I looked forward to the wide-open tract as the wind blew the grass further to my right… Sweetie Belle stood next to me and frowned as we both stood there on the road… I looked to her and say, “So, we’re heading beyond the mountains, why again?”
She looks back at me, “Well, what else are we gonna do?”
I widen my eyes, “I uh… I don’t know, okay? I just feel like I need a purpose or some reason for being here, but I can’t really think of what that is?”
Her eyes widen, “You know, life is a lot like that too? I mean, why are any of us really here? Is it a cosmic accident of birth or was there a specific reason you’re where you are now?”
“Well, I’m dead and in a lesbian relationship with my friend!”
She nods, “That’s true!”
Suddenly, I see a gray pony head appear over the hill on our left… I gaze at the head as it rises with the body of said gray pony slowly trotting towards me…
We both stare at it as Sweetie says, “So, Chrysalis was telling us those were ‘hollows?’”
I nod, “Right! Lights are on, but nopony’s home!”
Suddenly, we both see a multi-colored streak come out of the sky from the left of the gray pony and it collides with his body to send his head flying far the same direction it’s traveling as it flies across the sky! The decapitated gray corpse soon collapses below the hill where we can no longer see it.
I nod again, “Well, there went another one!”
Sweetie stares on and frowns, “She says hurting them takes out aggression and makes her feel better about things? Well, better them than us!”
“You said it, Sweetie!” I say before nodding again.
Suddenly, a mauve changeling with her deep purple body lands in front of us lightning fast from seemingly nowhere and she stares at both of us with those same unnerving insectoid eyes of hers, “I killed all the hollows in the next area!” She stretches out her wings to her sides. “I must say, spending a long time in stone makes you pen up a lot of aggression!”
I smile, “You love killing those things, don’t you Chrysalis?”
She smiles back, “Well, yeah!”
My mouth straightens, “Where do you think they go after you dispose of them?”
Her mouth flattens too, “I don’t know? I mean, they’re not going to Fillydelphia! I suppose they’ll get rejoined with the ALL and reformed later?”
My eyes widen when I realized I didn’t understand any of that. I simply smile and nod as I say, “Right!”
Sweetie motions her neck towards the two mountains still somewhat in the distance, “You say there was a cave up there, Chrysalis? Any idea what’s inside?”
She turns her head left to the unicorn and frowns, “No idea! Since I have friends now, I felt it wise to wait until you were near before investigating further…”
Sweetie’s cerulean eyes widen, “Well, that makes sense! Lead on!”
Chrysalis smiles broadly, “Right this way!”
<*****>
“Ugh!” I grunt as I put my right forehoof up onto the ledge and prepare to pull myself up one last time! Climbing sure takes it out of you! I make it up to the ledge above on the gray stone mountain, Chrysalis said we should climb, although I’m still not sure what I’m doing or why I’m doing it? I bring my yellow body onto the embankment and lay there prone as I breathe…
Chrysalis is already standing there and she cranes her neck down to where I lay and says, “I often forget that my wings make altitudes a bit easier for me! Are you okay?”
I raise my neck and gaze at this strange multi-colored creature and think for a few seconds that it’s so odd that this same person once wanted to kill me… And now, she wants to know if I’m okay? I smile, “Yeah, I-I’m fine Chrysalis! Just give me a minute to rest and I’ll be right with you!”
“Urgh!” I see a white forehoof reach up over the side of the ledge and push further into the pavement to raise the body of a white unicorn, who soon falls onto the ledge on her side and she begins to pant heavily. She manages to stammer out, “You two... are in much better shape than me! I’m not... as fit as you!” before breathing heavily as she barely stands halfway on four shaky hooves…
I look at her further to my right, “Lay down, Sweetie! You’re tired and need to gain your strength back!”
“Um, okay!” Sweetie says before lowering her body to the ground and slowing her breathing a bit…
Chrysalis frowns, “We’re taking a break here, I take it?”
I turn my head back left to her and nod, “Looks like it! We’ll just take a breather here and then, head on in and see what we can find!”
Sweetie suddenly speaks up, “I can’t really tell for sure, but I think we’ve been traveling for days now and never slept?”
I turn my head back right to Sweetie, “Yeah! That is odd!”
“We haven’t really eaten anything, either!”
I nod again, “That’s also true!”
She raises her green eyes to the overcast sky, “And the sky hasn’t changed at all!” she moves her eyes back to me. “It’s almost like this place never changes?”
Chrysalis says, “And now, we’re discussing the intricacies of the land we all find ourselves in?”
I look back left towards her and nod, “Sure looks that way!” and then, right to Sweetie. “It’s almost like we’re being kept here before something else?”
Sweetie frowns, “But we’re dead, right? I mean, who could be doing such a thing?”
I widen my eyes, “Beats me!”
Chrysalis speaks again, “You realize this is all speculation, of course? For all we know, this could all be part of some natural process.”
I turn my head to Chrysalis, “But how can we tell?”
Her eyes narrow, “Do you have any reason to believe that anything is off or awry?”
I frown, “Well, I can’t really tell that either?”
She nods, “Exactly! Now, we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions here!”
I remain silent before finally saying, “You really are my friend, aren’t you?” and frowning.
Her left eyebrow raises, “Have I not made that abundantly clear?”
I sigh from my mouth and stare up at her with all the sincerity I can muster, “Well, you spend your fillyhood knowing there’s an evil queen out there who wants to kill you! And she later becomes your friend! I guess it just takes some getting used to?”
Sweetie stares at Chrysalis and nods, “Well, right! I mean, I thought you hated us and now, we’re all working together!”
I add, “Towards a common goal!”
Sweetie says, “A unified purpose!”
I say, “A joint cause!”
Chrysalis asks, “Which is?”
I say, “I have no idea!”
Sweetie stares into the entryway to the cave. The chasm is about 12 feet wide and 10 feet tall or so, and grows very dark inside. “So uh, who’s going first?”
I say, “I think it should be one of you horn-heads! I uh, don’t have a light!”
Sweetie says, “AB makes a point! Who’s it gonna be, Chrysalis? Me or you?”
Chrysalis sighs, “Well, while I must say Sweetie, that your physical prowess is impressive, I think I am the logical choice!”
Sweetie frowns, “I think that was sarcastic?” She stares at me. “Was that sarcastic?”
I grin and smile back at her, “Not at all, Sweetie Belle!”
Her eyes narrow as she begins to grimace, “Okay, now I know that’s sarcastic!”
Chrysalis turns around and trots inside the cave, and we soon see a faint eerie green glow coming from inside as we both hear her yell, “It’s safe in the first chasm!”
I look at Sweetie and smile, “Lead the way, oh great horny one!”
She smiles back at me, “Not yet!” before making her way to the cave entrance…
I frown, “Me and my big mouth!” I follow her inside and she lights her horn with a blue light, which makes a peculiar shade of bluish-green on the cave walls, already illuminated by Chrysalis…
Sweetie says, “It looks like a cave entryway, but I don’t know how far this thing goes?”
I frown while staring down into the darkened chasm, “Yeah, me neither! I mean, should we explore or just stay up here, where it’s safe?”
Sweetie smiles at me, “Given an infinite amount of time, we would eventually explore this cave anyway…”
I stare over at her, “So, you’re saying we should just do it now?”
She nods, “I think it’s something to do, it’ll be a neat adventure, and we’ll be doing it together…”
I blink, “You like spending time with me?”
She frowns, “Isn’t it obvious?”
“I-I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle… I mean, you’re gone for so long and now, you’re my lover!”
She smiles and leans her neck towards me for a nuzzle, “I’ve always loved you!”
I smile back at her, “I know, snuggle buddy!”
She giggles and chances a small peck on my lips…
I quickly realize that this just isn’t enough and so I lean into her to plant a big loving kiss on her lips!
I feel electricity going through my lips as they remain planted on this white unicorn’s… I draw my head back and stare deep into her eyes, “I love you!” I whisper…
She giggles slightly while continuing to grin back at me, “I love you too, Apple Bloom!”
“You ready?” I ask.
“Sure thing!” She says while smiling and nodding at me…
And we both enter the cave together…
<*****>
The next time I can focus, I see a blurry white unicorn with a two-toned mane looking at me as we’re both inside the cave and saying, “Apple Bloom! You gotta come quick! Scootaloo feels bad about how you died!”
I frown at this noise, “Uh, why? What did she have to do with the way I died?”
Sweetie shakes her head and then moves her eyes to me, “I don’t know, but you really need to talk to her…”
I nod, “Alright! Lets do it!” before trotting further into the cave as Sweetie turns and joins me at my side…
Suddenly, my vision refocuses and I’m standing in a large stone antechamber of sorts… I see all sorts of strange masks and hieroglyphics on the walls… But none of this is quite as interesting as the lone burnt orange pegasus standing before me… She is wearing a chicken costume! Her front two forelimbs were out and free, while her hind hooves were contained in yellow fabric, obviously meant to resemble chicken legs… She had weird red comb going over the left side of her face and a beak over her snout, over a frowning mouth… Honestly, the white chicken-pegasus looked pretty silly and ridiculous!
I ask her the only thing I really can at that point, after well, everything, “Why are you in a chicken costume?”
Sweetie turns her head left towards me, “She said she’s being punished for not being there for you when you got turned into a tree!”
I widen my eyes, “WHAT?” I adjust my eyes at this insane pegasus! “Scootaloo! I don’t want you to remember me like that!”
Scootaloo widens her eyes to me, “W-what?”
I smile at this silly bird horse, “I know my death was horrible… I can’t imagine what you felt while it was going on, but I know this much…” I then furrow my brow with all the gravity I can muster. “I’d rather you weren’t there, after all…”
I can tell she’s shaken because I see her mouth frown underneath her beak-nose, “What do you mean?”
I sigh, “My death was messy, Scootaloo… You know this… I’d much rather die by myself with dignity than to cause my best friend to go through that hardship…” I shake my head. “I care about you Scootaloo and I want you to remember the good times, instead!”
“Uh, so you forgive me?”
I finally smile as much as I can, “There’s nothing to forgive, you silly bird brain!”
She takes a deep breath from underneath the beak on her nose and says, “This whole time, I felt that it was somehow my fault… That I caused your death, Apple Bloom…”
At this point, I can’t hold it in anymore, “Scootaloo! Why in Equestria would you believe such a thing?”
She closes her eyes and shudders before saying in her raspy voice, “I-I don’t know, okay? I just felt like there was something I should’ve said or done?” before shaking her head and continuing with a shaky voice. “Like, I could’ve saved you?”
Sweetie finally just stares at this deranged foul and says, “Scootaloo, that’s silly talk! Apple Bloom was terminal and going to die! There’s nothing you could do!”
I see Scootaloo sigh before she moves her right forehoof over the covering on her head… She sweeps it back over her head and I finally see her familiar Mohawk style violet mane and she lets out a big sigh, before lowering her hoof and saying. “I...haven’t done that in over two thousand years…” She moves her forehoof to the right side of her face to undo and remove the synthetic beak and chunking it on the floor… She smiles at me, “Hang on! I’ll get the rest of the costume off now!” before slowly slipping out of the torso piece and taking her hind hooves out of the strange yellow coverings…
Scootaloo now stands naked before me and Sweetie Belle, “So, it wasn’t my fault and there’s nothing I could’ve done?”
My love frowns at the pegasus, “Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you Scootaloo? Honestly, if you weren’t such a chicken and just talked to one of us!”
I suppress a giggle, “You might even say you were laying eggs over the whole incident!”
Sweetie smiles too, “Well, she didn’t do a lot of squawking? At least, not as much as most chickens I’ve met…” she adjusts her gaze. “Silence for two thousand years, Scootaloo?”
She closes her eyes, “I was scared, okay? I uh…” she shakes her head and opens her eyes, “I didn’t want to face you… Either one of you…” before taking a deep breath with her mouth, in and out… “Not after what happened…”
I widen my eyes again, “Well, all I know is, I just went for a really long time without one of my best friends!”
Sweetie adds, “Yeah, me too!”
Scootaloo says, “Alright! I’ll join you two soon! But first, I gotta talk to my new friends for a minute! Before turning around and vanishing…
I soon feel some sort of longing love wash over me… It’s a very strange sensation!
<*****>
Now, my next view is really hazy, but I can see a bright light overhead and a small white unicorn foal in my blurry vision, crying as it thrashes about and a yellow earth mare wearing a white uniform holds her… I suddenly realize that I’m being held as well and look up to my head to realize there’s a new extremity there… I have a yellow horn now! I stare in awe at my new appendage, now jutting out from my mussed up red mane… I then lower my eyes to stare at the small room and see many ponies all wearing white uniforms…
I widen my eyes and make the only noise I really can… I cry…
As my consciousness gets submerged with the new emerging consciousness, I couldn’t help but feel that this was appropriate and right…
Sweetie wanted to be my partner and now she will be for a lifetime… As my beautiful sister….
<*****>
I widen my eyes at what I just saw… Two lesbian ponies walked into the cave and suddenly vanished, right before my eyes… I curse, “DAMMIT! I wasn’t alone after all this time, and now, the only two friends I have are gone!” I say out loud… It doesn’t really matter… I’ve long since realized that nobody will ever hear me…
I bring my insectoid wings to my body and stare forward at the cave…
I say to myself, “Well, there’s no other choice, it would seem?”
I trot forward into the cave…
<*****>
I see myself again, but this time, my body is very different… It’s white and slimy as I sit there inside this strange liquid cocoon…
I look around the room and see that I’m in a very colorful and vibrant cocoon… I frown as I think to myself that this isn’t like any changeling hatchery I’ve ever been in? This one is full of life and color, where what I remember was just black and dim…
I gaze at all of the other bubble-like cocoons inside the room and see them filled with other larvae… Not the dull gray larvae of my hatchery, but larvae of all sorts of different colors! I see blue, red, yellow, and green!
I blink in the cocoon held me when I suddenly realize what had happened… I had been given another chance at life… A new beginning… Only this time, I wasn’t an evil queen inside a nefarious changeling hive… I was now, just another changeling inside this new kingdom…
I have been reborn… And as my mind sank into the depths, I could only realize that it was the Magic of Friendship that had gotten me this far… After all, I never would’ve explored without meeting those two wonderful ponies…
(The end...)