//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: The Breaking Point // by Windy The Warrior //------------------------------// The fire swirled through the room, rapidly consuming what little distance Cherry Fizz and Silver Lining had. They were backed up against a wall, and there was no exit. Cherry let out another breath of smoke, fitting as many words through her mouth as possible. "Please tell me the wall's..." Her voice croaked. She had to breathe in another lungful of poisonous air before she could finish. Silver cringed thinking about how bad that must taste - he had air sockets, which he hadn't known the function of until now, but were keeping him relatively healthy. In the meantime, anyway. He could still burn to death, or the sockets could run out. He quickly turned back to the pastel wall, attacking the damaged plaster. If he could break it, they had an exit. If only the mare wasn't about to pass out from oxygen deprivation; she was much stronger than the drone was. He bit back a scream as a tongue of flame seared his back leg. He'd never experienced heat like this before - the Hive had been extremely cold, despite being in the Badlands. Everyone knew what fire was, but nobody had really felt it. Cherry was just about done with the silence. Thanks to this changeling, she was about die! To make matters worse, she could hardly speak - and he wouldn't even respond. She sucked in another bout of smoke, stood up, and shoved Silver Lining to the side. She landed a single good punch on the wall before collapsing. Cherry wheezed for a second, then let out a comprehensible sentence. "Don't you dare underestimate me." She reared up again, pummeling the wall. Silver frowned. She would fall asleep if she kept doing this, and he wouldn't be able to pull her out. Still, she was making much more progress... Maybe he could still escape? The entire house might burn down, and - He gasped. Oh Arachne, he'd slipped back into Hive mentality! If Silver started down that road... He'd be no better than the queen! Cherry sat down again, winded. The fire had caught up to her tail, and the edges were starting to burn. There was a corner nearby that she could run to, and the air was cleaner. He quickly projected the instruction to her. She shot him an angry look. Silver tried to look reassuring, but he just didn't have the heart for it. Cherry bit back a comeback. I don't have time for this, she thought, returning to the wall. She ignored the burning feeling in her lungs, the cruel heat of the fire. Instead, she focused on the pain in her hooves, taking it as a sign of progress. Suddenly, a crack opened in the plaster. She grinned triumphantly, falling one more time before the final blow. Cherry rose on her back legs, channeling all of her strength into her forehooves. The mare shattered the wall, letting out a triumphant whoop. Silver beamed. Maybe they would be fine after all? He immediately regretted the thought as the ceiling caved, sealing the opening. Silver looked back - the inferno had almost reached them, and they were about to get buried in plaster! He wrapped his front legs around Cherry, who seemed to have exact same thought. The changeling rose unsteadily into the air, escaping the fire by inches. Cherry drove her wings back, pushing them forward just enough. They stumbled back to the empty corner as the fire consumed the floor where they'd been standing just a moment ago. The mare pulled in a breath of the healthier air. "We're doomed. We are absolutely doomed." Suddenly, Cherry felt a lot heavier. She fell to the floor, wincing at the sudden loss of adrenaline. The changeling frowned. He had to get her out of here, but... Another idea popped into his head. Fire compromised structures. He hadn't been taught what the phrase meant together, or really the word "compromised" even, possibly for this exact purpose. But he'd heard it in passing, enough to understand a rough definition. He already tried attacking the building, and that had failed horribly, but the ceiling... Had it burned away? Silver looked up. There was another gap in the roof, just enough for one of them to squeeze through. Cherry gasped as she realized what he saw. She forced herself into a second wind."If you leave me here, I will drag you down!" The mare quickly wrapped her legs around his wings. The changeling lurched back from the sudden weight. He caught himself, confused. "What? Since when... Oh." He frowned sadly. "I'm... Yeah. But I have a plan!" The ceiling crumbled a little bit. "You remember how I got here, right?" Cherry nodded. "Teleportation." She caught on quickly. "So you're going to teleport one of us out, and the other will fly. And seeing as you can breathe more easily, I'll be leaving first." He nodded. The mare huffed. "Don't. Just don't. I will not let my home be destroyed for nothing, kid. I know how those spells work, and it'll leave you dead. You don't have the strength to fly straight, anyway." A grim look appeared on her elfin features. "So you won't." The changeling gasped. Cherry stood, eyes flickering bravely in the flame ahead. For a moment, he could have sworn the mare had become the late Queen Chrysalis. Which made him all the more determined not to lose her. Not this time! But he couldn't fight her on this. The changeling wasn't sure what could happen if she fought the spell, and there was always a chance he would fail. He nodded silently, lighting his horn quickly. The destination was only yards away, and there was a clear path. He drew in a breath, focused the little magic he had, and released the teleportation. Silver disappeared, rematerializing on the edge of the gap. He frowned at the scene below: Cherry flapped her wings wildly, but she only rose a few feet. She had a foot or so of distance left before the fire eliminated her safety zone. The mare was gaining air, but she couldn't go on very long. He was forced to back away when a section of roof collapsed. He shook his head. She wouldn't make it, not like this, but... He suddenly noticed the huge difference between his two teleports. He had stayed awake much more easily, which meant... Maybe he could do a second spell? Silver looked down through the hole again. Cherry was close... But not close enough. Pain shot through the mare's veins, but she forced herself to ignore it. No distractions, not another thought. She grit her teeth. The fatigue was winning. Her wings finally collapsed, hanging at her sides weakly. She couldn't move, couldn't even breath. There was no way to fight. In that horrible moment, she opened her eyes. The sky above was pure blue, dotted with cotton like clouds. The last thing she might ever see. The changeling's breath caught. He gathered energy, shooting the beam without thinking. The pegasus was engulfed in light, missing the fire by inches. A moment later, she appeared on the roof nearby. He smiled. One danger averted. Well, kind of. But they were safe, for now... Cherry lay on the tile, staring at the sky. Even with the stone against her back, she felt like she was falling. She wanted to draw comfort from the huge expanse of blue, but none came. Something was missing, the same something that had made the sky her retreat for years. Silver frowned. The look on her face, the pose, the lack of movement... She was fine for the most part, but... He dragged himself closer. The longer he looked, the larger the lump in his throat became. What happened? What had changed? Why was this odd feeling forcing itself into his mind? "What's wrong?" He finally spoke. "What's different?" He gulped, afraid of what the answer would be. Maybe there wouldn't be an answer... He steeled himself for the looming possibility. "Silver, my wings," she blurted. "Look at my wings." She shifted her weight so he could see. "I can't feel them. What happened?" Silver's heart sank. "They... I'm so sorry." He gulped. "They're gone." The changeling lit his horn one more time, and she could almost see a tear rolling down his face. "Goodbye, Cherry. Forget me, please..." ♠ A nurse slammed open a door ahead. Two doctors were waiting inside. A trio of extra nurses pushed the hospital bed down the hall like precious cargo, quickly but carefully maneuvering it into place in the far corner. The uniform emergency room was blindingly white for most ponies, but the employees had grown used to it. It was this place Cherry Fizz awoke to. For a moment, she felt like she was falling. Then she opened her eyes, blinking in the fluorescent light. There were already ponies swarming around her, talking in oddly hushed tones. For a second, she was worried that she was going deaf. Then one of them, a sunny-coated mare, turned to her and smiled weakly. "It's good to see you awake, sis." Lemon Drop said, brushing back a lock of lime-colored hair. The unicorn carried a clipboard and red pen, in front of her, constantly taking notes on Cherry: the way her eyes moved, whether or not she was in shock, any huge tics that developed, any reactions... Basically, nothing escaped Lemon's clever mind. She was, of course, a trauma expert. The pink mare moaned in what could vaguely be recognized as a "what happened". She was suddenly in the emergency room, she couldn't feel her limbs, and... There was something else. Something very, very wrong. Lemon motioned to a nurse, a pale stallion with a ginger mane, and walked over to the foot of the bed. " We were hoping you could tell us. We received a call about a fire, then a second one moments before officials arrived. The first was from a neighbor, but the second was at your own house. Luckily, it was contained to three rooms, but..." She trailed off suddenly, mouth practically glued shut. The nurse took charge. "Ma'am, there was a changeling in your house. We think it started the fire. The officials were able to save you - somehow, you were on the roof - but most of your wing feathers were burned off. In time, they will grow back, but you won't fly for weeks, even with booster medicines. Months, maybe." The entire time, he kept a stoic expression. "The infiltrator escaped, but the police are looking for him." Something in Cherry broke. Her house had been attacked, and her wings... Not to mention, a changeling had broken in. But why couldn't she remember? Oh Celestia, had it taken her memory? Lemon wrapped her up in a hug. It was against the professional policy, but who cared? Somepony had almost died, her sister no less... And if she didn't comfort her now, if she didn't appreciate her... When would she get another chance? More to the point, would she at all? The other employees let them have their moment, but they had to work. A spell had wrapped itself around Cherry's mind, and they had to fix it. Lemon broke away, crying. Her sister, despite being the worse for wear, had put up a brave face. The other doctor, a gray stallion with a slick cerulean mane, stepped forward. Suddenly, Cherry's breath caught. He looked familiar... But his face was all wrong. So was the halo that shone from his horn. And his eyes... They were cold, too professional. Too normal.