’d p-probably need a guide to get to the- Cilia!” It cried out as the bug rushed forward to inspect the changeling she had taken out. Evidently it was named Cilia, and her informant knew it. She was suddenly glad she had decided not to take its life.

“She is alive. She live.” Ashwyn told her informant, even as it inspected the changeling’s body. Its eyes lingered on the bite marks she had left in the changeling’s shoulder, but made no comment.

“Sh-she’ll live?” It asked, concern tingeing its voice. With a grimace, she stepped forward and placed a paw on its shoulder, making the changeling jump in surprise.

“She live. Knocked out and paralyzed. Not dead.” She informed it, looking it in the eye so it knew she wasn’t lying. It seemed to swallow a lump in its throat before shakilly nodding.

“O-okay. Okay. The p-pods. Let’s go.” Without another word, the changeling silently continued down the path before them, with Ashwyn close behind.