Translucent Heart: Tales of a half breed

by Harmony Split

Waiting and Surviving

Chapter twenty: Waiting and Surviving

My mind realed at those words. Rosewing had been right, I had discounted my own life, I was so quick to make the ultimate sacrifice that I was actively looking for it to happen. I’m sure I even expected it, I expected to die, to give my own life for Lavender’s.

Walking back into the house, the mood was as oppressive as ever. Like the house itself was punishing me for my words, for being so dumb. I couldn’t look up at anyone. I didn’t want to face their accusing glares, to be reminded of how dumb I had been.

With my head downcast, I walked right past the living room and to the spare bedroom. I knew it was technically where High Spirits or Rosewing was staying, I just had to hope they wouldn’t mind company.

Bless her heart, Lavender had been expecting such a boneheaded maneuver.

“Aurora,” Lavender said.

Hearing her voice again caused me to look up, “Lavender, I…”

“You were going to sleep in here, leaving me all by myself again?”

“What, no…”

I was.

“You think I don’t want to share my bed with you anymore?”

“No… I…”

I did.

“You really are an idiot, Aurora.”

I am.

She started walking towards me. I could only fall back on my flank, my head still looking down at my hooves. I was too ashamed of my words, and worse, my actions, to look up at her. I expected a lot, for her to yell at me some more, Celestia knew I deserved it. Or for her to hit me, I wanted her to hit me.

She did none of those things, she hugged me instead. I felt it then, her tears falling upon my mane, her sobs echoing through her body. She was crying, and it was my fault.

"Aurora, you have to be there for us, not just throw you life away on the first and best occasion," she said through more sobs.

“I’m sorry,” I said, realizing that I was sobbing, too, “I’m so, so sorry.”

She just held me, not saying a word. She did something I thought was impossible at that moment; she forgave me.

“I love you, Aurora. Never forget that. One stupid fight means nothing compared to that.”

“Let me make it up to you,” I said.

“There’s only one way you can,” she replied, pulling back from me so she could look me in the eyes. It was then that I saw it; her tears staining her muzzle.

“Name it, anything at all.”

“Live for me, for us,” she replied, holding a hoof to her stomach.

I looked down at her stomach, and then back up to her muzzle, “I promise I will,” I said, tears falling freely from my eyes.

"And that you sleep in our bed, actually," she added with a smile.

With one hoof, I wiped a tear from my eye and nodded. She grinned at me, that smile that just meant more to me than the sunrise. Together, we made our way to her room, to our room. She gestured to the bed, indicating that I should take my spot.

With a nod, I did just as she asked, like I’d done a dozen times before. She crawled in after me, pressing her back up against my chest. With one hoof wrapped around her, I started to lightly stroke her chest, earning myself a coo in reward.

Reaching out with her magic, Lavender turned off the light, letting us simply lay there with her in my hooves. I lowered my muzzle into her mane and breathed her scent in deeply, something I’d done before, but never got enough of.

“I don’t deserve you,” I whispered.

“You idiot, you’re the only one that does,” she said back, smiling.

The following night was a good and bad one all the same. A bad one because I feared what would happen to my family if everything failed. And a good one because Lavender noticed it and pulled me tightly into her loving embrace. I’ll always remember it though, I knew at one point we both fell asleep, but I fought off the sandpony for as long as I could, just so I could hold her for one second longer.

Every second just meant that much to me.

Our sleep didn't last long. By the first rays of sunlight, somepony bucked at our front door, waking us and causing Rosewing and High Spirits to go on alarm at the same time.

High Spirits opened the door slowly only to see an envelope sitting on the stairs towards our home. She snatched it and quickly closed the door again.

I could almost see her tense up as she opened it and tore a picture free. We all knew who that disguised changeling on that picture had to be. Or at least that was what I thought.

The messy hoof writing under it was also a point.

Give us the half breed, get your friend back unharmed.

When High read those words, Lavender wrapped a wing around me and squeezed tighter, “It’s bull,” Rosewing said.

“Of course it is,” High Spirits agreed, “Even if we gave them Aurora, they’d never let her go, or us for that matter.”

I couldn’t help but notice a tear starting to fall from High’s muzzle though, I had no idea what the picture showed, but it couldn’t have been good. Whatever they were doing to her, it wasn’t bound to be pretty.

“Besides, there would be no point in trading Aurora for her anyway, Aurora’s the whole reason we can actually win,” Lavender added, quick to point out the obvious.

“Still, this is a threat to us,” I said, “From now on, no one goes anywhere alone, we stay as a group. There’s strength in numbers.”

“And it also helps that you’re something of a powerhouse,” Rosewing said with a grin.

“I’m nothing special, but if all goes well, we’ll soon have a powerhouse on our side,” I said back.

“Cute and modest, you bagged yourself a winner, Lavender,” Rosewing joked.

"Bite me," I shot back, and we burst into tense laughter.

Lavender kissed me on the cheek during our little fit. It helped to lighten the mood, but I could still feel the tension in the air, “No one answers the door again,” I said, “I’ll be the only one to open it from now on.”

“What? Why?” High asked.

“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and before you say anything,” I said to Lavender, “No, this is not me trying to put myself in harm’s way. I’ll admit… I have some power, I can handle anything they throw at us.”

And if they start sending pieces of her, I don’t want anyone else to see it.

"That's because you are the captain, right?" Rosewing started slowly, "You've been taught spells and battle tactics other changelings could only dream of."

"I won't deny that I'm experienced in some ways, but no, I'm not a captain. Not anymore, and I don't want to be it for you. I'm your friend and family, please remember that," I said, and Lavender squeezed me tight to her side after that.

"Good words," she whispered.

I’ve heard it said that a strong commander can inspire ponies even though the most hopeless of times, my words seemed to breath truth to that saying. The mood in the house changed at them, it was like the presence of their threat was subtly neutralized, and we were all able to go along with our day as if it didn’t happen.

At least, almost all of us. I watched as High Spirits seemed on edge, she was slightly off. Nothing major, just subtle changes to the way she carried herself. I played along, asking Lavender and Rosewing to get breakfast started. Both mares agreed, thinking nothing of it.

When they were in the kitchen, I pulled High to the side, “Let me see.”

“See what?” she asked.

“The picture,” I replied.

“There’s no need, you know what it shows,” she said in quick, snap dismissal.

"Is it Silver Speed?" I simply asked.

"No," High answered, her hoof shaking as she showed me.

It was Electric Blue. Or at least, High thought it was.

“That’s…. that's not possible.”

"Why?"

High had addressed me simply, a frown on her muzzle.

"You know why!" I shouted, "They're playing with us!"

“It could be her, it could be,” High said through choked up tears.

“It’s not, I crushed her skull with my hoof,” I said aloud and with more force than I ever intended to.

“Did you check, did you make sure that killed her? That she was dead?” High looked at me, unblinking and in pure panic.

“No.. I…”

“Then she might have survived, it might be her, they might have rescued her! Saved her life!”

“Or it’s one of any number of changelings that simply shape-shifted into her form to turn us against each other” I replied back, my voice monotone.

“It could be her, too!” she said again.

“It’s not,” I replied.

“You don’t know for sure.”

“It’s not.”

“I gotta go find out, I gotta--”

“No, I can’t let you do that.”

She glared at me in anger, “And what if it was Lavender instead!”

"Now I know that you are just looking for a bucking reason to get on my coat!" I busted out, glaring back.

"Wake up, we don't really have coats," she threw back with all the bitter she could muster, "But love is real, even among us!"

“High, I can’t let you go,” I said.

“You can’t stop me from going,” she growled back.

“No… I can’t, but what I can do is go in your place.”

“Wh--” she never got to finish that sentence, In a flash of green magic, I knocked her out. With one hoof I caught her and guided her body to the ground.

“Sorry, I know you’ll hate me for this, but it’s for your own good. I’ll find out if it is her or not, and either way, I’ll either bring her back, or evidence of the trap I know it to be. If you went, you’d just get yourself killed. I can’t have that happen to a member of my family.”

“I’m going, too,” Rosewing said from behind me.

I looked back, Rosewing and Lavender were both looking at me, no doubt alerted to our conversation by our shouting.

"No, and don't you even start it," I added to Lavender.

Lavender didn’t comment on it, she merely said two words, “You promise?”

I smiled at that, “I promise,” I said back, our conversation from last night echoed through our minds.

“Then bring back the truth,” she said, “I’ll take care of High Spirits when she wakes up.”

“She’s going to be pissed at me,” I said back.

“Oh yes,” Rosewing replied, “But if you are successful, she’ll probably kiss you.”

“You know it’s a trap, right?” I asked.

“I know, but that’s the thing about hope, you can never kill it, not really. However unlikely, It’s not beyond the hive’s ability to have saved her. She was right about that much, it is possible, if not unlikely.”

“I was afraid you would say that.”

“She was also right about something else,” Rosewing added.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“If it were Lavender, you’d already be there.”

I agreed with her on that point.

"Do you know where to go?" Lavender asked as she nuzzled me.

I had a guess where I would find that information, and picked the picture up, turning it.

"You won't believe me," I laughed, then showed them the address.

Central Hospital. Fifth floor, room 508, come alone.

"It's more than obvious that this is a trap. Do you think she played her big card?" Lavender asked.

"You mean her big friends around the authorities?" a nod from her, "I don't know, but I'll set a few shields around me if that lessens your concern."

She nuzzled me gently, "No, but it's a good start."

I looked at her questioningly and she backed away, her eyes glowing and I felt a nice, warm feeling washing over me. "What did you do?" I asked.

"Adding some layers of my personal spells, just to be sure," she said with a smile, "They'll take the place of yours once they are gone or used up."

If we were alone, I would've tackled and tongue kissed her. Deep. Now that had to wait, and I gave her a light lick up the muzzle along with a glance in my eyes that promised her everything once I was back home.

She smiled at me, it was the smile of someone that truly believed in me, that trusted me, that I’d give the world for just to see one more time. I almost laughed then as I realized that this was nothing compared to that smile. I’d fight through whatever ambush they were trying to spring and make my way back to her without fail.

After all, when you have someone that loves you that much, who wouldn’t?

“Dinner’s at six, don’t keep me waiting,” Lavender said as I walked to the door and opened it.

“Like I’d ever miss your cooking,” I replied back, blowing her a final kiss before stretching my wings and taking flight.

***

There was a cool breeze in the sky when I took off earlier. The wind itself seemed like it was waiting for whatever was about to happen. I closed my eyes and concentrated inward, seeking out the reserves of power I was sure I’d need.

My thoughts turned to Lavender, to Rosewing, to High Spirits. I saw them all, my family. True, it wasn’t a responsibility that I had sought out, but that didn’t make it any less mine, or any less precious to me.

I was approaching the hospital quite quickly, and trust me, even on the first sight it practically stunk like a damn trap.

Nopony around the hospital, it was quiet. Way too quiet.

“Yeah, like that’s not a dead giveaway,” I said to myself as I landed on the ground floor. When I walked into the hospital, it was just as empty on the inside as it was on the outside, the lighting kept dim, “They must have triggered the emergency lighting.”

It was largely unnerving to walk into such a large building without ponies all around. As I got closer to the elevators, one opened up, empty, and just for me, “Celestia, you all must think I’m stupid,” I said aloud as the elevator doors closed.

"No one thinks that you're stupid, captain," a voice huffed through the speaker from the cabin, "But you have to admit that it was quite easy to get you here."

“Did you really think I’d let High come herself?”

“Nope, we didn’t. We knew you’d come in her stead.”

“Is that actually Electric Blue?” I asked.

“You’ll have to come see for yourself,” the voice said in a chuckle as the intercom went dead.

"Buck you! I'm not stupid, and I'll get your heads for this!" I screamed and looked at the emergency exit at the top of the cabin. I just hoped there was no camera in there, and the surprise would be gone.

Running to it, I broke open the door with a blast of green magic and paused at the stairwell.

Think dammit, think this through, they want you hyper, to make stupid mistakes.

I paused and calmed myself. Going through my family’s deep breathing exercises, I placed a hoof against my chest and breathed in and out in slow, rhythmic breaths. It worked, I calmed down enough to regain my focus.

A grin appeared on my face as I knew exactly what I wanted to do. They wanted me to stumble blindly into a trap, well, I’d do just that, it just wasn’t going to be a trap of their making.

My destination was the fifth floor, and I’d go there, just as they expected me too, but first I’d make a little stop on the fourth floor.

***

My arrival on the fifth floor was met with the same fanfare as when I entered the building. There was nopony there, just emergency lighting and a creepy ambiance in the air. I knew my destination without issue, and walked right to the room that was no doubt holding a horde of changelings waiting to attack me.

This is going to be fun. I thought with a smile.

To my shock, there wasn’t a horde of bloodthirsty changelings waiting to slice me into ribbons, the only sound that greeted me was the beep, beep, beep of a heart monitor in the room.

“What game are you playing?!” I shouted.

I expected, and received, no reply. With a sigh, I continued into the room. I was too far invested to turn back now, I doubt they would have let me anyway.

I slowly approached the bed and looked around, careful to not simply walk into a laid trap. I shook as I reached my destination and went to grab the covers from off the form of a pony-shaped object in the bed.

My jaw hit the floor at what I uncovered.

Looking at me, through wide green eyes and a wicked smile, Electric Blue stared into my face, "The queen sends her regards," she chuckled before jumping off the bed.

"What?" I screamed before it clicked in my head, "You are working for her! How can you do that to High Spirit?"

“Because she’s never loved High Spirit,” a voice came from the bathroom as the second largest changeling I’d ever seen in my life stepped out of it. It was one of the queen’s lieutenants.

Electric flew up to him and nuzzled against the side of his chitin, “She’s always loved me.”

“But I killed her!” I shouted in disbelief, "You shouldn't exist anymore!"

“Just about,” he replied, “Luckily I was nearby and managed to save her life, my dear Electric.”

She purred up to him, almost like a kitten to it’s mother. Given their size difference, that was an apt analogy.

"You know that I'll kill you both?" I asked cooly.

“Oh? You going to detonate that magic spell you cast on the floor below us?” Electric asked.

"No, not under these circumstances," I said and paused before my eyes glowed, "I'll do the same to you as to your company in the streets, remember? I'll burn you alive, there’ll be nothing left to save!"

The big changeling actually laughed, "You're kidding, right?"

He stopped his laughter as I shot a beam towards Electric, making her scream and fall onto the ground once she got hit by it.

I wanted her alive to tell High everything, the pony that deserved the truth. I did it also so High wouldn't hate me based upon a lie.

"Now I'm going to hurt you, bitch!" The lieutenant shouted before tackling me with his full weight.

I shoved his head to the side with a kick so his fangs snapped into the air, but his hooves pushed painfully against my chest and stomach. I had no time to fire a spell in this position, so I acted on instinct.

Changing into the form I disgusted, I bared my fangs into his neck and twisted my head like a dog would with it's prey. He screamed and tried to get me off with hard punches against my stomach.

Hard bastard.

I knew that he was physically stronger than me. I knew he would finish me up close like this. I knew I would loose soon.

Lavender... I can't... loose.

I bathed in my feelings for her and the lieutenant frowned in shock as my horn glowed. It wasn't the usual green flicker of magic.

The glow around my horn was golden, sending blinding waves of light through the room. It shocked the lieutenant enough to forget his case to bring me to the queen alive.

He screamed and bit down my chest. It was the sharpest pain I had felt in a long time, but it didn't stop my magic.

The light grew, grew more and more until I nearly blinded myself. Then it exploded.

The lieutenant was forced off me, but at the same time a giant pain exploded in my chest and I saw stars in my gaze.

As the light faded off, I laid heavily breathing on the ground, my body in pain. A small look to my side showed the lieutenant against the wall, his neck at a weird angle.

I knew that I had to get out of range soon, and also take Electric with me, but it was to no use. Every time I wanted to stand up, searing pain made me slumb back.

A look to my chest answered why. A big chunk of my chitin and the muscles underneath was missing, my ichor running freely over my sides and my neck.

Damn it. Remember the healing spell!

I remembered it vaguely, but the thought of my promise to Lavender helped me. Under my eyes and with a bit of my last power, the bleeding stopped, but it wasn't enough to close the wound.

I just need a few more minutes.

"Don't just stand there! Get her!" A voice shouted outside, and I stumbled onto my hooves.

They're here.

Looking at Electric Blue I growled and lifted her slowly up on my back, then I crashed through the window just in time as the door opened.

"She's getting away!" Someone screamed, but a look back showed that they didn't try and follow me.

That's weird.

Shaking my head, I focused all of my strength on flying and hoping that nopony would see me. I was simply too weak for my natural form or any other disguise. I also knew that flying should've been impossible at that moment, but I did it nonetheless.

Lavender, I'm keeping my promise.

The flight home was much longer than the one to the hospital. I was slow, way slower than I wanted to be, but the weight on my back and the wound drained me.

I don't even know how I made it, but the last thing I saw was a familiar house before my power was used up and I crashed down.

***

Someone called my name, but I wasn't able to make it out. I couldn’t see or hear really anything, my body felt like it was enveloped by soft, white clouds.

The scene quickly changed into a field of green grass and a waterfall nearby. I looked around in shock to see what had caused it.

"Either I'm dead, or dreaming," I said aloud.

"The latter one," a voice calmly stated, followed by a dark blue alicorn stepping out of the shadows.

I quickly got onto my hooves and faced her, my mind going through every defensive spell I knew. But I also knew that they wouldn't help against an alicorn.

"You don't have to fear us, Aurora Blue. Purple Star explained everything and defended you in name of her pride as one of our guards."

Before me stood one of the pony sisters of legend. The Alicorn of the Night herself, Princess Luna. I’d heard the tales of Nightmare Moon, of the destruction she could cause, of how we should all live in fear of her. This mare wasn’t that mare, this mare was amazing, her night blue coat, her crescent moon cutie mark, and her ethereal mane. It all added up to a sight that was truly breathtaking to me.

"The queen always told us that you couldn't visit our dreams. And why am I dreaming?" I asked.

"That's true for every full changeling, but not for you. And you are sleeping because your wounds are deep," the alicorn replied and walked closer.

My changeling instincts wanted me to pull back, to recoil at her presence, to try and save myself. However, my pony instincts welcomed her presence, almost as if she were a cooling salve on fresh burns.

The latter won out, and curiosity drew me closer to her. I got some very interested looks as well.

"Purple Star spoke of you as a dear friend and that you would speak the truth," Luna finally spoke, “Tell us, is this true? Have you befriended one of our guards, are you noble of heart and of character?”

"I know that I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but yes. I consider Purple Star as my friend, and I live to protect my family, my wife and my foal," I stated firmly.

She sat back on her flank and stared at me, her eyes grew dark blue as she next spoke, “And yet you are a changeling, a parasitic creature that exists to suck the love and the joy from the lives of our subjects. The same species that sought to ruin our niece's wedding, captured our sister, and tried to take over all of Equestria!”

"I don't need to relate to ponies for that. I love my wife dearly, and it gives me all the strength I need. I know she feels the same, and I can swear with my life that my family isn't just here to hurt anypony," I spoke and even glared at her, "I'm not under the queen!"

The darkness that prevailed around her seemed to diminish at that. Almost as if she were considering my words, trying to view the situation from a different angle as it were. I knew the situation rested on a knife’s edge when I next spoke, “It’s true we feed on the love of others, but we’re no more guilty than a spider that feeds on the blood of its victims.”

“That still doesn’t mean we welcome them into our homes,” Luna said coldly.

"While you are right, let me tell you one thing. I worked hard to escape the queen and build a family. I trust Purple Star that she told you the right thing, but I will protect my wife and my foal against every single threat. I considered peaceful living amongst ponies, to see my little filly grow. Take my hoof with good intentions, Luna," I said and I could feel her anger burning upon my words, "Or get another enemy that killed changelings for the love of her live."

She looked at me as if I were making some jest, “Are you seriously threaten us?”

I laughed at that, “We both know I’d never stand a chance against you. No, I offer no such threat against you, or Equestria for that manner. And that, Luna, is the point. I’m no threat to you, but I am a threat to the hive, to the queen. Even if you cannot consider me an ally, I am still the enemy of your enemy.”

“Who could still be an enemy,” Luna stated.

“Who, in almost a month of being amongst your ponies, have not need to feed on a single one of them.”

She paused at that, “What?”

I felt the conversation finally turn my way, “I told you, I want nothing more than to live in peace with my wife, my foal, and my family. We’ve all sought our escape from the queen, and we did it through our love for each other,” A realization hit me then, “We’ve not needed to feed on ponies because that’s been more than enough for me, for us.”

“We're to understand you’ve killed one of our subjects already?”

I sighed at that, “Yes, he was a threat to Lavender’s life.”

“Your wife?” Luna asked.

I nodded, "Yes. The love of my life, and carrying my foal."

“You are an… interesting soul, Aurora Blue,” Luna said as she looked up into the night sky. I’m not even sure when the moon came out in that realm, if it had always been there, or if she simply willed it into existence because she wanted to.

"I'm trying to live my life peacefully, and protect my family like everypony would," I replied.

"You're no pony," she countered.

"I'm a half breed. I'm more pony than a changeling."

She smiled at that comment, “That is the question, is it not? Are you? We can see you are telling the truth, to the best of your ability anyway, but whether or not you are truly more pony than changeling, or more challenging than pony, or perhaps you are both? Or none of the above. That shall be something we have to deduce before a final judgment can be made.”

“What are you...??” I started but she raised a hoof to stop me.

“We shall make the judgment ourselves. In person though. You and your family shall come to Canterlot.”

"I would suggest that you send us some guards. My wounds are just the beginning, and the queen won't let us leave the city," I said.

"Then we shall send you Purple Star back among some others. Be ready to depart as soon as they arrive," Luna said before nodding and melting into the shadows.

Maybe there is still hope.

Author's Note:

Finally!
First update after my vacation, so enjoy

Comments

[SuperMattor]

Great chapter

[tsaukpaetra]

Indeed it is very odd that they could clear out an entire hospital. Especially with no one noticing. Huh. Hmmm... Well, we'll just have to see what comes next!
Keep going! ;)