Amor had been walking for hours. He knew where he was going, and he knew what he was going to do. His magic was strong enough to destroy ten changelings at a time, but that was only if they were in a group. But overall, Amor would kill them all. On the outside, his face showed a dead, emotionless look that spoke no words, but in his mind, Amor looked savage.
It was then that Amor felt he was being watched from nearby. Someone, or something, was watching, following his every move. Amor didn’t hesitate. He spun around rapidly and let out a large blast of energy into a nearby bush, watching as the leaves burned in the emerald fire. He heard yelping, and soon after his stalker, a young timberwolf, ran as far away as he could, fire burning through his wooden flesh.
Amor continued on his trek, crossing a set of train tracks as he came to a mountain. He stared at the top of the nameless mountain, clouds blocking his view. If he went to the left, he would end up in the Baltimare camp, and he didn’t want anyone to know what he was doing. But if he was to go to his right, which was the much more sensible and quicker route, he would end up walking down the train tracks for a good hour. He looked back at his wings and gave them a quick beat. “If the train comes, I’ll be fine.” After throwing his intuition to the side, he trotted off to the train tracks. Luckily, the train was nowhere to be found.
At the point where the tracks bent around the mountain, Amor stopped following them, heading straight into a thin stretch of woods. He knew quite well what waited for him in there. Somewhere in this stretch of trees was a camp set up by one of Hornet’s groups, and he was set on destroying it. He didn’t have a map, but he knew he was getting close. So where was everything? There was no sign that anyone was there, or has ever been there for the last few years. Was it possible that those changelings mislead him? Did they send him on a wild goose chase, hoping that they would be freed if they told him something? Suddenly, Amor heard a familiar chirping, something he knew too well to be comfortable.
Slowly, calmly, Amor looked above him. What he saw lead him to believe he would die here. In the trees above him, dozens of changeling soldiers wearing navy blue armor covered every tree and every branch above. It finally became clear to him. This wasn’t a camp. He was set up. He knew he couldn’t kill them all, but if he was going down, he was taking as many of them as he could with him. His horn began to glow.
“Come on! You want me?” He drew his sword, taking it in his jaws. “If I fall, I’m dragging everybody down with me!” The soldiers were hesitant. They knew their orders, but none of them were ready to die. Even if they outnumbered him one to fifty, they knew someone would die. The first one leapt, and Amor immediately shot him down. Two more leaped, the first was shot down, the other landed right on his sword. Three dead bodies laid around Amor, and he was set to drop more. The largest hissed to the group, the voiceless way of communication among changelings that was rarely used. Get that sword away from him! At the command, the whole horde jumped. Amor let a massive overcharge out of the tip of his horn, taking out almost ten changelings. The rest hit the ground, charging at Amor at full speed. Swinging his sword like a mad pony, he hit three more before a rather large changeling tackled him, knocking the blade out of his grip. Rolling over, Amor kicked him off while he tried to get his sword back. Before he could reach it, the leader stepped on the blade, stopping Amor from picking it up. Converting back to English, he spoke clearly.
“Game over.” With one swift and powerful movement, he smashed his front leg into Amor’s face, knocking him out cold.
……….
Amor had no idea how long he was out, as if it mattered. He wasn’t even sure where he was at. He did feel like gravity had shifted somehow. His head was throbbing. “Why does it feel like I was kicked in the head by a…oh right.” His eyes slowly crept open, expecting the blinding light of the sun overhead. It was then he began putting the pieces together. The first thing he saw was the floor, built of cold stone. Picking his head up off of his chest, he looked around the dark room, stone walls all around him. In the center of the room, a large emerald fire was the only light he had, but it only made his headache worse when he looked at it. To his right, he saw a very familiar set of armor placed on a table. He tried to move, but something was stopping him. He looked at his numb front hooves. Metallic chains hanging from the ceiling held him in place. Slowly, yet surely, the feeling came back into his legs, and it wasn’t good. When he finally followed the chains down to his hooves, he saw that the cuffs were hooked through the extremely sensitive holes in them, which would be the cause of the pain.
“The downfall of being a changeling, huh?” Amor’s glare looked up to see a changeling standing in front of a large steel door. The first thing he did was try to burn the changeling, but his horn didn’t even let out a dim glow. “Don’t strain yourself, or go ahead, I don’t really care.” The changeling walked into the light, and Amor saw a simple drone. “What’s the matter? Don’t recognize me?”
As true as that was, it didn’t take a genius to tell who it was that was standing in front of him. “Hornet.”
“Oh, very good!” Amor snorted at him. “Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Tell me where your ‘queen’ is hiding, and I won’t torture you.”
“I’d sooner watch you choke on your own wax.”
“Is that any way to talk to the one who chooses whether you live or die?” The changeling walked closer and kicked Amor in his flank, producing a loud crack. Amor didn’t know if it was his leg breaking or just the impact of hoof on bone, either way, it hurt, but nowhere near enough to break him. “Nothing? I didn’t think so. You’re too strong to break physically.” He turned to the door. “Alright, bring it in!”
Amor grinned “It will take much more than a little pain. If a timberwolf alpha male couldn’t do it, what makes you think you will?”
An evil smile spread across Hornet’s already twisted face. “You didn’t think I would hurt you, did you? There is more than one way to torture a changeling. If physical doesn’t work…” suddenly, two changeling walked in dragging something large behind them, a trail of some crimson liquid following behind them, and it was quite obvious what that was. “…then emotional might.” The heap began to move, slowly, moaning in pain. “Shut up, you bitch!” Hornet walked over and kicked it until it stopped moving.
Amor was afraid of the answer he would receive. “W-what is that?” Hornet let the smile onto his face again. He grabbed something protruding out of the shadowy figure and began dragging it over to Amor, holding it to his face.
In front of Amor, half dead, was Chrysalis, Hornet was holding her by her horn. He threw her to the ground. “How do you feel now? Ready to tell me?”
Amor gritted his teeth. “I’ll kill you. Let her go!”
“And why would I do that? I like having a slave.” Hornet seemed to like the reaction he was getting out of Amor, so he continued. “You know, I’ve always found your queen quite…seductive. Maybe I’ll have a little fun while she’s here.” Amor barred his fangs.
“I swear if you don’t let her go…”
He stopped when he heard her moving again. “Amor…”
“I said shut up!” Hornet gave her another kick.
“Stop!”
He looked Amor in the eyes before stopping his action. Hornet walked to the door, leaving Chrysalis in her own blood. “Since neither of you are in any condition to move, I’ll leave you be. Don’t try anything while I’m gone.” Hornet left, closing the door tight behind him. Chrysalis lied motionless on the ground, barely breathing. Amor began struggling against his cuffs, trying anything to break free.
“Amor…I’m so sorry.”
Amor stopped struggling. “It’s not your fault. No one could have seen it coming, and anyone would have made the same mistake in your place.”
“No…this. He used me…to get to you. Do not…tell him anything…no matter what he does.” Chrysalis was at her hooves at this point. She was wobbly, barely able to stand on her own. After three shaky steps, she fell just in front of Amor.
“What do you mean he used you?”
“I don’t know…it’s as if…he thought it would send you into a rage.” She raised her hoof as high as she could, barely able to wrap it around Amor’s back leg. “I’m so sorry.”
“No. This is my fault. It’s always been my fault. I’m sorry.”
A light smile spread across Chrysalis’s face. “We have to stop blaming ourselves.” This wasn’t exactly the reunion Amor was hoping for.
Just then, Hornet burst back through the door. “What do you think you’re doing?” The smile on Chrysalis’s face was quickly replaced by a look of fear. Hornet dragged her away from Amor and began beating her, hitting and kicking her in any vulnerable place. She began whimpering in pain and fear.
“Leave her alone!”
“Shut up!” He kept kicking at her. At this point, she had stopped moving. She wasn’t making any more noise.
“If I could move I would rip your throat out!”
Hornet smiled at the reactions he was getting. “How do you feel, knowing you are so close, yet too helpless to help her? I could do anything I want to her right now, and you can’t do a thing.” Amor was snarling at this point. “What are you going to do?”
“I will break your horn off, shove it into your eye, cut your head off, stick it on a spear, and parade it through your sorry excuse for a hive if you don’t let her go!”
Hornet wrapped his hoof around Amor’s throat. “I’d like to see you try, considering what position you’re in.” Amor swung his head around and snapped his jaw shut on the front leg that was at his neck, his fangs nearly going all the way through. “AAAHH, you bastard!” Hornet pulled his hoof back, flesh catching in Amor’s bloodied teeth. Hornet spun around and double-barreled him in the gut, knocking all the air out of him. He kicked again, hitting higher this time. Each time he made contact, Amor wanted to snarl like a wild dog, but the first kick made it impossible to draw in any air. Hornet finally calmed down. “If I didn’t need answers, I would have killed you a long time ago. Come on, bitch.” Hornet grabbed Chrysalis by the horn again and dragged her out the door, leaving Amor alone in the room. Hornet turned back to look at Amor again. “We’ll be back, and if you don’t tell me anything, she’ll be in much worse shape next time.”