Nurse Pain stepped out of the room where a pair of Crystal Guards stood on either side of the door leading into Actias room, closing the door she walked down the hall stopping at a open area with a long desk, several other ponies sitting behind it a male voice speaking up. “Nurse Draw, may -”
The Nurse coughed into her hoof looking at the Unicorn doctor that stood nearby with a clipboard floating before him in his magic.
The doctor looked over the clipboard at her. “Nurse Dra-” The nurse coughed again causing the doctor to sigh. “Nurse Pain.”
“Yes Doctor Scalpel?” Nurse Pain give the doctor a kind smile that caused the doctor to beat his head with the clipboard.
“Why do you insist on going by that nickname?” The doctor drawled out. Nurse pain only giggled at him.
“I think its fun.” She grinned at doctor Scalpel, which only made him sigh.
“Very well, Nurse Pain have you any news on the new patient?” The doctor finally relented the the Crystal Pony.
“Yes Doctor.” Nurse Pain nodded nearing the doctor taking out a clipboard of her own and begin reading. “His name is Actias, he is an unknown creature, I’ve never seen anything like it before, its like he is a hybrid between a pony and an insect. He has a hard exoskeleton which made it quite difficult to get an IV into him.” She paused looking at the doctor before continuing on. “His body appears to be black but also has white streaks, on his exoskeleton.” Nurse Painless lowered the clipboard. “Thats all we know at the moment sir.”
Doctor Scalpel “Hmm’d” for a moment. “You managed to get his name?” The doctor asked the Nurse. She give him a little nod.
“Yes Doctor, He woke up for a short while. when I found him he was trying to remove his muzzle tube but I calmed him down, he is resting now.” The nurse said with a plain face.
“Very well Nurse Pain you’re free to go.” The Doctor said turning back to his office.
Hours later, Shining Armor was still in the nursery with Cadance. Cadance had been talking non-stop telling him all about everything they were going to do and everything they needed and the cute little onesies causing her to squeal in delight.
Shining Armor sighed heavily causing his wife to take pause putting down a baby blanket and moving over to her husband.
“Is something bothering you Shiny? She give him a sad look that caused Shining Armor to smile weakly.
“We had a breach in the shield this morning.” He raised a hoof to stop his wife from speaking. “Its okay, the guard took care of it. However, when we arrived a Windigo was trying to break through the barrier. It left but you know how bad Windigos can be? He paused
Cadance give her husband a nod to continue, and he let out a sigh. “Well, the Windigo had chased a pony though the tundra; well I thought it was a pony at first, come to find out it was a Changeling.”
“But Changelings aren't capable to breaching the shield.” Cadance said still a little worried.
“I know, but somehow it did. And now its in a nearby hospital under guard.” He had a look of disgust on his face.
Cadance put a hoof upon Shinings shoulder. “Shining, we should speak with the changeling. I know you don't like them very much, and I understand but. If this Changeling could get through the Barrier, there had to be a resin. You know just as much as I that there are very few ways one can enter from the outside.
Shining Armor took a breath before nodding at his wife. “Youre right. And I shouldn't judge somepony before I get to know them.” This made his wife smile and nuzzle his cheek. Shining Armor had learned a lot of Cadance over the time they had been together, one of them is that he should not judge a book by its cover, and to show kindness to every living thing old enemies or not. But he was still leery of the whole situation.
“Do you think we should contact the Princesses?” He asked his wife with a hint of concern in his voice.
Cadance looked at her husband. “We will speak with this Changeling first before doing anything more, I am worried about the Windigos though, they can be relentless when hunting their prey, and from what you told me its not going to go away anytime soon.”
Shining armor nodded to his wife nuzzling her neck. “We’ll have to be careful.”
The bird outside of Actias window sang him awake. All he could do is cover his head the best he could and shiver from the cold still trapped within his body. At least he could move most of his limbs now. But the white streaks on his shell had not gone away.
There was a sound of movement within his room and he opened an eye, but only a sliver, just enough to see who was in his room. It was Nurse Pain checking his readings most likely. And when had his cover been pulled off of his head? Had he fallen asleep again without knowing it? He let out a shiver pulling his enchanted covers around him.
“S-so col-d-d.” He stuttered out as Nurse Pain placed a hoof to his forhead withdrawing it quickly when it almost burned her hoof from the cold of the changeling.
“I’ll go get the doctor.” She all but whispered before trotting from the room.
It was silent once more, well as silent as it could be with a bunch of birds singing outside the window and the heart monitor beeping and buzzing. When did it start buzzing anyway?
A fleet of nurses entered into the room with the Doctor quicking rushing over to the changeling they pulled the blankets back from him, his Chitin had almost turned completely white now, the nurses gasped as the doctor used a spell on the changeling.
Actias shivered harder now his body going rigid as the white completely coated over his forum. He breathed out a puff of fog escaping his mouth, the monitors screamed and flashed as Nurse Pain sobbed into the shoulder of another nurse.
Shining Armor and his wife Cadance made their way to the hospital that the changeling had been placed within. As they walk down the streets many ponies bowed to them or waved at them as they passed. They were all very respectful of their Princess and Prince, but at times they could not forget the old ways and many of them still bowed when within the presence of royalty.
They entered into the hospital quietly making their way to the front desk.
“You know Shiny, maybe I should set up an appointment with the doctor.” She smiled. “So we can see the baby.”
Shining Armor smiled at her replaying. “I think thats a wonderful idea honey.” He nuzzled her as they come up to the counter. “We are here to see the doctor that oversees our Changeling guest.” Shining armor said to the nurse waiting at the desk.
The nurse looked up at them opening her mouth by closing it quickly before finally speaking. “R-right away…” She stood and dashed off to Doctor Scalpel office.
Shining Armor and Cadance stood at the desk waiting for only a moment before the nurse returned pointing them towards the Doctors office. When they entered they were not expecting to see the doctor looking so disheveled. His mane was a mess, His labcoat lay over the back of his chair and his hooves were covering his face, On his desk lay an empty bottle of what appeared to be Applejack Daniels.
The doctor finally looked up at the two as they entered into his office he sit back in his chair looking at the ceiling. “Please, come in, sit.” He spoke without worry around the two as they entered and sit in the two seats before the doctor.
“Doctor we came -” But that was all Shining Armor got out before doctor scalpel cut him off and shook his head.
“There is no need anymore Prince Armor. The changeling has long since passed.” Doctor Scalpel said with an air of foreboding. “I dont know what happened.” he shook his head “Some sort of enchantment or, maybe it was just the cold.” he sighed. “This morning the white streaks on his body seemed to spread, and before we caught it, he literally froze. I watched as one of my patients turned completely white before my very eyes.” he leaned forwards placing an elbow on his desk rubbing his left temple with his hoof.
Shining Armor and Cadance sit there shocked at what the doctor had said. But Cadance was the one who spoke first.
“Doctor Scalpel, I want to see him.” She spoke firmly Shining try to interject but she shook her head. “I wish to look upon this changeling.”
Within another part of the hospital deep within the morgue, a place hardly used, a Changeling lay upon the table limply. It was dark, it was not as cold as it had been, Actias still could not really move.”
“Did you hear Nurse Pain had to be sent home for the day because of all this? Seems like she like she enjoyed the little fellows company.”
“Yeah, well he is a creepy looking thing, and she did go by Nurse Pain so.”
The other voice chuckled. “Yeah youre right crazy girl probably fell in love with this thing.”
Water dripped from the table that the body of Actias was laying upon. There was a slight twitch but the two morticians did not even take note of it, they know full well that bodies can have involuntary twitches even after hours of being long past.
“HA Gen!” One of them said with glee causing the other to groan. “What? I thought you said you were good at this game?”
“I am good, but not when I’m playing a card shark.” This caused the other to laugh aloud. There was a sound, voices, the two turned their heads towards the door as Doctor Scalpel came trotting though with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. The two morticians stood up from where they were making their ways over to them bowing.
“Fluid, we want to see the Changeling, if you’d place.” Doctor Scalpel said stopping in front of the two crystal ponies.
They both stood before Fluid spoke. “Ofcorse Scalpel, right this way.” He lead them over to the metal table where the changeling lay. Cadance looked at the changeling laying before her, almost as if he was sleeping.
“Mister Fluid, what have we found out about our changeling friend here?” The doctor asked, and as he asked the Changeling twitched suddenly causing shining armor to cringe.
“Not to worry, it happens all the time.” Fluid said to the two Royals. “Bodies can twitch for hours after.” Fluid said to them as he went back to telling the doctor what he had learned about the changeling so far.
Cadance just stared at the changeling for a long moment before interrupting the two doctors. “What was his name?” He asked causing the two doctors to turn looking at her.
“His name was Actias if I recall princess.” Another twitch came from the changeling causing Prince Armor to take a step back and look away.
“Honey lets go there” But he did not get to finish his statement, Cadance sat next to the changeling.
“I’m sorry, I wish I could have spoken to you, gotten to understand you.” Cadance bowed her head her shoulders slumping, a tear sliding down her cheek and falling down upon the changelings exoskeleton. “I’m sorry we could not help you Actias.”
There was a silence that ruled the morgue as Shining Armor walked up to his wife rapping his forelegs around her holding her close to him as she cried into his neck.
There was then a high sharp intake of breath as the Changeling shot up off the table breathing in his entire body shivering as air entered into his lugs. Everypony in the room pulled away from the changeling as he breathed out causing fog to escape from his mouth before breathing in again.
Actias did not feel cold anymore, but his body would not move, he heard voices around him, talking about him, they said his name. And as they said his name he would try to respond. He tried to speak, he could not, he just did not have the energy to do so. His body felt like it was in a state of hibernation. A horrible state that a changeling can enter into if they happen to run out of love, but this felt different, for one he could still hear others, while within the state you cannot do that.
One of the voices spoke to him directly. He wanted to move, he had to move, the doctors were talking about dissecting him about an hour ago. He for one would prefer that not happen.
He felt warmth, as the pony spoke with him, a drip of water hit his face, he felt it, it was so warm his body seemed to just soak it up, he felt this warmth before, yes it was when he was in his room, he could feel it ever since then. A constant warmth that flowed endlessly into his body, slowly building up.
“I’m sorry we could not help you Actias.” A voice said to him, it sounded kinda sad. He, he had to move. NOW!
His body bolted straight upright his body shaking as he took in a sharp intake of breath, his eyes opening wide. He breathed out fog flowing from his muzzle before he took another breath looking at the doctors that were now holding eachother staring at the changling, most likely in shock that he can come back to life, even though he was not dead in the first place.
He looked at the room, seeing that he was not in the room before. Turning his head he looked at Cadance and Shining Armor, both of which looked shocked to see the changeling still alive.
Actias did not move, he just sat on the table looking at Cadance and Shining Armor taking another breath of air before moving and stepping from the table onto the floor, the three doctors scrambled away from him as he stepped across the floor towards Armor and his wife.
Shining Armor stepped up between Cadance and the Changeling trying to protect her from the creature as he moved closer towards them.
“Hault Changeling!” Shining Armor spoke loud and firm to Actias who only stepped up to about five feet from them and dropped to his knees breathing out fog from his mouth.
“I, am Antias.” The changeling said to them. “I pledge my life to you Queen Cadance.” What else could he do at this point? Actias thought to himself, he had no hive any longer, no family, nothing. The only reason he still lives was because of this kingdom, and this Queen.