Ch 70: A Changeling Out of Place
“She looks so…”
“Broken.” Carina finished for her, a sad look on his face as they peered into her cell. Him and Cadence stood behind a two way mirror, gazing upon the defeated changeling leader as she lay in bed.
She was asleep at the time, heavily drugged with painkillers and covered in bandages. Carina had a hard time looking at her. Evil deeds or not, this was still his mother, and it hurt him to see her like this. To have been a cog in the machine, no matter how small, that had brought this fate upon her.
His gaze lowered, unable to look at what had become of her any further. Instead, he turned his attention towards Cadence, the one who requested to come down here. He couldn’t blame her. She wanted to see the one behind it all. The one who had ruined what was meant to be a momentous occasion for her.
Even so, as he watched her out of the corner of his eye, he could tell she was regretting it. He knew that she simply wanted to have a concrete person to blame for all that had happened. She wanted to have something more than a mysterious figure to silently hate. However, the longer they stayed there, gazing upon what had become of his mother, that hate, that familiar rage that silently burned in her heart… it slowly gave way to pity. It was clear to him that she still hated his mother, no matter how much she would deny it, but that anger had been tempered.
It was after a long period of silence that Cadence finally moved, closing her eyes and turning away from the view. She took a deep breath before stepping away from the cell, a slight frown on her face.
“I must find Shining Armour.” Her voice was quiet. Morose. He couldn’t help but agree, though he failed to vocalize it. Ever since his mother’s control had faded from everyone’s minds, he had been avoiding her. Carina had a feeling he knew why this was, but had chosen not to make his thoughts known to the Princess of Love. Perhaps not the greatest of ideas, but he did so in the hope of postponing any further wounds to her heart. A foolish endeavor, as she would find out the truth soon enough, but he never claimed to be any more than that.
A fool.
Shaking his head, he let out a sigh. Perhaps he was being too harsh on himself. Perhaps not. Either way, he couldn’t help but feel responsible for the blood that had been spilled over the course of the last few days. Whether directly or indirectly, it didn’t matter. There were so many ways he could have tried to quell Aurick’s rage. Ways to try and prevent his brothers and sisters from getting hurt.
Someway that Alae wouldn’t have died.
Instead, he had stood back, held by his own fear. Afraid that if he did anything, that he would be the next in his sights. He should have tried to do something. Anything.
And yet it was too late. What was done could not be undone, and there was nothing he could do to bring Alae back.
The sound of Cadence’s hooves on the dark stone of the dungeons brought him out of his thoughts. He took a step forward, intent to follow her, but hesitated. What was to be said between her and Shining Armour was a private affair. He had no right to insert himself into the mix. So, with a shaky breath he halted himself and let her go without him, a fact that brought a familiar fear to him.
He had stuck by Cadence’s side since they had arrived at the castle. It was no secret that a number of the guards had levied their anger against him, simply because of what he was. It was through Cadence’s intervention and Ashwyn’s word that he had been spared from being tossed in the dungeon alongside his mother. To his surprise, when he was able to speak again, even Aurick had vouched for him. Though he was told it was in a rather offhanded way.
Even so, it had done nothing to quell the anger of the guard, and though it made his flesh crawl, he could understand. His mother did something terrible to them, and they needed something, anything, to direct that anger towards. Though it was disappointing to be taking some of the blame for his mother’s actions, he would not rebuke them. So long as it didn’t come to violence, he would not hold it against them.
He noticed Cadence stop after a moment, her head turned back to look at him, a questioning look in her eyes. He simply gave her a small smile and a nod. She seemed to understand, returning the nod with one of her own. Nothing more to be said, she continued on her way, leaving the dungeons behind.
Along with Carina.
~-~
A shiver ran down Carina’s spine as he stepped down the hallway. The dark gazes of a number of guards had washed over him during his time alone, and to say it was unnerving was an understatement. He felt truly out of place, though to be honest, it was a fair assessment.
He was a changeling in the center of the pony capital, surrounded by ponies that had just been assaulted by his kind. He didn’t belong here, and yet there was nowhere else for him to go. His home had been ruined, his brothers and sisters were captured and the very few who had managed to escape were on the run and actively being hunted down. Thankfully the princesses had been kind enough to treat them kindly. They were not tossed in the dungeons like his mother, though they were placed in cells all the same.
Instead, there was a prison in the castle that had more comfortable arrangements. He had been told that only the most dangerous or vile prisoner’s went to the dungeons below the castle. A small comfort, but one he held onto. His siblings may hate him for his betrayal, but he still wished the best for them.
He blinked, a sudden brightness piercing his eyes. Effectively removed from his thoughts, he found himself to have wandered into the castle gardens. The chirping of birds were carried on the wind, and the warmth of the sun comfortably wrapping around him like a blanket. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he gazed up at the sky. The cerulean expanse was spattered with puffy white clouds, and he could see some specks of colour dashing about his vision as weather ponies worked to make the sky acquiesce to their schedule.
He stood there in silence as he marveled at the view, truly taking it in for the first time, despite his long stay at the castle. A brief thought wormed its way into his mind, and he couldn’t help but wonder what his life would have been like if he had been born as a pony.
What race would he be? What would he have looked like? What kind of cutie mark would he get? ... Would he still be the coward he was?
He knew what he wanted the answers to be. What he wished his life was like. There was no changing it, however. He had to play with the cards that life had given him. Perhaps it was a losing hand, but he would be damned if he folded. He had been too cautious before, but now he intended to…
He shook his head with an amused snort. He was going too far with the metaphor, but the principle held true. He had been too passive, too cautious, and too scared to take the risks that might have led to a better outcome. Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, but he wanted to change, and he felt that in itself was a step in the right direction.
His smile grew hopeful as he lowered his gaze. It might not happen today, it might not happen tomorrow, but Carina hoped that one day he would find his confidence. That he would be able to do what he needed to to help people.
A sigh escaped his lungs as he turned towards the rest of the garden, intent to finally take in the beauty of it all. There was one little hiccup, however. One that made him stop dead in his tracks when he saw it.
Aurick.
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Will Aurick allow Chrysalis to be interred in Tartarus, or will he grant her only wish that if she is to be defeated, its by obliteration?
9801739
Only time will tell.
9801639
Ahh.
I know this may not be the time. But I think a maid outfit would bring the mood up
I have a feeling that, at least, her death might have soften the public opinion of changelings somewhat.
9802195
Leave it to you to look past all the doom and gloom to find your beacon of hope in a maid outfit.
9802244
Hey. All I know is Ash needs to get back into the arms of our elf boi here. What's the best way to do that? Through talking things out and building on your relationship? NO it's a maid outfit. Her trying to be all cute will break down his anger and make him smile at least.
9802232
And the Holocaust made antisemitism unfashionable for the first time in history, doesn't mean anyone even wants to believe it happened. (Stupid overwhelming evidence...)
9802254
I like the way you think
9803657
It works in anime...?