Tension
“Scarlet?”
A hoof placed itself on Scarlet’s back, shaking her and rousing her from her slumber. Stiff, sore, and not in the mood for disturbances, Scarlet opened her eyes to the sight of Lens staring down at her. His saddlebags were secured on his back, giving him the appearance of a stallion prepared to travel. He looked her over, his brow furrowed in concern. “Are you feeling alright?”
“No, I am not,” Scarlet thought bitterly. Her sleep had been restless at best and useless at worst. Her eyelids were heavy, her mind was foggy, and her body felt slow and unresponsive to her commands. Every part of her body seemed to be in a form of subdued rebellion, denying her their compliance.
Luckily, she had dealt with insubordination before. Slowly, and with great effort, she pushed herself up to her hooves and had a look around. They were still in the cave, the light streaming in from outside telling her that several hours had passed. If she had to guess, it was noon, or perhaps a little after.
Sclera and Primrose were both up as well, the two talking in hushed voices. Scarlet’s eyes settled on the changeling filly in question for several long seconds. She shook her head and returned her attention to the stallion by her side. “I’ll live,” she dismissed his concern while brushing away his hoof. “Are we leaving?”
Lens nodded. “Just about to, yeah. But we only have so many directions we can go right now. We can’t go south, or we’ll be marching right back into the hooves of the guards of Newcanter. We can’t go north, either. Between the mountain range being treacherous and the dragon living in the area, it’s too risky. Traveling directly east has its problems, too…”
“What sort of problems?” Sclera asked, leaning down to let Primrose climb up onto her back.
Lens turned to face her. “It would mean having to pass through Talonreach to get where we’re going, and after the war, the place has been less than ideal for travel, especially for anypony in your condition. I’ve been racking my brain for options ever since we picked you up, but we’ve been backed into a corner rather nicely.
Scarlet hummed quietly while marching slowly over to the mouth of the cave. She glanced to her right, spying the snow-capped mountain peaks poking up behind the forest canopy. They were tall and rugged, but far from the most dangerous mountains she had ever seen. The real threat came in the form of the dragon, as Lens said. Sneaking past that would be a nightmare, especially for any significantly armed force.
“Wait a moment,” she thought, her eyes slowly widening. “An armed force…”
An idea came to her. It was risky and dangerous, but it could work if they were careful. She turned back to Lens. “Who says we can’t go north?” she asked.
All eyes turned to her in confusion. Lens cleared his throat. “Er… I do?”
“Well, I say the contrary. I vote we head north through the mountains.”
Lens recoiled. “What?! Scarlet, weren’t you listening-”
“Treacherous terrain and a dragon lives in the peaks,” Scarlet cut him off in a deadpan. “Yes, I was listening. But those dangerous elements are why I’m suggesting we go that way. The councils will think twice before sending anypony after us when a dragon is making himself at home in the area. We’re a small group, and we’ve proven we’re capable of escaping some rough situations already. Also, as a bonus, if we’re lucky there may be a village along the coast on the other side of the range. If so, we can look for a boat to give us passage to Violsta without having to trek through Talonreach, thus sparing us that long and dangerous journey, and giving Sclera some time to recover.”
Lens studied her for a few moments. He turned back to Sclera and Primrose, the latter having just landed on her mother’s back. “Well… I can’t deny that it would probably be faster,” he relented after a few seconds. “But Sclera’s still really weak, Scarlet. She was in a cell for five years, and only had her first substantial meal in all that time while you were asleep. I don’t know if she’s ready for this kind of travel.”
“We’re all in rough shape,” Scarlet pointed out in a softer tone, giving Sclera an appraising look. The changeling was looking much better than she had been before, but she was still skinny and battered well beyond the rest of them.
Scarlet turned back to Lens. “So we take it slow and steady. Stop to rest whenever we need to, to conserve our strength.”
Lens hesitated again before looking back at Sclera. “Well… what do you think? Are you feeling up for that, or should we take a different route?” he asked her carefully. “Remember, you’re still weak, and you just reunited with your daughter.”
“Whatever will keep Protea safer in the long run,” Sclera answered without hesitation. “If these mountains will offer us the shelter that Scarlet claims, then I say we go with her plan. I may be weak, but I am not helpless… and I know my daughter can take care of herself if she must.”
Primrose shuffled uneasily on Sclera’s back, her glowing eyes looking down at the floor. “...I never wanted to, though,” she mumbled quietly.
Scarlet’s ears drooped somewhat. She averted her eyes guiltily before speaking, her voice low and somber. “Then let us be thankful you’re not alone… now come. Into the mountains.”
Without another word, Scarlet turned and shuffled out of the cave in the direction of the mountains. She heard the others cantering to catch up with her, but she didn’t look back. She kept her eyes focused solely ahead on where they were going, instead of back at the source of her guilt and shame.
Slowly, the cave they had rested in faded from view, and the ponies vanished into the foliage of the Whitemane Woods.
Over the course of the next day, Scarlet and Lens led the way north through the forest. True to their plan, they kept their pace slow and careful so as to not reopen their wounds or cause any undue stress to their battered bodies. In that time, Scarlet, Lens, and Primrose were soon back up to their old selves, physically speaking.
Sclera, however, was lagging behind on that front. It did not come as a surprise, though it was no less frustrating to Scarlet for the delays it caused them. The changeling mare’s lack of strength or sustenance left her in a perpetually tired state, often having to stop and catch her breath even when Primrose wasn’t riding on her back.
The group didn’t talk much—or rather, Scarlet didn’t talk much with the rest of them. They chattered amongst themselves endlessly. She could only imagine that Lens and Prim were getting Sclera totally caught up on everything she had missed since getting captured. Scarlet only half-heartedly listened in to hear of the events she had not been present for, but her mind was elsewhere for the entire trip.
She was focused on the path ahead, her mind racing with paranoia. They were far from safe. Just because she had revealed the depths of Silent’s wrongdoings in front of his more noble-minded peers did not mean they were in the clear. Other Nightblades would be appointed to continue the hunt in his stead, assuming he was even convicted of any crimes. The bastard was an expert at covering his tracks. As an aspiring Spymaster, he would have to be.
But even worse was the possibility of the Solar Council taking a more direct and active role in this matter. From everything Scarlet had seen, the Lunar Council were the ones in charge of dealing with Primrose’s family. They wanted to keep the existence of Free Changelings on the down low, and getting the Solar Council involved would only draw public attention.
She could hardly blame them. As twisted and morally bankrupt as Silent was, he had made one very good point when he revealed Primrose’s identity. Ponies were not at all prepared to reasonably handle the prospect of intelligent changelings. The panic and paranoia caused by the revelation would be impossible to contain or control. She could already imagine a small village like Twinwood Canopy tearing itself apart at the seams out of fear of changeling infiltration. A bug hunt that would catch everypony in the net.
But the Lunar Council had, thus far, failed to bring in Primrose, and now Sclera had gotten away, too. “In a particularly explosive manner, I might add,” Scarlet thought bitterly, scowling at the memory of the large fire she had started, of the doors she had blown down in her haste to escape the castle. The Solar Council would be interested in getting involved after such a spectacle. Covering all of that up would be practically impossible.
“All we can do is hope and pray that they elect not to get involved,” Scarlet told herself. “I do not want to imagine the hell we will be in for if they start sending Dragon Sentinels after us…”
On the second day of travel, they finally reached the base of the mountains. It didn’t take long to find a pass leading up, so on they pressed. The healthy, verdant trees of the Whitemane Woods were soon left behind. Grassy paths and trenches swept between the crags in wild and unpredictable ways, creating an almost labyrinthian structure. The walls and slopes were often varying shades of brown, creating a deep, earthy feeling for the entire region.
On a few occasions, Primrose took it upon herself to use her wings for a change, flying up to get the lay of the land before returning to the others and explaining what she had seen. Her capacity for birds-eye views proved invaluable for finding their way, but sadly, those instances of scouting proved to be the only times Scarlet actively communicated with her.
“There’s a big clearing coming up,” Primrose announced as she returned from her latest flight, setting down by Sclera’s side. “Plenty of rocks jutting up, too. It’s kinda cool looking.”
Scarlet nodded quietly. “I see…” she said, her voice low.
She could feel the eyes of her three companions boring into the back of her head. She did her best to ignore them. Now was not the time to be getting sidetracked by her own inner turmoil. They had to focus on staying in motion and staying alert.
Such an aggravating pity that Lens did not feel the same way. The stallion came up to her side, a worried expression on his face. “Scarlet, can we talk?” he asked in a hushed whisper.
“What about?”
Lens bit his lip, his ears folding back. “...About you. And Prim.”
Scarlet’s eyes narrowed impatiently. She was not in the mood for this. “There is nothing for us to discuss,” she said quietly.
“That is a weak reply, and you know it,” Lens countered, his own eyes narrowing intensely. “Look, I don’t know how much of this you’ve heard, but both of them can see what you’re feeling, you know. And Primrose is worried about you. I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Lens,” Scarlet tried to brush him off, her skull starting to burn. Why could he not take the hint and just drop it?! “I’m just tired.”
“We’re all tired,” Lens countered. “That’s not the problem…”
“Then what is?” Scarlet hissed, turning her head to glare at Lens from the side.
Lens stepped around in front of her, forcing her to come to a stop. He stared imploringly into her eyes. “The problem, Scarlet, is they know you’re guilty about what happened back in Newcanter. About what happened with you and Primrose in the inn.”
Scarlet scoffed and went to shove past him. He held out a hoof, holding her in place. She growled impatiently. “What of it, then? What do you want from me? An apology? If they can see my guilt, fine, let that speak for me! My own emotions laid bare will convey the idea far better than I ever could with words!”
Lens slowly shook his head, his ears folding back. “That’s not it, either. It’s not about them forgiving you… it’s about you forgiving yourself.”
Scarlet froze.
Lens took the lull in her rebuttals to press on. “Look, I’m not a therapist or anything. I’m an archeologist and a war veteran. But I can tell you, right now, that bottling all of those feelings up for too long is only going to cause all of us trouble in the long run. We need to deal with it, and we need to deal with it soon. And right now seems like as good a time as any.”
Scarlet huffed. “No, it is not.”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere, and there’s nothing else nearby that we can see. We’re safe for the moment, so why can’t it be now?” Lens prodded, keeping his voice low and gentle.
Scarlet briefly glanced back at the two changelings behind her. Primrose and Sclera had opted to hang back to give the two ponies some privacy. They were speaking in hushed voices to one another, though she could not miss the concerned glances that Primrose kept sending her way.
Scarlet tore her eyes away, her heart withering in her chest. How could Lens understand? How could she expect him to understand just how hard it was to even find the will to look at the foal she had so grievously wronged, much less form the words needed to give an apology?
Not like any apology could be sufficient. Even if Primrose could find it in herself to forgive her, which Scarlet sincerely doubted, it would not mean Scarlet could ever forgive herself. When it had mattered most, when Primrose had been in desperate need of comfort, assurance, and care, Scarlet had lost her mind and turned her back on her. She had almost killed her. A mere child.
Scarlet shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she mumbled at Lens, pushing past him. “There is nothing for us to say. So please, just… drop it.”
Lens reached out after her, his hoof hooking on her shoulder to stop her. “Scarlet, please...”
Scarlet shook her head, her eyes screwing themselves shut in a desperate bid to shut out the world. “I said, drop it.”
“I just don’t understand,” Lens whispered, putting himself in front of her again.
That was the last straw.
Scarlet’s eyes snapped open, shimmering with fresh tears. “OF COURSE YOU DON’T!” she screamed at him, her voice breaking. “You weren’t the one who damn near killed a scared, innocent child! YOU aren’t the one who went back on every single promise you made to her! How could you possibly understand?! How could you ever realize that nothing I say can ever take that back?!”
Lens staggered back a few paces, his eyes going wide in alarm from her sudden outburst. “S-scarlet?! H-hey, calm down-”
“The reason I can’t say anything, Sharp Lens, is because there is nothing for me to say!” Scarlet went on, undeterred. “Nothing that would make a difference! You want me to forgive myself for what is, in my eyes, an unforgivable crime! How could I ever forgive myself for what I did to her when she needed me the most?! How, Lens?! HOW!”
Silence fell over the clearing, save for the slowly fading echoes of her words. She stood there, gasping for breath with streams of tears running down her cheeks. Her chest felt cold and heavy, and the shocked stares of the stallion in front of her and the changelings behind her sent needles of yet more shame piercing into her heart.
Sniffling, Scarlet turned back to face the trail. “There is nothing to forgive,” she mumbled out, her whispered word somehow deafening in the silent mountainside. “For what I have done can not be forgiven. Not by me…”
The silence dragged on and on for what felt like forever. Scarlet took a deep breath, forcing herself to steady her breathing and pull herself together. Now was not the time for an emotional breakdown. As much as her words were true, she needed to focus on the task ahead of her.
She opened her mouth to say as such when the words died in her throat. Something was wrong, she could feel it. Judging from the slowly darkening expressions of her companions, they sensed it too…
Then it came to her. A sound, faint, distant, but drawing ever closer. A sound that sent a horrid, frightening chill down her spine. Animalistic shrieks and calls began to fill the air, growing louder and louder with every passing second. Dozens of them, at least. And overlaying all of it was a sound that sent Scarlet’s heart hammering in her chest.
The chilling buzz of countless insect wings.
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Great chapter. But that ending....
As in "Oh crap" not the ending was crap.... XD
They just can't catch a break, can they....
10075553
I am the author.
No, they cannot. :D
Awesome chapter.
Well… that's not good. I'm not sure who screwed up more, Lens for pushing, or Scarlet for having her little meltdown, but now we've got a big problem heading straight for our stalwart band. Here's hoping they make it out.
Dragon, huh?