//------------------------------// // The Voice in the Pit // Story: Someone Else's Heart // by Effigy //------------------------------// Limbo trotted across the Bad Lands, his hooves crushing the occasional dry twig or knocking about the loose gravel so prevalent in this stretch of wilderness. The earth pony's silver-gray mane was being teased about by the wind, blowing in front of eyes set deep into the wrinkles of his face, scrunched up against the glare of the setting sun. As he slowly walked across the scrubland, Limbo scanned the horizon for any sign of civilization, and found none. Excellent. This was his kind of place. He found a suitable spot and began to arrange stones in a circle to form a campfire. Limbo began to hum as he worked on getting the pile of sticks ablaze. He was not wanting for dry kindling, and soon had a little fire up and blazing. He was just preparing to start his dinner when he caught a snippet of a voice carried on the wind. Looking around for the source of the noise, Limbo heard another small sound, and he would be damned if it didn't sound like some poor mare crying somewhere behind him. Getting up slowly and with much cracking in his joints, Limbo trotted away from his fire in search of the mare. As he walked, he began to notice a discoloration in the ground a few yards ahead. A closer examination revealed it to be a small crevice, and sure enough there appeared to be scraped up white unicorn mare at the bottom. Peering down at the poor lass, Limbo couldn't help but wonder how she'd gotten stuck there in the first place. "'Scuze me, ma'am, but might I offer you some assistance? I think you might be in a wee bit over yer head." The startled mare quickly looked up, amazed that someone had found her. "C-can you get me out of here?" she stammered, looking up at the miraculous pony above her. "Well, I can certainly try," he replied. "You just sit tight for a minute now, I'm gonna go fetch some rope. Don't you worry now, I'll be right back 'fore you even know I'm gone." --------------------- Limbo and the unicorn mare sat around the campfire warming their hooves while the night sky above them twinkled with the light of countless stars. He examined her closely while she stared deep into the fire, absorbed in her own ineffable thoughts. Her coat was a pure, brilliant white, making his own dusty brown fur seem drab and lackluster. Her mane was jet black, standing out against her coat beautifully. Her cutie mark was what looked like a double ended quill, writing a two separate lines of text simultaneously across her flank. Limbo coughed softly into his hoof to attract her attention, snapping her out of her reverie. "You'll have to excuse me, ma'am, but I don't think I ever caught your name." "Hmm? Ah. Forgive me. You may call me Salchonic." "It be a pretty name if'n I ever heard one. I go by Limbo, myself. It's not quite as interestin', but it describes what I do well enough." "And just what do you do, if I might ask?" "I wander. Never stay near any towns fer too long. I prefer to just kinda live in between, going wherever I see fit until I need to stock up on supplies again." "Well, I'm certainly glad you wandered out here. I don't know what I would have done otherwise." They lapsed into a brief silence, both trying to avoid thinking about what might have been, and neither quite managing it. Limbo pulled his saddlebag closer to where he was sitting, and extracted a few carrots and an apple from inside. "I don't got too much with me right now - I was actually planning on heading into town to restock soon - but what I got you're welcome to share." "Thank you - but I'm fine. Keep it for yourself." Limbo shrugged and took a bite put of the apple. "Suit yourself. I ain't gonna impose on yeh." He swallowed and cleared his throat before continuing. "Now, when the sun comes up, I'll just show you how to get back to town, and you can do as yeh please from there. We'll be headin' over in that direction." He pointed out behind him. By squinting, Salchonic could just barely make out the dim glowing light inherent to civilization. Salchonic quickly lapsed backed into her pensive staring at the fire, and Limbo finished his meal in silence. Not that the silence bothered him - he was used to spending months alone at a time. He worried about the mare, though. "Well, we've got a bit of a walk ahead of us, and I ain't as young as you are, miss. I'm turning in for the night. If'n you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me. G'night." "Night," Salchonic called back listlessly. She just continued to gaze into the depths of the fire while Limbo stepped a few yards away and laid down to sleep for the night. Salchonic waited patiently to hear the sounds of Limbo snoring. When his side was rising and falling in a steady rhythm, she let her disguise slowly melt away. As a wave of green magic slowly worked its way over her, Salchonic's coat became as dark as her mane. Her limbs became pitted and hollow, and a pair of insectile wings sprouted from her back. In the space of a few seconds, the form of Salchonic had been replaced by that of Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, still gazing into the depths of the fire. Only the previous day, she had been preparing to wed Shining Armor and overthrow Equestria from within. Quite a lot had happened since then. The blast wave that had thrown her unceremoniously from her seat of victory had devastated her troops. A great many died immediately from the shock, and many more died on impact. Chrysalis had landed far in the badlands, separated from the rest of her force. The Changeling landing closest to her had been almost a half mile away, and was dead by the time she reached him. She had no information on where any of the others may have ended up. So she had chosen a direction at random and struck out in search of, well, anything. By the next day, she was starving for lack of love, and didn't have the energy to fly or cast any but the most basic of spells. Exhausted and dangerously malnourished, she had lost her footing at the worst possible time, and was sent plunging into the crevice that Limbo had found her in. In the hours before Limbo's arrival, Chrysalis had had nothing to do but think. She wondered incessantly over what she had done wrong, and how she might be able to extract revenge upon her persecutors. She wondered about the fate of her Changeling army, and how they were faring in the Badlands. As she pondered such topics, she came to the grim realization that she was effectively finished. She had almost no power left to her, and was starving in a pit. By now, most of her subjects would be starving as well, scattered throughout the Badlands as they were. There was little to do but admit defeat. She could never return to the power she once had - the most realistic goal for her now would be to somehow manage to escape the pit she had fallen in and manage to start over as a commoner without revealing her identity. To the battle-worn and overly weary queen, the prospect actually seemed inviting. Certainly it was better than insisting on fighting a battle she could not hope to win. Chrysalis pulled herself once more from her musings and glanced up from then fire at the tawny stallion sleeping across from her. She had been slowly feeding off his love for travel since he had rescued her. Not enough to kill him, but enough to fill her stomach and keep her going. She had no intentions of staying with Limbo until morning. She needed to get moving and find a store of love to feed on, or face the continual risk of starvation alone. But the stallion had saved her life... and despite being as selfish and vain as she often was, Chrysalis was a good queen, and never failed to reward those whom aided her. The changeling roused herself from her thoughts and stood up, trotting over to where Limbo lay sleeping. She stood between him and the fire, her tall form casting a long shadow over him. The stallion was old, to an alarming degree. He may have been made fit by his wandering lifestyle, but his bones creaked and popped, and he looked out at the world with jaded eyes. It was obvious he didn't have many years left to him. Reaching into her stores of magic, Chrysalis called upon the spell she used to change her appearance, and directed it instead at the sleeping pony. A small gleam of green light blossomed at Limbo's snout before quickly ringing his jaw. Expanding to fit his form, the circle of green energy worked its way across his body, slightly altering everything it touched. By the time it had reached his tail and tapered off to nothing, a very different pony laid in Chrysalis' shadow. Limbo was young. His mane no longer held dashes of gray, instead gleaming a pure silver in the flickering firelight. The wrinkles on his face and muzzle had been smoothed, and powerful muscles rippled slightly in his legs, shoulders, and hips. In the space of two minutes, Chrysalis had easily added twenty-five years to his life. Looking down at her handiwork, she allowed herself a wry smile at thought of the stallion waking. No doubt he would consider the entire event a miracle - he would probably think that Chrysalis had been an angel of some sort. Looking once more over his now youthful form, Chrysalis noticed Limbo's cutie mark for the first time - a simple compass rose. Fitting, for somepony who spent their entire life wandering the map. Breathing in a final small meal of Limbo's love for travel, Chrysalis donned her white coated shape once more, and set out toward the distant glow of lights. ---------------------- As Chrysalis trotted on through the night, she slowly came to be walking parallel to a dense forest that seemed to stretch far ahead, reaching almost as far as her destination city. She stopped for a minute to catch her breath and gain some information. Turning to the forest, Chrysalis tilted her head back and howled, the perfect imitation of a wolf. It was a trick that never failed - no matter the forest, there were always wolves of some kind, and they always heeded Chrysalis's summons. Sure enough, it was not long before a wolf padded on heavy paws to the edge of the forest, staring unblinkingly at the white and black pony with fierce yellow eyes. "What information do you seek, wolf-caller?" To Chrysalis, it's voice was slow and measured. To anyone else, it would have been an unintelligible growling. Thanking fate for the gift of tongues that let her disguise herself anywhere without worrying about language, Chrysalis replied in the same manner. "I am heading into the nearby town. What can you tell me about it and its inhabitants?" The wolf frowned, his brow creased with the effort of remembering small details learned long ago. "Town is very happy, especially pink pegasus by forest. Pink pegasus is kind to animals, even wolves. We do not go into town in respect to her." "How far away is the town from here?" "Walk until sunrise and you will be there. Sooner if you run." "Thank you. You have told me what I need. You are free to leave." Nodding gently, the wolf turned around and padded back into the woods as Chrysalis turned toward the ever-present glow on the horizon. "Walk until sunrise... Easy enough," she muttered to herself, setting off once more. And, an hour and a half later, Chrysalis passed a small cottage by the Everfree Forest and took her first step into Ponyville.