A/N: Warning! Those that were confused by the Arlene chapter may be just as confused by this one.
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Tale of the Ruler of Tender Uncertainty
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I guess there was a part of me that somehow knew at least vaguely. Usually whenever Cier came home, he went right to his room to study, play video games, watch internet videos and other stuff. When I really thought about it, it made sense that he’d be watching kids’ cartoons like that in private. I’ve seen what verbal harassment could do to him in his earlier years. Now, he’s hesitant to trust any new face with his feelings.
I had half a mind to strangle the first guy that said, “Sticks and stones and may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But, the other half decided that the man was probably dead anyway. There was no point in beating up a dead corpse after all.
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Wagnesday
1:00 PM
Front Lawn
“This is a private residence,” I stated flatly, “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Sure, pops. We’ll leave… just as soon as we put down that beast of yours.”
“You can’t have my son,” I held my ground. Sure, I knew exactly what a gun was capable of, but that didn’t mean I was going to just let some yahoos waltz in and attack my son.
“Your loss, old man.”
“You wouldn’t dare-” started Cier.
*BANG!*
Burning pain ripped through my left shoulder. I could’ve sworn I heard a deep yell. It was probably me, now that I think about it. But, I had collapsed to my knees before I could fully comprehend the situation.
Is that my… blood? I thought as I looked at the red, growing stain, That’s not good. That’s not good… at all.
“Officer!” I heard Cier yell, “My dad needs an ambulance right now!”
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Wagnesday
2:50 - 3:00 PM
Hospital
Well, I must admit that this wasn’t the worst day ever. I mean a light brush of skin and blood cells from my shoulder? This was nothing compared to that time I got plowed over by a careless snowboarder that was going way too fast for his own good. Besides, I was right-handed. At least I didn’t lose anything important.
Those little terrorists had threatened my son and they were more than willing to hurt anyone else who got in their way. I couldn’t overlook that with apathy.
No, Terry, stop, I thought, Someone needs you right here and now.
Cier was crying. First and foremost, I was a father. That meant I needed to be there for my son.
“I’m here,” I whispered as I returned his hug.
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Wagnesday
5:20 - 5:30 PM
Living Room
This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve ever had to sweep up glass. Every few months or so, someone had a slip-up and one of our dishes broke all over the floor. Granted, this was a bit more than a dish. It was practically the entire front window. But that was all right. I still knew what to do.
Now, a sane man would probably question the validity of his son suddenly being a giant horsefly, or ‘changeling’ as he described it. Earlier this morning, I had questioned exactly that. Though, because of his particular mannerisms, his silent gestures, and his soft voice… all of it was how I knew Cier was in fact who he said he was.
Though, his ability to fly still baffled me. Wings of that span shouldn’t have been enough for him to lift, let alone hover. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how I was still so calm about the events. I guess it was because he was my son, first and foremost.
After I cleaned up the hilarious dinner mess, I went to work on what I could from home on my computer. With any luck, my absence from the office during those afternoon hours hadn’t left behind too much to do. Then again, I wasn’t one to rely on luck. That meant that there was plenty more to do.
Terrific, I thought.
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6:00 PM
That voice… that inclination… it couldn’t be… but it had to be.
“I…is that you,” I fumbled a bit, “Arlene?”
“Mom?” gaped Cier.
The little, white horse turned to look at him. I almost immediately saw a glint of recognition in her eyes. She ever so slowly walked to him until she was within a hand’s reach. Although in her case, I guess it was a hoof’s reach.
“Cier?” she gasped, “Oh my ghost, they got you too.”
First and foremost, I was Arlene’s husband. That meant I needed to be there for my wife. Carefully, I leaned over to complete the group hug. We needed this moment of silence.
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Threesday
7:00 AM
Bedroom
“Terry, we need to talk.”
The funny thing was that I had missed that orderly tone. Sure, life was never perfect. But, as long as I had Arlene by my side, everything felt better.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked while sitting up. I ignored the sting from my shoulder as best as I could. This was important.
“I saw that conference on the news the Sunday before last,” she started, “There’s supposed to be something important going on in New York.”
“You mean besides the stock exchange?” I smirked.
She just gave me… the look. First rule of the look: do not talk about the look.
“What’s the important something?” I tried redirecting back to her point.
“I don’t know for sure,” she admitted, “But it involved two of those ponies. I can’t really explain it. They just had this… regal air about them.”
“Okay,” I nodded trying to understand, “So what?”
“If Cier watches those particular ponies regularly,” Arlene deduced, “then there is a chance that he’s going to want to go to New York.”
“And we should be there with him,” I finished.
“Maybe we can find… I don’t know... a cure for this?” she wondered while using one of her legs(?) to point at herself. I wasn’t the world’s smartest man, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was talking about her change.
“I’ll get on it then,” I decided as I stood up next to the bed, “But first, how about some breakfast?”
Whatever had afflicted my wife and my son would soon be dealt with. First and foremost, I was the man of the house. That meant looking after my family, be it dangerous or supernatural. Without hesitation, I made plans to book our flight.
Next stop: New York.
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Fried-Zucchini-Day
10:00 AM
Gate *number withheld*
“Cier!” Arlene’s voice yelled.
Immediately I started running over from the place I had been standing. Why I thought being closer to the boarding pass counter would make our seat section get called sooner, I’ll never know. I had to make my way passed several bored passengers-to-be. The occasional “excuse me” and “pardon me” left my mouth as I finally arrived at the scene.
“What happened?”
Way to go, brain, I thought to myself in sarcasm, Ask the standard questions first.
Cier was on his side on the floor and Arlene was gazing in worry. I really hoped nothing like the other day’s gang attack had just happened. Just as I leaned down to try and check, he began to stand up. He shook his head slowly. Maybe he had just gotten a little dizzy. But what had happened to leave those bruise marks on his face?
“Cier, are you okay?” I asked.
“Relatively speaking,” he responded with a rasp.
“What happened to your voice?” wondered Arlene.
“What I can see of his mind is blurry and incomplete,” he said, not really answering the question, “I’m left with my own voice while he is unconscious.”
“I don’t understand,” said Arlene shaking her head.
“Yeah, you mind filling us in?” I inquired.
“My apologies, Sir Father and Lady Mother,” he stated, “Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am the fifty-first drone of her majesty Chrysalis. You may refer to me as Fifty-one if you desire.”
“Wait…” muttered Arlene before gasping, “You’re the pony whose body Cier is in!”
“That is mostly correct,” replied Cier, I mean Fifty-one, “As it is, I am not a pony. Rather my race is composed of changelings.”
“If you’re in dominance now,” said Arlene, “does that mean that Cier is…?”
“He is still living,” rasped Fifty-one, “Though, I can’t seem to figure out why his thoughts are silent right now.”
“Do you think he fainted?” I thought out loud.
“Fainted?” echoed Fifty-one, “This word is new to me. What does it mean?”
“He was straining his smile against all of his stress a minute ago,” nodded Arlene.
“Perhaps his lack of calm breathing finally caught up to him,” I proposed, “Though, this would be the first time he’s been capable of cutting his own breath short like that.”
“Fainted,” mulled Fifty-one as he looked down. He looked back up before saying, “Yes. That word seems appropriate.”
Our conversation with the changeling was cut short when our seat section was called.
“Oh, that’s us!” I exclaimed.
“What about Cier?” piped in Arlene.
“Fifty-one can board with us,” I smiled, “I’m sure Cier will wake up eventually.”
“Very well, father,” nodded Fifty-one curtly, “Lead onward.”
First and foremost, I was simultaneously charmed and disturbed by a complete stranger calling me ‘father’.