Hello, everyone! Real life has been calling me, and I haven't updated this story in a while. I may repost this story, seeing as I could add and take out MANY things. If I do delete it, it will be reposted a few days after that. But anyways, here's the new chapter! What will happen to Umbreus after he's been thrown off the train? Will he survive, or will he perish as Snake had intended? Find out now!
Umbreus slowly limped across the countryside, staying near the railroad tracks as he did. He could barely walk, and he grimaced in pain every time he took a step. He needed to get back to the Pony Express, though. He knew the Searchers were in more danger than ever before, and if he didn't get to them on time, they would be hurt, or possibly even killed.
Umbreus saw a dirt road nearby the railroad, and wondered whether he should take it or continue following the tracks through the countryside. He decided on the former, and stumbled onto the road. He couldn't continue walking because of his leg, and he fell over onto the ground. He couldn't think straight, and he lay there on the floor. He couldn't control himself, and he broke down where he lay, his emotions having gotten the best of him. Disregarded... thrown away... that's all I'll ever be.
He wondered why he should even continue, why he should have even bothered with the Searchers in the first place. He could have stayed at the motel, stayed with the only pony that had truly shown him compassion. So why did I bother with them? He had done so because he knew who they were, and wanted to help them out. I should've known better... no pony would ever offer me compassion like Lyra. Not even the Phoenix Bearer... he stopped, wiping that thought from his head.
No... he did trust me. In fact, he even showed me mercy twice already. He attempted to keep me from being thrown off the train. In fact, the only one who wanted me dead was that spy... and because of him the Phoenix Bearer's in more danger than ever before. I need to get to them! His spirit rose, his energy restored, and he stood up again. He ignored the pain as his limp turned into a slow trot. He continued along the road as the afternoon sun beat down on him with intense rays. He was breathing hard, panting out of thirst, and sweating heavily, but it didn't matter to him. He was going to get to them, at any cost.
...
Some time had passed, and Umbreus was still trotting across the countryside, when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around, and saw some ponies travelling along the dirt road as well. He panicked, and knew if they saw him they would undoubtedly attack him. He quickly transformed into a perfect replica of Lyra and continued trotting, still grimacing in pain even though the wounds were not visible after his transformation. He heard the ponies draw nearer now, and he didn't want to turn back to see how close they were. "Excuse me, miss? Do you need assistance?" Umbreus heard from behind him. He didn't know whether they were talking to him or not, so he continued trotting. "Um... excuse me. You seem to be walking with a limp... are you hurt?" he heard the voice say again. Umbreus realized they were speaking to him, and he turned around.
He saw three mares behind him, each of them dragging a cart behind them. One of the mares, a blue unicorn with a wavy white and blue mane and matching tail, began inspecting Umbreus's hind leg, and determined it was sprained from the inside. "Why are you walking on a sprained leg?" the unicorn asked.
Umbreus didn't know how to respond, so he came up with an explanation. "I... I was hurt out here. I ended up stuck here, in the middle of nowhere."
Another of the mares, a white earth filly with a blue and pink flowing mane, responded. "You were hurt out here? That's terrible!"
The last of the mares, a grey Pegasus with a blond mane, replied as well. "We should help her out, Colgate. She doesn't look too well."
Umbreus backed away a bit. "No... no... really, I'm fine."
The unicorn, Colgate, looked back at her in surprise. "Come on, you can't walk on that leg, otherwise it might break. Bonbon, is there any room in the carts?"
The white earth mare, Bonbon, looked inside the carts. "Yeah, we just have to move some things around."
Umbreus still backed away. "No... really... I'm doing... just... fine..." he said slowly as he swayed from side to side, and fell over. He had passed out from heat exhaustion, and as his eyes shut, the last thing he saw was the three mares rushing to him.
...
Umbreus opened his eyes slightly, only seeing light, before they closed. He tried again, seeing a bit more of what seemed like a blue wall with white specks, before they closed again. He opened them once more, and he realized that the blue wall was the sky, and he was looking upwards. The sky and clouds were constantly in motion, and he looked around, seeing where he was. He saw some flowerpots and seed packages inside what appeared to be a wooden crate. He looked at his hooves, and saw he was still in Lyra's form. He picked his head up, and saw that the wooden crate was indeed being dragged, and he saw the three mares he met before he passed out. They were conversing amongst themselves, and walking along the dirt road.
"So, where did you say we needed to head next, Derpy?" Colgate asked.
"Uh... let's see," the grey Pegasus, Derpy, said as she pulled out a sheet of some kind, reading it for a while before answering, "it says that this delivery is back home." She put away the sheet, and turned to the two. "Thanks for helping me out, guys. I needed all the help I could get with these deliveries."
Bonbon beamed with satisfaction. "No problem, Derpy!" She then changed the subject. "When we arrive, we need to take this unicorn to Urgent Care. She hasn't had a drink of water since we gave her some. How do you think she ended up out there?"
"I don't know... maybe she fell out of the sky!" Derpy responded gleefully.
"A unicorn, Derpy? I think some pony was cruel enough to leave her out here to die. Glad we found her when we did," Colgate said.
As Umbreus watched them, he lay back down in the cart, watching the clouds pass over him. Cloud... I... I should have never done that. Her friend attacked her, and she defended me. Who knows what they're saying about her. Dammit! I was only trying to make her feel better! Why did I have to screw things up like I always do!? I just... I've never felt that way before... longing for some pony. He picked his head back up, and saw that they were all heading into a town.
"We're home!" Derpy announced. As they approached the town, Umbreus saw a sign on the road to the entrance to the town, stating: Welcome to Ponyville. He saw the town before his eyes; ponies happily strutting throughout, the sky bright and sunny, the weather clear and warm, and all throughout was the happiness inside. Umbreus tried standing up, but couldn't do so. He fell back down, crashing into some flowerpots inside the cart, but fortunately not breaking any. The three mares turned around, and peered over the cart. "Oh, goody! You're awake!" Derpy announced.
Umbreus head spun for a bit before he regained himself. He looked up at the mares a bit sheepishly, and laughed pathetically. "Um... where am I?" he asked shyly.
"Well, you're in Ponyville! We're just about to take you to Urgent Care, Miss..." Colgate stated, waiting for Umbreus's reply.
Considering he was still in Lyra's form, he answered, "Heartstrings. Lyra Heartstrings. Did you say Ponyville?" he asked.
"Yep! It's not a large town, but you'll like it here!" Bonbon stated confidently.
"That's far from where I needed to be... I think. You see, I was on the Ponyville Express, when some pony threw me off of it," Umbreus explained.
"Well, you're in luck! Unless you've missed a stop, the Pony Express passes through here to Canterlot!" Colgate answered. "But some pony threw you off? Who was it? If you know, the Royal Guard could imprison them when the Express arrives here."
"I... I don't honestly know," Umbreus answered, thinking had he answered a spy, they would consider him crazy. "I think I'm fine now," he said as he tried to leave the cart, but then his leg sprained even more. He clenched his teeth tightly, and tried to hold in the pain.
"Why you might be bold, you're not fit enough to walk. Come on, gals!" Colgate announced as they each pulled their carts toward the hospital. They soon arrived at the hospital, which looked more like a mansion on the outside than any hospital appeared. The three mares then helped Umbreus down from the cart, and guided him inside the hospital. The nurses inside all saw them, and they brought a wheelchair towards them. They sat Umbreus down on it, and wheeled him away with the other three mares following him.
"What happened to her?" one of the nurses asked.
"She was thrown off a train. We found her in the countryside, wandering with a sprained leg. We brought her here after arriving," Colgate explained.
"She was thrown off a train!?" the nurse asked, clearly in shock.
They all nodded. The nurse entered a room, along with the other ponies. She lay Umbreus on the bed, and waited until two more nurses showed up. They worked together to use their magic to heal Umbreus's hind leg and, unknown to the nurses because of his current form, his wing as well. He tried to stand up, but the nurses kept him down. "You're going to have to stay off of that leg for a good while," one of the nurses said.
"What? But I need to leave on the Pony Express when it arrives! Will I be healed in time to get on?" Umbreus asked.
"That'll take about a week for the Pony Express to arrive... yes, it will!" the nurse sated happily.
Umbreus sighed in relief, and lay back down in the bed. He turned to the other ponies, and smiled. "I... I... thank you... very much. Usually, ponies leave me to..." he didn't finish.
The three mares looked at him in shock, and looked at each other. "Why would they do that?" Bonbon asked.
"I don't know. I was never important to any pony," Umbreus explained.
Derpy stepped up. "Well... you're welcome with us anytime!" Derpy said as she beamed.
Umbreus looked down in shame, lowering his ears. Yeah... that is until you figure out I'm a Changeling hybrid.
The nurses sensed his trouble, and she beckoned for the other three mares to leave Umbreus in peace. They did so, and bid him farewell. Umbreus was now alone in the room, and he transformed back into his regular form. He checked on his wing, and felt the change in his skin's roughness from the warm, soft fur it was to the cold, hard scales he had as a Changeling. He felt his mane change from the long and flowing mane it once was to the spiky, fixed, and ridged scale it was before. He looked at himself in a mirror on the wall, and saw his appearance. He did not fully look like the Changeling he was supposed to be, considering he had pupils in his eyes and had no holes on his body.
He looked down again, lowering his scaly ears. I... I can change... I promise... I don't want to be... this... anymore. He then felt tired after all of his limping, and he soon fell asleep afterwards, waiting until the Pony Express showed up.
Poor guy. He's been through a lot, he's unloved by every pony, he's been left for dead, and he can't show his real face at the risk of getting killed. What'll happen to him while he stays in Ponyville? Will the Searchers make it to Trottingham and Dodge all right? Find out next time!
Note: Two things:
1. Should I repost this story? I feel I could heavily fix issues and the story itself, and after I do so repost it and delete this current one.
2. Should I make Umbreus's story a spin-off story rather than a tie-in to the main series? If I do make it a spin-off, I can already see how it will go for him. What do you guys think? Thanks for responding, and have a great day!
