A Paragon of Peace

by JacobFawkes

Chapter 3 - An Honor to Serve, Part III

An Honor to Serve, Part III

By some miracle, Nax had managed to evade death at the hands of his Equestrian attackers. But the shock of his injuries and the relief of his unexpected salvation had fatigued the changeling into unconsciousness.

And there he lied in a darkness that seemed to last for an age. His mind neither wandering nor dreaming. He was consumed by the shadows, unaware of the world around him. For so long was he like this, that Nax soon began to fear that he would never wake again.

But that fear was unfounded as Nax’s mind eventually did return from teetering on the brink of the world beyond. His world was illuminated once again as his senses, made virgin by disuse, were wonderfully drowned in the information of the outside world.

Nax had returned to the world of the living.

As he struggled to open his eyes, he could tell he was not where he had once been. The memories of Canterlot returning to him, Nax gambled that he must have been captured as a prisoner of war. But by who? If he truly had been taken, escape would have to be his primary objective.

Nax labored to lift himself, but the nature of his injuries left him incapable of moving anything beyond his head. Even breathing was a struggle that Nax found difficult to wage.

In spite of the pain, Nax knew he needed to discover the condition of his wounds and the nature of his surroundings if he had any hope of chancing freedom.

The fact that his breathing was difficult clearly indicated broken ribs. By how many times he had been bucked, Nax was honestly not surprised. He could feel pain in his legs and side, so his back and neck were thankfully intact. That meant his paralysis must have been the healing rest, a temporary natural changeling condition. Lastly, he analyzed his carapace and fur for any cracks or scars, only to find his body was roughly and loosely covered in bandages and gauze. His captors had taken the time, energy, and resources to try to patch him up. Perhaps they needed him for questioning?

Perhaps they wanted to torture him more?

Tossing such an unnerving thought from his mind, Nax chose instead to turn his senses towards his cell. The floors and walls were made of simple wood. A few of the boards were loose with rot or covered in rusty nails. Despite the high ceiling that the cell possessed, the room was dark save for a few slivers of light from a high glassless window. All across the room, there were random boxes and tools. Instruments of torture, perhaps? Beneath his feet, he could feel…straw? Nax’s ears were also assaulted by the sound of animals outside, the incessant crowing of roosters and squeals of pigs was murder on the broken changeling’s ears. Meanwhile his noses was beset by the smell of rotting foliage and manure.

Then it hit him.

Those were not instruments of torture and this was no prison. Nax had somehow been relocated to a farmer’s barn. It was like many the army had hid in on their way to the rendezvous point.

But that only got Nax wondering as to how and why had he been moved from the middle of Canterlot to a barn, clearly out in the country based on the noises and smells?

Just then, a shrill shout derailed Nax’s train of thought.

“Daddy! He’s up!”

Nax turned to see a little earth pony staring at him with a big toothy smile plastered over her face. Had she been there the whole time? She was young, possessing no cutie mark upon her flank. Her autumn red coat and the design of her pink and white striped mane seemed to scream simplicity – quite unlike the mares he had seen in Canterlot. The filly’s smile initially made Nax uneasy, as memories of his last Equestrian smile came to mind. But as Nax continued to study the child, he could sense some stark differences. Where his attacker’s smile had been filled with hostility and rancor, this filly’s was the epitome of innocence.

The two just waited there staring at each other, a changeling and a filly, saying nothing as a second Earth pony entered behind the younger to join them in their silence. He was much older, with a green coat and a short well-kept mane of a slightly lighter shade of the same. Nax could tell by the stallion's pride and sense of utter surety that he was a soldier, a fact further supported by a spear cutie mark across the elder pony's flank.

Finding himself outnumbered by the appearance of a second Equestrian, Nax quickly bared his teeth and did his best attempt at an arching back. He was their prisoner but maybe if he appeared strong and imposing, they would be wary around him.

Rather than backing off at the obvious show of aggression however, the elder simply turned to the child and quietly spoke.

“Thank you for telling me Peppermint,” the older pony said to the younger before turning to his 'guest'.

“How are you feeling?”

The question immediately unhinged Nax’s attempted deception by its unexpectedness. How was he feeling? What kind of a question was that? Why would this pony care how a stock felt? Unless he meant to gauge Nax’s capability to interrogated. Not wishing to reveal any form of weakness to his captor, Nax recomposed himself with silence as his warden continued.

“You’re probably confused as to how you got here.” The older pony began.

Once again, silence was the retort.

“You see my daughter and I were selling our wares in Canterlot for the wedding when the invasion started. We were hiding when we saw you get attacked. We also saw what happened when Princess Cadence’s spell hit.”

Was that the wave of energy that had saved Nax’s life? But why would an Equestrian spell save a stock?

The father continued, “We managed to smuggle you out of the city, with great difficulty I might add, and brought you back to our farm. You’ve been unconscious for almost two whole weeks. I was actually beginning to think you wouldn’t wake up.”

Nax’s struggled to respond, partly due to pain, but mostly due to the most peculiar situation he found himself in. The ponies seemed almost sad at the prospect of Nax dying. Nax knew that his captors could easily just be pulling a charade to lull Nax into compliance. But he could sense in his host an honesty and integrity.

They truly cared, no subversion intended.

But two weeks in the willing care of the enemy was a reality too difficult to comprehend. He shouldn't even be alive to speak. The Maesters swore on the Dark One himself that an Equestrian would sooner slay than shelter, but here stood a living contradiction.

As the weight of his situation began to sink in, Nax shifted his hoof into a claw; bringing the appendage to his head in hope of bringing relief to his racing thought. Rubbing his head, his eyes quickly widened in shock as he finally felt something he hadn't been expecting. Spotting a little mirror nearby, the stock confirmed his suspensions.

He must have been asleep for a while, because there, growing on his head, was a short even patch of his own natural red hair. It was the kind of red that made Nax look as though he had placed the crown of his head in the heart of a furnace for kicks. In the army, your head was always shaved bald to make you completely indistinguishable from any other soldier; though Nax had kept his head shaven even before he joined the army, as his easily distinguishable hair - especially in the years following The Great Traitor's death - carried a terrible reputation among many of his peers. Phrases like "traitor's blood" and "kissed by the sun" had become quite familiar to Nax and stung even in adulthood.

Nax's own surprise at his gingered locks must have been exceedingly noticeable as it seemed to bring a boisterous chuckle to the older pony's face. "I'm was just as shocked as you." The stallion said, his teeth sparkling in good humor. "In all my years, it never would've occurred to me that changeling's grew hair. I must say it's a pretty good look for you."

The pony's earnest humor only served to confuse Nax more, who finally managed to let his guard down just enough to say the singular thought on his mind, “Why did ye' save me?”

That broke the smile as Peppermint’s father seemed caught off-guard by Nax’s statement. Whether that was by the cold bluntness of the question or the questioner's ability to speak perfectly intelligible, if heavily accented, Equestrian, Nax could not immediately be sure.

Instead of answering the question, the older pony turned to his daughter and shooed her away to do some chores. She seemed disappointed at first but obeyed, skipping out of the room.

When Peppermint had left earshot, her father seemed to change. His proud soldier’s demeanor seemed to warp into a more simple, pragmatic pose. He had been puffing himself up to intimidate the stock. Now, his farce revealed, the pony seemed to wish to mark him as an equal. A sentiment which his next statement proved.

“My name is Spearmint. What is yours?”

At first, Nax was willing to simply return to his silence. Familiarity, after all, was the first step to interrogation. But as Nax studied his jailor, he could tell that Spearmint was actually genuine. A fake smile was easy to spot, particularly by those trained to search for them. But no such smile could be found on Spearmint’s face. His civility was genuine and his concern earnest. The fact that Nax could read his emotions didn't hurt his sincerity either.

With some difficulty, Nax managed to speak his full name. “Nax, son o' Craster, o' the Thesik Clan.”

Spearmint smiled before explaining himself, “Well Nax, a few years ago I was a member of the Equestrian Guard. They taught us the way you’re supposed to treat another soldier, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.”

The smile soon faded as he seemed to recall Nax’s muggers jeering at the stock’s pain and suffering, “A soldier should die with dignity, not be butchered like some animal.”

“Then why nae kill me now?”

Nax’s blunt expectation for his own death seemed to leave Spearmint stunned. As if the possibility that such a thought could cross somepony’s mind, even a changeling’s, was an inconceivable idea to him.

“Because,” he continued fighting to recompose, “ I believe everything happens for a reason. The Princess’ spell spared you and only you. Your companions were all sent away…”

Nax said nothing as he considered Spearmint’s implication.

“…because I believe the spirits must still have use for you. Nax, son of Craster.”

A long silence passed as neither side was willing to continue conversation. Even the animals outside seemed to have surrendered to the tension in the room. It was eerie, but eventually Spearmint was able to start once again.

“You are still weak and I imagine it’ll take time for you to fully heal. In the meantime, my daughter has volunteered to watch over you.”

Spearmint then approached Nax and whispered a chilling threat. “I am putting my trust in you as a fellow soldier. But if you hurt her, I can promise you I will finish what others started.”

With that he turned and left Nax alone in the quiet hall, with only the sound of farm animals penetrating the silence. Nax just lied there thinking on his strange circumstances. Spearmint’s belief in honor among soldiers was not only admirable, it was a staple of Stock society. But only Stock society. The Maesters said that Equestrian’s possessed no such expectations and those ponies he had fought in Canterlot seemed to imply truth to the belief.

No. The Maesters could never be wrong about something so important to a soldier as honor. Ejecting such a treasonous thought from his mind, Nax realized that if he truly was trapped here he should at least make the most of it. Guessing that his caretaker probably wouldn’t arrive for a while, Nax took an opportunity to rest and gather his strength.

***

Nax was awoken again by the sound of childish laughter. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he must have slept for at least a few hours as the windows above his quarters had since grown black with night.

The stock stared at them for only a moment before his eyes were drawn to some nearby candlelight. In its glow there sat a little filly staring happily into a book, mouthing words silently to herself as she read.

When she saw Nax had awoken, she flashed that smile again and closed the text.

“Hello!”

Unsure quite how to respond to her innocence, Nax decided to simply nod in acknowledgment. She seem to take it as she hurriedly passed a plate of food his way.

“I made you waffles!”

Nax stared at the stuff beneath his nostrils. It was unlike anything he had ever seen served as food. It was circular and golden brown, and looked as though it was covered in tree sap. As its aroma filled the soldier’s nostrils, he was drawn to the fact that it had to be incredibly sweet.

Perhaps it was poisoned? If it was, it would certainly be extremely unexpected of Spearmint and Peppermint, who had previously given no prior indication that they were willing or even capable of such a violent action without predicated cause.

Realizing his host was expecting him to eat, Nax hesitantly lifted one of the waffle slices and bit into it. When the slice reached his taste buds, Nax was thrown for a loop. It was the most delicious thing he had ever discovered. The hard, crunchy outer layer suddenly gave to a smooth, warm, puffy inside. The tree sap, or what was later explained to him to be syrup, was delectably sweet. Having finished his first bite, Nax quickly scarfed down the rest of the waffles as if someone was going to steal it from him.

Happy that her guest was now eating eagerly, Peppermint slowly waddled up to Nax and offered her book up to him.

“Would you like me to read you a story?”

Nax could not read himself. Reading tended to instill a treasonous mind in those unprepared for it. Only Maesters were considered pious enough to be allowed to read (although often they would teach their children anyway). The thought of being subjected to Equestrian propaganda seemed rather foolish; but the thought of being driven mad by boredom seemed even worse. So staring at the child anxiously awaiting his reply, Nax begrudgingly accepted. Peppermint then sat next to him and began to read “The Legend of Nightmare Moon”.

Nax wanted to groan. He had heard this so many times before it was second nature. But it was a great insult to interrupt a storyteller, so Nax kept quiet. As he listened to the filly weave her tale, Nax was struck by an unexpected and interesting realization.

The Equestrians told the story completely differently.

Almost every creature in the world knew that Celestia and her sister, Luna, were the princesses of the legend. But in the Equestrian version, Luna fell victim to circumstance. She was not the victim of her sister’s magic, as the Maesters told it. The Bringer of Nightmares was meant as a weapon to be used against Celestia’s enemies, that was the truth behind the legend.

Wasn’t it?

His mind suddenly turned from the story, to the child now reading giddily from her book. Nax’s urge to feed was rising and she was a simple target. He could sense so much happiness, joy, and innocence; more than enough to sustain himself. Even Spearmint’s threat against him seemed small potatoes to the prospect of such an easy meal.

Preparing himself to feed, Nax suddenly sensed something else within the child. A level of sadness that Nax could never have predicted. For all her bubbliness, a great pain stirred within her. The thought of such a young one filled with so much pain, set Nax’s hunger ill.

She needed those happy moments far more than he did.

“I wish I could meet her.”

Nax was startled by the statement directed towards him. Peppermint, who had finished the story while Nax was thinking, was expecting a retort from her listener. When she seemed to realize the stock had none to give, she clarified.

“I wish I could meet Princess Luna. I’ve always loved the night.”

Nax couldn’t believe what he had heard. A child who wished to meet the Bringer of Nightmares. What a truly strange place Equestria was.

Having finished her story, Peppermint prepared to leave for the night. Before leaving, she turned to Nax.

“I can bring another story tomorrow if you would like?”

Nax thought for a second. He did enjoy a good story and a part of him wondered how many other stories were different when the Equestrians told them. At last he responded in his thickly accented Equestrian, “Ah would like as very much.”

“Alright. Good night then, Mr. Monster!”, Then with a giggle, she was gone.

Monster!? That word seemed to sting more than it really should have. Nax wasn’t a monster…was he? A monster was a creature that meant to cause pain and suffering in others, a vicious beast that lived on basic instincts. He was neither.

Peppermint was clearly confused by the meaning of the word. Best he just go to sleep on his newly filled stomach, though the need to feed as well as the filly’s words still lingered in the back of his mind eating away at his thoughts.

***

The next week was incredibly and wonderfully peculiar. Every morning, Spearmint and Peppermint would check up on him before she headed off to someplace called “Skool”. Then Spearmint would come in around lunchtime and they would share soldier stories. These were fun, but it was night time that Nax had really grown to enjoy. For night time was when Peppermint would come in with more waffles and stories. The waffles were always great, and Nax was excited to see what new stories she would bring in. They read “The King that was Promised” and “The Dragon War”, stories that Nax was familiar with; all told with an Equestrian twist. It was incredibly exciting to see different and, as Nax soon began to realize, accurate accounts of legend. The days passed so quickly that he hardly noticed that he was now beginning to move around and talk quite easily. Soon he would be healed entirely. Even the notion of escape seemed to have left his mind.

He was honestly enjoying himself.

One night, Nax was listening to Peppermint tell the story of “The Ugly Duckling”, a story he had never heard before, when she asked an unexpected question.

“Where is your family?”

Nax was shaken by her inquiry. Not by the fact that she had asked a question, as they would often ask and answer each other’s questions (Nax had quickly realized that neither Spearmint or Peppermint seemed particularly interested in matters of Stockish military intelligence). In truth, it was more the content of the question that set him off edge as Nax hadn’t really thought of his family since the battle.

“My father an' mother died a long time ago. Ah dinnae ken what happened to my brother.” The thought of his brother’s unknown fate stung at Nax’s heart as a feeling of homesickness washed over.

Much to his surprise, Peppermint seemed to share in his sadness. The same sadness that Nax had sensed that first night hidden deep within her had been completely let loose.

“My mommy went away a long time ago too. She got really really sick so she went away to a place that would make her feel all better. That’s what Daddy always told me.”

Nax stared at the child as she told her story, knowing she was far too smart to fall for such an obvious deception.

There they lied, wallowing in their mournful memories, when Peppermint was suddenly struck by a joyful thought and began to chuckle.

“I remember a song my mother used to sing to me when she tucked me in bed every night. She had a really pretty singing voice. Would you like to hear it?”

Nax nodded in anticipation as the little filly started the sweet and somber tune.

Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby

Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay

And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow

Bless you with love for the road that you go

Nax recognized the tune immediately. The same lullaby littered the memories of his own mother. When he would have his many restless nights, she would sing to him and his nights were always comforted. As Peppermint prepared for the second verse, Nax involuntarily interrupted as the words from his childhood suddenly came rushing back.

May ye sail fair ta the far fields o' fortune

With diamonds an' pearls at yer head and yer feet

An' may ye need never ta banish misfortune

May ye find kindness in all that ye meet

May there always be angels ta watch o'er ye

Ta guide ye each step o' the way

Ta guard ye an' keep ye safe from all harm

Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay

Peppermint listened intently as Nax continued singing. The stock’s baritone voice was beginning to make the filly’s eyes grow heavy with sleep. As the song continued, she just couldn’t fight it anymore. Surrendering to the lullaby’s trance, she leaned against the changeling who now quietly finished his memory.

May ye bring love an' may ye bring happiness

Be loved in return ta the end o' yer days

Now fall off ta sleep, A'm nae meanin' ta keep ye

A'll just sit for a while an' sing loo-li, lai-lay

May there always be angels ta watch o'er ye

Ta guide ye each step o' the way

Ta guard ye an' keep ye safe from all harm

Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay

Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay

Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay

Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay

Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li lai-lay

Loo-li, lai-lay.

With the song finished, Nax stared at Peppermint and chuckled to himself once again at the truly strange situation he found himself. An Equestrian child sleeping soundly on the shoulder of a Stockish soldier. He would love to see how Thane and the others would have reacted.

Just then, a strange awareness suddenly overtook him. Peppermint was an Equestrian, his mortal enemy. And here they stood, members of two warring races, united in the mutual memory of a song.

Maybe Equestrians weren’t as horrible as he was lead to believe.

That was a blasphemous thought. The Maesters could have him executed for thinking such a thing. War with the Equestrians was mandated by the Dark One himself, an absolute necessity.

But why?

He lied there staring at the filly sleeping soundly and remembered all the kindness she had shown him. A kindness the Maesters swore was impossible for Equestrians to give. If they were wrong about that, what else were they wrong about?

An Equestrian soldier’s lack of honor? Wrong.

Tales of Equestrian history? Wrong.

Equestrian’s inability to show kindness to any creature unlike themselves?

Peppermint had shown him a great kindness. A kindness he was truly undeserving of. Nax continued to harp on this fact, because of what it meant. She had shown him great kindness.

By the laws of his race, he was honor-bound to owe her the same.

***

“Oh my! He seems to be having a nightmare!”

***

Nax slept soundly as the light of Celestia’s new day began to shine upon Equestria. He had thought long and hard the previous night and had come to several interesting conclusions, each more blasphemous than the next. He had thought for so long in fact that he had been forced into sleep through fatigue.

As the morning light crept into the barn, Nax was startled awake by the senseless barrage of frightened farm animals. Something had spooked them. As he rose to see what was the matter, he heard another familiar sound.

The buzzing sound of stock wings.

Quickly he woke Peppermint, covering her mouth to guarantee her silence, and relocated the both of them to a more secluded part of the barn.

Just as Nax and Peppermint had settled themselves, two changelings entered the barn. Their battle armor clearly revealed them to be of the soldier class. One, who Nax knew had to be the leader by his stature and armor color, was a giant. A good two heads taller than his companion, he was the living description of a bloodseeker. Bloodseekers were a class of soldiers whose lust for battle had given them a legendary status amongst their fellow soldiers.

The smaller of the two appeared to be the definition of an average soldier. Turning to his commander, he pondered their objective.

“Thenu, why is it that when the Queen sent second regiment ta infiltrate Ponyville, we get stuck doing a simple pillage mission?”

Thenu said nothing. He just stood there, surveying his surroundings, hoping to catch the slightest glimpse of potential prey. Finding none, Thenu turned to his subordinate and spoke, “Ah imagine the Queen dinnae want ta use all 'er cards in one play. Be thankful though, Reegen. Raiding may not be as glorious as battle, but the rewards can be much sweeter.”

The two then shared a chilling, hissing chuckle. A harsh laugh that sent an all too familiar shiver down Nax’s spine. Behind their cold levity, Nax could sense the same callous, calculating salacity for violence as the pegasus who had brought him to this very instance in his life. They had also succeeded in frightening Peppermint, as Nax could hear the hushed whining of the little pony in his grasp.

“Do ye see the child anywhere?”, Reegen said anxiously.

“No, an' 'er father was less than helpful in revealing 'er hidin' place. Children have so much more positive emotions than an adult, but 'is 'ill suffice Ah suppose.”

“Ah still cannae believe the fool was brave enough ta fight. Not that it helped 'im much.”

Another chuckle left Nax dumbstruck by the apathy the two showed at defiance of the Laws of Combat. A stock was only supposed to kill as a last resort, and death-feeding was outright forbidden. Despite that, these two spoke as if murder was a common instance for them. The thought of them death-feeding on Spearmint merely for protecting his daughter was absolutely...

...monstrous.

Suddenly, Peppermint’s name for Nax seemed to sting all the more. The Stockish army had come to this land specifically to attack ponies like Peppermint and her father. To take their happiness, their joy, and their love. Whether it happened in combat or not, it would’ve been inevitable. Such action was acceptable and expected against two that had shown such kindness. A few weeks ago, Nax would’ve been more than happy to assist in such action personally.

He was just as much the monster as Thenu and Reegen.

Nax, so caught up in his epiphany, did not realize his grip upon Peppermint had lessened. The mention of her father had made the filly both frightened and angry. Seizing her chance, she broke free of the stock’s grasp and defiantly approached the two who had hurt her father. Nax desperately tried to restrain her once more but stop just before she revealed herself to the soldiers.

“What did you do to my daddy!?”

At first, the two soldiers just stood there staring at the brazen filly. Awestruck by the courage of one so young. But only for a moment before they began to saunter over to the filly, murder in their eyes.

Nax was terrified. By all the laws of his kind, Nax should help Thenu and Reegen. But the thought of feeding upon Peppermint. She needed her happiness. No one deserved it more. She had given him so much kindness despite his nature.

He was honor-bound to show her the same.

***

Peppermint’s brazen courage seemed to fade as the two monsters began approaching her. They had devilish smiles upon their faces and a opportunistic look in their eyes. They were going to hurt her...and enjoy doing it. Her calls to Mr. Monster stopped in her throat as fear began to eat away at her.

***

Reegen, preparing himself to strike the child, was suddenly sent reeling into the wall of the barn by a powerful kick to the face.

Thenu stared confused at his companions sudden withdrawal before turning back to his target. But where there was once only a filly, there now another stock standing between him and the Equestrian.

“What’s going on 'ere? Get out of the way, ya fetchling!”, Thenu ordered angrily.

“A’ll send ye ta Tartarus before ye touch 'er!”

The sight of a stock defending an Equestrian left Thenu both mystified and bemused. A deserter and heretic was a rare find indeed. Such an unique opportunity left Thenu’s initial mystique only momentary as his bloodeyes returned to him.

“Ah wanted ta kill some ponies today, but a heretic is a fine a prize as any.”

Thenu rushed Nax with powerful punches that Nax struggled to evade. One good strike is all it would take to finish the heretic.

***

The bloodseeker was a bruiser and a brute with the strength and power of a minotaur behind every strike. But Nax had trained to fight minotaurs. While Thenu was strong and tough, Nax was swift and flighty. He used that advantage to keep the bloodseeker at bay, as their fight began to move around the arena.

Eventually Thenu’s fatigue began to leave openings in his nearly flawless defense. Such an opening Nax happily took, dealing a powerful front kick to the face that sent Thenu reeling back into sharp tines of a nearby pitchfork.

The howls of pain were sudden and short as the bloodseeker struggled to release himself. But the prongs of his prison were not so easily removed and the wound soon grew to much for the bloodseeker to handle, his rage and bloodlust making his heart rate and bleeding worse. It only took a few minutes before Thenu finally hunched over dead.

Turning away from the site, Nax began to approach Peppermint when he was driven back by an unexpected forearm grappling him around his neck. Reegen, having watched his commanding officer’s demise, had vaulted over to Nax and begun to strangle the traitor.

Nax found himself struggling to breath. His attempts to release himself were for naught. He could sense his opponents murderous rage and drive to see Nax dead. As his breathing continued to lessen, a whisper quickly drove all other thoughts from his mind.

“Ye're gonna die, heretic.”

Upon hearing this, defiance grew in his mind. Desperate, Nax allowed instinct to take over where reason had once been. He launched himself backwards with a powerful back, slamming Reegen and himself into the nearby wall. The force of the blow loosened Reegen’s grip upon Nax. Recovering quickly, Nax flew around Reegen and grabbed his fellow soldier in a stranglehold of his own.

Nax could feel the blood pumping in his opponents neck as he struggled to release himself, but Nax would have none of it. He tightened his grip on Reegen as he sensed the feelings of rage and vengeance within quickly surrender to fear and desperation.

Reegen’s motions soon grew weaker as his energy ran low and, eventually, ran out. But Nax would still not let go. His desperation to live and protect kept his grip tight and his mind blind to anything other than survival.

Nax only let go when the hushed cry of a little filly broke him of his trance.

His reason returned, Nax let go of Reegen’s lifeless body. Turning to Peppermint, he realized she had disappeared. He ran outside of the barn looking for her. He watched as she desperately ran towards the house to find her father.

Knowing what she would find, Nax quickly needed to act. He knew this incident would not stay isolated to the farm. Others would come. Others less accommodating to a changeling.

He knew what he had to do. Nax quickly grabbed a nearby lantern and tossed it onto a pile of straw inside the barn. Within moments the entire barn was ablaze in a massive wall of orange and red that Nax was sure could be seen for miles.

In the distance, Peppermint’s hopeless cries for her father to wake spooked Nax into a sprint as fast as his legs could carry him. He needed to leave before others arrived. He assured himself that the filly would be found and cared for and forced himself to worry about his own position.

He ran for over three miles, the light of the blazing barn still in sight, before he realized his legs had been carrying him in the wrong direction. He was heading north. Home was the other way.

But maybe his legs knew better than he did as Nax thought about what he had just done. He had slain two soldiers of Stockland in the name of protecting an Equestrian. He was a murderer, a traitor...

...a heretic.

If Nax were to return and the Maesters found out what he had done, death would be a mercy. Peppermint and Spearmint’s sacrifice and kindness would’ve been in vain. It was the last thought that seemed the more unacceptable.

Why was protecting them a crime?

The Maesters were wrong about Equestrians. They weren’t all vicious brutes. They had soldiers with honors. They had kind caregivers, as Peppermint and her father had been. At worst they were nothing more than whimpering cowards, the ponies of Canterlot had shown as much. That one pegasus soldier had been an exception, not a rule. His brother’s words of comfort once again returned to his mind.

“They are ponies just like us.”

The Maesters were wrong.

And if it was wrong to show kindness to those who showed it back, then it would no longer be an honor to serve such a cause.

Self-exile was the only option.

Steeled in his new mission, Nax continued his race. He galloped ceaselessly, even as the passing of days into nights soon became uncountable. Even as his stomach roared with hunger and his eyes grew heavy with fatigue, Nax could and would not stop. He did not know where he was going, only that he needed to go.

As the eyes of the world turned skyward to gaze at the piercing red comet flying overhead; Nax was running across wide open fields of southern Equestria, blind to anything but need to move.

He ran even as the glorious light of the day soon gave way to the endless night of the Everfree Forest.

Only ceasing when the venom of a manticore had driven him lame in the quiets of an unknown field. Into the arms of a mysterious pair of blurs.

Author's Note:

Finally finished with Chapter 4. This chapter got more and more complex the more I kept writing. Luckily it finished now and I can move onto the other chapters now that back story has been established.

EDIT: I added a section on Nax regarding his hair. I took inspiration for changeling hair from lovelyneckbeard's amazing comic "From Cradle to Grave". Do not worry, his hair plays an important part in the story.

The song in this chapter is "Sleepsong" by Secret Garden.

Comments

[FoxFire Moonwall]

what a great back story

[Pocky Pen]

Whoo that was a doozy. This story definitely has a very promising start, and the thought you'd obviously put into the inner workings of Changeling culture is admirable. I cannot wait to see how Nax's tale will develop; the only thing I'm disappointed about right now is that there aren't more chapters for me to read.

[Aquanova]

Oh well now I just have to read the rest of the story, but I can't read the rest, you should fix that.

Take the request for more as enough proof that its a good story and take the rest as extra praise.

Okay now that I'm done just writing matter of factly I must say you've done a great job so far, the problem that stands out to me the most is the fact that with such long chapters, it would be difficult to update frequently. Other than this you appear to have the first four chapters of a good story here, and I can only look forward to more.

[tsaukpaetra]

I like what you have so far. We only just realized that you made the changeling nation scottish! Whoa! I think this would be the first time for that, congratulations!
Judging from time cues it seems that the current time point is about a month and a half post invasion, hopefully this equates to Equestria being a little more relaxed.
How has he not starved from love deprivation? Granted, you have not really set a cannon for that, but by our estimation he should be in the second stage of neurologic shock. Then again, it would explain his low healing rate.
Keep going! ;)

[DezzarTac]

the writing style you are using is great. It does have a lot of telling over showing but seeing that it's a flashback I'll bypass that. Can't wait for more!

[FeedTheSnail]

is this going to be continued?

[JacobFawkes]

4426213 Yes. This story is still going on. I'm am just going through some very important things with real life and a terrible case of writers block. The next chapter is still in the works and will come out. I promise.

[FeedTheSnail]

4427954 great looking forward to it

[Kuno]

4427954 When is this going to be continued? Kinda want to read it.

[JacobFawkes]

6063350 I've actually discussed this several times on my journals. This story is definitely still ongoing; its just that as the story has been written I've been forced to the expand the story more and more with every upload. This has forced me to include an entire preceding arc of stories that will need to be written first. In addition, this story will need to be entirely rewritten. In fact, most of the material written here, will more than likely be moved into a story of its own with additional storylines added, with A Paragon of Peace starting much later than it currently is.

I am happy that you are excited to read my story and I promise you, when everything is done. It will be well worth it. You can keep an eye on my progress through my journals which I'll update regularly.

[Evilworld]

6063434
If you trying to make your story cannon to the show is that what you been trying to do?

[Nakai The Wanderer]

...

[Lucky Seven]

This story wasn't all that great. After your panel at TrotCon, I was expecting something a bit more... I dunno, spectacular? But what I've read so far just doesn't do it for me. I think the main issue is that the idea just isn't that original. Stories about changelings trying their hand at friendship after the battle of Canterlot is such an age old trope that it's almost hard to believe someone as talented as you would write it.

Also, not to be rude, but I don't see how you can call this an "epic series" like you did at the con when it's 4 chapters long, hasn't been worked on in nearly four years now, and it's not even a series. A series is a franchise with more than one entry. You have one unfinished entry.

All in all, the writing was decent but the idea was hackneyed and overdone. I'm going to leave a downvote for now, I just thought you'd like a reason for that downvote. Have a great day, dude.

[FamousLastWords]

8305265
Wait, this was the writer at the panel from Trotcon? Oh! I didn't know they wrote My Little Dashie.

[FamousLastWords]

8305272
Oh, shoot, my bad.

[Teraunce]

too bad this is dead.