//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: Blood and Chitin 
// Story: A Cold Night's Sleep 
// by CamoBadger 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 10: Blood and Chitin
 
                A cold breeze flowed through the mare’s mane as she sat outside the station in waiting while a chill of uncertainty filled her body. The excitement of Lug Nut being released had faded in the aftermath of the fleeing town, and her eyes darted between sobbing parents and children who still beckoned for their loved ones to return. A soft ache persisted in Ice’s horn as she sat; the remainder of her exertion after trying to stop the column of ponies nearly half an hour before.
 
                And yet, seeing all of the sad ponies around her didn’t let her join them. She had lost someone with that crowd; Lemon had run off with them too, completely ignoring Ice’s existence as she went. They had been friends since they were fillies, and in just one day the yellow pony had seemed to completely forget about her. But she still felt no sadness for her friend, no grief, no fear for where she might end up. She felt nothing for Lemon.
 
                Behind her, the doors finally swung open and Lug stepped out into the brisk morning. A small grin cracked his lips, and the mare quickly trotted to his side. His smile faded at the sight of the still distraught mare, and he wasted no time in asking what was wrong.
 
                “The town…half of them just left,” she explained quickly, trying to think back to what had happened. “They didn’t pay attention to anyone, even their wives or foals.”
 
                “They just left without saying anything?” Lug clarified, not sure what to think of Ice’s explanation.
 
                “Yes. I even made a wall to stop them and they just went around it.”
 
                “A wall?” he asked with a cocked eyebrow.
 
                “Yes,” she confirmed. “But that isn’t the point. The point is that they never responded to anything. They looked like they were zombies or something.”
 
                “Zombies?”
 
                “Not real zombies, just… they acted like them,” the mare pressed, growing frustrated with Lug’s lack of understanding. “And now they’re all going Celestia knows where.”
 
                “Okay. What do you want me to do about it?” the stallion asked roughly, sitting down in front of her.
 
                “I don’t know… we should go after them or something!” Ice waved a hoof toward the town’s gate.
 
                “Why? They must have left for a reason.”
 
                “Without telling anyone why?”
 
                Lug sighed and shook his head, looking to the forest around the town. “What will that help? If they didn’t respond before, why would that change just because we went after them?”
 
                “I don’t know, but it’s worth a try right?” the mare pleaded, placing a hoof on Lug’s shoulder. “Please?”
 
                The stallion stared at her for a few seconds, not sure if it was such a good idea to run off after a cluster of ponies that obviously wanted to leave. He took a moment to look around and saw that she wasn’t the only one worried over the missing ponies. Families with missing loved ones begged for their return, fathers tried to calm crying children screaming  for their mother; it was a sad sight to see.  He turned back and sighed. Ice was right, it couldn’t hurt to find out where the others ran off to, and at the very least maybe following them would put her at ease.
 
“Fine. Do you think we can follow their tracks?”
 
                Ice nodded and grinned before throwing her hooves around Lug’s neck. “Thank you.”
 
                The stallion froze as he was pulled into the embrace, not sure how to react to such a gesture. After a few seconds, he loosely placed a hoof on her back. “You’re welcome…”
 

< < < > > >


 

                “Well they certainly didn’t bother trying to cover their tracks,” Lug commented as the pair trotted alongside the wider trail were the group of escaping ponies had run. Even through the forest it was easy to follow the trail around the snow coated trees and bushes, and once it reached the plains beyond the stampede’s path could be seen for miles ahead. 
 
                “I guess not,” Ice agreed with a smile. “Lucky us right?”
 
                “You could say that,” the stallion replied simply. His eyes were locked ahead of them as they followed the trail and a determined look was carved over his face.
 
                The two ponies hadn’t wasted much time getting going after Lug was released from custody, taking just long enough to gather their bags and anything else they thought they’d need for the trip. Ice had shuddered a bit at the thought of running out into the world again, especially once she wrapped the old shawl around her neck and head. It had been years since she’d worn the thing, and it didn’t necessarily bring back good memories for her. But it had never let her down before, and even after so long it still kept her ears and neck toasty through the wind and bitter cold of the Frozen North.
 
                Lug had only brought the bags he’d arrived in Snowhoof with, laden down with whatever parts and supplies he carried around with him in his own travels. They looked much heavier than Ice’s did, but then again he was a bit bigger and could carry more weight than the petite unicorn accompanying him. The mare couldn’t tell what he was carrying, but she had a feeling it was more than the assorted snacks and small pouch of bits she carried in her single bag. It was less than she’d carried the first time she left Snowhoof, but she didn’t imagine being gone for almost three years again.
 
                The mare shook the thought from her head and turned her focus back to the sprawling plains around them. It wasn’t too hard to keep track of the trail for her as the magic which provided her vision almost seemed to highlight the path through the otherwise perfectly flat field of snow.
 
                “Any idea where this might lead?” Lug finally spoke up, turning his head to Ice.
 
                The mare thought back to what she could remember about the area surrounding Snowhoof for any memories of what was out the way they were heading. “Um, there’s a little pine forest out this way. Just through there is a little outpost where you can rent a blimp,” she replied after a few moments, hoping that it hadn’t changed too much over the years.
 
                “A blimp? Do you think that’s where they’re going?” Lug asked, a skeptical look over his face.
 
                “I don’t think so, it can only carry 10 ponies at a time,” Ice recalled, but quickly corrected. “Unless Hot Air got a new one.”
 
                Lug deadpanned and sighed. “Is there anything else this way?”
 
                “Um,” the mare looked down in thought, racking her brain for any memories of what might be the way they were running. “Oh! The Crystal Empire appeared out this way a few years ago.”
 
                “Would they go there?” Lug asked, not sure what to think of that.
 
                “I don’t know. Maybe,” the mare replied with a little shrug while she ran. “It’s the closest place with a train station to mainland Equestria, so it’s the fastest way to get around.”
 
                “I guess we’ll see then,” the stallion said flatly and turned back to the trail.
 
                Ice took a second to watch him as he ran; he was so determined and focused, even after being so hesitant to go with her at all. She couldn’t begin to guess what had made him decide to go with her after seeming so reluctant, but she didn’t really care either. What mattered was that he was helping her even though Snowhoof wasn’t his home, and the ponies there weren’t his friends. And yet there he was beside her, rushing forward with his lean, muscular body propelled by those strong, sturdy legs.
 
                The mare quickly looked away and tried to hide the blush forming across her face, pretending to be looking out over the mountains south of them. She didn’t know if Lug had caught her staring, or rather admiring, him, but she really hoped he didn’t.
 

< < < > > >


 

                When the pair of ponies reached the small forest Ice had mentioned, Ice suggested they should stop for the night. The sun had almost dipped completely under the horizon when they finally got to the trees, and she was insistent that no matter how much she wanted to keep going, night time in the North was no time to travel. Lug took her word for it and dropped his bags in a small alcove of trees, followed closely by Ice.
 
                Lug wasted no time after that lighting a small fire to warm the two and to cook whatever food they might want to, but that never happened. Ice took out a small bag of granola and snacked on it while the stallion pulled an apple from his own bag. The two ate silently, staring into the flickering flames from a few feet away. Ice had wanted to sit a little closer so that her back might be able to be spared a little of the night’s chill, but Lug insisted he was fine further back. Despite insisting that she could sit closer if she wanted, the mare refused and sat back with him as she ate.
 
                “So… what do you do in Manehattan?” Ice finally asked after almost an hour of complete silence around the fire. She almost didn’t ask, but realized that she had never asked him before, and that technically the two were going on a date at some point.
 
                “I run a little shop,” Lug answered simply, still staring into the fire.
 
                Ice nodded and looked over to him, waiting for the stallion to say more, but he never did. “What kind of shop?” she asked, still trying to stay cheery and friendly, hoping that he would open up a little more like he had the first night at the bar.
 
                “Uh, I guess it would be an antique shop,” the stallion replied, unsure.
 
                “So you sell old clocks and stuff?”
 
                “Some, but mostly things I build,” Lug explained.
 
                “You build clocks? That’s cool,” the mare replied with a grin. “Is that why you were looking for parts in Snowhoof?”
 
                “Not just clocks, but yeah.”
 
                Ice looked away and frowned lightly at the simple answers Lug was giving her, trying to think of a way to get him more talkative. “Um… what other things do you build?”
 
                “Lots of things,” he replied simply once again.
 
                “Like what?” Ice replied with an interested smile.
 
                “Uh,” Lug looked down and slightly over to her. “Whatever I think of.” He saw the smile over her face and tried to think of an example. “I made a crossbow once.”
 
                “What’s a crossbow?”
 
                “It’s, uh… it’s a…” the stallion paused as he tried to think of a way to describe the invention. “It’s like… a catapult that shoots little spears.” He didn’t know if that was the best description, but he couldn’t think of any better way to explain it.
 
                “Why would you make that?” Ice asked with a cocked brow. “Wouldn’t it be dangerous?”
 
                “Well yeah,” he replied. “But Manehatten isn’t exactly a safe city, so maybe someone would want something like that… for protection of course,” he added quickly, making it very clear he didn’t do it just to hurt ponies.
 
                Ice stared at him for a few moments, her face still showing confusion until she quickly smiled again. “That makes sense.” She quickly thought of another question to keep the buck talking. “How does it work?”
 
                The stallion sighed internally as the questions continued not too excited about being bombarded by the mare. Still, he could tell she was just curious. “It has this string that you pull back and lock under a lever,” he started telling her. “Then you put the bolt, the small spear, in front of the string and you pull another lever to let the string go and shoot the bolt out.” He didn’t think it was the most descriptive answer he could have given, but then again Ice didn’t seem like she knew much about how machines worked and he didn’t want to confuse her and invite more questions.
 
                “That sounds pretty difficult,” the mare responded, still smiling. “You must be pretty creative.”
 
                “Uh… you could say that,” the buck answered and turned back to the fire, much to Ice’s chagrin.
 
                She quickly tried to think of another question, and said the first thing that came to her mind. “Have you… met many mares where you live?”
 
                To her surprise, Lug spun his head to her with an unsettled stare. She flinched slightly at his look, and her smile quickly faded as she realized she’d done something very, very wrong. “I’m going to bed, put out the fire whenever you’re ready.” The buck stood up and trotted to his bag, laying his head on the bulging fabric with a huff.
 
                Ice opened her mouth to say something and reached a hoof to the stallion, but no words escaped her. Instead, she closed her mouth and dejectedly dropped her hoof to the snow, not knowing how to apologize or why asking him that had gotten the reaction she’d received. A soft blue aura wrapped around a pile of snow behind her and floated over the small fire before dropping and extinguishing the flames with a hiss.
 
                She stood and went to lay by Lug, but thought better of it and slowly trotted to the other side of the alcove, gently moving the snow from a patch of ground before curling around herself to try and get some sleep. She kicked herself internally for asking that question, and for not having the mind to apologize to him, even if she didn’t know why it was so bad to ask. The mare’s magic still allowed her to see him lying across the camp, and she quietly rolled to face the other way, not wanting to see him so upset with her for what she’d done.
 
                Once she turned, her vision was filled by the sight of twelve legs only inches from her, leading up to three faces glaring down at her. The mare rolled and screamed at the sight, only to be enveloped in a glow of magic that lifted her from the ground. She could recognize one of them, the unicorn lifting her up. She’d never actually talked with the stallion before, but she had seen him buying smoothies from Lemon before.
 
                Before she knew what was happening, a rock flew across the camp and into the other unicorn’s head, disrupting his magic and dropping Ice to the ground roughly. Another of the ponies, a pegasus in a police vest, dove at Lug and tackled him to the ground. The other two stayed focused on Ice, quickly moving forward at her. The mare felt a cold grip around her heart, and a clump of snow shot into each of the aggressor’s faces, bringing them to a stop.
 
                Ice quickly jumped to her hooves and started making snowballs, not wanting to hurt the ponies from Snowhoof even if they were attacking her and Lug. She launched a ball at the pegasus that was wrestling with lug, dazing the pony long enough for Lug to land a blow. A barrage of snowballs lifted and launched at the other two, tripping them and forcing them to shield their faces from the attack.
 
                “Stop that!” the unicorn yelled as his magic wrapped around Ice’s hooves and pulled her into the air, cutting off her focus and dropping the remaining balls of snow to the ground. Without warning, another rock flew through the air and cracked into the unicorn’s head again, this time causing him to wobble and fall limply to the snow before dropping Ice flat on her back.
 
                The final attacker, an earth pony, jumped toward Lug with a branch sticking from her mouth, swinging it viciously at him. The stallion backed up from each swing, narrowly avoiding the branch and trying to find a chance to hit back. As the mare swung particularly hard, once again barely missing Lug, he drove a hoof into her neck. She coughed and dropped the branch before falling to the ground and gripping at her throat with her hooves. Her eyes bulged as she fought for breath, and her face quickly twisted into a look of panic. Lug ignored her and ran to Ice, helping her stand back up as the earth pony finally lost consciousness.
 
                Ice threw her hooves around Lug’s neck, whispering a ‘thank you’ into his ear over and over. The buck froze and thought about telling her not to thank him, but if the last time was any indication, she would say it regardless. His eyes locked on the unicorn he’d stoned, and widened as the skin melted away in a green blaze, replaced by a black shell.
 
                “Ice, stop,” he quickly told her, pushing the unicorn off gently. She looked at him with a worried glance, but pulled away as he asked. “Look.” He pointed to the body as it finished the transformation, replacing the unicorn with an insectoid equine.
 
                Ice gasped at the sight of the thing, and quickly turned back to Lug. “What is it?”
 
                “A changeling, didn’t you hear about the attack on Canterlot years ago?”
 
                “Well, yeah but I never heard what they looked like,” she replied in a panicked tone. “What are they doing here? Didn’t Princess Cadence and Prince Shining exile them or something?”
 
                “I don’t know, but it explains why -”
 
                He was cut off by a groan from behind them. The two ponies turned to face the noise, and saw the pegasus attacker standing up with a wobble as he rubbed his head. Lug quickly trotted over and pushed the pony back to the ground, standing over him and pressing a hoof into the imposter’s chest.
 
                “You can turn back, changeling,” he growled down at the pony, his teeth bared in a vicious scowl.
 
                As directed, the pony was engulfed in a green flame that burnt away the skin and coat to reveal the chitin hidden underneath. “Get off me, pony,” the newly feminine voice rasped.
 
                Lug just growled again and pushed down on the changeling’s chest with new force, pulling a wheeze from her.
 
                “Lug, stop,” Ice begged and pushed at his side. “It might be able to tell us where the others went.” Lug sighed but agreed, removing his hoof while still standing over the changeling with a stern glare.
 
                The black equine coughed before replying. “Thank you, Blue One,” she clicked.
 
                “You heard her, where are the others going?” Lug grumbled, obviously upset that Ice had stopped him.
 
                “Wherever the storm goes,” the changeling replied cryptically. “That is all I know.”
 
                “What storm?” Ice asked from beside Lug, sounding upset but not angry like the stallion beside her was.
 
                “You are from the Snowhoof, yes? Do you not recall the blizzard?”
 
                Ice frowned. “You made that happen?”
 
                A raspy chuckle escaped the imposter, and she shook her head. “No, we were only told that it was to help us. I do not know what magic makes it, or where it chooses to lead us.”
 
                Lug placed his hoof on the changeling’s neck and grumbled as he pushed just hard enough cut off her breathing. “Thank you for the help.”
 
                “Lug, no!” Ice said again, pushing his hoof off the black equine’s chest, gaining a disgruntled stare from the stallion.
 
                “What now?”
 
                “If they’re all changelings, aren’t the real ponies hidden somewhere back in Snowhoof?” she asked with a concerned look. “It might be able to take us to them.”
 
                Lug sighed and glared back down at the changeling. “Get up. We’ll leave in the morning.”
 
                “And what makes you think I will still be here when you wake?” she hissed in response, a smug smirk creeping across her muzzle.
 
                Lug returned it with a smirk of his own, which quickly removed the changeling’s.
 
                After a few minutes of hissing and grunting, Lug backed away from his work and smiled. “Sleep well,” he chided as he walked back to his bags to lie down again.
 
                “This is not amusing,” the chitin coated equine hissed angrily as she glared at the two ponies from the tree trunk they had tied her to.
 
                “Good night,” Ice told her rather cheerily, apparently amused by Lug’s choice of restraining the changeling. She just clicked angrily in response.