//------------------------------// // [1] Tomb Raider // Story: Changing Views // by lllWarHawklll //------------------------------// My prey was close now, I could feel it. Well... that, and the tracks were getting increasingly fresh. Makeshift bow and arrow in hand, I slowly trudged on, carefully observing my surroundings in this extremely foggy and humid forest. I couldn't recognize aforementioned tracks, just like I couldn't see nor hear anything further than a dozen feet away, yet I still felt compelled to follow this trail as if it was something I had been hunting for my entire life. Disregarding the eerie-looking trees whom had grown so high that I couldn't see the canopy through the dense mist and the lack of wildlife one would expect from a forest of any kind, I had finally reached the end of the trail after what seemed to be hours of tireless pursuit. It simply... stopped at the edge of a clearing? "What are you doing here?" I heard someone coldly ask from behind me. I whipped around in a balanced stance, arrow at the ready, prepared to defend myself if need be from— "...E-Elena!?" I stuttered in surprise, recognizing the person standing on the other side of the clearing: My wonderful wife, whom I had loved for as long as I could remember and who gave birth to our cherished son. ...But, something felt wrong about this, oh so very wrong. "Love, you shouldn't be here! It's dangerous! There's some sort of creature roaming around!" I said, lowering my bow while closing the distance between us until I realized something, slowing my approach. "...Why are you even out here? You never liked being out in the wild!" "You're pathetic," she said as if I hadn't spoken at all, glaring at me with such hate that I actually took a couple steps back while she herself began stalking forward. "So small. So... weak." "Wha—!?" I began, only to trip on something as I backpedalled, falling onto my back. Ignoring the fact that I didn't feel any pain at all, I quickly rolled over and got to my hooves— "WHAT THE HECK?!?" I screeched with a high-pitched childlike voice, my skin covered in chitin once more as I failed to stand on two legs and fell flat on my face, my changeling body awkwardly sprawled on the forest floor. "I never loved you, you know?" she forcefully chuckled in the condescending kind of way. "How could anyone ever even like a freak?" This... this couldn't be her! She would never say these kind of things! ... ...W-would she? "Remember our vows on that very 'special' day?" she sarcastically asked while suddenly towering over my own tiny cowering form, an unsettling smirk plastered on her face. "That we would be together..." Her smirk turned into a full-blown terrifying grin, her eyes glinting maliciously as I instinctively made myself as small as I could, almost curling into a ball. My full attention being drawn to her, I failed to notice a swirling portal open off to the side. "...'Till death do us part?" she finished, lifting a foot that could effortlessly crush me like a bug. I could do nothing but stare at the hovering foot in shocked fear, unable to get myself to move out of the way of my impending doom— "(BEGONE FROM THIS REALM, VILE CREATURE OF NIGHTMARES!)" The... thing that used to supposedly be my wife suddenly let out an ear-splitting in-human screech, recoiling backwards as if in pain before falling and rolling back and forth on the ground, spontaneously bursting into blue flames, body twisting and morphing into some unrecognizable mass until it altogether disappeared completely, the screams still echoing in my mind as I stared open-mouthed in shock. "(Fear no longer, little one.)" I was startled out of my stupor as the new person came into the clearing, the words she spoke being in that language I still couldn't fully comprehend, slowly revealing herself as she crossed the edge of the somewhat twisted treeline. "(Your dream will no longer... be... but, I—y-you...!?)" An alicorn stood there, her dark-blue fur combined with the gaseous mane and tail shimmering with miniature stars making her look like the complete opposite of 'Celestia', her wide turquoise eyes staring at me in surprise as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Some sort of wind suddenly started picking up, everything in my sight fading away as if the entirety of it was composed of mist, all color disappearing as the gale howled louder and louder to the point where I almost didn't hear what the pony said then, even if I had no clue what it meant. "(Thou... thou art a—)" I woke up in near-complete darkness, gasping for breath, panting continuously while my body rapidly rebooted itself. '...Oh...' I realized, my breathing slowly returning to normal. '...Was... just a dream...' The whole thing felt wrong, though. The random alicorn appearing near the end, especially, made no sense to me. 'Dreams are based on past experiences and things I've seen, so how could a pony like that just appear in there!?' In the end, I chalked it up to the obscure workings of my subconscious, even though I didn't really fully convince myself with that. It got my mind off of my wife, at least. That was the one person I wasn't sure I ever wanted to see or even think about again. Returning to the present, I noticed I was... probably being carried by Lara. Considering it was dark and that I felt enclosed like back when I was in my egg, she most likely put me in one of the bags while I slept; which was surprising since I'm a very light sleeper. 'Was a light sleeper' is probably more accurate now, and that's pretty unsettling. Made me wonder what else changed about... well, 'me'. 'I can only hope that I won't actually be attracted to guys once this body is mature enough.' I cringed at the thought, trying to reposition myself so that I could peek out of the bag's flap. Lara suddenly stopped trotting, worry and slight panic flowing out of her, causing me to also freeze to try and figure out why. Next thing I knew, it felt like she had removed the bag and thrown it with me still in it, but she wouldn't do that would she—? *THUNK* "Aow!" I squeaked, even though I almost didn't feel the impact. I didn't get to see Lara flinching. "(Sorry about that, Artemis,)" she... whispered? And then I felt it. Or rather, them. I scrambled to get out of the bag, only to greet a lush... bush? Peeking out of that, in turn, informed me that I was in a sort of jungle early in the day. A complete contrast to the badlands I used to be in when I was last awake. 'JUST HOW LONG DID I SLEEP!?' A series of low growls brought my attention back to the pegasus whom had taken to be my guardian, crouched in a kind of stance in the middle of a clearing, looking ready to fight against... a tiger and a panther!? 'There's no way she'll survive this if she fights!' I realized, my eyes widening in panic. The tiger let out a roar, leaping towards Lara with its claws outstretched— "HYAAH!" —Only to receive a swift uppercut under its chin, the mare using her wings to propel herself upwards to add extra power to the strike, causing the beast to literally do a couple back flips in mid-air despite being nearly twice as large as her before finally crashing face-first with an audible *Thud* behind the other predator. From my vantage point within the dense bush, I could only stare slack-jawed. The panther however, seemingly unaffected by her display of strength in the slightest, only glanced towards its companion for a moment before beginning its own running leap towards the pegasus, snarling in defiance. In response, she actually ran at a gallop towards it, planting her forelegs on the ground mid-way and flapping one of her wings to shift her accumulated momentum into a spinning round-house kick with her hind-leg, the resounding *Thwak* of the impact being felt by me even though I wasn't the unfortunate being whom got hit. I had to wonder just how strong Lara really was to make a panther of that size barrel roll away from the mere force of a kick. A cougar suddenly jumped into the fray to join the battle, causing my guardian to shift her attention to it while the tiger slowly recovered from its daze, painfully picking itself up from the floor. The third feline was apparently nothing more than a distraction, however, as a bola went flying across the clearing from Lara's blind spot, wrapping itself around her legs, at which point she was being held on the ground by the cougar whom was then keeping her wings in check. And then he arrived, chuckling condescendingly as he came into view from the edge of the clearing, followed by two ponies wearing what looked like feather accessories, tribal markings and spears. I... I had no idea just what this guy was. Paws for the hind legs, hands for the forelegs, the tail even ended with a hand of all things. Dark-blue fur for most of the body, light-blue for the belly and hands, all the while wearing golden jewelry on his neck as well as golden earrings, sharp teeth protruding from his mouth at all times. Oh, and he was about four times larger than Lara, who was at least six times larger than me. The pegasus sighed. "(What now, Ahuizotl?)" she casually said, face showing exasperation though internally she was screaming with panic and worry. 'If those are trained animals and they didn't kill, meaning they just wanted to capture her... they probably want something she has?' I guessed, craning my neck around to realize I was right next to her possessions, my eyes widening in panic. "(You tell me, Daring Do,)" the big guy replied while I very slowly made my way to a different bush, doing my best to not make sudden movements lest I attract their gazes. "(I know you possess various objects. Artifacts that I... need. All you have to do, is show me where you've hidden them, and I... might let you go.)" He chuckled with an unsettling smirk. She snorted. "(So that you can fulfill the prophecy and doom the entire valley for centuries? Hmph, I don't think so,)" she defiantly answered, glaring at him. He barred his teeth in anger, growling. "(Fine. We'll simply have to convince you to do so if you won't tell us. Let us see what you have with you right now, hmm?)" he said, gesturing for his pony companions towards the bush where she had thrown her bags. From within my new hiding spot, I watched as they reached the pack, Lara's worry increasing tenfold as they picked it up before bringing it back to the obvious leader. "(I don't have anything of value in there,)" she hurriedly stated unconvincingly with a sudden poker face, sweat rolling down her face. The blue giant flashed her a sharp-toothed grin. "(Is that so?)" he replied as they prepared to unload its contents on the floor. She closed her eyes, flinching in phantom pain as all of her carefully-arranged items fell to the ground... ...Only to slowly reopen them shortly afterwards, noticing a distinct lack of changeling within the pile, relief filling her entire being. At least until she probably realized that she had no idea where I was, her worry returning almost immediately. "(Grrrr, tie her up and take her with us!)" the leader barked angrily. "(Bring all of that junk, too! We'll sort through it later.)" The ponies saluted with a foreleg, quickly chucking everything back into the bags before the entire group walked away. With Lara. ... ... 'HEY! MY FOOD!' I trailed them from afar. ============================================== Both diarchs were silently eating their breakfast together in their private dining room, as they always used to. Though, it was a lot more silent than usual, this time. "Luna? Is there something wrong? You've been chewing the same piece for a few minutes now." Luna blinked, finally swallowing her food. "We... believe We hath observed a changeling within a dream..." "You're doing it again, sister," giggled Celestia. The Princess of the night sighed, "Forgive Us... me, it just happens without me noticing sometimes." "What's different with this changeling? You told me you've seen hundreds from nightmares in these recent times," Celestia curiously asked. The lunar alicorn appeared to be contemplating how to answer. "I have seen many, yes, but they were all fictional; products of the dreams of those who were present during the attack, or those who heard about it. No, the dreamer itself was a changeling this time." She frowned. "I think." The solar diarch raised an eyebrow. "You... think?" Luna nodded. "Dreams are malleable, ever changing and flowing without following a set path. On certain occasions, the dreamer is prone to appear in a different form. I've seen stallions become mares in their dreams, as well as the opposite. I've seen ponies switch tribes, earth ponies flying without wings, pegasi dreaming of becoming a griffin... anything is possible within that realm, really. But, this 'changeling' in particular..." Celestia leaned forward in her seat. "Yes?" "T'was but a mere foal, more similar to... Terra's new form, than the thousands of other common changeling 'drones', though the colors of her highlights weren't the same. What's more, its nightmare involved being tormented by a most bizarre creature. Some sort of, frail minotaur, without hooves nor fur nor tail. Fully clothed, save for its hands and its head..." She shook her head. "There is a way to confirm the identity of the dreamer, similar to a spell, however the dream collapsed before I could perform it." The doors to the dining room opened, allowing entry to Cadance who decidedly seemed to be in a sour mood. "Morning," She briskly greeted, setting her rump on one of the cushions, her breakfast plate being levitated towards the table while she massaged her temples with her hooves. "Is something the matter, young Cadance?" asked Luna, concerned. "I just wish everypony would stop reminding me of... what I ended up doing," the younger alicorn said, frowning. "Do you know what it feels like to be essentially told every day just how 'wonderful' it was that you 'saved' a city by practically exterminating an entire race?" she rhetorically asked, the beginnings of tears forming. Celestia set down her tea cup, sympathy written all over her face. "Cadance—" "It's just not what I wanted to do!" Cadance shouted, finally bursting into tears, the constant reminders having taken their toll. "I-I don't, I n-never..." No more words were spoken as she was embraced by her Aunt, quietly sobbing as Luna curiously watched the events unfold. Back in her nights, these kind of situations would've been resolved by simply scolding the pony for not "taking it like a mare". My, how times had changed... Though, she would probably hesitate to apply that to this situation. One did not simply walk out of committing accidental genocide unscathed. A moment later, the Princess of Love eventually calmed down, weakly chuckling as she wiped her tears. "H-heh, and now I ruined breakfast time. I'm sorry..." Celestia waved it off. "It's alright, Cadance. I'm grateful you took it upon yourself to handle the court in my temporary absence, but I believe you deserve a break from any and all royal duties for a couple weeks, at the very least." She leaned in closer, "and don't tell Luna about Artemis yet. I want to make that a surprise," she whispered, winking. Luna narrowed her eyes when she couldn't hear that last part, noticing the subtle gesture. Centuries of having lived alongside her sister had allowed her to easily notice the subtle signs present in Celestia's body language, and she could affirm without a doubt that her sister was hiding something from her at that very moment. She couldn't hide the mischievous smile slowly forming on her own muzzle, however, determined to be the first one to strike. It had been far too long since their last bout had occurred, after all. Besides, it would certainly distract her from... thinking about Terra, at the very least... They each resumed their breakfasts after a moment, though some did so with more enthusiasm compared to the next pony. "Shiny's been acting weird this morning," Cadance commented all of a sudden between chews. "Oh?" "I don't think he even slept at all! He was... curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, mumbling about cherries..." Cadance trailed off before steadily feeling increasingly worried. "On second thought, I think I'll go get him a doctor right now. I don't know why I didn't do that sooner," she said, leaving her barely-touched food on the table as she got up. "And I must go rest," Luna informed them, yawning. "I shall see you once more during the evening, if thou art available." "Alright. Sleep well, Luna," Celestia warmly replied, nuzzling her sister affectionately while Luna returned the gesture, smiling as she nodded once before disappearing in a flash of darkness. "And don't think I was joking about taking a rest from your duties. You earned it and need it," the Solar Princess added to her niece as they walked together out of the room. "Thanks, Auntie," Cadance smiled, giving her own nuzzle before trotting away to make sure Shining Armor was alright. Having finished her own meal, Celestia was about to head to the throne room to resume her court duties when a unicorn rounded a nearby corner, frantically looking everywhere before finally setting his gaze on her. "Princess Celestia!" he exclaimed, rapidly closing the distance between them while she noticed his messy mane and the bags under his occasionally twitching eyes. "Quickly! Drink this!" the stallion said as he brought some sort of bubbling concoction to her attention, levitating it out of his saddlebags. She dubiously frowned at him. "...Lab Coat? Did you spend all night running tests again?" "YES! There was SCIENCE to be done! Now drink this! QUICKLY! DANGER!" While Celestia was everything but naive, she trusted this stallion enough that the urgency in his tone made her drink the liquid in one go, using all of her willpower to keep it in despite its absolutely HORRID taste. "Doyoufeelanydifferent?Didyouhaveanycravings?Arethosecravingsgonenow?What—" he quickly asked without pause while the Princess stuck her tongue out in disgust. "What was that for!?" she demanded. "And take a deep breath! Speak slowly," Celestia added as he opened his muzzle. He blinked, doing just that. "Ran tests on the contents of that vial from yesterday. Contained an unknown protein that seems to be extremely addictive for ponies, perhaps not meant for pony consumption to begin with. Mixed results when tested on a few of the castle staff. Some—" "You gave some to the staff!?" "Didn't tell them what it was, best way to obtain results. SCIENCE! Every test subject developed a craving for a certain type of food, until it became a need. Had to develop a cure before the condition worsened, didn't want to find out what else could happen with prolonged exposure. Came up with what you drank. Works like a charm!" he rapidly explained with a manic grin. "And," she hesitated to ask. "...what was in it?" He made a disgusted face. "You... don't want to know. Discovered that countering the effects with the safest most disgusting taste achievable would overload your taste buds, with the side effect of dispelling any want or need for food, effectively stopping the progression of the changeling fluid in its tracks." He put a hoof to his chin in thought. "Unless one of the ingredients actually is a direct counter to the fluid. Hmm, must run more tests. Still, it works!" Lab Coat slumped, exhaustion finally catching up with him before he perked up one last time. "I don't know what you did with the rest of the substance, but nopony else took a taste of it, right?" -------------------------------------------- The maid arrived in front of the room for the seventh time in the same morning, pulling a food cart. Opening the door carefully, she entered the dark room, the stallion still mumbling to himself like the last time she had come in. "Your sixth order of chimicherrychangas has arrived, Sir." She bowed— Shining Armor stopped rocking back and forth, slowly turning his neck around in a creepy manner towards the food cart with wide eyes, his pupils shrinking down to pinpricks. "...Uh—" "MINE!!" he roared, lunging towards the cart, the desire to satisfy his hunger being the only thing running through his head, devouring all of its contents messily. Feather Wind was a terrified mare. -------------------------------------------- "...No, I don't believe anypony else had any," Celestia said with certainty. "Have a few extra antidotes around my lab, just in case," the doctor mumbled, overtaken by his lack of sleep as he gently collapsed on the floor. "Jus gunna taek a nap nao beefoar teshtz," he slurred, immediately snoring loudly. She shook her head at his antics, smiling as she dragged him towards his room in the castle via levitation. 'Time to resume my duties,' she thought, eventually entering the throne room after having left Lab Coat on his bed. She paused mid-way towards her seat. 'I didn't send Daring her dress back yet...' She resumed her walk after a moment, puzzled about the odd smiles her guardsponies were displaying. 'I'll return it during lunch, after I double check to make sure it's perfectly cleaned,' she decided, finally sitting down on— *Pfffbbbbt* Celestia froze, eyes wide, levitating the hidden whoopee cushion which had a note attached to it, blushing as her guards did their best to maintain their composure despite the quiet snickers escaping their muzzles. 'Tis only the beginning, dear Sister! Forsooth, ages have flown past since our previous prank war. Prepare thyself for the years to come, Tia! For Our pranks, WILL last, FOREVER! >:D -Luna A bead of sweat rolled down her face. ============================================== 'My feet are killing me. All FOUR of them.' I had lost sight of the group shortly after I began following them, but fortunately they didn't seem to care much about the tracks they left behind as they practically 'stomped' onwards. I felt like I had ran a marathon, though. Probably because I was still technically in a baby's body, though I don't know of any other infant capable of walking continuously for miles on end merely a day after being "born". I was also slightly delayed whenever I had to avoid meeting random creatures passing by. Though I assume they were but animals, they still had emotions to an extent, which let me determine more or less where they were and how close they were to me. Most of them were probably little harmless critters like birds or rodents I think, but considering this world seemed to have great mythological beasts who weren't quite so mythological anymore, I decided to completely avoid anything I could potentially come across. Thankfully, my small size and weight meant I didn't leave tracks myself, saving me the trouble of having to cover them. *Rumble* ...Unfortunately, the "boost" I had acquired a few days ago was starting to expire, and without Lara nearby to steadily feed myself off of, I was finally beginning to feel a bit of hunger, especially after all the energy I spent on this trek. 'Didn't Edge say meat was fine in case we were running low on love? Hmm, I'd have to hunt with nothing but my bare ha— hooves...' Then again, with how small I was, I wouldn't really need to go for the big, dangerous stuff. Never really ate rodents before, can't imagine how tasty they would be as I'd rip them apart with my fangs, picking their bones clean, devouring all that delicious bloody raw mea— ... 'Whoa, okay, I'll... cross that bridge when I get to it.' I decided, shaking my head before wiping off the drool which had started to form. On a side note, multitasking just seemed to be much easier than before. Heck, I've been continuing my walk the entire time while I've been pondering about stuff, while taking in every detail of my surroundings and while trying to get my wings to work, as if I was concentrating on each of those things individually. But that shouldn't be possible, right? It was scientifically proven that people could ONLY concentrate on one thing at a time. '...Whatever, I'm certainly not complaining,' I thought, shifting certain new muscles on my back to slowly move my wings up and down, trying to figure out how fast I'd need to flap them in order to generate enough lift for me to fly. ...If I even could fly at this age. I finally heard voices speaking nearby while I had been sneaking alongside a dirt road for some time, the jungle providing ample amounts of cover for my small frame. The two 'tribal' ponies from earlier had stopped in the middle of the road, appearing to be arguing over the mystical candle that Lara had been using while the rest of the group was nowhere to be seen, nor could I sense stray emotions from anyone else anywhere nearby. The stuffed bags were also sitting on the ground between them as one of them lit up the candle. "(See? Green flame! This is a wishing candle!)" The other guy groaned. "(Wish-granting candles aren't real! Where the hay did you even come up with this kind of story!? You're as gullible as a foal.)" "(Then go ahead! Make a wish! You'll see!)" the first pony insisted. His companion shot him a deadpan look. "(Fine. I'll humor you. I wish I had my very own castl—)" "No no no! (It has to be a selfless wish! Otherwise it won't be granted!)" "(Ugh, FINE! I WISH I HAD A BEAUTIFUL DRESS FOR MY MAREFRIEND!)" *Fwoomph!* ... 'Hey, that's Lara's blanket!' Meanwhile, the guy whom had spoken last was staring slack-jawed with wide eyes, his companion beaming with a wide grin, eagerly jumping up and down. "(See? See!? I told you it was a wishing candle!)" "(I-Buh-Wha...!?)" "(I have to show this to the master!)" the eager one said, grabbing the candle with his mouth before galloping away along the road with it. The remaining pony stared back and forth between his retreating friend and the neatly folded purple blanket on the floor. "(H-hey! Wait!!)" he eventually exclaimed, grabbing the bundle of silk with his teeth, running off to catch up to his buddy. Conveniently leaving the bags and their contents behind. I waited a few minutes just to make sure they wouldn't immediately come back before I approached the packs, leaving my hiding spot cautiously. I couldn't really tell by merely glancing if everything else was still in there—not that I knew of everything that was supposed to be in it—but before I went ahead and searched them I had to move the bags away from the open road, otherwise it or I would most likely be discovered. With the combined weight of everything in there, it was pretty difficult to drag it all at once. At least having four legs helped provide enough traction for me to pull it by holding one of the straps in my mouth. My fangs had pierced the material, but it couldn't be helped; there was no other way I'd be able to get a proper grip otherwise. Leaving the bags in a burrow I had found under a tree before I took note of a couple landmarks to remember where it was—'Big random boulder over there, dirt path visible from here'—I went ahead and covered the trails that the packs made while I had dragged them as best as I could, starting from the road. I finished just in time too, as I sensed them returning before I saw and heard them. "(We should see them pretty soon.)" "..." "(Hmm, I could've sworn they were here...)" "..." "(...Maybe they're a bit further along the road?)" "..." "..." "..." "(Oh come on! I said I was sorry! How could I know it was just a regular magical candle and not a wishing candle? They're almost exactly the same!)" "(I just can't believe I fell for one of your stories, of all things. Now I'm stuck guarding that prisoner's cell for the entire night.)" "(Well, hey, it's not that bad—)" "(It shouldn't be. But I'm stuck guarding it WITH YOU!)" "(I know right! Isn't that just great!?)" I couldn't see them conversing, but that one pony was leaking off so much frustration that I could practically taste it. It was somewhat salty, in case you were wondering. I wouldn't be surprised if his eyes were twitching right now. "(...Hey! Where are you going? That's the wrong way!)" "(I give up. I'm going back to the base.)" "(Huh? But, what about the prisoner's stuff?)" He groaned. "(We'll just say some creature took it or something. Didn't your brother say he thought he saw a chimera lurking around this place?)" "(Yeah...)" the other guy said after a pause, "(...but why would a chimera take anything?)" "(Who knows what goes on through all three of their heads? Now come on, I don't want to find out if your weird brother was right once more.)" I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding once they were far enough, surprisingly headed towards where they had come from, if 'my feels' were right. Something about spying on conversations was just... really enjoyable all of a sudden. I had been slowly browsing through the bags within the safety of this little burrow while eavesdropping on their conversation. Not sure how I was going to go about learning their language, but the more I heard the faster I'd progress on that front, right? Unfortunately, nothing within the packs would be useful in any way to me. At least I saved Lara's stuff in case I found her again, I guess. 'But what is she really to me, though?' I pondered, walking out of the miniature hole to continue sneaking alongside the road towards where the ponies had gone to. 'Do I consider her to be a friend? Should I? Or is she just food? For that matter, how does my new family view everyone else? Are they just smart 'animals' meant to be 'farmed' for love?' I couldn't help myself but chuckle at picturing my new mom scolding me for "Playing with my food". My ears drooped in response to my emotions afterwards. 'I don't even know what she actually looks like,' I sadly realized. I suddenly stood at full attention, my ears swiveling to the side. 'Something's coming. That way. Ground level. Can't hear footsteps, ground not trembling from weight, must be small. Close to my size.' Before I knew it, I had gotten into a stance, crouched and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. 'Prey' my mind seemed to scream at me. A fluffy little bunny came out of cover, sniffing the air. The moment it turns away from m— It never saw me lunge out of the nearby vegetation towards it, nor did it ever stand a chance as I immediately plunged my teeth into its neck after tackling it, whereupon something released itself from my fangs into my prey's body whom rapidly seemed to stiffen. I finally processed just what happened a few seconds later as I looked at the little-but-not-so-little-compared-to-me animal, apparently still awake and alive despite being completely paralyzed. It was completely mortified. The puncture wounds on the neck had barely bled, too. 'Paralysis should mean that the muscles don't respond, but the heart is also a muscle, so something must work differently here if it's still alive despite that.' I frowned. 'Whoa, back up Artemis, think about the fact that you just ran on auto-pilot for a moment there and have venom in your fangs. Or is it poison? Stored in a sac somewhere within my mouth, like snakes have?... Gah! Focus!' The little thing was oozing fear, letting me know it was still aware of what was happening to some extent. Those eyes even seemed to be giving off some sort of intelligence; at least more than the bunnies I had seen back on Earth. "I'm sorry, but this is part of the cycle of life," I felt compelled to chitter, ending its life as quickly as I could. I was about to try and figure out how to cook and eat it next, but something about seeing the ripped-open neck seemed to flip a switch, my mouth drooling at the bloody, delicious-looking raw meat. I'll... spare you the details, but needless to say, it was a little messy. Best meat I've had in a long time, though. Had to resort to licking myself clean once again to get rid of the blood stains and while I think I would've been disgusted at doing that back when I was human, this simply felt... natural now. With ponies as the dominant species in this "Equestria", I realized that meat would probably be a very rare treat for me. I can't imagine what they'd do if they found me hunting the local wildlife, especially if some of them were intense "animal lovers", like some people I knew back on Earth. Still, "Love" had an even better taste and was preferred. As long as I could get myself some of that, I shouldn't have to hunt. After burying the remains to avoid having predators roaming an area I might be coming back to later on, I continued my trek, wondering just how much further I'd have to go and how long that meal would last me. I didn't have to worry long about the former. I soon spotted a sort of gigantic pyramid in the distance, surrounded by walls. A castle? A fortress? One thing was almost certain though: Lara was somewhere in there. And so, I had to make a choice. I could potentially risk my life and try saving her from whatever that guy was—assuming she wasn't dead yet—or I could turn around and see where the road lead that way, hunting to sustain myself, hopefully reaching civilization where my family should be able to find me. ... ... ... ... I turned around. ============================================== "Good thing you were still in there, Sir Quackerton. No way I'm doing this without backup," I chirped. I was pretty glad the rubber ducky actually existed and was stored in the bag. I wasn't going to question why Lara had one with her since I myself had my own little "good luck charm" that I'd bring on my occasional outings back when I was still human. I had scouted the fortress's walls—would've been more flashy and luxurious-looking if it was a castle—for the remainder of the day from the cover of the jungle. Despite how far I was from it (they had pretty much cleared all the vegetation around the fortress for quite the distance), I could spot more of those "tribal ponies" patrolling on the ramparts, each of them armed with spears or bows. The real problem, however, was the fact that the only entrance seemed to be accessible by following the dirt path. The fortress turned out to be essentially on the other side of a chasm, completely surrounded by cliffs save for that one narrow road. There was no way I'd be able to sneak in through that front entrance, with or without the cover of the night's darkness. While I had practiced flying over the hours of waiting for the sun to go down, I hadn't quite gotten it down yet. All I could manage was rapid flaps, but that wasn't enough it seemed. And so here I was, early in the night on the edge of the fortress grounds, thinking about an alternate way inside while I sat on my haunches, juggling the rubber ducky with my front hooves. ... I paused, looking at the duck that was stuck to my hoof. 'If... if this works...' I set the little toy on the ground, walking towards a random tree. And then I actually walked on the random tree, literally climbing it using the 'grip' I had learned my hooves had, sticking to the bark effortlessly. 'Holy shit, this just might work!' I realized while grinning happily, now upside-down on a branch. It felt pretty weird to have gravity constantly pulling you "upwards" instead of "downwards", especially when you had spent years experiencing nothing but the latter. Looking at the patrolling ponies once more, I could see that each group was going about with a torch. Not a single one of them was without a light source in their face, and that was good news for me. It meant that their eyes—whom couldn't naturally see well in the darkness it seemed—were used to the brightness of the torches themselves rather than the naturally occurring moonlight. They had essentially completely blinded themselves to anything outside the range of their light sources, thus wouldn't be able to notice anything approaching unless it was pretty much next to them. "It is time to begin operation 'Tomb Raider', Sir Quackerton," I chirped to my partner as my wings buzzed in excitement, picking up the toy gently with my mouth as I began approaching the looming fortress from the cliffside.