//------------------------------// // Escalation // Story: An Affliction of the Heart: Volume Four // by Anonymous Pegasus //------------------------------// Warden felt the dull thud of his rump hitting the ground, but wasn’t aware of any conscious movement he had made to sit down. Swarm stepped closer to him, tutting. “Is that any way to greet your old wife?” Warden stared. And stared. And stared. “Y-you died,” he managed to say from around the lump in his throat. “Died is such a… subjective term,” Swarm responded conversationally, sitting down in front of Warden and giving an idle stretch. Her horn glowed, brushing her mane out of her eyes. “The entity known as Swarm certainly died.” “B-but you’re Swarm,” Warden murmured weakly. “Also correct,” Swarm said, nodding once. “Or should I say, Swarm is part of me. Swarm is a… mask I assumed.” “A mask?” Warden asked, completely wrong-footed. “I’m a changeling, dolt,” Swarm said fondly, shaking her head. “Couldn’t you put that together in your thick skull?” Warden stared at her for several long moments, head lowering. “But.. you couldn’t be. I would have known.” Swarm rolled her eyes, stepping forwards and lifting her hoof to trace along his cheek gently. Warden flinched back, but Swarm persisted, holding his cheek. “You always were a little dense…” “B-but… That…” Warden protested, shaking his head firmly. “You died.” “I’m a changeling!” Swarm hissed, her horn glowing angrily, sending a spray of sparks shooting from the end. One of them landed on Warden’s nose, burning the fur and making him flail backwards in surprise. “I faked my death, you idiot.” “T-there were death papers…” Warden protested weakly, ears pinning back fully. “Faked as well,” Swarm said with an idle wave of a hoof. “Amazing what you can do when you can be somepony.” “But… the funeral…” Warden said, holding a hoof against his head, clenching his eyes closed. “Closed casket, remember?” Swarm cooed, rubbing a hoof along his cheek slowly, soothing him. “You never saw my body, did you?” “I… I don’t…” Warden murmured, shaking his head, brow furrowing. “Did you?” Swarm asked, a low growl creeping into her tone. “I… no… I didn’t,” Warden admitted, taking a step away from the unicorn, shaking his head, the lump returning to his throat. “W-why are you here?!” “Isn’t it obviously?” Swarm asked, an eyebrow raising. “I’m here to save you.” “S-save me?” Warden stammered. “From yourself. Or, more accurately, from your ‘wife’,” Swarm explained, snorting once. “She’s been getting a free meal ticket from you for the last few years.” Warden’s ears splayed back against his skull, and his wings fluttered uncertainly. “S-she loves me...” “Are you so sure about that?” Swarm asked bluntly, head tilting to the left and an ear perking up at him. “Tell me how much ‘falling in love’ you’ve done with her?” “Well… the first time was definitely her using the spell on me…” Warden admitted, scratching at one leg with the opposite hoof, looking away. “But the second time… the real time…” “Yes?” Swarm asked, tapping her hoof against the ground impatiently. “Well… I was… I was at your grave…” Warden said, frowning deeply. “This isn’t about me, this is about you,” Swarm said, snorting once and poking his chest with a hoof. “She… she came after me. She was scared of losing me…” Warden explained, brows furrowed. Swarm tutted. “Right. Scared of losing her abundant food source.” “No… I fell in love with her. I… I remembered all the times we had together… all the things we’d experienced… once I stopped hating her for what she did, once I forgave her, I fell in love with her again,” Warden said, scratching a hoof against his head in agitation. “Just like that?” Swarm asked bluntly. Warden’s ears pinned back slowly. “Just. Like. That.” Swarm tapped her hoof on the ground slowly. “Does this seem convenient to you? You fell in love with her moments after hating her? Doesn’t that sound like a spell to you, Warden? I know you’re dense sometimes, but geeze!” Warden looked away, biting his bottom lip, feeling tears brimming in his eyes. “And now you’re crying,” Swarm said with a huff, stamping her hoof. “Why, oh why are you crying?” Warden lowered his head, staring down at his forehooves, watching a teardrop spill to the ground. “Because… because I’m feeling my world collapse all around me…” “Well I never lied to you,” Swarm cooed, a purr in her voice. “E-except for the time you faked your death to get away from me…” Warden said quietly. Swarm gave a low growl. “I grew bored. What was I to do?” “I don’t remember you being such a bitch,” Warden added, his tone just as quiet. “That was me pretending. That was me being Swarm,” Swarm said with a sneer. “I am not Swarm. I am a changeling.” Warden kicked at the ground with a hoof. “Why are you here? What do you want? Are you here to feed on my misery like a windigo?” Swarm gave a thoughtful hum at that, and then smirked. “I want you back.” “You want… want what?” Warden asked blankly, lifting his gaze to her own, eyes rimmed in red. “I want you back,” Swarm purred, moving to stand beside him, brushing along his side, leaning in to lave her tongue gently against his neck. “Your love for me was never a construct. It was never a travesty. Never fake. I can make you happy. I can make every day of yours bliss.” “B-but I’m happy with Kuno!” Warden protested, shaking his head firmly and trying to push away. Swarm growled, wrapping a hoof around his shoulders. “Are you? Are you really, Warden? Now that you know that she’s kept you under the spell not once, but twice?” Warden frowned, staring down at his forehooves, kicking at the dirt again. “But… I…” “Say it,” Swarm hissed faintly. “I… I won’t be happy with her…” Warden said quietly, biting his bottom lip as fresh tears spilled down to the ground. “Good boy,” Swarm cooed, brushing her tongue up the arch of his neck slowly. “W-what do you get out of this?” Warden asked plaintively. “Besides the neverending supply of love?” Swarm hummed, her horn glowing happily. “Well… I’d have your happiness.” “My… my happiness?” Warden asked blankly. “I… I’m happy with Kuno, and you’re destroying that!” “What is happiness if it’s just a construct?” Swarm asked flatly, eyes narrowing. “I won’t screw you around, Warden. I won’t lie to you. I won’t deceive you. I’ll be frank and truthful. Would you prefer somepony who lies? Somepony who deceives? Somepony who lies to your face just to make you happy? Is that true happiness?” Warden recoiled slightly, ears splaying, head lowering again. “N-no… No… that’s not happiness.” “I’ll keep you happy because I know that keeping you happy will keep you loving me, which in turn, keeps me fed,” Swarm purred, squeezing his shoulders lightly with her hooves. “See? I won’t lie to you. My goals may be selfish… but it is in my best interest to keep you happy. As is the founding principle of all relationships.” “You don’t love me?” Warden asked plaintively. “Love is such a… subjective term,” Swarm said with a wave of a hoof. “We consume love, Warden. Do you feel food? Can you feel it?” “I… no… no I can’t ‘feel’ food,” Warden admitted, looking away and biting his bottom lip. “Thus, a changeling cannot feel love. We can’t love. It makes it rather a nice defense mechanism to keep us from consuming the love of each other,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “But… Kuno… do you mean…” Warden murmured, staggering slightly, feeling dizzy. “Does she love you? No. She just sees the perfect food source, and will do anything to keep it within her grasp,” Swarm said with a derisive snort. “Is that the life you want? To be a pawn to a love-sucking vampire?” “But you… you’re a changeling too,” Warden murmured faintly. Swarm gave a low growl. “But I am a changeling that will not lie to you, nor deceive. I will be straight with you. If I am going to steal your love,I will earn it rather than keeping you under a spell to steal it.” “But… I just…” “Silence!” Swarm hissed, stamping her hoof. Warden fell silent, pawing at the ground dejectedly. “Let me clear your mind, Warden. Let me remove her spell,” she purred, leaning forwards, her horn starting to glow a bright, vibrant green. Warden shied away, an eye closing. “Relax, Warden, this won’t hurt… physically.” The horn touched his brow, and Warden jerked backwards in surprise and pain, grasping at his skull. “Oops,” Swarm said flippantly. “Guess that did hurt after all.” Warden collapsed to the ground, holding his temple, writhing back and forth, kicking at the ground with his hind legs. After several long moments, he went still. “How do you feel?” Swarm asked, stroking a hoof over his cheek slowly. “Angry…” Warden murmured. “Good… good…” Swarm cooed. “The spell has worn off then…” Warden nodded stiffly, rolling to his hooves, biting his tongue rather hard. “What are you going to do?” Swarm asked, eyebrows raising. “Confront her,” Warden said, his chest heaving with suppressed rage. “Yell. Rage.” “Not yet,” Swarm cautioned. “Wait to cool down a little bit... you never were the best when you were angry, were you, Warden?” Warden frowned deeply, scowling. “Well… Well you’re right, I guess,” he said, taking a deep breath and then braying angrily. “Good, good,” Swarm soothed, stepping close to him and lightly rubbing hooves down the length of his form. “When you confront her… she’s going to try to lie to you. To trick you. Deceive you. she’ll say that I’m lying. That I’m the one casting a spell on you. You can’t believe her, understood?” “Not… not this time…” Warden said, slowly shaking his head, grinding his good hoof into the ground. “Not again. Not three times.” “Very good,” Swarm said, satisfied. “I trust you’ll let her know exactly how you feel about her?” Warden growled in affirmation. “She’ll try to trick you, Warden. I can’t stress this enough. She will try to make you love her again, she’s too entrenched in this little cozy nest of love to give it up so easily,” Swarm explained, soothingly rubbing over his shoulders. “But… don’t kill her. Don’t end her life.” Warden blinked once, shaking his head as though to try and clear it. “W-why would I kill her?” “You didn’t want to?” Swarm asked, sounding surprised. “How very noble of you. I don’t know many ponies who would take this without wanting to kill the changeling responsible.” “I…” Warden frowned deeply, rubbing a hoof against his temple slowly. “I want to hurt her. I want to make her scream… but I don’t want to kill her.” “She has her hooks in you,” Swarm said,  pondering for a moment. “It would be good for you to end her. It might end the spell entirely, instead of my clumsy dispelling of it. But it could destroy you, too. Her magic is surprisingly strong.” Swarm hummed faintly, before shrugging her shoulders and smiling. “I’ll be here waiting for you to get back. End it with her. Make sure she won’t come after you. Return to me when you’re done.” “I still can’t believe… that you’re alive…” Warden murmured, looking Swarm up and down slowly. “We can talk more when you return,” Swarm said with a smirk. “Go… end it. Make sure she won’t get her hooks in you again. We can’t go back to what we were if you’re still under her spell. We’ll go away, just me and you” “Yes… yes,” Warden said with a slow nod, his eyes narrowing slowly. “I’ll… I’ll be back for you.” Warden thudded down for a landing, stumbling faintly before rising tall again. He was dressed in his guard armor, tarnished and dull after so many years of sitting in the cupboard, but still impressive. Kuno bounced across the grass towards him, grinning from ear to ear. “You can fly!” she positively squealed, bounding towards him joyously. Warden sidestepped her stiffly as she got closer. “Warden?” Kuno asked, frowning deeply. “Kuno,” Warden growled, his eyes narrowing under his helmet, his expression hidden by the helm. “If that is even your real name…” “Warden, what’s wrong?” Kuno asked, her tone getting worried, ears pinning back and wings giving a faint buzz in agitation. “I’ve had my eyes opened,” Warden said flatly, staring at her. “Swarm was waiting for me at the clearing.” “Swarm?” Kuno asked, confused, frowning deeply. “What do you mean… Swarm? Little Swarm?” “My wife,” Warden growled, stamping his hoof. “You’ve only been gone an hour!” Kuno protested, her expression falling into a helpless frown. “You can’t… It’s… Swarm is dead, Warden!” “She isn’t. She was a changeling. You knew, didn’t you?” Warden accused, lifting a hoof to push at her chest firmly. “What...? She was dead, Warden. She is dead!” Kuno protested, her tone rising in octaves. Warden snorted, shaking his head. “No, Kuno. She’s very much alive. And she also removed your spell.” “My spell?” Kuno asked, brows furrowing. “But I don’t… I haven’t had you under a spell for years!” “And yet here we are,” Warden growled, eyes narrowing at her again. Kuno’s eyes widened. “W-Warden. She has you under a spell!” Warden gave a hollow laugh. “No, Kuno. She told me you’d say that. She told me you’d try to trick me. That you’d try to deceive me.” Kuno’s ears splayed back, and she frowned deeply. “W-Warden… what are you doing?” “I’m ending this,” Warden said bluntly, poking her chest firmly with his hoof again. “Look into my eyes, Kuno. Tell me if you still feel my love. Tell me if you still feel your free meal!” Kuno lifted rapidly moistening eyes to his eyes, staring into them, clenching her jaw as tears started to spill down her cheeks. “Warden…” Warden snorted once, placing a hoof on her cheek and pushing her away firmly, turning away. “Don’t follow me, Kuno. I don’t want to see you again.” Kuno’s bottom lip quivered, and she bit her tongue for a moment, and she whispered plaintively, “B-but… but I love you…” “You won't be seeing me again,” Warden said bluntly, wings spreading as he took a few steps forwards and launched himself into the air, not even looking back. Kuno stared after him, holding out a hoof as though to try and catch him, eyes wide and hurt, before she slowly collapsed onto the grass and started to sob brokenly. Warden wound up back at the cottage, pacing angrily back and forth. His helmet was off, and his face was twisted into a perpetual scowl. He felt victorious, and like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. But he still felt empty. The sound of Kuno’s sobbing tugged at his heartstrings in ways that terrified him. With a growl, he slammed his hoof down on the table, before leaping back in pain, grasping his bad hoof. The pain just made him angrier, and he kicked a hole in the wall with a firm shove of a hindleg. An old photo frame on the top shelf of a cupboard rattled and then fell to the floor, the glass shattering. Warden frowned, kicking the picture over, staring down at it. It was he and Kuno, right after Kuno had Swarm. She was holding the foal in her hooves in a pink bundle, and smiling at Warden, staring into his eyes. Warden frowned deeply, grinding one of his hooves into the ground in agitation, face twisting into a sad expression. He bit his bottom lip so hard he tasted blood, and a teardrop fell across the broken glass. Growling angrily, he stamped his hoof against the floor several times, until his hoof was aching and numb. He tried to push the images out of his mind, but they were intruding on his mind. The warmth of Kuno’s body against his own in the bed. The soft, soothing touch of her hooves as she tended to his bad hoof. The look on her face as she fed him a spoonful of her own meal. The little smile she had when she watched him work, when she thought he didn’t know she was watching. Warden growled, feeling tears spilling down his cheeks, dripping to the floor. The floor was bloody from where he was unconsciously grinding glass into it with his hoof. Warden tried to cast his mind back to Swarm. But those memories were hazy, from so long ago. beyond the dark portion of his memories that were addled by drug addiction and pure, unmitigated depression. He could remember the gentle tone of her voice, her honey sculptures, her death… Biting down on his tongue even harder, Warden tried to clear his head. His hoof ground even more firmly into the floor as he started to feel the sting of the glass sinking into it. He remembered seeing Swarm laying in the hospital, dying from a rare illness. An illness that he had the ability to heal. But he had failed. He had failed and had to live with the knowledge that she died because of his failures. Swarm had always been so peaceful, so graceful. Even at the funeral, she had looked serene and at peace, lying in her casket— Warden’s head lifted slowly, and his pupils dilated. If Swarm was still alive, then who had he buried?