//------------------------------// // Ch 61: Get Out // Story: Enchanted // by The Whiskey Spirit //------------------------------// Carina let out a deep breath as the group came to a stop. It was already close to night when they emerged from the hive, leaving them with little choice but to stop for the night no matter what direction they had progressed. Carina had led them in the direction of Fillydelphia, as that was the closest location to the hive. Cadence had suggested it, as she was still feeling weak from the pod, and couldn’t simply teleport them away. She wanted to bring the other captured creatures somewhere safe, so that any changelings that attempted to pursue them wouldn’t be able to take them back. Aurick didn’t seem pleased, but said nothing. Not to them at least. Carina could hear him mutter something about Canterlot as they had walked, but aside from that, the elf had been distressingly silent. He was still wearing his facade, his emotions hidden behind the veil of a false calm. Ashwyn had stayed at his side, seemingly aware that his emotions were not what they appeared to be. He could clearly feel the concern she was feeling towards the elf as they walked. He could only hope that her presence could help the elf out of the foul mood he was in. If there was anyone capable, it would likely be her. He clearly didn’t like the fact that they had to stop, but Princess Cadence had insisted, for the sake of the creatures they had rescued. Once more, Aurick didn’t voice his opinion, likely knowing that she was right. That didn’t stop his emotions from flaring. If the princess could have felt them, she might have melted from the intensity of them in that moment. Despite it all, he merely nodded and excused himself. Choosing to remove himself from the group and sit against a tree a short distance away. Ashwyn swiftly followed behind him. Cadence, on the other hoof, sighed and turned back to the group. She swiftly moved to ensure that everyone was cared for and was feeling alright for the night ahead. Carina was about to join her, feeling more comfortable around the surprisingly mild mannered Princess of Love. He was sure he would have not been received as well as he had by her, but she seemed far more understanding than he could have hoped. Aurick, however, had another idea. Seemingly, he wanted to make true on his demand at that point, having stopped in his tracks to turn towards him. “Carina, you mind coming over here?” The elf asked in a friendly voice. The changeling knew it wasn’t to be taken as a request. So with a nervous glance towards the Princess of Love, he stepped forward, resigned to his fate. As Carina reluctantly made his way over, he pondered how long it had been since he last felt safe. The last time he didn’t think each day had the potential to be his last. He couldn’t remember. He had been working against Chrysalis’ plan for so long. He hadn’t exactly had much time to rest. Having had to constantly make new plans and contingencies as his former Queen constantly counteracted them without even knowing he was a factor. It was disheartening to say the least. Now, he had been dragged along a brazen rescue by the ones he had hoped could finally put a stop to her plots. Sure, they had been successful, but he had no idea what their plan was now. Chrysalis was sure to know that something was happening, especially since Aldrin was in the hive. Last he checked, Aldrin was at the castle. Now he was… Carina couldn’t help but wince as he thought of what had happened to the changeling soldier. He couldn’t imagine the pain that must have coursed through his body as his horn was removed. A shiver ran through his body unbidden as he pictured himself in his position, his eyes trailing up to Aurick. The elf had positioned himself against the tree, his eyes closed for a moment as though he were collecting his thoughts. Ashwyn rested her head in his lap, the elf’s hand raising to run through her hair. He would have thought it adorable if he wasn’t so scared of what Aurick wanted with him. “So…” Aurick started, his eyes opening and locking on Carina. “Mind explaining what those pods did?” He looked down towards Ashwyn, but she seemed to be interested in the subject as well. Her golden eyes boring into him as he nervously scratched a leg. “W-well, they, uh, they’re supposed to put you in a state of… sleep.” His eyes flicked up towards Aurick before avoiding eye contact. “Then they make you… r-relive the time you felt love the strongest. Th-that way we can extract the essence of the emotion…” Aurick didn’t frown, but his eyes grew visibly harder as Carina spoke. The changeling desperately wished he was anywhere else, and by luck, that seemed to be all that the elf had wanted of him. “Alright, you can leave.” Carina would have broken into a dead sprint away if he wasn’t so nervous. Instead he bowed his head and slowly walked away. He could feel Aurick’s eyes on him the entire time. ~-~ Night had descended upon the land of Equestria, and, as such was her duty, Princess Luna walked amongst the dreams of her people once more. Despite what would normally be a fairly relaxing routine, a frown seemed to be firmly affixed to her face. She resolved nightmares swiftly and efficiently that night, but spared no time for words of advice, knowing her mental state would not be conducive to such an endeavor. Her thoughts stayed upon the disturbing matter of what had been happening within the castle. The day of the wedding was almost upon them, and she couldn’t help a feeling of dread creep over her. An enemy was out there, somewhere plotting against Canterlot and the peoples within, and yet she could do nothing. They didn’t know who it could possibly be. What they could possibly want. What their reasoning was. Nothing. All they knew was when the attack was supposed to occur, but that very well might have changed. For all she knew, she could wake up and find an assailant within her room. Her guards seemed to be useless in this matter, as they had not come up with anything during their investigation, and the staff haven’t seen anything strange going on. The only point of note, was the foalnapping of Aurick. Her frown turned into a grimace as she thought of the elf. It was clear he was onto something, as she doubted he would have been much of a target if he hadn’t been. Though all she had heard from him was the claim that Cadence was a changeling. Perhaps there was some merit to…. No, clearly not. Cadence couldn’t possibly be a changeling. She would be able to tell. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh as she looked amongst the dreams she had yet to resolve. Closing her eyes for a moment, she decided to check for Aurick’s dream once more. The void around her shifted, bringing her to a void of grey. Over the past two nights, she had attempted to find him through his dreams, but they were not appearing to her. A fact that worried her immensely. He might have falsely accused her niece, but she knew his heart was in the right place. He was still her friend after all. That’s why it brought her great joy to find a dream within the void. Though this one was not what she was used to. The dreams he had were usually a pristine white, but now… It looked as though an active thunderhead had invaded the dream realm. She did not wait any further. Something was wrong, and she needed to find out what it was. Without any further thought, she stepped forward and pressed a hoof to the tumultuous dream, the world shifting around her as she did so. From the void, trees sprouted, climbing far above her and obscuring the sky. Sunlight peeked through between the branches, and, paired with the gentle sounds of nature, created a rather calming scene. Should she have not had an objective, she might have taken the time to bask in it. As it was, however, she had to continue on. She could feel Aurick’s presence a short distance away, deciding to walk directly towards him. As she did, she watched as animals scurried about, searching for food and playing in the trees. She couldn’t help but wonder why such a beautiful dream would create such a dastardly appearance on the outside. Then again, it was based on the dreamer’s mental state, so the true question was why did this dream make him feel as such? She would not know without observing the dream in question, and thankfully, she didn’t need to wait for long. She found herself on the edge of a clearing, her head peeking out from behind a tree to observe two figures within. One of them was clearly Aurick, though he seemed much younger. He was not wearing the cloak, his scarless arms clearly visible to her. Beside him stood another figure, seemingly an elf based on her appearance. This woman stood just a bit shorter than Aurick. Long brown hair was braided elegantly and hung over her shoulder. She was garbed in what seemed to be simple clothing, though she seemed to lack shoes. Now that she had noticed it, Aurick wasn’t wearing any either. It was strange, as she never remembered seeing Aurick without any form of footwear. She wondered why, but it was something to be discovered later. What had caught her attention the most about this woman, wasn’t her appearance, nor what she looked like. It was the bundle that she held within her arms. Within the arms of the woman, was a child. She could have seen Aurick’s smile from a mile away, with how bright it was as he looked at the baby. A hand raised to meet the tiny hands she now saw were reaching towards him. She couldn’t help but feel as though she were intruding on something she shouldn’t be. Something felt wrong about being here, and so she tried to back away and silently extract herself from this dream. That, sadly, was not what fate had in store for her. A branch cracked under hoof, drawing the attention of the two figures, who instantly looked in her direction. Her head was still around the tree, giving them both a clear view of her, and her eyes were quickly met by Auricks. That was when she knew that she was intruding on something personal. Aurick’s eyes were cold as the dream froze. His visage shifting to the one of today as he stepped closer. “Luna…” His voice was firm, his eyes boring into her. “Get out.” “But-” She was shocked to find his hand shoot forward and grab her by the throat, pulling her up to eye level. “I’m not going to repeat myself.” Before she could even respond, she felt a strong pull from behind her, just before she was forcibly shunted out of the dream. She flew back through the void, away from the dream that ejected her. Looking up, she saw that the dream was visibly worse, having grown larger with sparks of lightning shooting out in any direction. She had no clue what she had stepped in one, but she was sure that this would not be the end of it. At least now she knew that Aurick was alive. She had been informed that Ashwyn had departed in a mission to rescue the elf. She would have sent some guards with her, but apparently she was far too fast for any guard to keep up with. As such, she had to simply hope that she did not end up captured as well. She assumed that if Aurick was appearing in the dream realm again, then she had saved him. Hopefully they would return and help with what was happening in Canterlot. They had to have some idea of who was behind it after all of this. She could only hope so, at least.