Ch 60: Escape
“So you came here immediately?” He heard Aurick ask after Ashwyn filled him in on what had been happening. All the while, he couldn’t help but feel nervous as he stared at the elf.
His face was calm, the faintest hint of a smirk on his face. Carina knew better than to take that as the truth. The emotions he could feel roiling beneath the surface were what he focused on. A swirl of feelings that constantly tore at another to the point that he wasn’t sure why Aurick could act so casually in the face of them.
Even so, there was one that was held above the rest. One that, despite the fluid nature of his emotions, was a constant. One that made him quiver.
Rage.
A dark rage that threatened to turn his insides out just from proximity. It was within this moment that he realized it might have been easier to reason with Ashwyn. Still, they were his best chance to stop Chrysalis’ plan, so he had to try his best to convince them to see things his way.
He recoiled slightly as the pair turned to face him. Nervously, he raised a hoof and waved at them. This only served to make one of Aurick’s brows raise.
“So who are you?” He asked, his mouth curled into a small frown. Carina could feel that rage flare as Aurick’s gaze fell on him.
“I-I’m Carina…” He told the elf, shrinking slightly under his stare.
“Informant.” Ashwyn helpfully added, making the intimidating elf look towards her for a moment. When his gaze returned, the rage had lessened and the frown was gone. Carina was tempted to sigh in relief, but he held it in.
“Ah.” Aurick nodded, a hand stroking his beard before his gaze shifted to their surroundings. “Perhaps this is not the best place to talk. We should free the rest of the prisoners and get out of here.”
“R-right.” Carina agreed, shakily getting to his hooves.
“Ash.” The mare quickly understood what Aurick meant. With ease, Ashwyn moved around the cavern, opening pod after pod and releasing the creatures within. Ponies, gryphons, and zebras alike collapsed to the floor, having not received the same gentle treatment she had given Aurick.
Carina couldn’t help but flinch as some of them impacted the ground, sure that it would leave a mark afterwards. “W-we should be quick.” He forced himself to speak, earning the elf’s attention. “We took a… less guarded route, but I-I’m sure they would have become aware of us by now. Guards might be coming as we speak.”
Once more, Aurick’s emotions flared, his eyes narrowing slightly upon his face, contrasting with the easy smirk he was wearing. “Just let me deal with that.” Those words sent a shiver down Carina’s spine.
“P-please…” Carina started, swallowing a lump in his throat as he was about to beg once more. “Please don’t kill them.” He felt Aurick’s eyes boring into him, and Carina was unable to meet his gaze. Silence fell between them, only broken by the sounds of ponies retching and Ashwyn cutting open more pods. To Carina, it felt like a lifetime had passed before Aurick responded, but it was most likely just a few moments.
“Fine.” The word was simple, but it was clear to the changeling that he was not pleased about agreeing to this request. “They will live.” Something about the way the elf said that sent a shiver down his spine. He was busy working up the courage to reply when a voice sounded in the chambers.
“Wh-where am I!?” Peering over, one of the captured ponies had fully come to, after regurgitating the green formula they were breathing. Not long after, a second pony finished doing the same, his eyes darting around in wide eyed panic. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aurick pinch the bridge of his nose before his lips curled into a false smirk. Carina couldn’t help but marvel at how easily the elf hid his emotions, even as he rose to address the released prisoners.
“I would ask you all to be silent, lest you lead the guards to us.” His voice echoed within the room in a way it hadn’t before. Carina was unsure if it was due to magic or not, but it certainly gave his voice a commanding nature. Enough so that the prisoners silenced and looked up at him. Having finished cutting open pods, Ashwyn silently stepped up beside the elf.
Finished upchucking the formula, Carina could see Princess Cadence look up from her place and silently observe what was about to transpire. It was difficult to read her emotions, with all the varying sources within the room, but he thought he could sense some trepidation coming from her, as well as a hesitant curiosity.
“We are within the heart of a Changeling hive, having been captured and brought here. For what purpose, I don’t know.” He gave a short glance to Carina, expressing all he needed to say in that moment. They would be having a talk. Carina couldn’t suppress the shiver that coursed through him. “For now, we must be thankful that we must not endure what they intended to put us through. We will depart from this place, return to where we came from, and be free of this.” A low murmur rippled through the released prisoners. Only to become hushed once more as Princess Cadence finally decided to step forward.
~-~
Princess Cadence couldn’t help but be slightly unnerved by the creature that stood before her. It was clear to her that he was not of this world, even if her aunts had not informed her as such. It had taken her only a moment to recognize this figure as the mysterious Aurick that Auntie Luna spoke so highly of. His unique appearance, paired with the abnormal mare at his side was hard to mistake for anyone else.
Even so, she could see why Auntie Luna seemed to like him so much. He certainly knew how to command your attention. She knew of certain nobles who had a harder time earning the attention of a cat, much less a group of scared creatures.
His speech wasn’t too terrible either, though a little cut and dry. It certainly didn’t get any of his listeners excited, though she could see the glimmer of hope in their eyes. Still, despite the speech, despite what she had heard about him, and despite the cocky smirk upon his face, she knew something was wrong.
His eyes, though small, didn’t have the right luster for what he portrayed on his face. His muscles were too tense for the false calm he seemed to show. Most telling, however, was what she saw in his heart. He was trying desperately to hide it, but she could see that there were old wounds that had recently been opened. If she had to guess, it was due to the dreams the pods had made them experience.
Whilst within, she was forced to dream of the first time she and Shining Armour had consummated their love. It was during that time when she knew that he was the one she wanted to marry. That she loved him more than any other stallion she had met in her life.
She could only imagine what Aurick had seen, and why it had torn at him as such.
She couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He was swift to take up the leadership role, seemingly deciding to deal with his emotions later. She was unsure if she would have been capable of the same.
Taking a deep breath, she took a step forward, deciding to approach him once he had finished speaking. “You must be Aurick.” She said upon nearing the elf. She noticed that the mare at his side moved herself between them, her eyes narrowed on Cadence. She merely gave her a friendly smile, but when she did not receive any reaction, she turned her attention back to the man she was speaking to.
“That I am. I take it one of your aunts informed you of me?” He spoke in a relaxed tone though the way it came out... it reminded her quite considerably of how her aunts would speak. As though he had experienced centuries pass him by. For all she knew, that could have been the case.
“Auntie Luna spoke quite highly of you.” She wasn’t unaware of how his lips curled downwards slightly at the mention of her aunt. She could not ascertain as to why, but any number of things could have happened while she was trapped within that pod. Who’s to say that their relationship couldn’t have soured in that time. Deciding it would be best not to linger on such a topic, she swiftly directed the conversation elsewhere. “Perhaps we might get the chance to introduce ourselves officially at a later time. As it is, I believe we should get out of here as swiftly as possible.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Aurick replied, the smirk on his face becoming slightly more genuine. “With a group as large as this, sneaking through the corridors would be next to impossible. So we’re just gonna have to walk out the most direct route.”
“And how will we know where the exit is?” Cadence asked, glancing over towards the lone changeling behind him. The bug like pony looked like it was terrified, through of what, she couldn’t be sure. Though it seemed to be glancing towards Aurick and his mare quite a bit. An issue for later, right now she had to focus on getting these people out of this place. “Is your changeling friend our guide?”
Aurick turned to face the changeling, raising a brow. The changeling recoiled slightly from the sudden attention, but swiftly nodded. Seemingly satisfied, Aurick returned his gaze to her.
“The sooner we get moving, the sooner we get out of here.” He stated plainly. Cadence couldn’t help but agree. There would be plenty of time to talk when they were all safe. Primarily about what had been happening while she was captured.
She didn’t remember a whole lot. Just that she was relaxing in her room after a servant had just entered with some tea. She remembered smiling and thanking the mare before pouring herself a cup, then… she fell. She fell into that strange goop and then she started dreaming until she woke up here.
She blinked as realization dawned on her. She was taken, one way or the other, she, a princess of Equestria, was targeted and captured. Nothing good could have come of that. What kind of state was Equestria in? What happened to her fiance? To her aunts? Her eyes turned towards Aurick, but he had already turned away from her, addressing the released prisoners once more.
She had to restrain herself from pulling him aside and asking those questions right then and there, but she knew better. As she had said before, this was not the place to talk. Once they were out of the hive, away from any assailants, they would have all the time they needed. She would just have to hold out until then.
~-~
Ashwyn glanced towards the Alpha as he began to speak to the creatures around them. She was happy to have him back, of that, there was no doubt. However, something seemed… off about the way the Alpha was acting. His muscles too stiff, his movements rigid. Clearly he wasn’t as calm as he was trying to appear, but she could not understand why.
Did it have to do with how he reacted when he emerged from the pod? If she remembered correctly, he said something, a name if she was right. Daena, she believed it was. Could this person have something to do with why he acted this way?
She couldn’t begin to think of why, though. It didn’t sound like a pony name. In fact it sounded more like one that would have come from his world. If that was the case, then why did it come up now, and why was he reacting like this? She couldn’t tell, and she knew there was no use in making assumptions. She would have to ask him once they got out here.
Pulling from her thoughts, she turned towards the entrance to the pod room, sniffing the air. Sadly, she couldn’t ascertain much from the scents. The entirety of the hive smelled like changeling, and it was difficult to pinpoint where any of them were with any accuracy. It wasn’t any easier with the ponies’, gryphon’s, and zebra’s scents muddling up her nose.
“Carina.” The Alpha’s call brought her attention back to him as he addressed the changeling. “Lead us out of here.” She realized she never did ask for the changeling’s name during their trip to rescue the Alpha. It sounded strange to her, but then again, changelings must have had a different naming convention, much like the Alpha’s.
The changeling in question nodded hesitantly, glancing around at the creatures that looked at it expectantly. With clear trepidation, the changeling got to its hooves and stepped towards the entrance. The Alpha was close behind as they moved out, swiftly followed by Princess Cadance and the rest of the prisoners.
~-~
Aldrin stood resolute as he glared at the entrance to the pod room. He could still hear them talking, planning an escape no doubt. He would not allow such a thing to pass. He was his Queen’s loyal soldier, and he would not fail his mission. He may have been too slow to prevent the prisoner’s release, but they would not make it past the door.
Behind him stood the panting soldiers he had brought with him. The number of which having been reduced, as a number of them could not keep up with their sleepless rush. He didn’t have the time to properly reprimand them. Not to mention that any soldier who wouldn’t be able to keep up with them, wouldn’t have been of any use in the upcoming fight.
The soldiers that persevered stood at the ready, their horns already alight with magic prepared to rend the flesh of whoever stepped through the door first. It was merely a matter of time before they did, and once the situation had been dealt with, he would return to the Queen and inform her of his success.
His ears twitched as he heard movement. He swiftly cleared his head of thoughts, as this was no longer the time for them. It was the time for action. His eyes narrowed as his own horn charged, signalling the others that he heard movement. The shuffling of his soldiers could be barely heard as they refocused on the pod entrance.
Silence reigned for a short time before a figure emerged. One that surprised them all. It was a changeling that came out. Aldrin couldn’t help but feel his blood boil at the sight.
Was this changeling a traitor!?
His answer quickly came to him when another figure emerged behind the first. This one was much taller, covered in a white cloak. Aldrin recognized him as the one the princesses called in to build a preventative measure against their Queen. However, his Queen had cornered and captured him. Now he was freed, and Aldrin could tell that he clearly wasn’t amused.
The creature loomed opposite them, even as his soldiers fired off spells at him. The elf reacted within an instant, a hand pressed to the wall as suddenly a loud crack reverberated through the halls. Before the spells could travel half the distance, the walls exploded into movement, a sheet of rock shooting out and blocking their sightline.
The spells that were fired had harmlessly impacted the new wall that had sprung up in front of them. A moment later, the wall retracted, the bipedal creature appearing much closer than he had before. A flash of movement was Aldrin’s only warning before he was suddenly on the ground, something having impacted him from above. He tried to stand, but found the task impossible, no matter how hard his legs pushed against the floor. A pressure on his back was keeping him down.
His eyes were locked on the tall creature that had done this to them, having not moved since he had last acted. Taking a chance, he looked away from his enemy to ascertain what exactly was keeping him pinned to the floor. He was surprised to find that the roof had lowered, pressing against his back and forcing him to the floor.
Anger flowed through him as his gaze returned to his opponent. He would not let himself be beaten without a fight. Not like this.
His horn flared to life, magic building at his call. Even from this distance, he could see the creature’s eyes narrow, and in that moment he knew he had made a mistake. He should have just accepted his defeat.
A part of the wall next to him shot out, slamming into his horn at incredible speeds. A sickening crack sounding out through the cave as the horn was bludgeoned off his head. Pain seared through his body as his magic rebounded back into himself. He could vaguely hear a scream playing out, similar to his own, even as his vision began to swim.
Unable to fight through the pain, his mind slowly shut down, his vision going dark as Aldrin fell unconscious.
~-~
Aurick barely spared the fallen changeling another glance as his magic worked into the stone once more. A pathway was carved into the stone that now held down the group of changelings, allowing him and the rest to pass through. Any resistance after that was minimal at best. It had seemed that a large number of the guards were a part of the group that tried to ambush them.
That suited him just fine. He did not want to waste any more time on these bugs than he had to. He simply wished to get out of this hive, return to Canterlot, tear that bitch of a bug limb from limb, and be done with it all. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that it wouldn’t be so simple. It never was, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment.
Memories ran through his mind as he walked through the cave, following the bug that had helped free him. Memories that he’d rather not think of. Each one felt like a blow, and his heart began to ache worse than it has in a long time.
He was distracted from them briefly as Ashwyn moved up to his side, her cheek brushing lightly against his hand. Peering down, his eyes met hers. Those beautiful golden eyes were filled with concern. He couldn’t bring himself to hold her gaze, the ache in his heart redoubling as he looked away.
He took a deep breath as his memories took hold once more, and still he marched on.
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Have you ever read the fanfic called dairies of a madman? Those chapters are THICC. So long chapters mean nothing to me. But if you feel you need to cut where you need to cut I shall accept your word good sir.
This won't end well. It will end, of that there is no doubt, but it will not end well.
the elven mage is not amused. it would be unwise to lessen his amusement any further... lest you make him... mildly annoyed....
Well, someone is going to die.
Ah, Stone Shape/Wall of Stone. So unappreciated, so lethal in an underground fortress.
9612191
Chapter length isn't a standard.
Short ones so far are working for this. Longer chapters would be fine, as long as it doesn't interfere with writing style.
Diaries, lost element, Harmony theory; they have crazy long chapters that are sometimes impassable in even two sittings.
Lost Element once released a chapter that was longer than the first Harry Potter book.
I'd rather have several short chapters too maintain the theme one long one out of nowhere.
Chrissy, what sort flowers?
For you grave obviously - assuming that very angry mage you didn't kill plans to let you die at some point in the next year or so.
Short or long, chapter was just fine. :)
I wonder if he'll get some sort of reward for saving a princess. Maybe his own stained-glass window? Or a gold star next to his name on the royal fridge!
Feel free to throw as much as you want I say
9613691
Agreed
9612833
Fuuck
9612833
And you're not wrong at all.
Do. Not. Spare. Chrysalis.
Well this has been a fun read so far. Do keep up the good work.
Supongo que está colmena es diferente a la de la serie
It becomes even harder to believe at the possibilities of some lings wouldn't get killed by the end of the day.