• Published 5th Feb 2017
  • 6,263 Views, 291 Comments

The Bug in the Herd - Skijarama



(Set after season 6) Chrysalis has been struggling to survive in the aftermath of her hive's reformation. By pure chance, a resident of Ponyville may be her best chance for survival, and possibly even redemption.

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0 - Prologue

“Alright everypony! The debris is cleared, so get back to your assigned seats! We will be leaving shortly!” The voice of the train conductor rang out over the surrounding landscape, drawing the attention of the ponies who had stepped off of the delayed vehicle to stretch their legs or wings. The train was currently somewhere between Ponyville and Manehattan. Nearby, the edge of a small, unmapped forest rested at the top of a cliff, a dozen or so feet higher than the tracks. At the edge of the forest, a messy, unkempt dark green unicorn mare with teal eyes and a dull blue mane and tail looked down upon the scene with equal parts disgust and exhaustion. On her back rested the unconscious form of a dark blue earth pony stallion with an almost cyan mane and a tail to match.

With a tired sigh, the mare took a few careful leaps to get to the bottom of the cliff, making sure not to drop her ‘passenger’ on the way down. A few ponies nearby turned to face her, jumping in surprise and earning expressions of concern at the pony on her back. They’d noticed he had been missing, then. Without a word, the mare approached the ponies that had seen her and removed the stallion from her back in a bright green magic aura, setting him down in front of them. He had a number of minor injuries, all of which seemed to have been healed to a lesser degree. The shapes and patterns suggested wild animal claws, while the size suggested a young manticore at most.

“He took a beating.I stopped the bleeding but he’ll need somepony to keep an eye on him until he can get properly patched up. Don’t let him move too fast or suddenly and make sure he gets rest.” The mare said bluntly before turning and cantering back to the cliff-side.

“Hey, wait!” one of the ponies, a mare, called after her. However, her words fell on deaf ears. The green mare channeled magic into her horn and teleported to the top of the cliff, retreating back into the forest.

* * * * * * *

The train was back in motion, rolling along at a good speed towards Manehattan. One of the sleeping compartments had an additional, albeit temporary guest in the form of the blue stallion from earlier. A few first aid kits had been applied with a bit of help from a Nurse on vacation. Said nurse was in the process of checking over the bandages and gauze one more time when he began to wake up. He stirred for a moment before a sharp hiss escaped from between tightly clenched teeth.

“Mother bucker!” He yelped as the pain in his system registered fully with his mind. His eyes shot open and looked around at his surroundings.

“Woah, easy! Easy! Try to hold still.” The nurse said in a quick, but practiced voice, resting her white forehooves on the stallion’s shoulders. He struggled for only a second before getting himself under control. He looked at the nurse and then the bandages covering his body with a perpetual, pained grimace.

“What the… What happened to me?” He groaned, eyes widening slightly as he looked at just how much of his body was covered up.

“Honestly, I have no idea. All I know is you vanished for a little while before being brought back to the train by somepony from the woods. She had patched you up but didn’t say anything beyond that. Don’t you remember anything?”

“Well, I don’t have amnesia, if that’s what you’re asking…” The stallion muttered, “But no, I don’t remember how I got these wounds… or anything after stepping off the train, really.” He rubbed a forehoof against the side of his head absently, trying to think.

“I see. Well, I’m just glad I could help get these patched up. We’ll be arriving in Manehattan in an hour or so. When we do, I would strongly suggest that you get to a hospital and get yourself more thoroughly examined.” The nurse said before smiling at him. “Oh, my name’s Redheart, by the way.”

“Tone Shift.” The stallion replied, earning a curious expression from Redheart.

“Tone Shift? I think I’ve heard that name before…” She said to herself, tapping her chin in thought.

“Depends on how much radio you listen to and on what channels.” Shift replied, looking up at the bottom of the bunk above his.

“Oh! You’re that voice actor! Did the voice of… um… what's-his-face in Warriors from The Comet!

“The character was named ‘Topaz Rune,’ and yes, that was me. All three pages of dialogue that earned me a month’s rent in bits.” He chuckled slightly in amusement. The demand for voice actors was small, but rapidly growing. He was just glad he hopped on board as early as he did.

“Heh. You have a pretty good voice for that kinda thing.” Redheart smiled warmly.

“It’s in the name and the mark.”

“Yes, well, ahem. I’d best go see to my own things. Try to stay still and relax, okay?” Redheart suggested before standing to trot away.

“Question!” Tone Shift suddenly blurted out, causing Redheart to pause and look back at him curiously.

“Yes?”

“The pony who brought me back to the train; what did she look like?” He asked with great interest. Redheart pondered for a second.

“I didn’t see her, myself. I heard she was green with a blue mane and tail, though.”

Tone Shift nodded and was silent for a few moments. “...Thanks.” He finally managed.

“You’re welcome.” Redheart said before stepping out. Tone Shift looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Green and blue…? I remember that much. I know what she looks like then… why can’t I remember anything else, though?

With a tired sigh, he closed his eyes in an effort to try and satisfy the request of the off-duty nurse who had been kind enough to help him out.