Its cold. Far, far to cold even for one thick as him. He made his way through the whiteness of the snow, the winds slicing through him as if it was made of knives, the snow collecting upon his cold shivering body as he fought with all of his strength against the winds.
“Why did I leave the cave?” He had wandered to himself. “Oh, thats right, he was starving and cold”, It had been quite a long time since he had last had a decent meal for himself and making a fire here was nearly impossible considering all of the trees within the tundra was coated in ice, what made it worse was the fact that the wood refused to dry even when the ice was broken away.
So this left him alone, in the unforgiving tundra, without warmth, food or even family, and certainly no connect to the outside world. He had to admit to himself, his energy was running out and he would surely die within this frozen tartarus-hole. But he would not give up, one thing he had been told was never to give up. He would be make good use of that advice and take it to his grave if he must.
He never stopped moving, even long after he could no longer fill his limbs, which was slowly collecting ice and making his movements stiff and barely manageable. Each sharp intake of breath felt like his lungs would freeze within him. He tripped falling into the cold snow unable to stand he just lay there.
“M-Maybe just a nap, yeah that will do me some good.” He thought to himself as he lay there, his eyes fluttering slightly but they would not stay closed, a light shined into his eyes, he tried to resist the light but it relented causing him to look up through the snow and ice.
The light appeared to be coming from just over the next rise. He grunted as he forced himself upon his limbs and begin moving once more, though admittedly a little faster than before. As he made it to the top of the rise a chilly blast of air hit him causing him to shield his eyes from the onslaught of snow.
After a long moment he looked out over the frozen wasteland to spy a massive dome. And not just a dome, but a city within the dome. He could not help but smile as he gained a bit more energy he did not know he even had as he rushed down the slopes towards the city.
It took about twenty minutes of freezing wind and near whiteout snow but the glow led him, he followed it. Every now and again he thought he heard the sound of one of his most feared enemies. The Wendigo, creatures that were not made of physical form and feed off of hate and fear. When one of his kind would find one of them they would kill it, and vice versa. But he dared not think about, in fact it only made him move a little faster until he was right next to the barrier.
He breathed heavily walking toward the dome and running into it. The dome had been solid. There was no way to enter, he reached up touching the dome looking through it at the shadows and movement within.
“P-please”, his eyes flickered threatening to close on him as he slumped into the dome. “H-he-lp, me.” He heard a sound turning he seen it. The Wendigo he had heard before was a mere ten feet behind him. He turned his head away closing his eyes, a tear trickling from it.
A single tear, filled with regret, fear, sorrow and knowing. Knowing that his time had come. As the Wendigo drew closer he felt warmth, the howling of the wind had all but stopped. He lay there on the ground, hearing a almost rhythmic thumping.
“My heart.” He thought to himself. “It must be my heart trying to save me from the loss of blood when the Wendigo smashed my skull, and now i’m dying. But if i’m dying why do I not feel it? Oh right, the cold had made me so numb that pain just don't register anymore.”
As he lay upon the ground the sound of running can be heard, and someone giving orders, he tried to look up, he could not move, he tried to open his eyes but they were far too heavy, so instead his mind drifted into the darkness where he was sure death would be waiting to calm him.
“M-mommy, what's that?” A small filly pointed out from across the street, her mother looking up seeing a figure of a pony with ice and snow covering its body laying on the ground inside of the protective shield that surrounded the city. A then the crashing! A Wendigo had began to slam itself into the barrier repeatedly trying to get to the creature inside.
The mother stood for only a moment picking up her child and dashing down the street quickly.
It was not even a minute after that when the Royal Guard had come marching down the streets to the location. Shining Armor yelling out orders as the guard rounded the corner taking up locations around the area.
Several of the guard held spears pointed at the barrier, while others held spears at the creature now laying upon the ground unconscious his eyes flickered for a moment as Shining Armor trotted up looking at the Wendigo that smashed into the barrier one finely time before drifting back until it vanished into the thick white snow.
Shining Armor then looked down at the pony before him almost completely covered in snow. “Get a medical team here now!” Shining Armor instructed to, two of the guard who dashed off quickly. Shining Armor walked over to the Unicorn brushing the show from its face but soon retracted his hoof from the creature.
“How.“ Shining Armor thought to himself before speaking up. “Guards I want this creature in shackles and guards posted around the clock wherever it is.” The guard saluted several guards moving forwards putting cuffs upon the ponies legs before moving away from it. Just as they did the medical team arrived running though the guards to get to the pony.
Shining Armor turned and made his way back to the street as the medical team made to help the pony taking him up on the stretcher and heading towards the street quickly to get the pony to the location to treatment.
Shining Armor watched as they carried the the pony away. “How did a Changeling manage to get through the Barrier?” This was his only thought as his face became stirn.
“Cadence.” The voice of Shining Armor called out as he entered their bedroom. “Cadence! I-”
“Oh Shining come look at this!” She called out happily to her husband from the next room poking her head through the door and waving a hoof at him.
Shining smiled at his wife looking a little perplexed as he was sure that door had not been there before. He obeyed his wife and went into the next room, he opened the door, walking in seeing looking at a nursery. Shinings jaw dropped. “Honey? Since when has there been a room here? And is this a nursery?”
Cadance clapped her hooves together giving shining armor a big hug. “SURPRISE!” She all but screamed in his ear as she tried to crush the life out of him.
Shining sat there dumbfounded, within his mind the gears begin to turn once more and his eye went wide pulling back from his wife. “Your?”
Cadance nodded happily her grin could not be wider as she hopped up and down in front of him. “We’re pregnant!”
Shining stood still shocked at the announcement but soon snapped out of it hugging his wife with a smile. He can tell her later that somehow, In some way a Changeling had managed to slip past the protective barrier and got into the city. But for right now, her happiness was far more important.
It was warm, warm and soft and dark. He slowly opened his eyes a room blurrily coming into view. He was staring at the white tile ceiling, a rhythmic beeping sounding and a burning in his nose his. His mind was not piecing together anything quite yet as he reaches out with a hoof trying to pull himself up into a sitting position, as he moved a crystal at the head of the bed changed in color, He looked around seeing the walls where made out of something other than wood, He groaned reaching up and touching a tube was hanging from his nose, he give it a slight tug which caused him to wince.
“Oh no, dont do that sir.” a soothing voice came from his right as she took his hoof and helped him lay back down. “You are very weak, you need your rest.”
The changeling looked over at the pony still being groggy like he was he known that struggling would only result in him being more hurt.
“There, there.” The nurse rubbed his hoof with hers. “Can, you speak?” She asked him with a calm voice a smile on her face.
He took a moment just looking at her, he could feel a warmth from her, it was light but still there, he could feel something else to now that he thought about it, a feeling of warmth all around him, not from the magically enchanted covers but just everywhere. He blinked before opening his mouth, there was a raspy inhale and then he began coughing hard rolling onto his side as small droplets of water came flying out of his mouth from his lugs. The nurse rubbed her hoof on the changelings back gently patting him as his coughing quieted down.
“T-Thank you.” The changeling said in a raspy whisper that made the nurse smile.
“I’m nurse Pain, what is your name?” She said sweetly.
The changeling looked at the nurse with slightly larger eyes. “Thats not really reassuring.” the changeling croaked out causing the nurse to giggle.
“My full name is Painless Draw.” She smiled, “I’m really good at taking blood samples.” She finished with another giggle that felt so warm to the changeling.
“Actias.” The changeling stated after a moment.
“Actias?” The nurse said perplexed.
“Thats my name.” He closed his eyes groaning. “Can you get this thing out of my nose? It really burns.”
“Oh.” said simply before adding. “Your lungs have taken damage from the cold, if we remove the tube you could suffocate.” She frowns slightly giving him a sad look. “I’m sorry.”
He takes a breath coughing slightly in the process. “That cold really messed me up.” He thought to himself. “I nearly died, I thought I had when that Windigo attacked.” He sit there for a moment before speaking again. “Where i’m I? Why are you not afraid of me?”
Nurse Painless smiled again before speaking. “You are within the Crystal Empire.” She paused before adding. “And you are in no shape to put fear into anypony.” She smiled. “Besides, you are our patent, and i’m here to help you in any way that I can. Now get some rest.” She said standing to her hooves and pushing a small button on the IV which caused Actias to grow more drowsy.
He lay there on his back watching as the nurse walked from the room closing the door behind her. The Crystal on the bed turned back into a green color that Actias found kinda soothing; it reminded him of the luminescent fungi back at the hive. He frowned slightly as his eyes begin to close. “Home.” He said aloud as a tear slid from his eye dripping upon the sheets as he finally fell into a dreamless, drug induced slumber.