Do you think that every changeling is bad deep in it’s heart? Do you know that some changelings, especially the mares are nothing better than slaves? My name is Aurora Blue. I’m a half breed and this is my Story.
Do you think that every changeling is bad, deep in it’s heart? Yes? Do you know that some changelings, especially the mares, are nothing better than slaves? You’ve never even heard of changeling mares besides the Queen? Never heard of a changeling that doesn’t follow orders of their own free will? Well that’s no wonder, since they keep them all hidden deep within the swarm. But I’m different. My name is Aurora Blue, I’m a half breed. This is my story.
This story here is a small side-project from me. I got the story of my OC barely written down on paper before, but not like I wanted. Here I'm now explaining the whole story of my OC.
Do you think that every changeling is bad, deep in it’s heart? Yes? Do you know that some changelings, especially the mares, are nothing better than slaves? You’ve never even heard of changeling mares besides the Queen? Never heard of a changeling that doesn’t follow orders of their own free will? Well that’s no wonder, since they keep them all hidden deep within the swarm. But I’m different. My name is Aurora Blue, I’m a half breed. This is my story.
***
The whole plan sounded safe. I remember the Queen’s words, how she claimed that it would be easy for even an idiot, and that nothing could stop the mighty swarm. Those words seemed so empty after everything that happened, just words to cheer up the swarm. The Queen took the position of an Alicorn, draining the love from the original’s husband, but soon was discovered by a small Unicorn. Who would’ve thought that a small Unicorn and her friends could beat the Queen?
Everything failed, the shield spell from the Alicorn and her husband banned every changeling, throwing them far away from Canterlot. Most of the swarm had died from the blast, the Queen disappeared. But I was alive. I guess I wasn’t dead because I was a half breed, and their shield didn’t seem to hurt me very much. Maybe, after everything the Queen did to me and my family, I would get a new chance to finally live my own life.
***
There was nothing but darkness around me. Every part of my body registered pain, absolutely everything hurt. Pain… I was used to it. But this kind of pain was something else entirely, starting at my heart and racing through my whole body like snakes through my veins. Opening my eyes was impossible, my eyes simply refused to open, as if a great force was pulling them shut. I had no idea where I was, only the whispering of wind tickling at my ears and little else. After some time spent laying there in agony, I felt a new type of pain. A deep, strong pain in my stomach that drained the entirety of my energy, leaving one word on my mind.
Hunger
Finally, I was able to open my eyes. Even with this newfound sight, the deep pain of hunger still weakened me. I had to feed, and I had to do it soon. By “feeding” I didn’t meant vegetables, hay, or something of that sort. I had a very particular appetite. Looking around, I found myself in some sort of badlands with nothing around in any direction. Thinking about what I could do, a small breeze ruffled through my wings.
Wings? Wings! I can fly up and look if there is anything nearby, at least if I have enough energy left.
After unfolding them and flapping a few times, I got a good look at them. Shining green and translucent. I didn’t have enough energy left for my body to keep a pony form, so I was stuck in the body of a changeling for the moment. If I had been happy and fed, my body would normally be that of a white pegasus with light blue hair. But as it was, hunger was forcing me from any disguise that could hold up around a pony. I didn’t look any different from any other changeling at the moment, save for the feminine figure I possessed.
I had to feed soon, mostly to get my usual form back. I hated the other me, my pegasus form was much more natural. Finally I got away from the ground, a few weak flaps getting me high enough to see in every direction. My final strain of energy drained quickly and I quickly started to lose height as I spotted a small carriage in the distance. Taking it as my goal, I slowly hovered to the ground before walking in that direction. Maybe I would find somepony. Hopefully somepony that would listen first before attacking me…
***
I eventually came in range of the carriage. Considering the rotten wood, it had probably been there for some time. Nopony was around, except some birds that were nesting in a nearby tree. I turned towards them, slowly trotting closer. They cared for their nest and offspring, spreading small amounts of love around. I could feel it, but it seemed so weak.
Could it satisfy me?
The birds recognized me and attacked, trying to get me away from their nest. They defended it with all the love they had for their offspring, and I opened my barrier, letting the small feelings run through my body. It wasn’t really much, but it still helped. I felt my magic return, and then slowly but steady my natural form returned as well, concealing the changeling body I hated so much. While my energy reserves were slowly sated, the birds began to slow their attack, coming closer and closer to the ground. With their love drained, they came to a rest on the ground, collapsing at my hooves as if they were now as tired as I had been moments before. Gazing down at the drained birds, my heart stuttered.
The Queen was right. I am a monster!
Maybe it would be better just to lay at the carriage and wait until my power drained again. I could just die out here, not causing problems to anypony anymore. Nopony would miss me in the end anyways.
Mother wouldn’t be pleased at me if she would knew about my thoughts.
It was getting dark and I decided to lay down and relax, thinking about my whole situation again. I was still a bit weak, only strong enough to hold my form, which I convinced myself of by unfolding a wing and expecting it. White, soft feathers on a long pegasus wing. Satisfied for now I rested my head on my forehooves to think a bit, but my weakened state took it’s cost. I slowly and steadily drifted off to sleep, just barely protected by the old carriage for the night.
I laid down in the cell, trying to get at least a bit of rest on the hard floor. Not only had they captured me, but they even went so far as to break my right wing. The pain made it very hard to find comfort on the cold stone. When they had come for me, my mother was still sleeping downstairs. I only hoped that she would be alright and still alive.
What do they want from me?
My mind was rumbling by the time I heard hoofsteps and the clinging of keys. I raised my head, seeing a changeling standing at the cell door, no expression on his face.
“The Queen wants to see you,” he said as he opened the door.
I wanted to fight him and grab the keys from his lifeless limbs, but I knew I had to play with them. At least for as long as they had my mother. So I nodded and followed him upstairs, leaving the dungeon.
As soon as we left it, a group of changelings joined us, every one of them looked just like the others. They escorted me through various corridors, every changeling on our way looking at me. The look on their faces was undefinable. Confused? Scared? Knowing? I had no idea, so I decided to abandon the thought, instead just following my guards towards my destination.
We stopped in front of a pair of large doors, which slowly opened in a haze of green magical aura. It looked like a throne room made entirely out of stone, except that there was a dark green shine over everything. It took me a moment to discover that the green shine was caused by the overwhelming amount of changelings in the room.
I never knew there were so many of them.
At the end of the room rested a large stone block, quite simple in design. However, what drew my attention was the figure sitting on top of it; a changeling that was much taller than the rest. With the height and slender limbs, the changeling looked very much like a pony alicorn, and very definitely had feminine features. She smirked with amusement in my direction before turning her head off to the side. I followed her gaze and my heart froze. My mother was hanging in a green cage beside the stone block, a few meters from the female changeling.
“My Queen, we brought you the prisoner you wanted,” one of my guards said while bowing deeply and snapping me out of my thoughts.
The Queen smiled, and it wasn’t one of the good ones. It was a wicked, evil smile that made me shiver. Her eyes wandered over my body before raising an eyebrow.
“Take down your disguise, your Queen demands it from you!” she exclaimed, pointing at my body.
All I could do was be confused, “What?!”
She wasn’t really amused as she got up and began walking towards me.
“I said take your disguise down, now! Obey the orders of your Queen!”
“I don’t know what you are talking about! What disguise?” I asked, not knowing what to do next.
With a growl, she turned to face my mother, catching her in her green aura before violently shaking her.
“You! Why haven’t you told her yet? Why is she unaware of her state?” she nearly shouted.
My mother slowly smiled before looking at me, the smile turning sad, “I always tried to keep it away from her, keeping her well fed so nothing bad could happen.”
“You incompetent fool!” the Queen screamed towards my mother before letting her fall down and then turned towards me, “I can’t believe you don’t know about your state as a half breed. Drop your disguise right this instant, little underling, and I may let you and your family live!”
“Half breed? What are you talking about?” my wide eyes were seeking for the answer in my mother’s eyes, but she looked down, a tear running down her muzzle.
“I am sick of this acting!” the Queen yelled at me furiously, “Stop lying to your Queen and drop it, or I will make you do it!”
“What I say is the honest truth. I don’t know what you are talking about!” I simply replied, still trying to gather my thoughts with what little information I was given.
Before I could think more about it, the Queen howled in anger before she approached my mother and dragged her out of the cell with her sickly green aura. Holding my mother next to her, she looked wickedly at me.
“I give you one last chance. Drop the disguise or your mother will die,” she said in a calm tone, only scratching more on my nerves.
My heart stuttered and my mind tried to find a solution, working and thinking until it hurt, “Wait!” I screamed, “I really don’t know what to do, I don’t even know what you mean! Please don’t hurt her! Please…” my last word was drowned in a sob, but the Queen still looked unamused.
“Wrong answer,” She mused before a scream was let loose from my mother, a sound so cold that it froze my blood solid.
The Queen lowered her head and sank her fangs into mother’s neck. She screamed and tried to squirm out of the changeling’s grip, but to no use. The Queen released, but quickly bit down again before focusing me.
“Do you know your father?” she simply asked, blood dripping from her fangs.
I looked at my mother, who seemed luckily unharmed except the bitemarks, “Mother said it was a one night stand with some stallion from Canterlot.”
“Have you ever felt… some sort of power that you just couldn’t explain?” The Queen seemed interested now.
“Well, yes. At least sort of,” I stammered, “Mother said I would be more open to the magic around me because my father was an unicorn.”
“Let me tell you something about your father,” the changeling began while my mother tried harder to escape, “Seems like your mother doesn’t want you to know, but I will tell you. Your father is a changeling, one of my swarm.”
My brain stopped, “W-what?!”
She just continued, “You are a half breed. Half changeling, half pony. As far as I can see, half Pegasus,” the Queen chuckled before staring at me, “You will serve in my hive and do everything I demand from you. If not… “she grabbed my mother tighter, “...then I’ll kill your mother and wipe your family from this world.”
“Why are you doing this? Besides, that can’t be truth, I know you reproduce through eggs,” My words came out weak, tears running down my muzzle as I felt that power inside me raise.
“Because a half breed is more powerful than a regular changeling, and I want your power. And yes, we do reproduce with eggs, but a changeling can also fertilize a normal mare. Obey my command, or she will die!” the Queen shouted, fangs nearing the throat of my mother.
“I don’t believe you! I will never follow your command!” I screamed, not able to think anymore while the power boiled up inside me
“What a shame, really,” the queen replied, then another scream that turned into gurgles.
The Queen bit down on mother’s throat, blood quilling out. As I moved to approach her, the guards tackled me down, holding me to watch. I could do nothing but watch the life of my mother end. With a yank, the Queen broke free, mother stammering some words that were nearly inaudible as she fell.
“I’m sorry. I love you, Aurora”
I couldn’t feel anything besides the power. It felt like it was about to burn me, so I set it free. A powerful shock rocked through my body before I tore forwards and hit the Queen, who was sent backwards. I approached her again but was soon brought to a halt in a green aura.
While my mother still bled out, the Queen levitated a mirror in front of me, leaving me in shock.
This is not me!!!!
In the mirror a changeling stared at me, shocked and with wide eyes. The changeling looked like every other changeling, with two exceptions. It had the shapes of a mare, and bore my cutie mark.
The next sound was a scream. The animalic scream of somepony that had nothing to loose anymore. Another look into the mirror told me that it was my scream.
Turning and twisting in the grip of the Queen, I inspected myself, checking every detail. Something just didn’t fit this story.
“I’ve never had to feed off of love, or had to disguise myself as a pegasus!” I exclaimed, not really expecting an answer.
The Queen smiled, “You are a half breed, but more a pony than a changeling. You don’t have to disguise, as long as you have enough power. The pegasus is your true form as a pony. For the part of the feeding… let’s assume your mother fed you with her love all those years, but I expect something else as well. As a half breed, you may not need only love. You do eat normal food, don’t you?” I nodded slightly, “You need normal food to survive, but I suppose that at least every few days you need a bit of love to keep your power up.”
I was still far away from accepting myself, but the Queen distracted me by pulling me into a genuine hug with her. Squirming, I tried to break free, but somehow the touch was actually calming.
“I’m giving you a chance,” she started, her voice comforting me a bit, “I’ll let your mother live if you accept me as your Queen. I will invite you to my hive, I will even give you a high rank under me. At the same time, I will teach you everything you have to know. Is this a deal?”
I doubted she was offering me everything without having her own thoughts, but it was a chance, “You can save her?”
“Of course,” she answered, “So you accept me as your Queen?” she released her magic grip, my hooves touching ground again.
Having no other choice, I looked at my mother that was about to pass away, a small sorry forming on my muzzle before bowing deeply before the Queen.
“I’ll be yours, my Queen. I promise to accept you and your orders,” I said, my voice a bit shaky.
***
I jumped up as I felt a hoof touching me, slightly shaking. Looking around I realized that it was in the middle of the night.
It was a dream. I hate the past…
Sighting I caught the sight of a mare who was still poking at me.
“Hey, are you alright?” the mare asked.
I tried to answer, but remained still, first unfolding my wings and checking the texture, making sure my Pegasus body was there before facing the mare in front of me again. She was an earth pony, her coat the color of a plum and with a raspberry mane. She looked slightly worried at me.
“Can you hear me? Is everything alright?” she asked, louder this time.
“Uhm no, I’m not feeling so well, that’s why I settled down here to rest,” I replied, not quite sure why that mare cared.
“Staying out here is not the best idea, you know. It can be pretty cold at night. Can you walk?” she asked and I answered with a nod before she continued, “Follow me, please.”
I was confused, but I stood up nonetheless and followed her while she lead the way to wherever her destination was. We walked a bit in silence before she broke it, smiling at me.
“I’m Berryshine! What’s your name?”
“Uhm, Aurora Blue,” I replied, nearly inaudible.
“Ohh, no need to be so shy, I won’t harm you! You’re a pegasus! I love pegasi! That flying, letting the wind ruffle through your mane and pet your wings. I can only imagine it to be amazing!” she blurred out, making me chuckle.
She blushed at the sound, heading forward as another wave of silence caught us. I had no idea why this earth pony seemed to trust me so easily, why she talked to me carefree. Maybe she was just nice and a good soul.
I like her.
This made me laugh hard. She was friendly, open and nice. I knew her for about thirty minutes and I already liked her.
“Is everything alright?” she asked with concern after my laughing died down.
It was me that blushed this time, trying to look away, “Yes, just thought at something.”
“A bit for sharing your mind?” she simply asked me.
I turned towards her with surprise, catching her smile with a bit hanging out between her teeth. The sight made me laugh all over again.
“You really do take your word, don’t you?” I managed to get out between laughs.
“I think that it is an important part of life to keep to your promises and words, and always be honest,” she answered, still a small smile covering her muzzle while she tossed the bit into her saddlebags.
“This is a nice mindset, if I may say that. You sound nice,” I replied, blushing at the last sentence.
She blushed as well, and another few minutes of silence passed before a small town came into sight.
“Welcome to Dodge City, Aurora Blue,” Berryshine said while waving with a hoof towards the town, “I’m taking you to my place so you can rest, follow me.”
“Uh… w-what?” I stammered, “Y-you don’t know me. If you would be so kind and show me the next hotel or inn I could-,” A plum-coloured hoof stopped me.
“Listen to me, please. I think you are nice and you told me your name. My grandma said that everypony that tells you his or her true name is trustworthy. I insist that you follow me and stay at my place until you feel better,” Berryshine gazed quite seriously at me, so I just sighed and nodded.
We continued our way through the town, seemingly an earth pony town. Everything looked wild and rough, most of the houses just made out of wood. Berryshine lead me through the town to the other end, which still only took maybe ten minutes. She stopped in front of a small, wooden house, the blinds of it were in the same shades of her coat. It seemed to fit her.
“Home sweet home,” Berryshine said before pushing the door open, holding it for me.
I hesitated in front of it, but a sad look on the earth-pony made me sigh and enter nonetheless.
Inside was, to say the least, a bit rustic. The living room we stood in was barely furnished, a small couch and various chairs placed around a big wooden table. It was rustic, but looked comfy.
“Let me show you everything,” Berryshine said and motioned me to follow after she placed her saddlebags down.
The house was small, only containing a bedroom, a kitchen and a small bathroom besides the living room.
“It’s comfy. I like it,” I said to the earth pony after the tour, which made her blush a bit.
“Glad you like it,” she nodded towards the living room, “I hope the couch is comfortable enough for you.”
“Of course, thank you for everything Berryshine,” I smiled at her, which she returned eagerly.
The next moment was full of surprise as the mare stepped forward and embraced me in a comforting hug, after which she quickly turned and trotted over to her bedroom, stopping at the door..
“Good night, Aurora Blue,” she said before she closed the door behind her.
“Good night, Berryshine,” I whispered before taking my place on the couch, trying to get into a comfortable position for sleeping.
It wasn’t long before I fell into unstable dreams.
***
Hunger
I woke up, again with pain and hunger that weakened me.
Must... feed
Something strange flowed through my body, making me shiver.
Soo… tasty…
I got on my hooves and followed the feeling. It led me straight towards Berryshine’s bedroom. Opening the door a crack, I saw Berryshine laying on her bed, cuddling something in her hooves. The feeling came from her, spreading some of her love on the photo that she cuddled.
No… have to resist…
My hunger increased as I caught a taste of the love that reached me, the licks of it making me more eager to feed. Berryshine let go of the picture a little, enough to let me spot the picture of a white pegasus. She looked kind of like me, except with a green mane and a different cutie mark.
“I miss you, my love,” Berryshine whispered as she hugged the picture again, spreading more of her love around.
I couldn’t resist anymore, I slowly opened my mind to the feeling that was pouring from the pony in the other room, soaking up the love and satisfying my hunger.
Yeessss... feed.
My mind struggled and Berryshine froze, seeming to recognize something before she slowly turned to the door. As her scared expression met me, I simply snapped.
NO! I’M DIFFERENT!
I broke the connection with a sudden snap, closing myself away from the feeling and breaking myself away from the love that I felt. With my mind closed off, I suddenly collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud. The Queen used to tell me that I should never close the connection that quickly once I was feeding. Now it would be too late. The last thing I saw and heard was Berryshine reaching me, calling my name and pushing a hoof against me. What she said never reached my ears as my view blackened and my mind faded.
I opened my eyes, confused that I was still alive. After everything the Queen told me, I thought I would die by breaking the connection too fast. As my mind awoke, I recognized that I was laying on the couch in Berryshine's living room, and I had no idea why.
She looked scared... Why am I still here?
Looking around, I found a certain plum coloured mare laying on the ground beside the couch, barely covered by a blanket.
Why is she here at my side?
The next thought was less pleasant.
Did she see me as a changeling?
I inspected my own body quickly, and to my relief I found it white and with feathered wings. As I watched Berryshine sleep, my mind wandered, remembering how close I was to hurting her. If I had kept the connection open for a few more minutes, I could've drained her. Shaking my head, I tried to get up, but my legs weren't responding.
I have enough power to keep my natural form, but not enough to move. How amusing...
I tried it again, the result the same. My gaze fell on the earth pony again, and I knew I had to go.
If I stay, things might get worse. She's so kind to me, I can't do that to her!
After a while of trying to get up, the mare beside me stirred and yawned, slowly opening her eyes. She looked around and stretched her limbs before her gaze met mine.
“Aurora Blue! You're awake! Thank Celestia, I thought I had lost you,” she said, her expression brightening a bit, “What happened last night?”
“I-I'm sorry if I scared you... I was just curious as to who you were and tried to find out why you were just so friendly and kind to me... Then I don't remember anything after I passed out,” I explained, hoping my form stayed that night and she didn't discover the lie.
She laughed, “I'm nothing special, just the average earth pony mare. And yes, you did scared me a bit. Your eyes were gleaming, like they were trying to turn green. It was really weird,” she replied, shuddering.
She saw my eyes change. I hope she blames it on the light or something.
Her smile returned and she stood up, “I'm sure it was nothing, I don't think you wanted to hurt me. Are you hungry? I can make you some delicious soup if you want!”
She really is sweet.
“I would love to eat something, Berryshine. Thank you,” I simply said as I returned the smile.
With a beaming grin, she made her way out of the room, leaving me alone with my mind.
I should at least stay until I get a bit more power. It will all be easier then... I hope. But somehow I feel good with her. Maybe it’s because I’m only used to having other changelings around me?
Shaking my head furiously, I tried to clear my mind.
No, I’m not one of them! I’m different! I’m a pegasus! Well, more or less…
My own thoughts weren't helping much, so I decided to just wait and see what would happen. Berryshine was indeed nice to me, and it seemed that it was just her nature. Then my mind wandered to that picture in her hooves, with the pony that looked almost exactly like me.
Who was that? Is that the reason why she is so nice to me?
Before I could follow this train of thought, the sound of plates and glass was heard out of the kitchen, soon followed by Berryshine coming back, loaded with two plates and two glasses in her muzzle. I stood up and took the plates from her back with my wings, placing them on the table.
She placed the glasses down before smiling thankfully, “Thank you. I hope you like soup with mushrooms, I don't really have much to eat at home. Sorry.”
“That's no problem, I'm sure it will be delicious,” I replied, sitting down while she blushed.
I took a bite, and indeed it was absolutely delicious, causing me to hum loudly and make Berryshine look at me with surprise. I simply smiled and continued to eat as the thought of the picture struck my mind again.
“Berryshine, may I ask you something?”
She nodded eagerly and waited for my question.
“I know it's nothing of my concern, but who is that white mare on the picture? She looks pretty much like me, except the tail and mane,” I managed to bring out before continuing to eat, afraid that I might have gone too far.
She smiled uneasily and sighed, “Well, I trust you, so I will tell you. The mare on the picture is my former marefriend, Snowbreeze. We were together for almost three years before,” she stopped and tried to hold her tears back, “Before she died. She had an unknown disease and the doctors couldn't help her, not even the magic of the best,” then she looked deep into my eyes, “You're asking because you think that I'm only that kind to you because you look like her?” I simply nodded and she continued, “Well, I already thought about that too... and I'm not sure. Maybe, but it's not the same. I really do think that you are a good pony, and I like you for some reason or another,” she ended and blushed deeply.
She lost everything… just like me.
The next thing I did might had counted as dumb, but I did it nonetheless. I stood up and approached her, unfolding my wings and hugging her softly. She seemed to freeze for a second, but then she leaned in, softly resting her head over my shoulder. As we broke and I pulled away, she smiled.
“Friends?” I asked her, her expression brightening up another stage.
“Friends!” she replied and jumped at me, pulling me into a more crushing hug this time.
Friend... my first friend in such a long time.
I was happy, very happy. While the hug continued, I hummed deeply, knowing that I found a safe place and a friend that would be at my side. The thought that it could all go wrong was only at the back of my mind, easily pushed away for now.
***
The next day pulled me to consciousness with some beams of light straight on my muzzle. I blinked sleepily, just to see Berryshine sitting next to me on the couch and a tray of breakfast on the table.
“Wow, you're really awesome! I’ve never had breakfast in bed,” I said, smiling a bit.
She smiled back, nudging me softly, “Hey that's what friends are for. Besides, you seemed a bit weak on your hooves yesterday, so I thought it would be a good idea,” Berryshine blushed a bit before continuing, “Do you have any family you could contact?”
My face froze and I shook my head, “Nopony that is alive anymore...”
Her expression fell, “I'm sorry, I didn't want to-”
I stopped her softly with a hoof, “It's okay, you couldn't have known what. Anything planned today?”
“Well, I have to work today, so you can do what you want. I figured something out if you have or want to stay longer.”
Staying longer? Bad idea... but she is my friend...
You don't have friends.
What? Who are you?
Well, I'm you. Your other half to be exact.
You're my evil part?
No, I'm not the evil part, you should know that. I'm just your other side, and giving you advice. Leave while you still can, you don't know how long you can control your hunger.
I wouldn't ever hurt Berryshine.
How could you know? Heh, you’ve known her for two days and you’re already acting like you’ve been best pals for decades. We both know that it won't work.
Says you.
We say that. You know what the consequence will be if you stay and lose control.
There’s no need for that to come.
There is no way back... It will come, sooner or later, and it will all be your fault...
Okay, stop. That will never happen... I should stop arguing with myself.
A plum hoof snapped me out of the trance, “Hey, Aurora, are you okay?” Berryshine was still beside the couch and looked worriedly at me, “You don't feel well again?”
“I'm fine, really. Just a bit lost in my mind, don't worry,” I quickly said before looking over at the tray, “Mhhh, that looks delicious.”
She looked at me for some time before smiling, “Glad you like it… Aurora.. uhm,” she hesitated and I looked up, “May I ask you something?”
What now?
I was scared that she might have caught on to something after all, but nodded nonetheless.
“Do y-you have anywhere e-else to go? I m-mean… not that I-I want to throw you out, o-or something like that, you know. But I w-won’t stay in your way e-either way,” she stammered out.
“I don’t have anywhere else to go… I’m alone on this world,” I said, suddenly the feeling of being alone in the world present again.
I felt a soft touch on my cheek and looked up, Berryshine’s hoof on my cheek and smiling a bit.
“You’re not alone! Friends, remember? Also, I already thought about that and prepared something,” with that, she went to a small cupboard and opened it, grabbing something in her muzzle.
She turned back and I saw a newspaper, which she laid down in front of me. There was a small add marked in red colour.
Café Berry is in search of a new employee that will take over a few tasks in the business. No experience or qualification is needed, only a good hoof in taking care of the daily customers and a nice and open mind uponst other ponies. If you are interested, please visit us at Café Berry.
I looked to Berryshine, confused, “You own a café?” and she nodded eagerly, “You want me to work at your café? But I don't know anything about such work...”
“Yes, I want you to work at my café. And that's no problem, as you might've read. I’m just looking for somepony that is nice and open, and I think you fit into it,” she replied and smiled.
Open? If only she knew. But with that job, I could stay longer at her side. Besides, maybe I can get fed without danger in that café… no, bad thought!
“Of course, for such a small city I don't have many customers, but it's more than enough for myself and an employee,” she snickered slightly.
I was shocked, “I can't accept any payment, you are already letting me live here, Berry!”
How did I come up with that nickname again?
“How about you just join me at my work today and see if it fits you? Afterwards, I'll let you decide. Deal?” I could almost see the pleading in her eyes.
“Okay, deal. I guess I can give it a try for you, Berry. Count me in, at least for today,” I replied, although my mind reminded me to be careful.
There is no reason to fear it, there is no reason why anything should go wrong, just helping Berry a bit in her café.
I was startled by a loud squeal and the next I felt was that somepony crushed me to the floor in some kind of bear hug.
“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” came the words from the earth pony, but way too high and fast for me to really understand anything. With a look at the clock on the wall, she gasped, “Oh horseapples! We're late. C'mon Aurora, I was supposed to open the shop eight minutes ago,” she got up and trotted to the door.
I followed her, although I wasn't really sure what the day could bring. It would be my first time actually working, or be in contact with somepony else. Someponies would call it insane, but I already felt like my future with Berryshine as my friend wouldn't be as dark as I thought.
I walked beside Berry, who seemed to be in quite a rush. With every second that passed by, she accelerated, even though she assured me that the café wasn’t far. We just had to follow the road down from her house and then to the right after the town square. The walk didn’t take more than five minutes.
“There it is. Oh, thank Celestia, there’s no customers waiting for us. I hate being late!” Berry exclaimed and breathed heavily as she leaned against one of the tables that stood outside the café.
It was quite lovely, the outside was mostly the same design as her house, including the plum blinds, only that here there was some green added. The café already looked nice and cozy from the outside. Berry rustled around in the bag that hung around her shoulders until she reappeared, a bunch of keys in her muzzle. She tried to open the door several times, but failed as the keys fell to the ground.
“I'm sorry, I guess I'm just so nervous about what you’ll think and how the day turns out and... argh sorry!” she muttered, still breathing hard.
With a reassuring smile, I unfolded my right wing and grabbed the key from the ground, opening the door with ease. Berry looked wide-eyed before laughing.
“You know... those wings of yours might come in handy from time to time.”
“Well, I'm glad to have them,” I replied, joining in her laugh.
Berry trotted inside first and I followed her. The café wasn't too big, just half a dozen tables with double as many chairs around it. It seemed like most of her customers would sit outside, which was no wonder considering the beautiful weather during the day.
“So... what do you think?” she asked as we settled inside.
I took another look at the old-fashioned, cozy design, “I love it, Berry. It reminds me a lot of you, if you compare it to your house.”
Happy with the answer, she hopped behind the counter and looked around, “We have to prepare coffee, tea and cakes. I will prepare the cakes, you can take care of the coffee and tea, okay? You know how it works?”
I nodded and she smiled before walking through a door behind the counter. It wasn't really a problem, I still knew how to brew tea and coffee from my time at home, despite the fact that it was a long time ago. As I turned to the coffee machine and grabbed the filter with my wing, something came in my mind.
I could use my magic so it would be faster. It would also help Berry some more. No... bad idea. If somepony caught me, a pegasus using magic, there would be no end to the questions.
With a sigh, I prepared the coffee machine and went to the teapot, filling the small boiler with water before putting it onto the small cooking place. It would take a while without magic, but using it would put Berry and I in potential danger.
I wish I could tell her everything, but at the same time I know that she wouldn’t understand. She’d throw me out.
I blinked and concentrated on my work. Thinking about such things was quite unusual for me, I was always the shy and hidden mare that was never that good with words.
What is this mare doing to me? If somepony would’ve told me a few days ago that I would want to tell a mare who I am, I would have just laughed and killed him. Thank Luna those times are over.
Shuddering, I noticed the boiler whistling and took it from the plate, preparing some mint and apple tea in big pots. I hoped Berry would be happy with my work and would consider letting me work full time at her place.
Why is this important now? Only a couple of hours ago, my plan was to get stronger and then flee.
I was more than a little confused about my own thoughts, but maybe this was normal. I had a new friend, and somehow a new life. Well, at least it was the start of a new life. Everything was new to me, I had been in the swarm long enough to have missed a lot. The recollection of our fights in the swarm made me shudder. The Queen had made me her breed partner, and I was happy that I never had to use that privilege. I was still unsure how that breeding stuff would have worked between two mares.
Stop thinking about it! It's over! The swarm is dead, and so is the Queen. Or at least she's gone!
A soft touch on my shoulder made me jump. Looking behind me, I saw Berry carrying two cakes.
“Mind giving me a hoof or wing here, Aurora?” she asked, muffled behind a muzzle full of spoons.
“Of course! Sorry, I was lost in thought,” I replied before grabbing the spoons and one cake from her, “Spoons? I haven’t seen any unicorns walking through here,”
“You wouldn’t believe what customers I’ve had. Pegasi, unicorns, griffins! Even the Princess was here years ago. Also, unicorns aren’t the only ones that use spoons or forks,” she said as she placed a soft looking strawberry cake onto the counter.
I looked at her wide-eyed, as if asking if it was true. She just nodded before preparing the last few bits. With a look at the coffee and tea I prepared, she smiled and patted my back with a hoof.
“Great work! Mint and apple tea? Excellent choice, if I might say so! You really do have a hoof for such things. I hope you will stay here and help me, I usually take a lot longer to prepare!” she said before she hugged me, nearly immediately breaking away with a blush, “Sorry, I should ask before doing that.”
Don't let her go...
I had no idea where that thought came from, but I unfolded my wings and turned her into a soft hug with them. Mother told me years ago that if a pegasus hugged another pony with her wings, it meant that the pegasus liked that pony a lot. At that moment, I didn't care about any meaning, I just enjoyed it.
After a while, I broke away with a soft blush on my cheeks, “I'm sorry. It's just that... it's some time since anypony hugged me... since anypony cared about or liked me.”
I had tears in my eyes as I noticed that Berry hugged me again. Somehow, I felt safe. It was something I hadn't felt in some time. As we broke apart, I gave her a thankful smile and she blushed.
A true, true friend.
A bell rang and we looked towards the door, startled as a yellow earth pony with a green mane walked through. She walked straight to the counter, smiling awkwardly.
“Hello and welcome to Café Berry. What can I bring you?” Berry asked eagerly and smiled brightly.
“Uhm... Howdy... Just wanna see if this is a nice place for me and some... company to hang out, ya know? I would like to try your apple tea, and some strawberry cake if ya don't mind,” the yellow mare said, rubbing her forehoof sheepishly.
She is pretty nervous...
“Of course, right away. Please, take a seat!.” Berry seemingly didn’t notice the behaviour, or just tried to ignore it.
She nudged my side softly and pointed towards the pot with tea while she cut a slice of cake, the mare sitting down as she waited. I filled a big cup with some of the tea and was about to serve it as something came to my mind, something my mother told me a long time ago.
Before you serve somepony coffee or tea, always ask if they want something in it like sugar or milk.
With a smile, I turned towards the yellow mare, “Would you like some sugar in your tea?”
The mare shook her head in response before I served the tea pure while Berry placed the slice of cake on her table. As we were returning to the counter, the yellow mare took a small letter out of her saddlebags and laid it next to her plate with the cake. As she read it, I felt something familiar and knew that I was in trouble.
Hunger.
While she was reading the letter, the mare was spreading copious amounts of love around herself. My mind teased me with the hunger, dangling it in front of me as my stomach growled. I knew it wasn’t my stomach that was starving, but it added insult to injury nonetheless.
“Berry, where's the restroom?” I asked before the mare pointed to the door behind the counter.
“Through there and then the second door on the right, you can't miss it,” She replied before turning her attention to some novel she seemed to be reading.
I rushed through the door and into the restroom, locking it behind me. Even here I could still feel the love, and it invited me with it's sweet taste, promising to take care of my hunger.
You know that you can't refuse much longer. I warned you.
Oh no, not that again.
Look, nopony said that you have to feed from Berry or drain a single pony. You could take just a little bit from that mare outside and then continue another time. You will feel better, trust me.
I'm different!
Of course, keep telling yourself that. We both know that you will die or snap sooner or later without any love to feed on. I'm presenting you a small solution, and you should be happy about it.
Somepony could notice.
You could die.
Only a bit?
Just a small bite!
You know it doesn’t work like that.
It's just a saying!
So I don't have to take much, just a bit from time to time?
Exactly. Just enough to keep you full of energy. Nopony will notice.
I couldn't deny it anymore, even if I was fighting myself in this argument. I hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened myself to the emotion and sucked it in, not too fast and not too slow. I let the emotion wash through my soul and satisfy my hunger until I had enough to keep myself sated. As I slowly closed the connection, I indeed felt much better.
You were right.
Of course I was right. I’m you.
I sighed and shook my head, splashing some water from the sink onto my face. After drying it, I stepped back into the room and behind the counter, joining Berry. I took a look at the yellow mare to make sure that she was okay for a few moments before I turned my attention to the novel Berry read.
“What are you reading?” I asked, trying to peep a bit into the book.
She blushed and closed it, “Nothing... why?”
“Just curious,” I said with a wink, which seemed to make her blush even more.
She moved her hooves so I could take a look at the cover. It was the novel from Sinestry, a story of two mares in the old times when same-sex relationships were forbidden. You were arrested and thrown into jail at that time for it. It explains how they survived with their relationship until Princess Celestia made same-sex relationships and marriage between them legal.
“I know this book, I've read it as a teenager. It always fascinated me,” I said with a smile.
Berry looked surprised, “So you're not against such things?” she asked and I shook my head, “I'm glad, I already thought you would judge me because of my former marefriend.”
“I would never do that. As long as you love each other, it doesn't matter what gender or race you belong to.”
“Aww, that's sweet. You ever had a relationship? Are you into mares or stallions? Or into both? Would you--” Berry started to ask question after question and only stopped as I began to laugh.
“One question at a time, Berry. To the first; no, I never had the privilege for such a thing. Two, I don't know, but I guess more into mares. Three, I don't know, but maybe more like my second answer,” I looked at her, still snickering a bit, “Anything else?”
“No...” she mumbled and blushed furiously.
“Hey, don't worry. I'm used to a lot of questions,” I reassured with a shudder.
She raised an eyebrow questioningly and I just shrugged, “Maybe another time, Berry.”
Berry nodded and went back to her novel until another pony stepped in, this time a young, brown stallion with a star on his chest.
“Good day, Sheriff! How may I help you today?” Berry smiled and the stallion nodded at her before focusing on me.
“Good day, Miss Berryshine. Just looking to see if everything is alright. Who is your friend here? I've never seen her in town before,” he spoke while eyeing me suspiciously.
Oh buck, that could be a problem.
“Don't worry, Sheriff, that's an old friend of mine. She's visiting me for some time,” Berry quickly said before giving me a small wink.
“Oh... Well, she surely reminds me of Snowbreeze. Except the mane, of course,” he replied, causing Berry to look down at the ground with a small sigh.
I went to her and she looked up, shaking her head while the Sheriff still eyed me.
“Well, if everything's alright, I'll be heading to my patrol again. Stay well, Miss Berryshine. And you too, Miss...?”
“Blue,” I quickly replied, “Aurora Blue.”
“That's a wonderful name, Miss Blue. Be sure to help Miss Berryshine here, she overdoes it from time to time in the attempt to run this place alone,” with a smirk he went to the door and left.
After the Sheriff left, we had a lot of costumers in the afternoon. The yellow mare left shortly after lunch, but promised to be back soon. It was quite refreshing to help Berryshine, and I was doing something that distracted me from the past. Besides, I liked the work.
If she asks me to stay, I will be happy to do so.
“Aurora, come over here, please,” Berry motioned for me and I eagerly approached her as she covered something with a small plate.
The day had been quite busy after all, and we had nearly ran out of cake, tea and coffee for the day. I looked at Berry with a smile as she raised the plate and revealed a soft, red and white coloured piece of cake.
“This is my homemade cake. The Berry Special. Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I thought you might want to try a piece before it's out. This here is for you,” she exclaimed as she raised a small fork for me.
I looked at the small piece of cake, eying every shape. It was made out of different layers, each one seemingly containing a different berry. It looked absolutely delicious. Unfolding one wing, I grabbed the fork and took a chunk of the cake to my muzzle, trying to savor the taste.
“Oh.. my... This is absolutely delicious, Berry!” I gasped after gulping down the bite.
Berry clapped her hooves together in excitement and squealed, hopping around a bit.
This is cute...
After a while, she recognized what she was doing and blushed furiously, “Sorry, but this means a lot to me!” she murmured before giving me a quick hug.
I glanced towards the clock and she followed my gaze, “Oh! It's time to close the café, Aurora. Would you be so kind and take this to clean the tables? If you could also mop the floor when you’re done, that would be great!” she hooved me a small, wet towel.
With a smile and a nod, I went to work cleaning tables, chairs and the floor until everything was clean. In the mean time, Berry was taking care of the mess on the counter and was busy cleaning the dishes that had been made during the day.We both did our respective jobs relatively quickly, and as soon as we were done we shut off the lights and left the building. I closed the door and locked it before sliding the key into Berry’s saddlebags.
“What a day,” She sighed and smiled at me, “Thank you for your help!”
“Yeah. And no problem,” I just replied.
We walked in silence for a few moments, her house coming closer and closer until I got the topic in my mind again.
I want to stay.
“Berry?” I started and she looked at me.
“Yes?”
“I would like to stay. Help you whenever you need me,” it was barely a whisper, but the crushing hug the earth pony drew me into was evidence enough that she had heard me.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, Aurora! I hoped you would say that!” she squealed.
“Berry... breath.. c-can't breath!” I coughed and she let go, looking at me sheepishly.
“I guess that means we are officially roommates now!” she said and her smile returned.
“Yes, Berry, roommates. And friends!” I replied and she jumped a bit into the air.
I didn't know if it was the right thing to do. At the moment, it just felt right, and that was enough for me to at least try it and see what might come out of it.
Another unknown step, but this time I'm not afraid. No, I'm looking forward it!
I was laying on my back on the couch, eyes closed and relaxing. The last few days had been rather positive, and everything indicated that there’d be more good days in the future. Yes, everything was good.
Well, except the feeding problem...
There is no problem. I gave you the solution yesterday.
Not you again.
You know it’s the best solution!
“Oh, shut up!” I shouted out loud, nearly immediately hearing hoofsteps.
“Aurora? Is everything alright?” a soft voice asked before the door slowly opened and Berryshine stuck her head in. She looked like I had thrown her out of her bed with my voice.
“Sorry, Berry. Just a bad dream. Please, go back to bed,“ I whispered, trying my best to avoid her gaze.
She approached me and sat down on the other end of the couch, smiling softly at me, “Anything you want to talk about?” Berry whispered, making me sigh.
“I dreamt about my family, nothing special. I don’t really want to talk about that,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t catch the lie and leave it be.
It hurt badly to lie to the only pony I trusted at the moment. That wasn’t even mentioning that she saved me, gave me shelter and a job.
“Why is that a bad dream?” she asked.
I thought back to the day that the changelings had caught me and my mother, and shivered, “Because not every memory is a good one, Berry,” I answered as I closed my eyes.
After a few moments of silence, I felt something warm at my side and nearly jumped up. Opening my eyes and looking to my side, a piece of plum coat greeted me, making my mind stutter.
What is she doing? Why does this feel so warm and… good?
Without thinking, I softly nuzzled into the plum coat and Berry sighed. I didn’t know what was going on, but at the moment the only thing that mattered was the warm and soft coat pressed against my side.
***
I was feeling warm, fuzzy, and just generally good. It seemed that everything was right in the world. Soft beams of sun tickled my coat and I slowly opened my eyes, realizing that I was laying on the couch. The warm feeling I noticed was coming from my side, bringing a lazy smile to my face. I turned to look, not expecting to see what I did.
My heart beat louder and harder than ever before as I saw the plum earth pony, nuzzled deeply into the fur on my side. I really had no clue what had happened, until I remembered.
She just laid at my side last night after that nightmare. Is that what friends do for each other?
I wasn't really good with all that friendship stuff. But to be honest, I couldn't wait to learn more. My only friend I ever had before Berry was from my school, many, many years ago. It was not more than a shadow in my mind, all the happy times buried underneath pain and other things the Queen had done to me.
With a sigh, I leaned back, enjoying the warmth a bit more. It wasn't that bad. In fact, it made me feel a hundred times better than before. Just as my eyelids started to close again, I heard a soft yawn and the feeling of Berry nuzzling against my side..
“Good morning, Snowy, my love,” came the muffled whisper that made my heart freeze.
Looking over at my side, I saw Berry tugging at me with all her hooves, burying her muzzle deeply into my side and going so far as to kiss parts of my side with loving pecks. Before I could say anything, she looked up and her gaze met mine. With a loud ‘eep’, Berry rushed up and ran to the bathroom, not looking back and leaving me with thoughts of worry and confusion.
A few minutes went by in silence before the shower started as I got to my hooves. Shaking the sleep out of my eyes, my hooves took me slowly to the kitchen. Some breakfast wouldn't be too bad, but all I found were some buns and apple marmalade. With a sigh, I prepared some of them and hoped that they would be enough.
After I prepared everything, I sat down at the small kitchen table, waiting for Berry to finish her shower. She entered the kitchen a few minutes later with an apologetic expression, her mane still damp from the shower.
“I’m sorry, Aurora. I dreamt about Snowbreeze last night, and I woke up cuddled next to you, and all I could see was your white fur. My mind just… I’m sorry,” she hesitantly spoke, her eyes never leaving the floor.
That doesn’t explain why she just cuddled up to me last night… ah, better not to ask.
I was at her side in three steps, my wings unfolded and pulling her into a soft hug before I even really thought about it, “Don’t be,” I whispered softly while she blushed furiously, “What?” I asked, eyebrow raising.
“Aurora... last time. You hugged me with your wings. I thought it was just the moment, but now you are doing it again. You know what it means if a pegasus hugs with it's wings?” she paused and looked deep into my eyes while I nodded my head, “It means that the pegasus really likes the pony she or he is hugging, you know?”
Before I could shut my muzzle, two dangerous words left it, “So what?”
Berry looked surprised at me for a few moments before she smiled, “I like you too, Aurora. How about I show you the room behind the café today? Where I do the cakes and so on? Maybe you're going to be the next pastry chef, Aurora!” she laughed as she squeezed me tightly.
I simply joined in with her laugh as we broke the embrace, both sitting down and enjoying our breakfast. The buns were ate quite quickly and a look at the clock made it clear that it was time to open the café again.
Berry smirked at me and got up, grabbing her bags and pointed at some saddlebags near the fridge, “Would you be so kind and carry them? The ingredients for some cakes are in there, fresh out of Ponyville.”
I nodded and put them on, following her out of the kitchen and the house. It was a beautiful day, maybe even warm enough to prepare the tables outside. I chuckled at this.
I’m already into this, I guess. Hehe.
We reached the café pretty quickly, and Berry was about to dive into her bags for the key, but I was faster. With a quick motion, I pulled the key out of the bags with a wing and unlocked the door, a smiling Berry stepping in.
“Like I said… they will come in handy,” she commented as I followed her.
I laughed and we walked past the counter and through the door, coming into a very small kitchen. I looked around, finding an old oven, some counters and fridges around.
“Sorry, Berry, but if I may ask… You’re no unicorn. How can you keep all the fridges running? It sure must cost a lot of magic,” I said, wondering how it was even possible.
“A good friend of my cousin visits every month to load some magic storage. They keep the fridges running,” with that she walked to a corner of the room and opened something that looked like a storage crate, a strange-looking machine in it.
“Ahh, I see,” I said as I nodded.
A good friend of her cousin and a unicorn? That could be a serious problem. If everything the Queen said was true, unicorns can sense and discover us. I should be wary if that unicorn checks by to load this machine.
“Well, let’s see if you can make a simple vanilla cake. I got a list of ingredients here, and some instructions on what you have to do. I want you to just try it while I prepare everything else for the customers. You think you can do it?” Berry smiled and took a small book from a counter, opening a page from it.
I worked my way through the instructions, adding the ingredients and mixing them like the book said. After some work, the cake was nearly done, and I just had to bake it. Turning to the oven, I recognized that it was already burning away, and I smiled. The cake was in, and I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.
Oh my, I really am trying to impress her, aren’t I?
My thoughts were disturbed by an icy pain in my head, pulsing faintly first, then stronger and stronger. Something was invading my mind, something I thought would never happen again.
Someone of the hive is near… how is that possible? It’s getting stronger… he is close… If I can feel him, he can feel me as well.
It was a few moments after that thought that I heard the bell ring and Berry greeting some customers. The feeling that came from the door made it clear that the changeling was inside the café, and it made me frown.
What now? If I confront him, everything might be revealed… but if I let him run free, he might hurt Berry or somepony else.
I liked Berry a lot. So it was no question whether or not I would confront the changeling, but it was more of a question as to how I would do it. With no plan in mind, I shivered and walked towards the door. I would do everything I could to protect Berry, even though I had no idea why I was willing to risk exposure just to protect her.
As I opened the door and stepped out behind the counter, Berry was busy with the tea, giving me a soft smile that I returned before heading to the disguised changeling. He was sitting at a table with the yellow mare from yesterday. His gaze met mine and his face went white.
He nearly jumped out of his chair and ran to me, bowing in front of me, “Captain! You’re alive! I didn’t know that anyone else survived… I’m-”
I stopped him with a glare and looked around. Berry seemingly hadn't heard anything, so I pulled him up quickly and whispered harshly into his ear, “We’re in disguise here, you idiot! Now stop acting like that… The hive is dead, we don’t have to use ranks anymore, Lieutenant.”
My former Lieutenant frowned and tried to act normally. His disguise was of a grey unicorn with white hair. Every time I’d seen him, those colours were his favourite choice when it came to disguising as a pony.
“I don’t think the Queen is dead. You are betraying the hive, working and living under ponies. I had to stop here to feed, but you seem to be doing it without purpose!” he whispered, his voice growing angry. I knew he wasn’t far from revealing everything.
If he continues, Berry will know everything, or he will hurt her. No. I can’t let this happen.
I felt anger rising in me, and another feeling I tried to hide for so long. To be honest, I loved the heat of battle, balancing on a string between death and life. My former Lieutenant seemed to notice the glare flickering in my eyes and gulped. Looking around, I saw that Berry was still busy behind the counter, and the yellow mare covered behind a newspaper.
With a small growl, I walked towards the door, the other changeling following me. There were a few other ponies in sight outside, so I walked around the corner and behind the building. Nopony was there, and I turned to my former Lieutenant as he dropped his disguise.
“You are betraying us!” he howled, pointing at me, “You should wear your true form, not this… ugly disguise of a pony!”
“The Queen is dead, so is the hive! Leave this place and never come back, Lieutenant. And this ‘is’ my true form,” I replied, my voice cold and not revealing any feeling.
You have to kill him… If you let him live, he will tell everypony what we really are!
Not you again...I can’t just kill him!
You can! You want to! Kill him and save Berry! Save your existence here!
No… I can’t! You are just trying to make me the way I used to be!
Stop denying it! You want to save Berry and kill him! Kill him!
I can’t!
Kill him now, otherwise Berry will know everything! Or worse; she’ll die!
My mind burned with a rage, so did every muscle in my body. Something took me over, and I couldn’t stop it. With a howl, my natural form broke and revealed the changeling within me as I ran forward, knocking him down with a hit on his front legs. He went down with a curse and turned to land a hit on me. I wasn’t in fighting shape, so I couldn’t react fast enough. His fangs pierced my flank, drawing a deep, bloody wound.
Don’t play with him, kill him!
I turned around and loaded two spells I thought I would never use again. The first shot was a burst of energy like an arrow that was aimed at his rear hooves. It pierced through them, making him unable to move. The second one formed a dark blue blade, heading straight for his body. His eyes were pleading at me before he cried out, the blade sinking deep in his body. I shuddered as he fell to the ground, my mind clearing again.
What did I do?
You saved Berry.
I felt the pressure in my mind again, then the magic. The corpse in front of my glowed, then burned down and sunk through the earth in an arcane burst of fire. There was no sign of the fight or any struggle, the only evidence was the bleeding wound in my side.
What are you doing?
I’m helping you.
There was no need to kill him.
There is no need to hide it, you're a fighter and a leader. Fighting will always be your strength.
No!
I shook my head and screamed out, vocalizing my pain before I got to my hooves and ran. I wasn’t able to think anymore, I just wanted to run away and hide somewhere, then die in the last bit of peace that I could find.
Berryshine will be better off without me. Without a murdering and love draining creature at her side.
I never noticed the calls from the small town, calls that carried my name. Soon, I left the town far behind me, the wide desert surrounding me.
I don’t know how long I walked. After some time, my run slowed down to a stiff walk thanks to the wound on my flank. It took its toll on me after that blind run, and I felt weak, but I had enough strength left in me to take my pony form again.
I will never be able to go back…
My mind still felt heavy, and I knew that it was somewhere there. It had taken over my body and hijacked my powers during the fight, and I hadn’t the faintest idea how it did that. Maybe it was some kind or parasite?
Oh, how you wound me, Aurora!
Can’t you just shut up for once?
I helped you!
You used me! It wasn’t me who attacked that changeling, and it wasn’t me who got rid of the corpse!
I never used you. I just gave you the motivation and the power that made you fight.
How?
I’m you. Your other half, the one you keep locked away.
I don’t think that’s the truth.
It was a lie, I was sure of it. The other me had complete control over me, and it didn’t feel like it was just my changeling side taking over. No, more like something else that invaded my mind and controlled everything.
Mmm, I’m not a parasite. No… Not me.
You’re not really helping me.
I blinked, trying to get a sense of my surroundings, and spotted a familiar place in the desert around me. A small, rotten carriage wreck that I knew all too well.
Oh my, how did I wind up here? After all that time running, I should have passed it a long time ago.
Without hesitation, I stepped over to it and laid down next to it. I didn’t know why, but it felt right, and I needed to rest anyways. The blood was still dripping down my flank and my rear leg, weakening me further.
If you would use one of the spells we have taught you, it would be easier.
What spell?
Just an easy spell to dry the bleeding.
You didn’t teach me that spell, it was the… no, that can’t be.
Oh, well… I guess I spoke it out by accident.
You are dead! That can’t be!
I’m not dead, just not in good shape. Remember that I told you I would be able to communicate with everyone of my hive, even if I wasn’t in any state for it?
In that case, you’re not the queen. You’re the hive mind…
Ohh, not as slow in the head as I first thought.
How could you take over my body? I thought you could only communicate.
That’s what I did, Aurora. I whispered the right words into your sweet, tortured little mind and then your instincts took over. For getting rid of the corpse, I just gave you the energy and knowledge to use the spell. Everything you did was all on you!
That can’t be!
Oh, it sure can!
It made no sense, but I wasn’t eager to continue that conversation. I hadn’t realized how long I’d been walking, but the sun was slowly going down.
You can’t just ignore me.
I can, and I will!
I stretched my wings and shifted to get myself more comfortable on the ground. With a sigh, I began to hum a melody. A soft sound that always made me relax and feel better. It was the lullaby my mother always sung to me when I was a foal, so long ago. Somewhere behind the song, I could hear the voice trying to get my attention, but I wasn’t listening anymore. Everything that counted was the soft melody, and all the good memories that came with it.
***
When I awoke, I was laying on the couch in Berryshine’s house, and I had no idea why. Looking around, nothing really seemed wrong. Everything was like I remembered it.
The door opened and I jumped when Berryshine stuck her head in, “Oh, sorry if I woke you up, Aurora. You overslept, and we have to open the café soon.”
I blinked, dumbfounded, my poor mind trying to figure out what was going on. I was sure that I had ran away and fell asleep in the desert.
What now?
Berryshine’s expression turned to worry and she stepped in, “Is everything alright?”
I wanted to ask her what was going on, asking if something was wrong here, but in the next moment there was a shadow behind Berry. As it approached her I tried to warn her, but it was too late.
A green beam, a scream, and the only sound following was the one of Berryshine’s body hitting the ground.
No...No...No!
The shadow disappeared while I ran to Berry, nudging her softly, “Berry? Berry, please, talk to me!”
It was to no use. Berry’s eyes were wide open, staring emptily in my direction with every sign of life within them erased. My legs shook and felt like rubber. I fell down as if my legs weren’t even there, the limbs no longer able to support my weight.
Without thinking, I nuzzled as close as I could to her, burying my face in her still warm coat. Slowly, my mind faded away as everything sunk into the black hole that hid deep in my chest. My heart and mind struggled to continue working.
***
“Wake up, Aurora.”
I stirred, but left my eyes closed, not willing to wake up again. All I wanted to do was die in peace and forget everything.
“I don’t think I can allow that. Now wake up, Aurora!”
I knew this voice from somewhere, but my mind wasn’t able to figure it out.
“If I were you, I would wake up soon, Aurora,” the voice turned cold, and I slowly cracked my eyes open.
What I saw made me jump up immediately. A black, thin body with long legs, covered with holes. Those shining green wings like those of an insect, and then that face, so familiar but feared.
This can’t be…
“Ahh… you finally decided to wake up! Why don’t you kneel in front of your Queen?” those cold eyes mustered me while a smile grew on her face.
“You are not real!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, barely hearing her words.
“Maybe I’m not real here, but I’m real inside your head. You can’t run away, and you can’t hide. If you try, your precious earth pony friend will suffer until she wished she was dead!” she replied, the evil grin on her muzzle sending a shiver down my spine.
Something snapped in me at the thought of Berryshine being hurt, “If you touch her, I will let you suffer from hunger and kill you slowly in the worst possible way!” I wasn’t sure if it was really my voice that said it, so cold and deep like an angry growl.
She just laughed at me, the sound clinging in my ears while my anger raised, “How amusing… You like her, don’t you? Do you really think that she, or anypony else, could ever accept you? Without the Hive, without me, you are nothing. Maybe even less.”
Somehow, she is right. I don’t think Berry could accept my true nature once I drop the disguise.
“We both know that I’m right, and I’m kind enough to offer you something again. Join the Hive once more. Work and live for me, and I’ll allow you to live in peace, doing what you want with most of your time. There is only one thing I want. You leave the earth pony,” the Queen concluded before reaching a hoof in my direction, but I hesitated.
Can I really do this? It would ensure that Berry is safe. I don’t think I really have a choice…
“Why should I do that?” I asked, trying to gather some time.
“Because otherwise, I will kill her and make you watch her suffer. If you accept, however, you have to leave her because I want you to suffer, but she will be safe,” she clicked with her tongue, “You have my word.”
“I want more than your word for it! Swear to it that you, or anypony you control, won’t ever hurt her!” I said, focusing on her with a cold gaze.
Her laugh echoed once again, “You really learned something. Okay, I swear by my status and my blood that I, and anypony from my hive, won’t hurt her for as long as you do what I say,” with that she brought a hoof to her teeth and sliced it open with a fang.
I hesitated, but slowly kneeled down, “In that case, I’m yours again.”
I don’t have any choice.
“You will listen to me from now on, without any restrictions. Once the sun is up, head north and you will reach some train tracks. They lead to a bigger town. We will discuss the details later,” she said and laughed, waving a hoof while walking away.
I’m her tool again…
Her laugh followed me and I curled myself into a ball. My life had just made a U-turn, and it was at the same point where I was years ago.
Tears rolled down my muzzle as the black took me again. I felt helpless and small, but at least Berry would survive. She would survive, and hopefully be happy.
The sun was tickling my coat, I could feel it but after all that had happened, I would’ve loved to just lay here, being covered by time and forgotten while dying. Sadly, this was not an option if I wanted to keep Berryshine safe.
Wake up! The day is young and you’ve got a lot of work to do!
Oh, great, and I had hoped that the nightmare you caused me satisfied you enough.
You quickly realized that it was me and just a dream. You would’ve wounded me otherwise, captain.
Shut up! I’m not doing this for the hive so you’d better just forget my rank.
Mhh we’ll see about that. Now, you should go. Manehatten is far away and the train won’t wait for you as well as your contact in the city.
What? Contact?
Yes, now move! There is no more time to waste!
Grumbling, I got onto my shaking hooves and tried to orientate myself. However, I was not really able to do so. There was nothing around to use as a reference and flying up to the air to take a look wasn’t really an option, being weakened by the wound on my flank.
Use the spell, you’ll feel better!
It was right. I knew that the spell would stop the bleeding and dry the wound. But I still hesitated, unsure if it would drain too much of my power, maybe the last that was left.
I promise you, there is enough power left in you. You count yourself short, captain. Besides, I wouldn’t lie to see you drained in cause I needed your power.
Oh yes, that calms me down really well.
Despite my words I concentrated on the wound, trying to remember every part of the spell. First, I stopped the bleeding and cleaned the wound. After that, I dried and sealed it. My breathing went a bit heavier, but I felt much better.
As I said…
You’re not always telling the truth. Most of the time you’re lying!
I spared your mother and taught you nearly everything I could to make sure you would survive.
You did it only for your own goals! You lied to me and manipulated me more than just once.
Enough! You won’t disagree anymore or I’ll visit your little mare! See that little bushel to your right? Follow it’s shadow and you’re heading north.
I was about to reply, but decided against it. Berry didn’t need any more trouble. Reaching the town as fast as possible seemed like a good idea considering my state. And Berry would be safe. As I moved, my mind wandered again.
I wonder what Berry is doing now. Would she be out searching for me, did she even miss me?
Stop worrying like a filly. Keep walking until you see train tracks. There should be a freight train coming along every few hours. It will be headed to Manehattan if I remember right.
“This is ridiculous!” I muttered to nopony particular, but kept up my walk.
I walked for quite some time, there was nothing around me besides desert and some dry bushes from time to time. Then, a different colour found it’s way onto the ground: tracks.
Now you wait here. The train shouldn’t take long to arrive. I’ve already spent too much power dealing with you. Once you are at the Manehatten station, one of the hive will be waiting for you.
If it was up to me, you could use your last bit of power on me and die right away!
I can’t die!
“We’ll see about that, someday.” was all I replied with, but I only whispered it and then blocked it out of my mind.
It felt like countless hours before I heard the whistling sound of a train, then a blurry shape in the distance. I rose to my hooves, not that easily since I started to feel tired and weak.
One last thing. Disguise yourself. They will be looking for your natural form after everything that has happened.
I scowled, I disliking disguising to a near point of pure hate. Besides, I liked my normal form. On the other hoof, I knew it was right, and that it would put Berry in danger to stay as I was.
Berry…
With a smile I concentrated, my coat turned plum, and my mane raspberry with a quick, green flash. I looked pretty much like Berryshine now, just with wings. Sadly, I never really looked at her cutie mark so I had to improvise on that, three clouds appeared on my flank.
Nothing genius, but I guess it’ll do.
I greatly underestimated your feelings.
What?
There was no answer as the train came closer. I had doubt that the train would stop and just let me get on it, so I laid down right next to the track and hoped that the driver would see me and stop to see if everything was alright.
Where’s the merciless fighter from my hive? You’re worrying too much about ponies and other stuff. If I had to suggest, I would say you’ve grown extremely weak.
Oh just bucking shut up, I’m doing what you say, now please let me have my peace for a few minutes.
The train came closer and as I thought it would just pass by me, the sudden shrieking of brakes gave lie to that thought.
As the train came to a stop, for mere seconds nothing happened, then I heard hoofsteps, accompanied by the hard sound of shifting metal.
Guards… how great…
“Are you alright? Can you hear me?” A voice asked, but it wasn’t the typical guard voice.
I looked up and saw a purple pegasus mare in matching shiny, purple armor. She inspected me with concern and interest, but also caution.
What sort of guard is this?
“My name is Purple Star. Is everything alright with you? What’s your name?” the guard asked, my mind rumbled.
My name? Oh buck… name… name… oh, I got it…
“I don’t know… I think I just passed out. I’m… I’m Morning Dew.
I gave her the name of my grandmother, hoping it would be enough. The kind smile I received made me relax a bit. Maybe it wasn’t that bad. The guard shuffled her wings and nodded to the train.
“Come with me. You can explain everything inside, but we have to keep our schedule. This train is going to Manehattan.”
I smiled and rose. “Oh this is great. My cousin lives there!”
You’re not the best liar, you know that?
My smile cracked a bit but the guard had already turned and walked back to the one door that stood open. I followed her and went in, the purple mare closed the door behind me after blowing a small whistle. Slowly, the train moved again and picked up some speed.
“So tell me, Morning Dew… what were you doing in the middle of the desert without baggage, food, or even water?” Purple Star asked me as she sat down, inviting me with a motion to take the place across from her.
Sitting down, I sighed before answering. “I don’t really know. A moment ago I was at Dodge City, then you were there… I think I was at the train station… ugh my head hurts…” I rubbed my head and shook it, trying to set up a face of pain.
“Did you get robbed? Or maybe worse?” her voice was really concerned now.
“I… I don’t think so.” my voice cracked, nearly inaudible.
Purple Star nodded before leaning back and closing her eyes. “You should rest a bit, it’s quite a long ride to Manehattan,” she cracked an eye open, “But if you want we can talk a bit later.”
“You’re pretty… different and interesting for an guard.” the words blurred out of my muzzle before I could shut it.
She laughed, a soft laugh that seemed so unfitting to her armor. “I’m not just any ordinary guard. I’m one of the lunar guard, more than a mere protector. Maybe i’ll tell you that story later,” after a smirk her eyes closed again.
Lunar guard. That sounds familiar.
They’re the personal guard of Princess Luna. Rarely seen anywhere else other than Canterlot.
Why is a personal guard of the princess of the night traveling in a freight train?
I don’t know. These guard’s just reappeared after Princess Luna came back from her banishment.
She is… interesting.
You try to befriend everypony on your way now?
Oh shut up… I thought you spent too much energy?
I closed my eyes, trying to relax. Everything was happening too fast and I had no clue what to do in Manehattan. I didn’t even knew where that changeling would live.
I will guide you then.
How nice of you…
The scenery passed by the window with speed as time went by. I had no way of knowing how long the trip would take, so I tried to get somewhat comfortable. Purple Star cracked an eye open from time to time to watch me, I could feel her gaze over me, but everytime I looked back she seemed asleep.
“May I ask you why a Lunar Guard is going to Manehattan?” I asked, as my curiosity finally got the better of me.
Purple Star shifted into another position and opened her eyes, seemly smiling. “I’m taking my vacation. Finally going home after a one-year duty.”
I looked at her wings again. “Wouldn’t that be Cloudsdale? The home of the pegasus.”
She smiled. “That would be the case, if I was just a normal pegasus.”
Confused, I took a closer look, and she showed me her teeth with a smile. They were sharper than the average pony’s teeth, also I recognized her slightly larger ears now. She was all but a normal pegasus.
“What are you, exactly?” my curiosity won once again.
“I’m a mix between a pegasus and a bat-pony, a half breed if you want to call it that.” Purple Star said hesitantly, giving me a shy smile.
I gave her one smile back. “That only makes you special.”
Oh, come on! Stop this sappy stuff already…
Give me a break, damn it!
Purple Star perked her ears and smiled sheepishly, a slightly seeable blush on her cheeks as she looked out of the window. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I looked out as well, trying to gather any information that I could as the sky got darker. After a few seconds I could make out some lights far away, they were coming closer as time went by. Soon, the lights sparkled up in dozens, then hundreds, and I gasped. Manehattan sure had to be a big city.
Purple Star stretched her limbs and got up with a wink, she went about collecting her things. Her ‘collecting’ included grabbing all of her stuff and just throwing it into her saddlebags.
“I’ll accompany you to your cousin if you want. Manehattan isn’t really safe at night. Besides, then I can see where you stay and visit you later, if you want that is.” she said to me and blushed furiously.
I just smiled and nodded, preparing for everything.
I really hope you do know the way. One mistake and Purple Star might get suspicious of us.
Purple Star might get suspicious of us! Oh no!
I shook my head in annoyance and waited for the train to arrive at the station, Purple Star opening the door and jumping outside with me.
Now you better tell me the way.
Follow the main hall of the station, then head south towards the big park with the fountain, you’ll see.
I smiled at the purple mare and took the lead, trying to spot the fountain. It wasn’t hard to find since it was the largest object in the small park. Slowly I walked in that direction, listening to any other directions.
Now to the right into that alley, then the third street on the left.
Grumbling, I did as she told me, not that I had a choice in the first place. If I tried something, Berry would suffer for it and it would only make create some awkward questions from Purple Star. I counted the streets and took the third left, finding myself looking at a street with various smaller houses and apartment complexes.
Look on the right side. There should be a house with a big lemon tree in it’s front garden. That’s it.
Hesitantly, I looked for the tree and soon found it, then headed into the small alley of the house. If you could call it house after all. It was big enough to make Berry’s home look like a hut. I stopped in front of the door and turned to Purple Star.
“Thank you very much for everything. Hope to see you soon?” I slowly asked her expression brighten up.
“Sure, can’t wait for that.” Purple Star answered and wrapped me in a big, more-than-friendly hug before she turned and left, waving as long as she was in sight.
I sighed and turned towards the door, knocking slightly. The pegasus that opened, wasn’t the one I wanted to see after all. The pegasus was the only one that loved to stay disguised as pony all the time, and she was one of the rare mares of the hive.
“Oh welcome to Manehattan, Cousin.” Lavender Skies greeted me, her eyes flashing in a tint of green, her smile wicked, and I gulped.
A green aura enveloped me, pulling me inside the building and the door closed shut behind me.
Chapter seven: Alone in this world (Special, Berryshine POV)
As I slowly awake, something white laid next to me. My mind was still sleepy, but I had no time to lose. I yawned and gently nuzzled into the fur next to me, enjoying the warmth.
“Good morning, Snowy, my love,” I whispered without thinking.
The warmth was astonishing and I grabbed it with all my might, tugging closer and planted kisses on the soft fur. Nuzzling deeper, I breathed in the scent , it was an astonishing one, fresh like the air after a night rain with just a hint of lilacs.
Wait… that’s not her scent… what…?
I looked up and was met with the blushing face of Aurora. My mind slowly pulled the pieces together and I froze in shock.
I… I kissed Aurora… on the coat, but still!
With a startled ‘eep’ I jumped up and rushed to the bathroom, not paying attention to anything. I smashed the door closed behind me and paused, breathing in several deep breaths. A look into the mirror showed my face; confused, shocked, and... lonely?
Years… it has been years and I still loved and missed Snowbreeze with all my heart. I thought I would go insane with grief but then this white pegasus named Aurora came into my life. Yes, her mane was another colour but still, she gave me some strength. A tear made it’s way down my muzzle.
“I miss you so much Snowy.” I whispered into the mirror.
I just ruined the friendship with Aurora. There is no way she could forgive me for such a thing. I like her so much, I don’t think I could stand her leaving. How funny, we met just days ago and yet she already feels like my oldest and closest friend.
Shaking my head clear, I headed to the shower and turned it on. I waited a while until it was hot, then jumped under the water. It felt like bliss, the water tickling my coat, washing everything away. Yes, a shower always helps clear my mind.
I enjoyed the shower for as long as I could, I could’ve stayed in their for hours, days even, but that would be hiding. I knew I had to face Aurora.. With a sigh I turned the shower off and stepped out, grabbing a towel and started drying my fur.
Right now her wings would really come in handy.
I blushed furiously. It was a bad thought, nothing like that would ever happen! Not like I ever wanted such thing… Shaking my head again, I dropped the towel and left the bathroom. Aurora wasn’t in the living room so I moved to the kitchen upon hearing noises coming from there.
Aurora was sitting at the table, in front of her were two trays with some buns and marmalade. I tried to smile while apologizing, my muzzle was trying to come up with whatever excuse it could.
“I’m sorry, Aurora. I dreamt about Snowbreeze last night, and when I woke up cuddled next to you, and all I could see was your white fur. My mind just… I’m sorry,” I hesitated, looking down at the floor.
Before I could say anything else, Aurora rose from the chair and after some small steps she was at my side. The mare unfolded her wings and took me into her soft embrace. I blushed furiously, knowing what a wing-hug meant.
“Don’t be.” she whispered softly, but backed away when she saw me blushing. “What?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I gulped. “Aurora... last time. You hugged me with your wings. I thought it was just the moment, but now you’re doing it again. You know what it means if a pegasus hugs with their wings?” I paused and tried to met her gaze while she simply nodded. “It means that the pegasus really likes the pony they’re hugging, you know?” I continued.
Aurora’s expression never changed, “So what?”
Wait, did she just…? No way… I’m just imagining things. No… she really said it!
I looked surprised at her, but that shock soon changed into a smile. “I like you too, Aurora. How about I show you the room behind the café today? Where I do the cakes and so on? Maybe you're going to be the next pastry chef, Aurora!” I laughed out and squeezed her tightly.
Aurora soon joined my laugh and we broke the embrace to sit down on the table and enjoy breakfast. The buns were the first things gone and soon I caught Aurora looking up at something. Following her gaze, I saw what time it was on the clock, it was almost time to open the café.
As we finished, I smirked at her and grabbed my bags while pointing at some more next to the fridge. “Would you be so kind and carry them? The ingredients for some cakes are in there, fresh out of Ponyville.”
Aurora nodded and put them on. I rewarded her kind deed with a smile. Walking out of the kitchen and the house, Aurora was hot on my tail. The sun shone brightly, a warm breeze flowed around our coats. The walk to the café was quite enjoyable with her company. I guess it’s true what they say, with the right company anything can be memorable.
At the café I tried to reach into my bags for the key, but Aurora was way too quick for me. She pulled them out with her wing and quickly opened the door. Somehow the little minks managed to steal a smile from me with the most basic actions.
“Like I said… they come in handy,” I chimed happily as she gestured a wing for me to go in first.
Aurora laughed as I reached the counter and went behind it, walking through the door into my creativity room. It was just a small kitchen with an oven, counters, and a few fridges. I caught the surprised expression of the pegasus as she looked at me.
“Sorry, Berry, but if I may ask… You’re no unicorn. How can you keep all the fridges running? It sure must cost a lot of magic,” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I walked to the corner of the room and opened one of the storage cabinets, revealing a big machine. “A good friend of my cousin visits every month to load some magic storage. They keep the fridges running.”
Aurora leaned in and inspected the machine. “Ahh, I see,” she said and nodded. When she leaned in I caught another smell of the mare…
Where have you been all my life.
She stared at the machine for quite some time, an unreadable expression on her face, and I left her be to get started on my day. “Well, let’s see if you can make a simple vanilla cake. I got a list of ingredients here, and some instructions on what you have to do. I want you to just try it while I prepare everything else for the customers. You think you can do it?” I said and beamed her a smile, grabbing my baking book and opening the page for the simple cake.
Aurora gave me an eager nod and turned to the book, going through it. I smiled at her serious expression and went through the door to back behind the counter, to get everything else prepared. While boiling the water for the coffee, my mind found itself lost thinking about Aurora again.
Can I feel this way about somepony else? Am I just using her? I know I still love Snowbreeze. Why is this so difficult?
I thought about all the moments I spent with her. From finding her in the desert to the laughing small amount of conversations we’ve actually had. And then about this morning. Even after realizing that she wasn’t Snowbreeze, it felt right, at least that’s what I thought.
Pondering a bit I found myself re-imagining that hug we shared. Looking back at it, it just felt right in so many ways. Her feathery embrace had tickled, but it had also felt warm and good. Shivering, I continued my work before glancing towards the clock.
Oh my, I just spent minutes doing nothing but daydreaming.
Just as I finished preparing the tea, Aurora came in and I gave her a quick, warm smile before continuing to make the coffee. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her returning it softly.
She’s so sweet… Wait, where did that come from?
I found myself lost in my mind again before the sound of the boiler snapped me out of it. I poured a full cup of coffee before looking up. The café was empty except for an earth pony with a green mane and me.
Where did she go?
A bit worried, I opened the door behind the counter and stuck my head in. The room was empty and a quick glance at the stove showed me that Aurora had finished her task exceptionally well. There was a small, nice looking cake baking in it.
She’s really got a hoof for that… well, a wing in her case.
Sighing, I returned to the counter and looked around. Still no Aurora. My gaze turned to the mare still sitting and sipping at her coffee while reading the newspapers.
“Hey, do you know where the white pegasus went?” I asked her.
She looked up and around, confusion on her face. “Nope, but my company is also gone. Maybe they went out for some fresh air?”
Without another thought I went to the exit, leaving my café behind me. I had no idea that I missed the sound of a magic blast just seconds before I opened the door and stepped outside. Looking around, Aurora was nowhere to be seen.
I decided to walk around for a bit and reached the town limits after a short time. In the far distance, I thought I saw a white blur that quickly faded away in the far distance. I had no idea if it was Aurora, but my heart as well as my mind snapped.
“Aurora!” I screamed. “Aurora, please come back!”
No matter how loud I shouted, the white spot was gone. My legs suddenly hurt and were unable to carry my weight anymore, causing me to collapse on the ground.
“Aurora…” I whispered, tears were starting to form in my eyes.
Why did she run away? Did I do something wrong? Did she even like me?
My mind went in panic-mode and all that pain of the past returned. I was alone again. Aurora left me just like Snowbreeze did all those years ago. I had no clue why my mind thought of it like that, but I wasn’t able to figure it out at the moment. Making myself as small as possible, The pain of her loss made itself known, it became all consuming in my mind. Over and over again I replayed her face, the way she smiled at me, the way her hair felt when I woke up. To make matters worse my mind started to combine those memories with Snowbreeze. They played through my head like a sick joke against me.
I lost track of time and everything else at that moment. My memories became all consuming. Memories of a white pegasus with a blue mane.
Aurora…
***
“Berryshine!” a hard voice made me jump out of my memories.
I blinked strained tears away, looking directly into the Sheriff's worried expression.
“Miss Berryshine, are you alright?” he asked.
I blinked again. “I… Aurora ran away…” I already felt new tears running down my muzzle.
“Then it isn’t her…” the Sheriff mumbled before focusing on me again. “A unicorn felt a wave of energy behind your café some time ago and alerted the guards.”
“What happened?” my voice quivered.
Maybe she is hurt and didn’t run away?
The thought wasn’t any better.
“One of the unicorn guards found the remains of a pony buried into the ground, magically destroyed. We don’t know what happened, but I think that your new friend might have something to do with it.”
No! Not Aurora! Why should she harm anypony?
“Sheriff, I don’t think it was Aurora. She helped me so much the last few days and she’s so y caring. Maybe she was attacked? She is no unicorn, there’s no way she could use magic! We have to find her, Sheriff!” I shouted as he seemed to smile about something I said.
“Just a friend?” he smirked. “Alright Miss Berryshine, but for now we should take you home so you can get some rest. I will talk with the captain of the guard and we’ll see where we head from there.”
“Thank you.” I mumbled as he helped me to my hooves, supporting my walk towards my home.
Lavender Skies forced me in, tightly held in her aura. On my full power, I could easily break the spell and kill her, but that wasn’t an option in my weakened state. Besides that, I had to think about Berryshine.
My thoughts were interrupted as when she ended her magic. The aura around me faded and allowed gravity to take over which did like it always does. My flank fell upon the couch with a soft plop. She sat down right next to me with a smile that sent shivers through my body.
I go to say something, only for her to cut me off.
“Uh no, you will listen to me now. If you escape or do anything I don’t agree with, I will make sure you’re forced to watch your friend die in front of you and only when you beg me for death will you be allowed to join her. I expect you to follow all of my order, sense my orders come directly from the hive.” The smile on her lips seemed to grow at that. “We will find you a job, a new identity, and you will live here until I say otherwise. If I say so, you will be expected to do small jobs for me besides your normal work. Got that so far?” she ended with another smile.
I just nod and look away. At this moment, I can’t stand her face. Even less that past.
“Look at me!” Lavender Skies shouts suddenly and I turn.
She stares at me, and besides hate I can see a plethora of other emotions: Pain, distrust, and… and a hint of love? I don’t know anymore what she’s feeling, not until she speaks.
“You broke my heart you damn half-breed! I will break you for this, so don’t even think expect some nice easy time here! You could’ve just denied my advances politely, but no! You had to crush me, punish me, insult me for being a changeling! Do you think you’re better than me? NO, YOU’RE NOT, YOU'RE WORSE! You are nothing more than a half-pony you disgusting piece of flesh and fur!” she stood again, her eyes now flashing in pure hate and anger. Whatever what was in there a second ago, it was long gone.
“What did you expect?” I asked, enraged. “I was barely two weeks at the hive, and you, a pure changeling steps up to me and said that you have a crush on me?! At that moment I just hated changelings, even me! What did you expect my answer to be? At that moment love was the last thing I wanted.” with a quick green flash of magic I dropped the disguise, revealing my white coat and the blue mane again.
She winced and backed away. “You could’ve stopped with your insults when you saw me crying. But you continued. Was it so hard to stop and listen to me, to give me a chance?”
Why didn’t I?
ENOUGH!
I winced as a huge amount of pain shot through my head, numbing my thoughts and feelings. Looking to my side I saw Lavender in the same state, clutching her head tightly and screaming.
Lavender Skies, if you aren’t up for this task I’ll find another one. I’m done listening to your weakness against this one. And you Aurora, you need to stop this acting. I won’t continue to watch you two digging through memories of the past. You’ve both got a task to do and you better fulfill it!
We looked at each other and I saw Lavender Skies wince again, closing her eyes. I knew that the hive spoke only to her now, and the result wasn’t to my pleasure. Lavender’s lips formed a silent sorry before I felt pain again, then everything turned black.
***
Six years earlier
“I’m pleased with your progress Aurora. After only two weeks you’ve managed to complete half of the tests. Continue like that and soon you can live with your mother again, protected by the hive this time.” the changeling queen spoke, her voice sent shivers through my body every time I heard it.
I bowed willingly in front of her, but inside, there was only pain, anger, and the need to hurt and kill her. I had to gulp down all of that or they would kill my mother. She was hidden somewhere in the hive, kept away from me as form of leverage against me. It was all my soul and mind could connect to since I lost every other sense and feeling in here.
“You can go now and rest. I’ll have a new task for you tomorrow.” the queen spoke again and waved her hoof, a clear sign that I should leave.
With another bow I quickly rose and left the chamber, eager to get back to my quarters. Thank Celestia, they gave me my own room where I could be alone, unharmed and undisturbed. The changelings usually tried to avoid me at any chance, but a few I knew were curious. Sometimes I even wanted to talk to them, but once I got their attention, I had no clue what to talk about.
Today was such a mixed day. I saw some that were ignoring me, interested, a few that were curious, and even some disgusted glares my way while I made my way to my chamber. I was already used to those, but still, they were annoying. I hated them, all of them for what they had done to me and my mother, but I also knew that here, and in their eyes, I was the pony to be hated, I was the foreign pony in their mists.
The surprise on my muzzle was obvious as one of them stood in my way. But that wasn’t what surprised me the most. The changeling was disguised as a yellow pegasus mare and purple hair.
“Hi.” she said before blushing and looking at the ground.
“Uhm, hi?”
This changeling is strange.
“I’m Lavender Skies.” she said and gave me a smile, I just stared at her, dumbfounded.
She’s one of the mares. Never thought they would walk around like that after what the Queen explained.
“Would it be okay if we could just talk for a little while?” her voice was nearly a whisper.
“Yeah, okay.” I nodded.
We walked into a little side corridor where she faced me and took a deep breath. I had no clue what was going on, but it was obvious that she was nervous.
“I… I’ve watched you now for a few days and I have to say… that you’re interesting. I know that you’re a half-breed and all but I think that you are nonetheless kinda cute and nice and… “ she squeaked as I snorted.
“Are you serious?” my voice raised.
They are insulting and torturing me all the time, and now this? She’s playing me for a fool
She nodded before looking down at the floor.
“Okay I don’t know what kind of joke this is or if the queen ordered you to do this, but you better just forget it right now. Just look at you! You’re a damn changeling, you’re the last thing I want to see or be with at this moment. You freaks captured my mother, you’ve been keeping her away from me and torturing me for two weeks!” I stomped at the ground.
Lavender Skies looked up and her muzzle twitched, tears starting to dwell up in her eyes. She was about to cry, but right this second I couldn't care less.
“I hate you, all of you! You disgust me! You’re nothing more than parasites that suck the love out of ponies, but you know what? I hope you keep sucking until you choke on it, you little insects! I may have to do what you say, but I could NEVER bring myself to fall for one of you!”
Lavender Skies started to cry for real now. Her tears fell down on the ground and she looked at me with pain and hurt in her eyes. “And I thought that I finally found someone worth loving.” she sobbed before running away.
Did she just say...
I simply stood there, shocked. I never heard that a changeling could love or feel any other such feelings. For that moment, I felt bad for the mare, I really did. Slowly, I made my way to my chamber, trying to sort my mind.
How is that possible? How can something feed of love but also feel it?
Reaching my chamber I slumped down on my bed, it was barely more than a wooden frame and a mattress. I realized what I had done at that moment, that realization caused me to roll into a ball on the bed.
I might have pushed away the only real friend I could’ve in here… Or could she have been something more??
As I fell into slumber, I couldn’t do anything but feel sorry for Lavender Skies. I felt like I should apologize, but somehow, after the look she gave me I knew that she wouldn’t forgive me.
She looked like she actually liked me… that she might have trusted me, and… and I ruined it.
Great Job.
***
Present
I awoke greeted by small rays of moonlight through a window. Looking around, I found myself in a strange room filled with posters of the weather factory and the wonderbolts. The door stood only slightly ajar, so I rose and slowly made my way out of the room, following the light through the corridor.
Hearing sobbing through one door at the end of the corridor, I slowed my breathing and softly approached. The door opened quietly to my touch. Lavender Skies laid on her couch, wrapped in a blanket and crying into her wings. I had no idea why, until I heard her sobbing whisper.
“I’m so sorry, Aurora. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
What I did next was stupid, but It was like I just acted on autopilot. Opening the door completely, I entered the room and approached her; I sat down on the couch at the other end, looking at her. She looked up and I saw a reflection of fear filling her eyes.
“What do you want? You should be asleep until morning!” Lavender weakly spoke, turning away from me.
“Did you really love me?” Just like that, my muzzle formed the words and the sound came out, I just asked.
“What?” she looked like she almost jumped out of her fur at such a brash question. Her eyes were completely focused on me now. “Why would you even ask me that?”
“I just dreamed about the past. What I did to you and what you said to me. Did you really meant it?”
“I did and I still do, but I also hate you!” her expression hardened. “You were the first one I opened myself up to, and you ripped that door to splinters. What you said hurt me, it destroyed me in a way that I thought was impossible. I know that you were upset about your mother, but that was just hard…” she started sobbing again, but this time she leaned into my side. “I still love you. We may be different, but I still love you.”
“You… you do?” I asked with a blushed.
“Yes, but that’s not important anymore. I can’t do anything. I have my orders same as you, when she says to punish you I have to obey. I’m sorry Aurora, but she’s stronger than both of us. I hope you can believe me when I say that I’m sorry about everything that may happen in future.”
“Can you hear her now?” I ask.
She shakes her head, “No, she’s normally asleep at this time of night.”
I wrap a hoof around her shoulders and push her a little closer to me. I believe her at this moment, I believe everything she said about how she felt. The words add up, the memories add up, and far more importantly, her actions add up. My mother always said that you can truly know somepony by what they do, not what they say. I guess that goes for changelings too.
She melts into my grip, her head is pressed against my chest. I can’t help but sniff it, it smells sweet, almost like strawberries. For a second, Berryshine comes into my mind, but the protective side of me quickly pushes it away to try to protect her.
I start kicking myself. To think that all this time, for all these months I could’a had this, I could’a had someone just to be close to, someone just to be with. Even if… even if it wasn’t Berry. A part of me told me that I would lie to myself, but that part was quickly destroyed.
I hold her for a while. my hoof can feel her heart beat, I can feel her breathing in and out in a slow rhythm. “We… we’re alone then?” I asked as a thought comes to mind.
“I’m not that easy,” she laughs in my chest.
I blushed furiously. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
She doesn't remove her head from my chest, “What did you mean?” she asks, I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but when I said those words she seemed almost… disappointed.
“I mean her… If she sleeps, we’re alone, right?” I said and tugged her a bit closer to me.
She cooes softly from the extra warmth. “Yeah, if she’s asleep she can’t spy on us. How do you think we’re getting away with all of this?”
“What if we… no, nevermind.” I say coyly. Baiting the hook always worked on ponies, I didn’t see why changelings would be any different.
“What if we what?” she asked, never once removing her head from my chest.
“Nevermind, you’ll think it’s just stupid.” I sweetened the bait.
“What?” she starts poking me in the chest, I giggle a little bit for show.
“I don’t want to get you in any trouble…” I said. It’s not a lie, if she agrees she really could get in trouble, we both could.
“Let me worry about me.” she says as she finally raises my head to look me in the eyes. “Or are you saying you don’t trust me?” she has the most adorable pouty expression on her face.
What the hell was I thinking all those months ago?
“Are you sure, I don’t want you to feel pressured into something, and I don’t want to get you in any trouble.”
What was that old saying? The greatest lie ever told is the truth.
“I want you to tell me,” she said.
Yep, works like a champ on ponies and changelings.
Part of me feels guilty about this, yet not fully. I do feel… something for her. I just don’t know what. I know she loves me, given a chance, maybe, possibly I could… “I know we have to keep up appearances for the Hive, when she says jump we best jump. But… there’s no reason why we can’t still have this.”
“This?” she looks at me, confused.
I grab her and press her head back to my chest. She resisted, but only for a moment. Soon she’s once more listening to my heartbeat. “What I’m proposing is, do you want this with me? We have to do what she says during the day, while the queen bitch herself is listening, but at night, when she’s asleep and we’re alone, we can have this time to ourselves.”
To my surprise I feel something wet land on my chest. It doesn’t occur to me until after the fact what it is, she’s crying. I hold her even tighter in a futile effort to make our two bodies one.
“Yes,” she sobs the word like it was the last one she’d ever say.
Fuck you queen, not even you can kill hope.
Suddenly, Lavender perks up and chuckles. “What will you tell to that Guard if she visits us? You told her I’m your cousin.”
I look dumbfounded. “What?”
“Uhm, before you arrived, she explained everything. As far I know you told the Guard that I’m your cousin. It could be a bit awkward if she gets something.” she still giggles and I facehoof.
“I’ll just clarify that you’re my second cousin,” I laugh.
She lightly hits me in the gut, “You know that’s not going to work.”
“Lavender,” I sigh, “You know we can only have this time. We have to keep up appearances otherwise; that means you have to punish me, you have to work me to death like you said you would. And if she comes back… I’ll have to keep up my appearance too.”
“So you’re already planning on cheating on me?” Lavender says with scorn in her voice.
“It’s not like that!” I try to defend myself, “It’s so we ca-”
She cuts off my words with a kiss. It’s so unexpected it causes me to forget what I was just saying. “Relax,” she says with a playful smile. Relax… yeah right, “I’m just bucking with you after making me jump through that hoop earlier.”
She knew… so much for baiting the hook with changelings.
“Promise me that whatever happens, it won’t get in the way of this.”
Despite myself, I find a smile creeping up my muzzle. Placing my hoof back around her neck i start softly stroking her mane. All the while my nostrils are filling up with the scent of strawberries. “I promise,” I say the words as she cooes in agreement. I can already feel her starting to fall asleep on my chest.
I rest my hoof on her flak, feeling her body softly moving up and down as sleep comes to claim the mare. I have no idea what I just got us into. During the day we will be forced to play the role of slave and mistress, at night… who knows? Maybe the same roles in an entirely different context.
Whatever happens, I know I can’t fall asleep like this. That would definitely lead to us getting caught, and that… well, somethings are not worth thinking about. So I simply sit on the couch with her head pressed to my chest. i know she’s going to fall asleep soon, if she isn’t already. I also know that I’ll either have to wake her up or carry her to bed at some point and time.
However, right now, at this second, I couldn’t care less. I’m… Celestia what’s the word, I use to know it. Oh... that’s right, I’m happy.
Hours passed by while I held Lavender in my hooves, her head tightly pressed against my chest, she was listening to my heartbeat during her sweet slumber. Looking at her, I simply had to smile. I was happy, for the first time in a while I was truly happy. Everything in my head that told me I was happy with Berryshine was just pushed away.
For your safety…
Silently sighing, I looked at the window. It was still in the middle of the night, but I knew that we had to separate soon, or she would know. I hated the thought of having to wake her, but carrying her to bed wasn’t an option if I wanted answers before it was too late.
I need to know if there is any possibility to shut the hive out of specific memories or thoughts. If not, we’re literally screwed.
“Lavender,” I spoke as quiet as I could. “Please, wake up. We have to discuss a few things before she wakes up.”
Those words only caused the mare in my grip to slightly shift, burying her muzzle deeper into my fur. I smiled softly, but as much I wanted her to stay like this, we really had to talk.
“Lavender,” this time I cooed softly into her ear while unfolding a wing and tracing it over her back.
This seemed to work. She softly sighed before raising her head and blinking at me. “Good morning, beautiful,” she whispered and I smiled.
“Not morning just yet and I’m sorry to wake you, but we have to talk about the next days,” I said softly, still caressing her back with my wing.
She looked confused for a moment, but then she nodded. “I think I get it. You want to know what we can do so she won’t know it by simply reading our mind?”
I nodded and she leaned into me again. “Well, there are a few possibilities. First one is to flood your mind with bad and sad memories. Maybe even hurtful ones. While she is in your head, she feels everything you feel and with the flood of those bad memories you can hurt her and make her leave for a while or at least cause her to not listen. Second thing is a mental blockade, but she will definitely recognize it. You concentrate a shield spell, but not on your environment, but around your mind.”
“The first one doesn’t really sound appealing either,” I tried to joke.
She raised her head again and looked at me, a lonely tear making it’s way down her muzzle. I raised my hoof and wiped it away.
“From daylight on, I’ll have to hurt you. I hope you will keep your promise that it won’t stay in our way. Think about the nights where we can love each other,” she smiled a bit at the last sentence.
“Hey I’m not that easy either,” I jokingly replied, thinking about her earlier statement.
She blushed slightly before burying her head once again into my chest. “I love listening to your heartbeat,” she softly mumbled, nuzzling deep into my fur.
I smiled and unfolded both of my wings, holding her even tighter into my grip. That smile faded once I caught a look at the clock. It was already five in the morning and I doubted that she was a long sleeper.
“I just hope my thought’s of you don’t betray me during the day. Let’s go to bed, the sun will rise soon,” I said, re-folding my wings and letting her free.
She rose with a groan before looking at me and smiling. “Carrying me to bed, honey?” she asked and winked at me, causing me to blush.
With a smile I grabbed her with my wings, lifting her onto my back. She purred slightly, giving me short directions to her bedroom. Once there, I softly laid her down on her bed, draping the sheets over her.
“Good night,” she whispered before she pulled me closer and drew me into a long, passionate kiss.
For me, it was still too short and I pouted as she broke the kiss. With a grin, she gave my muzzle a slow lick before cuddling into her pillow. “The room on the right next to mine is yours,” she said with a yawn and I smiled as I left.
Closing the door and heading to my room, I frowned. The easy part was done, now comes the hard one. Holding up the appearance for her. Finding bad and hurtful memories shouldn’t be too hard, Celestia knows I have enough of those. But keeping them up, that would be hard. I had no clue how long I could withstand my own feelings.
This could prove even harder than I thought, but the nights will be better.
With a sigh I opened the door to my room. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just a bed, closet, drawer, and a small nightstand. Laying down onto the bed I tried to keep my thoughts away from Lavender. Dreaming about her while she awoke and started to watch me was the last we needed.
I had no Idea what she had in mind for Lavender and me.
***
My dreams were unsteady. Sometimes blurring around Berryshine, sometimes about my time at the hive. Thankfully, none of them were about Lavender. As soon as the sun tickled my coat, I knew that she was awake.
Wakey, wakey…
I grumbled and turned in my bed, holding tighter onto she sheets.
Oh for the love of… get up!
I jumped up at that and slammed muzzle first onto the floor.
There was no need for that…
I can’t let you oversleep. Besides, we have plans for today. Get up and to the kitchen. Lavender Skies waits.
I rose and went to the mirror first, checking if my mane was okay and that I wasn’t bleeding. Blinking, I frowned before remembering that I had dropped my disguise yesterday. After a short amount of focus and some green flames, I was the plum pegasus with the raspberry mane again.
As I made my way down to the kitchen, I remembered what I had to do. Shutting it out of my mind, I tried to focus on my most tragic or hurtful memory, letting it wander through my mind.
What are you doing?
Ignoring her, I digged out the memories of my first day at the hive. It hurt, but I managed to withstand it, letting it just wander through my mind, hoping it would be enough. As I walked into the kitchen, I gulped as I saw Lavender’s expression.
This will be a hard day.
“Sit down and eat something,” she said, her voice was deadpan; I won’t lie, it hurt me more than I cared to say.
Well, that was to be expected.
I simply sat down and grabbed one of the pancakes, noticing the single strawberry on it. Just before the memory of Lavender’s smell could invade my mind, I managed to snap it like a piece of paper. It wasn’t easy, but I simply had to concentrate on the bad memories.
You two are trying to shut me out!
The voice hissed in my head and a quick glance to Lavender told me that she heard the same. Her emotionless expression cracked a bit, but it held. What neither of us expected was that she would recognize our reasons that fast.
Oh you two are so sweet. What are you trying to hide?
Lavender looked up, staring right into my eyes and I could see tears forming. I had no idea what the hive told her, but I knew that she was talking only to her right now.
How long before you two break? This will be fun.
Before I could reply, a green aura took hold of me. Lavender formed a silent sorry with her lips before I felt pain, a huge amount of it. It was like electricity running through my body, numbing every muscle, tearing down my nerves. The pain took hold for several minutes before numbing down.
Whatever you have planned, forget it! You will do what I say. If I say jump, you just jump without asking how high or from where; is that clear?
I never gave an answer, but she seemed satisfied. Glaring at Lavender I took a bite from my pancake before frowning. It wasn’t her fault. Looking up again I gave her a soft smile.
“It’s okay,” I mouthed before focusing on my pancakes again.
Her expression brightened a bit before she got serious. “Today we get you a job at the weather team. We will also set up a small schedule for the coming weeks with some rules.”
I nodded, still eating and trying to block out the pain that I could still feel in my nerves. Then, a thought occured me.
Weather team? Sure, my natural form is a pegasus, but I’m not sure if I’m made for this.
You will do good.
Wow, was that a compliment? From you? Getting weak?
Shut up or maybe you are up for another round of pain from Lavender?
I felt anger rising in me, but kept silent. There was no need to provoke her, especially if she used Lavender to hurt me. Even if she could do it by herself. I didn’t cared if the bitch hurted me, but now she had another weapon. I knew it’s gotta hurt Lavender to cause me such pain.
I don’t have to use my power on you if I have ants to do the same.
“She’s not an ant you bucking insect,” I muttered, shutting it out of my mind and Lavender snickered in response.
“Eat up. It’s time to go if we want to see the captain before they start their work.” Lavender said and gave me a small smile.
Maybe the day won’t be that bad.
Quickly, I got rid of every positive thought about Lavender and forced myself to focus only on the bad ones again. This time I didn’t overdo it, I simply let them come up naturally, trying to leave her unsuspicious. This time it seemed to work, since she stayed silent. Sighing, I shoved the last bit of food into my muzzle before I rose.
“Well, let’s go then.”
Lavender nodded and we put the dishes into the sink before heading out. I almost gasped when we opened the front door, it was a beautiful sunny day, the street was already crowded with ponies heading to and from their business.
How many of these days have I missed? How many have passed without me noticing?
Taking the lead, Lavender managed to led the way through all these ponies and towards a high, white building. Entering it, she headed straight to the desk.
“How can I help you?” the mare behind the desk asked.
“We have a meeting with Captain Lightning Bolt,” Lavender replied, nodding to me.
“Names?”
“Lavender Skies and Morning Dew,” Lavender winked playfully at me.
“Ah yes. Second floor, please. She’s waiting for you,” the mare said and focused back on her paperwork.
Lavender motioned for me to follow her and we went to the stairs, going up to the second floor. The office of the captain was hard to miss; a double door with a big sign next to it made it almost impossible. Gulping, I stood next to Lavender as she knocked.
“Come in,” a muffled, deep voice replied.
Opening the door, we stepped in, just to be greeted by a black mare with a yellow mane sitting behind a huge desk. “Sit down,” she said, putting the papers aside she was reading just a moment ago.
“So, you would like to start at the weather team?” she asked, focusing on me after we took a seat.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, knowing how to respond.
She smiled slightly. “Good, you seem to have the right attitude,” one of her hooves crawled in a drawer, coming up with a small piece of paper. “You never cloudbusted before, besides doing it for fun in your youth?”
“That’s correct, ma’am, but I really loved it and after my old jobs just weren’t the right fit for me, I would like to give it a try,” I stopped and pointed at my flank and the three clouds on it. “After all, it’s what my cutie mark tells me,” I ended.
Lightning Bolt seemed happy with the answer and nodded. “Well, I would say we test you for around a week, but beyond any unknown issues, let me be the first to say welcome to the Manehattan weather team, Morning Dew.” she rose and reached a wing out.
I unfolded my right wing and gave her the typical pegasi greeting, glad that I still remembered it. Sitting down again, she went through some more papers before passing me a stack of them.
“You can start tomorrow, right in the morning. Please be here at around six a.m.. Today you should read through those papers and sign the marked ones. After you went through the week and I’m sufficiently impressed, you’ll get your mark and the title. Until then, I hope you work and train hard.” Lightning Bolt gave me a last smile before putting her papers up again, not giving us another gaze.
Knowing that we were dismissed, we rose and left the office. Lavender suddenly wrapped me in a short hug. “I knew that it would work,” she said, before we both broke the embrace and blushed heavily. “Block it out,” was all she added before heading down the stairs and out of the building.
Lavender took the lead back to her home, personally I had no idea where we were. I knew I should be paying attention, but I was simply trying to focus on keeping her out with bad memories while trying not to catch the scent of the mare next to me.
While we walked, Lavender’s expression turned from happy and smiling to hurt and pained. I knew what would come soon; somehow.
It was when we reached her house and entered, I felt a strong pain in my back and fell forwards, muzzle first onto the floor. As I looked back, Lavender looked at me, anger and pain mixing up on her muzzle.
“Now for the rules. You will obey everything the hive or I tell you. Besides your work you will do small errands for us. If you try to contact Berryshine or tell that lunar guard anything, you will be punished. Same goes breaking any of the other rules. Got that?” she asked.
Unable to do anything else, I nodded. Maybe the day wasn’t as good as I thought.
“I asked you if you understood!” Lavender screamed and I felt pain in my body once again.
“YES!” I screamed back, my attempt to try and withstand the pain failed spectacularly.
Every inch of my insides felt like it was on fire, like somepony injected fluid metal into my veins, burning their way through my body. The pain kept on until I passed out; however, even that wasn’t the end of it. The pain followed me into my unsteady dreams.
***
The sun tickled my muzzle and I opened my eyes to be greeted with Lavender’s smile. I smiled back and she leaned in, giving me a short kiss before her expression turned evil.
“You really think I could ever love you? Hah, after everything you did to me, I should simply burn you,” Lavender said; however, it was wrong, it wasn’t really Lavender’s voice. It was hers. “I hope you’re not going to cry now. After all, It was just some pathetic last-ditch effort to grab onto a plank to save yourself from the sinking ship called Berryshine; ADMIT IT!”
Every word hurt, even if the voice wasn’t the real one. Suddenly, the pony in front of me blurred, changed, and in front of me stood Berryshine.
“I thought you love me?! You left me without anything, maybe I’m better off dead than with you!” she screamed with tears in her eyes, the sight of it broke me.
Suddenly, both stood in front of me, Lavender and Berry. “We don’t love you!” both screamed.
My reply was a scream without words, a scream that shook everything, including my heart, and my soul. I couldn’t believe it, but still, something broke and the world turned black once again.
***
“NOOO” I screamed and jumped up from my bed, just to be greeted with Lavender.
“Shh, it’s okay, I’m here,” she softly whispered into my ear, unfolded her wings, and wrapping them around me.
I let myself go, burried my muzzle deep into her fur, held steady by her wings while I cried into her chest, letting everything go. My crying went on for some time before the tears were gone and I looked up.
“Is she gone?” I asked and Lavender nodded.
“She has been asleep for some time, it’s about midnight,” she replied.
“I thought I would lose you,” I sobbed, snuggling into her coat.
“You won’t. I’m sorry for today, but she forced me or she would kill you and your family,” Lavender’s voice broke as a tear slowly made it’s way down her muzzle.
“It’s not your fault,” I softly replied and she pulled me closer.
We both slumped down onto the bed, muzzles next to each other. Looking into her eyes, I suddenly felt protected, loved, and much more. I felt a burning desire for her, that I couldn’t put into words. Unfolding my own wings I drew her in closer until our lips met.
The kiss seemed to go on forever, something neither of us complained about as her tongue slowly asked for entrance, which I granted. Her tongue slowly slid into my muzzle, exploring everything before wrapping around my own tongue. It lasted until we had to break for air.
“Wow.” we both breathed, looking lovingly at each other.
Before I could react, she stood up and with a quick flip of her wings, positioned me onto my back. As she laid down on me, the burning desire in me just grew, making me nibble greedily on her muzzle.
To the day I die I would never forget her answer, and I would definitely never forget the night that followed.
Something tickled my side and disturbed my dreams. I tried to push it away and continue to sleep, but to no avail. Drowsily, I opened my eyes and blinked, trying to discern the source of the tickling. I found it immediately. Lavender was curled up against my back, her wings wrapped tight around me. My mind went into panic mode before I could stop it.
Calm down.
W-what?
I said calm down. I have a deal for you that is mutually advantageous.
So, you know?
Yes, now calm down. You don't want her to wake, do you? Now, to my deal. I have a few things that need to be taken care of, and I want you to do it. If you do what I say, I will 'ignore' your little relationship, and even allow you to create a family. And yes, I can see it clearly in both your minds. I won't even tell Lavender Skies that I know it, I’ll leave her in peace. Is that a deal?
I quickly thought it over. If I rejected the deal, it would be the end of everything Lavender and I had planned. Of course, it seemed rushed, but my heart told me that it was fine. I had no choice but to obey, but somehow I was okay with it.
I accept. For Lavender, I'll do anything.
Great. Now, you should try to get ready. Your first shift starts in around one hour, and you still have to sign all the papers.
Why are you so friendly now? It surprises me.
You two are some of the last of my hive. While you all think I'm cruel, I also care deeply for every member. Seeing a new family form inside the hive is something to my liking.
I never thought that you would be able to feel that way.
I'm full of surprises, just like you.
Shifting slowly, I got a good look at Lavender, curled up against me with a deep smile on her muzzle. Last night was a bit crazy, but I really loved it. Slowly, so as not to wake her, I shuffled out of her wings and stood. Lavender stirred a bit before folding her wings around my pillow and hugging it to her chest.
She's so sweet.
I giggled silently and made my way down to the kitchen. There was a stack of papers waiting for me on the table, which I quickly sat next to and began reading through, signing the important points. Some parts were marked for my attention and I read them carefully, trying to remember the content. When that was done, I quickly made a sandwich for myself and gulped it down. It was time to go all too soon.
Can you tell her that I left for work? And please try to take it easy on her. She will be freaking out a bit this morning.
Don't worry. You’d better focus on your work for now. You have fifteen minutes to get to work.
Oh crap, I’d better hurry up! I don't even know where I’m supposed to go.
Fly south from the house, you can't miss the building.
I picked up my saddlebags from the corner and stuffed the papers into them as quietly as I could manage before heading to the front door. The door squeaked a bit as I opened it, but then I was outside in the fresh morning air. Spreading my wings, I took off and headed south, already seeing a certain white building in distance.
During the flight, a few things came into my mind. Some about last night and what I had planned with Lavender. We planned to have a family in the future. Something in my head said it was just a rush and that it wouldn't be worth anything that way, but my heart quickly destroyed that thought. What I had was worth everything, and for Lavender I would do everything.
Smiling, I landed in front of the building just to be greeted by Captain Lightning Bolt, “Good morning, Morning Dew. I hope you’re ready?”
I nodded eagerly, “Yes, ma'am. Ready for everything!”
She laughed, “Judging by that smile, I can only imagine. Do you have the papers?”
“Of course, ma'am,” I replied as I took the papers out of my saddlebags, reaching them over to her.
“Good. While the rest of the team got their schedules today, we will head to some side clouds to train. Follow me.”
I followed Lightning Bolt into the air, keeping a short distance behind her. We headed east a bit until we were out of the town, then stopped in front of some smaller clouds.
“Alright, I would like to see your skills in the air with clouds. Please try to move these clouds into the forms I tell you. Ready? Circle!”
I had no time to breathe before I could react, quickly bolting towards the clouds and pushing them around. To my surprise, it was really easy. A small push was all they needed, and I quickly got them arranged.
I told you that you’d be good at this.
Smiling, I went to the next form, and the next. It wasn't just easy, it was really fun. Lightning Bolt seemed satisfied and stopped after the eighth form, raising an eyebrow.
“Are you sure that you’ve never done this professionally, Morning Dew?” As I shook my head she giggled, “Damn, you're a natural.”
“Thank you, ma'am,” I said.
“Oh please, ma'am makes me sound so old. Call me Lightning,” she said as she reached out a hoof for me to shake, “I expect much from you during the following week. Make me proud and you will be rewarded.”
“What’s next? This barely took one hour,” I asked and Lightning chuckled.
“Well, you were pretty fast. Let’s take a look and see what the team is up to,” she replied before she took off, and I followed close behind her.
That reminds me… Where does Lavender work?
She works in a sweet shop in the inner city.
Mmm...sweets...
I’m not going to comment...
Soon after we left, we could see some pegasi working around a few clouds in midair, and we headed straight for them. Lightning shot forwards and gestured for them to stop for a moment.
“Alright. We got a new one for our team. Everypony, please welcome Morning Dew to our team,” Lightning said as they all smiled towards me. Then, Lightning pointed at each one, calling their name, “This here is April Showers, my co-worker. Then we have Blueberry Cloud, Cloud Break, Cinnamon Swirl, and Deep Blue,” She pointed from the left to the right, first to a teal mare, a light blue mare, a gray stallion, a red mare, and at last a light blue mare that was hopping on the spot.
“Yay, another one for our team! And she’s a mare! Sorry, Cloud Break, you’re still outnumbered,” Deep Blue snickered, patting the gray stallion on his back.
“Maybe she’s at least free?” Cloud Break replied, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
“Sorry, taken. And besides, I only like mares,” I said, causing all the mares to burst into laughter.
“Great. We can call this team Fillyfoolers United now,” Cloud Break muttered before hovering back to work.
You are so cruel.
Is Lavender already awake?
She’s already at work. And don’t worry, I haven’t mentioned anything. But I might add that her head is filled with your flank, no matter how hard she tries to bury it down.
Mhm, I can’t forget her flank either.
You two are like school fillies that just found their first crush.
I blushed a bit, but quickly took hold of my expression. The mares around me were still laughing, even Lightning.
“Yep, poor Cloudy!” Lightning laughed out.
“Fillyfoolers United? That stallion has no imagination,” I blurted out. They all looked at me with wide eyes for a few moments before erupting into laughter again.
“I think we will come along quite nicely with you, Morning Dew,” April Showers managed to get out between her laughter.
“Every mare on this team is a fillyfooler?” I asked in surprise, to which they all nodded.
“Kinda. Our captain doesn’t care if she bucks a mare or a stallion,” Cinnamon Swirl spoke before biting on her hoof with a blush.
“Cinn!” Lightning shouted, her own cheeks becoming furiously reddish.
“Maybe we should get matching shirts!” Deep Blue said, “Team Fillyfoolers!”
“United!” April Showers added with a smirk.
“Enough, everypony back to work unless you want to come in during the weekend too,” Lightning said with a serious expression on her muzzle.
“Mmm, you should stop inviting us to your home for the weekends, Lightning,” Blueberry Cloud said, snickering before evading Lightning’s hind leg.
“Shut up, Berry! Now, back to work!”
Berry… My mind froze at that name again. Thankfully, the thoughts of Lavender quickly broke through my melancholy.
“Wait! I do remember last weekend, Lightning!” Berry stuck her tongue out.
“Only because you kept asking,” Lightning blew her a raspberry before facing me again, “We’re a funny little team, as you should know for yourself by now. I think you will fit in quite nicely.”
I smiled at their antics. It was nice to see a group of ponies having a good life, being friends, and even poking fun at each other as if there was nothing wrong in the world. As if everything was… normal.
Well, for them life is normal.
Ahh, are you feeling sentimental? Normal is relative, you know.
I would love to have a normal life and a family with Lavender.
And I told you that you can have it. A deal is a deal.
Trust and her were two words that just did not belong in the same sentence together without a negative before one or the other. However, there was really no choice. Thinking about it, my epic plan backfired in the worst way imaginable. I wanted to be with Lavender simply to have some hope, some joy in my life that she couldn’t get in the way of, and now… now Lavender was a tool she could use to hurt me with.
Still, I wouldn’t take it back for anything in the world, “What do you want me to do, ma’am?” I asked Lightning.
“Well, stop calling me ma’am for starters,” Lightning said with a smile, “You’re a quick learner, Morning Dew, so let’s get you some on-the-job training. April Showers!” she shouted out the name of the teal mare currently chatting away with Deep Blue.
“What do you need, Lightning?”
“Why don’t you take Morning Dew out and hit the west skies? Today's forecast calls for nothing more than a little overcast. Show her the ropes, but let her do most of the work.”
“So… fillysit?” Deep Blue said with an ‘are you serious’ expression on her muzzle.
“If you don’t want to do that, you can start gathering rain clouds for next week's thunderstorm. I do believe Cloudsdale is somewhere over Fillydelphia right now, should be a fun flight, don’t you think so?”
“Besides, I don’t need a fillysitter,” I chimed in and glared at Deep Blue, “I rather think that I could beat your flank.”
“Why is everypony obsessed with my flank?” Deep Blue pouted while April Showers snickered.
She sighed with reluctant acceptance, “C’mon, greeny, let’s get started.”
“First time I’ve seen you back down from a challenge, Deep Blue,” April Showers stated.
“Her marefriend might get mad at me If I beat her flank on her first day at work,” Deep Blue smirked at me and I blushed
“Who said that I won’t beat yours?” I asked and she blew me a raspberry.
“Because April Showers will help me!”
“Leave me out of this,” April Showers snorted.
“But honey?!”
“Don’t mind them. I figure they’re also arguing in the bedroom,” Lightning whispered, giggling into my ear.
It took another two minutes, but eventually I watched April fly off after leaving Deep Blue a small peck on the lips. I smiled and frowned in equal measure at that.
Too bad I couldn’t get a job with Lavender.
I doubt that confectioner would be the right job for you.
Yeah, you’re probably right.
“Let’s go, greeny. The skies aren’t going to clear themselves!” Deep Blue shouted as she started flying off to our portion of the sky.
“How long are you going to call me greeny anyway?” I asked as we flew west.
“Until you managed to survive our little ritual once your practice week is over,” she replied with a wink.
Grunting, I simply kept quiet and stayed behind her. Using this little time to myself, I started to look down at the town below us. There were quite the number of large buildings and thousand of ponies going to and fro, simply living their normal lives.
I was looking for the impossible, I was looking for the one pony down there that I wanted to see; Lavender. I knew she worked downtown, I knew she worked in a sweet shop, I just had no idea which one.
That thought bothered me, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything I could about her, and that included where she works. I want to be able to visit her for lunch. To share a cupcake with her and talk about our days.
You know, you could’ve just asked. She works at Superior Sweets in the middle of the city. It’s a small, blue building next to the main street you took towards work this morning.
I still don’t trust you, but… thanks.
As I told you, a new family forming in the hive is something even I want to cherish.
“Hey, Deep Blue. When’s lunch anyway?” I asked.
I watched her check the watch on her hoof, “About an hour away. Why, hungry?”
“A little,” I smiled.
“Well, we get these skies done and we can take a slightly longer lunch for our efforts. Of course, that’s asking a lot from a greeny, since I’m just supposed to watch,” she said with a smile.
I know it’s just a dumb test on her part, but still, the reward is simply too tempting to pass up, “I think I can do it in thirty minutes,” I said with a smile.
“Ha, never!”
“If l do it in thirty minutes, it’s your treat, plus we have to go to lunch where I want to,” I smirked.
“Hmm, so you clear out ninety percent of the clouds over the western skies in thirty minutes and I have to buy you lunch at a place of your choosing, otherwise we go to where I want us to go to and you pay? Deal.”
“Alright, so what am I doing?”
“This!” she gestured to the sky before us. I almost fell out of the sky looking at it. The sky was full to the brim with clouds, no doubt from a recent rainstorm or a strong wind the night before. A large part of me knew that I just bit off way more than I could chew; however, whenever I was about to give in, I pictured her, and the surprise on her face of me showing up to her work.
“This it? I won’t even need thirty minutes.”
“Clock starts now, greeny,” Deep Blue said as she pressed the timer on her watch.
With a cry of joy, I burst straight to the first bunch of clouds. I remind myself to be careful, that this was an endurance test, not a quick sprint to the finish. My mind instantly laid out a map of the sky in my head as I flew to the next group of clouds. What would trip me up the most is having to spend too much time going from group to group. I can’t miss any if I want to win.
The clouds themselves are easy to disperse, a quick kick, a quick fly through and they burst into condensation. I proceeded in a diagonal pattern, making sure that each group of clouds lead to the next until it was time to head back.
My plan worked, somewhat, “Hey greeny, A LITTLE OVERCAST, not clear skies!”
Buck me.
Not interested.
I ignored her for now, that buck-up set me back. With a sigh I left my current trajectory and started moving a few clouds back to the portions I just cleared. They’re easy enough to move, but each one costs me time, time I just do not have right now.
I fixed my mistake and double-timed it back to where I left off. At a cursory glance, I saw that I was about halfway done with no idea just how much time I had on the clock. Not that it mattered, every second mattered too much to look.
My body started working on it’s own volition. Even with the water in the air, I felt myself sweating as the exertion on my muscles started to take its toll. In my mind I kept a picture of Lavender directly in front of me, always just at the next set of clouds, always moving slightly beyond my reach. Almost like she was teasing me.
The little minx.
I was careful this time though, I left every fifth group alone. After all, the weather did call for a little overcast.
Before I even realized it, there was only one more group of clouds to go. I saw them, about four-hundred hooves away. My face contorts, my wings beat faster and faster, my breathing was already labored, but now my lungs feel like their burning from lack of oxygen. I didn’t care, I pushed on, I pushed right to my limit and beyond. My word became the moment, the objective right in front of me.
It is said that clouds look different to each pony, that everypony that looks at them sees something different. To me, these clouds look like Lavender, like she’s holding her hooves open for me to fly right into them.
They burst apart in an explosion of water vapor as soon as I hit them. I forced my flight to come to a stop, panting and exhausting, but it was done.
“Time!” Deep Blue shouted.
“How… Did… I… Do?”
“You did it, greeny. Or should I call you, Morning Dew,” Deep Blue said with a smile as she flew over to me, “I do believe I owe you a lunch.”
I smiled as she embraced me in a hug. My muscles were killing me, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
Thirty one minutes, five seconds.
Really?
Just thought you’d like to know.
Again I ignored her, although, I won’t lie. I did want to know. Somehow, knowing that I came that close all by myself, and through my actions I did impress my teammate even though I technically failed, it made me feel better about myself.
“So, where do you want to head for lunch?” Deep Blue asked after breaking the embrace.
“Superior Sweets,” I replied, smiling deeply.
I can’t wait to see Lavender’s expression once I enter.
Want me to tell her you’re coming?
No, I want to surprise her.
Okay, I’ll just make sure she doesn’t leave then. Don’t worry, I’ll be nice.
Thanks. You know, maybe I can start to trust you at some point.
Deep Blue raised an eyebrow, but then nodded and took off, me shortly behind her. The smile stubbornly refused to leave my muzzle the entire time.
The flight with Deep Blue was enjoyable, the sky was clear and the weather agreeable. I took the lead shortly after we dook off, eager to get to Lavender as fast as I could. That was before I remembered that I didn’t know the exact way.
I told you earlier, Superior Sweets is next to the main street that leads towards the weather office. Look for a small, blue building.
Thanks.
No need for that. Oh, and I told her I have to sleep early, and told her to not do anything stupid while I’m out. She thinks that I’m asleep now, so you can share a bit time together.
That’s surprisingly nice of you.
Aurora, listen. You’re one of the hive, you’re my family. If you want to create your own, I‘ll support it. You may never forgive me, but you can believe that I’ll protect my hive; I’ll protect my family.
I didn’t answer that. I still wasn’t sure if I could trust her or if it was another plan to break me. Despite every warning in my head, I had to go with it. Even if something wasn’t quite right with the ‘deal’ she made with me. She had something planned.
But you don’t do it without your own objectives. Like with our deal.
She never answered that, and doubt quickly spread in my mind. She had something planned, and I doubted that it would be advantageous to either Lavender or myself. Trying to shake it away, I searched around for the small, blue building. With some luck, I spotted it right next to a crowded main street.
After slightly adjusting, I lowered myself towards the building, landing softly just moments before Deep Blue, “Is there a reason you wanted to eat here?”
I blushed a bit, unsure what to say. Before my mind could wander any further, I told her the truth, “My marefriend works here.”
Deep Blue looked at me for a few moments before grinning, “Ohh, she must be really sweet if she works in a sweet shop.”
The blush on my face only deepened at her comment, but I could only try to refocus and will the blush away before heading inside. As we walked in, I noticed that the inside was cozy and small, and most of the room was taken up by tables and chairs in front of a counter. Behind that counter stood Lavender. The look of surprise on her face made it all worth while, but none of that compared to her smile afterwards.
Before I could say anything, she leapt at me, her wings wrapping around me as she caught my lips in a passionate kiss, “I missed you,” she mumbled, a slight blush on her cheeks.
“So did I,” I whispered back, nuzzling under her ear before backing up a bit, “We’re on lunch break. Lavender, this is Deep Blue. Deep Blue, this is my marefriend, Lavender Skies.”
Deep Blue and Lavender shook hooves before she motioned us to a nearby table, “I’ll bring you something fresh out of the oven, be right back!” she said, planting another quick peck on my lips moments before she disappeared behind the counter. I couldn’t help but notice a bounce in her step as she walked away.
My thoughts and fantasies were interrupted by Deep Blue, who cleared her throat with a polite cough to get my attention, “She’s a nice one. Think you two fit together perfectly.”
“Thanks,” I said, not really sure what to say after that public display of affection.
Lavender came back shortly after, carrying a plate of fresh muffins balanced on one of her wings. She smiled as she sat one down in front of both of us, “They’re on me. I hope you like them, I tried a new recipe this morning.”
She is so happy. No need to destroy it by telling her about the deal.
She stole a small kiss from me before she went to help the next customer. I watched her leave with a sigh. It was too much to hope that she might be able to join us. Next time, I’d definitely have to plan it ahead of time.
Just as I went to taste the muffin, something soft poked me in the side. As I turned, I was met with the shocked expression of Purple Star.
“If that is your cousin, why did she just kiss you?” she asked without any greeting whatsoever.
Oh buck… now quick, improvise something…
“Well, honestly, she isn’t my cousin,” I mumbled, earning a raised eyebrow from Purple Star.
“That’s a story I want to hear,” she said as she sat down next to me, ignoring Deep Blue completely, “I don’t like to be lied to.”
“I’m sorry. After all, you’re still a guard, and I wasn’t sure how you would react,” I replied, pointing at her armour, “Do you wear that everywhere?”
“Not everywhere,” she smirked before sighing in resignation, “I guess I understand why you did it, but it wasn’t nice. I won’t judge somepony about something I do as well.”
I looked at her, but before she could answer, another guard stepped in and interrupted us by tapping Purple Star on her shoulder. The mare that stood next to Purple Star was definitely a pure bat pony. The fangs, wings and sharp, fluffy ears were quite the indicator. Her fur was a deep blue while her mane sported a dark grey.
“Allow me to introduce you to Wave Night, my wife,” Purple Star smiled sheepishly at me.
“You never told me you had a wife,” I immediately said jokingly. Purple Star burst into laughter as Wave Night raised an eyebrow at us.
“Sorry, my love,” Purple Star said after calming down, giving her wife a kiss, “Wave, this is Morning Dew, a… well, I would say a good friend of mine,” she smirked at me.
“A pleasure to meet you,” Wave Night replied, lowering her head for a moment before turning back to her wife, “I should stick a collar around your neck to prevent you from running off on me.”
“I’m not into that stuff, you know that, Wave,” Purple Star rolled her eyes with a played sigh.
“Star!” Wave Night blurted out, blushing furiously.
“You’re a real lady, despite every other bat pony I ever met,” Deep Blue said, drawing attention to her.
“Oh, I nearly forgot. This is Deep Blue, a member of the weather team I’m working in,” I said, to which Deep Blue nodded with a smile.
“You staying here?” Purple Star asked, still ignoring Deep Blue as her smile grew and grew.
“Yep. You can visit me whenever you want. Maybe all four of us can do something together sometimes?” I suggested, “I don’t think Lavender would have anything against it.”
Wave Night looked questioningly at Purple Star, who laughed out, “Her marefriend.”
Wave Night looked surprised at the information, “Don’t tell me that Lavender Skies, the best confectioner in Manehattan, maybe even the world, is your marefriend?”
I nodded and she squealed, “Oh, you have to introduce me some time! I love her recipes, every single one of them!”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Lavender said as she passed by to serve another table, but not before she gave me a small kiss.
Wave Night giggled, “You two are so sweet!”
“Thanks. Now tell me, how do two Lunar Guards come to marry each other?” I asked, giving them a smile.
“I think that’s a story for another time, maybe when we’re alone?” Purple said while her wife blushed furiously again.
“That’s okay. We could meet for lunch or coffee some time. You could head over and tell me once you’ve found a good date and time,” I gave them a wink and Purple Star nodded happily, “How long does your vacation run?” I asked.
“I got three weeks and Wave has a month,” she answered.
“That’s a long break!” Deep Blue chimed in.
Wave Night gave a small smile, “Well, there’s not many of us, so Luna does everything she can to make us comfortable and happy.”
“That sounds a lot different than what I’ve heard about the Royal Guards,” I said as Purple Star smirked.
“As Wave said, there’s not many. Besides that, we’re personal guard, we stay really close to Luna. We’re actually more akin to her friends than a real guard.”
Before I could question further, I found myself in a lovely wing embrace. Looking questioningly at Lavender, she simply chuckled and nibbled at my ear, “She’s asleep, don’t worry,” she whispered.
I knew that story already, but I tried to look like I relaxed a bit. All the while that Lavender gave me her affection, the stares of the other three mares were on us. I blushed furiously, but Lavender seemingly didn’t care.
Wave Night nudged her wife before pointing at the clock hanging on the wall, “We should get going. Morning Dew, Lavender Skies, Deep Blue, it was nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll meet again,” she said, giving me a small wink in the process.
“Yep. Oh, and come by if you got some time!” Purple Star smirked before giving me a small note with an address scribbled onto it in messy muzzle writing.
I took both with a smile, only for Lavender to take the address from me before I could look at it closely, “We’d love to,” she said.
Part of me was worried that she might have been offended, but when she lightly nibbled on my ear again, she left me with the distinct impression that she was anything but, “Sounds like fun,” she whispered into my ear.
I saw that Deep Blue had her eyes turned towards the two Lunar Guards, so when Lavender got up to put the note someplace safe, I lightly ran my wing across her flank, earning a quite ‘eep’ from her as she felt the sudden contact on her most sensitive area. She looked back at me with a devious grin that promised more fun later.
“I saw that,” Deep Blue commented, making me blush even more.
“Shut up,” I snapped back jokingly.
“You have some of the oddest friends.”
“Well, to be fair, I only know one of them. The other I just met today.”
“Still, what I’d give for your life,” Deep Blue said with a smile.
That made me pause. I hate my life, don’t I? I’m a bucking half-breed at the beck and call of the hive. I’m forced to do the bidding of queen bitch herself. I was taken from my life, my mom, and everything I hold dear. Yet… yet here was a pegasus that was jealous of me?
I heard a small humming sound coming from behind me, and the sight of Lavender quickly followed it. She jumped into the booth with me and ran a hoof around my neck, her other hoof went across my chest, lightly playing with my coat. I felt her lightly kiss the side of my muzzle.
I turned to her and smiled, staring into her eyes as I did so. I felt myself drowning in those pink eyes, losing myself in those depths. I felt… happy. I truly did. I could stare into those eyes for hours, days even, and never get bored.
My hoof moved up and lightly stroked her yellow coat, pausing only to play with a strand of her lilac mane. Her grin grew at that, as did mine.
“Get a room, you two!” Deep Blue called jokingly.
”How much time we got?” I asked back, in all seriousness.
That earned a round of laughter from both of them. I played it off, but I was anything but joking. The sound of the front door opening alerted me to the fact that while it was my lunch break, it wasn’t hers. I was forced to watch Lavender leave my grip with a small frown on my face. She seemed to sense this, considering that when she got up, she flicked her tail a little more than was necessary, treating me to a view of her slightly damp marehood.
If Deep Blue saw it, she was smart enough to not say anything about it. Together, we ate the rest of the muffins with smiles on our faces. It was like a virus for me, I couldn’t keep the smile from my muzzle. It seemed to be contagious, as everypony that saw me soon had one on their muzzles as well.
Luckily, for the sake of my sanity, the rush died down and Lavender was able to join us one more time before we had to go, “How is my Morning Dew doing on her first day, anyway?” Lavender asked as she ran a hoof over my lap.
“She’s been nothing but impressive. In thirty minutes she cleaned out an entire section of the sky. It was almost like she had some motivation to get it done. I’m beginning to get an idea of exactly what that was.”
Lavender shot me a cocky grin while I tried to keep an innocent expression. Deep Blue’s gaze went to the windows and Lavender took the moment to quickly lean in.
“You were able to impress your teammates by thinking of me? Never thought that of you,” she whispered.
“What can I say, you’re great and beautiful motivation,” I smirked.
“I’m gonna use the restroom before we head back,” Deep Blue said nonchalantly as she got up and made her way to the back room.
I watched her go, but when I turned around it was then I noticed that she probably didn’t have to use the restroom at all, she was just giving us a moment to be by ourselves. It was the first time I saw it this way, but at the moment, the entire restaurant was empty.
My lips immediately went to Lavender’s. My hooves took liberties with her body as she returned the favor. We had seconds, if that, before somepony came in. Still, we both wanted to enjoy it.
She scooted over and moved her flank upon my lap. She never broke the kiss. My hoof moved down her stomach. However, just when it was about to get to the good part, the damn door opened up again as a new customer walked in.
We both looked at each other. It was a look that promised a lot more later that night. With a sigh, she moved off and got up to serve the new ponies. I noticed with a smile that there was a new damp spot on my leg.
If she thought last night was good, I’ll rock her world tonight.
You two really can’t keep your hooves off each other, huh?
You saw that?
Of course. And remember our deal. Work first, then you can have the pleasure.
I didn’t reply to that one. I knew that whatever she wanted, it would be bad. It would be something I didn’t want to do. I just had to hope I could live with myself afterwards. For as much as it would have been anathema to me not more than two days ago, I like this life. I’ll fight for it if needed. For myself, and for Lavender.
“You ready, Morning?” Deep Blue asked from behind me. I could see the look in her eyes. She was happy for me.
I smiled back, “Yeah, lets get back. The sooner we get started, the sooner I can get home.”
“Color me jealous,” Deep Blue said with a smile.
“What about you and April Showers?” I asked.
“You two are still in the honeymoon stage. I miss that.”
“The only thing stopping you from enjoying it is you,” I responded with a smile.
“Yeah… but…”
“Trust me on this. If you miss it, I promise you she does, too. Why don’t you surprise her tonight?”
So you're a psychologist for couples now?
Bite me.
“So, what? Flowers and candy?” Deep Blue asked.
“Well, we are in a sweet shop,” I said with a devious smile, “Bring her home some chocolates and then ravish her within an inch of her life, you’ll rekindle that spark.”
“You’re basically telling me to eat out my marefriend, is that correct?” Deep Blue looked wide eyed at me.
“Hey, Lavender!” I yelled into the back room.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Grab a box of chocolates for my friend here, please. She has a hot date with her marefriend tonight!” I called out with a wink.
Lavender smiled at me in understanding, “I know just the one. And you know what? I will pack us some, too,” the wink at the end left no room for misunderstanding.
The two of us left soon afterwards. Deep Blue was more of a shade of red as she carried a box of chocolates in her hooves. On our way back to the others, we stopped by her apartment to drop off the box of chocolates. I helped her set them up in just the right way, simply by asking myself what I’d like to see.
“I don’t know how I’m going to do this,” Deep Blue said.
“Not big on the romantic gestures?” I asked.
“Not really,” she admitted.
“Then you have nothing to worry about, it’ll sweep her off her hooves,” I replied with a wink as we approached the others.
“I hope you’re right. If not, I’m gonna kick your flank the whole week, greeny,” she replied with a smirk.
I simply had to smile. The whole day, the whole time since the night with Lavender, everything was fine. Of course, the deal still struck my head at some point, but I was happy. With Lavender, everything would be doable, simply everything.
The problem was that I had no idea what I had to do that evening for the deal.
I couldn’t remember a time when I was happier then when I was at Lavender’s side. The whole day went by in a blur as the camaraderie shared by the team made it seem less like work, and more like hanging out with friends. We trained, laughed, and worked the weather schedule down, doing our jobs just fine.
The captain already assigned me some parts of the schedule as my duty, impressed by the report that Deep Blue gave her. The work didn't feel like work, it felt like doing something with your family. It was great. Too soon, the day was at an end.
“Alright, gather up here!” Lightning shouted, gathering our attention. We quickly approached her before she continued, “We're done for today! Awesome work!” Then she looked at me, “Especially from you.”
We all gave each other a wing bump before heading in different directions. I made my way towards home as a thought entered my head.
When does Lavender head home?
In around half an hour. Go there, you have enough time before I need your help.
I couldn’t do anything but grin as I corrected my course and shot towards the small blue building in the distance, nearly out of sight. What I had to do later was shoved far away from my mind.
Soon, I landed in front of the building, seemingly just in time for them to lock it. The last few customers left the shop and Lavender appeared behind them with keys in her wings. She looked surprised at first, but that expression soon turned into a breathtaking, loving gaze.
“Dew!” she shouted before leaping at me.
I folded my wings around her, hugging her close to me while peppering her muzzle with kisses, “Hey, beautiful,” I cooed.
“How was your first day at work?” she asked.
“Great! I loved it!” I admitted as she leaned in for a long, deep kiss.
“I’m glad, because that is another anchor that makes sure that you’ll stay with me,” she said softly.
“I’d never leave you, Lavender,” was all I said in reply.
She snuggled deep into my coat for a few moments before we broke apart, “Let me just lock the shop, then we can head home.”
I could see something in her stance when she turned around to lock up, something that made a shiver travel down my spine, “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“She wants you to do something tonight,” Lavender said with a frown.
She knows?
Of course. But she doesn’t know about our deal, and you won’t tell her anything.
Of course…
Lavender turned towards the door and closed it before locking it with the keys. As she turned, the frown was gone and her lovely smile had replaced it, “It’s still a few hours away. So for now, let us forget about everything and use the time for just us.”
“So she’s still asleep?” I asked.
“Yeah, thankfully,” was all she replied before unfolding her wings, “Race ya home!”
She shot off in a blink, and I giggled before following, “Hey! Not fair!”
The race home was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It felt like I was chasing after my happiness, for lack of a better way to explain it. I flew has hard as I could, the fatigue from my day of work long forgotten as I heard her squeals of delight at having me chase her like this.
I wanted to catch her, I wanted to fly up to her, wrap my hooves around her, and pepper her face with little kisses. While such actions were more than enjoyable in their own right, it would end this, it would cause the race to come to an end.
Besides, I loved hearing her laughter. So I lagged behind, letting her stay in front while I got to chase after her with my heart beating a mile a minute to the sounds of her giggling and little squeals of delight. I closed the distance several times, catching up to her just enough to cause her to fly faster.
Each time I forced myself to resist the urge to catch her; however, I was still rewarded for my efforts by the scent of her filling my nostrils.
All too soon, the fun was over. I could make out her house, our house, in the distance, and I hung back, acting tired while she put on the last burst of speed to beat me there. When she landed, she turned around, panting and out of breath, but with a huge smile on her face. I loved that smile, that alone was worth losing a million and one races, in my book.
“I beat you!” Lavender said as I landed next to her.
“And now for your reward,” I replied as I start peppering her face with kisses. She giggled and squirmed, but didn’t pull away. I knew she wouldn’t, it was all for show. I knew that she loved them in the same way I did.
“C’mon, let’s go inside,” Lavender said after a full minute. Had I been wearing lipstick, I knew her face would be a new shade after how many kisses I left all over it.
I wanted to do that every time she came home. Not only did I taste her, but the bakery as well. A full day of working there had left its mark on her coat, and to me, it had simply tasted delicious.
I followed her inside as she teased me with little sways of her hips and tail. There was a bounce to it, a bounce that told me she was doing it on purpose to simply tease me.
Sly little minx.
I think I need to call in a chaperone for you two.
Shut up.
You’re just too much fun, Aurora.
I ignored that last jibe and followed Lavender to the living room. That surprised me, I figured that Lavender would head straight to the bedroom, but instead she flapped her wings and landed on the couch instead.
She laid on her back, her wings spread out and her hooves positioned in just the right way to accommodate another body. I didn’t need a second invitation, and with a flap of my own wings, took my assigned spot on her form.
She was so warm. I could feel her heartbeat through her chest. As my head lay upon her fur, every breath she took caused it to rise and fall. With a grin, I felt one of her wings wrap around my form, lightly covering it and making me feel like I was wrapped in a warm blanket.
“I missed you,” Lavender said as she started to lightly massage my shoulder with a hoof. An action that told me why she didn’t simply head to the bedroom. She wanted this moment to simply be about us, in a non-physical way right now.
As I felt her wing tip run across certain places, I knew that it was only true for the moment.
“I didn’t lie earlier.”
“About what?” she asked.
“It was you, when I was working today. When I did that stupid challenge, you were the one that got me through it. I just kept picturing you in my head, how happy you’d be if we got to have lunch together. That was all the motivation I needed.”
At my words, she raised my muzzle and kissed me on the lips. I could feel her hoof and feather continue to take liberties with my body, her hoof running across my chest, putting just the right amount of pressure to massage my sore muscles in the right way, while her feathers did a few… other things, a little lower.
None of which were unwelcome.
“Well, if I’m your motivation, I’d better make sure I’m worth it,” Lavender said with a smile.
“You already have, let’s… let’s stay like this for now,” To this day I still cannot believe those words came out of my muzzle, but it was true. I felt… I felt coddled, loved, and as much fun as taking it to its inevitable conclusion would have been, I wanted to savor it.
“Mhh, okay. But next time, you’re on!” she whispered softly, cuddling deeper against me.
Despite our words, I still felt her hooves over my body. She opened her wings slightly, just enough to bring her other front hoof in. My skin felt like it was melting off at her touch, like I was becoming liquid every time she’d apply pressure to the right area at the right time.
Soft coos began to leave my lips as the stress of the day relaxed away. She pressed at my wing joints, lightly massaging muscles that I didn’t even know where sore until she touched them.
She even dared to go a bit lower, teasing me just above my flank before going back to the main muscles. I loved it, every single second.
There was just one problem. Well, problem was the wrong choice of word. It was more like an effect of the position we were in. I was laid out on her body, enjoying her warmth after a hard day of work. Her touch was like silk on my sore muscles, relaxing them in ways they had not be relaxed in a long, long time.
Between the heat, the rhythmic pulsing of her breaths and her touch, my body found itself quickly overcome by another urge. An urge I didn’t want to succumb to, but which my body overruled me on.
As much as I hated to say it, I soon fell asleep.
***
Wake up, Aurora.
I stirred a bit, but tried to shoo the voice off so I could continue to slumber in the hooves and wings I loved so much.
It’s time. Wake up, now!
I jumped slightly upon the force that echoed through my head, and quickly looked at my side, making sure that Lavender was still asleep and that I hadn’t disturbed her. Thankfully, she was still sleeping peacefully, a small, but loving smile upon her muzzle.
I kicked myself for falling asleep like this. It was by far the best bed I’d ever slept on, and I knew that I wanted to do it a million more times, but it meant that we didn’t make it to the bedroom like we planned.
Maybe in the morning.
You two can buck like bunnies later, it’s time to get to work.
Crap, you heard that. My thoughts had betrayed me.
Yes, I did. Now, it’s your time to uphold your end of the deal.
I shuddered at that thought. I had no idea what she wanted, but I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it. My shudder caused Lavender to move ever so slightly in her sleep, and I paused, afraid that I woke her up.
When she didn’t get up, I visibly relaxed. With a sigh, I tried to think of a way off of her without disturbing her from her rest.
Oh, for goodness sake, just place your hoof five inches to the right and then roll your body.
I wasn’t sure why I did what she said, but I think it was because I couldn’t think of anything else. My right hoof went five inches and I rolled with it. Right off the couch and onto the floor.
What the buck! I did my best not to shout or cry out. My head shot up to see that Lavender was still asleep, albeit she looked sad now that I was no longer in her hooves.
Anything else would have awoken her.
So your solution was for me to fall off the couch? How did you know the noise wouldn’t wake her?
Yes, and I didn’t. However, you need to get to work.
And what do I have to do?
Disguise as something less… colourful. Maybe a black pegasus.
I scoffed slightly, but did as she asked, and soon my coat was black as the night and my mane shimmering in a wavering dark blue.
This colour fits you. Anyways, head north from here until you see a big building with an entrance made out of glass. It’s the building of Manehattan News.
Is this going to be a game of twenty questions, or are you going to fill me in?
You will steal and destroy a few photos that could reveal some drones.
That’s… that’s it?
She laughed. No, not really. There will be security and some late writers. You know what you should do.
There was the other horseshoe. So, find and destroy the photos that incriminate the hive’s activities, ensuring that I’m not seen or caught in the process by taking out anypony that lays eyes on me.
Oh, no! What type of monster do you think I am? You will just let the pony that made those photos… let’s say, disappear. And clean his office afterwards.
Your subtly knows no bounds.
Should I feel flattered now? Get moving!
I rolled my eyes and got up to leave before a noise stopped me. When I looked back, I noticed that Lavender managed to grab a couch pillow in her sleep and was holding it almost like… like it was me.
A smile escaped my lips at the sight of her. I knew that I was a monster. The queen made me into one. She turned me into a changeling halfbreed against my will. I was free as a pony, and then as a changeling, I’d basically became a slave. And yet, even in the nightmare I found myself in, I had found something precious, something I had never expected to find. I found her.
I’m going to puke any second and take my displeasure out on her if you don’t move your ass, now!
Anything happens to her and I’ll see you dead, even if it’s the last thing I do.
Then don’t give me a reason to.
A low growl escaped my lips, but I left the house anyway. We both knew that this was a sham, it was simply something she’d always be able to hold over me. Whenever she wanted me to do anything from that point on, all she had to do was threaten Lavender and I’d do it, no questions asked.
I thought my response back to her was simply to let her know that was the status quo. I’d play her game, I’d jump to her tune, as long as the status quo never changed. The moment it did, it was all over.
Odds were good that she’d kill me, but the point was I’d make her do it.
Closing the door to the house, I flapped my wings and took flight.
North, right?
Yes, now hurry up.
You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
You wish you were a fly to me.
Great, she’s in a mood.
You know I can hear everything you think.
That’s exactly the point, you bug.
Don’t make me angry.
I wouldn’t say that it wasn’t fun to antagonize her, ‘cause it was, but I knew the limit when I approached it. Needless to say, I was there. With a smile about my juvenile victory, I did my best to clear my thoughts and concentrate on my flight.
Sadly, my thoughts didn’t stay clear for long. To make matters worse, as soon as my memories went back to Lavender, I couldn’t not think of her anymore. No matter how much I tried.
You…
Yes? I asked, cringing.
You really do love her, don’t you?
As if you would understand it.
I don’t only feed on it, I can also feel it.
Yeah, of course.
I just wonder what happened with your precious Berryshine?
My heart jumped into my throat, and I stopped flying forward. It was only by muscle memory that I didn’t fall out of the sky, or stopped breathing. I was thinking a million and one thoughts at that moment, but only one was so pronounced that she heard it.
Why?
Why? Why what?
Why would you bring her up? Why are you such a bitch?
There was laughter in her reply, a laughter that filled me to the brim with anger. You… misunderstand me. You’ve always second guessed my intentions. I didn’t bring her up to hurt you, but to prevent you from hurting Lavender.
I’d… I’d never! I was shaking with rage.
Yes, you would. Maybe not intentionally, but you would, and have. I want my hive to thrive, I want you and Lavender to reproduce, to have offspring that will go on and make more and more.
Then why…
Because you’re still the problem, Aurora. You still have yet to commit to this. You still hold out some emotions for what you had, for a life lost to you forevermore.You could one day betray her and break her heart. You could destroy that oh-so-precious of emotions that feed us, that nurtures us, that causes us to grow and become strong. All because you have yet to figure out how you truly feel.
I… I… I… I was speechless at that.
You know what you have with Lavender, you have something precious, something worthwhile, something worth fighting for, something worth dying for. If you keep holding onto the past, you will lose it.
There was a long pause as my brain attempted to process what she had said. She was a vicious, cutthroat bitch, but she wasn’t wrong. I had to chose, I needed to either let the past go, or continue holding onto it. If I held onto it, I needed to let Lavender go, it wouldn’t be fair to her. If I let it go, I’d forever say goodbye to what I had, to Berryshine. If I didn’t make a choice, I’d risk hurting everyone.
Lavender. The thought was freeing, it set me on this course of action, caused me to commit to it on my own terms, to reach the conclusion myself. Looking back at it, I think that was her plan all along.
Just as I knew you would.
I still can’t stop feeling like you are planning something else. That you are hiding something. This is pretty unusual for you!
Do your job, time is running out.
That was all she said, and it only strengthened my feelings that she was hiding something from Lavender and me. I continued to fly downtown, shaking off my melancholy and worry as best as I could.
I knew she was going to betray me. I knew that she had some scheme in mind to hurt me, to hurt us. I knew all of that and more, but there was nothing I could do about it. I just had to enjoy my time with Lavender all that much more. As I approached the building, I used the same trick that I did at my job. I simply pictured who was waiting for me at the end of it.
My hooves made more noise than I expected on the roof. Looking around, I released a small sigh, thankful that there was nopony around. I wanted to avoid hurting anypony if I could, at least anypony I didn’t have to hurt. She led me to a roof window that would always be left open for air circulation, at least according to her informant.
Moving forwards slowly, careful to not cause any more noise, I looked for the open window and found it soon enough. It was only a small opening, but a quick tug of my magic opened it a bit more. Just enough for me to pass through.
Let’s go through this again. I just need to take out the photos and the pony that took them, nopony else unless I have to, right?
Exactly, but make sure you leave no evidence!
Yeah, got that. I’ll magically burn the photos and his notes completely.
She stayed silent after that as I slowly crept through the opening. Looking around, I saw that I was in a hallway, one that seemingly lead to several offices if the plates with names besides them were anything to go by. I was in the right place. Before I could look closer, a light flashed closer to my position.
“I told you, I heard something! It sounded like hooves on steel,” a deep voice said.
“I think you’re imagining things again, Wing, but if it’ll shut you up, let’s take a look,” a female one answered.
The light danced closer and closer as I looked around, finding a open office to my right and quickly slipping in, hiding behind some filing cabinets. The light passed me and swung around, shining into every corner, but thankfully ignored the one I was in.
“See, nothing’s here!” the mare snorted before the light began to go away again, ignoring the nervous stammering of the stallion.
I sighed when I couldn’t hear or see them anymore and left the office. Sneaking through the hallway, I read the plates besides the door to find out which one was the right one.
I think his office is on a lower floor. He sleeps there apparently, since the lower offices are bigger.
Thanks for telling me that earlier.
I snorted silently and tried to find the stairs. A sign on the wall pointed me to them, but sadly it was in exactly the same direction the stallion and the mare disappeared in.
Buck me…
I think Lavender might get mad if I did that.
Shut up.
I sighed after that and made my way down the hallway, careful where I placed my hooves so as to not alert anypony else to my presence. Thankfully, the guards had no concern. It was easy enough to hear them as they went about their duty, bickering back and forth about this and that.
They sound like an old married couple.
Envious?
I didn’t answer that. In truth, I was. But who wouldn’t be? Who doesn’t want that in their own life? Shaking my head, I changed forms in the corner to a smaller version of the one I took. I looked like a black foal that should have been happy just to get her cutie mark.
It was not a form I liked to be in, but it was harder to spot, and as the stairwell down was past the desk the guards occupied, it was the best of a lot of bad options I had before me.
Don’t screw this up.
Yeah, yeah.
I did my best to time it just right. As soon as they engaged in a heated argument, I dashed at full speed, using the shadows to hide my form and the sounds of their voices to disguise the movement of my wings.
As their voices died, I froze. There was silence for a few moments before I heard voices again.
“What was it this time, Wing?” the female voice asked, snickering.
“Nothing, I’m just imagining things. Maybe I should sleep more than three hours before these shifts,” the deep voice from the stallion replied, “Now, where were we?” and with that, their argument continued.
I continued to hold my breath as I made the last few hoofs to the staircase. I don’t think I released it until I was halfway down to the next level.
Smooth.
Your mocking tone isn’t helping things.
You know what happens if you buck it up.
I ignored that and made my way to the correct floor. Of course I knew what would happen, she made sure I knew. She also knew what I would do if she made good on that threat. I shook it off. As long as the status quo never changed, she could say whatever she wanted.
The next floor down was a little different than the one I was just on. This one had no guard desk, it opened to a main reception desk with hallways leading left and right. No doubt my target was in one of those.
I paused before I took another step. Part of me, a large part of me, didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to be the monster she made me, I didn’t want to hurt another pony that committed no crime against me. Everything up to that point had been what other’s made me do, this… this was not that. This was me accepting what I was.
If I did this, I would no longer be the victim.
Lavender’s having a bad dream, I think she’s lamenting your absence.
WHICH WAY?
I don’t know if I imagined it or not, but I swear I hurt her with the amount of force I put behind that thought.
I don’t know.
The answer was weak and nearly a silent whisper in my head. It was an indicator for me to push through it.
You have to know something!
Just… try and find the office belonging to Best Pic.
A name, I could work with a name.
Gliding into the shadows, I snuck along the windowed wall, taking a look at the plate on each door. Until that point, I had just been looking for photographer or publisher as a title, now I looked for Best Pic. I sighed silently when I found it was the last office in the hallway.
Finally.
There was no answer to that, so I shrugged and tried the door; it was locked. Looking around to make sure that nopony was nearby, a small, green glow appeared and the door clicked open. The click nearly echoed through the hallway, and I kept still to make sure that nopony had heard it.
When I was sure that nopony heard it, I slowly opened the door and slid in, closing it directly behind me as soon as I was inside. The room I was in was fairly big, a desk, some filing cabinets, some smaller boards, and a big couch on which a pony was sleeping.
I snuck closer and looked at him. He was an elderly stallion, each of his breaths were labored, even in his sleep. I could see that he had fallen asleep working, made evident by the notes that laid on his chest. Looking closer, I hesitated. What right did I have to end his life? Maybe I could just convince him to forget everything and destroy the photos.
Looking around for photos, my mind soon wandered to Lavender and our possible family in the future. Should I risk it for one life? He was an old stallion, I had my whole life in front of me. Shivering, I focused on the stallion again and concentrated my power.
A small, magic cut through some connections in his brain and he will go without any pain.
I had enough training in silent and painless killing, but I never really had any use for it. Now I had to. For Lavender, for me, for us. It wasn’t something that I could avoid. It had to be done. Even if it meant… murder.
No, I’m better than her…
Oh, but think of Lavender and your possible foal!
What happened next happened on reflex alone. Focusing on him, I locked my magic on a specific spot before letting it go. The stallion’s breathing went shallow for some moments before stopping completely. His chest stopped rising and falling, announcing his death.
You just saved your future.
I couldn’t deny it. She was right, but it felt wrong, and painfully empty. I was a monster, something she made of me. Something I promised I would never be. A promise I officially broke. Looking at the stallion, I felt very sorry. For him and his family, if he had any.
At least complete the job!
I wanted to yell at her again, but I had no power. Slowly, I collected the notes from the stallion’s form and everything else I could find. Photos, maps, everything that pointed towards anything suspicious glowed green in my magic before disappearing in a flame of the same colour. That was until a set of photos caught my view and I floated them to me.
The photos showed a very particular yellow pegasus on a shopping trip, at home in the kitchen, in the bed sleeping, and in other places and positions. One picture showed her in a corner, with green eyes. My breath hitched in my throat as I read the text that was scribbled at the photo’s side.
Changeling spy.
A shudder wracked my body and I felt numb, like somepony had filled my muscles with ice. I wasn’t able to describe anything more, it was painful. Looking over the photos again and again, I noticed something on the back of one. There was an address noted.
Main Lane seven.
I had no idea what there was, but I intended to find out. Destroying the rest of the photos and notes quickly, I kept the photos of Lavender. Before I could take my leave, however, I noticed a light creeping closer from the outside and voices.
“Okay, you told me that I was imagining things, and now you claim that you saw green beams of light out of his room? That’s crazy-” the deep stallion voice was interrupted.
“Shut up, Wing! I know what I saw!” the mare growled.
I could hear a key that nestled in the lock before the mare spoke again.
“Weird, it isn’t locked.”
Without thinking, I grabbed the photos with all my might and ran straight for the door, smashing against it and busting it open, knocking the guards from the other side away as they got a door into their muzzles. Shouts followed me as I made my way to leave the building.
“We have a thief here! Alarm!”
I acted on instinct as I heard hooves following me. Quickly, I used every shadow I could and leapt for the main hall to escape. As I reached it, I stopped. Several guards stood there, waiting for me.
“Stop right there, criminal scum! You’re surrounded! Surrender now!” one of them shouted.
I quickly glanced over them, noticing that none of them possessed wings. With a smile, I spread my wings and took into the air before crashing through the window of the main entrance. It hurt a lot, but I had no time to think about it, and simply tried to gain altitude to get out of sight before they could call any pegasus guards.
After I felt like I was a relatively safe distance away from the news building, I slowed down, trying to correct my course towards home. It wasn’t easy, as my power seemed to have left me. Looking at my side, I noticed various cuts on my wings. I guessed that my body and face wouldn’t look much better.
Trying to find a place to rest and take care of my wounds, I saw a tourist point with a map on a plaza below me. Thinking about the address on the photo in my magical grip, I went down. I wanted to know where that address was. Maybe looking at it to find out why somepony should scribble its address on the backside of a… suspicious photo.
I made sure that nopony was in sight before I landed in front of the map. Maybe a little harder than expected, and almost immediately I felt sharp pain through my wings and legs. Maybe, just maybe, it was a little worse than I thought.
Looking at the map, I tried to find Mane Lane. It wasn’t that hard to find. Even I knew the way there.
I should take a look before heading home.
You know that you’re hurt?
Oh, you’re still there? I don’t care, I want to know what this has to do with Lavender.
Be careful.
I snorted and took off again, ignoring the pain in my wings. The flight was short and after only a couple of minutes I landed on Mane Lane, immediately spotting the seven on one of the buildings. It was a bigger office building, and I trotted closer so I could read the sign at the entrance. What stood there made the blood in my veins freeze.
Wave Wing Detectives
We solve every case
We’re so bucked if Best Pic already sent a photo to them.
Let’s hope that he didn’t.
I said nothing to that. We both knew what would happen if they already had received a picture. Our life could be ruined. They would search around to find everything they could. I couldn’t let that happen.
Don’t go in there now. Go home and I’ll try to find out if they already got a photo.
I scowled at that, but turned away from the building. I was just seconds away from rushing in there and searching for evidence.
Go find a roof to change your disguise again before you’re spotted.
I took to the air and flew to the next skyscraper to change my disguise back to the plum pegasus. It was harder than usual, probably because my power was already drained from my injuries. After I changed, I left the roof and took a course to home. I had to talk with Lavender.
No, you don’t!
SHUT UP!
I felt it again, I felt that I hurt her. This time I wouldn’t stay down. I would talk with Lavender about it, about everything. I had to. I had killed an innocent stallion. Maybe even one with a huge family and various foals. Thinking about it again ripped the air from my lungs.
I’m a monster…
Tears made their way down my muzzle. Tears brought on from that thought, and from my injuries as my course lead me home. More tears came up as I thought about Lavender and our endangered future. The thoughts were interrupted as I came close to home, already seeing lights on.
She’s awake.
Eager to get home and into her hooves as fast as possible, I ignored the pain and shot forward. I burst into the door with a little less force than I used to knock down the one to Best Fit’s office, “Lavender, I…”
The look on her face stopped me dead. I saw her then, she had yanked her head in my direction as soon as I made that stupid entrance. It wasn’t the look of surprise on her face that caused me to shut up, it was the other look. The look of horror.
For a moment, for a brief, horrible moment, I thought she saw me the same way I did. That she saw me for the monster I had become, the monster I was when I killed that stallion.
I wished that had been the case, I did, I truly did, for in the next moment I realized the truth. It wasn’t a look of horror about what I’d done, it was a look of horror about the condition I was in.
She ran to me, no words, no shouts, just her and her tears. She was crying, she was crying over me, she was crying that I was hurt. In no time at all, her hooves were wrapped around me, holding me, squeezing me, and worse, causing me pain.
I did my best to ignore it, but there was a limit to what could be held back, “Oww…” the sound escaped my muzzle before I could bite it back.
Lavender practically jumped back as soon as she heard it. Another thought I’d always kick myself for; making her worry, making my pain hers.
“You’re… you’re hurt,” she said through sobbs.
I felt it then. The adrenaline was gone, the cold wind was no longer numbing my fur, the excitement and self-flagellation was gone, now I had to deal with it. Deal with my pain, deal with my injuries, and most damning of all, deal with how I had hurt her.
My fur felt like it was on fire. My wing hurt worse then I could ever remember them hurting, and her eyes were full of love and hurt. Hurt over seeing me hurt. It was that look that I couldn’t take anymore, it was that look that hurt me the most.
I would have cut my wings off before I’d ever want to see that look in those eyes, “Lavender, I…” I fell to the ground, not able to take another step forward. In truth, I didn’t think I was that weak, I thought I could have, should have been able to work, but my strength left me. I felt weak, feeble, and hurt.
“Aurora!” Lavender screamed at me. I noticed it then, her coat, her pretty yellow coat, there were stains of red across it. Blood, my blood, was on her coat.
Is that what I am? I’m nothing more than a bloodstain on this world?
Don’t be so melodramatic.
A green magical aura surrounded me and picked me up before I could respond. Lavender was holding me in her magic as she carried me to the bedroom. I did my best to bite back any pain as she placed me on my back, my head resting on the pillows, “Lavender, I…”
“No talking,” she shushed me as she started to levitate a pile of washcloths and a bowl of water to the bedroom. Without another word, she began to clean me, wiping blood from my coat with a towel as she might with a foal.
My eyes never left hers. I doubted that I was that hurt. My fainting episode was probably more to do with exhaustion, and while I was bleeding, they were mostly superficial cuts. Still, she thought I was that hurt, she thought I was that injured, and that was all that really mattered.
She picked me up and laid me on my stomach to clean my back. I felt her run the washcloth over my back and my wings. She pulled out a few splinters and cleaned each area thoroughly; however, when she got to my flank, she seemed hesitant to go on.
“Lavender, tonight…” I started softly.
“What?”
“The job I had to do. It was about us.”
I felt the washcloth press against my flank at that, “About us? You mean she told you that she knows?”
There was hurt in her eyes and in her voice, “This morning… she woke me up while you were gone. She told me she knew about us, and if I would continue to play her game, she would let us have a family. She said she wouldn’t kill you in the end…”
“She played with us both…”
“What did she make you do?” she asked.
The venom in her voice surprised me, but in a good way, “That’s the funny thing. Had I known what the task was, she wouldn’t have had to make me do anything. I would have done it on my own.”
I should have been shocked at those words, I should have been, but I wasn’t. I meant it, every word. Had she told me Lavender was in danger of being found out, I would have done the exact same thing without any of the bush beating involved. But at the same time, I would have hesitated if I had known that she played with us both.
“What was is?”
“You were being investigated. A pony, Best Pic, he had pictures of you, of you and your green eyes, using magic. He suspected that you were a changeling.”
“My cover’s blown?” she asked, shocked.
“I destroyed all the evidence I could find and killed him.”
She dropped the towel, “You… you killed him?”
It’s amazing how well the mind can compartmentalize things, something that will never cease to shock me.
“He went quick, peacefully in his sleep. Had I known…” there was hatred in my voice when I said that last part. We weren't married, I had no claim on Lavender other than how I felt, but at that moment the threat to her caused me to wish a much worse fate on that stallion.
The next thing I felt was my muzzle pressed into her coat. The next thing I heard was sobs coming from her muzzle. She leaned into me and held me in her coat, sobbing hard. Her hoof began to run through my mane.
There were tears in my eyes then. I was crying. I suspect, no, I know that I was crying because she was crying.
“I love you.”
We both paused, our breathing stopped. Heck, for all I know, our hearts stopped at that moment with how quiet the room went. It took us almost a minute to figure out who said that, who said it first.
To my surprise, it was me. I said it. For the first time, I told her that I loved her.
Now that I said it, I hated myself. Not for saying it, but for not saying it before, for not saying it every second of every minute of every hour of every day. The words poured from my mouth in a never ending cascade of emotions.
“I love you, I love you so bucking much it hurts. He was a threat to you, so I killed him. I’ll kill anyone that threatens you, Lavender. I can’t… I could never bear to see you hurt. I… I…”
My ramblings were cut off with a kiss. She held my muzzle up and latched her lips onto my own. It was the one thing, the only thing that could get me to shut up.
When she pulled back, she looked at me, tears in her eyes and a smile on her muzzle.
“I love you too.”
I was worried what she would do now that we knew everything, but that could wait. All that counted at the moment were those soft, yellow hooves holding me.
“Aurora,” there was hesitation in her voice. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure about what she was going to ask, or more precisely, what my response would be, “Do you want to start a family with me?”
I was a bit surprised about that, “Didn’t we want to wait a bit more?”
“We said that, yes. But I’m certain about it now,” Lavender closed the gap and pressed her lips once again against mine, “Do you want to start a family with me?”
Again, that question. Was I really ready for that? Thinking about the last time, today, and everything that happened, the answer was more than clear.
“I would love to,” I whispered softly before kissing her with every bit of passion I could bring up.
Chapter fourteen: Love and Betrayal (Special, Lavender Skies POV)
The first thing I noticed was that it was cold. I shivered slightly and slowly opened my eyes to reveal that the sheets were turned back. However, that wasn’t the only thing wrong, Aurora was also gone.
Mhh no need to worry, she’s probably off to work.
Well, well, what do we have here?
I immediately knew what situation I was in... we were in, and I gulped. It could only end badly, and after bowing to the Queen’s will for years, I didn’t doubt it.
M-My Queen… You’re awake…
And I can clearly see what was going on.
Let me explain, please!
No need for that…
Pain flooded through my body, numbing my nerves and thoughts. It was how I was always punished, through the pain she wanted me to suffer from. I also knew that she could kill me through the connection. Something I hoped she wouldn’t be able to do with Aurora.
I know what you two did and what you have. I also know that you thought about escaping with Aurora. Well, I think it is time to remind you about certain consequences, don’t you agree?
The pain multiplied until I couldn’t do anything other then bite into my pillow in a desperate attempt to muffle at least a part of my screams. Then, it stopped.
I think that you understand now. Good. Now, I have a little deal for you, something that will be to both our advances. I want you to stay here and continue to obey me. In exchange for that, I will let you two live and continue this silliness.
And what if I decline?
Then I will kill Aurora. Don’t worry though, I’ll let you watch while I do it slowly.
My heart felt heavy at that. It was clear that I had no choice but to accept it and obey her. I never wanted Aurora to be hurt.
I want you to swear on the whole hive that you won’t harm Aurora or our relationship if I accept.
Mhhh... I can feel your anger, but also your love. You're not dumb, so yes, I swear on my hive and all their lives that I won’t harm Aurora or your little… relationship…
I accept…
With that, all my plans had changed. I wanted to flee with Aurora as soon as there was a chance. With the distance between us, she shouldn’t have been able to manipulate either of us, or even kill me through the connection.
I doubt that, I’ve never encountered a situation where one of my hive was unreachable.
I shivered at that thought, but quickly shut it out after a glance at the clock. It was time to open my shop soon. I couldn’t help but think of Aurora.
I hope she likes her new work.
Don’t worry, at this point she’s fine.
Sighing, I hauled myself off of the bed and to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Last night was full of action, and I could still feel my coat sticky with sweat and our juices. The thoughts about what we did last night were going through my mind again, causing me to grin. A grin that did not leave my face as I went into the shower and turned the water on. It was a night I knew I’d never forget.
I’ll spare you a comment about that. And one more thing; you aren’t allowed to tell Aurora about our deal. Just act… normally.
I snorted at that, but didn’t answer. I wouldn’t throw fuel into the fire if I could avoid it, and the water was starting to relax me, so I didn’t really care. The thing about such thoughts was that they tended to come on their own, regardless of if you wanted them to or not, or if someone’s reading your mind or not.
Oh wow, you're as bad as her.
What?
Guess what she is thinking about during her work from time to time.
My heart fluttered at that, and I couldn’t help but smile. The thought warmed me completely, and it proved to me again that she was mine. Finally.
I think you’re more than clean down there.
I blushed as I looked at where my wings were cleaning, the thought of Aurora was causing me to do some rather strange things. With a smile, I moved my wing back to my side and started washing other areas.
Why… why are you so cool with this?
You mean beyond the fact that I have something to hold over your head? Well, let’s just say that while you might get something of value out of it, to me it’s just something you don’t want to lose.
I didn’t buy that explanation. I’ve seen her with other mares that went into relationships. I knew she was hiding something, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. With a sigh, I washed off the soap from my fur and stepped out of the water.
Does this mean we have to keep hiding?
I told you, she cannot know about our deal. If you tell her, it is invalid.
Damn…
Maybe we can find a solution for it during the day when she won’t get suspicious? For now, you have to deal with it.
Scowling, I grabbed a towel and dried off my fur. There was no use to argue about it and risk that tiny little chance to be with Aurora. Resigned to this fate, I finished by drying off my mane and tail. It always took a long time to do so, but there wasn’t much use crying about it.
Breakfast left me with more questions than answers. I don’t know why, but the knowledge that she knew both relieved me and upset me. Part of me thought that maybe now that she did know, it would be easier. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that, though. Nothing ever got easier, the world just didn’t work that way.
So, continuing like normal is just a concept that escapes you, isn’t it?
I chose not to respond to that as I locked the house and took flight. Some fights were just not worth having, especially if there was no way to win them. Like this one definitely was. Still, even with the knowledge that this would most assuredly come back to bite me in the flank, I wouldn’t change a thing.
I found my flight to work that much quicker. It was kinda amazing, I knew that the distance hadn’t changed, it was still two miles away, and yet because my mind was so distracted, my thoughts turned to memories of last night through the whole flight, it flew by.
Like this, it wasn’t long until I saw the familiar, small blue building before me. I’d had the sweet shop for a few months, mainly because of the help of her, but also because of my great cupcakes and muffins.
I trotted inside when I unlocked the door, an unusual giddiness to my walk permeated through me. I knew the reason why, and that simply put a smile on my face. A large portion of me just couldn’t wait for the day to end, for me to be able to go home and see her again. Thoughts of being in her hooves, of holding her, of having someone special to talk about my day with, it simply made me happy.
Are you whistling now?
Maybe.
My answer surprised me. I’d always went to work cheerful, but this was something new for me. Suddenly, it didn’t really feel like work, it felt like fun. Before I could dive too much into that thought, I quickly pulled the chairs off the tables and prepared the small, cozy room. With a smile, I turning the closed sign to open and stepping behind the counter. Soon there would be the first customers, and I had some sweets to make.
***
“This is the best cupcake I’ve ever had!” a pink earth pony mare said to me as she turned to leave.
“Thanks, do come again!” I said back cheerfully. It was the third time in the first hour at work that I heard that comment. It was almost like my attitude had somehow found its way into my baking. My head instantly went to the future, a future where I might end up rich.
If every night is like last night, I will be.
Yep, definitely the honeymoon period.
Oh, shut up.
With that, I went back behind the counter and set a new tray of muffins into the oven. Those, however, were special ones. Basically, I made them because of last night. They tasted like blueberries, just like Aurora smelled.
You turned into a sappy one.
Maybe I just finally found something worth living for.
If she wanted to answer that, I would never know because in that moment the door opened and the mare that walked in stopped every thought of mine. I felt like my heart both stopped and was beating a mile-a-minute at the sight before me. My smile grew ten-fold and my body felt lighter than a feather.
Enjoy the day.
I can’t with you there.
Just tell her I went to sleep because my power is drained, or something like that.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. Without hesitation, I leaped over the counter and at Aurora, unfolding my wings to pull her into a deep embrace while kissing her directly on her lips.
“I missed you,” I mumbled quietly.
“So did I,” she said back as she nuzzled under my ear.
The action sent shivers up and down my spine. I felt giddy and excited, more so than a filly that just got her cutie mark. However, like all good things, it had to come to an end.
When she pulled back, I saw a look of longing in her eyes. She didn’t want to, but there was no choice, “We’re on lunch break. Lavender, this is Deep Blue. Deep Blue, this is my marefriend, Lavender Skies.”
I didn’t even notice that there was another pony with her. At the time, I don’t think I really cared either. However, if Deep Blue was a friend of Aurora, I’d make nice.
Shaking hooves with the light blue pegasus, I motioned them both to my ‘best’ table. I suddenly wished that I had a ‘best’ table. That being said, I did have a ‘best’ muffin, fresh too.
“I’ll bring you something fresh out of the oven, be right back!” I said and planted a quick peck on Aurora’s lips before going back behind the counter.
You are bouncing like a young filly.
I know.
I giggled as I thought that, not caring what she thought about my attitude. At that moment, nothing could bring me down. With a spring in my step and a song on my mind, I picked up a pot holder in my mouth and opened the oven, pulling out a fresh batch of muffins from the oven I started twenty minutes ago.
Placing them on top of the stove, I quickly looked around for my wing protection and put them on before grabbing the hot plate in my wings and turning it over, letting the muffins fall off the forms.
Be easier if I could just use my magic.
Remember the last time you tried that?
Yeah, the pony that saw it went into the closed section of the hospital after that.
I quickly pulled out a fresh plate out of the counter and stacked the muffins nicely on top of it. After all, presentation is important. With that, I turned back to Aurora and her friend, placing one down from my wings.
“They’re on me. I hope you like them, I tried a new recipe this morning.”
I placed another one down for her friend and stole a kiss from her before I noticed that a customer in another corner waved me over. Sighing, I had to leave Aurora alone. Another customer entered the shop as I was asked for a refill of coffee. What surprised me, was that the customer walked directly up to Aurora and poked her into her side with one wing.
Maybe it’s just another one from her work.
Look at that armor. She is definitely not one of the weather team.
I went back behind the counter and decided to watch them for a bit. They talked a bit and the purple pony with the armor soon sat down beside Aurora, talking eagerly with her.
She’s no threat, or Aurora wouldn’t talk with her that easily. She must be a friend.
I never asked how she could always see what was going on. I just assumed that she could see what her changelings could while connected to them. I looked up as another armored pony entered, but this time I went on alarm. This one was a bat pony, and I knew that those meant trouble.
The bat pony approached Aurora and the others, and after some conversation, the purple pegasus kissed the bat pony. For a reason I wasn’t quite aware of, I felt a sense of relief at that sight. Another couple of words were traded and the bat pony even lowered her head in what seemed like greeting at Aurora before speaking to the purple pegasus again. What followed was easy to hear, even from the distance.
“Star!” the bat pony shouted with a deep blush on her cheeks, which was fairly visible thanks to her dark coat.
I decided to ignore them and concentrate on my work once more, setting up more coffee and some more muffins. A customer behind Aurora and the others waved for his muffins, and I sighed before picking up the tray. I had to pass Aurora, and couldn’t help but overhear some of their conversation.
“Yep. You can visit me whenever you want. Maybe all four of us can do something together sometimes?” Aurora just said, “I don’t think Lavender would have anything against it.”
The purple pegasus laughed and turned to the bat pony, “Her marefriend.”
“Don’t tell me that Lavender Skies, the best confectioner in Manehattan, maybe even the world, is your marefriend?” the bat pony asked.
I could see Aurora nod and the bat pony suddenly squealed, “Oh, you have to introduce me some time! I love her recipes, every single one of them!”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said just as I passed them, but couldn’t help but stop for a second and give Aurora a small kiss.
“You two are so sweet!” I heard the bat pony say just as I continued on my way.
“Thanks. Now, tell me, how do two Lunar Guards come to marry each other?” Aurora asked just before I was out of hearing reach and I nearly lost my balance.
Those two mares are Lunar Guards? And they are married?
You act like marriage should just be reserved for you and Aurora.
I blushed, but never answered that as I reached the table and placed the muffin down in front of the customer.
On the way back to the counter, I couldn’t help but steal glances back at Aurora. I knew it was a lot to ask, but part of me was jealous that I couldn’t join her. Not yet, anyway. I wanted to close shop so I could join her for lunch, but as they said, duty calls.
Yeah, duty can take a flying leap off a cliff for all I care.
I surprised her by jumping in the booth and wrapping her in my wings. She looked at me with a questioning look at what I was doing. I knew she was worried about us being caught. With a smile, I lightly nibble on her ear before whispering, “She’s asleep, don’t worry.”
I could feel the eyes of the others on us, I didn’t really care though. This was a moment I was stealing from my day. I kept lightly biting her ear, enjoying her squirming in my hooves..
The bat pony nudged her wife and pointed at the clock on the wall, “We should get going. Morning Dew, Lavender Skies, Deep Blue, it was nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll meet again,” she said and gave Aurora a wink.
“Yep. Oh, and come by if you got some time,” the purple pegasus smirked and passed Aurora a small note with something scribbled on it.
Aurora grabbed the note but I quickly took it from her, smiling, “We’d love to,” I said.
I noticed Aurora’s worried gaze on me, so I nibbled at her ear again before whispering, “Sounds like fun.”
Sadly, I had to work some more, so I got up to head back to the counter and put the note up. The sudden feathery touch on my flank startled me, and I let out a quiet ‘eep’ in response, but then I noticed that it was Aurora. With a devious grin directed at her, I continued on my way.
She just bought another sweet night.
Ugh… don’t make me puke in your mind.
Someone’s jealous.
I’ve had more lovers in the last two years then you will ever have in your life.
As I said; jealous.
She didn’t reply to that, confirming my belief. Sure, she might have had more lovers than me, but there was a difference between having random sex with others, and having sex with one you love. I loved Aurora, which was something I knew she didn’t have.
With a smile on my lips, I put the note in the cash register for later and took a few more orders. Each time I did my best to be nice and friendly to each pony that came into the shop, but secretly I just wanted to be back at Aurora’s table.
Then, at last, like a gift from above, the last customer at the counter turned and left with a smile and a nice tip in my tip jar. I looked around, every chair either had a satisfied customer or was empty. Taking this time for myself, I went back over to the one place I wanted to be with a joyful hum in my throat.
Aurora turned and looked at me just before I jumped into the booth where she sat and cuddled against her while running a hoof around her neck. My other hoof played with the fur of her chest and I kissed the side of her muzzle. I did everything to show her my affection. She turned to me and I could see that she was happy. Her hoof moved up and stroked my coat before playing with a few strands if my mane. We both had to grin.
“Get a room, you two!” Deep Blue called out.
Aurora looked at her teammate before turning back to me, “How much time we got?” she asked pretty seriously.
Deep Blue and I laughed, but Aurora stayed serious. She had really meant her question. Just as I wanted to answer, the door opened and a new couple of customers walked in. I had nearly forgotten that it wasn’t my break.
I got up slowly to take the orders, but it was a bit hard since Aurora clinged on to me with a frown on her face. As I walked to the counter, I was careful to flick my tail a bit stronger than usual so she could get a nice view of something that should keep her happy.
At the counter, the customers gave me their orders and I gave them their wanted coffee to go and a few muffins. To my luck, those were just some quick orders, and soon they were gone. Before they could leave, I quickly made my way back to Aurora’s side.
“How is my Morning Dew doing on her first day, anyway?” I asked Aurora’s teammate and secretly ran a hoof over her lap.
“She’s been nothing but impressive. In thirty minutes she cleaned out an entire section of the sky. It was almost like she had some motivation to get it done. I’m beginning to get an idea of exactly what that was.”
I gave Aurora a cocky grin, but she kept an innocent expression. As Deep Blue looked out of the window, I quickly leaned in, “You were able to impress your teammates by thinking of me? Never thought that of you,” I whispered.
“What can I say, you’re great and beautiful motivation,” Aurora smirked.
“I’m gonna use the restroom before we head back,” Deep Blue said nonchalantly as she got up and made her way to the back room.
With Deep Blue gone for the moment, Aurora seemed to take her chance and locked her lips on mine. Her hooves played with my body and before long I moved my flank upon her lap. While we never broke the kiss, my hoof went down her stomach, but before I could really please her, the door opened and a new customer interrupted us.
I looked at her then. I suppose I should have sighed, that I should have been disappointed that our time was interrupted, but I wasn’t. I knew she had to go back soon and the little time we did have simply made me look forward to tonight that much more. I portrayed my feelings with the look of carnal lust I gave her, a look she was more than happy to return.
Getting up, I’m pretty sure I left a wet spot upon her leg. I didn’t really care though, and I seriously doubt she did either, “How can I help you?” I said to the new ponies that walked into the shop.
While taking their orders, I was more or less on autopilot. My body went through the motions, but my eyes were on one pony and one pony only. I knew I wouldn’t see her again until tonight, and wanted to savor it.
“You ready, Morning?” Deep Blue asked from behind Aurora as she came back from the bathroom. There was a noticeable change in her voice.
“Miss, I asked for cherry, not blueberry.”
“Oh, sorry sir,” I shook my head and looked down. Sure enough, I had grabbed a blueberry muffin instead of a cherry.
Aurora, my sexy distraction.
I swear I’m going to throw up.
Oh, shut up!
“Hey, Lavender!” Aurora suddenly shouted.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Grab a box of chocolates for my friend here, please. She has a hot date with her
marefriend tonight!” she called out with a wink.
I gave her an understanding smile, “I know just the one. And you know what? I will pack us some, too,” the wink from me at the end left no room for misunderstanding.
Grinning, I went into the small storage at the side of the counter and packed some red and pink sweets in two boxes. One I decorated nicely before going to Aurora and giving it to her, “There you are.”
“Thanks,” Aurora said and leaned in for a long kiss. As we broke, she gave me a loving smile, “I’ll see you this evening.”
As she left, I couldn’t help but feel alone and not quite as cheerful, but the thought of the evening and following night made me grin once more.
***
It’s funny, the morning flew by, the evening… not so much. I think it was because this morning I was riding high on the memory of last night, after lunch I was full of anticipation and desire. As such, I watched the clock a little more than I should have. Even burned a batch of muffins by accident.
She is a real distraction to you. I want her to do a job for me tonight.
What job?
Don’t worry, she will be safe.
However, nothing lasts forever, even torture by a slow moving clock comes to an end sooner or later. Later being the operative word here, “Finally,” I said as I saw the last few customers get up to leave and that it was time to go home. Giving the counters a final wipe down, I grabbed the keys and walked out behind them, turning the sign from open to closed before my gaze took hold on the pegasus just landing.
“Dew!” I shouted and leapt at her.
“Hey, beautiful,” she cooed as she hugged me close with her wings and peppered my muzzle with kisses.
“How was your first day at work?” I asked.
“Great! I loved it!” Aurora said as she leaned in for a long, deep kiss.
“I’m glad, because that is another anchor that makes sure that you’ll stay with me,” I said softly.
“I’d never leave you, Lavender,” was all Aurora said in reply.
I snuggled deep into her coat for a few moments before we broke apart, “Let me just lock the shop, then we can head home.”
I had a heavy heart as I looked at her, not yet moving to the door to lock it. Aurora seemed to sense something was wrong and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“She wants you to do something tonight,” I said with a frown.
Aurora said nothing, just looked confused at me. I was already sure that she would ask her about it, but I doubt that she would answer since she was ‘asleep’. To her credit though, Aurora didn’t try and deny it. That made me happy, at least I knew she wouldn’t lie to me.
I turned towards the door and closed it before locking it with the keys. As I turned back, my frown was gone and a lovely smile had replaced it, “It’s still a few hours away. So for now, let us forget about everything and use the time for just us.”
“So she’s still asleep?” Aurora asked.
“Yeah, thankfully,” was all I replied before unfolding my wings. I wanted to do something fun to relieve the gloom of whatever she wanted, “Race ya home!” I shouted.
I shot off in a blink, and I heard her giggling before following, “Hey! Not fair!”
There was a noticeable giddiness in my chest as I pulled off every trick I knew. At any time I expected her to catch me, to wrap me in her hooves and laugh at my pathetic attempts to get away from her. However, every time I thought she was going to catch up, I pulled away right before her hooves wrapped around me. With squeals of delight, I pushed myself harder and faster in flight than before.
When my house came into view, I gave it everything I had. I wanted her to catch me, and yet, I also wanted to win. The conundrum of the conflicting emotions caused me to squeal in delight, more so when my hooves finally touched down right in front of my door.
“I beat you!” I shouted as she landed next to me. I’m not a fool, I knew she let me win. The fact that I was panting and out of breath whereas she was simply smiling at me told me that much. It didn’t matter though, we both had fun.
“And now for your reward,” Aurora replied and peppered my face with kisses.
I squirmed and giggled in delight as her kisses peppered over my muzzle. I played liked I didn’t like it, but I did. I knew it and I knew she knew it too. The actions I took only inspired her to do more and more. However, before we went too far outside, I pulled away. Wanting to continue, but inside so we didn’t have to stop.
“C’mon, let’s go inside,” I said.
I didn’t look back as I walked to the couch, my hips swaying side to side in ways that would have been appropriate on a catwalk. When my eyes drifted in the direction of the bedroom, I decided that it was too far away. After all, we did that yesterday and we did have a perfectly good couch just a few hooves away.
I flapped my wings and landed on the couch, my hooves spread in just a way to communicate what I wanted without having to say a word. Aurora has always been a smart mare and now was no exception. She caught onto what I wanted and did likewise, landing with her head upon my chest and our back hooves intertwined together.
My wing came up all by itself and wrapped her closer to me. I could feel her warmth as she rose and fell with my breathing. It was everything I had wanted, everything I imagined it could be. It was like living a dream you never wanted to wake up from.
“I missed you,” I said as I started to rub her shoulders with a hoof. I could feel the tension of the day melt away under my touch. Sure, I had my own stresses, but helping her helped me in more ways than I could count. I want this when we came home each day, just time for us to be us, to be together.
Even still, I couldn’t help myself. My feather start running a little lower upon her flank, moving to more fun areas that showed this wasn’t all I wanted.
“I didn’t lie earlier,” Aurora said.
“About what?” I asked.
“It was you, when I was working today. When I did that stupid challenge, you were the one that got me through it. I just kept picturing you in my head, how happy you’d be if we got to have lunch together. That was all the motivation I needed.”
At those words, I raised her muzzle and kissed her on the lips. My hoof soon joined my feather in taking liberties with her body, my hoof ran across my chest, putting just the right amount of pressure to massage her sore muscles in the right way, while my feathers did a few… other things, a little lower.
“Well, if I’m your motivation, I’d better make sure I’m worth it,” I said with a smile.
“You already have, let’s… let’s stay like this for now,” Aurora said, surprising me. But if this was what she wanted, I would love to give her exactly that.
“Mhh, okay. But next time, you’re on!” I whispered softly, cuddling deeper against her.
I still kept my hoof playing with her coat, enjoying her deeply. Aurora feelable relaxed under my ministrations, and I couldn’t help but grin as soft coos started to leave her muzzle. I pressed at her wing joints and massaged the tangled and sore muscles.
I couldn’t resist, every chance I got I’d move just a little farther down, grabbing her toned flank with both hooves and giving it a good squeeze. However, it was up to her to go farther with that. As such, I moved back up to other muscle groups after giving myself a little thrill.
I frowned as I saw it coming. Her eyes started to close, her breathing became lower and lower. She even quit reacting in the same way when I’d squeeze her butt. She was falling asleep on me.
I thought only stallions had this problem.
Mares are just as bad.
Blushing, I gave in to the inevitable and started to help her along, my massaging became less and less deep, moving to nothing more than a light massage until I was sure she was fast asleep.
“Sweet dreams, Aurora,” I said as I held her tight in my hooves. My wings fully enclosed around her, giving her the best sleep I could.
Who would’ve thought that I would soon join her in sleep, so I was pretty surprised as my eyes started to drop in my comfortable position.
***
As I awoke, everything was quiet, the sound of Aurora’s breath missing. Opening my eyes, I saw that she was gone. Before I could help myself, I jumped up in shock.
Calm down. She is doing the job, so go back to sleep.
What? Yeah, not gonna happen. I’ll wait for her so I can see if she’s hurt.
I told you she would be safe.
I never answered that. She had lied to me more than once, so I wasn’t about to simply trust her now.
The weight that evening had been bad, it had been me squaring off versus the clock, fighting every single second off the clock like that was the second that stopped me from being with Aurora. This was so much worse. This was me not knowing when she would come home, if she would come home.
I’ll never understand why the mind always fills in the unknown with the worst case scenario, but that was exactly what my mind was doing right then. I kept imagining her busted, her being attacked, hurt, killed, and me stuck here, not knowing.
Where is she?!
For the first time in my life, I hated not hearing her voice in my head. The hive hadn’t responded to anything I asked for the last thirty minutes. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Right then I went with bad, it meant her attention was elsewhere, it was on Aurora.
“Aurora’s in trouble,” I said to myself, “She needs my help, she’s hurt, she’s in danger, she’s going to die, I gotta… I gotta…”
Before I could ramble on some more, the door burst open. What stumbled in I didn’t recognize at first, it was a mix of plum and deep red.
“Lavender, I…”
I looked in horror as I saw the uncountable amount of deep cuts and bruises on her coat, blood covering most of it. Before I could even think of it, my mind snapped and I ran to her, tears running freely over my muzzle as I pulled her into my hooves, hugging her for all she was worth.
“Oww,” Aurora coughed out and I jumped back in shock that I had hurt her.
“You’re… you’re hurt,” I repeated sobbing.
She looked at me with a scared and worried expression. “Lavender, I…” she stopped and fell to the ground.
“Aurora!” I screamed and held her up, not caring that my coat turned slightly red. Without thinking, I picked her up in my magic and carried her to the bedroom. Despite her condition, she tried to talk again.
“Lavender, I…”
I shushed her immediately, “No talking,” With that, I started to levitate some washcloths and a bowl of water to me and began to clean her wounds and her coat. I felt her eyes on me, watching me the entire time. Yet, I didn’t look back, I didn’t return the stare, I couldn’t. If I did, I’d break down into her hooves, and she needed to be cleaned before any infections could set it.
YOU TOLD ME SHE WOULD BE SAFE!
My mind rampaged, but I never got an answer while I continued to clean Aurora. It was like she was gone, or simply shocked. I turned her around and on her stomach so I could clean her back and wings, which were in a bad state. Pieces of glass were between the feathers and even in some parts of her muscles, I carefully removed all of them. At her flank, I hesitated.
“Lavender, tonight…” Aurora said with a pause.
“What?” I asked.
“The job I had to do. It was about us.”
“About us? You mean she told you that she knows?” I asked and pressed the washcloth harder against her flank.
“Yeah,” she nodded weakly
“That miserable little…” I scowled out loud.
YOU BUCKING PLAYED WITH US!
Again, no answer.
“What?” Aurora asked.
I focused on her, “This morning… she woke me up while you were gone. She told me she knew about us, and if I would continue to play her game, she would let us have a family. She said she wouldn’t kill you in the end…”
“She played with us both…” Aurora whispered.
“What did she make you do?” I asked with venom in my voice, wanting to know just what was so bucking important to risk Aurora’s life like this.
“That’s the funny thing. Had I known what the task was, she wouldn’t have had to make me do anything. I would have done it on my own,” Aurora said bitterly.
“What was it?” my voice quivered.
“You were being investigated. A pony, Best Pic, he had pictures of you, of you and your green eyes, using magic. He suspected that you were a changeling.”
“My cover’s blown?” I was shocked.
“I destroyed all the evidence I could find and killed him.”
I dropped the towel at that, my magic simply fainting in surprise, “You… you killed him?”
“He went quick, peacefully in his sleep. Had I known…” Aurora’s voice was hurt, low, nearly a whisper. She wasn’t proud of her actions, but she did it for me.
Without hesitation, I pressed my muzzle into her coat, holding her just tight onto me. The tears were flowing freely again, staining Aurora’s freshly cleaned coat. She started to cry too before turning silent.
“I love you.”
I stopped dead in my tracks, stopped breathing in shock about what was said. I didn’t have a clue who had said it. Wasn’t sure if I had said it.
It was her, I realized with a blink.
“I love you, I love you so bucking much it hurts. He was a threat to you, so I killed him. I’ll kill anyone that threatens you, Lavender. I can’t… I could never bear to see you hurt. I… I…”
I shut her off with a kiss. A kiss that poured every single one of my feelings for her into it. Everything I wanted to say. After a while, I pulled back and smiled at her.
“I love you, too.”
I said the words, meaning every word, every syllable. I did love her, and she loved me. I knew then that she was everything I had ever wanted in a mate, in a lover, in a wife. She was perfect, she was protective, she was caring, and kind. She had killed somepony because he was a threat, a threat to me, to us, to what we could have.
My mind was made up right then and there, I wanted to have a family with her, a real family. However, I didn’t know how she would feel about it. It might be too much for her, too fast. Still, no risk, no reward.
I held her against my coat when I asked with some hesitation, “Aurora, do you want to start a family with me?”
She looked at me, surprise in her gaze, but also love, “Didn’t we want to wait a bit more?”
“We said that, yes. But I’m certain about it now,” I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips once again against hers. Before long, I pulled away and asked her again, “Do you want to start a family with me?”
She hesitated only for a moment, “I would love to,” she whispered and drew my lips into a kiss that let my heart and feelings sparkle with passion.
I woke up early in the morning as the first rays of sun tickled my muzzle. Looking up to the clock I sighed. Barely an hour until I had to get to work. Lavender was softly slumbering at my side, a smile on her face.
I was a bit worried that the queen never said or did anything since we revealed her double game, but I also knew that I would defend my family with my life. Thinking about last night and that our child would now grow, it made me smile and happy. Really happy.
I spent the next few minutes just lying there, watching her in her sleep. My eyes took in each and every detail of the changeling I grew to love. I watched as she took a deep breath in her sleep, her stomach rising and falling as she breathed in and out.
I couldn’t help myself. All on its own, my hoof found its way to her belly, imagining what she’d look like when she started to get bigger with our egg. I pictured her growing and growing, the mark of our love becoming bigger and bigger as her body nourished our foal.
I smiled at the thought that another mare would give birth to my foal. A year ago, it would have been ridiculous to even think of such a thing. Now, I kinda knew how stallions must have felt when they knock up a mare. It was amazing to me that she was capable of doing that, especially with me being a mare.
I must have pressed too hard as she opened her eyes and looked at me, a smile upon her face, “Morning, my love,” she said.
“Morning, sweetheart,” I said back, a smile to match her own on my lips.
She leaned forward for a kiss. I had no doubt that my breath was not the best thing to smell in the morning, but if she took notice, she gave no sign.
A poof sound came from behind me as my wings betrayed how I felt. She giggled a little at the sight, “Is that because of little old me?”
“What do you think?” I replied as I jumped up on her and pinned her hooves to the bed. She smiled and giggled, putting up a token defence.
“Aurora!” she shouted.
“Oh, now you're mine,” I replied as I started to plant kisses up and down her muzzle, enjoying the feeling of her writhing and squirming underneath me.
When she stopped moving, I pull back, worried I might have overdone it. However, all I saw was a smile on her face as she looked at me.
That look, I love that look.
It was her turn to surprise me. She reached up and kissed me again, “Think we have time?” she asked.
Every single fiber in my body wanted to say either ‘yes’, or ‘who gives a buck’, sadly, the clock and my better nature got the best of me. With a sigh, I had no choice but to say, “No, sadly.”
She looked at me with what I thought would be confusion or disbelief. Instead, all I saw was love. Love that was somehow directed at me, “Tonight?” she asked.
Like it’s a real question.
“Of course. Or maybe I could stop by for lunch?” I asked with a wink and a grin.
“Oh, a nooner sounds like fun,” she replied with that same smile.
I’d kill Celestia for that smile.
I kissed her again a few more times before I actually got off. As I made my way into the bathroom, I caught her stealing glances at my flank from the corner of my eyes. With a smile and a grin, I added a little more bounce to my step, letting her get a good look at everything she wanted to see.
Sadly, all good things. I was left with no choice but to turn the corner and began my morning routine.
After relieving myself, grabbing my toothbrush and a comb, I went to work at the mirror when I heard a sound that I’d never forget to the day I die. It was the most delightful hum coming from Lavender. The mare was almost singing as she made the bed and cleaned up the room, waiting for her turn to use the restroom. I won’t lie, my heart was in my throat as I listened to it.
Is this really my life?
It seemed surreal, I finally understood all those sappy love songs, all those looks other couples in love would give each other as they went about their way. I felt like I was crying at the thought. Like it was simply too good to be true.
It took me a minute to realize that I was crying, that I was so happy I was crying about it. Spitting out the toothpaste, I started to giggle a little at the absurdity of it all. Here I was, a forced, transmuted half-breed changeling, who fell in love with another changeling, was starting a family with her, and I was so happy that I was crying about it.
I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
The thought didn’t cause me distress. Quite the opposite, in fact. It caused my smile to grow as I finished my mane and made my way out the door, following the noise down the hallway and to the kitchen.
“I’m making waffles, how would you like yours?” Lavender asked.
“Caneighdian maple syrup?”
“Sure thing,” she said back.
I watched her as she cooked, smiling like a doofus all the while. She was cooking me breakfast, my pregnant marefriend was cooking me breakfast. Not because I asked her to, or because it was some role we had agreed upon, but just because she wanted to. Because she thought it would make me happy.
It did, but not because of what she did, but because she was happy doing it. Had she asked, had she not started, I would have done it, gladly, because it would make her happy. The hive couldn’t be more far away at the moment.
I just hope it is a good sign that she didn’t try to contact us since last night.
“If you’re going to stand there, you can set the table,” Lavender said as she looked at me, a small giggle on her face.
“Oh, yeah, right,” I said back, unaware I had been looking at her that long. Being lost in my thoughts had its downsides, it seemed. With a nod, I went to the cabinet and grabbed two plates and some flatware.
“Don’t forget the syrup, too,” she called out.
“Got it,” I replied, grabbing the syrup and taking it all to the table.
I was only in there for another minute before she brought out a stack of waffles and dumped two-thirds of them on my plate. I looked down at them and back up at her, “You trying to make me fat?” I said in jest.
She laughed at me, “Of course not, but you do have the more physical job, and besides, I think you forget I’m in a confectionary all day.”
“Oh, are you going to get a sweet tooth?” I asked, playfully.
“Maybe,” she replied back with a smile.
“I can’t wait to feed my pregnant little changeling some strawberries dipped in chocolate icing,” I said in a laugh.
“Aurora!”
“I’ll place them in my muzzle first and make you fish them out, using only your tongue.”
“Why just your muzzle?” she asked with a smile and a blush.
“Oh, naughty mare.”
It amazed me how time just flew when you least wanted it to. I swear to this day we were only talking for a few minutes, yet the clock said differently, “Aurora, you better head out.”
I looked up, sure enough I had twenty minutes to get to work, “How in the heck?”
“Will I see you at lunch?” she asked.
“Still want that nooner, huh?” I asked with a laugh.
“Eleven thirty, come by the back entrance.”
The smile on her face told me the answer to that question. My wings shooting up behind me gave her her answer back.
She laughed at me, “Now get going.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied back.
I left the house with a song on my lips and a spring in my step. Closing the door behind me, I spread my wings wide and took off into the day sky. Noting with some dismay that the cloud cover was a bit rougher than I remembered, a sign that we might have rain today.
I gotta remember to check the weather report for the rest of the week.
I was humming on my flight to work that day. My thoughts full of the mare that won my heart, the one I was starting a family with, that I was starting a life with. There was an old saying I heard a long time ago; happiness attracts happiness. That saying proved itself true when I arrived at work. Everypony, and I mean everypony, just seemed happy.
Although, the first thing that happened to me was being accosted by Deep Blue as she grabbed my hoof and dragged me into a side room.
“Deep Blue, what the hay?”
She shut the door behind us and turned to look at me, a pissed expression on her face.
“Oh, oh. That bad?” I asked, uncertainty written upon my muzzle.
She pounced on me, wrapping me up in her hooves and squeezing my neck as hard as she could, “Thank you!”
“Oh, that good?” I asked back with a laugh.
“Let’s just say, April had to call out today,” she said with a grin.
“She’s not sick?” I asked, worried.
“More like worn out,” she said with a laugh.
“You dog!” I replied with a laugh.
“She said it’s my turn tonight,” Deep Blue said in a blush.
“Good thing you have the weekend to recover,” I replied with a laugh.
“Oh, I can’t wait. I’ll tell you, Dew, I have no idea what was in the chocolate, but wow, did it work like a champ. Can I get more of that?”
“Deep Blue, it wasn't the chocolate, it was you making the effort that did it.”
“Yeah, I’m making the effort to get more chocolate.”
I laughed at that, “Okay, fine, I’ll bring some back when I met Lavender for lunch.”
“Oh, can I go, too? I’d love to tell her thanks in person.”
“Uhh… not today,” I replied with a blush, “Maybe tomorrow?”
“Oooohhhhh,” Deep grinned, “I understand.”
A knock on the door interrupted our conversation, “Hey, you two, we got a storm to get prepared.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I replied, “we’re coming.”
We both left the room to see all the other ponies looking at us, they were giving us a stare that asked if we were doing something naughty together, “Cut it out, we were just talking.”
“Sure, talking,” Blueberry meamed quotation with her wings.
“I got a marefriend,” I said back.
“So do I, Blueberry, shut up,” Deep Blue said with a grin.
“Alright everyone, stop screwing around, we gotta get to work,” Lightning Bolt said, “You can tease the newbie later. We’ve got a storm to prepare.”
I watched as Lightning started to pair off everypony for the day’s assignment. With a smile, I looked around seeing all the happy faces grinning despite the rainstorm that was due in today. My smile turned into a frown as I saw a new face, somepony I didn’t remember from yesterday.
I walked over to introduce myself, “Hi, I’m Morning Dew,” I said with an extended wing and a friendly expression.
“Are you?” she said back with a huff before turning away from me.
“What in the…”
“Dew, I see you’ve met High Spirits. She just started today, I’m going to have her added to yours and Blue’s team today so you can learn together,” Lightning said.
I turned to her, the yellow pegasus with the pink mane and two big cloud cutie mark just glared back, leaving me with the feeling of somepony walking over my grave.
“Alright, you two, let’s get going. We’ve gotta take care of the south today!” Deep Blue said as she joined us.
“How far south?” High Spirits asked.
“Just to the edge of the city,” Deep Blue replied.
High Spirits seemed a bit disappointed and stepped closer to me, “Next time,” she said before turning away.
As she came closer, I got that familiar, odd chill feeling in my chest and cursed.
She’s a changeling.
As we set out to the south, I kept her in my sights, glaring at her, trying to figure out why she was there, why she was sent to me.
What game are you playing now?
There was no answer, much to my surprise, since I knew how much she loved to play with me and Lavender.
We did everything you wanted us to do!
Still nothing. Furious, I completely missed when Deep Blue called out my name for the third time, “Dew!” she shouted at me as she waved a hoof in front of my face.
“What?!” I replied, causing her to jump back, “Sorry,” I said, “I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay,” Deep Blue replied, uncertainly in her voice at my sudden snap, “I was just saying I want you to head west. I’ll take High Spirits and start on the east.”
“Actually, why don’t I show her how it’s done,” I replied with the friendliest smile I could.
“You sure? I mean you just started and…”
“It’s fine, I know what to do. I am a natural, after all,” I said.
She looked at me again, “Okay, come get me if you have any questions, though.”
“Sure thing, boss!” I replied jokingly as she flew off. I could tell by the speed she was going that Deep Blue knew something was wrong, something was off, but she trusted me for now.
As soon as she was out of range I turned to High Spirits, who was simply looking at me with an ‘I don’t give a buck’ face, “What are you doing here?” I asked in a growl.
“I’m just here to learn how to be a weather pony,” she replied.
“Don’t lie to me. What are you really doing here?” I tried again with a snarl.
“Why, Aurora, I have no idea what you're going on about,” she said with a devilish grin as she went to work.
I didn’t let her, and grabbed her to yank her back, “I want some answers now, or I choose here and now that you are a threat to my family,” It was no empty threat, if she wanted to hurt Lavender or our child she would be gone.
A green aura popped right in front of me, causing me to fly back a few hooves. I blinked three times, trying to clear my vision without losing track of this changeling. It was for naught, she had no intention of going anywhere, “What? Did you think she’d let you get away with it? You’re right, Aurora, I am here on her command, and she is not happy, not happy by a long shot.”
“We did everything she wanted!” I yelled.
“Did you? You didn't keep your end of the bargain, Aurora. She told me the deal you two got, sounds pretty sweet if I’ve ever heard of one before, and you couldn’t live up to it. She offered you a family, freedom, after a fashion anyway. All you had to do was play along.”
“Why isn’t she talking to us directly?” I asked.
“At the point you two chose to simply ignore her and create your family, you destroyed the connection to the hive. It is sad to admit, but she can’t see or reach you two anymore,” she said with a pout before grinning, “But for that, she got me and others.”
“You do realize that I know that there aren’t many changelings in this town?”
“If you would like to continue thinking that, go ahead,” High Spirits laughed.
“I’ll kill you if you get near Lavender.”
“Oh, little old me? No, you see, I’m just the messenger.”
“What is she planning?” I growled.
“Hey, you two, get to work already!” Deep Blue shouted as she turned around to find out what was holding us up.
“Sure thing, boss!” High Spirits called out as she started to fly off to the west.
I followed, not wanting her to get anywhere away from me. However, what I heard next caused the blood in my veins to freeze.
High Spirits, the changeling, she was whistling the same song Lavender had been humming that morning.
I stopped dead, my eyes went as wide as dinner plates as realization hit me like a ton of bricks, “No,” the word escaped my lips as I took off back north, heading at full speed for Lavender’s shop.
Laughter echoed behind me, followed shortly by a rainstorm.
My wings burned with the effort of getting to Lavender's shop. I felt my muscles protesting from the effort, some of my feathers falling off from the rough treatment I was putting them through. The wind lashed against my face, the water impacting my skin like lashes of a whip.
I welcomed it, all of it, but especially the pain.
The pain was my wake up call, my penance for being so stupid, for thinking I could finally let my guard down, for trusting her like I had. I had no idea what I would find when I got to the shop, but that didn't stop me. I knew she was alive, I just knew it. I knew it because the possibility of things being otherwise would have caused me to give up. I couldn’t even consider such an idea.
If I did, I would have cratered myself into the ground at full speed.
On purpose.
The black smoke in the distance almost caused me to do it anyway. I knew it was from her shop, I simply knew. Her shop was on fire, the changelings had set her shop on fire.
I doubled my efforts, pushing my wings beyond the point of simple exhaustion, beyond the point that tears and ruptures could be felt in my muscles.
In truth, I didn’t feel any of them. I could feel nothing at that moment. It was almost as if my heart had simply gone dead as soon as my eyes took in the smoke.
The smell hit me next. It was the smell of burned pastries, of burned cupcakes, of a burning future.
My love, my foal, everything. It was the smell of all of it burning to the ground.
The rainwater was causing me to cry out as my body made impact. They were stings that taunted me with the pain they caused. They should have been putting out the fire, that’s what rain does, is it not? Instead, they were hurting me, and worse, impeding my efforts.
I saw the shop burning from the side door. No doubt a kitchen fire. I didn’t even slow down, at the last second I wrapped my right wing over my face and pushed forward with my right hip. My body crashed through the front window with the speed of a train impacting a house. I collided with the tables, my head saved from the worst of it as I felt my shoulder dislocate from the impact.
I shot up, grateful and lucky that my wings still worked, “LAVENDER!”
My shout was almost drowned out by the sounds of fire. I could smell nothing but burning pastries, I could see nothing but smoke, I could feel nothing. Nothing at all, not even the heat of the fire.
“LAVENDER!” I shouted again and again, my lungs filling to the brim with smoke and heat.
I couldn't shout anymore, my coughing stole that right from me. I was deaf, dumb, and blind. However, I could still feel. So I did that. I landed, pain shooting up from my dislocated shoulder.
I blew it off and started walking, welcoming the pain, the pain meant I was still awake, still alive, still had a hope to find her.
Suddenly, a blue magical aura surrounded me and yanked me out of the shop.
My shouts of ‘no’ went unheeded, unheard, unspoken as I couldn’t speak. I simply kicked out, feeling the pain of my shoulder shooting through me once again.
“Relax!” A voice shouted from my side as I felt three ponies run up to me. They were each there for a different purpose. One of them wrapped a mask around my muzzle, to give me oxygen. The other saw to my eyes, and the last went to my hurt shoulder.
I kicked the first one off me. It took everything I had not to use my magic against him, not to transform, “Lavender!” I cried again, not letting them come near me.
“There’s nopony else in there!” the first one shouted again.
“No,” My eyes went wide with tears as my mind went to what that meant.
“No, there’s nopony else in there, dead or alive,” he corrected.
She must be… home… she has to be there...
I bucked the unicorn in the face and took off as quickly as I could. It wasn’t fast, and it hurt so much worse than on my trip over there. But I had seen that none of the rescue workers were pegasi, and only the one in charge was a unicorn. By disabling him, I was home free.
Quickly, I put all the power I had left into my wings. I could already see the house in the distance, or at least I believed so. I went as fast as I could, but two pegasi flew directly into my way and my choices were to crash into them or crash into a roof. Both were bad ideas on a good day, and this was not a good day.
Sadly, as to avoid them, I crashed straight into the next roof.
“Ouh, I think that must’ve hurt,” one of the blockers giggled as they stood at the hole I made in the roof. I could tell by the sounds of his voice that he was a stallion.
“Let’s hope we didn’t kill her, the queen’s got plans with her,” the other one, this time a mare, replied.
“It’s such a shame that we can’t kill her, Electric,” the stallion laughed as I looked up.
I really just wanted to buck them into their muzzles, maybe kill them. I assumed that they were the ones who set Lavender’s shop on fire, and I was kinda right.
“I think it is more of a shame that Lavender was late to work today. Would’ve been fun to burn her and their unborn foal,” the mare laughed and at those words, I just couldn’t hold myself back anymore.
With a growl I leapt at them, but they quickly sped out of the way. “Ah, ah, ah! You wouldn’t dare kill us as long as we have Lavender, right?” the stallion said.
“What?!” I shouted.
“And she’s not home,” they giggled.
Changelings, by their nature, feed on love. We leach off those in love like a parasite, like a sickness, growing stronger and stronger by it. If these fools made one mistake, it was not realizing a fundamental truth I didn’t even know at that time. While feeding on the love directed to others is fulfilling, feeding on love directed to you is a step beyond.
Green magic surrounded my form, surrounding my body with energy and hatred, enough to cause them both to take a small, yet noticeable step back.
“Where is she?” I asked with no small amount of venom in my voice.
“Oh, that’s the funny part of the story,” the mare laughed, “She ran off after we told her that you joined the queen’s ranks. You know what the best part is? She seemed to believe us!”
I snapped. And I didn’t even care about the consequences. Before they could react, I shot a blast against them. Not my most powerful, but with delight I saw that it burned them. It was the power of the love Lavender and I shared. Screaming, the mare went down and the stallion did the worst thing he could think of.
He attacked me.
That was his first mistake.
He did so by flying directly at me into the hole I had made into the roof.
That was his second.
He wouldn’t get a third.
I took his attack, he lashed out at me with his teeth. He clamped onto my dislocated shoulder with ease. What surprised me the most, or would have if I thought about it anyway, was that it didn’t hurt. Either that or I simply didn’t care about something as pathetic as pain right then.
My left hoof found his jaw in less than a second to bump him away, followed by a blast that was slightly more powerful than the last one. With surprise, but also a smile, I noticed that he burned completely this time.
The smell of charred flesh filled my nostrils this time around. It was the smell of victory.
Of course, that still left the main issue. I flapped my wings to test their condition. They hurt, a lot, but I could still fly. With three more beats, I flew out of the hole and went looking for his partner in crime.
She was trying to crawl away along the ground, seeking whatever sanctuary she could away from the one that had hurt her so.
My bulk landed on her front hoof with a rather satisfying snap. I heard her scream, I saw fear in her eyes as she looked up at me. That only served to fuel my fury, everything was red, as red as the fire had been at Lavender’s shop.
I brought my hoof up and was about to slam it down upon her skull.
I stopped. It wouldn’t help me find her. That had to be the first thing, that had to come first, nothing else mattered.
I placed my hoof down and leaned next to her ear, “I’ll ask you one time only, where is Lavender?” My voice left no doubt that was it, it was answer my question or die.
“I can’t disobey the queen,” she stammered.
I sighed, “At least tell me your name before you die.”
“E-E-Electric Blue,” the mare quivered, “Please, don’t kill me. I only do what she or Nightjar tells me!”
“Nightjar?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“The stallion with me. He is one of her commanders,” she whispered, as if she was afraid to tell me, “Oh no! she knows that I told you.”
Well, he was one of her commanders.
I knew what would happen next. But somehow, I didn’t care. Turning around, I was about to spread my wings and take off again before a thought crossed my mind. I turned back to the mare, seeing a look of pure fear in her eyes as the queen teased her with her fate.
“Tell me, and I’ll kill you before she does. My way will be a lot quicker.”
“2950 Celestia Boulevard!” The mare screamed out as the queen’s punishment was delivered in force.
My hoof came down next, cracking her skull and ending her suffering. I couldn't help but feel a bit bad about her. If she had told the truth, she was in the same state I was at my time with the hive. Simply a mare to play for the queen and the other changelings. At least she would never suffer again.
My journey to the named address was slightly more cautious, that they had her alive was a sign that they wanted to keep her alive. However, they were also expecting me. I knew both of those things, as there was not a doubt in my mind that they would be expecting me.
It was the only reason not to kill her, after all. To get to me.
That made me angry. That was the deal, I was hers to use as long as Lavender stayed safe. Why had she done this? Simply because she lost her connection to us? It had to be more than that. I knew I was getting close when I saw two more ‘pegasi’ making their way to me.
Pegasi, yeah right.
To their credit, they seemed smarter than the last, or at the very least informed of my temperament. They simply flew to my sides, escorting me down below. I followed as there was no reason not to, after all, it was where I needed to go anyway.
My jaw almost hit the ground when I saw two more pegasi in front of the door. One I recognized almost immediately: High Spirits.
“Wow, you look like shit,” she said with a laugh.
“You should see the other two,” I replied back with a deadpain expression. They recoiled at my comment, no doubt informed of how I dispatched two of their number with such ease despite my condition.
“So I’ve heard. Let’s see, I believe introductions are the right way to start this off. This here is Silver Speed, and the two next to you are Steam Roller and Rosewing.”
My gaze never left High Spirits. I didn’t even acknowledge the existence of the others, “Where. Is. She?” the words left my muzzle though grunts of indignation.
“Lavender’s safe, Aurora. Relax before you drop dead on us.”
“Why should I?”
“Because we’re not all your enemy,” High Spirits said with a smile, causing me to pause.
“What?” the stallion behind me suddenly shouted.
High Spirits sighed, “Rosewing, would you show Steam Roller our plan?”
Rosewing didn’t talk, the pale yellow mare simply shot the stallion where he stood with her magic. He didn’t even scream when he died.
“What the hell is going on here?” I asked.
“The queen didn’t just lie to you. She is building her hive once again, but there are a few mares that decided to opt out. We found ways to ignore, or at least weaken her presence enough so that she can’t kill us. We just didn’t use it until now,” High Spirits frowned, “Mares were always only servants for the hive, and most of us just wanted a family and a life. Just like Lavender and you,” she added with a smile.
I was more confused than ever before, “Where is she?”
“Inside, she’s sleeping. We saved her from Nightjar and the others. Sadly, there are still a few left in this town that are serving the queen. And next time, spare the mares. Electric Blue was one of us,” High Spirits looked at me with a sad expression and I swear, for a moment, I saw a tear running down her muzzle.
I didn’t know why I said what I said next, “I did, the queen was going to torture her to death, I put her out of her misery.”
Rosewing scowled at that, “I told you that she wasn’t ready, High! I told you that she wasn’t strong enough to keep the connection to her weak enough! Now look what you’ve done!”
The atmosphere changed at that, “Don’t you think to tell me that it is my fault! She wanted to be a part of the plan, and I’m surely not happy that my mate is gone!”
I perked up at that, “Hey, we are on the same side, from what I’ve figured out, so let’s save all our anger for the Queen.”
They paused in their bickering and then the strangest thing happened. High Spirits walked up and hugged me, “Thank you,” she said.
I was taken aback by that, “For what?”
“I’ve… I’ve seen the queen punish one of us to death before. It’s,” she was crying at that point, “If she had to die, I’m glad you made it quick.”
“There’s just one problem,” I said, “She didn’t have to die. Why did you…”
“I’m sorry,” she replied, wiping a tear from her eye, “We had to keep up the facade. I had to go through with the queen’s plan. I know I probably made you worry, I’m sorry.”
I nodded in understanding, although there was one thing I still needed an answer for, “Why us? Why did you risk so much for us?”
Rosewing took that one, “Like she said, we’ve all learned to keep the queen out to one degree or another, but you two did something we thought was impossible. You two severed the connection totally. If we ever want true freedom, if we ever want our own lives, we have to learn how you did that.”
“I… I don’t know what to say, I have no clue how we did it.”
“We’ll talk about it later, I think you have a certain mare waiting for you,” Silver said.
My head did a double take as I realized that they had all moved to the side. My heart skipped a beat as I went to run forward, only to stumble when I tried to place weight upon my dislocated shoulder. High Spirits caught me in her wing and helped me up, “No need to kill yourself,” she said with a smile.
“Can you blame me?” I asked.
There was a haunted look in her eye as she took in my meaning, “No.”
Together, we walked into the building. High Spirits doing her best not to cry from her loss, me doing my best not to cry from the pain of my wounds. Pain that was picking now to remind me just how injured I was… again.
She’s going to kill me. The thought almost made me laugh. If I wasn’t sure it would hurt like hell, I would have let myself laugh.
As we walked into the door, my heart almost stopped when I looked upon the most beautiful face I could ever see in my life.
“Lavender.”
She wiped a tear from her eye as she smiled at me, “You… you numbskull.”
The next I felt was her smell in my nostrils and then her weight as she jumped on me. I didn’t care about my injuries at that moment, I simply loved her being near me.
I didn’t know if the tears hitting my coat were mine or hers, I didn’t care either. They were our tears, “I love you, I love you so much,” I sobbed the words out.
“I love you, too,” she cried and cried.
That is settled. Leaves only one thing.
“What’s the plan now?`” I asked High Spirits, who was smiling at the display.
I nodded in agreement before smiling at Lavender, “Looks like our family just got bigger.”
The first rays of sunlight penetrated the night, causing me to stir and slowly open my eyes. Blinking a few times, I took my surroundings in. Lavender was laying at my side in peaceful slumber, and I had no intention of waking her.
Ever so slowly, I got up and made my way to the kitchen. My first glance was at the clock, telling me that I had barely an hour until work. The second was towards the door that led to the living room, where I could hear some soft snoring.
Carefully, I walked in just to find High Spirits sleeping on the sofa. For a few moments I had no idea why she was there, before it all came back to me. The whole day before.
She had agreed to stay here in case something happens.
High Spirits turned in her sleep before mumbled, "Electric Blue".
The name caused my veins to freeze as that memory came back. I had killed Electric Blue. It was to save her from a painful fate with the queen in the end, but still, I had killed High Spirit’s mate.
Quickly, I turned around and started to prepare breakfast in the kitchen. It was a wonder that High Spirits didn't hate me now. It wasn't something I was grateful for.
Something else came into my mind. After my actions at work that day, Lightning and Deep Blue would demand answers. I hoped that High had some sort of explanation ready, because I had nothing at all.
"Morning," High Spirits mumbled sleepily as she entered the kitchen.
"Good morning," I said back, trying to hide the emotions of what I had just finished thinking of.
"What's for breakfast? We gotta head out soon," she said with a glance at what I was doing.
"Just some sandwiches, Lavender is still asleep," I replied with a smile.
"That's fine. And don't worry about work. I talked with Deep Blue about it, and she had heard about the fire. She and Lightning won't judge you for yesterday. They said that they could understand your worry and panic.
"That's good," I sighed, "One less problem."
"I thought about Lavender's shop. We can rebuild it if we work together," High said with a smile, "It will take some work, but nothing we couldn't do together. And now that we're on your side, the queen will think twice before trying to hurt you two."
"We still have to be careful," I reminded her as I sat the plateful of sandwiches down, just in time for Lavender's sleepy muzzle to show up in the door.
"Good morning, beautiful," I greeted her, quickly followed by a long and passionate kiss.
"Good morning to you, too," she giggled back sleepily.
I saw it out of the corner of my eye when I kissed Lavender, the hurt on High Spirit’s face. I didn’t know how she didn’t hate me, how she didn’t try and kill me. Had our situations been reversed, I would hate her with all my being.
It was the last placed I wanted to look, but my eyes were simply drawn to hers. High had a look of such pain in her eyes, but there was something else there, something beyond pain.
She’s a better mare than I could ever hope to be.
“Are you going to be in trouble for leaving work early?” Lavender asked.
I was startled by the question almost as much as I was thankful for the distraction. I turned to Lavender and said, “No, they know about the fire. We should be fine.”
She turned to High, "And what about yesterday? Won't there be any questions? I doubt that anything you did managed to stay a secret."
That was something I hadn't thought about until that moment. I might have been able to stay disguised, but using my magic in the middle of the town seemed suicidal when I thought back.
“Are you okay?” Lavender asked me. I should’ve guessed that she’d see the worry upon my face.
I laughed at that, “It’s not me I’m worried about.”
“I am,” she replied.
“The events of yesterday are already being taking care of,” High stated, causing me to look at her, shocked.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The queen may be a total bitch, but she’s smart. Some of our targets are disguised as high ranking ponies in this town. Let’s just say that they’ll go out of their way to keep any traces of changelings from hitting the news.”
"High ranks? So that means we could have other problems really soon?" Lavender asked with concern in her eyes.
“Yes, but not right away. She’s not stupid. They won’t make any moves after such a public event. She’ll wait for things to calm down, for ponies to forget.”
“So one day they’ll show up with guards and arrest us all?” I asked.
“If we wait that long,” High confirmed.
“But why didn’t she,” I paused in my question.
What was the real reason she sent me after that news pony? Why did she have me target him if she could just silence him at the clop of a hoof?
Only one reason. She was just playing hergame.
Shaking off the troubling thought, the thought that I might have killed a pony without reason, without it being necessary for Lavender’s safety, I turned back to my sandwich.
Lavender seemed to sense this and started rubbing a hoof down my back, "We will make it through this, together," she reassured me with a loving gaze.
Somehow, I believed her. If I had to guess, I’d say it was that face, the way her eyes just reflected the truth of the world, no… it was deeper than that. In truth, I didn’t see her eyes, I didn’t see her face, I didn’t see the disguise she wore, I simply saw her, I saw who she was under the disguise, who she really was.
My smile soon matched hers.
"How's our egg doing?" I asked her softly while nuzzling her, causing High Spirits to gasp behind us.
“You’re… you’re… you’re,” she mumbled, unable to fully articulate her question.
"Yes, I am," Lavender said with a smile before kissing me, "It's fine, and will start to grow soon."
I couldn’t help myself. Scooting our chairs that much closer, I placed my hoof over her stomach, hoping that I could feel something, anything to show the life we created together.
"It's too early for that," she giggled, but held my hoof where it was.
“This… this… didn’t you two just meet?” High asked, finally finding her tongue.
"We already met years ago in the hive. I was just too blind to see her," I replied with a smile.
"You two don't have any clue what will happen once that foal is born," High mumbled.
"I thought changeling newborns are simple drones?" Lavender asked with a raised eyebrow.
“She won’t be a drone, she’ll be a half-breed. That means she’ll be able to have children,” High stated.
“So?” Lavender asked.
“Children, plural. As in not limited to one. And because she was born as she is, she’ll be able to mate with anyone, not just stallions,” High sighed, "She will be the perfect half breed, the perfect balance of the two species. Something the queen is afraid of."
That caused me to think of something, something that sent a chill through my spine, “Will she be able to control our daughter?”
"She thinks so. But I doubt that. Even with the changeling blood from Lavender in her, her other half will always be you, and the queen just can't control you."
That caused me a huge sense of relief, still, it did mean that she would be in our daughter’s head, she would be speaking to our daughter. There was a renewed sense of urgency in trying to figure out how we could break others from her control.
"Why do you keep calling it a her? We don't know if it’s a colt or a filly yet," Lavender exclaimed.
"A mare fertilizing a mare's egg. I'm pretty sure that she will be a filly," High huffed.
I turned to Lavender and smiled, in truth I didn’t care if we had a colt or a filly, but knowing what it was going to be, it made me smile, “We’re going to have a little filly.”
"Ugh, Celestia help us. Do you have any idea how bad her first heat will be?" Lavender asked me with mocked dramatics.
That caused me to giggle. In truth, I had no idea, not having been a changeling when I first went through it. ut still, as strange as it sounded, I was looking forward to it. I was looking forward to helping her with everything. The good and the bad, “We’ll deal with it together,” I said with a kiss, “But first, we need to deal with your shop.”
“My shop?” Lavender asked.
“Rebuilding it,” I replied, “Unless… you don’t want to?”
“I want to, but how? I saved some bits, but they will barely be enough for new furniture, not the whole building,” she replied.
“That’s where Rosewing, Silver Speed and I come into play. We know every single account the queen uses for their extra bits. And we will take them,” High Spirits smiled evilly.
“Make her pay for her own damages, I like it,” I replied with an equal smile to High Spirit’s.
“Umm… you two… I,” Lavender started to say, then stopped when we turned to her.
“What is it?” High asked.
“Lavender, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Is it wise?” She asked sheepishly, “I mean… it may really tick her off, I don’t think I need to remind you she’s dangerous, and we have,” Lavender ran a hoof over her stomach, indicating exactly whom she was afraid for.
“There's exactly our point. We will only raid the deposits we three created. She won’t even know what happened,” High Spirits winked at Lavender.
“Besides,” I said as I lifted her chin with a hoof, “She’s exactly the reason why we have to do this.”
“What?” Lavender asked.
“We have to keep her safe, but if we do nothing, she’ll win. She’ll keep trying and trying, and she’s only gotta get lucky once. I won’t let that happen, to you, or to her,” to place emphasis on my comment, I placed my hoof back on her stomach.
She pondered about it for a moment, looking deep into my eyes. After a bit, she smiled and nodded, “Alright. You know I trust you with all of my heart.”
“Good,” I replied before looking at High Spirits, “So, what now?”
“We go to work. Silver Speed and Rosewing will prepare everything,” High Spirits looked at the clock, “Oh, damn it! We got four minutes to be at work!” she suddenly yelled.
I got up at that, leaving Lavender one last kiss before we both made for the door. As High Spirits opened it, Rosewing greeted us before stepping in. She would watch over Lavender, and I could be sure that she would be protected. It removed a large weight from my shoulders. Of course, I would have rather stayed with her, but I had to work after all.
High Spirits took off in the direction of the weather team’s offices. I paused before following her, whispering my last comment to Rosewing, “Keep her safe.”
“With my life,” Rosewing replied with a smile.
Nodding back, I took off, easily catching up to High Spirits, “What was that about?” she asked.
“One final promise,” I cryptically replied and increased my speed.
We wouldn’t make it on time, regardless of how fast we flew. Only a pony capable of breaking the speed of sound could cover the distance in four minutes, and I was definitely not such a pony, or changeling for that matter.
Still, I gave High Spirits quite the workout, something she was cursing me for near the end.
“You… suck,” High stated when we landed at the front office.
“Emm, no. You suck,” I replied back, sticking out my tongue in playful banter.
“Well well, look who finally decided to show up,” Deep Blue stated with a frown on her face.
“Hey, Blue,” I replied.
“Don’t ‘hey, Blue’ me,” she replied back, sternly, “You left in the middle of a shift, causing that area to get thirty minutes less rainfall than it should have. What do you have to say for yourself?!”
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat, Lavender’s shop was burning down,” I replied back, my tone indicating how I felt about being asked such a dumb question.
She didn’t say anything for half a minute. She just stared at me, seeing if I’d break. When at last it was apparent that I wouldn’t, she sat back on her haunches and spoke, “Good answer.”
The smile on her face told me that she had just been bucking with me. I soon smiled back, partly over how funny it was and partly over the absurdity of the situation.
“I am amazed to see you in today, I figured you’d have taken the day off.”
“Gotta work, the sole provider for the time being,” I said back with a chuckle.
“Especially since she’s got a family now!” High stated through her big muzzle.
“Wait… what?!” Blue said, shocked.
“HIGH!” I scowled, causing her to quickly step back.
That idiot will blow our cover!
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you and Lavender wanted to keep your coming adoption a secret.”
“Wait, you two are planning to adopt, Dew?”
“Umm… yeah, we put in the paperwork last week. It takes a few months to get approved though,” I replied, realizing where High was coming from.
“Then they’ll have a little bundle of joy running around,” High said, jokingly.
“You gotta bring em by afterwards, we’d love to see your new foal.”
“Well… maybe after our foal grows a bit, we want her to accommodate to us first.”
Besides, I don’t know if she has a natural disguise like me.
“Her?”
“We’ll adopt a filly,” I replied simply.
“Hey, if you three are done screwing around, we got work to do!” Lightning Bolt yelled at us from across the room.
Saved by the bucking bell!Better to start work then to let High ride us in the gutter.
I had to admit, that day was a lot of fun. The queen might have been evil, but she placed me in the perfect spot to work. Without the worry for Lavender’s safety, or the enmity between me and High Spirits, we all had a ton of fun. Near the end of the day, Blue and I actually managed to assemble a cloud playground while discussing how much fun it would be to watch my new filly play on it.
On the way home, I got exactly five offers for a fillister, three offers to teach me how to change diapers, and everypony was practically demanding that we invite them over when she arrived.
“You know that’s going to cause more issues than I care to count,” I said to High on our flight home.
She simply smiled at me, “Hey, you can’t keep it a secret, better they know now so they can get used to the idea.”
“And HOW in Equestria are we going to tell them where she came from if Lavender is at the hospital... forget that, hospital is no option. But if they see a one or two week old foal in our home? You CAN’T adopt foals that early, High!” I growled, part of it shouting at her.
She laughed at me, flying underneath me as she smiled, “You know next to nothing about changelings, huh? We’re the equivalent of a six month old foal when we hatch.”
“Oh, and you are miss smartypants who knows that she can ACT like one, too?” I asked with a frown.
“Relax, Aurora. You don’t have to invite anyone over until she’s fully able to take on her disguise. Changeling foals are naturally very obedient to their mothers.”
“You remember she’s not a fully-fledged changeling, right?”
“True… should be the same though,” she laughed again.
“SHOULD?!”
“Hey, relax! I never had a foal,” she mumbled, slightly hurt.
She’s thinking about Electric Blue again.
That thought drained my fight. Yes, this was unexpected, and a little unwanted, but in a way she was right. They’d know sooner or later, so what did it matter if it was now? I’d need some excuse as to where my foal came from, and this was better than nothing.
My foal.
“There’s that smile again,” High said with a laugh.
“Smile?” I asked.
“Whenever you’re with Lavender, or I imagine you’re thinking about her, you get that smile on your face. I’ve known you for a day, and I can already spot it.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Oh yeah. I remember it from,” her mood darkened again.
I stopped flying forward, forcing her to turn back around and fly back to me, “Hey, High, can I ask you a question?”
“Don’t,” she said.
I didn’t listen, Celestia help me, I didn’t listen, “Why don’t you hate me?”
Tears started falling from her eyes at that. She fell a few hooves in the air, and only stayed airborne by forcing her wings to flap. However, to her credit she looked me dead in the eye when she said what she said next.
“I do.”
“What?”
“I hate you, I hate every fiber of your being. I hate that she’s dead and her murderer gets to live. I hate that you took her from me, that I’ll never see her smile again, that I’ll never hug her, kiss her, or tell her I love her ever again. I hate you more than I can hate anyone ever for taking her from me.”
“Then why are you helping me?!”
“Because she would’ve wanted me to,” Tears were falling freely now. Almost as if it were a never ending downfall of pain coming from her eyes, “She would've wanted me to help you, to help us, to help myself. You… you have no idea how lucky you are, how fortunate you are to have a family, to have a love, and I hate that about you. I hate that you get what I’ll now never have. But… but I don’t do this for you, I do it for her. For her memory.”
“High.”
“When I do die, when I see her again, I want to be able to face her, to let her know that her sacrifice was not in vain. If I can do that, I’ll be able to hold my head high.”
“HIGH!”
“What?” she blinked.
“Who said that you’ll never love again? She will wait for you, true, but that doesn’t mean that you have to live a cruel life now and greet death with open arms!” I said.
“Move on… Could you? Could you move on if Lavender was killed?”
“She would expect me to. Clinging to past love might be good for the heart, but it will kill your soul and everything else,” I replied, and it was the truth.
“My soul died when she did,” High stated, then started to turn around.
“You stubborn idiot!” I shouted, causing her to freeze dead in her tracks, “Do you think I wanted her death? You told me yourself that you all had to keep the play up for the queen until the end. The others even told you that she wasn’t ready, yet you cling to it. You are a stupid little foal! Was that what she would’ve wished for you? Stop putting shame on yourself, and stop putting shame on her!” I yelled with all my might.
She didn’t reply, she didn’t do anything. She simply hovered in place. It took me exactly five seconds to figure out what she was doing. She was crying. She was simply sobbing.
With a sigh, I unfolded my wings and pulled her into my embrace. She struggled and cried louder at first, but soon stopped, “I’m sorry!” she sobbed, “I hate you, I really hate you, but you’re right. I don’t know if I can let it ever drop, but I know that you didn’t want it. I know that it is mostly my fault that she is gone! I know that I killed her!” she sobbed, staining my coat with all her tears, but I didn’t care about that. I simply held her.
“You really are an idiot,” I said back before realizing that I was sobbing, too, “You didn’t kill her, you weren’t responsible for her death at all.”
“Yes I was,” she whispered.
“You said she was headstrong, let me ask you this. If you had told her to stay home, if you had forced her, locked her in her room, what would she have done? Would she have listened?”
She went silence at that, “No,” she whispered after a while with wide eyes, “She always wanted to be at my side, or at least help me.”
“We’re all a victim of our situations, situations she put us in. If you want to hate me, hate me. If you blame me for her death, do it. I’m the one that killed her, I’m the one that took her from this world. But never, not once, ever blame yourself. This is not your fault. She went because of her, she was killed because of me.”
“You… you gave her mercy… you made it so she didn’t suffer.”
“And I still regret it. I would’ve saved her if I had known a way,” I spoke softly before looking directly into her eyes, “High, I promise you something on my life. I will search for a way to rescue every single changeling that doesn’t want to stay under the queen. And I will find a way to rescue them alive!”
“No.”
“No?” I asked.
“No, promise me that you’ll take care of your family. Find a way to prevent your daughter from ever being under her thrall, I’ll free the changelings with it.”
“I promise it, High,” I replied confidently.
She hugged me then. I felt her breath on the side of my neck, the tears in her eyes, and the shaking of her sobbing body, but still, she hugged me.
“I still hate you,” she said.
“I know.”
“But we’re in this together.”
“I’d expect nothing less from my foal’s godmother.”
She pulled back at that, “What?”
“I have to talk with Lavender about it, but yeah, if you're willing, I’d like you to be her godmother.”
“I… I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes is generally appropriate,” I chuckled.
“YES!” she said with a cry of joy.
Together we flew back to the house, the mood was changed between us. I knew she still hated me, and I didn’t begrudge her a bit. But I also knew she’d be the most loyal friend I could ask for. In the end, that’s all I could ever hope to ask for.
“I’ll talk with Lavender about it tonight,” I said when we landed on the front porch and opened the door.
I got exactly three steps away when a sharp cry of pain sounded from behind me. It sounded like every nerve ending in the poor mare was lit on fire all at once. I quickly turned back, trying to find the source of the noise. To my horror, it was coming from High Spirits.
She was holding her head, crying out like it was on fire.
High was clinging to her head and struggled to stay on her hooves. I was sure that everypony in ten blocks had heard her cry.
It didn't take long for the door to crash open, allowing Rosewing to rush out, her eyes glaring green, "What’s wrong?" she asked after a look at High Spirits.
"I don't know, she just cried out and grabbed her head," I answered.
High growled before looking at us, her eyes glowing even brighter than Rosewing's, "One of her high ranking officers is near. She is trying to get control over me with images of you killing Electric," she mumbled, glaring at me.
"We have to bring her in. Lavender, please fill your bathtub with ice cold water. It will help her."
Lavender nodded and rushed inside. I hadn't even noticed that she was outside. I shivered at the thought of High fighting with the queen, knowing how hard it must have been. Me and Rosewing each took a hoof and helped High into the house. With a green pulse of magic, I shut the door, just in time to muffle her next cry of pain.
“AHHHHHHHHH!!!”
“There’s gotta be something we can do for her!” I shouted.
“Get her into the bathwater!” Rosewing shouted as we pushed forward, desperately trying to do something to help her out.
“Can’t we knock her unconscious?” I asked.
“No, she’ll still be in pain, not to mention that it will be much easier for the queen to control her then.”
“Buck,” I mumbled as we took her into the bathroom. Lavender had been quick, emptying the ice cube trays from the fridge directly into the tub. That being said it would still take a while to fully fill up, “The garden hose,” I told her.
Lavender nodded at me and ran out of the room. In truth, I had no idea just how this would help, or if filling the bathtub faster would even make a difference, I just didn’t want her to worry. I wanted to keep her busy, to give her something to do in this crisis. I knew from experience that idle time during something like this only lead to bad thoughts, something neither she or our foal needed.
“Dump her in,” Rosewing stated.
“Sorry,” I said softly as she lifted her up and over the tub. With a small splash, she fell into the water.
“Bucking hell!” she shouted as the cold water sapped her strength, causing her to transform back into her changeling form as well.
She has poison green eyes, I never expected that.
“Try to relax, let the water cool you down and try to bring up the mental barrier we practiced!” Rosewing told her, splashing water over her head with her hoof.
“It burns!!!!” High Spirits shouted into the heavens as she kept arching her back and buzzing her wings, trying to find some position where the pain would lessen.
Me and Rosewing were soaked before either of us realized it. Rosewing held her down, trying to keep her in the water. I was forced to the side, only able to watch, not knowing what to do in this situation, but not wanting to go far just in case I was needed.
High’s struggling continued for a while until it settled down to short spasms of her hooves, her body twitching from time to time. It really seemed like the cold water would help.
“Breath, just concentrate on your breathing,” Rosewing stated over and over, “Remember the good times, remember Electric.”
“AHHH!!!!” She trashed in the tub, worse than ever before. I had no idea if it was my imagination or not, but to this day I swear that I saw the water evaporating around her.
“High, High, calm down!” Rosewing was in tears now, trying desperately to reach her friend, to give her some peace of mind, to try and take away some of her pain. Nothing she did worked. Worse, when she got too close, her hoof received a cut from High Spirit's horn.
“AHh,” Rosewing stated, pulling back in pain.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I don’t know, it normally works, it normally strengthens our defences. She’s…”
“I think I know,“ I cut her off. From what she said, from what I’d learned, they broke away due to falling in love, real love. That was what Rosewing tried to do, she tried to remind High Spirits of the love she felt. However, after Electric’s death, that would only be a thorn in her side, it wouldn’t be something she could use against the queen’s attack.
With a calm demeanor I did not truly possess, I walked to the edge of the tube, taking Rosewing’s place. I looked down at the struggling changeling in the tub, she was thrashing around, grunting and hollering in pain. I placed my hoof upon her chest, forcing her body below the water’s surface.
“You have to fight her, High Spirits. You can’t let her win. You took on responsibility, didn’t you? You have someone you have to be here for, someone you have to be yourself for. You’re a godmother now, High. You’re a godmother to my foal. You promised me, and yourself that. You can’t let her win.”
High’s struggling paused and she looked up at me, “You… Yes, I promised… I promised!”
When a noise came from behind, I turned around to see Lavender shoot me a smile, “I’m sure you wanted to tell me about that at some point, but I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
I didn’t reply, I simply smiled at her and turn back to the tub. High stopped thrashing, she was simply laying in the water, looking up, almost as if she could see something on the ceiling of the bathroom that we could not.
“She is trying to find out what I want to protect… She wants to know what makes Lavender and you so strong,” she turned to me, “I’ll never offer her any information. I’d rather die than put my family on a plate. Electric was my family,” a tear rolled down her muzzle, “And now you are my family.”
I could feel tears in my eyes, and a quick glance at Lavender told me she felt the same. Wrapping her in one wing, we looked at High, “And we would love to call you a member of this family,” I said with a smile.
High was crying again, although this time I knew it was not from pain, but from joy. Lavender nuzzled into my coat, her muzzle reached the tip of my ear before she asked a question meant just for me. I looked at her and nodded my agreement.
She truly has the best ideas.
“High, with your blessing, we’d both like to name our foal Electric,” I said.
High Spirits shot out of the water, her pony form back on like it was just another day. She didn’t say anything, she simply wrapped us both in a very wet hug and cried, her unspoken words all the blessing we ever needed.
Rosewing’s jaw hit the ground, “It worked! How the hay did you know that this would work?!”
High Spirits looked up and her expression darkened, “It did, but there is no time to cheer. There are scouts on their way and… and,” she stopped and sobbed.
“What?” Rosewing asked.
“Silver Speed is dead,” was the only answer she got before High Spirits broke into tears again.
My wing tightened around Lavender. I knew the risks, I knew that we wouldn’t all make it, but having it actually happen, having someone I knew die, even if it was for such a short amount of time, it was very different.
“No… It can’t be,” Rosewing said, dumbstruck.
“We need to end this, and quickly,” I said, “No more deaths, no more…”
A loud knocking on the door startled us.
Three heads snapped in the direction of the door, only High didn’t bother to look, she was the only one not surprised, “I guess it's them.”
“Who?” I asked.
“I don’t know who she sent, I just know someone was on their way, they’ll want to speak to you.”
“I’ll kill them,” I said, surprising myself with my own boldness.
The knocking got louder and I growled before leaping out of the bathroom and to the front door. I casted a small protection spell before opening the door and rushing forwards, just to find myself muzzle to muzzle with Purple Star.
“Hey, Dew. I heard about the thing with the shop. Can I come in?” she asked.
Oh damn, bad timing. Really bad timing. But it explains why I didn’t feel any changelings around.
“Purple Star, this is a really bad time, you mind if we talk about it another day? We kinda got something big going on...“
“I also came here to warn you. The guards found a trail from the ponies that lit the shop to fire. There… there was nothing left of them, simply burned to ashes. The unicorns from the guard say it was powerful magic. Seems like somepony wanted to erase all his trails.”
If you only knew.
Before I could answer, High appeared behind me, panic on her face, “Get down! They’re here!” she shouted.
I didn’t even give Purple Star time to react, I simply pulled her in with my magic and closed the door shut. At that moment, I really didn’t care about revealing myself to her, because in the next moment, the door glowed and shook under the impact of something hitting it.
“I’m glad I reinforced it with those spells,” Lavender mumbled before she caught sight of Purple Star, “We’re doomed…”
“What in the name of Luna is going on here?” Purple asking before slowly retreating back while keeping us in her view.
“Please, Purple. There will be time to explain, but trust me now. We’re all in danger, you too, now that they’ve seen you.”
“I don’t think the door will hold that much longer,” Lavender commented, and she was right as the angles of the door slowly but steady started to warp under the pressure of the hits.
“My armor is magic resistant, it can protect me for a while if they dare to attack me,” Purple stated.
“Oh really?” High asked, “Can it protect you from pure changeling magic?”
Purple Star’s face lost its colour at that, “WHAT?!”
“Look, we can talk later, but we have to go NOW!” I exclaimed and she shook her head as to clear her thoughts before nodding.
Before any of us could take another step, a huge magical wave hit the door, breaking through the protection spells and blasting the door to smithereens. The fragments of which flew in our direction.
I didn’t even think about it, I simply acted. Forcing Lavender down to the ground, I shielded her with my own body. My reward for doing so was several splinters of wood embedded in my back, but to me they were well worth the pain.
Purple Star reacted with the grace one would expect from a Lunar Guard. She quickly shielded herself by turning sideways, so most of the shards would hit her armor before glaring at the two intruders.
Two changelings were standing in front of the former door, grinning wickedly, “Look who we got here. The traitors and their little pets. We even got a new pegasus to play with! This will be so much fun!” one of them exclaimed.
“If you don’t want to end up burnt like your former companions, you should leave, now!” I growled, desperately trying to stay in my disguise. A task that was becoming harder with every smug grin they sent our way.
“Attacking a citizen of Equestria is an act of war!” Purple Star hissed the words, her stance that of a trained combat pegasus.
“Shut up, we’re not interested in you, weak pony. This is an internal matter, we want the traitors,” the other changeling scowled.
Purple looked at me, and I could see that her mind worked for a few moments before her eyes widened and she backed away from me.
“Purple Star, I will tell you everything once this is over, but please believe me that I’m not your enemy! I just want to live in peace with my family!” I practically cried the last sentence out.
“I’m sure the pony you killed said the same thing, what was his name again?“
“The queen used me!” I shouted, hurt that Purple Star continued to back away.
“Ahh, we’ve made her upset,” The smaller one chuckled.
“You,” I couldn’t hold myself in anymore, and with a scream, my disguise dropped, “I’ll kill you both!” I shouted as I charged the very same beam that I had used to burn the last changelings.
My attack was aimed at the larger of the two. I had no idea which one was actually the real threat, but I knew that size tended to matter. It was clear that either the queen never told them what had happened to the last changelings, or they simply didn’t believe it. The larger changeling moved too slow to avoid it completely, and his right hind leg burned completely under my attack.
What was the most off putting, he was still smiling even through the pain, “Hehe, you pack quite a punch, for a half breed freak of nature.”
“What are you doing here?!” I growled the words. My demeanor that of a cold blooded killer.
“I bet High Spirits here told you that we wanted to talk. That’s not the whole truth,” he smiled.
“What’s the whole truth?”
“Aurora…”
The voice froze me dead in my tracks, I turned wide eyed at a sight that caused my blood to run cold. The big one was just to get my attention, so the smaller one could sneak around to Lavender. He was holding her up as a hostage, using her against me.
“Like we said, we’re here to talk, for the most part,” the smaller one smiled at me in a wicked grin that told me he was more than willing to take her life.
“Okay, one question. Are you insane?” I asked him, “We’re four, maybe five.” I added with a look to Purple Star, who stared at me in disbelief, “You know that we could simply kill you, so why are you risking your life for the queen?”
“Because you mares are nothing. The only true mare of the hive is the queen, and it will stay like that. She said that you are just a distraction, a poison in our hive that tries to weaken and kill her and the whole hive! We won’t let that happen!” the smaller changeling shouted, his eyes glowing in hate.
“Besides,” the big one added, “We’re a hive, the hive is only strong when everyone follows orders. You remember those right? Orders? If it wasn’t us, she’d send someone else.”
“She used those orders to throw us into a war that we were destined to lose! She forced us to end our own lives!” High Spirits cut in, “Without her dumb orders, we would be a hive! Now, we are nothing but a few seperated groups of survivors fighting for their lives under ponies!”
“You mares really are dumb, we only EXIST because of her! We are the hive, and we are only weak because of links like you.”
“Aurora is the best example of why we DON’T NEED the queen!” Rosewing growled.
“That sick bastard? She only lived this long because the queen allowed her to,” the bigger one laughed.
A laugh that was cut off as the smaller changeling cried out in pain. We all looked up to him to see a deep cut in his chest, Lavender not in his grip anymore. Next to him stood Purple Star, with an expression of pure hatred on her face, a long, purple blade held in her wing, “I won’t allow your war to go on right here between ponies. Retreat or die, in the name of the Lunar Guard!”
The smaller changeling made his last mistake. Hissing in pain, he lurched towards Purple with his teeth, just to receive her sword right through his face and falling to ground, not moving anymore.
As one, we all turned to the bigger changeling. What took me aback the most, was that he looked amused by the fate of his comrade. Almost smiling about it.
“Understand something, we came here to deliver a message, not to kill. Next time it will be to kill, and you’ll never see us coming.”
“What’s your message?!” I asked with a growl.
“The queen wants to meet,” he said, and I scoffed at that, “Just to talk, and just with you. She gives you her word that nothing will happen to Lavender during that time.”
“You can give her an answer,” suddenly Lavender walked past me in her changeling form, “From my own experience, I know that she is not trustworthy, so this is my answer.”
With that, she blasted the changeling right into his chest and out of our house, right through the door he came in through. We could see him slumping down onto the floor in front of our house, spitting blood, “You dumb mares, now you’ll all die!” he shouted.
High Spirits walked out and stopped in front of him, smirking, “Tell the queen that she can kiss my flank,” she said before ending his life.
Lavender walked back to my side, her form back into a pegasus. She rubbed her coat along my chitin. I put my disguise back on and wrapped a wing around her, holding her tightly after what we went through. She nuzzled me softly and I hummed, glad that she was alright.
“I don’t want to disturb your lovely little moment, but we’ve got another problem,” High Spirits stated with a look at Purple Star, who still held her blade high, this time directed at us.
I turned to face her, my head held high, “So… I guess we need to talk.”
“Explain everything, now,” she grunted out each word though her clenched teeth.
"High, please pull the body in and clean the blood," I said before turning to Purple Star, "You might want to sit down, the story is rather long."
Purple Star made no move to sit down, the blade still held up high.
"She asked you to sit down," High Spirits hissed, and Rosewing joined in.
I had no idea what suddenly made me the leader, but they stopped as I raised a hoof, “Purple Star, if we were your enemy, I could've killed you days ago without you expecting anything. I assure you that we simply want to live here in peace."
Purple Star looked at me, her gaze burning into my eyes before she sighed and sat down, but notably, her blade stayed high.
Well, better than nothing.
I sat down across from her and gestured for the others to do the same. High quickly fixed the door in her magic before she sat down in front of it. Rosewing sat down where she could see everything, and Lavender took her spot directly at my side, snuggling up next to me.
"Want the full story, or do you have any questions?" I asked Purple Star.
"What are you, exactly?" She asked.
"Well, maybe you've seen that I have a cutie mark in my changeling form. I'm a so-called half breed, the child of a pegasus and a male drone."
"Why do you fight other changelings?"
"To protect my family, and to be free," I replied and rested one hoof against Lavender’s belly.
Purple Star’s eyes went wide as she noticed the movement. I could practically see the question burning into her eyes as her mind processed the information.
"Yes, it's mine. Changeling mares can breed with both genders."
"Interesting," she said with a blush.
I noticed that her blade slowly lowered, but remained in her grip, "Listen, Purple, we have no interest in hurting anypony. Until now, the Queen used us; but no longer. Now some kind of civil war is going on. We’re some sort of threat to her, she’s trying every trick in the book to get to us, but I won’t let it."
"Why are you all mares? Or are these just your disguises?" Purple tilted her head.
"We are mares. We have no real rank or status in the hive, we're just in the way of the Queen as the only real mare that gets accepted by the hive. They use us, hurt us, and then try to get rid of us," High cut in, and I was thankful for it, since I had no real experience with the life of a mare in the hive.
She used me as a Captain, but I was just her toy.
“Why don’t you… why don’t you start from the beginning?” Purple said.
“Are you sure?” I asked, “It’s a really long story.”
“Yes. The short version is fine if you can summarize it,” the sword that refused to go down told me she was serious about this request.
I sighed and collected my thoughts, "I hope you don't mind that I skip my birth and a few years after that. I was still a filly, around eight or nine years old and living a completely normal life. My mom cared for me and I was happy. At some point I started to feel strange, sometimes filled with power, but I never told my mom anything. Then, one night, the Queen captured us. She revealed my true self to me."
“What about your mom?”
“She was a normal pegasus and caring, she tried to keep everything away from me.”
“Was?”
“She’s dead, as far as I know,” I replied, my voice shaking slightly, but I quickly got a hold of myself.
“What happened then?”
“I worked for the hive, I simply had to. The Queen used me for most jobs around ponies, since anti-changeling spells wouldn’t work on me at all. This all went on, and she even gave me the title of a Captain and put some changelings under my command. Until the wedding,” I trailed off.
“The wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain Shining Armor?” Purple asked with wide eyes.
I nodded, “I was part of the attack, but as you know it failed. The spell hit me, but I survived.”
“Most didn’t,” High Spirits added.
“I took it as a chance to get free from the hive, and even found a place to hide for a bit, but the Queen found me again. You basically know the rest until today,” I ended.
I had no idea why I cut the details about Berryshine and my escape out, but I felt better without talking about it.
“So, if I’m to believe you correctly, you all somehow managed to escape the Queen’s control and are just trying to live your lives in peace masquerading as ponies?”
“It’s not a somehow,” Lavender replied, “Aurora and I cut the bond to her the moment we decided to live on our own, to create a family,” she smiled.
“Aurora?” Purple Star asked.
“My real name is Aurora Blue,” I replied.
“And the rest of us found good, or at least acceptable ways to deny the Queen acess to us,” Rosewing added.
“And kill ponies,” Purple Star said as she looked right at me.
I wanted to reply to that, but it was Lavender. Her wings shot open and she growled as her disguise dropped, “Don’t you even dare insult my wife! She was under the control of the Queen, her toy! She did it because the Queen gave her false facts and clouded her mind!”
Purple Star quickly pulled back and raised her blade, while I simply laid a wing on Lavender’s back, causing her to slump back and bring her disguise back on, “Sorry, dear,” she whispered and nuzzled me.
“That’s.... that’s not entirely true,” I said, eyes closed as I looked down.
“Aurora, no!” Lavender shouted.
“No, she needs the truth. If we’re asking for her trust, we can’t lie to her,” I replied.
“What is the truth?” Purple Star asked, her voice betraying none of the emotions she must have been feeling.
“I did kill a pony. Yes, it happened while I was working for the Queen, but it was my choice to do so. The Queen had told me someone was about to blow our cover, a reporter. I snuck into his office and found out that not only did he have pictures, but he had them of Lavender,” I hugged her tighter, “I took his life, I did it willingly to protect her from being found out.”
“Thank yo-”
“And I’d do it again.”
Purple’s eyes went wide at that, but, notably, she lowered the sword, “I would do the same for Wave Night.”
“Now that you know, what are you going to do?” Rosewing asked.
“I’m still a Lunar Guard. I… I won’t arrest you… for now. But I have to talk with Luna about it;” Purple said with a small smile.
“Princess Luna?” High Spirits asked, wide eyed.
I could feel that she was about to do something dumb, and I had no intention of letting her hurt Purple Star. With a flicker of my magic, I restrained her against the ground and glared at her, “Don’t do anything stupid. She’s not the enemy, and if she’s got to talk with Luna, let her do it!”
“But they’ll kill us all!” High shouted.
“She won’t,” Purple said, “I’ve known Luna for a long time, and she knows what it’s like to be controlled, or at least act for another one. She will listen to you, maybe punish you all; but she won’t ever kill or seriously hurt you.”
The sudden knocking startled us to the core, and Rosewing opened it, just to reveal Wave Night in her full armor and two short blades in her wings.
“Night, weapons down, everything is okay,” Purple smiled at her, and Night looked around, focusing on all of us before indeed lowering her blades.
“I have… one stipulation before I agree to this,” I said.
“What?” Purple asked as Night stood by her side.
“I want your assurance that no harm will come to any of us by the princess.”
“She wouldn’t!”
“You may be her friend, but that doesn’t make her mine. I consider you a friend, Purple. If you leave here, if you report us, things may happen beyond your control. I want your assurance that we’ll be alright doing this,” Notably, my hoof fell upon Lavender’s stomach when I said that.
She noticed my actions and my reasons, I’m sure my words of ‘I’d do it again’ still rang in her ears, “Fine… you have my assurance, on one condition. You take responsibility for all the actions of your group while we await her word.”
“They won’t do anything, isn’t that right, High Spirits?” I shot her another glare.
“But we will protect against the Queen’s hive if they threaten or attack us!” Rosewing replied.
“They’re your friends, Aurora. That doesn’t make them mine. I consider you a friend, Aurora. I want your assurance," Purple Star said, using my own words against me.
The fact she called me a friend even after all this gave me pause before I nodded, “You have my assurance, as long as we can still protect our family.”
“That’s fine, as long as no ponies die or get hurt,” Purple said back with a smile.
“What did I miss?” Wave Night asked.
“Changeling attack, I’ll fill you in on the rest of the details later,” Purple said with a kiss to Night’s cheek before turning to me, “I couldn’t see it before. I want to see your cutie mark as a changeling, and what else is different. I also would like to see your natural form.”
“Wait, what?” Wave Night asked.
“You’re doing this to show Wave everything so you don’t end up fighting with her later. So she’ll see with her own eyes?” I asked with a smile, and she nodded, “Clever, but it will only be me, keep the rest out of it.”
"Thats fine," Purple replied.
With a sigh, I dropped the disguise of Morning Dew, causing Wave Night to shriek and quickly raise her blades. Purple shook her head at her, unsurprisingly, Wave didn’t relax. Once my disguise was down, Purple slowly moved closer, looking at me closely. Her gaze went over my buzzing wings, over my cutie mark, and then to my eyes.
“Your eyes are somehow different. I can’t point on what exactly it is, but they are different from any other changeling I’ve seen before,” Purple whispered.
I tilted my head in curiosity. I had never noticed that they were different before. Putting it aside for a moment, I put my natural disguise back on. The body I was raised in. In a quick flash of green, I was Aurora Blue again, the white pegasus with the light blue mane and tail.
“Ahh, you don’t know how much better that feels,” I sighed, ruffling my feathers, “This is my natural body.”
“I… I… I,” Wave Night mumbled.
“I’ll explain it all later,” Purple repeated as she turned to Wave, a small smile upon her face.
Wave simply moved to Purple’s side, her stance was tense, her demeanor on edge, but she said no more. She simply kept her gaze upon us all, not trusting us.
“Morni-Aurora, I’m taking a big risk here. My duty requires me to detain you and take you to the authorities. I’m not going to do that, I’m going to talk to Luna directly, see what she wants to do about it. If in that time you run, or you switch to a new form, I’ll be arrested. I’m trusting you here, because even after everything, I still consider you a friend,” Purple said.
I gave Lavender one last hug and stood up, “I’m trusting you with our lives, and that of my unborn daughter. Our accord is sealed with trust, and truth,” I said as I walked over to her, my hoof outstretched for her to shake.
A smile came upon my face as she didn’t even hesitate, the full opposite to Wave Night, who quickly took a step back as I approached her wife.
“I don’t ask you to like or accept me. But I ask you to trust me in this case,” I said to Wave Night.
“Who says we can’t do both?” Purple asked with a small wink.
“I’m not exactly blind. The years teach you to see the truth in others eyes,” I replied dryly.
“You’re right. I don’t like you, and I don’t want to accept you. I don’t even trust you, but Purple does, and that’s enough for me,” Wave said with a shrug.
“Come, we got a long flight to Canterlot,” Purple said to Wave.
“And you’ve got one hell of a long explanation to catch me up on what happened before I got here,” Wave said back.
They made their way to the door and I sighed, swapping back to my Morning Dew disguise, “Come on,” I turned to the others, “We’ve got a lot to do if we want to survive here. Lavender, we need more protection spells over the windows and doors. Rosewing, go to the market and bring us some supplies. High, I need your help to get us free from work for a few days.”
They all go up to do what was instructed of them, all but one. High Spirits kept on eye on our two guests, watching, waiting for them to take flight.
“High!” I hollered, snapping her out of her spying.
“They’re gone, we should get out of here,” High stated.
“No. I gave her my word, and we do what I said. We’re waiting for them to come back,” I replied.
“Aurora, they’re going to tell Princess Luna about us!”
“So what? Should we flee and give them the biggest reason possible to follow and kill us? If we flee now, Luna will suspect that we just tried to fool them. She will punish Purple and her wife, and we are doomed to death! Start thinking!” I shouted.
“She’s an alicorn, only the Queen could hope to take on an alicorn!”
“We won’t take her on. We will wait here, try to survive, and do what I promised,” I said, and moved to go on before Lavender stopped me.
“I’m staying with Aurora. You can go if you want, High. But I’m staying because I trust her.”
High’s eyes widened, “Are you dumb? Especially you, carrying an egg, should know better!”
“I’m staying with them, too,” Rosewing added.
“What?” High asked.
“You’re right, High, Princess Luna is an alicorn, she’s powerful, and has powerful friends. I don’t think I need to remind you who our enemy is. I think Aurora is right on this call, we need her help if we’re going to win. Otherwise, the Queen will continue to pick us off, one at a time. Just like,” Rosewing didn’t finish that sentence, she didn’t have to.
High Spirits looked like she was visibly struck. Her demeanor changed at that, “I… I still think this is a bad idea, Aurora. But… you’re our leader, I’ll trust you on this one.”
And again. What did I do that made me the leader?
“I told Purple I’ll take full responsibility for everyone, if Luna demands a pound of flesh from us, I’ll give her mine.”
“Aurora, no!” Lavender shouted.
I don’t know how I became their de facto leader, but it wasn’t a responsibility that I would shrink from, “Hey, relax, I don’t think it will come to that.”
“Think?” Lavender asked.
“I know it won’t come to that,” I replied.
“I hope you are right, because I will protect you as my mate,” Lavender said, and I could feel that she wasn’t joking.
“Heh, that reminds me,” I started, focusing on her, “You called me your wife before?”
“Did… did that bother you?” Lavender timidly asked.
“Not at all,” I replied with a smile before leaning in and nuzzling her, “I like it, to be honest.”
She nuzzled back, smiling at me.
“Salutations are in order!” Rosewing said with a smile, “So, for now we just bunker down and wait for Purple to get back?”
“That’s the plan for now. Canterlot is a half day of fast flying away, so if everything turns out well, they should be back tomorrow or the day after,” I said after a few moments of silence.
“We should hurry and take care of what we need before the Queen strikes again,” Lavender stated.
High Spirits and Rosewing nodded. High went outside to head to the weather station, while Rosewing headed to the kitchen, making a list with everything we would need. Lavender gave me a gentle kiss before going to her task and reinforcing every window and door in the house.
It wouldn’t stop a dedicated attack, but that wasn’t the point. The point was just to give us enough warning to respond to any attack. At most, we’d have to last here for two days until Purple got back.
I had no doubt the Queen already knew the authorities would be here soon, Purple’s presence when we killed the two changelings would have seen to that.
That reminds me...
“I’ll deal with the bodies,” I said, just to be reminded that I had no idea where High had put the one that was outside.
The small one inside was easy enough, although the blood was leaking into the carpet. Using my magic, I picked him up and carried him out to the backyard. From there, it was a simple matter to relocate some dirt and drop him into the hole.
“Hey, Lavender, did you see what High did with the other one?” I asked when I came back inside.
“I think she destroyed his body and the blood outside.”
“She did WHAT?” my eyes went wide.
“She destroyed his body and the blood. It was the quickest and easiest way,” Lavender replied softly.
Knowing where this would go, I walked outside to the front yard. Sure as heck, it stunk of burnt flesh. There was a flash burn on the ground, the sign of the extreme heat that was all that remained of the larger changeling that attacked us, “That numbskull,” I said, facehoofing.
Magic wasn’t really an option to deal with this one. Not disguised as a pegasus anyway. Purple might be going to get princess Luna, but there wouldn’t be much even she could do if we revealed ourselves willy nilly right now. With a sigh, I went and retrieved the garden hose and started to spray down the area.
“Wow, that stinks,” a passing earth pony commented.
“Yeah, burned compost. Nasty stuff,” I replied with a forced smile and a shrug.
“Is that what that huge commotion was about earlier?”
“Sorry,” I forced a laugh, “Few experiments gone wrong, we got it mostly cleaned up.”
He looked at me with a disbelieving glare, but didn’t say more on it. The pony simply continued on his way.
After a few minutes, Lavender walked outside and joined me, “Hey, lover.”
“Hey, wife,” I said back, earning a blush and a kiss on the cheek from her, “Did you finish already?”
“Yep, every entrance and access point has a magic seal over it, so unless they simply destroy the house, we should be alright.”
We both paused at that. If she wanted to, she could do just that.
“We both know that she can’t afford to kill you. You’re too important to her,” Lavender tried to erase my concerns.
“But we both know that nothing would stop her from you,” I shot back.
“Aurora…”
“I’m not worried about me, I couldn’t care less if I make it through this or not. It’s you that needs to live,” I practically sobbed the words.
She smacked me on the forehead.
“What?”
“Don’t… don’t ever say that. Don’t… I couldn’t… I can’t do this without you,” She was crying, really crying.
I quickly leaned against her, nuzzling her neck, “We’ll endure this together. It was just a thought. I want you and our filly to survive, and I would give my life to ensure that.”
I was hugging her, squeezing her, but she wasn’t returning the favor, “Stop saying that,” she mumbled the words.
I pulled back, “What do you mean?”
She looked me in the eye, there was the last emotion I’d ever expected to see in them: anger. She was mad at me.
“You keep saying that, you keep saying you’re ready to die, you’ll take responsibility, you’ll give your life for mine. You act like your life doesn’t matter, that if you died I could go on, that I could do this without you. You’re wrong. Your life does matter, it matters to me. I… I need you alive, Aurora. I can’t… I can’t,” she turned and ran back in the house, a trail of sobs left in her wake.
“You know that was dumb,” Rosewing greeted me with some bags on her back.
“She’s important, I’m not,” I simply replied.
“You really are dumb. She loves you, more than her own life, and you keep saying that you’d throw your life away for her? You’d better start listening and do everything to protect your family, and that also counts for your own life,” she said with a glare before passing me and going in.
“Isn’t it noble to sacrifice yourself to protect those you love?” I called out.
My mind realed at those words. Rosewing had been right, I had discounted my own life, I was so quick to make the ultimate sacrifice that I was actively looking for it to happen. I’m sure I even expected it, I expected to die, to give my own life for Lavender’s.
Walking back into the house, the mood was as oppressive as ever. Like the house itself was punishing me for my words, for being so dumb. I couldn’t look up at anyone. I didn’t want to face their accusing glares, to be reminded of how dumb I had been.
With my head downcast, I walked right past the living room and to the spare bedroom. I knew it was technically where High Spirits or Rosewing was staying, I just had to hope they wouldn’t mind company.
Bless her heart, Lavender had been expecting such a boneheaded maneuver.
“Aurora,” Lavender said.
Hearing her voice again caused me to look up, “Lavender, I…”
“You were going to sleep in here, leaving me all by myself again?”
“What, no…”
I was.
“You think I don’t want to share my bed with you anymore?”
“No… I…”
I did.
“You really are an idiot, Aurora.”
I am.
She started walking towards me. I could only fall back on my flank, my head still looking down at my hooves. I was too ashamed of my words, and worse, my actions, to look up at her. I expected a lot, for her to yell at me some more, Celestia knew I deserved it. Or for her to hit me, I wanted her to hit me.
She did none of those things, she hugged me instead. I felt it then, her tears falling upon my mane, her sobs echoing through her body. She was crying, and it was my fault.
"Aurora, you have to be there for us, not just throw you life away on the first and best occasion," she said through more sobs.
“I’m sorry,” I said, realizing that I was sobbing, too, “I’m so, so sorry.”
She just held me, not saying a word. She did something I thought was impossible at that moment; she forgave me.
“I love you, Aurora. Never forget that. One stupid fight means nothing compared to that.”
“Let me make it up to you,” I said.
“There’s only one way you can,” she replied, pulling back from me so she could look me in the eyes. It was then that I saw it; her tears staining her muzzle.
“Name it, anything at all.”
“Live for me, for us,” she replied, holding a hoof to her stomach.
I looked down at her stomach, and then back up to her muzzle, “I promise I will,” I said, tears falling freely from my eyes.
"And that you sleep in our bed, actually," she added with a smile.
With one hoof, I wiped a tear from my eye and nodded. She grinned at me, that smile that just meant more to me than the sunrise. Together, we made our way to her room, to our room. She gestured to the bed, indicating that I should take my spot.
With a nod, I did just as she asked, like I’d done a dozen times before. She crawled in after me, pressing her back up against my chest. With one hoof wrapped around her, I started to lightly stroke her chest, earning myself a coo in reward.
Reaching out with her magic, Lavender turned off the light, letting us simply lay there with her in my hooves. I lowered my muzzle into her mane and breathed her scent in deeply, something I’d done before, but never got enough of.
“I don’t deserve you,” I whispered.
“You idiot, you’re the only one that does,” she said back, smiling.
The following night was a good and bad one all the same. A bad one because I feared what would happen to my family if everything failed. And a good one because Lavender noticed it and pulled me tightly into her loving embrace. I’ll always remember it though, I knew at one point we both fell asleep, but I fought off the sandpony for as long as I could, just so I could hold her for one second longer.
Every second just meant that much to me.
Our sleep didn't last long. By the first rays of sunlight, somepony bucked at our front door, waking us and causing Rosewing and High Spirits to go on alarm at the same time.
High Spirits opened the door slowly only to see an envelope sitting on the stairs towards our home. She snatched it and quickly closed the door again.
I could almost see her tense up as she opened it and tore a picture free. We all knew who that disguised changeling on that picture had to be. Or at least that was what I thought.
The messy hoof writing under it was also a point.
Give us the half breed, get your friend back unharmed.
When High read those words, Lavender wrapped a wing around me and squeezed tighter, “It’s bull,” Rosewing said.
“Of course it is,” High Spirits agreed, “Even if we gave them Aurora, they’d never let her go, or us for that matter.”
I couldn’t help but notice a tear starting to fall from High’s muzzle though, I had no idea what the picture showed, but it couldn’t have been good. Whatever they were doing to her, it wasn’t bound to be pretty.
“Besides, there would be no point in trading Aurora for her anyway, Aurora’s the whole reason we can actually win,” Lavender added, quick to point out the obvious.
“Still, this is a threat to us,” I said, “From now on, no one goes anywhere alone, we stay as a group. There’s strength in numbers.”
“And it also helps that you’re something of a powerhouse,” Rosewing said with a grin.
“I’m nothing special, but if all goes well, we’ll soon have a powerhouse on our side,” I said back.
“Cute and modest, you bagged yourself a winner, Lavender,” Rosewing joked.
"Bite me," I shot back, and we burst into tense laughter.
Lavender kissed me on the cheek during our little fit. It helped to lighten the mood, but I could still feel the tension in the air, “No one answers the door again,” I said, “I’ll be the only one to open it from now on.”
“What? Why?” High asked.
“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and before you say anything,” I said to Lavender, “No, this is not me trying to put myself in harm’s way. I’ll admit… I have some power, I can handle anything they throw at us.”
And if they start sending pieces of her, I don’t want anyone else to see it.
"That's because you are the captain, right?" Rosewing started slowly, "You've been taught spells and battle tactics other changelings could only dream of."
"I won't deny that I'm experienced in some ways, but no, I'm not a captain. Not anymore, and I don't want to be it for you. I'm your friend and family, please remember that," I said, and Lavender squeezed me tight to her side after that.
"Good words," she whispered.
I’ve heard it said that a strong commander can inspire ponies even though the most hopeless of times, my words seemed to breath truth to that saying. The mood in the house changed at them, it was like the presence of their threat was subtly neutralized, and we were all able to go along with our day as if it didn’t happen.
At least, almost all of us. I watched as High Spirits seemed on edge, she was slightly off. Nothing major, just subtle changes to the way she carried herself. I played along, asking Lavender and Rosewing to get breakfast started. Both mares agreed, thinking nothing of it.
When they were in the kitchen, I pulled High to the side, “Let me see.”
“See what?” she asked.
“The picture,” I replied.
“There’s no need, you know what it shows,” she said in quick, snap dismissal.
"Is it Silver Speed?" I simply asked.
"No," High answered, her hoof shaking as she showed me.
It was Electric Blue. Or at least, High thought it was.
“That’s…. that's not possible.”
"Why?"
High had addressed me simply, a frown on her muzzle.
"You know why!" I shouted, "They're playing with us!"
“It could be her, it could be,” High said through choked up tears.
“It’s not, I crushed her skull with my hoof,” I said aloud and with more force than I ever intended to.
“Did you check, did you make sure that killed her? That she was dead?” High looked at me, unblinking and in pure panic.
“No.. I…”
“Then she might have survived, it might be her, they might have rescued her! Saved her life!”
“Or it’s one of any number of changelings that simply shape-shifted into her form to turn us against each other” I replied back, my voice monotone.
“It could be her, too!” she said again.
“It’s not,” I replied.
“You don’t know for sure.”
“It’s not.”
“I gotta go find out, I gotta--”
“No, I can’t let you do that.”
She glared at me in anger, “And what if it was Lavender instead!”
"Now I know that you are just looking for a bucking reason to get on my coat!" I busted out, glaring back.
"Wake up, we don't really have coats," she threw back with all the bitter she could muster, "But love is real, even among us!"
“High, I can’t let you go,” I said.
“You can’t stop me from going,” she growled back.
“No… I can’t, but what I can do is go in your place.”
“Wh--” she never got to finish that sentence, In a flash of green magic, I knocked her out. With one hoof I caught her and guided her body to the ground.
“Sorry, I know you’ll hate me for this, but it’s for your own good. I’ll find out if it is her or not, and either way, I’ll either bring her back, or evidence of the trap I know it to be. If you went, you’d just get yourself killed. I can’t have that happen to a member of my family.”
“I’m going, too,” Rosewing said from behind me.
I looked back, Rosewing and Lavender were both looking at me, no doubt alerted to our conversation by our shouting.
"No, and don't you even start it," I added to Lavender.
Lavender didn’t comment on it, she merely said two words, “You promise?”
I smiled at that, “I promise,” I said back, our conversation from last night echoed through our minds.
“Then bring back the truth,” she said, “I’ll take care of High Spirits when she wakes up.”
“She’s going to be pissed at me,” I said back.
“Oh yes,” Rosewing replied, “But if you are successful, she’ll probably kiss you.”
“You know it’s a trap, right?” I asked.
“I know, but that’s the thing about hope, you can never kill it, not really. However unlikely, It’s not beyond the hive’s ability to have saved her. She was right about that much, it is possible, if not unlikely.”
“I was afraid you would say that.”
“She was also right about something else,” Rosewing added.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“If it were Lavender, you’d already be there.”
I agreed with her on that point.
"Do you know where to go?" Lavender asked as she nuzzled me.
I had a guess where I would find that information, and picked the picture up, turning it.
"You won't believe me," I laughed, then showed them the address.
Central Hospital. Fifth floor, room 508, come alone.
"It's more than obvious that this is a trap. Do you think she played her big card?" Lavender asked.
"You mean her big friends around the authorities?" a nod from her, "I don't know, but I'll set a few shields around me if that lessens your concern."
She nuzzled me gently, "No, but it's a good start."
I looked at her questioningly and she backed away, her eyes glowing and I felt a nice, warm feeling washing over me. "What did you do?" I asked.
"Adding some layers of my personal spells, just to be sure," she said with a smile, "They'll take the place of yours once they are gone or used up."
If we were alone, I would've tackled and tongue kissed her. Deep. Now that had to wait, and I gave her a light lick up the muzzle along with a glance in my eyes that promised her everything once I was back home.
She smiled at me, it was the smile of someone that truly believed in me, that trusted me, that I’d give the world for just to see one more time. I almost laughed then as I realized that this was nothing compared to that smile. I’d fight through whatever ambush they were trying to spring and make my way back to her without fail.
After all, when you have someone that loves you that much, who wouldn’t?
“Dinner’s at six, don’t keep me waiting,” Lavender said as I walked to the door and opened it.
“Like I’d ever miss your cooking,” I replied back, blowing her a final kiss before stretching my wings and taking flight.
***
There was a cool breeze in the sky when I took off earlier. The wind itself seemed like it was waiting for whatever was about to happen. I closed my eyes and concentrated inward, seeking out the reserves of power I was sure I’d need.
My thoughts turned to Lavender, to Rosewing, to High Spirits. I saw them all, my family. True, it wasn’t a responsibility that I had sought out, but that didn’t make it any less mine, or any less precious to me.
I was approaching the hospital quite quickly, and trust me, even on the first sight it practically stunk like a damn trap.
Nopony around the hospital, it was quiet. Way too quiet.
“Yeah, like that’s not a dead giveaway,” I said to myself as I landed on the ground floor. When I walked into the hospital, it was just as empty on the inside as it was on the outside, the lighting kept dim, “They must have triggered the emergency lighting.”
It was largely unnerving to walk into such a large building without ponies all around. As I got closer to the elevators, one opened up, empty, and just for me, “Celestia, you all must think I’m stupid,” I said aloud as the elevator doors closed.
"No one thinks that you're stupid, captain," a voice huffed through the speaker from the cabin, "But you have to admit that it was quite easy to get you here."
“Did you really think I’d let High come herself?”
“Nope, we didn’t. We knew you’d come in her stead.”
“Is that actually Electric Blue?” I asked.
“You’ll have to come see for yourself,” the voice said in a chuckle as the intercom went dead.
"Buck you! I'm not stupid, and I'll get your heads for this!" I screamed and looked at the emergency exit at the top of the cabin. I just hoped there was no camera in there, and the surprise would be gone.
Running to it, I broke open the door with a blast of green magic and paused at the stairwell.
Think dammit, think this through, they want you hyper, to make stupid mistakes.
I paused and calmed myself. Going through my family’s deep breathing exercises, I placed a hoof against my chest and breathed in and out in slow, rhythmic breaths. It worked, I calmed down enough to regain my focus.
A grin appeared on my face as I knew exactly what I wanted to do. They wanted me to stumble blindly into a trap, well, I’d do just that, it just wasn’t going to be a trap of their making.
My destination was the fifth floor, and I’d go there, just as they expected me too, but first I’d make a little stop on the fourth floor.
***
My arrival on the fifth floor was met with the same fanfare as when I entered the building. There was nopony there, just emergency lighting and a creepy ambiance in the air. I knew my destination without issue, and walked right to the room that was no doubt holding a horde of changelings waiting to attack me.
This is going to be fun. I thought with a smile.
To my shock, there wasn’t a horde of bloodthirsty changelings waiting to slice me into ribbons, the only sound that greeted me was the beep, beep, beep of a heart monitor in the room.
“What game are you playing?!” I shouted.
I expected, and received, no reply. With a sigh, I continued into the room. I was too far invested to turn back now, I doubt they would have let me anyway.
I slowly approached the bed and looked around, careful to not simply walk into a laid trap. I shook as I reached my destination and went to grab the covers from off the form of a pony-shaped object in the bed.
My jaw hit the floor at what I uncovered.
Looking at me, through wide green eyes and a wicked smile, Electric Blue stared into my face, "The queen sends her regards," she chuckled before jumping off the bed.
"What?" I screamed before it clicked in my head, "You are working for her! How can you do that to High Spirit?"
“Because she’s never loved High Spirit,” a voice came from the bathroom as the second largest changeling I’d ever seen in my life stepped out of it. It was one of the queen’s lieutenants.
Electric flew up to him and nuzzled against the side of his chitin, “She’s always loved me.”
“But I killed her!” I shouted in disbelief, "You shouldn't exist anymore!"
“Just about,” he replied, “Luckily I was nearby and managed to save her life, my dear Electric.”
She purred up to him, almost like a kitten to it’s mother. Given their size difference, that was an apt analogy.
"You know that I'll kill you both?" I asked cooly.
“Oh? You going to detonate that magic spell you cast on the floor below us?” Electric asked.
"No, not under these circumstances," I said and paused before my eyes glowed, "I'll do the same to you as to your company in the streets, remember? I'll burn you alive, there’ll be nothing left to save!"
The big changeling actually laughed, "You're kidding, right?"
He stopped his laughter as I shot a beam towards Electric, making her scream and fall onto the ground once she got hit by it.
I wanted her alive to tell High everything, the pony that deserved the truth. I did it also so High wouldn't hate me based upon a lie.
"Now I'm going to hurt you, bitch!" The lieutenant shouted before tackling me with his full weight.
I shoved his head to the side with a kick so his fangs snapped into the air, but his hooves pushed painfully against my chest and stomach. I had no time to fire a spell in this position, so I acted on instinct.
Changing into the form I disgusted, I bared my fangs into his neck and twisted my head like a dog would with it's prey. He screamed and tried to get me off with hard punches against my stomach.
Hard bastard.
I knew that he was physically stronger than me. I knew he would finish me up close like this. I knew I would loose soon.
Lavender... I can't... loose.
I bathed in my feelings for her and the lieutenant frowned in shock as my horn glowed. It wasn't the usual green flicker of magic.
The glow around my horn was golden, sending blinding waves of light through the room. It shocked the lieutenant enough to forget his case to bring me to the queen alive.
He screamed and bit down my chest. It was the sharpest pain I had felt in a long time, but it didn't stop my magic.
The light grew, grew more and more until I nearly blinded myself. Then it exploded.
The lieutenant was forced off me, but at the same time a giant pain exploded in my chest and I saw stars in my gaze.
As the light faded off, I laid heavily breathing on the ground, my body in pain. A small look to my side showed the lieutenant against the wall, his neck at a weird angle.
I knew that I had to get out of range soon, and also take Electric with me, but it was to no use. Every time I wanted to stand up, searing pain made me slumb back.
A look to my chest answered why. A big chunk of my chitin and the muscles underneath was missing, my ichor running freely over my sides and my neck.
Damn it. Remember the healing spell!
I remembered it vaguely, but the thought of my promise to Lavender helped me. Under my eyes and with a bit of my last power, the bleeding stopped, but it wasn't enough to close the wound.
I just need a few more minutes.
"Don't just stand there! Get her!" A voice shouted outside, and I stumbled onto my hooves.
They're here.
Looking at Electric Blue I growled and lifted her slowly up on my back, then I crashed through the window just in time as the door opened.
"She's getting away!" Someone screamed, but a look back showed that they didn't try and follow me.
That's weird.
Shaking my head, I focused all of my strength on flying and hoping that nopony would see me. I was simply too weak for my natural form or any other disguise. I also knew that flying should've been impossible at that moment, but I did it nonetheless.
Lavender, I'm keeping my promise.
The flight home was much longer than the one to the hospital. I was slow, way slower than I wanted to be, but the weight on my back and the wound drained me.
I don't even know how I made it, but the last thing I saw was a familiar house before my power was used up and I crashed down.
***
Someone called my name, but I wasn't able to make it out. I couldn’t see or hear really anything, my body felt like it was enveloped by soft, white clouds.
The scene quickly changed into a field of green grass and a waterfall nearby. I looked around in shock to see what had caused it.
"Either I'm dead, or dreaming," I said aloud.
"The latter one," a voice calmly stated, followed by a dark blue alicorn stepping out of the shadows.
I quickly got onto my hooves and faced her, my mind going through every defensive spell I knew. But I also knew that they wouldn't help against an alicorn.
"You don't have to fear us, Aurora Blue. Purple Star explained everything and defended you in name of her pride as one of our guards."
Before me stood one of the pony sisters of legend. The Alicorn of the Night herself, Princess Luna. I’d heard the tales of Nightmare Moon, of the destruction she could cause, of how we should all live in fear of her. This mare wasn’t that mare, this mare was amazing, her night blue coat, her crescent moon cutie mark, and her ethereal mane. It all added up to a sight that was truly breathtaking to me.
"The queen always told us that you couldn't visit our dreams. And why am I dreaming?" I asked.
"That's true for every full changeling, but not for you. And you are sleeping because your wounds are deep," the alicorn replied and walked closer.
My changeling instincts wanted me to pull back, to recoil at her presence, to try and save myself. However, my pony instincts welcomed her presence, almost as if she were a cooling salve on fresh burns.
The latter won out, and curiosity drew me closer to her. I got some very interested looks as well.
"Purple Star spoke of you as a dear friend and that you would speak the truth," Luna finally spoke, “Tell us, is this true? Have you befriended one of our guards, are you noble of heart and of character?”
"I know that I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but yes. I consider Purple Star as my friend, and I live to protect my family, my wife and my foal," I stated firmly.
She sat back on her flank and stared at me, her eyes grew dark blue as she next spoke, “And yet you are a changeling, a parasitic creature that exists to suck the love and the joy from the lives of our subjects. The same species that sought to ruin our niece's wedding, captured our sister, and tried to take over all of Equestria!”
"I don't need to relate to ponies for that. I love my wife dearly, and it gives me all the strength I need. I know she feels the same, and I can swear with my life that my family isn't just here to hurt anypony," I spoke and even glared at her, "I'm not under the queen!"
The darkness that prevailed around her seemed to diminish at that. Almost as if she were considering my words, trying to view the situation from a different angle as it were. I knew the situation rested on a knife’s edge when I next spoke, “It’s true we feed on the love of others, but we’re no more guilty than a spider that feeds on the blood of its victims.”
“That still doesn’t mean we welcome them into our homes,” Luna said coldly.
"While you are right, let me tell you one thing. I worked hard to escape the queen and build a family. I trust Purple Star that she told you the right thing, but I will protect my wife and my foal against every single threat. I considered peaceful living amongst ponies, to see my little filly grow. Take my hoof with good intentions, Luna," I said and I could feel her anger burning upon my words, "Or get another enemy that killed changelings for the love of her live."
She looked at me as if I were making some jest, “Are you seriously threaten us?”
I laughed at that, “We both know I’d never stand a chance against you. No, I offer no such threat against you, or Equestria for that manner. And that, Luna, is the point. I’m no threat to you, but I am a threat to the hive, to the queen. Even if you cannot consider me an ally, I am still the enemy of your enemy.”
“Who could still be an enemy,” Luna stated.
“Who, in almost a month of being amongst your ponies, have not need to feed on a single one of them.”
She paused at that, “What?”
I felt the conversation finally turn my way, “I told you, I want nothing more than to live in peace with my wife, my foal, and my family. We’ve all sought our escape from the queen, and we did it through our love for each other,” A realization hit me then, “We’ve not needed to feed on ponies because that’s been more than enough for me, for us.”
“We're to understand you’ve killed one of our subjects already?”
I sighed at that, “Yes, he was a threat to Lavender’s life.”
“Your wife?” Luna asked.
I nodded, "Yes. The love of my life, and carrying my foal."
“You are an… interesting soul, Aurora Blue,” Luna said as she looked up into the night sky. I’m not even sure when the moon came out in that realm, if it had always been there, or if she simply willed it into existence because she wanted to.
"I'm trying to live my life peacefully, and protect my family like everypony would," I replied.
"You're no pony," she countered.
"I'm a half breed. I'm more pony than a changeling."
She smiled at that comment, “That is the question, is it not? Are you? We can see you are telling the truth, to the best of your ability anyway, but whether or not you are truly more pony than changeling, or more challenging than pony, or perhaps you are both? Or none of the above. That shall be something we have to deduce before a final judgment can be made.”
“What are you...??” I started but she raised a hoof to stop me.
“We shall make the judgment ourselves. In person though. You and your family shall come to Canterlot.”
"I would suggest that you send us some guards. My wounds are just the beginning, and the queen won't let us leave the city," I said.
"Then we shall send you Purple Star back among some others. Be ready to depart as soon as they arrive," Luna said before nodding and melting into the shadows.
Pain. Mind-numbingly strong pain. It was what I felt in the dark. Like it would swallow me right then and there. The pain held me for a long while, only to soon be replaced by a soothing coolness that washed over my whole body, along with a feeling and a scent in my nostrils, one I remembered.
Lavender.
My eyes slowly fluttered open to see the lovely, but worried face of Lavender over me. An expression that quickly turned into a loving one.
“Aurora! You’re awake!” she slightly sobbed, “I thought I would lose you!”
“How is she?” a voice spoke, one I recognized as Purple Star.
“She’ll be okay,” Lavender replied.
“Ugh, how long was I out? It seemed like it was just five minutes ago that Luna told me that she would send you and Wave Night back to accompany us to Canterlot,” I muttered, slowly trying to get up.
“That was over nine hours ago. We made it here extra fast,” Wave Night replied instead of her wife.
I blinked my eyes clear a few times, trying to take in my surroundings. We were back in Lavender’s house, which was a good thing as far as I was concerned. I tried to focus, to remember what had happened before I blacked out.
That’s when it hit me, “Electric!”
“She’s upstairs, trying to rest,” Lavender mumbled.
“What?!” I shouted, “Restrain her, and do it fast! She’s the traitor that sold us out to the Queen!”
“You gotta be kidding me,” High Spirits replied sternly, making me realize that she was standing directly behind me, “I just got the love of my life back and you say this?!”
“High, don’t let your own feelings blind you!” I stated before sighing, “Do you remember that you were always satisfied with her love? No hunger at all?”
“I,” High started before stomping down, “No! I won’t believe your lies!”
“Okay, you don’t want to listen to my words, then you’ll just have to see it!” I grumbled before getting to my shaking hooves, trying to focus on my power.
I knew a spell that could let others see my memories. And I planned to use it for the first time. Gritting my teeth, I tried to force up as much power as I could before concentrating on the spell and the memory.
My magic created a small mirror in front of me, all viewed from my eyes. It showed how I walked into the room and pulled the blanket back, just to have Electric Blue jump from it.
“The Queen sends her regards,” Electric Blue chuckled at me.
My own voice echoed through the mirror, “What?! You are working for her! How can you do that to High Spirits?”
It was at that time the large lieutenant stepped in and answered me, “Because she never loved High Spirits.”
Electric seemed happy and quickly went to him, nuzzling his chitin lovingly, “She’s always loved me!”
My voice boomed through the mirror with disbelief and anger, “But I killed her! You shouldn’t exist anymore!”
The big changeling laughed, “Just about. Luckily I was nearby and managed to save her, my dear Electric.”
As I let the memory play for a little longer, I learned what the feeling of someone’s heart breaking felt like. I didn’t look at High, I didn’t want to look at her. Though my very skin, I could feel her heart shatter at the sight I presented. When at last I knew the evidence was enough, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I killed it. Not wanting to put her through the torture of having to watch anymore.
“I… I don’t understand,” Rosewing said.
“She’s the traitor, there’s not much to understand.”
“No… that’s not what she meant,” Lavender said.
“What?”
“Electric is the one that brought you here.”
“WHAT?” I asked in shock.
“She said she came to after you two escaped from the hospital, it was her actions that saved you from the lieutenant,” Rosewing said.
A crash echoed from the bedroom. My eyes went wide and I shot out in the direction of the bedroom. I could feel Lavender, Rosewing, Purple, and Wave follow behind me. We all ran right past High, who just stood there, dumbfounded.
I don’t really blame her.
When I turned the corner, Electric was standing at the open window, smiling at us, “Oh, you’re up already? I thought for sure I’d have more time than this. Well, at least my surprise is ready.”
“What are you planning!?” I screamed.
She chuckled, “You should know as well as anyone that the hive doesn’t have that many assets left, and while the queen could kill you all with a massive strike, such a bold move would attract some… unwanted attention.”
“You… you let me capture you,” the realization hit me like a tonne of bricks.
“Bingo. Defensive spells can be a bitch to break through, but they have one major weakness; attack them from the inside and they go down like a palace of cards.”
I growled and my anger raised, “You forgot one little thing.”
“Oh, and what would that be?” she asked giggling.
I could feel that she had defensive barriers around her, but that wouldn’t stop me. The safety of my wife, my foal and my family were at risk for this.
“That I protect my family with everything I can. Including every bit of my training, and you’ve seen nothing!” I shouted before aiming and letting go.
The blue ball that headed for her was fast. Too fast, as I put the rest of my power into it. Her eyes only went wide before it hit her, no time for anything else. I watched in satisfaction as she was flung back from the window like a rock, lifeless and a shocked expression on her face before her eyes closed.
That should put her out for a few hours minimum.
Just then, I felt it. Like in my early years if I used too much magic, my vision blurred and my legs shook weakly under me. Slowly, I tripped sideways, just to be caught by something warm and feathery.
“Shh, everything is fine,” Lavender gently cooed, and I saw her with a smile on her lips before they met mine, and I fell asleep again.
It was a really short slumber. As I opened my eyes again, the sun outside seemed to have not moved much since I put Electric out. Looking around, I recognized that I was lying in Lavender’s and my bed, something soft to my left side. Smiling, I saw Lavender with a cute expression on her muzzle, sleeping at my side. I wanted to turn and face her, but it seemed like I had already moved too much.
“Hey, beautiful,” I cooed as her eyes fluttered open.
“Hey to you, too,” she smiled and reached her neck to give me a small peck on the lips.
I watched with a smile as she rolled over, “I love y--”
My words were cut off as Electric's trap was finally sprung. I have no idea how she did it, but she did. As Lavender rolled off the bed and got to her hooves, a magical drain spell went off under the bed, no doubt meant for me. My voice caught in my throat as I saw her yell in pain as lightning coursed through her body.
“LAVENDER!”
She fell to the ground in a heap, unable to move.
I jumped up out of bed and went instantly to her side, unable to believe what I had just seen.
High, Purple, Rose and Wave all burst in, “What happened?!” they seemed to yell in unison.
“I don’t know.... she… she….”
High pushed me to the side, the uncertainty from her at Electric's betrayal was gone, to be replaced with something that she could actually help with.
“Electric must have done this, it’s one of the queen’s punishment spells, it drains all the magic from it’s target.”
“Is she?”
“She’s alive, for now. But, Aurora...”
There were tears in my eyes as she looked at me, it was the same look a doctor might give a dieing foal’s mother, “She’s… she’s not going to…”
“No!” I shouted.
“It just drains her magic, right?” Wave asked.
High shot her an annoyed look, “We ARE magic,” she scowled, “Take all the magic from a changeling and she will die. We feed through magic, we disguise through magic!”
“That’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying that the princess might be able to heal her.”
“What?” High asked.
“The alicorn sisters possess more magic than anyone else in the world. If her magic is being drained like this, they might be able to restore it.”
“Re… really?” I asked.
“How long does she have?” Purple asked.
“About twelve hours,” High stated.
“No good, our train doesn’t arrive for seven hours, and it’s an eight hour ride to Canterlot.”
“We’ll just take the next one out, then!” Rosewing stated.
“An… unsecured transport? One that could be a huge trap?” Wave stated.
I still laid on the ground, sobbing, but that was soon replaced by more. As I stood up, my eyes flickered green, “We’ll take the next train. Rose, High, restrain Electric and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. That little brat comes with us, maybe I’ll even decide to play a bit with her,” I scowled, and they all took a step back, even Purple and Wave.
Wave seemed like she was about to question me, and I simply lost it, “MOVE, NOW!” I yelled, my disguise dropping and my magic extending.
At this moment, some part of me knew that I was ready to kill, no matter who. I knew that the life of my wife and my foal was on the plate. I knew that I would do everything to save her.
As they made preparation to leave, preparations which mainly involved how to transport Electric without her giving away that we were in fact changelings, I looked down to Lavender’s form. She was breathing, but only barely. I could see that every breath seemed to hurt her.
“Stay with me, please,” I cried as I picked her up in my hooves. Somehow she managed to wrap a hoof around my neck, it wasn’t enough to support any of her weight, but I don’t think that was her intent. I think she just wanted to hug me again.
“We’re going, now!” I shouted as I flapped my wings, enabling me to fully pick her up off the floor.
Purple looked at me, smiling sadly, “Other night guards will join us at the train station. I managed to get a few more mares ready to help us.”
“You managed to get more ready? On such short notice?”
Wave snickered, “I think you missed it, or she didn’t told you, but she’s the Captain. She tells us, we do.”
I looked at Purple in awe, and at that moment it wasn’t a surprise to me that Luna talked to me. Of course she would trust and believe her Captain, her most trusted guard.
“Okay, she’s ready,” Rosewing said as her and High dragged the unconscious body of Electric back into the room. I noticed that High couldn’t help but to let her head drape over the floor, bumping every single obstacle.
Without further fanfare, I turned to the window and shattered it with my magic, “Little excessive?” Rosewing asked as she took flight after me.
“It’s just stuff,” I growled, “I have what’s really important right here.”
There was a mumble of agreement throughout the party as we made our way to the train station. I kept my eyes always facing forward, ready and hoping that someone would be stupid enough to come out and challenge us. Purple took the left flank, Wave took the right. High Spirits and Rosewing brought up the rear, carrying the traitor between them.
Sadly, my desire for a fight was not answered, and we arrived at the train station without incident.
“You almost look disappointed,” Purple said.
“I am,” I replied.
She stopped me with a hoof on my shoulder while the others went to buy tickets. I turned and glared at her with a look that said this was not the time.
A look she ignored.
“Aurora, I get it, you’re pissed, and you have every right to be.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I growled.
“You keep down this route, you’re going to get Lavender killed.”
My stern expression died in that moment, “Wh-- what?”
“What’s the goal? Revenge, or saving her life?” she asked.
“Lavender!”
“Then why are you looking for a fight?”
“I want to make them pay!”
“What’s the goal?”
Fuck… she’s right...
Purple continued without waiting for me to answer the question, “I’ve seen it a hundred times. A squad mate goes down, everyone wants revenge. But that vengeance costs the battle, as they are no longer seeing the bigger picture. In those cases it was a battle, here it’s saving your wife’s life.”
I looked down at her at that. Sometime during our flight, Lavender had--thankfully--passed out.
“There are two ways this trip could go; absolutely nothing could happen and we get there without issue. Or… we get ambushed, below strength, and with an injured teammate. You should really be hoping for the former, but even if the latter happens, you need to keep your eye on the goal, it’s about saving her, and not getting revenge.”
“You’re right.”
“You’d make a good soldier,” she said in a laugh, “I think your skillset is wasted pushing clouds around.”
“I’m happy with it, and it keeps my family alive,” I answered.
“If the princesses think you’re trustworthy, I would add an offer, but not now. We got other things to do at the moment,” Purple smiled at me before looking around, “Where are they? I said thirty minutes, not thirty-five!”
As if that one comment was somehow telepathically linked to her squad, four ponies ran up to us from the back cabin of our train, “Captain,” the first one yelled, “Per your orders, the rear train compartment has been secured for our usage.
I turned and looked at the black pegasus mare in full armor, on edge in case these were opponents.
“Very good. Aurora, allow me to introduce you to Midnight Strike, Black Cloud, Snow Clouds, and Endless Clouds.”
My eyes trailed down them each in turn. Midnight Strike was a black pegasus mare with a yellow stripe going down her equally black mane. Black Cloud was a grey pegasus mare with a yellow mane. Snow Clouds was unique in the group as the only unicorn. She had a grey blue mane. Endless Clouds stood out due to her pink coat color and blue mane.
“Don’t recruit a lot of stallions?” I asked in jest.
Purple laughed, “It’s rare for them to not want to be in service to Celestia. The night guard don’t have the same renown, and as such, they see little glory in it.
“Bunch of pansies, if you ask me,” Black cloud said with a smirk.
“Well, if you count that Blue Wave and Thunderstreak are the only stallions in our squad, yep, you’re right,” Endless Clouds snickered.
At that moment, the horn blew, signaling that the train was almost ready to depart.
We made it just in time…
It was a silver lining in the dark cloud we were under. High Spirits returned with the tickets, she passed two to me before, reluctantly, going back to help Rosewing with their cargo.
“Let’s get moving,” I stated.
The eleven of us boarded the train at the rear. Together we made a very interesting sight. Five of us were fully decked out night guards. Two more unconscious. As I passed our tickets to the operator, we got some very strange looks indeed, but he didn’t say anything more about it.
The cabin was empty, a little factoid we owed to the Lunar guard for clearing it for us. There were fifteen empty benches, enough for us each to have our own. Something that wasn’t going to happen.
High and Rosewing unceremoniously dropped Electric in the center bench on the left side of the train. Rosewing sat next to her, but High took a spot right behind them, refusing to stay in contact like that.
The Lunar guard split into two teams. Midnight Strike and Black Cloud took the front of the cabin, Snowy Winters and Endless Clouds the back, no doubt to keep their strength in the front and their spellcaster in the back.
Wave Night went and took a seat on the right side, about halfway from the center and rear of the cabin. I took Lavender and sat directly across from her.
Purple stayed on her hooves, walking back and forth from the front to the back.
“Wow, she really is the Captain, isn’t she?” I asked Wave.
“Yep, she’ll be like this the whole trip, too. But it’s mostly because she’s worried for us. We’re not her soldiers and recruits, we’re her family. I guess that’s also why she understands you so much,” Wave replied. I could tell there was pride in her voice, and something else. Sadness. She may never give voice to it, but part of her wanted Purple to relax and sit by her.
“Hey Purple,” I called.
“Hm?”
“How about you take a place besides your wife and relax. I’ll keep an eye on everyone,” I suggested, and she stared wide-eyed at me.
Her expression moved from me to Wave, I could see that same longing in her eyes that I saw in Wave Night’s. However, it was only temporary, “Duty first.”
Those words seemed to stab Wave in the heart.
“Hey, I thought family comes first? At least, that’s how I hold it. Now, sit down and relax before I have to add a sleeping spell over a Captain to my list of crimes,” I told her.
“Soldiers don’t have that luxury,” she replied, “But… I may have to… rest my hooves once we get started.”
“That’s a bunch of horseapples and you know it,” I replied, “Now go ‘rest your hooves’,” with that, I stood up and took her position in the middle of the cabin, keeping everything in my view.
She stared at me in indignation, almost as if she were still going to fight me. Something that went away as the train whistle blew once more and we all felt a jolt as it started up, “Looks like we’re on the way, weren't you saying something about that?” I whispered.
She growled for a second before she sighed and sat down next to her wife, “Okay everypony. You all listen to Aurora while I… well… rest my hooves a bit,” she said, causing her guards and Wave to look at her in awe, “What? She’s a Captain, too!” she said, and for the guards it seemed enough. Only her wife still stared at her, at least until she got shut off by a kiss.
I stared forward to see Midnight and Black still smirking, knowing that their surprise was not in taking orders from me, but that their boss actually gave into her soft side. My eyes didn’t stay with them for long, they’d naturally find their way back to Lavender every few minutes, just to make sure she was okay.
I wonder what her guards will do once they know that we’re changelings? I guess it will come to that for sure, at least once some changeling is dumb enough to attack us.
I didn’t let my mind play over that question for too long, partly in worry of what they might do. Partly because I wasn’t worried at all, they’d obey Purple’s orders without question. After all, that’s what they were trained to do.
My demeanor stayed rigid, unmoving. Every few moments I’d switch from looking over the front guards to the back ones. Unsurprisingly, they were all on point, keeping to their duties just as Purple had done before I forced her to spend some time to with her wife.
When I turned back to the front, I almost jumped out of my fur when a hoof tapped me on the side.
“WH--,” I paused when I looked back and saw Purple standing up, “Tag out,” she replied.
“Go back to Wave,” I said, “I told you I’ll take it for a bit.”
“It’s been three hours, Aurora. I appreciate what you did, but your wife needs you, too.”
Three hours? What the...
“First rule of commanded, you can’t stay on point forever,” Purple said as she gestured back to the front of the cabin. I turned and looked, seeing nothing different in Midnight and Black’s behavior.
“Look at Black,” she whispered.
It was then I saw it, it was small, so much so that I never would have noticed it unless it was pointed out. Both ponies were still on guard, but Midnight was slightly more posed than Black, slightly more aware. Black was resting, letting herself recover while Midnight watched for her.
“How long have they…”
“Ever since we got started, they’ve been trading off, one on watch, one resting while still guarding. It’s a little trick I teach everyone under my command. Regardless how dedicated you are, no pony can stay one hundred percent all the time.”
“That’s why you have them in teams of two?”
“Yep.”
“But you were going to…”
“I know my limits, eight hours is nothing. After all, you don’t become Captain by having good looks. Now, why don’t you go… rest your own hooves. I think she’s been missing you.”
My eyes turned back to Lavender. She was still passed out, but the expression on her face wasn’t one of a peaceful sleep, “Okay,” I said as I made my way back to her.
I sat down next to her and raised her head so it laid at my side. It looked like Purple was right, because as soon as her head touched my coat, her expression slowly turned up in a smile.
“I love you, Lavender,” I whispered and pressed her up to my coat. Her warmth pressed up against my own, reminding me just how much I did love her all over again. And how tired I was, the adrenaline I had been using since she rolled off the bed this morning finally leaving me.
I laid my head back, “I’m just gonna rest my eyes a bit,”
“I’ll wake you if anything happens,” Purple said with a smile as I drifted off to sleep next to the mare I loved.
***
“Aurora, wake up!” Purple shouted into my ear.
“What?” I asked, feeling worse than before.
“We’re under attack!”
As if to place the exclamation mark on that point, the roof of the cabin broke open, revealing seven changelings lead by a lieutenant. They clung to the roof and started to walk to the front of the cabin, their prey being the front two guards.
My eyes shot to and fro, taking in the situation we were in. We were going to lose, that much was obvious. Outside both sides of the cabin, there were at least fifty changelings, possibly all the ones the queen could summon left in Equestria.
The back of the train blew out, causing Snowy Winters and Endless Clouds to have to take cover. I took in our situation in an instant. In the front, several of the other passengers had revealed their changeling forms and were already attacking Midnight and Black, both of which were using the natural bottleneck of the entrance to thin their numbers. However, with the addition of the seven from the roof, they were going to be pincered and slaughtered.
“Purple, I--,” I paused, Purple had seen it, too, and was already off to counterattack the seven. Still, she’d be outmatched with the lieutenant there, “High Spirit, help Purple.”
She nodded at me and took off.
I glanced back, seeing Snowy Clouds and Endless Cloud getting up. They were both worse for wear, but still in the fight, “And I’ll go...”
‘NO!” Wave shouted at me, causing me to pause before I could go join them in guarding the rear.
“What?” I asked her.
“What did Purple tell you? Keep your eye on the goal,” at those words, she gestured to Lavender.
“But…
“No buts, the battle can be lost, as long as we win the war.”
My mind raged at those words, but somehow, I didn’t go join in. I wanted to, I wanted to tear apart as many as I could. However, she was right; Lavender had to come first. Still, I could adjust the layout, “Wave, come sit by me.”
She nodded and hurriedly switched sides of the cabin.
“Rosewing, how’s our prisoner?” I asked.
Rosewing took a potshot at one of the changelings that were about to jump for High’s throat. “Sleeping like a foal,” she responded, partly laughing.
I grunted at that as my eyes kept darting to each combatant. Purple Star was facing off against the lieutenant, a changeling that did not expect such a match from a pony. High Spirits fought like a mare possessed, she was using her anger and hatred at Electric against her six opponents.
I almost felt sorry for them.
Seeing them fight, I grew hope that we might actually win this.
It was hope that died when I heard a scream from the back of the cabin. My head snapped back just in time to see Endless Cloud fall to the ground, her pink coat a little darker from the blood that leaked out of a gaping wound down her flank.
“Cloud!” Snowy Clouds shouted as she powered up her horn and blasted Cloud’s attacker through the side of the cabin.
That attack was a mistake, as another hole made itself known to the changelings waiting outside.
“Shit,” I yelled as I looked around at Wave.
“Go,” she said with a nod. We both knew that now was the time for me to join. I wasn’t needed before, my job was to stay back. If I didn’t go now, we would lose the war.
I jumped to my hooves and made my way to the new hole. I looked back only once, just to see Wave take my spot with Lavender.
With a smile, I turned back to the hole, just in time to see three changelings trying to make entry, “Sorry boys, mare’s only,” I stated as I shot all three back out of the cabin with a blast of magic power.
Thinking quickly, I picked up two benches in a green aura and pressed them against the hole. Concentrating on the metal, I preceded to heat them almost to boiling, enough for them to grasp ahold of the side of the cabin.
“It won’t last forever,” I said to my patchwork melding, “But it’ll do for now.”
Unfortunately, every second you spend in battle on B, A continues on without your notice. When I turned away, it was just in time to see another seven changelings crawl in through the hole, and to make matters worse, there was another boarding party landing in the rear, where only Snowy Clouds remained.
“Purple, behind you!” I shouted as I went to join Snowy Clouds. While the seven new arrivals were a threat, they could still fight. Snowy was going to be overrun for sure if I didn’t help her.
“I’ll help her!” Rosewing shouted as she jumped up and made to join in the fight.
It leaves Electric unguarded, but we really don’t have a choice right now. I just hope the magic I put into her keeps her out for some more time.
I made it to Snowy Clouds barely in time to shield her from several blasts from two changelings. She shot me a thankful smile before slicing one with her blade while the other got burned by me.
Together, we fought them off, Snowy a blur of magical bladework that made my appreciation of her skill change dramatically. I fought with my magic, drawing upon all the power I had left, power that had yet to fully recover.
She only paused once when she noticed a pegasus using magic, but that once almost cost her life. A changeling lept for her throat with his fangs bared, only to be repulsed by a green shot from me.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime,” I replied back, smiling.
A loud crack overtook the train, causing me to pause and look forward in time to see another section of the cabin tear away, one that was far, far too close to Wave and Lavender for my liking.
“Go,” Snowy Clouds shouted.
I didn’t hesitate, I flapped my wings and took flight, just in time to see a second lieutenant appear through the gap he had ripped from the top of the train. He stared at Lavender with a hungry look in his eyes, “What do we have here?” he stated.
Wave jumped up and placed herself directly between the two, “I won’t let you hurt her!”
“Who said anything about hurting her? You, on the other hand,” He said with a laugh as his horn powered up and shot a green beam directly at Wave.
“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” I screamed as I threw myself in the path of the beam. It burned through every minor defense I could raise, hit my fur, and blistered my skin. I felt my body radiate with pain and anguish. My muscles felt like they were on fire, my brain barely able to process anything other than pain.
“Aurora!” Wave shouted, I could barely hear it, I could barely hear anything. I fell onto my side. Breathing hurt, moving hurt, touching things hurt, and even seeing hurt. I forced myself to face my attacker, not wanting to give him the pleasure of an easy kill.
“And she was worried about you, ple--”
He never finished that sentence, a purple blade pierced his throat from behind, causing him to gurgle blood and fall to the floor. My eyes focused on the one that had ended him; Purple Star was standing over the lieutenant's prone form. Her body one of cuts and blood, one of her front hooves appeared to be broken, her wings torn and shredded.
None of that showed on her face, she stared at him as one might stare at a pile of excrement on the ground, “And that’s… two,” she said before falling to the ground.
“Purple!” Wave cried.
She didn’t even look at her wife as she looked over, but Wave stayed beside Lavender. Even I couldn’t hold out much more, and a look to the front showed that Black Cloud was down while Midnight fought every single changeling on her own, blood and tears equally staining her coat.
Of Rosewing and High Spirits, I could see no sign. However, I had a suspicion that they were in the pile of changelings that were currently fighting it out, no doubt unable to keep their forms.
Another gaze, however, made me freeze. Electric Blue stirred in her position, and I could see that it was a matter of minutes before she would be awake. Something I clearly didn’t want to add to my list of things on my mind.
With all the strength I had left, I rolled to my stomach and started to crawl to Lavender.
If I’m going to die, I want to do it in her hooves.
The thought wasn’t a pleasant one, but it was the only one that mattered to me. Before I could make it halfway to her, another noise caused me to stop. Not by what it said, but how it was said.
“Aurora…”
It was just my name, spoke from Wave, but it was said with surprise, and hope.
I forced my head to look to the back of the cabin, in the same direction Wave was looking. The changelings were no longer attacking, they were retreating. A glance forward told the same tale. It was like it was last call at a bar, and the last one out got stuck with the tip. They were fighting each other to leave the train, their opponents left battered, bruised, and utterly confused.
“I… I don’t understand.”
“I do. Look,” Wave said with a smile as she pointed out the gaping hole in the roof of the cabin.
I stared up and cried at what I saw. It was like the sun’s wrath made manifest on the planet. Celestia, in all her glory, she was flying this way. Power radiating off her in waves of pure magical energy.
Behind her, Canterlot Mountain was coming into view.
My cries became a smile, then a chuckle, then full on laughter.
“We’re… we’re saved.”
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Wave said with a smile.
“Yes, she is.”
It felt like seconds later when the train came to a stop. Wave had placed Lavender gently by me, careful not to cause me too much pain despite me lying to her that was I fine. She then went and helped Purple, who I was relieved to hear was not mortally wounded, just exhausted after killing two changeling lieutenants back to back. Of the others, I had no knowledge of, I couldn’t check on them even if I wanted to.
When the door opened, a power made itself known to us. It wasn’t the brilliant light of Celestia’s sun, and it wasn’t a darkness either, not in an evil way anyway. Rather, it was calming, like peace made manifest. My eyes took in the princess of the night making her way onto the train car. I looked up at her, tears in my eyes as she spoke to me.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aurora Blue. Welcome to Canterlot,” Princess Luna stated right before I passed out.
As soon as my eyes fluttered open, I looked around in confusion. I had expected to be thrown in jail first or a room to be interrogated, but I hadn’t expected to awake in a what looked like a hospital room. I laid in a white room, everything silent except from the slow, sometimes choked breathing to my right side. I turned towards it, and my heart immediately skipped a beat.
Lavender.
She was simply lying there, a mask for breathing over her muzzle and her chest raising slow and irregularly. It was a sight that sent me into panic mode.
“You should calm down. Her state is critical, but stable,” a soft voice said.
As I turned, Princess Celestia was standing in the doorway, watching my every movement closely, “It is a wonder that all of you survived, although most of you are in quite bad shape.”
“Can you or your sister help her?” I asked.
“We can, but we want answers,” Celestia replied as she stepped closer, “We want to know what you know. Everything. About the Queen, the hive, every single changeling you know and what is going on in Manehattan in general.”
“But my wife doesn't have that much time!” I bursted out.
“You are still a changeling, and I will not forget the wedding of my niece,” Celestia said with a frown.
“Oh, so that makes our life automatically worthless, is it that what you want to say? If you kill my wife, I promise nothing,” I said, causing her eyebrows to furrow, “I’m not threatening you, this is a promise. If my wife dies, you get nothing,” I continued, glaring at her.
“You have an amount of courage to you, changeling. I will consider it and talk to my sister,” she said as she turned to leave.
“I have a name!” I growled.
“Pardon me?”
“My name is Aurora Blue, not changeling!” I said bitterly.
She left without a word. I could practically feel that she was still furious inside about the wedding, and I knew that she would be much harder to convince than Luna.
I stewed a little on the inside. Logically, I knew to expect such treatment, and probably worse. Part of me said I should just be thankful not to have woken up in some dungeon, or just to have awoken at all. But I couldn’t, I couldn’t settle for anything like that until I knew for certain that Lavender was okay. Nothing else mattered until that was settled.
Her breathing caught my attention again, she took two shallow back to back breaths, almost like something had caught in her throat, “Lavender,” I said again as I went to join my wife on her bed.
To hell with my wounds.
I went nowhere, I tried to pull my right hoof away from the bed, to jump onto the floor, when a clank sound and something tugging against it alerted me that something was wrong. Inspecting it, I found a pair of hoofcuffs chaining me to the bed.
As if that would stop me.
Concentrating my anger upon it, I blasted it to atoms with my magic.
Or I tried, anyway. I did everything I’d normally do to use my changeling magic, but nothing happened. I scowled and tried again, a second time, and then a third. Nothing.
“What did you do?!” I shouted.
“Calm down,” a voice came from the hallway, one I recognized.
“Wave Night? What’s happening to me?”
“When you were admitted, they put you all through a magical dampening spell, the same they use during the Equestria Games. You’re fine, just can’t use magic until the spell is lifted.”
“Are they bucking serious? Do you remember what I told you? We ARE magic. If they keep it up, Lavender will die faster, and the rest of us will join her soon!” I shouted.
“No, it works on keeping magic in you, you simply cannot use it to change form or perform attacks.”
“Get me Purple and Princess Luna here! That’s not what I agreed on!” I scowled.
“Aurora, do you think making demands and shouting is going to help your case?”
“Okay, just to repeat it for you. If Lavender dies, I promise nothing. And I can see how she is suffering. The longer you stay there and refuse to get them, the more I’m going to buck some flanks,” I was very close to losing it.
“Princess Luna is already talking to Celestia, I’m sure she’ll be in soon enough. As far as Purple goes, she does have her responsibilities to see to.”
“And I have mine!” I shouted.
“Look, you can’t change anything at the moment, so better keep quiet before the other guards or the princesses hear you. It will make your situation worse.”
I pulled against my restraints three times, each one testing my strength before I figured out brute force wasn’t going to win the day.
“That’ll just tire you out.”
“What do you know? Just shut up and keep your watch,” I growled, annoyed.
“I’m not here to watch you.”
“Why are you here?” I snorted, my voice laced with venom.
“I just wanted to say thanks.”
“W-What?” I lost my voice at that point.
“You got hurt because you saved my life. I wanted to say thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I saved you because I still count you as my friend, even if you don’t trust me anymore,” I replied, and it was true.
“I--,” before she could say another word, the sound of ragged breaths interrupted both of us. I looked over in horror as Lavender struggled to take another breath, it was like her throat had closed on her. Then it dawned on me, she physically couldn’t.
“NO!” I shouted
“I’ll get a doctor!” Wave said, and I could hear the ruffle of wings, then nothing from her anymore.
“No!” I shouted at the wall, refusing to accept this, “No, no, no, no, no!” my rage became overwhelming.
I didn’t even recognize the burning fire in my head and my chest, seeing Lavender suffer. It broke something in me, and before I even realized it, green light flooded the room, flooding me. Power washed through me, and I jumped from my bed and to Lavender’s, I didn’t even notice that the hoofcuffs were gone now, lying shattered on the bed.
I turned her on her side, rubbing her back with my hooves, “Stay with me, stay with me! Please!”
It worked. I have no idea what, but something I did worked, and I heard her choke down one more breath, and then another. It was then I noticed the tears falling on my hooves. They were mine.
When did I start crying?
“Impressive,” a voice came from the entrance way.
I looked over, angry at whoever hadn’t been here to help her. My anger died as soon as I took in the sight of Princess Luna. She was just how she had been in my dreams, and on the train after that.
“Princess Luna,” I said and bowed my head. Somehow, I had respect for her, and a part of me trusted in her presence.
Directly behind her, Wave ran in with a doctor following behind. He paused and looked at me, unsure what to do with me in the way.
“Are you simply going to stand there, or help my wife? I won’t harm your coat, now MOVE,” I shouted at him.
That lit a fire under his flank. He moved to the other side of the bed and levitated up a stethoscope, listening to her breathing.
Like you can’t just hear it. I thought with a frown.
My attention turned back to Luna, she was levitating up the cuffs, “You shouldn’t have been able to break these.”
“The things we do,” I started to say, only for Luna to finish it.
“For the one’s we love,” Luna finished, then turned up to look at me before stepping closer and lowering her horn. I had no idea what she was about to do, but I decided to wait instead of acting like she was threatening me. Her horn gently touched me and a blue hint of magic touched me before fading off, “This is quite interesting. Your magic levels increased to a level that is normally reserved for the most powerful unicorns, perhaps even further.”
“I had no choice, although I don’t know how I did it. Lavender was about to die,” I replied.
She cocked her head and looked at me, “You are an interesting mare, Aurora Blue.”
“You don’t call me a changeling?” I asked.
“Why should I? Our conversation in your dream showed me that you are more than a simple changeling, but a very interesting individual with a lot of facettes,” she said with a smile.
“Well, your sister wasn’t that nice. To her, I’m just a changeling, the same that crashed Princess Mi Amore Cadenzas wedding,” I laughed bitterly.
“My sister keeps a very black and white world view. I have a deeper understanding of those that are more at home in the darkness. The truth is while there are plenty on either side of the good and evil spectrum, the majority of things fall in the center.”
“Like me?”
“Like you,” she confirmed with a smile.
“Princess Luna I--”
“Please, just Luna.”
“Luna, I don’t mean to sound unappreciative for everything you’ve done for us, but I need to make a request before we can talk anymore.”
“And what would that be, Aurora?” she asked.
“If it’s in your power, Luna, please save my wife.”
“You asked my sister the same question, and she refused before you would give us answers,” Luna replied, and I was already about to say something when she stopped me with a hoof, “But after all you did for my guards and your family, I will grant you this request and trust you.”
I heard it once said that the worst feeling in the world is when you feel hope die. If that is true, then what I felt at that moment was easily the best feeling in the world. I watched with tears in my eyes as Luna walked over to my wife. She lowered her horn and called her magic to the bed.
Her eyes opened up as she poured more and more power into her spell, channeling her vast reserves of magic energy into Lavender’s body. I was dumbfounded and scared at the sort of power I was seeing, but I didn’t move, fearful that any actions by me may cause the spell to fade and her to die.
Luna blinked her eyes clear as the spell started to fade. I looked down, my eyes locked on my wife’s sleeping form. Her breathing slowed from its irregular breaths to a steady rhythm.
My heart stopped beating when she opened her eyes and looked at me.
She smiled.
I started pouring tears as I wrapped my hooves around her, “Oh, thank you!” I cried. I cried more than I had ever cried in my life.
Luna smiled and nodded towards me, before addressing Lavender, “So, you are Lavender Skies, the one Aurora Blue would do everything in the world for. I’m quite impressed. Would you mind adding a disguise to your body?”
She nodded, the mask around her muzzle making speaking impossible. I saw her struggle, trying to return to a pony form. With a smile, I leaned down and pressed my muzzle against her, “I’ll help you,” I whispered into her ear.
She looked at me with pure love in her eyes as I tried to channel everything I had left into her body. My magic and my feelings for her. I thought of everything we had been through, every feeling, every moment of passion, all the good, and the bad. I poured my heart into the mare, granting her all the strength I possibly could.
When I pulled back, it wasn’t a changeling that was in the bed, it was Lavender Skies, the pegasus I first said ‘I love you’ to. I smiled gratefully, a smile that faltered as Lavender touched upon her stomach, her expression turning into one of pure panic.
“Your egg is fine. I was able to protect it against the magical drain as I brought you here, don’t worry,” Luna gently spoke with a smile.
“Luna,” I said as I looked up at her. She met my gaze without turning away, despite my tearstained muzzle, “I won’t forget this, ever. I owe you everything, you name it and I’ll do it, anything, ever.”
“No such debt is necessary,” Luna replied with a smile.
I couldn’t take it anymore, I got off Lavender's bed and ran to the alicorn, surprising her with my speed. I wrapped her in a hug for all my worth.
She was taken aback by that, but I didn’t care. I owed the princess everything that mattered to me, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” I sobbed into her ethereal mane.
I heard a cough, “Hey, that is still my wife,” an amused voice spoke, and as I turned, I saw that the doctor had taken the mask away from Lavender’s muzzle and she was smiling.
“Well, not officially,” I replied with a grin, “But that’s something I’m about to change, anyways,” I added, and she blushed.
As I reluctantly pulled away from Luna, I whispered, “My offer still stands,” to the mare.
She nodded her understating, “I do believe we can let them rest for the time being.”
“What?” The doctor asked.
“I don’t believe Aurora and her wife are a threat.”
“How can you let two changelings rest freely in the Castle? I advise something to put them to sleep, and then add guards in front of-”
“Actually, there are five changelings in the castle in total, and no, it’s not necessary,” Luna said, and it was clear that they were her last words on the matter.
The doctor, reluctantly, made to leave. I smiled at him, “Thanks doc, we owe you one.”
He looked more nervous than ever before, something that caused me to grin.
“That was mean,” Wave said with a smile.
“He deserved it,” I said back with a laugh.
“Umm… I hope you and I can still be friends?”
“Wave, it would be my honor to keep being your friend,” I laughed, “Besides, I doubt Purple will accept you distrusting and hating me. After all, she should be my best mare,” I added.
That put a smile on her face, “Can I tell her?”
“Sure,” I said back, grinning. Then I paused, “How… how is everyone else, anyway?”
“The one you brought here as a prisoner is in one cell. She tried to flee and kill Snowy Clouds. For the other two, they are hurt, but alright,” Luna said.
“I mean everyone, not just my family. What about the guards?”
Luna cocked her head before smiling, “Purple Star is well and already back to her duties. Wave Night, as you see for yourself, is perfectly fine. Snowy Clouds sustained some serious injuries, not only from the fight on the train, but also your prisoner. Midnight Strike is well besides a few minor cuts, but Black Cloud’s wounds are serious. Endless Clouds,” Luna stocked and her smile faded.
“She didn’t make it, did she?”
Luna just shook her head.
“I’m sorry for that. She was a wonderful mare, after all I’ve heard and saw, even if it wasn’t much,” I said silently.
“Purple Star is seeing to her final arrangements,” Luna said.
“But she was hurt, too?”
“Yes, but Endless Clouds was under her command, she refuses to rest until she takes care of it.”
“Ugh, stubborn mare,” I growled, “Can’t you force her to rest?” I asked before turning to Wave, “You know what I did on the train, why don’t you shake her head clear and tell her to rest?”
She glanced at me, “It’s part of who she is, I don’t want to change that.”
“But it’s stupid!”
“Is it?” A small, meek voice asked from the bed.
I turned in time to see Lavender staring at me. She looked so tired, I wished more than anything she’d just go to sleep, get the rest she needed.
“Take a mirror and look into it, my love. You’re not much different. Suffering for us, all of us, no matter how hurt you are, no matter how tired or unable to do something,” Lavender spoke with a tear in her eyes.
“Lavender, I…”
“Endless Clouds was part of her family, is it so strange that she’d want to handle it personally?”
“I… I…”
“There speaks words of wisdom,” Wave said as she wiped a tear from her eye, “I’d listen to your better half if I were you.”
I looked between them, trying to find words, but as soon as I opened my muzzle, Lavender smiled, “My stubborn, beautiful wife. Just accept it and come here to my side so I can finally sleep.”
As I turned my head to ask Wave to leave, I smiled as I saw she was already on the way out. With one final grin, I turned back to Luna, “We shall talk later, I need to inform my sister of this new development. Rest well, and don’t do anything your wife wouldn’t,” Luna said with a wink before leaving.
“Thank you, Luna,” I said with a smile as I crawled up in bed with Lavender. She raised her hoof, wanting me where she could hold me while she slept. I obliged without a moment’s hesitation. Carefully, I positioned myself so she could do just that, my own hoof wrapped around her.
That’s when it truly dawned on me, just how frail, how weak she was, her body anyway. In all reality she was my strength, she was my will, my hopes, my dreams. As strong as I was on the outside, that was her on the inside, and how weak she was on the outside, that was me on the inside.
I may have been the powerhouse of the group, the one that threatened the queen’s command, but in reality, I felt as weak as a kitten. Lavender was the strong one, she was the one I relied on.
“I love you, Aurora.”
I always feel like I won the lottery every time I heard her say those words.
“I love you too, Lavender.”
***
They let us rest for a week. A week I spent holding onto my wife, every night we’d go to bed in each other’s hooves, and every day we’d wake up the very same way. They tried to feed us, something that only caused me to laugh. With how I felt, I never needed to eat again.
At the end of the week, we were finally reunited in the one place I never thought I’d be; the royal throne room.
Rosewing and High Spirit ran up and hugged us both. I was so happy to see them, “How are you two?”
“Well, the food sucks, but can’t complain,” Rosewing said with a smile.
“They’re treating us well enough,” High Spirits said with a smile, “What about..?” she asked, gesturing to Lavender.
Lavender placed a hoof on her stomach, “She’s fine.”
“She?” High asked.
“I didn’t know if you’d think Electric was still a good name.”
High closed her eyes, “I think it’s a perfect name.”
I looked at her confused.
She met my gaze, “That mare in the dungeon, that’s not the same Electric I knew, the one I fell in love with. She’s someone completely different. As far as I’m concerned, my Electric died bringing you to us, and that’s what I chose to believe.”
She’s strong, too.
“Then that’s what I believe, too,” Lavender said, “And her memory will be honored by little Electric here living a full and rich life.”
“Can’t argue with those words,” I said with a grin.
“Aurora,” a voice came from behind us.
I turned to see who it was, “Purple Star!”
She walked up and hugged me, “Thank you so much.”
“Me?”
“You saved my wife’s life, or did you think I’d forget?” she said with a grin.
“You saved mine afterwards.”
“No, I merely did my duty and defeated a foe. What you did, that was something special. Know this Aurora, I’m always there for my friends, and I pay back my debts. I consider you in both of those categories.”
“And I you,” I said back, “It was your team, and skill, that helped me save Lavender’s life. Even if that came at a… cost.”
The mood went sour at that, something I regretted.
“She’ll always be remembered,” Purple Star lowered her head in respect to the honored dead.
“After this is over… do you think I could pay my respects?”
Purple looked up, surprised, “Sure, I’ll take you to where she was laid to rest.”
“Oh, the funeral is already over?” Lavender asked.
“Yes. Her family insisted for the funeral to be as soon as possible, I’m sorry,” Purple said with a sad smile.
“It’s okay,” I replied as I wrapped Lavender in a wing. She looked up at me in a smile, “We’ll all go together.”
“You might be getting ahead of yourself,” a voice spoke from the doorway.
I turned to see who had said that. Purple did too, and immediately tensed up, standing at attention as Princess Celestia walked into the room, followed close behind by Princess Luna. As they walked past us, Purple Star ran and fell in lockstep with Luna, staying five hooves back and to the right, looking like it was a walk she had been taught well.
Luna didn’t seem to notice, I had the feeling she had told them to stop that more than enough times and learned to just deal with it. I got to my hooves with the rest of my party and made to approach the thrones.
Celestia and Luna both took their thrones and looked at us. I paused my party as soon as I got the feeling we were close enough, “Aurora Blue, I trust that you are recovered enough?” Celestia asked.
“Yes, thank you for your hospitality, Princess.”
“It is not my hospitality you have to thank.”
I smiled at that and nodded to Princess Luna, who grinned in return.
Celestia frowned before catching her expression, “I’m still not comfortable with this situation, but my sister brought some… valid arguments to me, that are vouching for you and your family being trustworthy. Tell me, is she correct in this assessment?”
“Princess Celestia, I can only tell you we wish you and your subjects no harm, we only wish to live in peace, away from the hive, and any that may do us wrong,” I replied, choosing my words carefully.
She looked at me before at Lavender, “Your wife is pregnant, as far I know. What are you planning? Raising new changelings here in Equestria?”
“I only wish to raise my daughter in peace, where she can grow up and make her own decisions, be her own mare.”
“What makes this different than the hive for you?”
“It is different because I’m not a monster that tries to bring all ponies under her control as a cheap buffet, like the Queen wants.”
“You still have to feed,” Celestia answered with a glare.
“No.”
“No?” she asked in surprise.
“In the past months, I never fed a single time on your subjects, and neither did anyone else from my family. We don’t have to, since our own love is strong enough,” I simply replied.
“We have all the love we need in each other,” Laveder said as she spoke up and stood next to me, her left wing lovingly wrapping around me.
“And when that isn’t enough?” Celestia asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked, shocked.
“When you have foals, and they have foals, and they have foals, what then?”
“I managed to break hoofcuffs you enchanted to be unbreakable by magic or force, yet I didn’t need any drop of love more to feed with this power. Unlike what the Queen stated, we don’t need enormous amounts of love to stay alive. In truth, a single loving pony is enough for a dozen of us, so my family can stand this easily,” I said, hoping she would see the truth.
“So you admit to wanting to feed off ponies?”
“We say this is enough!” Luna glared at her sister, “You are trying to make up things for your own feelings! Don’t let yourself act worse than you really are, dear sister!”
“No, it’s not enough! You say they are friendly, that they want to live a normal life as our subjects,” Celestia said as she stood to her hooves and started pacing back and forth in front of us, “You see friends, you see comrades. I see infiltrators hiding in plain sight! I see someone trying to make Canterlot, the very heart of Equestria, into another hive!”
“Sister! Thou hast gone too far!”
“No, it’s not too far! It’s not far enough. You see friends, I see a pregnant changeling standing in front of me, as far as I know, they’re trying to give birth to a new queen!”
“She’s not a queen!” I shouted.
Celestia turned, fuming right in front of me, “How can I know that for sure!”
“I, well…”
“Because you let yourself be blind by your own nightmares, dear sister,” Luna chimed in, venom in her voice, “You can’t forget the day you were forced into one of their organic cells as a prisoner to feed from, and now you are leashing everything up to them!”
“Which is why we can’t afford to take this risk and let THIS THING into our midst,” Celestia turned directly at Lavender’s face as she said that, almost like she was going to attack.
“THIS THING? You are talking to my wife like that, and you call yourself the Princess of the Sun?” I growled, “Love and understanding for her subjects, huh?”
“How dare you talk to me like-”
“She’s right, sister. You are not acting like yourself today, so we dismiss you from this decision as your sister, and second ruler of Equestria,” Luna said cooly.
Celestia glared at her and then back at us, “You speak of love, but it’s only a food source for you, you know nothing about love.”
I lost it at that, in a rage I shot out my most powerful spell at Celestia, green magic shot from me directly at her.
It never made contact, a white shield appeared right over Celestia, dispersing my magic upon contact. However, she winced notably upon it and her shield darkened.
“What…”
“So you do know about love,” she said with a smile before rubbing her chest, “That hurt more than it should have.”
Seven jaws hit the floor at that.
“Sister, explain yourself,” Luna demanded.
She smiled once more before turning back to her sisterm “Sorry about the… theatrics, I just had to be sure.”
“Sure of what, sister?” Luna asked with a scowl.
“If they were truly infiltrators, if that was their mission, they’d never do anything to jeopardise it, no matter what I said.”
“You provoked her into attacking?” Luna asked.
“Indeed, I knew she wouldn’t hurt me, although it was a lot stronger than I expected, but if I could manage to push them that far, I’d know it was true. Love causes all of us to do dumb things, such as attacking me, or…”
Luna didn’t need her to say the rest.
“That she was angered to such brash action tells me that yes, what they say is true.”
“So, had I not?” I asked.
“I would have banished you all from Equestria immediately,” Celestia replied.
“Quite the gamble, sister,” Luna replied before turning to me, ”You managed to hurt her, impressive.”
“Her magic is stronger than the Queen’s on her basic level,” Celestia said, and I could feel the stares of the others at me upon that, “With her, her family has an actual chance to survive, even if we wouldn’t help them.”
“With training,” Luna started.
“She could become very powerful indeed,” Celestia said with a frown.
“I don’t want to--”
“Relax,” Celestia cut me off, “I’m more than inclined to acquiesce to your request.”
“What?” Rosewing asked.
“You may stay,” Celestia replied with a smile, “Although…”
“Although what, dear sister?”
“Dear sister,” Celestia said with a grin, “Can you think of somepony who might be able to help train dear Aurora here? Someone that might know a thing or two about magic and five good friends to help out?”
“I don’t think that your student is ready for this, sister. Confronting her with changelings not long after the wedding of her brother might be the wrong start,” Luna replied with a frown.
Celestia stopped, seemly in thought, “You are right. We will have to think about this, then. In the meantime, I suggest that you try to build everything up like in Manehattan. I’m quite sure that there are jobs in the local weather team and enough building ground for a house and a shop,” she said, giving a small wink to Lavender.
“So… we just start new here?” I asked.
“Yes, I will support you, of course,” Luna replied, “And I’m quite sure that Purple and her guards would also love to stand at your side,” she added with a smile, “My captain here seemed to have won you pretty dear.”
Purple Star came forward, smiling diamonds at us. I actually felt myself getting choked up as she looked at me, “Well, she is going to be my best mare at our wedding.”
“Wedding?” Luna said, then smiled, “Then we should also start making arrangements for that as well!”
“I don’t want to cause you any work, it’s not necessary,” I mumbled.
“No more of that! I want to do this!” Luna said.
“Lulu? Why so eager for a wedding now? As far as I remember, you tried your best to load yourself up with work to miss the ceremony of our niece,” Celestia giggled.
“Exactly, I missed all the fun!”
Celestia laughed, “Luna, you know that’s not how most wedding go, right?”
“No? We shall have to change that, I’m sure Cadance would love to return the favor,” Luna replied with a grin.
“We don’t need a big wedding,” Lavender murred weakly, “A simple one amongst friends would be enough.”
Celestia and Luna perked up at that, “Well, we can at least prepare a small one, don’t you two agree?” Luna asked with a smile.
“Well… if you insist,” I reluctantly said.
“Oh, joyous occasion, I shall send out the letters and start making plans,” Luna said as she jumped off the throne and started to make her way out the door.
“Letters?” Lavender and I asked in unison.
“Luna, you know they said small, right?” Celestia asked, following her out.
“Small, yes.No more than five hundred guests.”
“Luna, they said small!”
“Is five-hundred not small? Okay, six hundred.”
“LULU!”
“We kid, we know what small means.”
“What does it mean?”
“Under a thousand.”
“LULU!” Celestia yelled as the pair got out of our hearing range.
“What the hay just happened?” I asked Purple, who just laughed and shook her head.
“You won two new friends,” she replied before nodding to her wife and leaving the room as well.
She paused before stepping out, “Come, let me show you all to more… accommodating domiciles.”
I chuckled a little at that, watching with a smile as Rosewing and High Spirits grinned and followed Purple Star out of the room. As Lavender gave me a kiss on the cheek, she lead the way, me right behind her.
I don’t exactly know how I got this family, but they’re mine, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
It was a weird feeling, to say the least. The next few days passed in a blur, Purple Star and her wife helping us with our new home. Thanks to the princess’s orders and a few good bursts of magic, our new house was done quickly. It didn’t hurt that it looked exactly like Lavender’s home back in Manehattan, either. I knew she meant well, I knew that both princesses meant well, they were simply trying to make this place feel like home for us.
On that one aspect, they—quite spectacularly—failed.
It wasn’t because the house was not Lavender’s home. It wasn’t because I was trying to nitpick the fact the bookshelf was two inches to the left, or that the skyline was in a completely different position, it simply could never be the same.
It wasn’t anything as weak, pathetic, or nitpicky as any of those things or a hundred other differences.
It was for one reason and one reason only that this place didn’t feel like home to me; because only Lavender’s hooves felt that way to me anymore. We could have been living in a cardboard box, for all I cared. As long as I fell asleep every night in her hooves, as long as I got to kiss her first thing every morning, as long as she was by my side, wherever we were, that was my home.
That was the only home that mattered to me, the only one that would ever matter to me.
Although, the others were taking to the comforts without the same hiccups I had. Every day me and High Spirits would leave for work on the royal weather team, helping to keep Canterlot’s weather perfect twenty-four seven. I could tell she enjoyed her bed, the food, and the comforts that came with it.
However, I could also see the signs of Electric Blue’s betrayal. Sure, to any outside observer it looked like she had moved on, she was happy, smiling, joking, and laughing just as much as the rest of us. She took to Lavender’s pregnancy almost as much as I did, helping the mare do everything so she didn’t ‘overexert’ herself and put undue hardship on the egg growing in her.
It was under the surface, the way she’d stare off into space when me and Lavender would kiss, the way she’d just suddenly lose focus around any sign of love, of ponies being happy with their special someones. That’s where the hurt lived, and for the life of me, I knew no way to fix it.
Purple, her wife, and even Luna tried to cheer her up. Even suggesting that she should search for a new lover, or even join a herd. I had no idea what a herd was, until she explained it, and High nearly blasted her through the wall. It was the last time anyone mentioned something like that again. Not to mention that Luna and Celestia had to threaten the Guards with extra duties so they wouldn’t restrain High.
While the hurt High was going through was obvious to me, the one I couldn’t nail down was Rosewing. For the life of me she seemed fine. Every day I’d hear her laughing at some joke or another, I’d see the smile on her face, the joy she brought to everyone around her. I trusted her with my life, and the life of my love, Lavender, but I knew that couldn’t be it when it came to her.
I knew that behind my back Rosewing and Princess Luna were planning our wedding, something she had been adamant about from the day we woke up in Canterlot. However, while I let them plan, I absolutely refused to give them a date for the wedding. I did this not because I was scared about marrying Lavender, quite the contrary in fact, but because I wanted to do it right, I still had yet to propose to the mare.
While she had already agreed to marry me, I wanted that to be a night to remember. Afterwords, I didn’t care if the ceremony was the next day or a year from then. To that end they could make all the plans in the world. All that mattered to me was the look on her face when I asked if she’d be mine, and I hers, for the rest of our lives.
I also tried to talk to Rosewing, several times to be exact, to get her to open up, express some sort of emotion over the tragedy we had all gone through. She’d just make a joke about it and move on, almost like she was just repressing everything that had happened.
I think that scared me the most, just how well she adapted to our ‘new’ life, how easily she put our ‘old’ life behind us. As much as she’d deny it, to me she was in denial.
I was scared of that. I knew, I just knew for the life of me that what we had wouldn’t last, that she wouldn’t just give up, even with us here. I was scared about Rosewing. When that other horseshoe dropped, she wouldn’t be there, not fully, and that could get someone killed.
Lavender proved to be my rock. I wasn’t blind, I knew everyone—including myself—was treating her with care, trying to make sure she was always comfortable, never stressed, never worried, and while she took it with grace and love I knew her for, the truth was she was supporting the biggest lump of weight we had.
She was supporting me.
Every day I only got up because it meant I could kiss her one more time. I only went to work because she would smile and wish me a good day. I’d hurry home at the end of each day, knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she’d be there waiting for me. Often with sweets in hoof that she baked specially for me.
It was a wasted effort, I already had the sweetest thing in the world; I had her.
About once a week, Purple Star and her wife would swing by, they’d get together with us and share in the latest gossip about the princesses. We’d all laugh upon hearing some of the antics that her ‘most faithful student’ would get up to. I swear that they were grooming this Twilight Sparkle to be a princess or something.
When I made that joke, Purple got quiet on me, I still don’t know why.
It was one of those nights, Purple and Wave had just left for the day, leaving me and Lavender sitting on the couch. As usual, High Spirits had taken to the ‘spirits’ a little early and was already fast asleep, Rosewing was out on the town, enjoying an evening with Wave when she mentioned something about a new nightclub opening up.
That left the unusual situation of me and Lavender, together, all alone in a big house.
Not that we ever really cared about privacy. Let’s just say Lavender’s a screamer, and we all know it.
I knew I’d remember that night for the rest of my life, because that was the night I first felt our little Electric kick.
“Oh,” Lavender stated as she sat on the couch.
I looked up at her, my head resting in her lap as the fireplace crackled in the corner of the room, “What’s wrong?”
“I think… I think,” She put her hoof to her stomach.
I sat up at that, “The egg? Is everything okay?”
She smiled and grabbed my hoof. With care, she placed it on her stomach, a stomach that was even now showing the smallest, cutest little bulge to it.
I felt it then, the smallest movement of a rounded surface against my hoof. The egg was moving inside her.
Later, Lavender told me my smile brightened up the room as if the sun was in there with us, “How… how is this possible?” I asked, shocked but grinning like an idiot all the same.
“Electric… she’s… she’s letting us know she’s there,” she stated with a grin.
With a grin, I laid my head back down, pressing my ear against Lavender’s stomach to listen to our foal growing inside of her. I felt it again, the little kick of the egg against the inside of Lavender’s stomach, directly against my muzzle, “She kicked me,” I said jokingly.
“What can I say? She’s a fighter, just like her mom.”
“How can the egg move that early?” I asked.
“Just because she didn’t grow much yet, it doesn’t mean that she isn’t there, just like with the foals of ponies,” she answered with a smile.
I planted several kisses up and down Lavender’s stomach. In my mind’s eye I wasn’t kissing her stomach, I was kissing Electric, “You come out swinging, little one. There’s a big world out here, and together, we’ll kick it’s flank.”
Lavender chuckled at that, “You know it’s still two months until I birth the egg, another three after before she’s ready to hatch.”
“And she’s already kicking my flank,” I said with a grin as I felt the movement against my cheek one more time.
“As long as she leaves something for me,” Lavender replied with a smile.
I got up at that one and looked her in the eye. Together, we didn’t say a word, I simply leaned forward and kissed her, our lips meeting as the lovers they were. My hoof traveling through her mane and around the contours of her face.
When I pulled back, I simply stared at her face. Here she was, the changeling, the pony, the soul I loved more than my own life. The one that was doing me the highest honor in the world and carrying our egg, our foal.
Somehow, someway, this perfect mare, she loved me.
For that alone, I’d lay down my life a hundred, a thousand times over.
A tear fell down my face as I realized that she didn’t want that, she didn’t want any of that. All she wanted, the only thing she needed in this entire world was me by her side. That was the only thing she had ever asked me to promise her.
And that was one promise I’d never break.
No matter what the future would have ready for us.
