• Published 3rd May 2012
  • 19,533 Views, 450 Comments

Becoming Whole - Chivalry



Can the Changeling Queen find true love, or will her new life prove too much of a burden for her?

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Chapter 9: Everlong (Unedited)

Chapter 9: Everlong

Chrysalis made her way down the staircase of the old victorian style library home and into the main foyer. With Caduceus recovering from his little 'episode,' now would be the best time for her to explore the town, search for the mystery stallion, and be alone with her thoughts. From what she was able to gather from Scribes, she would find him at the towns tavern just down the street. Even if she couldn't find him there, there would be some pony that might have an idea of where she should look.

The moment the door swung open, Chrysalis felt a tide of hot air surge against her form. A body of sand barged its way into the house as if it too was trying to escape the blistering heat outside. Not even setting hoof outside yet and the mare could feel the first beads of sweat forming on her brow. With a flick of her magic, she turned up the hooded scarf that Caduceus had given her earlier, grateful for the small protection it would provide her as she set across town. The wooden boards of the front porch let out a creak as she walked across them and into the main street.

One of the first things she noticed was the sky. The sun had begun its retreat beyond the horizon, casting it's final vibrant rays of oranges and purples into the desert sky, painting the most beautiful and serene image the mare had ever seen. However, a colossal wall of dust and sand had begun its charge; the faded light reflected off each particle, which made it seem as if the very sky had ignited as its flames consumed all it touched. It was not long before Chrysalis felt the wind begin to pick up as the storm drew closer.

I do not want to get caught in one of those again, she thought with a shudder.

"Hey, Stranger," a gruff male voice called, causing the changeling to jump slightly. She turned to her right to see, just down the road, a rather large griffon stood beckoning her over with one of his claws. His appearance was very similar to what she had seen Caduceus wearing when they had first met: rags from head to paw and claw, covered in dust and sand, a saddlebag with various tools protruding from its pockets, and a sledge hammer resting in a ring on his hip. From what Chrysalis could gather, he must be one of the workers for the railroad she was told about earlier.

"You comin' to the tavern?"

Chrysalis paused, thinking of a way to make this work without raising suspicion. She pulled the folds of her cloak tighter to her body, hoping to conceal her effort for the spell she was about to cast.

"Hey," the griffon beckoned again. "Y'all 'right?"

She looked at the stranger through golden eyes. "Yes," she said in a deep tone. "I will be along shortly."

The griffon paused before eying him curiously. "Is that you, Doc?"

Removing the hood of her cloak she revealed a wild black mane cascading down her now toned, masculine face.

Upon seeing her tan hide stripped with darker brown, the griffon's eyes lit up. "Damn, Doc. Up 'n' at it already?"

Chrysalis flashed a grin, convinced that her disguise was working. Next, she tried her hoof at his rather peculiar accent. "Did you think that a little worm could keep me down for long?"

Nearly flawless, she thought to herself. His vowels are a little hard to copy, but I'll make due...

The griffon let out a hardy laugh before making his was towards Chrysalis. "You are one tough son of a gun, Doc. Needa shoulder ta lean on?"

Grateful for the assistance, the changeling gently leaned onto him as they hobbled over to the tavern's strangely designed doors. A thick white cloth was draped from the door frame and covered the entire entrance. With a free claw, the griffon pulled the curtain aside to reveal another more traditional entrance. The old wooden door was ornately decorated with an iron plaque that read 'The Whispering Sands,' etched in block lettering and outlined by what she could only assume to be copper wiring.

The griffon knocked three times then took three paces back. After a few moments, the sound of wood scraping against sand met Chrysalis' ears. Above the plaque, a pair of green eyes now shown through a small viewing window. Another moment later and the eyes disappeared and the door swung open, the smell of alcohol and wood wafted towards her nostrils. Taking her first step inside and she could hear the sounds of an old piano as it played a jovial tune, orchestrating the drunken rabble taking place around it across the room.

"...Now everybody's died, so until our tears are dried, we'll drink and drink and drink and drink and then we'll drink some more!We'll dance and sing and fight until the early mornin' light, then we'll throw up, pass out, wake up and then go drinkin' once again!" the males finished with a cheer, causing the changeling to let out a chuckle.

A quick glance over the rustic interior of the building and the changeling eyed herself a lone seat near the barkeep.

A slight grin found its way to her face, Perfect. Chrysalis then turned to face her escort. Before she could dismiss him and make her way over, the griffon grabbed her shoulders.

"'Ey boys," the griffon bellowed out as he walked her over to the piano. "Look who I found out in the gutter!"

The group of griffons and stallions all turned towards her with smiles and a ready mug of ale.

o.0.o

Thankfully for Chrysalis, these drunkards were rather easy to distract with idle talk. Of course they wanted to know about her ordeal with the Maw and, while she was happy to regale the tale, she had to add a few minor 'edits' to keep her true presence in the town a secret. After her story was finished, she was asked by one of the stallions to show off her battle scars. It didn't take the changeling but a moment to remember the grievous wounds that Caduceus suffered, but it took a great effort to apply the magic to make them look as vividly as she saw in her mind. A few of the younger males in the group gaged or cringed at the sight, but the stallion who asked simply grinned before claiming her 'paper cut' was nothing compared to his own.

As the stallion captivated the audience with a display of his disfigured flesh and all its torn glory, Chrysalis took the time to slip out of the crowd and make her way over to the nearly empty bar. Now that she was no longer distracted, the changeling took notice of a rather stout unicorn stallion standing behind the bar. His swept-back black mane boasted two silver stripes running along the sides from his temples, a common trait for an aging pony hailing from Mexicolt. Based on the few age marks around his eyes and the strands of grey stubble in his shaved beard suggested that he was over the hill by a few years. Her eyes drifted lower to see him wearing a dirt-stained white shirt beneath a large black apron, suggesting him to be the barkeep of this establishment. The name tag on the left pocket of the apron introduced him as, 'Leon' Perhaps he would know of the mystery stallion Caduceus described. Finally, her gaze returned to the stallion's dark red eyes.

Although she pretended to pay no mind, Chrysalis noticed the bartender's unwavering, suspicious gaze. Had he seen through her disguise, or was he just curious to know how she was walking so well with such an injury? Deciding to take a faltering step, she feigned a cringe of pain before returning to her normal composure. This seemed to be enough to alleviate his concern as his stare shifted from a hard stare to a much softer and welcoming grin as she pulled out her stool.

"What can I get for you?" he asked. "A drink? Or maybe a good joke?"

His accent barely distinguishable, but she had heard it enough times to know his native tongue. "No hay cerveza para mí, pero me gustaría preguntarte alto."

Leon was shocked, though he let out a chuckle. "Your pronunciation is very poor, but I appreciate the effort."

Chrysalis grinned at that. At least she had made a small connection.

"So, what would you like to ask me?"

Chrysalis tapped a hoof to her chin as she recalled what Caduceus had said of the mystery stallion. "Do you remember the traveler I had treated a few years ago?"

The barkeep grinned before using his magic, floating a glass and a rag in front of him as he set to clean it. "You treat a lot of people, medicine man. You're gonna need to be more specific."

"The one with the breathing apparatus?"

"Oh yes, now I remember," he stated as he moved on to cleaning the counter. "What about him?"

She let out a sigh of relief. "Where is he right now? I need to speak with him about some of his injuries."

"He's down in the cellar tinkering on one of his 'inventions.'" Leon sounded less than enthused after mentioning the stallion's hobby.

"May I go visit him?" she asked from the edge of her seat, hoof already on the ground.

Leon looked up at her briefly. "You know the way," he said with a nod over his right shoulder to a small veiled threshold behind him.

Taking her leave, Chrysalis made her way over and pulled back the curtain to reveal a small staircase. The wood creaked and groaned under her weight as she descended down to the cellar. Once she reached the bottom, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim candle light. The din of the piano and drunken talk echoed down the hallway. The smell of alcohol and damp wood was most potent down here, wafting up through the gaps in the floor boards and up into the bar. Probably due to the barrels of ale scattered across the floor haphazardly with one rather large keg spilled over, slowly dripping its contents onto the floor. On the far side of the room, there was a small wood door with a faint light visible beneath the door. Taking that as the mystery stallion's workshop, she began to walk towards it.

Suddenly, the changeling caught a flash of green from the corner of her eye before she felt someone strike her hind legs, knocking her to the floor in a daze. Before she could defend herself, the assailant forced a sturdy piece of wood into the center of her back and its hoof under her chin. The sting of cold steel nipped at her neck. Her struggling stopped from fear of being cut by the blade. Once her assailant was certain he had subdued her, he spoke in her ear in a very strange, distorted voice.

"Hello, Patient Zero."

Author's Note:

Everlong, huh? Kinda like how long it has taken me to get this chapter out! Haha! Haha. Ha... Yea, I feel like crap for making you guys wait so long. I don't want to make excuses, so I will simply try to improve my results.

Anyway, this is a very rough version with not even my own once over since I am trying to get this started again and hopefully keep the ball rolling. I am very out of practice so any edits/advice you all want to give me is more than welcome.