//------------------------------// // Shadow // Story: Translucent Heart: Tales of a half breed // by Harmony Split //------------------------------// Chapter thirteen: Shadow My hooves made more noise than I expected on the roof. Looking around, I released a small sigh, thankful that there was nopony around. I wanted to avoid hurting anypony if I could, at least anypony I didn’t have to hurt. She led me to a roof window that would always be left open for air circulation, at least according to her informant. Moving forwards slowly, careful to not cause any more noise, I looked for the open window and found it soon enough. It was only a small opening, but a quick tug of my magic opened it a bit more. Just enough for me to pass through. Let’s go through this again. I just need to take out the photos and the pony that took them, nopony else unless I have to, right? Exactly, but make sure you leave no evidence! Yeah, got that. I’ll magically burn the photos and his notes completely. She stayed silent after that as I slowly crept through the opening. Looking around, I saw that I was in a hallway, one that seemingly lead to several offices if the plates with names besides them were anything to go by. I was in the right place. Before I could look closer, a light flashed closer to my position. “I told you, I heard something! It sounded like hooves on steel,” a deep voice said. “I think you’re imagining things again, Wing, but if it’ll shut you up, let’s take a look,” a female one answered. The light danced closer and closer as I looked around, finding a open office to my right and quickly slipping in, hiding behind some filing cabinets. The light passed me and swung around, shining into every corner, but thankfully ignored the one I was in. “See, nothing’s here!” the mare snorted before the light began to go away again, ignoring the nervous stammering of the stallion. I sighed when I couldn’t hear or see them anymore and left the office. Sneaking through the hallway, I read the plates besides the door to find out which one was the right one. I think his office is on a lower floor. He sleeps there apparently, since the lower offices are bigger. Thanks for telling me that earlier. I snorted silently and tried to find the stairs. A sign on the wall pointed me to them, but sadly it was in exactly the same direction the stallion and the mare disappeared in. Buck me… I think Lavender might get mad if I did that. Shut up. I sighed after that and made my way down the hallway, careful where I placed my hooves so as to not alert anypony else to my presence. Thankfully, the guards had no concern. It was easy enough to hear them as they went about their duty, bickering back and forth about this and that. They sound like an old married couple. Envious? I didn’t answer that. In truth, I was. But who wouldn’t be? Who doesn’t want that in their own life? Shaking my head, I changed forms in the corner to a smaller version of the one I took. I looked like a black foal that should have been happy just to get her cutie mark. It was not a form I liked to be in, but it was harder to spot, and as the stairwell down was past the desk the guards occupied, it was the best of a lot of bad options I had before me. Don’t screw this up. Yeah, yeah. I did my best to time it just right. As soon as they engaged in a heated argument, I dashed at full speed, using the shadows to hide my form and the sounds of their voices to disguise the movement of my wings. As their voices died, I froze. There was silence for a few moments before I heard voices again. “What was it this time, Wing?” the female voice asked, snickering. “Nothing, I’m just imagining things. Maybe I should sleep more than three hours before these shifts,” the deep voice from the stallion replied, “Now, where were we?” and with that, their argument continued. I continued to hold my breath as I made the last few hoofs to the staircase. I don’t think I released it until I was halfway down to the next level. Smooth. Your mocking tone isn’t helping things. You know what happens if you buck it up. I ignored that and made my way to the correct floor. Of course I knew what would happen, she made sure I knew. She also knew what I would do if she made good on that threat. I shook it off. As long as the status quo never changed, she could say whatever she wanted. The next floor down was a little different than the one I was just on. This one had no guard desk, it opened to a main reception desk with hallways leading left and right. No doubt my target was in one of those. I paused before I took another step. Part of me, a large part of me, didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to be the monster she made me, I didn’t want to hurt another pony that committed no crime against me. Everything up to that point had been what other’s made me do, this… this was not that. This was me accepting what I was. If I did this, I would no longer be the victim. Lavender’s having a bad dream, I think she’s lamenting your absence. WHICH WAY? I don’t know if I imagined it or not, but I swear I hurt her with the amount of force I put behind that thought. I don’t know. The answer was weak and nearly a silent whisper in my head. It was an indicator for me to push through it. You have to know something! Just… try and find the office belonging to Best Pic. A name, I could work with a name. Gliding into the shadows, I snuck along the windowed wall, taking a look at the plate on each door. Until that point, I had just been looking for photographer or publisher as a title, now I looked for Best Pic. I sighed silently when I found it was the last office in the hallway. Finally. There was no answer to that, so I shrugged and tried the door; it was locked. Looking around to make sure that nopony was nearby, a small, green glow appeared and the door clicked open. The click nearly echoed through the hallway, and I kept still to make sure that nopony had heard it. When I was sure that nopony heard it, I slowly opened the door and slid in, closing it directly behind me as soon as I was inside. The room I was in was fairly big, a desk, some filing cabinets, some smaller boards, and a big couch on which a pony was sleeping. I snuck closer and looked at him. He was an elderly stallion, each of his breaths were labored, even in his sleep. I could see that he had fallen asleep working, made evident by the notes that laid on his chest. Looking closer, I hesitated. What right did I have to end his life? Maybe I could just convince him to forget everything and destroy the photos. Looking around for photos, my mind soon wandered to Lavender and our possible family in the future. Should I risk it for one life? He was an old stallion, I had my whole life in front of me. Shivering, I focused on the stallion again and concentrated my power. A small, magic cut through some connections in his brain and he will go without any pain. I had enough training in silent and painless killing, but I never really had any use for it. Now I had to. For Lavender, for me, for us. It wasn’t something that I could avoid. It had to be done. Even if it meant… murder. No, I’m better than her… Oh, but think of Lavender and your possible foal! What happened next happened on reflex alone. Focusing on him, I locked my magic on a specific spot before letting it go. The stallion’s breathing went shallow for some moments before stopping completely. His chest stopped rising and falling, announcing his death. You just saved your future. I couldn’t deny it. She was right, but it felt wrong, and painfully empty. I was a monster, something she made of me. Something I promised I would never be. A promise I officially broke. Looking at the stallion, I felt very sorry. For him and his family, if he had any. At least complete the job! I wanted to yell at her again, but I had no power. Slowly, I collected the notes from the stallion’s form and everything else I could find. Photos, maps, everything that pointed towards anything suspicious glowed green in my magic before disappearing in a flame of the same colour. That was until a set of photos caught my view and I floated them to me. The photos showed a very particular yellow pegasus on a shopping trip, at home in the kitchen, in the bed sleeping, and in other places and positions. One picture showed her in a corner, with green eyes. My breath hitched in my throat as I read the text that was scribbled at the photo’s side. Changeling spy. A shudder wracked my body and I felt numb, like somepony had filled my muscles with ice. I wasn’t able to describe anything more, it was painful. Looking over the photos again and again, I noticed something on the back of one. There was an address noted. Main Lane seven. I had no idea what there was, but I intended to find out. Destroying the rest of the photos and notes quickly, I kept the photos of Lavender. Before I could take my leave, however, I noticed a light creeping closer from the outside and voices. “Okay, you told me that I was imagining things, and now you claim that you saw green beams of light out of his room? That’s crazy-” the deep stallion voice was interrupted. “Shut up, Wing! I know what I saw!” the mare growled. I could hear a key that nestled in the lock before the mare spoke again. “Weird, it isn’t locked.” Without thinking, I grabbed the photos with all my might and ran straight for the door, smashing against it and busting it open, knocking the guards from the other side away as they got a door into their muzzles. Shouts followed me as I made my way to leave the building. “We have a thief here! Alarm!” I acted on instinct as I heard hooves following me. Quickly, I used every shadow I could and leapt for the main hall to escape. As I reached it, I stopped. Several guards stood there, waiting for me. “Stop right there, criminal scum! You’re surrounded! Surrender now!” one of them shouted. I quickly glanced over them, noticing that none of them possessed wings. With a smile, I spread my wings and took into the air before crashing through the window of the main entrance. It hurt a lot, but I had no time to think about it, and simply tried to gain altitude to get out of sight before they could call any pegasus guards. After I felt like I was a relatively safe distance away from the news building, I slowed down, trying to correct my course towards home. It wasn’t easy, as my power seemed to have left me. Looking at my side, I noticed various cuts on my wings. I guessed that my body and face wouldn’t look much better. Trying to find a place to rest and take care of my wounds, I saw a tourist point with a map on a plaza below me. Thinking about the address on the photo in my magical grip, I went down. I wanted to know where that address was. Maybe looking at it to find out why somepony should scribble its address on the backside of a… suspicious photo. I made sure that nopony was in sight before I landed in front of the map. Maybe a little harder than expected, and almost immediately I felt sharp pain through my wings and legs. Maybe, just maybe, it was a little worse than I thought. Looking at the map, I tried to find Mane Lane. It wasn’t that hard to find. Even I knew the way there. I should take a look before heading home. You know that you’re hurt? Oh, you’re still there? I don’t care, I want to know what this has to do with Lavender. Be careful. I snorted and took off again, ignoring the pain in my wings. The flight was short and after only a couple of minutes I landed on Mane Lane, immediately spotting the seven on one of the buildings. It was a bigger office building, and I trotted closer so I could read the sign at the entrance. What stood there made the blood in my veins freeze. Wave Wing Detectives         We solve every case We’re so bucked if Best Pic already sent a photo to them. Let’s hope that he didn’t. I said nothing to that. We both knew what would happen if they already had received a picture. Our life could be ruined. They would search around to find everything they could. I couldn’t let that happen. Don’t go in there now. Go home and I’ll try to find out if they already got a photo. I scowled at that, but turned away from the building. I was just seconds away from rushing in there and searching for evidence. Go find a roof to change your disguise again before you’re spotted. I took to the air and flew to the next skyscraper to change my disguise back to the plum pegasus. It was harder than usual, probably because my power was already drained from my injuries. After I changed, I left the roof and took a course to home. I had to talk with Lavender. No, you don’t! SHUT UP! I felt it again, I felt that I hurt her. This time I wouldn’t stay down. I would talk with Lavender about it, about everything. I had to. I had killed an innocent stallion. Maybe even one with a huge family and various foals. Thinking about it again ripped the air from my lungs. I’m a monster… Tears made their way down my muzzle. Tears brought on from that thought, and from my injuries as my course lead me home. More tears came up as I thought about Lavender and our endangered future. The thoughts were interrupted as I came close to home, already seeing lights on. She’s awake. Eager to get home and into her hooves as fast as possible, I ignored the pain and shot forward. I burst into the door with a little less force than I used to knock down the one to Best Fit’s office, “Lavender, I…” The look on her face stopped me dead. I saw her then, she had yanked her head in my direction as soon as I made that stupid entrance. It wasn’t the look of surprise on her face that caused me to shut up, it was the other look. The look of horror. For a moment, for a brief, horrible moment, I thought she saw me the same way I did. That she saw me for the monster I had become, the monster I was when I killed that stallion. I wished that had been the case, I did, I truly did, for in the next moment I realized the truth. It wasn’t a look of horror about what I’d done, it was a look of horror about the condition I was in. She ran to me, no words, no shouts, just her and her tears. She was crying, she was crying over me, she was crying that I was hurt. In no time at all, her hooves were wrapped around me, holding me, squeezing me, and worse, causing me pain. I did my best to ignore it, but there was a limit to what could be held back, “Oww…” the sound escaped my muzzle before I could bite it back. Lavender practically jumped back as soon as she heard it. Another thought I’d always kick myself for; making her worry, making my pain hers. “You’re… you’re hurt,” she said through sobbs. I felt it then. The adrenaline was gone, the cold wind was no longer numbing my fur, the excitement and self-flagellation was gone, now I had to deal with it. Deal with my pain, deal with my injuries, and most damning of all, deal with how I had hurt her. My fur felt like it was on fire. My wing hurt worse then I could ever remember them hurting, and her eyes were full of love and hurt. Hurt over seeing me hurt. It was that look that I couldn’t take anymore, it was that look that hurt me the most. I would have cut my wings off before I’d ever want to see that look in those eyes, “Lavender, I…” I fell to the ground, not able to take another step forward. In truth, I didn’t think I was that weak, I thought I could have, should have been able to work, but my strength left me. I felt weak, feeble, and hurt. “Aurora!” Lavender screamed at me. I noticed it then, her coat, her pretty yellow coat, there were stains of red across it. Blood, my blood, was on her coat. Is that what I am? I’m nothing more than a bloodstain on this world? Don’t be so melodramatic. A green magical aura surrounded me and picked me up before I could respond. Lavender was holding me in her magic as she carried me to the bedroom. I did my best to bite back any pain as she placed me on my back, my head resting on the pillows, “Lavender, I…” “No talking,” she shushed me as she started to levitate a pile of washcloths and a bowl of water to the bedroom. Without another word, she began to clean me, wiping blood from my coat with a towel as she might with a foal. My eyes never left hers. I doubted that I was that hurt. My fainting episode was probably more to do with exhaustion, and while I was bleeding, they were mostly superficial cuts. Still, she thought I was that hurt, she thought I was that injured, and that was all that really mattered. She picked me up and laid me on my stomach to clean my back. I felt her run the washcloth over my back and my wings. She pulled out a few splinters and cleaned each area thoroughly; however, when she got to my flank, she seemed hesitant to go on. “Lavender, tonight…” I started softly. “What?” “The job I had to do. It was about us.” I felt the washcloth press against my flank at that, “About us? You mean she told you that she knows?” I nodded, “Yeah.” Lavender suddenly scowled, “That miserable little…” “What?” I ask her, surprised. There was hurt in her eyes and in her voice, “This morning… she woke me up while you were gone. She told me she knew about us, and if I would continue to play her game, she would let us have a family. She said she wouldn’t kill you in the end…” “She played with us both…” “What did she make you do?” she asked. The venom in her voice surprised me, but in a good way, “That’s the funny thing. Had I known what the task was, she wouldn’t have had to make me do anything. I would have done it on my own.”            I should have been shocked at those words, I should have been, but I wasn’t. I meant it, every word. Had she told me Lavender was in danger of being found out, I would have done the exact same thing without any of the bush beating involved. But at the same time, I would have hesitated if I had known that she played with us both. “What was is?” “You were being investigated. A pony, Best Pic, he had pictures of you, of you and your green eyes, using magic. He suspected that you were a changeling.” “My cover’s blown?” she asked, shocked. “I destroyed all the evidence I could find and killed him.”   She dropped the towel, “You… you killed him?” It’s amazing how well the mind can compartmentalize things, something that will never cease to shock me. “He went quick, peacefully in his sleep. Had I known…” there was hatred in my voice when I said that last part. We weren't married, I had no claim on Lavender other than how I felt, but at that moment the threat to her caused me to wish a much worse fate on that stallion. The next thing I felt was my muzzle pressed into her coat. The next thing I heard was sobs coming from her muzzle. She leaned into me and held me in her coat, sobbing hard. Her hoof began to run through my mane. There were tears in my eyes then. I was crying. I suspect, no, I know that I was crying because she was crying. “I love you.” We both paused, our breathing stopped. Heck, for all I know, our hearts stopped at that moment with how quiet the room went. It took us almost a minute to figure out who said that, who said it first. To my surprise, it was me. I said it. For the first time, I told her that I loved her. Now that I said it, I hated myself. Not for saying it, but for not saying it before, for not saying it every second of every minute of every hour of every day. The words poured from my mouth in a never ending cascade of emotions. “I love you, I love you so bucking much it hurts. He was a threat to you, so I killed him. I’ll kill anyone that threatens you, Lavender. I can’t… I could never bear to see you hurt. I… I…” My ramblings were cut off with a kiss. She held my muzzle up and latched her lips onto my own. It was the one thing, the only thing that could get me to shut up. When she pulled back, she looked at me, tears in her eyes and a smile on her muzzle. “I love you too.” I was worried what she would do now that we knew everything, but that could wait. All that counted at the moment were those soft, yellow hooves holding me. “Aurora,” there was hesitation in her voice. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure about what she was going to ask, or more precisely, what my response would be, “Do you want to start a family with me?” I was a bit surprised about that, “Didn’t we want to wait a bit more?” “We said that, yes. But I’m certain about it now,” Lavender closed the gap and pressed her lips once again against mine, “Do you want to start a family with me?” Again, that question. Was I really ready for that? Thinking about the last time, today, and everything that happened, the answer was more than clear. “I would love to,” I whispered softly before kissing her with every bit of passion I could bring up.