Short Stories

by Catalysts Cradle

10. Love in the Time of Changelings, feat. Pinkie Pie

Prompt: The only way out is if someone dies.

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Instar had always expected to end up in one of the dungeons beneath Canterlot. He was never as talented at lying and deceiving as most other Changelings, so it was only a matter of time before he was caught. No, his one regret as the pair of guardsponies led him down the dark prison corridor was that he had gotten Pinkie Pie caught up in all of this. He glanced over at the mare to see her walking through the dark corridors, head lowered and mane deflated.

Pinkie Pie was the one pony in all of Equestria who was willing to look past his black exoskeleton, the one pony who had enough love in her heart to give him a chance. She didn't deserve to be here, and it broke his heart to see such a free spirit in shackles.

Instar sighed and shifted his shoulders under the weight of his own restraints. Around his neck hung an enchanted, silver shackle, meant to negate his shapeshifting abilities, and a magical barrier surrounded his horn preventing him from casting any spells.

The guards paused at an empty cell. They motioned for Instar to enter.

“Wait!” shouted Pinkie. “Can I say goodbye?”

The two guards looked at each other and shrugged.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Instar whispered as Pinkie approached him.

She remained silent, placing a hoof on his chest, and leaned forward, eyes closed. Her lips met Instar’s, and he instantly felt a tingle spread throughout his body.

No! Stop! his mind shouted as he attempted to pull away, but Pinkie wrapped her arms around him, locking him into the kiss. The tingling throughout Instar’s body grew as the pain from his injuries dulled and strength returned to his muscles. It’s only when his horn began glowing that the guards realized what was going on.

Pinkie Pie – the pony who held more love than any pony in Equestria – was feeding it all to Instar. The magical barrier restricting Instar’s horn shattered.

“Stop them!” shouted the pegasus guard, drawing his spear. The unicorn guard fired a magic bolt at the prisoners while the pegasus charged forward.

Pinkie’s grip had loosened enough for Instar to push her off of him. She fell limply to the floor as Instar raised a shield. The magic bolt splashed harmlessly into the shimmering green field surrounding them.

Instar lowered his horn and launched the barrier forward. The pegasus dove to the side, avoiding the wall of energy, but the unicorn was not so lucky, being swept up by the energy field and slammed into the stone wall behind.

The pegasus launched himself forward at Instar, but Instar leapt up into a flying kick. A satisfying crack of hoof against helm against skull filled the room, followed by the clattering of armor as the pegasus’s unconscious body spilled onto the floor.

Instar rushed to the Pinkie’s side. “Pinkie, say something!”

“I owe you a daring-escape-from-jail party.” Her voice was weak. Instar smiled and picked Pinkie up onto his back, feeling her shallow breaths as she lay on his smooth exoskeleton.

“We’ll have a big party as soon as we return to Ponyville,” said Instar as he galloped up the flight of stairs.

As he burst from the dungeons, Instar felt a searing pain that knocked Pinkie off of his back and sent the two of them slamming into ground.

Instar looked up to see a powerful unicorn mage aiming her horn at them. “You shall go no further, Changeling. I won’t let you two threaten Equestria ever again!”

A powerful burst of magic surged toward the two escapees, but instar raised a shield to protect the two of them. His horn straining as he struggled to maintain the barrier against the unicorn’s attack, he quickly lifted Pinkie onto his back, and charged toward their attacker.

Instar roared as he galloped forward, his legs burning and his magic fading. He could feel the jade energy field surrounding him weaker as he plowed against the stream of crimson magic, but just as his barrier was about to break, he summoned one last ounce of strength and leapt forward.

Instar landed on the soft grass of a meadow, skidding across the fresh dew as Pinkie tumbled off of his back. His teleportation spell had worked, sending the two safely to freedom. The silver shackle around his neck was the only thing that remained of his imprisonment.

“Pinkie, we’re free!” Instar shouted, leaping into the air. “We made it!”

He turned only to see Pinkie laying motionless on the grass.

“No!” he shouted as he ran toward the still pink mare. He nudged her onto his back and felt around for a pulse. But no, Pinkie, once a mare with such a joie de vivre that she could barely stay still, now lay lifeless in his hoofs.

“Pinkie Pie…” Tears streamed down Instar’s cheek as he stared at the calm smile on her face. She didn’t deserve this. It was all his fault that this happened to her. She would still be alive if she had ran away from him like all of the others. She would still be alive if she had seen him as a monster and not as another pony deserving of love. She would still be alive if she wasn’t the most loving mare in all of Equestria.

Instar leaned forward and closed his eyes. He poured his heart into his last kiss with Pinkie Pie.

***

Pinkie felt warm, the kind of warmth you feel you’re wrapped in the arms of your special somepony. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself in the middle of an open meadow surrounded by flowers. She sprung to her feet as she remembered the events of the past few days.

“Instar, we’re free!” she shouted. She looked around for her changeling friend, but saw nothing else in the meadow aside from a broken silver shackle laying at her feet.

“Instar?” Pinkie stared up toward the cloudless blue sky, the gentle breeze kissing her cheeks as it wafted off toward the horizon.

Comments

[Devildogg20]

Can you tell me if he left her or gave all his love back to her so she could live?

[Catalysts Cradle]

6805039 Instar gave all of his love to Pinkie, sacrificing himself so that she could live.