Metamorphosis left the crowd, and the slowly burning moss covered mound they stood before. He had an idea of where Ocellus had gone, allowing his hooves to guide him as he entered the Hive and walked through the halls silently. His hoofsteps seemed to be louder than normal in the eerily silent halls, echoing in the empty Hive. Metamorphosis tried his best to ignore the sounds, flattening his very pony-like ears to his head. Every step took him further from the place where he knew he should be-with his sons, grieving. But he needed to make sure someone else was okay.
Metamorphosis turned down a hallway leading to bedrooms, and sure enough, he found the young changeling in her room. Ocellus looked up as he entered, burrowed deep under the blankets of her canopy bed.
“I… I couldn’t watch…” she whispered, as Metamorphosis pulled the curtains back with his magic.
“I understand.” Metamorphosis sat beside her.
“H-How can you understand this…? How can anyone?” Ocellus mumbled, and Metamorphosis sighed, looking at the opposite wall as memories flooded back to him.
“Back in the Old Days, during the time where I lived in the Hive…” Metamorphosis reached, and upon feeling Ocellus shift towards him, he pulled her close, “There were many deaths. I grew used to seeing the bodies being carried through the Hive… but each ceremony always made my heart ache for the lost and their families.”
Ocellus wiped her eyes, though tears still fell. “But… you personally never lost anyone, did you…?”
“No… but that was because I had no one to lose.” Metamorphosis sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “Chrysalis told me that my parents abandoned me when I was a nymph because of my appearance. She explained to me that later, they were in a battalion together, and died in battle. But since I never knew them, I couldn’t properly grieve. Along with that... though they are still alive, I will still never forget the loss I felt when I left the Hive, and the sons I didn't even know I had.”
“Oh… I’m sorry Metamorphosis, I-I didn't mean…” Ocellus wiped her eyes.
“It’s alright. I’ve moved on.” Metamorphosis nuzzled her. “And you will too.”
“But I don’t want to move on! I-I don’t want to forget them…” Ocellus' voice broke and she buried her head in her hooves, sobbing. Metamorphosis rubbed her back gently, then lifted her head with a hoof.
“That’s not what moving on means.” Metamorphosis corrected her gently, placing a hoof on Ocellus’ chest. “Your heart aches right now because the wound is still very fresh. And this wound… think of it like a hole.” he pointed to one of the holes in his own hooves.
“Like… like a hole in the unreformed changelings…? Like yours…?” Ocellus whispered
“Not exactly. This hole is in your heart, a scar of memories.” Metamorphosis pressed his hoof against her chest. “It’s a good thing, it means you care. You care that they’re gone and are sad about it.”
“You wish you could reverse time, it hurts so bad...” Ocellus whispered, fresh tears spilling out. Metamorphosis nodded, nuzzling her. “Y-You wish you could take back every bad thing you ever thought or spoke about them, y-you'd do anything j-just to get them back...”
“Exactly like that, Ocellus. But you see... over time… this hole will heal. It will never truly go away, but the space around it will heal, because you have come to accept what has happened, and it will not hurt as much. It just takes time, love, and remembrance.”
Ocellus put her hooves on her chest, looking down. “So… I won’t see it… but I’ll still know it’s there… and I’ll never forget what caused it… but I won’t continue to put all of my focus on it.”
“Exactly.” Metamorphosis nuzzled her. “It’s okay to feel the pain now, and to think of nothing other than grieving for your loss. Hold onto the memories, recall them when you feel the most upset, and think about the good times. Even then, eventually, while your memories of them will remain, and you’ll hold them dear, you will also be ready to make new memories. With new creatures who love you.”
Ocellus whimpered, eyes still watering. “Metamorphosis… maybe I’ll move on one day… but I’m all alone now…”
“You aren’t.” a familiar voice spoke from the doorway.
Metamorphosis and Ocellus looked up. Thorax and Pharynx were standing at the door, Thorax was smiling softly as he carried Apex on his back. Metamorphosis smiled kindly at the three and beckoned them in. Pharynx came over and stood by Metamorphosis, while Thorax approached Ocellus. Apex jumped down from Thorax's back to Pharynx’s head, watching the two quietly.
“Ocellus, you are my student, my protégé.” Thorax nuzzled her. “And that means I care about you. You’re like... I've always thought of you as a daughter to me, Ocellus, and I realize this may be a sensitive topic right now, but I’m trying to say… we’re all here for you.”
“A-All of you?” Ocellus asked in a low voice, looking at Pharynx in slight disbelief. Apex moved first though, flying over and giving her as big a hug as he could with his small hooves. He seemed to understand talking was not needed to convey how he felt, and settled in her hooves, holding her tight.
“All of us.” Pharynx then assured her with a slight smile. “We may not get along that well sometimes, but I’m not going to leave you alone.”
“We’re all here for you Ocellus, we always will be. And Smolder will be there for you too, of course.” Metamorphosis chuckled as he used his magic to levitate over the crown Smolder had given the nymph for Hearth’s Warming. Ocellus blushed as Metamorphosis set it on her head.
“I understand that you need time to deal with this.” Thorax trotted to her. “But I just wanted to tell you that…”
Ocellus nodded, urging him to continue. Thorax smiled softly and looked her in the eye, Metamorphosis and Pharynx coming to stand on either side of him. Apex flew over, landing and being cradled in Thorax’s foreleg. The alpha changeling then spoke for them all.
“Whenever you’re ready, Ocellus, you have a family waiting for you.”
End of Act 3