//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: From the Past // Story: Metamorphoses // by Orkus //------------------------------// Chapter 5: From the Past The sun's rays that showed through the window of the bedroom awoke Thoraxis from his slumber. Blinking a few times, he let out a long, well-earned yawn before sitting up, and stretching his legs out. After nodding his head a few times to make himself more alert, the changeling looked to his left, and saw the space was empty. Petra must have gotten up already Thoraxis thought, as he pushed the blue covers off of himself. Using his buzzing wings, he flew from the bed to the doorway of the room, and landed on the ground. From there, he walked through the house. As he passed the bathroom, he stopped dead in his tracks as a horrid retching noise came from the other side of the closed door. Quickly realizing who it was, Thoraxis turned to it, and planted his ear against the wooden object. "Petra? Petra, are you okay in there, dear?" he asked anxiously, knocking on the door three times. "I'm... fine," she moaned in a sick voice from behind the door. "Just a little... morning nausea again, that's all..." "Are you sure you're not catching something?" the changeling asked again, extreme concern building in his tone. "This is the third time this week you've felt like this in the morning. I'm the one starting to get worried now." "Thoraxis, I'm fine... really..." she laughed weakly. "I'll be out in a few minutes..." "Do you... want me to get breakfast started?" he inquired. "Yes please..." Without another word, Thoraxis quietly left the door, and into the kitchen. He passed by Despereaux, who had hopped to the nearby shelf, an equally-uneasy look on his beaked face. "Do you think she's okay, Desp?" he asked the icy bird. The cryophoenix merely replied with a "so-so" shrug, prompting Thoraxis to sigh in a doubting way. Using his magic to lift a frying pan from one of the cupboards, and several ingredients from the fridge and adjacent shelves, the changeling placed them near the stove, and was about to start making pancakes, when a sudden knocking on the door interrupted him. Despereaux squawked as he hopped back onto his perch, his head bobbing up-and-down in excitement, and eyes pointed to the door. After putting the objects he held up, Thoraxis walked up to the door and opened it, revealing the shape of a female, red-furred unicorn. "Oh, uh... hello, Thoraxis," she greeted. "Sorry to stop in on short notice, I just wanted to say hi to Petra real quickly." "Pharsalia, right?" he guessed. "Come on in. Petra's a little... "nauseous" right now, but she should be out of the bathroom shortly." "Thanks. I, uh..." Pharsalia started again, before she caught sight of Despereaux. "What is it?" "The cryophoenix..." the disguised changeling replied, pointing to him slowly, as her teeth clicked together nervously. "I... don't feel very comfortable around cold things..." Being the smart bird he was, Despereaux nodded politely with a bow from his head, and flew to the window closest to him. After opening it with his beak, he glided out of it, and into the morning sky outside. Putting a hoof to her chest and sighing in relief, Pharsalia finally stepped into the house. "Sorry about... mistaking you for my daughter yesterday," Thoraxis apologized again for the moment that happened the day before, in an awkward tone as he rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. Pharsalia raised her hoof forgivingly. "It's alright," she spoke. "Did Petra tell you about what we did last night, after you left?" "Talked, became friends, that sort of thing," he chuckled. "She's a wonderful person, isn't she?" "And a great author too, from what I heard her say," she responded. "You also mentioned something about Petra feeling ill. Is she alright?" "She's just a little queasy again. I think she may have caught a "morning sickness" bug or something a few days ago, but she said she was going to be alright and out in a few minutes." "That's good to hear," Pahrsalia said, as she looked around the pleasant abode. Her venturing eyes stopped when they reached a shelf that had several pictures frames on it, the most noticeable one being a picture of Thoraxis standing behind what appeared to be a young changeling nymph with green eyes, both smiling to where the camera would have been in an overjoyed way. "Was this... Skia?" she inquired, motioning to the picture. Thoraxis, after sighing in melancholic fashion, nodded in reply. "Yes," he spoke, in a depressed voice. "We took that photo on her first birthday." Pharsalia, leaning in and taking a closer look at the picture, saw that Skia was holding a book, piquing her curiosity. "Is that a... book she has in her hooves?" "It's Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny. It was the only thing she ever wanted me to get her for her birthday. She was an... avid book lover, to put it at its lightest." Remembering his task from before, Thoraxis went back into the kitchen, and turned on the burner to the stove. He placed the frying pan on top of it, and busily set to making pancakes as Pharsalia walked behind him, touring more of the house. She trotted past the living room, and into an area that had a door that said "Skia's Room" written on it in partially faded, black ink. Unable to contain herself, Pharsalia twisted its doorknob, opened it, and peered inside. The room looked like a miniature library. The only thing that told her that storing books wasn't its only function, was the small, foal-sized bed near the corner of it. The walls, shelves, and even bed itself of the the chamber were caked in a thin layer of dust and cobwebs, indicating it hadn't been used in a long time. Ever curious, Pharsalia walked in, and took a long look at one side of the bookshelf on the wall. Pursing her lips, and with an inquisitive glare, she used her magic to pull one of the volumes from its resting spot, and blew the dust off of it when it was floating in front of her. An Explorer's Field Guide to Fantastic Creatures, Both Big, and Small was its title, and after opening to its first page, Pharsalia saw it had been autographed by its author. There was something oddly, but distantly familiar about this particular book. Pharsalia had seen and read many, many books in her time growing up with the Theatre, but this was the first time she had seen this one, yet something undisputedly clear was calling to her. "Do you want a pancake too?" Thoraxis asked from where he was in the kitchen, snapping Pharsalia out of her thoughts, his normal tone indicating that he didn't realize his visitor had left the room. "I don't really eat this stuff, since I'm, well... a changeling." Quickly putting the book back, Pharsalia rushed from the room and back to the kitchen as quick as her limp would allow, in a tiptoe. "No, thank you," she politely declined, after finally reaching it. "I ate a little bit ago." No sooner had she said that, the sound of a door creaking open from behind her went out. Turning her head around, the disguised changeling saw the slightly larger form of Petra exit the bathroom, a soaked, green washcloth held to her head, and a weary expression on her (somehow) paler-than-usual face. Her features lit up the second she saw Pharsalia, and a smile appeared. "Pharsalia!" she spoke. "You decided to visit!" "I had a little time on my hooves, so, yeah," she responded. "Are you feeling better now?" Thoraxis asked Petra, as he placed a plate he was holding down onto the table, its contents being a stack of pancakes topped with maple syrup. "A bit," the wyvern said back. "So, Pharsalia. Did you come to borrow one of my books?" "Oh, sorry... I can't right now, I need to... go now," the disguised changeling apologized. "I didn't have much time, and my limit's up. I guess I'll see you both tonight!" Without another sound, Pharsalia quickly hobbled out the door, leaving behind a stunned, and confused Petra. Letting out a moan, the wyvern turned, and sat on a chair next to the table. "That was strange," Thoraxis spoke, sliding the plate to Petra. "Are you still in the mood for food?" Noon came faster than Longinus anticipated. Faithful to his word, he came to the grounds where the stage and tents had been set up. Looking up to the theater, he let out an impressed whistle at its size and design. It was fairly large, taller and wider than most buildings in Ponyville, and must have taken an unknowable amount of time to move. The stage itself had red curtains trailing across its front, and dozens of the workers traversing its wooden floor were carefully going about their business of moving set pieces, expertly-crafted objects and fake buildings. Longinus had brought with him a dark gray cloak, to hide his identity. If anything, any pony that witnessed him would think of him being merely a taller-than-usual unicorn, and that's how he wanted to keep it. Longinus continued past the front of the stage, and entered what looked like a sea of tents of varying shapes, colors and sizes. Longinus began to wander through the field, but unbeknownst to him, there was something following. Behind him, the wretched creature from the night before was quietly trailing in his footsteps like a vulture. Though it made its foul, tortured breathing noises, it took quiet steps on its four, pointed, metal joints, each pressing into the grass and dirt below. Following like a ghost. At last, Longinus spotted the kelpie. She was over by one of the larger tents, talking to what appeared to be an aged deer. From just behind him, the creature continued its advance, its drill-proboscis wagged side-to-side as its head shook to-and-fro in its attempts to get closer to the alicorn. As it was no more than several feet from him, suddenly, a pink blur passed by Longinus and approached the creature, catching his attention as it brushed past his leg. Turning, Longinus recognized who it was instantly. It was Pinkie Pie. Following her, his eyes eventually came cross the being she was now standing in front of, causing him to reel back in shock. The medium-sized creature could only be described as looking similar to a wingless mosquito with a pony-sized body, if even that. It's visible features that weren't hidden behind its mask or coat looked like a perverted combination of metal and something alive. "It's nice to see you, Vek! I told you I'd have time to visit you again today!" the pink mare said to the creature in a joyful voice, as if not even noticing its disgusting features. "Now that I have a second, I've been meaning to ask: why did you join up with these fine ponyfolk?" "Hello... Pinkie. I'm a doc... tor here," the thing spoke in a voice that could only be compared to the likes of something dripping out of a coffin, making what sounded like a gasp for air every time it paused. "I mend the... sick, repair... damaged limbs... that sort of... thing." "We need to catch up a little more when we get the time," she chuckled. "...and let me tell you, I've been BUSY meeting all your friends and coworkers. They're all so nice! I haven't even got to half of the ones here. There's so many of them!" "I... know," the thing agreed. Pinkie went on, "Ooh! I just can't wait to see you all do the play! I bet they'll to good, considering they're all chan-" She clamped her mouth shut with her hooves, knowing she was about to unleash a secret to the world that she didn't want to have revealed. "Pardon me, Vek. As I was saying; considering they're all AWESOME ACTORS!" the energetic pink mare corrected. "I'll see you tonight, Vektor. Remember, I'll be waving to you from one of the front seats!" As briefly as she appeared, Pinkie ran off, back into the forest of tents and busy figures. Longinus had practically forgotten about Carol as his sight remained glue on the being. "Who are you?" he finally asked. "Vektor," it responded. "Any last name?" "I don't... tell others... that much about... myself," Vektor replied. An interval of silence came between the two, until Longinus coughed into his hoof. "You're a coworker with Carol, correct?" he inquired again, his voice no less friendly. "I overheard your involvement with the show." "For the last... year, yes..." Vektor said. "Do you know much about her?" he spoke. "I've been wanting to know more so I can understand her better, but all she was able to tell me was that she was cursed by something a long time ago." "She was... cursed many... hundreds of... years ago, yes," the being started. "As she said... in her own... words, she was a... cruel kelpie with an... obsession... with bells. She took over... a village, and... forced its... inhabitants... to do her... bidding." So... she was a bit of a villain? Longinus thought, as Vektor continued. "Then she told... them to make... her the... grandest-sounding bell... in the land. When they... did so, they... placed a... curse on it... in secret. Once she... heard it... she was driven... irrevocably insane by... its toll. The curse... was made to... cause her to... never dream again... and be unable to... distinguish reality from... fantasy, thereby... becoming too mentally... unstable to... ever take control of... anypony... ever again." "And the curse was to remain with her for the rest of eternity?" "No. She also told... me that... the only way to... break the curse... is for... somepony to... perform an act... of true... love towards... her." When Longinus heard these words, he fell completely silent. "The others told... me that she... has been with... them for... a long time... even before... they broke up," Vektor went on. "They also... said that they... tried to perform... an act of true... love, to... break the spell. However, their... attempts all... ended in... complete failure... because... their actions were... not driven by... true love, they... were driven by... pity." Both of them turned their heads as they noticed Carol moving in the background. She had apparently finished talking to the deer, and approached a barrel, sticking both hooves into it, and pulling out an apple. She then placed it against the lower front of her face, where her mouth was, but forgetting that her helmet was completely in the way, blocking it off. After several futile attempts to eat it that way, she finally noticed her error, and decided to slide it underneath her helmet, and happily began to munch on the fruit. Longinus turned back to Vektor as he continued. "I saw how... she acted... around you... last night. I saw her... fall asleep beside... you. I saw her... dream when... she was... with you. She could never... do such a... thing, unless... she bore... a significant... affection for... somepony." "You were there?" he asked, surprised. "I was... assigned to watch... her, and make... sure she... didn't get into... trouble. In other... words, y-" he started, until his voice apparently gave out before she could say the final word. Taking a claw off of one of the crutch-stilts, Vektor placed it inside of the opening on his trench coat, where he began to fumble with something. After a metal squeak indicated he turned a hidden nozzle that lined somewhere along his chest, he let out a long, deep "breath" that sounded more like a buzzing, mechanical whine than anything else. "In other words... yes," he finally finished, placing his claw back on the stilt. "You'll have to... pardon me... my respiratory... functions are... not the best." Another pause followed. Longinus was too off-put by Vektor's deep, strained rasps to say anything. "Longinus, the... reason I wanted... to talk to... you, was to say... that if... you have similar... feelings for... her, know... that you... may be the... kelpie's only hope... for salvation," Vektor spoke again, before he turned his body around on his stilts and peg legs. "You must... excuse me now, I... have business... to attend to." When he stalked off into the campground at a rather fast speed that startled Longinus to a fair degree, Carol appeared to take notice of Longinus at last, and casually bobbed up to her friend. "Braw tae see ye, Longinus!" she greeted, in an overenthusiastic tone. "Cheers fur comin'!" "Hello, Carol," he said back, looking to her. "Sae... talkin' abit me, waur ye?" she inquired, with a mischievous, amused expression. "You heard us?" Longinus spoke, surprised she was listening in the whole time. "Ah hear lots ay things," she said back in a happy voice, tapping a hoof against her metal headgear. "...E'en wi' thes helmit oan." Carol suddenly started to look over Longinus's shoulder, spotting something that caught her attention. "Ooh! What's 'at?" she gasped, as she brushed past the alicorn's cloaked form, and to somewhere else in the campground. Rolling his eyes and smiling slightly, Longinus began to trot after her, thinking deeply about what Vektor had told him.