Well it's certainly been a while hasn't it.
A fair bit has happened between the last chapter and this one. I finally finished my HNC at college, got a Distinction and am now job hunting.
But since I've got free time in-between, I figured that now's a good a time as any to continue this tale.
So here we go.
Begin!
The Abandoned
Chrissy Pov
Watching them go at it was amusing, I had to admit.
Fleetfoot put her best arguments across, Richard deflected them with his usual repertoire of refusals, only for Fleetfoot to try again.
"Absolutely not!"
"But my King-"
"I said no, Fleetfoot," Richard snapped, clearly unsure whether to feel anger or disbelief as she continued to try and sway him.
"But imagine how many we could be saving from Celestia!" Fleetfoot cried, stopping his next refusal dead in its tracks.
Richard took a deep breath, ignoring the small grin I hid as he caught my eye.
"Explain."
Fleetfoot smiled widely before forcing her face into a neutral mask. "They're the dregs of Canterlot my King. The ones who were tossed aside when their worth was found wanting. Just walking by them was enough to feel the hatred they have for the nobility and royalty. All it would take is a friendly smile and helping hoof, and they'd convert to our side in a second."
"There is no way on this planet that they'd join us if they knew what we were," I interjected, my grin replaced by a sad smile. "Every time a Changeling was revealed to a Pony, they attacked without so much as a warning."
"That's why I think we should prove ourselves first," Fleetfoot explained, gesturing back to Pearl. "Pearl has a plan for that to."
"Indeed," Pearl cut in, smiling at Fleetfoot just a tad dopily before adjusting his expression to something more formal. "There's a rather nasty gang run by an even nastier mare by the name of Hard Iron. I firmly believe that if we manage to take her down and prove it to those she's extorts, we'd be in with a much better chance of accepting many willing converts."
Richard and I looked at each other, the scent of frustration simmering into reluctant acceptance as he audibly sighed.
"This Hard Iron lady," he began. "What makes her so feared?"
"She's extorted the poor and homeless for years, my King," Pearl said, his face a mask of anger as he continued. "She gave my squad a rough time of it for just as many years. We could never catch her no matter how many times we tried. We fought and scuffled with her crew and even herself, but in the end she always got away."
"So is this a converting assignment or revenge, Pearl?" I asked bluntly, eyes narrowing.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say both, my Queen," Pearl replied, gritting his teeth angrily. "She's scum, plain and simple. I'd love to be the one to finally put her down."
"And how exactly do you believe we'd be able to do so when your clearly trained unit failed?" I asked, glancing down at my small baby bump. "Not only do I not think it'd be wise for me to expend my energy fighting, but more importantly I have no desire to put our baby in harm's way.
"I concur," Richard said, his arm wrapping around me until his hand rested on my stomach. "And even if it was just you two and I fighting, what exactly could I do to someone so apparently powerful? I can barely control my magic as it is."
"You were ready to go hoof to hoof with Celestia," Fleetfoot said accusingly, missing the annoyed look Pearl shot her.
"Yes I was," Richard admitted, not backing down in the slightest. "To protect Chrissy, to protect our child I would do anything and more to the one threatening them, regardless of whether or not I think I actually could. But this Hard Iron lady isn't threatening Chrissy or our child. She's threatening the livelihoods of a group of homeless Ponies, none of which I frankly give two fucks about."
"And neither does Celestia," Fleetfoot argued fiercely. "The difference is that while she has left them to the dust, YOU could make a difference in their lives and gain something that you dearly need. Subjects!"
"Yes, by somehow killing a mare that has eluded Pearl and his previous unit multiple times."
"She lives in a mansion right by them, my King," Pearl spoke up, catching Fleetfoot off guard as she swallowed whatever she had been able to say. "When my old unit and I tracked her down, she was always on the move. She always had a backup plan and always managed to get away. But if you go right to her home, that just might be the type of move that catches her off guard. She'd never expect it, certainly not from you."
"Even then," I cut in, eyeing Pearl skeptically. "What exactly are Richard and you two going to do when inside her mansion?"
"Bring her down my Queen," Pearl replied, his tone strong and yet his words…uncertain.
"How strong is she Pearl?" I asked, my eyes narrowing as he winced.
"She's…very powerful my Queen," he admitted. "She's a Unicorn that specializes in electromancy. Her control of it is something I've never seen before. She uses electricity like a toy."
"And what exactly am I supposed to do against someone like that?" Richard asked, shaking his head.
"We could catch her by surprise, my King," Fleetfoot interjected. "Take her down before she even knows we're there."
"Good idea, but what if she does notice he's there?" I piped up, not bothering to hide my anger at this increasingly stupid sounding idea. "No need to answer, I'll tell you. She'll kill him, and then you two. And then not only will I lose the love of my life, but our baby will die from lack of love and I'll lose it as well. So do you two have any other useful ideas that don't get my mate killed, or should we just drop this ridiculous idea here and now before I lose my temper and do something that I'll likely regret!"
I didn't realize it at first, but as I finished talking…or more to the point, yelling at Fleetfoot, I noticed that my breathing was more than a little irregular. My eyes were glowing a bright green, my reflection clear as day in Fleetfoot's fearful eyes.
"N-No my Queen, I didn't mean to…" she trailed off, clearly unsure what to say.
"Chrissy." I turned my gaze onto Richard, his clear expression of concern all but knocking the fight out of me. "It's alright, I'm not going to do it."
"Good," I breathed, relaxing my magic and myself as I leaned against him. "Infiltrating a mob boss's mansion is a ridiculous idea that will only get you killed, all of you killed." I looked at our two subjects as I said this, making sure my intent was known.
Silence permeated the living room for a few minutes, our two subjects glancing at each other in silence as Richard and I relaxed against one another.
"What if we just go and see them?" Fleetfoot asked quietly, her fierce attitude replaced by something far more meek. "The Ponies I mean."
I sighed and looked at her wearily. "And why exactly should we? None of you are going into that Unicorns mansion. Seeing how downtrodden the homeless are won't change my stance on that."
"I know," Fleetfoot acquiesced, rubbing her plating nervously. "I just…if you could feel what I felt, what Pearl and I both felt when we went there. I think that maybe…just maybe we could come up with something to get them on our side."
Richard and I glanced at one another for a few moments until he sighed and rubbed his face tiredly.
"I guess we could use some fresh air," he said quietly, his gaze hardening as he looked at the two. "But all we're doing is seeing them, that's all. We're not getting involved in any of their bullshit, understood?"
"Yes my king," they both said, a smile on Fleetfoot's face as she bowed low.
"And one more thing," Richard added. "You're both to protect Chrissy above all else, including me, understood?"
"Richard!" I hissed. "I am not a helpless lamb, love. I don't need to be coddled."
"Nor am I suggesting that you are," he replied, the honesty in his words quietening me.
"Then why order them to do that?"
He looked uncomfortable for a moment, but sighed and rubbed the back of his head gingerly.
"Because if something happened to you in front of me…"
'Oh…'
He was scared of losing control again.
"When you described what I was like yesterday, you were scared," he said quietly, looking at me sadly. "No, more than scared, you were terrified of what happened to me. I don't want that to happen again, so please…"
I reached up and cupped his face with one hand, the other grasping his hand and interlocking our fingers.
"Okay baby," I whispered. "If it makes you feel better about it, then I'm okay with it."
A knock on the door dragged our attention away from one another and onto the currently offending object.
"Is anyone coming over?" Richard asked, eyes narrowed as he glared at the door.
"Not that I'm-" I stopped talking as I quickly remember what I'd said yesterday. "No wait, yes. Emily is coming over."
"Emily?" The name had barely left his lips before he'd half jogged over to the door and opened it, revealing the familiar mare on the other side.
"You sure took your sweet ass time," she said, grinning slyly up at Richard. "Having some fun were you?"
"You are such a brat," he said, with no real animosity behind it. "No point coming in, we're heading out now anyway."
"Then it's a good thing I brought clothing." Emily's horn lit up and a big bag of what had to be clothes levitated behind her, the mare smirking as she nudged Richard out of her way. "You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to get these done, oh hi Chrissy."
"Emily," I greeted unsurely, the mare in question still an enigma to me.
"Oh don't worry, I've got some for you too," she said, putting the bag down on the sofa before levitating various articles of clothing out of it. "I had to kind of guess your size, so if it's too loose then I'm sorry. But better to be clothed then not at all, right?"
"R-Right," I agreed, glancing over at a bemused Richard closing the door.
"You should try these on," Emily continued, unaware or simply uncaring of the atmosphere. "They're simple but comfortable."
Before I could think of a reply, the mare had magically thrust multiple articles of clothing in my arms.
"Well I…guess I'll go get changed then," I said, giving Richard a look which he returned albeit with far more amusement than I felt. "One minute."
"I'll come with you," she said, before looking at Richard and gesturing to the bag. "I still remember your size, but you've gained some muscle since I last saw you so I've added a few more inches here and there."
"I have?" Richard asked, looking down at his nude body admiringly. "Oh…wait I'm naked."
"You just realized that?" Emily asked, amused. "Don't worry about it, I've seen you naked loads of times. You never closed the bathroom door when you took a shower and it was right across the hall from mine."
I was quickly shuffled upstairs before he could say anything else, though I had to admit that the current situation was quite funny.
And to be fair, trying on clothing even in a form unfamiliar to me was quite pleasant.
"You look good in those jeans," she said, walking around me with a keen gaze. "Really good actually, I don't remember my butt ever looking so fine."
"Give it a few days and I'll look like a hippo," I muttered, though secretly I found her compliments rather enjoyable.
"A sexy hippo!" she replied, grinning at me. "And I do mean that, well not the hippo thing. You're really damn sexy as a Human."
"Oh?"
"Yep, on a scale of zero to ten, you'd score a nine."
"Just a nine?"
"Women who call themselves 'tens' are more often than not entitled fives. Trust me and own the nine. Nines are hot."
I couldn't help myself and giggled, the mare in question following suit and giggling right along with me.
"I have to admit Emily," I began, pulling a black top over my head somewhat successfully. "I was fully prepared for any of our conversations to be sad and awkward, but this is actually rather nice."
"I could be mopey if you want," she said, grinning slyly as I finally pulled my hair through the top. "Woe is me, I died and came back to life in a body not my own. Feel the angst!"
"Well you're taking your situation better than any of us would," I admitted, looking at her.
She shrugged. "Honestly, I'm just kind of winging it. It'd be worse if Tia was on my case all the time, but she's avoided me since the dome."
Emily shivered uncomfortably. "Although Twilight certainly seems to keep an eye on me, creepy little thing that she is."
"She's following you?"
"Stalking is more apt, but yes. I managed to give her the slip earlier so I could come here without bringing something that would more than likely set Richard off."
Emily looked and me and frowned, a sudden surge of concern making me meet her gaze.
"Speaking of Richard, what did happen to him yesterday?" she asked, clearly worried. "I know Richard, and what he did yesterday, what he said to those reporters…that's not the Richard I know."
I sighed and sat down on the bed. "That's because it wasn't Richard."
Emily sat up straighter, her emotion sifting from concern to something unrecognizable.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
I looked at her and considered exactly what to say for a few moments.
"A Changeling's magic isn't like that of a Unicorn or Alicorn's," I began. "It's alive, it think and feels and can use you if you lose control over more negative emotions, such as anger or hate."
Emily blinked, seemingly taking it all in. "So yesterday, that was Richard's magic talking through him?"
"More or less," I answered. "He has a bit of temper as you likely know. Twilight and Celestia do nothing but aggravate it, especially Twilight."
"What happens if it keeps taking him over?"
"He'll cease to be," I replied quietly, trying not to think of the possibility. "His magic will burn through his spirit and reduce him to nothing but a shell for it to act through."
"Perhaps he shouldn't use his magic then," Emily said, clearly shaken by what I'd said.
I shook my head. "Using it isn't the problem. Losing control of his hatred and using it as a source of power is the problem. If he became more comfortable using love as a source then the risk of it all would cease to be."
"How do we get him to do that?" she asked, interjecting herself into the equation without so much as an ounce of hesitation.
"We just love him," I replied, smiling at her. "We let him feel how much we love him and in time simply being around us will cause his source of power to switch over."
Emily blinked but returned the smile easily, nodding. "So we just need to show the dork how much we love him and eventually he'll be a-okay? I can do that."
"You really do love him don't you?" I asked, smiling at her blush.
"He's all I have," she whispered, smiling sheepishly up at me. "He's all I've ever had."
"Don't you have Celestia as well?" I asked, biting back the harsh tone fighting to accompany those words.
Emily flinched at the probing question and frowned. "Yes I do…but…"
She shook her head and looked at me pleadingly. "Don't tell Richard because lord knows he'll use it as a means to hurt her, but since I woke up this morning I've felt more Emily than Luna. I've felt more affection for Richard and far, far less for Tia."
"How do you mean?" I asked, curious.
"It's hard to explain," she said, folding and moving the clothes I wasn't wearing into a nearby draw. "But even those I know I am both Emily and Luna in one form…today I feel…just Emily."
I blinked, surprised at her words.
She turned to face me, her expression pleading. "Please keep this between us, it's not just that Richard could use this to hurt Tia. It could give him false hope that I'm becoming just his sister and not hers too."
"Could this not be the case?"
She shrugged and smiled uncertainly. "I don't know, it may be temporary. But I could wake up tomorrow and feel none of the affection I have for Richard. So telling him this only to feel the opposite another day…it would kill him."
She looked down and rubbed her suddenly tearful eyes. "He's been through so much shit. All I want is for him to be happy."
I didn't know what made me do it. Maybe it was the look of sadness on her face, or perhaps it was how scared I could feel she was. Whatever it was, I reached out of pulled a suddenly surprised Emily into a hug.
"W-What are you…"
"Hush and come here." I interjected, pulling her to me.
She stopped talking and buried her face in my collarbone, words leaving her as I rubbed her neck soothingly.
Eventually she pulled away and gave me an appreciative but puzzled look.
"Thank you," she said, clearly a little embarrassed though she quickly covered it up with a cheeky grin. "Maternal instincts coming in hard yeah?"
"We all need a hug sometimes, Emily," I said, smiling softly at her. "Admitting it is not weakness."
"Yeah?" she uttered, cheeky grin softening into a genuine smile. "Well, thanks."
"In any case, I'm dressed now," I said. "Let's go see your brother."
She smiled and nodded, leading the way downstairs to which I followed, mulling over what I'd learned.
"Not bad bro," Emily said, looking to her left, her eye roaming up and down. "Not bad at all, you clean up nice."
I reached the bottom of the stairs and followed her gaze…only to fight back a slight bout of drool as I looked at Richard.
He wasn't wearing anything I hadn't seen him in before, just a plain black t-shirt and jeans. However it was the way it clung to his clearly defined abs that caught my attention.
'All that training at the hive has certainly done him wonders.'
"I don't know why hun, but you somehow look even more edible in clothing," I said, catching his gaze which looked just as if not more appreciative than my own.
"I know the feeling," he replied, grinning as he looked me up and down.
"Give him a twirl," Emily whispered, winking up at me cheekily.
I rolled my eyes but grinned, complied and turned around slowly, my grin growing bigger as I felt just how badly I was turning him on.
"You know how much I love your buggy butt, love," he said, his smile practically felt through his words. "But I have to admit, those jeans make your arse look really damn fine."
"Glad to hear it," I giggled, moving over and giving him a kiss before whispering in his ear. "And as a reward for that admission, this fine arse is going to be bent over later for your viewing pleasure."
"Just viewing?" he murmured, his hands snaking round to cup each cheek, giving it a firm, delectable squeeze.
"Maybe more if you play your cards right," I giggled, kissing his chin and giving it a quick lick, the action surprising him just enough for me to sneak around and away from him.
"Do you two need a minute?" Emily asked, smirking at us.
"Don't be jealous," Richard snarked, smirking right back at her.
"Can't help it," she admitted. "You're right, she does have a fine arse."
I blinked, blushing somewhat. "You heard th-"
"I'll see you both outside," she cut across, sticking her tongue out at Richard as she walked past him.
"Fleetfoot and Pearl are outside too," Richard said, walking over to me and taking my hand. "Shall we?"
…
We hadn't planned on taking Emily with us and had insisted she disguise herself somehow, which she did by covering herself with the illusion of a smaller red Unicorn.
It wasn't anything personal, but disguised she drew less attention to our motley group. And as we eventually reached our destination I became very glad that we had.
Someone other than us had to see what we saw.
Or rather…saw and felt.
"This is…" Richard started before falling quiet, all good cheer from earlier long gone as he took in the view. "Jesus fucking Christ."
I was like we'd begun wading in a river of negativity the closer we got. It started as despondence, but quickly evolved into more. Sadness, hatred, anger, loneliness, a wish for death…
I didn't know what Emily felt, but being a Changeling I could feel nothing but the truth of what lay before us.
It was clearly a once thriving part of Canterlot, but those days were long since gone. Now there were huts and half broken homes, but they were just the visual. The reality of everything was in the people.
Ponies walked two and fro with dirty manes and filthy coats. Ribs were clearly visible and their eyes were lifeless, empty of anything worthwhile.
But worse…there were hundreds of them, stallions and mares.
Even children…
My hand went to my stomach without a thought.
"This is…" Emily's voice caught in her own throat, her eyes sparkling with tears as she looked upon the broken lives before her. "I didn't know…I didn't know…"
"Do you understand now?" Fleetfoot said, looking up at us, her previous Pony form easily conveying her emotions by sight. "When Pearl and I walked past here for the first time, I threw up."
"I still don't know what I'm supposed to do here, Fleetfoot," Richard said softly, his emotions too varied to be picked apart. "What can I do for these people?"
"Offer them a place in the hive," she said, only to wince as she looked at Emily, who in turn looked at us in surprise.
"You want to turn them?" Emily asked, her eyes going back and forth between us and the hundreds of despondent Ponies.
"And why not?" Pearl interjected, his expression suddenly angry as he looked at her. "You and your sister abandoned them. We can give them a new life where they can thrive. Where they won't starve and their children can live happier lives."
Emily opened her muzzle only to close it, frowning at the ground, clearly in thought.
"Em?"
She looked up at Richard and shook her head, clearly fighting back tears. "No Richard, he's right. It might not have really been me before…but we both failed them. Tia and I failed our subjects. If you can give them something better than I won't just let you, I'll gladly help you."
Pearl and Fleetfoot gave each other a surprised glance, clearly not expecting such a response.
"You would let us turn your subjects into ours?" Fleetfoot asked.
"To save them from this," Emily said, gesturing with her hoof. "To save them from my…from our lack of care, I would do anything. They deserve that and so much more."
Richard and I looked at each other, the former sighing as he rubbed the back of his head.
"So much for not getting involved," he muttered, shaking his head as he began to walk into the broken village.
As we entered it, Ponies began to notice us and a few stopped walking, their eyes taking on something very unsettling.
We got barely a few more feet into it when a stallion stood in front of us, four more moving around us until we were surrounded.
"We don't want any trouble," Richard said, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture.
"Then why are you here son?" the stallion in front of us said. He was an older stallion, perhaps in his late forties or early fifties and was clearly a leader going by the deferential emotions the Ponies had for him.
"We're just here to help," Richard said.
"Help?" the stallion barked, laughing bitterly. "And how exactly do you plan to help son? Throw some bits our way, or do you have something else? What are you, anyway, some hairless ape? Never seen anything like you."
"You don't know who I am?" Richard asked, confused. As was I to be fair, Richard was known all over Equestria. Even the other nations had to know who he was.
"We don't care about what happens anywhere else," the stallion said, frowning at Richard. "They sure as shit don't care about us, why should we care about them?"
"Well we do," Richard said, giving the stallion a strange look that I didn't recognise. "And like I said, I'm here to help you…if you want it."
"You wanna help us?" the stallion asked, returning the strange look Richard gave him. "Why?"
Richard paused for a moment…
"Because you're clearly up shit creek without a paddle," he said bluntly, much to everyone else's surprise. "Broken homes, probably not enough food and drink to go around, and likely other petty shite. I've seen this shit before, hell I'll lived it. The difference here is that nobody wanted to help me, but I'm offering to help you, if you're not too fucking stubborn to accept the help from some hairless ape."
Richard's eyes narrowed as his head tilted ever so slightly, as if challenging the stallion to try something.
No one said anything, the entire population was steady and silent.
And then the stallion began to laugh. Not just a chortling laugh either but a full on belly laugh.
"You've got some balls on you son!" he said, laughing all the while. "Welcome to the Abandoned. A place where those with nowhere else to go come to stay for the rest of their miserable lives."
"It sounds like a dreamy place," Richard replied, smiling sardonically at the stallion.
"You bet it is son," the stallion said, grinning wryly before looking at the rest of us. "You and your group stay out of trouble and we'll get along just fine. Now come with me and I'll introduce you to someone…since you seem to sincere about helping us."
Richard nodded and fell in line behind him, the rest of us catching up quickly.
"That was risky Richard," I whispered.
"I recognized a kindred spirit," he replied, looking at the old stallion with something burgeoning on respect. "When Emily was taken from me, I was tossed back and forth between foster parents and the streets. I've lived rough, I've lived with nothing but the ragged sheets on my back. I know how they think because at one point in my life I was them."
"You've said as much before," I said quietly, squeezing his hand softly.
"But never this much, I know," he said, sighing. "It wasn't a good part of my life, honestly I'd rather forget it."
I said nothing more but gave his hand another squeeze.
We eventually stopped in front of a rather large hut. It was better put together than any of the other ones, which led me to the conclusion that whoever was inside it had to be the one in charge around here.
The stallion came out and nodded at Richard. "Alright, she's agreed to meet with you. But any funny business and you and your group won't see the light of day again, understood?"
"Understood," Richard agreed, nodding.
The stallion smiled. "The name's Wood."
"Richard."
Wood nodded respectfully at him once, before moving slightly out of our way so we could go inside.
The inside of the hut was beyond strange. There were bone chimes hanging from the ceiling, along with shelves that had items of which I had no idea as to the names of.
"Well, well, it isn't everyday that one of your kind walk willingly to meet one of mine. But as I've learned recently, life can be full of surprises."
A mare walked out from behind a shelf, her strips immediately identifying her race for what it was.
"You're a Zebra," I said, eyeing her up and down.
"Indeed I am," she said, her thick accent catching my attention immediately.
"And not one native to Equestria either," I continued, eyeing her warily. "You're very far from home aren't you, Zebrican?"
"I could say the same to you," she said, smiling strangely at us.
"Our home is on another planet," Richard said, returning her smile with a very small one of his own.
"Oh I don't think it's quite that far away," she replied, her smile suddenly losing it's warmth and becoming very cold.
"What makes your say that?" I asked, my senses suddenly screaming danger.
"Because I've fought your kind before and you all have one defining factor."
Before I could think to move, the Zebra threw something at the floor that erupted with a loud bang. Smoke covered the area and I could hear everyone coughing, before two loud thumps hit the floor.
"W-What the fuck are you doing you crazy cunt?!" Richard yelled, waving the smoke away.
The Zebra scowled and gestured in front of us, where Fleetfoot and Pearl lay on the floor unconscious.
In their Changeling forms.
Even Richard and I were not unaffected as our plating had forced itself out under our clothing, which was unfortunately short sleeved.
"You bring Demons to my home," the Zebra cried angrily. "You are Demons too, get out!"
"Demons?" Richard yelled, just as if not more angry than her. "We didn't come to hurt to you, we came to help."
"I do not need the help of a Demon!" she screamed, fear suddenly very prevalent in the air.
She was terrified of us.
"Get out of my home Demon!" she cried, rushing at Richard, the glint of a dagger suddenly visible in her mouth.
"Richard!" Emily cried.
"Look out!" I screamed, running towards him.
Richard didn't need the warning however as he caught the Zebra with one hand and slammed her to the floor, the air leaving her lungs in a very undignified exhale as the dagger went flying away from them.
"Listen to me you crazy bitch!" Richard shouted, the Zebra struggling in his grasp. "I am not here to hurt you, if I wanted to then you'd be dead RIGHT NOW!"
The Zebra snarled and met his eyes…and then her face went blank, her previously hazel coloured eyes becoming pure white.
"What the fuck!" Richard cried, moving away from her, startled.
Before we could say or do anything, the Zebra's eyes reverted back to normal and she blinked twice.
Slowly, she stood back up on shaky legs and looked up at Richard, all previous fear and animosity completely gone.
"It's you," she said, eyes roaming up and down. "You are The Raaf, he who shall save us."
"The what?" he asked, as confused as the rest of us. "Look are you still going to act crazy or…can we talk now?"
"Talk?" she echoed, shaking her head before looking back at him and smiling softly. "Of course yes, we can talk."
She went over to a shelf before tossing something else at the floor. It exploded but it did so quietly, a strange, cherry-like smell filling the room.
Fleetfoot and Pearl opened their eyes immediately, their forms reverting back to their Pony disguises. Indeed as they did so, both Richard and my plating went back into our skin.
"I apologize," the Zebra said, smiling sheepishly at us. "I have not had the most pleasant of experiences with Changelings and thought you had come to drain my people of their positive emotions, what little of them they have left."
"That's not the case," Richard said, shaking his head. "We really are here to help."
"Yes I know now," she said, smiling at him. "I saw."
"You…saw?" Emily asked, piping up for the first time in a while.
"Yes I did," she replied, nodding once. "Some Zebra are gifted with the magic of sight, the ability to see into the future. But some of us are gifted a little more strongly than others. I myself have always had a stronger affinity for seeing than others, though at times I wished otherwise. Some of what I see can be…disturbing."
She stopped talking for a moment before looking back at Richard and smiling once again.
"When I looked into your eyes just then, I saw you, your future and what you aim to accomplish here."
"You did, did you?" Richard asked, a surprising amount of distrust suddenly flowing from him.
"You do not believe me?" she asked.
"I believe that some Zebra see a bit of the future and more likely than not try to take advantage of it."
She blinked at his reply, as did I.
'Since when does Richard know anything about Zebra's?'
"That is true for most of my kind, yes," she said, smiling sadly. "Back home, such a thing is as political as it is heinous. And it is all too common. I however do not believe in using my sight for my personal gain. I use it to help others."
"Really?" Richard asked, eyebrow quirked skeptically.
"Really," she confirmed. "Which is why I am going to tell you exactly what you need to do in order to bring all of my people into your fold as new subjects."
That caught out attention.
"And that would be?" I asked.
"It is simple," she said. "You must enter the home of a terrible mare who goes by the name of Hard Iron and kill her."
As if by some mystical power of synchronicity, both myself and Richard slapped our faces at the same time and sighed.
"For fucks sake," both of us said.
And that's all for now!
Cya, Stay Snuggly! :D
