A Change of Heart

by ChaoticHarmony

Beginnings

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Under the veil of darkness, he snuck closer to the spot where the little pony was sleeping. Her small snores made him all the more eager to be done with his task, a task ordered by his father. He reached his destination, and with practiced hooves, took her by the mouth and torso. Instantly, she awoke, as was expected. She looked him in the eyes, and he saw what he thought he was, a monster. To end the suffering of the pony, green fire blossomed from his horn, and enveloped the pony. Slowly, her struggling had subsided. He dragged her with difficulty to the green circle of sickness and despair. The grass around the portal was dead, as if the portal had taken everything good away from the plants, and left them with no will left to live, just like his world left these ponies after they entered. Throwing her in ahead, he jumped through behind her, bracing himself for what came after.

Loud cheers erupted from either side of him. Of course, the voices raised in elation sounded like glass being shattered and trodden on. Cringing back away from the noise and sudden light, the pony, awake again after exiting the portal, curled into a whimpering ball. Tears were rolling down her cheeks unrestrained as her eyes stared at nothing. Shuddering as she was, none of the others had touched her, knowing it was his right to have the first bite, as they called it.

Knowing what they were expecting, Needle Wings held up his hoof for silence. The crowd’s unruly shouts shut off almost the instant he raised it. They respected his right to speak, being the best at doing what he did. How he hated it, his abilities, his “gift” they called it. He called it his curse. “She will be taken to my family’s home,” He said with a voice that grated like glass on stone, “She will not be taken from until I have had my… fun.” When they began dragging her away, she whinnied in terror around the gag in her mouth. Her fear-filled eyes turned to her jailors, a big pair of changelings, as they dragged her along with their magic, careless of the pain they brought her when she hit a rock on the road.

Everyone’s eyes in the crowd turned to Needle Wings. His head hung low to the ground, and tears threatened to overflow on his face. Shutting off his personal emotions, he pulled up his head. And walked off in the direction of his home, where his father and mother would be awaiting to congratulate him on another successful hunt. Needle Wings felt no joy in his curse, only sadness for those he hunted. He opened the door into his personal hell.

The pressing darkness was kept at bay by the light of her sister’s horn. Cherish was sitting in her bed, her new cutie mark shining in the blue-tinged light. She only realized her special talent was kindness to other ponies just that night, when she was walking down Mane Street, and a grumpy colt bumped into her. He looked down at her, anger already flickering in his eyes. “Just what do you think you’re doing little filly?” He said, leaning over her, “Don’t you know you should move outa the way when big colts walk through?”

Cherish stepped back, suddenly afraid of the terrifyingly angry colt in front of her. “But… but sir, I’m sorry. I just didn’t see you there. I was thinking about how lovely I’d look standing next to your shop down the road there.”

The colt was suddenly taken aback from this sudden act of kindness and affection. His eyes widened as they noticed a shining light come from the flank of the small pony before him. He glanced down at her, and began to walk away with a small smile on his face. “Well, don’t let it happen again missy.” He said with a wink, “If I was you, I’d wash my flank, you might just find something stuck there.”

Cherish, a little confused, looked towards her rear end. Her eyes jumped open in surprise, on her previously blank-flank, a picture now resided. It was a picture of two pony hooves cradling a heart. She rushed home to tell her sister about what had happened. Just as she had been happy, her sister showed the same excitement that Cherish had infected her with.

As they sat and talked inside the dark room, well into the night, her sister stood up and stretched. “Well Cherish, it seems to be that time again,” She said, stifling a yawn. When Cherish gave her the little filly stare, she shook her head. “Sorry sister, but it is late, and you need your rest for tomorrow, when you will share your talent with the others, and to thank that nice colt for helping you find your talent.” She said with a scolding tone, common of older sisters. As she walked out of the room, the light of her horn winked out.

Cherish didn’t see the green light until it was too late to scream. Blackness engulfed her vision, and her mind.

As he walked into his own home, he was assaulted by cheers and claps on the back from his family. He winced at every cheer and pat like it was blows to his very core. He despised himself that he had to do such things to survive. He walked towards his room with his head held high, and he noticed that another person wasn’t enjoying his success either. His brother, Blade Horn, was sitting apart from the festivities, sharpening his horn against a black stone.

As Needle Wings passed by, his brother glared at him with envy. His brother couldn’t change form well, and the last attempt cut off any attempt at hunting for at least 2 weeks as the ponies scoured the land looking for the Changelings. Of course, there was no danger that they’d find their world, but anyone who went out risked getting caught. Needle Wings was the ideal choice, being able to turn into another without a single error, even a picture of a pony was sufficient for him. The fact that Needle was better than him really nettled his brother, especially when they used Needle to fix Blade’s mistakes.

I’d trade you any day blade, Needle thought with a slow rage. I’d rather not have to do this.

Putting his brother aside, Needle walked into his room, where the pony was waiting. As he walked in, he averted his eyes from her, and looked at the mess that had been there since he left to go hunting. Used scrolls littered the ground, and wing flakes were dusted on the entire room. At least they didn’t go through anything, he thought with relief. He turned to the pony in the middle of his room. “So,” he said, advancing toward her, “What is it that makes this right to do? How did we come to this, feeding on your emotions?” He shook his head, knowing full well that she couldn’t answer him with the gag on her mouth. He then did what he told himself not to do, that it would only make this harder. He looked into her fear-filled eyes as she looked up to him, with an expression of sheer terror.

He turned away from her, knowing that he couldn’t do it now. He knew that he could no longer live like this, hunting other people, just to eat. He would find something else to feed on, or he would die. But he would not feed on pony feeling any longer. With tears leaking green out of his eyes, he pushed the pony outside his room.

The screams started before he could close the door.

She awoke in darkness, just like her room was before the green light filled her vision. However, she certainly didn’t have her bed beneath her, but rather, a hard floor resided beneath her hooves. Not knowing where she was, she stayed put, shivering in the cold darkness, and twitching to any odd-sound. Those were plenty, with slithering ringing out from the floor, and cackles from somewhere above her. Whimpering in fear, she pinched herself, thinking that she was in a dream. Though it had hurt, she remained where she was, not returning to her own bedroom.

Her whimper had quieted the shouts from above, and urgent talking started, escalating into yelling and a thud. Suddenly, a green light was thrown into the room, blinding her. When her vision cleared, she was being dragged into a room by a large insect like creature that looked like a pony, but gross. She shuddered at the feel of its hooves on her, and shook with fright. Cackling had come from behind her, and she saw another thing walking behind her, with an unnaturally sharp horn, the light reflected off his teeth as he grinned at her.

Suddenly, she was shoved into a room at the end of the hallway. Inside there was a smaller black creature, with a thin body. It was evident that he was starving. He turned to her, and his eyes held so much sadness, that she wanted to rush to his side to comfort him. Green slime around her hooves prevented her from moving. She sat on the floor waiting while the bigger one talked to the starving one. He was telling him to feed from her! Cherish began to squirm on the ground, attempting to leave before they noticed her. The starving one noticed her, and his eyes followed her progress, almost as if he was urging her to leave.

They turned to her, still arguing angrily, but her fear made her deaf to what they were saying. She couldn’t do anything but convulse involuntarily at their approach, whimpering as they came closer. The bigger one left the room, and the younger one looked into her eyes. She could see tears flowing down his face. His look of anguish nearly made her choke with sympathy. He leaned closer to her, resolve plain on his face, and she squealed in fear.

“Listen my little pony,” he said with a jagged voice, “I won’t hurt you, but I need you to listen to me if we are going to get out of here!” She nodded in acknowledgment, and he freed her from the bonds. He began to pile up rocks as black as night, and she barely heard him tell her that she needed to hurry. Then he grabbed her hoof and led her outside to a cliff. Off of the face, she saw a portal as green as grass.

Needing to know her saviors name, Cherish asked in a fearful voice, “Who are you?”

He looked into her eyes, despair haunting his stare, and answered with a yell, “I am Needle Wings, and I am not like them.” After he said that, he shoved her off the cliff. Her last sight before the green light was that of him jumping off after her, green fire streaking all around him.