A/N: Alright, here's another chapter. Time to kick in a fellow villain from the past.
Review Responses:
sonic3461: Indeed. She should soon realize how much she does care for him after all.
P-GHOST-12: Oh yes, but again... strings would be pulled if in the case Twilight apologizes and makes it up to him.
Guest: It should be fixed soon between them.
Captain Alaska: Thank you. I will admit, I felt a bit emotional because of some problems I had during the writing of that chapter.
Raven 105: She should in no problem... or will it happen?
billykilly: Well then... prepare for something BIG in this one. Literally.
P.S. Thanks to sonic3461 for the chapter idea and for the next two chapters.
Daylight. It shines down on all of Equestria and the grass below. The warmth from the afternoon sun's rays bounce down onto the top of my forehead and part of my face that hasn't been shadowed under the shade of the cottage. A few birds swirl about in the sky as in a dance all together in a group. But there are sometimes pairs together and dance with one another in a way of showing true love to one another.
I used to have that kind of love to smile about when I had it, though I still had a part of it from Coco Pommel. The main part of it was missing inside.
I was sitting alone by myself at the open window side of my own room. Fluttershy had told me that she was going to be out for the day. Apparently she had to perform some errands and then head off to see Rarity who I had heard from her to be very worried about what happened to me and would let her know about what happened.
I let out a bit of sigh. The memory of Twilight yelling at me and then breaking it off if was the only thing that was stuck on my mind. I no longer have an urge to cry about it, but I just feel dark inside of me while I see all those other happy creatures in the outdoors bonding up with one another like the pair of larks I saw earlier this morning. I don't even know how I would have handled that argument properly, but I unfortunately kept my mouth shut the whole time.
I didn't even feel hungry. I had got up this morning and got into the regular summer clothes like shorts and short-sleeved t-shirts that Rarity supplied for me and should be enough to at least supply me for a long time. Fluttershy did of course tell me that breakfast would be in the fridge in case I want to have something to eat. But at this tragic moment, I am not even interested in grabbing a bite.
Morning had been rather quiet for me long after Fluttershy had left. The Song of Order is the only one with me in the room that has pretty much remained silent for the whole time I have been in the room. However, I consider this lonely silence at least of now to be some sort of bliss. The Song of Order didn't have any plans to start talking with me about it as I am sure it can't really help me with such advice except on fighting dangerous creatures or villains that dare threaten Equestria itself in all its glory.
I don't have the will to start sobbing about my loss for this break-up that I have been through for the past few days. Discord only managed to make my time of healing to worsen each time to make me cry even more.
There was at one point when Fluttershy was serving him dinner since he was a guest for a few days. I got my dish of food and I recognized it as one of Twilight's favorites to which I ended up crying in response after explaining that it was one of Twilight's favorite foods to eat. Discord tried to calm down by talking about how one of his creatures from where he lived had passed on, but Fluttershy told him that it wasn't helping and she comforted me there which no doubt was embarrassing Discord on how much of a crybaby I was being.
But I am no crybaby, I'm crying over being dumped which is a prime reason to be this upset. Discord may be totally reformed, but he still holds onto that attitude of sometimes not getting his way which he'll apologize for afterwards.
I can hear the sound of his drastic appearance into my room from right behind me. My mind is too wandered off though to even turn around and pay attention to him as to why he had even come into my room in the first place. Was it to torture me more with mistaken thoughts of his mind or just to irritate me which will not going to work anyway? Nevertheless, he doesn't irritate me as much anymore after the Tirek incident so I consider him good in the end.
I can hear a bit of a worried grumble from behind me which I can already assume is the draconequus taking a look and watching me from there. "Still feeling a little down Brayden?" He asks me. I can hear him coming forward towards me from behind while my eyesight is still set on the outdoors.
I don't even think about responding back to him with an answer. All that only came out of me was the silence and the thought of the event repeating in my head over and over.
"Oh, don't worry Brayden…" I can feel his lion paw touch my back while he is talking to me. "Twilight just only got a little angry towards you. She honestly can't be this mad at you forever. Well, for me she gets annoyed all the time whenever I'm like really close by and in her eyesight."
I let out a sigh. "This is a hard time that I am going through Discord," I told him with that sad tone filling my voice. "I don't think that I could ever heal from this moment. I'm almost worried that Twilight is never going to forgive me now for I committed betrayal to her."
"I am sorry that you are feeling this way Brayden," I can hear him once again. "But I wish that I knew how that felt as well. But I don't have anypony in my life yet who I hold close to loving dearly."
"It's alright…" I said to him, my eyes and head slightly tilt to take a look at him as briefly as I could. "Over time, the healing process will begin…"
I can hear his magic once again as if he was bringing in something. "I mean, I did help you out to fall in love with her. Both you and her were really close to one another," He says to me, while he had conjured a bouquet of red roses in the eagle claw of his. "It was just perfect…"
"I probably won't revisit that memory again, for she seems to hate me for what I have done to her." I said, my doubts kicking in.
Discord heads out of the sight from my right side. He is on my left side now, keeping a careful eye on me to make sure that I was okay. I on the other hand am happy that he is here to accompany me for such a short time. "Well, don't feel too sad. If in case you need to talk to me, I'll be right downstairs."
"Alright, sounds good." I replied to him, turning my sight and head back out to face the outdoors and the nature out there that flew along by with the birds that would dance together in pure harmony.
Discord snaps his eagle claw's fingers and I can tell with another one of those magical sounds of his, he has disappeared from the room. I am left alone inside of my room once again.
I felt a little too alone though. My heart still felt dark and hollow from the inside. Sure I did have my friends alongside of me, but it was only of such little help. Without love in my own life, it felt like I was just feeling very… incomplete without somepony to love in my life. All these birds had another mate alongside them to nuzzle with and invite into their nests for probably tea most likely.
I take my head off of my two resting arms at the windowsill and make a move to get away from the windowsill. My two arms lift off from the windowsill as well and just dangle as usual by themselves close to the sides of my body.
I turn to face the rest of my room, seeing everything that I am thankful for and the gifts I received for my birthday. Spike's cut diamond that he gave to me as I am surprised Rarity hasn't begged for me to give it to her yet was sitting upon a shelf. The rest of the items were there like the sweater of pink wool that Coco had specially given to me, Fluttershy's bird whistle, the Daring Do book that Rainbow Dash got me on the book shelf and the watch Applejack gave to me.
Something had struck me from the inside. This was an idea that just came into my head right away. The only idea I could think of.
I turn around to the corner of the room where I could see a backpack lying there in the corner. Hmmm, if Twilight does hate me after all for what I had done to betray her in that relationship way, she wouldn't have to worry or deal with me ever again. Not if I just gather enough stuff to store inside the backpack and then run away.
If she doesn't miss me, that is fine. I will just find another way to live elsewhere in Equestria just in silence and out of her sight. I don't even think that the rest of my friends will suspect that I am gone anyway. Even if Fluttershy misses me, she'll be aware that I am long gone.
I take the backpack's handle and carry it with me over to the top of my bed to unzip and open it up as quickly as I could. Unzipped and with nopony looking over my shoulder, I start to gather enough clothing from my wardrobe to place inside of the bag as spare clothing from ones I would put on later in my days away from Ponyville.
Besides the spare clothing I would bring with me, I also packed in a few memories that I would remember like Spike's diamond, the Daring Do book to read in case I was bored, Coco's sweater, the watch that changes in various time zones which I'll definitely keep in handy. The bird whistle is something I also took with me and put around my neck. In case I am ever in real trouble, I would blow the bird whistle.
"You're abandoning your friends," I can hear the Song of Order tell me in its presence. "I am very much aware that you are going to make them miss you a lot."
"Maybe I want to now," I said to him. "I committed betrayal against my special somepony Twilight by cheating on her with another love in my life… Coco."
"Running away won't solve the trouble though, for the matters only become worse over time's passing in the days to years ahead. Regret is something you'd eventually face like the one pony you love." It tells me once again in a calm voice.
I roll my eyes for a brief moment. "I'm not just running away by myself, I'm going to bring you along with me on my trip away from Ponyville." I said to him, gathering the last of my stuff into the backpack before closing it.
Silence was there for a few moments from the claymore, and then it spoke out still in that calm tone it always had been speaking in. "Where will we go then?"
"We'll take the next train heading southbound into Dodge City Junction. From there, we'll continue down southeast in through the desert which I suspect will be scorching hot for me. After all, this world does share a bit of Earth's temperatures." I explained to the blade while I was zipping the backpack tight so that nothing would even fall out.
I walk from the other side of the bed to approach the Song of Order while still talking to me calmly. "I know that you'll realize your mistake of running away sooner or later." It said to me.
"Or maybe I won't," I state firmly but with a calm tone in my voice. I grip onto the blade and its cover it rested inside and place it around my back to rest there behind me.
I turn towards the lightweight backpack that I put on my bed and filled with spare clothing and accessories. I come forward, taking it by one of the side handles, putting my right arm through and the other through another handle to place it upon my back with it covering the Song of Order.
"You might be making a terrible mistake that you would have ever done." The blade says to me.
"A mistake I might be grateful for later, but I do not care." I said to the blade, gritting my teeth while saying this.
Now, I would have gathered some food in the refrigerator to place inside of my backpack for snacks, but I knew that Discord could be down there and would by Fluttershy's word prevent me from even leaving the cottage. Now with the open window that I was resting and watching outside, I could easily make my leap from there to the nearby tree branches.
I move myself forward and bring my bare feet onto the windowsill and getting upward onto it to observe the distance. It didn't seem too far a jump, so I would be able to make haste and fly forward to grab the large and solid branch. I make no haste and set my target with my hands ready to aim and grab onto the tree.
My two feet leapt me forward towards the tree and I could almost feel myself slip when I had first grabbed onto the branch. My two feet and legs dangle from below downward to the surface, not even touching it. Judging by how high up I was; I didn't want to let go at this rate to fall onto the surface.
I began working my way down to the lowest possible branch that the oak tree had to offer. I nearly slipped during my way down there, but I made sure that I held onto the branch as tight as my arms could for that moment that looked dangerous. A few squirrels and birds were watching attempt such a dangerous stunt and all they could do was just watch and not even try to stop me.
After that last branch had been grabbed onto and I wasn't too dangerously high off of the ground, I let go of the branch and I can feel the both of my bare feet make a soft – medium type of landing onto the green and grassy floor. I take a look back up at the small critters watching me on that tree climbing session. A look on my face told them that I would miss them while I was running away from my new home.
My eyes are darted off of the tree and towards the straight direction where the nearby train tracks would be. I find myself walking right past the hen house where Fluttershy's chickens would be, but I do not even turn my eyes to take a look at that as my eyes are still set on the distant tracks. Nopony was on the dirt trails to make attention to my own running away plan. Not like they would miss me anyway though I am losing my thoughts on my own friends in Ponyville.
"Don't do this Brayden," the Song of Order tells me in a last type of warning. "This is not what you'd be thinking."
I let out a sigh and at the distance I have walked halfway between towards the tracks and away from the cottage; I take a look one last time at the cottage from afar for a few moments. I would always cherish the greatest of memories I had with my closest friend and the time I spent with her, my special somepony and the rest of my friends.
Then I turn away and make my way down the tracks towards the Ponyville train station in secret. I did not even once look back or regret this in the first place. But where and how far I'm going will not be on concern for them anymore and at this point, I do not think they should even try to look for me.
Goodbye my friends… Goodbye… Ponyville.
Fluttershy's POV
Ah, what another beautiful day after a morning at Rarity's to help calm her down.
She had been pretty upset after what had happened at least three days ago with Brayden being yelled at by Twilight and the breakup. Rainbow Dash was also there to help her out and she just didn't know what to say when I told her about the break-up that had been witnessed. At first as per usual, she would think about pinning him to the ground and questioning on him on why he cheated on her. But she seemed to have felt bad for Brayden.
Rarity was in a more shock from this as well since she was with me when we saw the whole thing. She was so worried about what had happened to Brayden after she saw the tears start to flow from out of his eyes. I had made sure to assure her that when he lied in bed crying, I was there to calm him down and that he was going to be okay after that.
I was on my way home, trotting down the dirt trail out of Ponyville and back to the cottage where I lived. While I was gone from the house, I asked Discord to keep an eye on Brayden to make sure that he was going to be okay and that he won't be as lonely. Popping in every once in a while would help him out after all with some company.
My hooves trot onto the hard stone bridge that would cross that small river to the very hill I lived upon at the top. My animal friends are there with a few looking really joyful to see me coming back again. I made sure that along the way that I would find my squirrel friends a few acorns for them to store before the autumn arrives for them to prepare for a seasoned hibernation bound to come afterwards.
A few of them are quiet though as if it was in a way that they were trying to tell me something in a way that I cannot understand. But I can understand the chattering and tweeting from them all just fine. I looked at those who were silent with a look of concern written upon my own face wondering what was wrong. No response.
Whatever they are worrying about, I'm sure that there is not a single thing to be concerned of once the day goes by just fine. If it is all about Brayden, they shouldn't worry at all. He's on his journey to healing from such a terrible break-up. There were moments that I have always been there with him to comfort him whenever he started crying whether it being from something that reminded him of Twilight.
Just seeing him cry tore my heart out, and I really didn't want him to feel this sad. Crying is just a part of the healing process though to eventually calm him down. As I can remember: crying is of the first stage, the second just feeling really down and hollow inside. There are only two stages as I can remember it. As long as I am there close to him, I'll be there in his time of need.
My concern for him overall has been on my mind though and sometimes I just can't let him out of my thoughts as he would sometimes appear in my daydreams. The way he puts his hand on my cheek… my goodness, his hand is really soft and he's being really gentle with me. I don't know why I just start blushing every time he does that. First time he ever did that, my heart skipped a beat for a brief moment. Could it be…
No… think clearly for a moment, Fluttershy. It couldn't be true love that you might be feeling inside for your closest best friend no matter how kind he is to you. But… what about that moment during Tirek's attack with his head almost moving closer towards me… I don't really know… Oh my… my heart is skipping another beat again at the thought of him. No… he's a good match for Twilight, but I am still questioning this.
I continue trotting forward upward on the path towards the front door. At a close enough range, I take the doorknob with my hoof and turn open the door.
The living room had none other than my good draconequus friend Discord lying down on the couch when I came in from the outdoors once again. His eyes are closed, so I assume that he is taking a nap there before I trot into the cottage and close the door behind me.
The closing of the front door is enough to get him to stir awake with a few brief snorts of sleep that he was wearing off from. He opens up his yellow and red eyes, which spring right into action when he sees me enter his sight. He doesn't know what to say at first until he clears his throat.
Finally after that clearing, he did have something to say. "Oh, Fluttershy! I didn't expect that you would be back on such short notice! I thought you would be back in the evening." He sounded really surprised when he had said this to me.
"I didn't mean to wake you up Discord, but I am back." I said to him with a smile on my face.
He teleports himself off of the couch and appears right next to me in a flash of white light. "Oh it's not a problem at all. I just did not suspect that it would be a short visit to Rarity's." He says to me, still a bit surprised about this.
"Oh I just needed to talk with her for a few moments," I said to him while he floated there. "She was feeling really downhill on what had happened to Brayden with Twilight. I went to see her at her shop the Carousel Boutique to assure her that he will be okay."
"That's good to hear there now. After all we are all caring for Brayden while he's trying his best not to cry. Seriously my comment on how one other creature from where I lived that passed on to the afterlife could have been a story for them to hear." He says to me.
I shake my head. "I don't think that is how you can make him feel better. It would only make the situation as worse to him than before should you have finished it," I commented before I began to think about Brayden in his current state at the moment. "But anyways, I am wondering about how you were checking up on Brayden while I was gone. Is he doing okay?"
Discord just smiles and says "Oh yes, he's doing okay. I mean he is just looking a little sad and has been rather quiet this morning, but overall I checked up on him," I feel a sense of relief come over me. It must be healing quicker than I thought for the process of getting over a break-up. "Indeed. He'll soon get over it in no time!"
After standing there to talk to him, I move forward trotting towards the stairs with the bottom of my hooves touching the wooden planks below. Discord comes alongside me to join me in checking up on my close friend. I continue conversing with him while we journey on upward to the second floor. "I'm glad to hear that you were doing such a good thing. I can see you are improving quite well after Lord Tirek's attack."
"I really don't want to get involved with that centaur ever again." I could hear him state quietly.
"And you won't have to," I tell him, gently placing my soft hoof onto his rough, skinny eagle claw. "Tirek is back in Tartarus and you don't have to listen to him or believe his lies ever again."
The both of us share a friendly smile while ascending on the last few steps of stairs to make our way to the top. Few seconds pass until we're on the second floor, and I turn my head to the left for the very first door there which I recognized as Brayden's room.
I trot forward towards his door and place my hoof onto the door's knob to turn it while Discord continues to talk with me. "Alright, here is his room. I will quite assure you that he is going to be happy to see you," He tells me by the time the door clicks and I open up the door, letting in more light from his room and the hallway. "After all, he'll be up and about soon. Without my quiet time, I'm not as effective at helping good friends like you."
I pause in a bit of a shock for a brief moment and then let out a gasp of horror for what I managed to see inside of the room which I suspect wasn't good for Discord next to me to hear. It was usually the sign that something was wrong… like REALLY wrong.
He was not in his room like he had always been besides going to the bathroom a few times. The room itself just felt empty save for the open window being there just letting in some wind. But not only was he not there, but the Song of Order had also disappeared from the room. He couldn't be in the bathroom anyway as the light was off from peeking quickly at the open door before I even checked his room.
Discord himself lets out a big worried gasp of shock and terror and I almost felt like I was going to faint when he had revealed the words. "Great Celestia!" He had shouted with fear filling his tone of voice. "Brayden's gone!"
I needed to tell the rest of my friends as of what had happened right about now, and right this instant. No second thoughts are brought up when I turn towards the stairs, making my directions for the first place that I can think of.
Brayden's POV
I can hear the train's tracks from outside of the car as it was riding along the countryside down south towards what would be very resembling of the western desert like in the movies I saw back on earth with cowboys and sharp eyes when they would be firing their guns and riding their horses.
Not a single cactus could be seen from my window as of yet, but I am in a desert sand environment with tall cliffs and dry canyons that would rarely spit out water. That would probably be where most of the buffalo folk would head to in case they were thirsty and needed a drink especially in this hot summer sun during the long season coming to an end by autumn's arrival next month.
"We will be arriving at Dodge City Junction in the next few minutes." I can hear the train attendant telling me and the rest of the passengers informatively into a loudspeaker at the end of the car. There was also another one opposite end of the car, but I didn't notice that.
I turn my head slowly to take a look at all of those faces of different civilians in Equestria on different benches just minding their own business. A few would be sitting there and reading a newspaper on a story whether it was political debates with Princess Celestia and the high council of Equestria itself on what other plans and bills they want to pass to keep the citizens happy. Most of their decisions were based on the needs of every civilian's voice in Equestria on what was required.
Look at all of them, well at least for now. I will miss these faces once I make my way southeast from the western town. Before I eventually plan to set foot out of Dodge City, I might as well go over that list of things I need to get from the general store before making my way out.
I reach into the backpack with a small piece of paper I was writing down when I stepped onto the South Equestria train bound for Dodge City Junction and then stopping in Appleloosa last before making a return trip to Ponyville's station. Had I decided to go to Appleloosa, Sheriff Silverstar there would have raised question on why I would even come there and then run off into the wilderness. I grab a hold of the dry paper, pulling it out and unfolding it to start scanning the writing of mine for what I need to get.
Hmm, let's see. On my list I only have a few things written down. I have to make sure that I have a good enough supply of food whether its apples, salads to be kept sealed and fresh or anything that is very small. Even then, I am sure that I can survive in the wilderness for a very long time with only supplies of small snacks to munch on. Water is also very crucial to my survival at all times, so it is essential that I get a hold on a refillable water bottle for if I am staying near a water source, I can always depend on going there whenever I ran out. Most of the time, I just have to heat the water after taking it out as it could be infected, so it'll just be for my own safety to have a spare pot with me over a fire to heat up the water.
I can hear the muffled sounds of a few stallions talking to one another about what happens in their lives, but it is too distant in the train car for me to even pay attention for I am still going over the checklist of things to get before setting out into the scorching desert wasteland. It feels like I was living in a role-playing kind of experience except there are no radiated creatures to dare try and be hostile. The only ones I suspect would be desert wolves themselves, but I think the Song of Order on my back will be enough to scare them off since noise will usually do the trick. Singing is what it would do when danger is nearby.
"Attention passengers," The loudspeaker sounds off again to catch both the attention of mine and the rest of the passengers in the car. "We have arrived at the first destination: Dodge City Junction. Repeat, we have arrived at Dodge City Junction."
I fold the list back up and place it behind me, slipping it right back into my backpack, zipping that part shut. My eyes trace themselves right back onto the outside from the window viewpoint and could see what I had expected outside.
The train was slowly coming to a complete stop at the station. There are a couple of ponies with western hats just how it reminded me of Applejack's Stetson hat that she always wore whether a case, but there are also times I have seen her without that trademark Stetson-like hat of hers. The buildings themselves just fit the image of a western movie with places like the Dodge City Saloon and even the general store that I had made plans to go to first was on there. There was a cherry tree orchard, and I knew this is also where Cherry Jubilee lived and farmed to grow most of her cherries to send out and off to various markets in Equestria.
It only took about a minute until the train had gone to a complete stop. By then I already got up off the bench I was sitting on for the whole trip there only having gone to the bathroom at least once halfway there. But never mind that, I was already here and just minutes away from packing and going into the wilderness alone with the Song of Order to at least give me company.
I make my way to the end of the train car where the doors had opened and were allowing anypony that was with me in the train car to come outside. Passing by the conductor, I step right out of the train's car right outdoors once again, but for the first time in a western like setting though it is right on the map that I am South east and far from home, still I will think clearly on this town's resemblance to a place from the 1800's in what is like the western US and the border of Mexico… just like one of my favorite games. Well, you know.
I let in a big inhale and hold it for a few moments to get some breath of western desert air into my system. Then out of my mouth comes the normal exhale with a sigh. Carrying the weight of the Song of Order and my backpack behind me, I step off of the station's wooden platform and onto the dry and warm sands below which I first thought would be scorching hot and would burn my two bare feet.
This sand felt very warm from what I didn't seem to expect. It felt like it provide to me like a warm blanket for when anyone would head to sleep when night would come. But again, I have a spare sleeping bag inside of the backpack so I wouldn't have to worry about sleeping on the sand in the wilderness should I be in the middle of it on my way to find a water source.
I'm in the town square just right out from exiting the train station. I take a few observations around Dodge City to keep an eye out for any activities bound to randomly happen at any time. A few ponies came trotting along by and they were quite busy by the look of it to supply another delivery to somepony in or out of town. That I will never know though, and I'm not really sure that I want to know. It is their business after all.
I continue forward down the path towards the general store that my two feet can take. A few carriages with packaged boxes and supplies of pears, an exotic Equestria plant that was rare to come across according to this world. Where I came from, there are pear trees to pick them from. I'm not saying that I eat pears though, I just… don't. I only stick with the foods I am comfortable with.
I pass along the saloon where I can see a few stallions trotting casually inside and out of it. There's nopony getting thrown out which is something I really don't want to see. A stallion in a drunken stupor, cause I have experience with drunks insulting me back on Earth. If in the fact this happened, I don't really know how to act. I'm not going to get all offensive though.
After passing the saloon, I am drawn up the two wooden steps onto the planked deck right outside of the Dodge City Junction General Store. My two feet could feel the hard surface right below when I was steady and willing to head inside and quickly find what I needed to find. Since they are an item with food required on the list, I'll be out of there in no time.
I push open those wooden swinging double doors and head in through under the door's arch into the shop. It didn't seem too occupied as there were only a few ponies inside and examining the items of such. The cashier sits at the desk, and he looks to be of old age just like around Granny Smith's age but only a few years younger to my estimates.
"A new kind of face in town eh?" I could hear him say with a bit of a chuckle that caught my attention and turning my head to look at him. "It's not every day that I get somepony who ain't a pony nowadays. Sometimes it's a griffon; some others are like buffalo and such that aren't hostile."
"Yes sir," I acknowledge to him with a smile upon my face. "I am called a human."
He smiles and says "Oh I know very well what and who you are. You are the one who helped with getting rid of that eternal night Nightmare Moon brought upon us. She never was as good anyway. Wicked mare should have been destroyed instead."
I am taken back by the comment on him saying that my friend Nightmare Moon, but I hold it inside so I don't get angry at him for insulting one of my favorites. "I see." I just simply state to avoid any conflict between me and the cashier. Last thing I would want is getting thrown out.
"Well, anyways," He clears his throat and has a service with a smile written upon his face. "Feel free to take a look around, I'm sure you'll find what you need."
I walk away from the cashier and proceed to go through the list of things required that I could find here. I stumble unto the food section of the store and could see a couple of apples lying on the shelf in a clean order, keeping fresh at all times. Apples… check. I gather a bag provided by the general store and store the apples I needed to take inside of the bag. I manage to snatch a few other necessary foods like the salad leaves and berries with nuts included in small packets from the surprisingly cheap price of at least one or a few bits.
I head out of that section and even making sure to grab a refillable water bottle on my way out of there before heading into the kitchen appliance section. All that I really needed to get after all was the iron pot so that I could boil water and use it to cook food if I absolutely had to in case of emergencies. I can see the pans hanging about with a few kitchen knives hanging about with covers on them for safety measures.
"You know, if you really need your help chopping up your food, you can use my blade for that." I can hear the calm touch of the Song of Order's voice tell me.
I let out a small chuckle while still keeping a look out for a really good quality pot that could last me for some time. But really though any pot will do for me as long as it gets the job done. "I'm not really sure it would feel comfortable for you. I'd have to sharpen you in that case." I said to him while on the look.
"Sharpening is not very necessary to do. I will absorb any other leftovers from after you are done slicing up the stuff you need to slice. I am not a knife used for cooking though, I am a claymore used for battle and saving Equestria from all kinds of danger should it arise. Since you are the bearer though, I understand greatly for what you have to do." It talks to me once again, still remaining the same with a calm and relaxing voice while keeping a gentle hum.
"I see," I said to him. "Well in that case, you'll be used a lot for my meal times."
I stop for a moment when I could hear the same throat clearing up from behind me. I slowly turn around, and I am not too surprised when I see the cashier standing there with a really confused look on his face. My face is just about trying to tell him if something was wrong.
"Who are you talking to?" He says to me.
I look around for a few moments while he waits patiently. Did he even notice that I was talking to the Song of Order itself and didn't know that it was communicating with me? If he saw that, he must be really confused by all of this.
"He's not going to hear me talking to you, you know." The Song of Order states with me with a bit of an annoyed sigh that sounds like I'm going to look a bit crazy.
I scratch the back of my head in this awkward moment and just state "Uh, yeah. I am talking to myself. It is something that I occasionally do when I am browsing about to look for any kind of pot that will fit me well on my trip into the wilderness." I let out an innocent giggle to make myself look as good even though I am already good inside.
He shifts me a weird kind of look on his face and then turns towards the shelf that I seemed to have missed while making the beginning of a conversation with the claymore on my back. He pulls by the handle a very well iron-made cooking pot that could be of use to me out there. He moves it forward to me in an offering kind of way and I take it without even thinking straight.
"I'm ready to pay." I tell him, sounding just about ready to go after all of that awkward stuff with me.
He nods his head. "Very well, follow me." He turns and begins to trot away with me following behind him.
Because of his old age, he is trotting a little bit more slowly than anypony just like any other elder I've seen in Ponyville. I'm not bothered by this though as I know what it can be like when you get to that certain age. But I am nowhere near that as of yet, I still have 70 or so more years until I end up kicking the bucket anyway. But now that I think of it, ponies seem to have last up to 200 years longer than any other human life.
Behind the desk, he faces the cash register from for which the price would tell me he much I owe him in bit currency. He places the pot onto the large desk and I put the bag of food that I gathered over at the food section onto the counter for him. He carefully checks out how many that I got in food and then begins typing it on the cash register's buttons for the price calculation.
"Alright, that will be approximately 10 golden bits my good sir." He says to me with a smile upon his face.
I reached into my pocket and pull out a satchel of golden bits I earned over the time I had been with Fluttershy and the rest of my friends. I take out a row of 10 bits and place them onto the counter with one of them rolling flat for a bit before settling. "Here you go, 10 bits to pay it off." I told him, sharing the same kind of smile with him.
"Thank you, kind sir." He said to me, pleased with the bits he had earned from somepony different today.
"Alright, have a pleasant day my good sir." I said to him. I gather my stuff and the pot that I have bought.
He waves to me while I make a wave with my own hand and head for the door. "You have a good day too sir." He says to me, to observe the rest of his store.
I move past those swinging double doors once again and I am back outside with the Song of Order's humming still in effect that I don't think the owner heard. Nevertheless, I listen to the humming of the Song of Order, hopping down the small wooden platform and back onto those warm sands. Though still piqued and curious about the Song's ability, I should question the parts that I missed or didn't have time to ask.
"So…" I began to ask him still unsure on what the first answer should be.
"So?" He responded me. He was very much aware of what I kept thinking about.
"I am just curious about how you would manage to be this powerful." I just state while walking with him through the town, heading southeast into the wilderness.
"I believe that I ended up telling you the first time we had met one another in the dream realm," the claymore told me in a calm voice once again. "I do not need to explain how I was even forged in the first place and given my power. Try figuring that out for yourself."
"Alright then," I start knowing that his answer meant that I was not going to find out until the right timing. "But I do have a few other questions about you."
"Fire away." It tells me, sounding really patient.
"Let us say that the both of us are captured and separated from one another, how do you protect your most powerful magic inside of the blade?" I asked to him. My eyes turn to the right so it would feel better as if I was communication more fluently to the blade like it was right behind me.
"My magic has a very powerful mechanism inside that most dark forces mostly don't seem to know about, but I was too lazy to tell you this when Tirek attacked." He says to me.
"What?!" I said surprised. "You had something like that, and didn't even tell me!"
"One at a time Brayden," I can hear it say to me once again. "It is rather complicated to explain but I will do the best I can tell you."
"I'm listening." That is all I state as I was remaining as patient as I could to hear the Song of Order's trick on escaping from getting that exotic rare and powerful magic from getting stolen at all.
"What kind of mechanism do you mean by protecting yourself inside of the blade?" I asked with question.
"This type allows me to perform an emergency lock inside of me which can seal away my magic into one tiny bolt that no dark magic can even detect," I can hear its gentle voice tell me. "It will be for emergency use in case of theft like Lord Tirek for example as he would have tried to snatch the magic from the outside. But unfortunately there are very few dark magic out there that can corrupt me. The only other solution would be by the power of love that comes within your heart and the friendship you remember always by your side."
"I see," I stated to him with a bit of understanding in my tone of voice. "I have many other questions to ask you."
I can hear the blade's voice sigh for a moments and then say "Alright Brayden, ask any question that is necessary."
I begin to answer as many questions regarding my own survival out there in a canyon wasteland, bearing only packs of food and water that would be really useful for me. I find myself walking straight southeast from Dodge City Junction and out of their watchful sight, for they did not pay any attention to me at all. Not like they should anyway, for this is a new life I'm beginning.
Goodbye Equestria… I don't know what is southeast from here, but do not worry, I'll be there in no time so you don't have to think about finding me or the blade at all. After all, there is no turning back on this running away plan.
Nightmare Moon's POV
Canterlot, 4:13pm
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Princess Luna herself seems to be rather upset by this revelation that has been done. As of now, I have already heard Twilight's break-up with Brayden. It can't be that they both had broken up. I mean, it was unexpected for this to even happen. Then there was the news of Brayden disappearing from her cottage and the footprints found on the railroad tracks which assumed that he ran away.
"He cheated on me, and that's what hurt me the most inside though." Princess Twilight trotted forward only a few steps away from her friends. They seem to be glaring darts right at her, knowing that she did something wrong.
She did do something wrong though, she hurt the feelings of my friend and yelled at him. But my heart is worried about him…
"I did sense something a few nights ago that a heart had been cheated on, but I did not even expect it to be Brayden himself," I turn my head to look at Cadence who has her eyes set on Twilight as she is sort of not glaring, but still a bit disappointed in Twilight. "But what were you thinking when you yelled at him like that? You know he can be as sensitive."
"Thou dare yell at our own friend…" Luna mutters to herself angrily about this. I can understand how she was feeling inside because she inside had considered him a dear friend to her long after she brought him into this world and had him appear into my own world and mind.
Princess Celestia is at the center of the council's empty and large chamber on the largest possible chair for the Canterlot council. Princess Luna is positioned next to her on the right side from her point of view with Cadence next to me on her left. Twilight was not seated as she was summoned about this after all.
"I didn't realize that he would run away, but nevertheless it would give him some time to think it over on him cheating on me." I turn back to look down upon Twilight while she was talking and explaining more details on what her point of the argument would be.
"It isn't going to make the situation any better Twilight," Shining Armor speaks out and trots into the large sun-lit circle which she is standing inside. "What you did was make the situation worse than before. He ran away and he doesn't seem to be coming back."
"Twilight, ya gotta be ashamed of yerself!" Applejack calls out to her, not in approval for not acting correctly a few days ago and being all angry when she discovered the truth. "Ya don't seem to realize that as Brayden is the only human, he seems to be gettin' upset real easy."
"The real Twilight I know would never push her special somepony right out of her life even for a huge mistake that he drastically made." Rarity says to her, trotting into the bright circle with a glare upon her face.
"Girls, really…" She says, which I can tell that she is doing the best that she can to not get hooves pointing at her. "I did the necessary thing that came to my mind and that's that. He'll move on to another mare worth her time."
"He won't move on," Celestia finally got to speak out after some careful observation in the conversation of many. "I just know inside that he ran away because he loves you, and fears that you might still be angry at him and that you will never look at him straight in the eye again. This is the evidence I have heard so far from Fluttershy and Rarity. I really do not know what verdict to say yet."
"Princess Celestia?" I can hear that cyan pegasus Rainbow Dash acknowledge her out loud. "When I found out about this news I didn't know what say either. But Brayden is my friend, no… my best friend. I will see that he will come back if we look hard enough for him."
"We're all his best friends," Pinkie says to them. Thank Celestia that she was there to help introduce myself and make amends with the rest of Twilight's other friends during the celebration of Brayden saving the day and redeeming me good. "Without him, my parties are never going to feel happy without him there with me and the rest of his good friends."
Twilight releases an annoyed groan and turns towards the rest of her friends, just starting to glare at them. "Don't you girls get it?" She says to them. "He cheated on me!"
"Still, that isn't a reason to go breaking up with him right then and there!" Fluttershy says in that soft voice of hers, defending her own respect on Brayden. "He cares about you, and now without there at his side, he's grown very distant, and then you should look where it just leads to. Can't you see that too?"
"I'm just following along with that action necessary since he did it." She argues back, sounding a bit irritated with her friend. "We both swore to honor our relationship together and he broke the promise by kissing Coco Pommel on the lips in his trip to Manehattan."
"Coco is a good friend, and wouldn't act the way you are acting right now." Rarity says to her, trying to keep the situation calm.
"That's not helping Rarity!" Rainbow Dash says to her, just gritting her teeth when she said that.
Rarity grits her teeth and well, and replies "I'm not helping at all for this."
"Twilight, Ah don't know how angry ya are at this thing for Brayden cheatin' on ya," Applejack says, trotting forward into the circle, still holding her glare. "But it does need to git going away sooner or later. He loves ya."
"Well, I do not love him anymore!" Twilight snaps and sounds a bit more aggressive than she should. I want to speak up but I cannot find the words inside of me to try and speak against or support her. All I can really do is just watch.
"Enough Princess Twilight," I can hear Luna once again sounding a bit harsh in tone. But again, this was probably necessary plus she was calmer than the last minute ago. "Fighting with your friends is not going to solve anything. Right now, Brayden's disappearance is of top priority. Right now, deep inside you probably are worried about him, but don't want to admit it."
"The Song of Order was taken with him when he left, so if we don't bring him back immediately who knows what will come into Equestria to threaten the lives of everypony else at stake." Fluttershy says, stepping into mine and the view for the rest of the princesses.
"I'm not helping." Twilight just states. She sounded really annoyed by this.
"What?!" The rest of her friends just shout in complete shock and surprise to this. Even I let out a bit of a gasp in revelation to this.
"Twilight," I can hear Princess Celestia call to her as calmly as possible as she can. "This is no way for a princess to act. You must help them on the search for Brayden right away. Don't you even see what you even caused anyway?"
At this rate, he might be miles away from Ponyville… lost in the large wild where there are big scary monsters there that can eat him…" I can hear Fluttershy starting to panic a little bit about Brayden's whereabouts by her own predictions. "What if he can't find shelter? He'd be in the cold and lost out there in the snow where nopony could ever find him again and all he has to eat is nothing but snow." The last part of her words sounded like she was almost going to cry.
"At this point, I don't even care." Twilight says, just turning away from this plan set out by Celestia alone. This in the end gets her friends to gasp, pause for a moment and then glare darts at her.
"Don't do this Twilight," Cadence says to her. "You wouldn't really abandon the rest of your friends for you always keep your word."
"I don't hold a word for Brayden anymore. He broke my heart inside, so I broke his heart back with words," She says to Cadence, turning around from Celestia seated in the council chairs which are rather comfortable I will admit. "He may be a hero and saved Nightmare Moon and helped against Tirek, but he did nothing but betray my love… he's not my concern."
That's enough of her. "He cares as much for you as much as he cares for his friends and me!" I got up out of the council's chair and yelled at her with an angered Royal Canterlot Voice.
Twilight stumbles backwards for a bit, for she knew I was this upset for her to mention me in that sort of negative tone, especially when talking about Brayden. My heart beats with worry about him once again. I really needed to control this outburst at once so the best thing to do is just take a breath of fresh air and just out all the stress that quickly built up.
"That is enough Twilight," Princess Celestia addresses her with more firm tone with a glare coming from her eyes. "You are dismissed at once from this meeting. You have a lot to think about after hurting the feelings of Brayden."
Cadence was the last to speak when Twilight angrily huffs out angered breath from her nose with an angered glare on her face and turning around to leave the council chamber. "Search the inside of your heart; you know that you still love Brayden."
Twilight doesn't say anything and lights up her horn to open wide the large double doors into the castle's hallway. Entering into the hallway, she does what her anger would do best and slams those two doors together with a bang. Frustration I could tell was on her end.
"Rainbow Dash." Princess Celestia acknowledges the rainbow maned pegasus again.
The pegasus flaps the both of her wings and hovers in the air above of the sun-lit circle. "Yes, Princess?" She asks her with question in her voice.
The princess took in a quick breath and says "I want you to send out for the Wonderbolts and by my own command to call on a search party for Brayden. Make sure you give them the complete description on what he looks like. He still hasn't been to a show for the Wonderbolts ever."
"I'm on that Princess!" Rainbow Dash proudly says to her with a hoof salute before flying upward in through the open window and disappearing from sight.
Celestia turns to the rest of Twilight's friends and looks down upon them with that same kind of deliverance that you would expect of her. "The rest of you can help out with the search." She tells them.
"It may not be too late to help find Brayden," Luna says afterwards in support. "I will go through the dream realm when the sun sets and will use his dreams to help track down wherever he could be in Equestria and beyond."
"Me and Shining Armor will alert the royal guard of the Crystal Empire to see that he is safe and sound should he arrive there." Princess Cadence says in support with Shining Armor below nodding his head in agreement.
"What about me?" I asked from the silence.
Princess Celestia pauses for a moment. "I am not sure Nightmare Moon," She tells me in that gentle voice that she always talked in. "But do whatever you can to help us out with the search. Your help will be greatly appreciated. You are dismissed for now."
I nod my head in understanding and get up and out of the council's comfy seat. From the high sides of this round circular chamber, I head towards the strong double doors to my right side. Trotting forward towards it, I place my black hoof onto the door on the right side and gently push it forward.
The door opens and reveals a bright hallway with a late afternoon blue sky turning orange slowly with Celestia's sun fading into the west to end another day in Equestria. My back hooves trot out of the council chamber and I head towards the second window of all four in this hallway that bright itself to another hallway being lit up by the Canterlot royal guards for the night.
I let out a bit of a worried sigh and let my eyes observe Canterlot and the rest of the enchanted lands during this beautiful sunset that I am seeing and that I have always seen during my time here. I may not be ready yet to set hooves outside past Ponyville or the Canterlot castle, but with Brayden in my heart and at my side… I feel safe and loved.
Brayden… my dear friend and love… please be safe. I wish I could address my feelings to you that I was the first for you to fall for at first before finding Twilight in your life. There is always a way for love to happen to the same pony by somepony who is different and can love the ones close to him.
I just know it… Brayden… wherever you are… may the stars guide you back home back to where you belong. Be strong under the light of Luna's moon, for you were always and always will be brave no matter the cost.
Brayden's POV
Badlands Border, 9:34pm
Night time comes across my path once again by the time I have reached the high walls of these canyons before me. The sun had set not too long ago by only an hour, so I guess that is one of these funny reasons summer can be that way. The days are longer while the nights are short during this season. By the time autumn kicks in, the night will begin having its share all the way through autumn and winter until spring when the sun will start to have another share once again for another summer equinox.
It was long walk from across the wilderness and so far there hasn't been any hostile creature out that was too dangerous. All there was roaming the grounds were the rolling tumbleweeds that went on and on as it travelled, but eventually would break part in the end. I wanted to have one as a pet, but after the Song of Order blandly told me no and the reasons why, I just went on forward.
I did stumble upon a water source to fill up my water bottle, but I just made sure that I used the pot to gather the water. Though I was thirsty, it took about a few hours to boil away and cool down the water. The water gathered in the pot was dumped right into the bottle filling it up for the rest of the trip. Any leftover water was thrown to the cactuses for them to drink.
I can see a bunch of climbable rocks right there, with a way to get up to the canyon ridge and see what was over the top of there. Anything that I was carrying when into my backpack right behind the Song of Order who had been surprisingly quiet for the rest of the trip after asking it the questions I wanted to hear.
My feet climb up onto the first rock positioning by itself into the ground. Now I had to be really careful at this point, one wrong move and I could end up slipping off and on my ass. I position my two hands and get them ready to grab onto the ledge. My bare feet below could how smooth yet hard the surface of this desert rock was.
I bent down for a few split seconds and then pushed myself forward with a leap into the air. My hands catch onto the rock above me, and I begin making my ascendance up the canyon wall.
I can hear my breath as I am trying my best to not look down at the ground below while on my way up. Guess I have a fear of heights for a more hidden way. If I only had wings, I wouldn't be so afraid then because I would have control over when I'm falling so I don't end up going splat.
I count the rocks as I am making my way up from the third rock so I don't lose count on how many I climbed and would have to get down from in case. Four… five… six… seven… So many rocks as of my current situation, but nevertheless it is a beautiful view of all the enchanted land's rocky plains.
Eight… nine… ten… The wind starts to pick up since I am getting much higher over the canyon wall. I stop for a moment to catch my breath after staying adrenalized with my fear inside of failing from such a great height.
Wait a minute, I listen up and can hear a noise in the wind above the cliffs of colored rust rocks. Bzzzzzz! Bzzzzz! From what I am hearing, it sounds like there is some large kind of insects up there just buzzing around, but they sound really close to me. Could it be… no it couldn't, how silly of me!
I continue ascending up these scaled rocks all about the canyon wall until I have just about reached the top last rock. I almost ended up slipping off of one of the rusted rocks on my way up and at that point I was scared for my life. It looked like a long way down. Even those small rocks dropping from the Cliffside on the way down didn't help too much.
I leapt upward and grab onto the final ledge, pulling myself up onto the top of the cliff. After getting up onto the top and onto my two feet once again, I walk forward and observe the surroundings and environment all around me.
Out there in the environment of rocks and wastelands far below, I can see a few rock sculptures that have always been there in this large rocky hideaway. Nearby where I was on the other side below, there is a giant hole that looked like it would be housing something big and dangerous. If it was Tartarus itself, I would most likely hide the Song of Order with Cerberus and go slap Tirek in the face if that was the case. Oh wait, the entrance to Tartarus doesn't look like that.
Hey, I swear I can see Appleloosa from here. I mean take a look right out there: the lights were still on in that town over the orchards of apple trees that were there. The buffalo tribe's camp is not anywhere to be seen as it would be smaller than the size of Appleloosa. After all, as the buffalo are with an agreed truce with the town, they tend to keep to themselves and their tribe.
Over the dark horizon from my eye's view, I could see black still clouds over a rocky mountainside. Lightning would rarely appear and strike about from where I was. That must be the dark lands of Mortem itself, feared by all who even mention its name and keep it hushed. I swear that I can see a bit of that red essence mixed inside past the mountains. That must be the death's scent that would probably kill me within two hours of being there anyway. Still, no plans to enter as of yet, I'm not even sure that I want to be there anyway. Dangerous monsters and dragons that hate ponykind worse than the Equestrian dragon simply having a grudge against this land; but they wouldn't think of attacking anyway.
Bzzzz! Dammit, there is the same buzzing sound that I heard while making my climb to the top. Is there a few insects following me? If they are, I honestly want to swat them away. Poor Fluttershy though would probably have to scold me though if she saw me doing that though.
The more I was observing the sight of Mortem's dark rocky mountains, the louder that this insect buzzing got as if they were getting much closer towards me in this annoyance of flight. I did start to get tired and turn around ready to swat at these gnats until I pause and look in fear.
There were these bug-like equines with large insect blue eyes flapping their wings while they were positioned to the ground in a way to catch my attention. Six of them were just a few feet away from me, and it was obvious that they were not trying to annoy me by the look of their dark blue scaled armor with their rough but yet tough looking skin.
To my shock, it wasn't what I had expected. It was the Changelings themselves, and I didn't realize I was on the border to the Badlands, where they were positioned.
A few of them hiss at me and stop buzzing their wings altogether. All I can do is just raise my hands in the air. "Okay all of you," I said with nervousness in my tone and sweat coming down from my forehead. "I know that this seems crazy that you stumbled upon me, but let's keep ourselves calm about this right?"
The Changelings communicate to me in a form of clicking from their own tongues. I didn't know what they were saying to me, but judging by the six of these drones… they were most likely going to try and have me captured for food of the sort.
Now is the time to act in case I need to get away. I turn around and start making a dash towards the other path not concealed with an edge so I don't fall off. Well, yet again I have the Song of Order so I would be safe from falling since it gives me those ethereal wings. I can feel my adrenaline pumping inside me while the buzzing occurs again and after me, but faster.
I can feel hooves hit me in the face and I fall forward with a slide across, whilst a part of my face feels burnt and scraped. "Oww…" I moan to myself. The hooves that knocked me forward, pin me to the ground and I turn my head slightly, feeling one of the Changelings' slimy hooves on me.
I didn't even question and was as quiet as ever when that same Changeling placed green slime onto the both of my hands and locked together in a way that I was getting arrested for trespassing onto their large property. The changeling clicks at me for a moment which I don't know what he is saying. He hisses at me, and this time I have an understanding what he just wants me to do. I get up off of the ground, with him getting off behind me and leaving my stuff on my back alone. The six other changelings join him as he pushes me forward to keep moving.
Now this is just great… I'm in quite a tight position now with changelings capturing me and I think they want me to go to their hive now where the other drones and the queen will be seeking the love that I have inside. But what use will that be to them? Just got to keep my eyes forward and not even say a word to them, as I don't think they even talk my language anyway.
They escorted me down a path from the cliff's top downward into the canyon again. The sands below were of the same rusted rock that I had climbed minutes ago, and felt rougher on these lands when I was stepping. I try wriggling my hands in the slime or even breaking free as they were like handcuffs in the Earth life. Nothing works for that at all.
We do approach the giant hole and walk down a circular path into the dark below. Half the time, I thought I was going to slip while going down these stairs, but to my guess these changelings can see well in the dark. Not to mention how loud the buzzing is down here the deeper we went.
Millions of Changeling eyes were peeking out into the dark at me while I couldn't see my hands at all with them tied around my back. A few of them hiss and try to charge at me, desperate for the taste of love. The special guards keep those in order and click bitterly at them in way to tell them to be patient. Down the steps I can see a circular orb that is glowing green at the bottom there.
I slowed down for a moment while observing around the dark hive. The guard hisses behind me and pushes me forward lightly to keep me moving to an eventual fate I sense is bound to happen to me. What will happen though? Will I get all the love leeched out of me by the drones as their dinner and left weak and helpless, or just thrown into their pods to be trapped there forever? Anything is bound to happen. I look up as deeper as we went. The night sky was no longer seen and all there was is black above me, minus the eyes of changeling drones.
Oh my Celestia… what did I even get myself into going near the Badlands?
These flights of stairs seemed endless and the loud buzzing of the drones were starting to cause my eyes to slowly start ringing as there were millions of them craving for the love I had inside of me. A few of them are drooling and trying to reach out for me. The closer I got to this orb I can see the empty combs inside of these being hosts to future changeling drones and guards inside these slime-like eggs. There are few that I saw that were forms of newborn versions of Changelings.
The end of the steps and I am building up nervousness inside while the guards bring me towards the orb's entrance which I can assume is the resting place and throne for Queen Chrysalis. Seriously… I wish I wasn't here right now.
I can feel myself go through the entrance like the green aura's laser was just thin air. The guards have pushed me inside and were waiting for their queen to notice me when I turned to look at them. I can hear a bit of noises inside this quiet orb when I turn back forward to see what is in front of me.
The black and crooked throne was right there… facing the rest of the hive's drones that looked high up upon their queen. The throne does twist around and bring this queen into the light where I can see her from out of the shadows.
Her appearance was just like I had predicted that I would have seen: the same jagged horn with her crown on her head. There is the same dark cerulean mane that she had that went down and past her head like any females hair would grow, though there are some that are short and some naturally this way. Her green eyes are laid upon me with a smile upon that unwelcome face of hers.
She gets up off of her twisted throne and trots forward with the uneasy sound of her slimy hooves gripping onto the black and sticky floor. Her facial expression doesn't change at all and she approaches me, beginning to click those words to me.
The most I can think of is being really confused right now I have no idea what she is saying to me in that clicking tone. So I guess that this is a form of communication that the Changelings shared upon one another on their native tongue. But to me, it just sounds like clicking tongues as a foreign language, so I don't have any idea what they plan for me.
"You don't speak our tongue do you, intruder?" The queen spoke to me in a rather deceiving voice before a glare formed upon her face and her tone was a bit more aggressive. "Why do you dare tremble onto our land?!"
I didn't have anything to say to her. I wish I could move my hands right now, but they are still slimed up. All I can really is just glare at the queen.
The queen looks at me. "Nothing to say to me, hm?" She lets out a smirk. "I figured you must be a silent one if you can't talk. It's better in silence when my drones feed on your love."
"I can speak just fine, I just don't want to talk to you or be involved with those bugs you have out there!" I exclaim to her, finally deciding to let out my voice at the dreadful queen. This catches her full attention and puts a smirk on that face of hers.
"Ah, so this creature finally speaks to me…" Queen Chrysalis says with a bit of a chuckle under her voice.
"I am not a creature!" I yell at her. "I am a human!"
"Oh yes there is no doubt that I know about that," She says with a finishing scoff. "Humans have always been in legend according to our books here."
"I have no reason to speak with you." I state to her, looking away from her face. What she had in mind wasn't going to work for me if it was another attack to be made on anypony.
"Oh please, you are here and you can give me some company," She says to me, placing her slimy hoof onto my chin which made me feel very uncomfortable. "And you are also a handsome creature as well."
"Back off!" I bark at her with aggression in my voice. How dare she lay her insect hoof upon my chin and touch it.
"Now tell me, young human…" She says to me to change the topic back to what I was doing in the Badlands anyway. "Why did you come here and trespass onto Changeling property?"
"First off, your highness," I said to her with annoyance coming in my voice. "I actually have a name: Brayden. Second, I didn't realize that it was the Badlands anyway. Nor did I know that I was right on the border."
"Say whatever you want to say then… Brayden." She says to me, and by the way she said my name, it was like she was being sarcastic.
"You have to let me go, I promise that I won't come here again," I said to her. "I was only just running away from home."
"A runaway, hm?" Queen Chrysalis said, turning away from me, and beginning to pace around me in a circle while listening.
"Yeah, I was already broken up with a special somepony of mine." I said to her with my voice dropping sad.
"Oh boo hoo!" I hear her tease me that way, with a growl coming out of me for even turning that into her own personal joke. She lets out a creepy laugh and continues. "So everypony in Equestria gets broken up. You are different so there is no way you can actually show love towards any of them."
"No matter though, Princess Twilight was very special to me and I ended up cheating on her with another mare," I said to her, accidentally slipping some words from out of my mouth. "I shouldn't have let her take my memory when I got back to Ponyville, she wouldn't have seen them."
She pauses for a few moments in the silence with only the sound of faint buzzing outside the orb. In front of me now, I can see her face start to grow an evil smirk with her eyes in a glare for a moment as if she had an idea… which was most likely the case. "Twilight, hm? Would it be referring to Twilight Sparkle?"
"Yes so? She became a princess not too long ago." I said to her, now aware of her planning something right there in secret for me.
She just chuckles to herself lightly and turns to have her face looking straight at me. "Brayden, you have given me some useful information that I have quite an idea on what to do next." She explained to me.
"Whatever you have in mind, I don't want to hear it!" I said to her, anger filling my voice again. I turn around and try to walk away.
I can tell her horn lit up because it covered around my entire body. I am lifted up off of the ground and forced to face her. "Oh don't be silly!" She exclaims with excitement in her voice. "What you have told me for you as a lonely soul actually can help me in my own advantage for my revenge on Equestria."
"I don't think so!" I yelled.
"Hush now…" She says to me with a teasing hiss. Her magic lets me go and I am dropped onto the sticky black floor. "You have the opportunity of a human's lifespan to join alongside me for my revenge against Equestria."
"You're saying…" I mutter quietly, but at a good volume for her to hear me.
She nods her head. "Join me, and you can help me win Equestria and have all the love that want to have!" She says to me. A dark smile lurks upon her face.
"No!" I said to her, shaking my head in disapproval. "I would never take sides with ugly bugs or alongside somepony… ugly-looking and tyrant-like."
"Don't turn yourself away from this offer Brayden," The queen says to me. "Inside you must be angry at what Twilight Sparkle did to you for breaking off the relationship."
"I told you that I'm not going to join you and that's it!" I state firmly and without anything else in mind.
"Say…" She says, igniting her horn with green once again. I can hear the Song of Order being pulled out from behind me which put some fear in my heart for what she was planning to do after all. "What is this blade? Is it an Equestrian relic of some sort?"
"It's the Song of Order!" I pronounce angrily to her, rage starting to build up inside.
The queen observes this blade for a few moments. "You know, I could use somepony like you for my ultimate weapon with you and this blade at my side." She says to me, rather informative.
"Give it back to me and leave it alone!" I said to her.
"I think not, Brayden." She says. "Not until you agree to join alongside my children and I. We can take Equestria for ourselves."
I went all 'pffft' to her little fantasy and said "Like that's ever going to happen." Finally, I glare at her once again. "Give me back the claymore."
"Last chance, Brayden. Join me as it is the only way that you will feel better," She says to me, placing her face close to mine and having her hoof on my chin once again. "Don't make me have to do this the hard way."
I form out some spit inside of my mouth and let it all out right at her face as it is the only thing I can think up. The queen reacts harshly to my spit at first as her smile has dropped. I can tell that I have now pissed her off and when you do, you anger the rest of the hive. I know this because this could be in the way that bees listen and communicate to each other that way.
"Very well," She says to me. "You have now given me no choice but to take this situation into my own hooves."
I also feel her magic lift me up off of the ground and towards a table with chains. Oh crap… she's going to torture me isn't she? There is another table that the Song of Order had been set on and was resting there. Changeling workers and guards come into the orb to join up with their queen.
"My workers," She commanded blandly. "Get me the tools and that dark magic we captured not too long ago. I have the ultimate weapon for our next invasion."
A few workers leave the orb once again while the guards and a few others stay and join her at the torture table, locking me into position on the table. The table moves and I am then facing the queen of the changelings herself. She just smiles and looks at me with the clicking and chattering of her workers preparing the necessary things for her torture plan between me and her.
"What are you going to do to me?" I asked her, with fear being shown accidentally even though I need to be brave in this situation.
"What am I going to do to you?" She said with another creepy chuckle from her mouth. "I am going to use my magic to leech out a lot of your love that can allow me to control such a unique being like yourself. At the same time, I can show you your worst memories that tormented you and haunted you in your life."
"Curse you!" I yelled at her, struggling to break free from the chains on my feet and hands. "You'll never control me! The Song of Order would free me, as he should right now."
"I'm sorry Brayden," I can hear his calm voice saying to me and it sounded very distressed. "I cannot save you as of now… the dark magic nearby is making me… weaker…"
Well dammit; this dark magic approaching has caused my blade honored to me to weaken drastically. I can see it when one of the workers brings in a capsule filled a dark flowing like aura substance. The queen turns around and chuckles at the sight chattering to the worker to begin with it.
The worker opens up the capsule and places it on the table next to the mighty blade itself. The dark substance began to spew out and latch itself right onto the blade. It began to crawl about and spread throughout the blade. I screamed out for the Song of Order, but to no avail. The black curse had settled inside and covered up the blade, beginning to make a change to the claymore and corrupt it for the worst.
I turn my eyes back towards Chrysalis with a glare. She chuckles. "Didn't think you would get away easily, did you, human?" She says to me in a teasing voice.
"Let me go!" I called out to her.
"I don't think so," She told me. Her horn began to glow once again with green. "I think you need to just obey a queen and honor her when you are in the same room with her. Your love is mine."
Then right from her horn, she fired it right at my forehead. Oh Celestia… it burns and it's leaving me paralyzed. My vision starts to go green and there is nothing but the sounds of my love being drained from out of my system as I can feel myself growing weaker but how much she is taking out of me.
"Now…" Her voice appears in my head. "You should angry at Twilight and the rest of her friends. They don't love you, they want to hurt you."
I struggle to try and fight back against her voice. "No… Don't… make me… do this…"
"They hurt you, and Twilight will leave you all alone which your friends will eventually do." She says to her. "They'll all leave you alone to rot away…"
"No… stop…" I weakly beg to her.
Images begin to flash through my mind of Twilight being angry towards me with the rest of her friends ganging up to turn against me. Worst of all, everypony else that I knew was there… like the princesses. They all verbally began to insult me in ways to make me start getting upset.
"Nopony wants to see a crybaby like you in Ponyville ever again!" The false Rainbow Dash says to me, with her eyes glowing green.
Rarity nods her head with green glowing eyes as well as the rest of my friends. "I shouldn't have designed the rest of your human clothes dear." She comments.
"That's right… Feel the hatred… you want to hurt them…" The queen's voice says to me again.
"Get out of Ponyville, we don't want you here." Fluttershy says to me falsely.
"Yer such a liar Brayden. Why do Ah even call ya a friend?" Applejack pronounces to me.
"You are such a party pooper Brayden, you know that!" Pinkie says, and she sounds very angry at me with those glowing green eyes.
"Brayden," I can hear Celestia command to me. "By my word, you are stripped from using the Song of Order again and banished from both Canterlot and Ponyville. You are not welcome back here."
Princess Luna steps forward and looks me straight in the eyes with only green in her eyes that were like Queen Chrysalis' own eyes. "I wish I passed you when I had the chance. I would have brought someone else to Equestria that was worth the time."
"Agreed," Twilight says with a glare right at me. "He must never come near us again…"
"No… don't do this to me…" I said, weaker, but trying to resist against the hatred building up inside of me alongside the anger.
The queen chuckles ever so darkly. "Soon enough now… you'll be in my command and then let the attack on Equestria begin once again for the second time!" She exclaims to me.
No… she can't do this! Twilight… I know I made you anger but please… take me back! I'm so sorry for cheating on you in the first place! I still love you!
No! NO! Don't turn against me…
I don't want this Queen Chrysalis… no… Please stop this at… once… just…
Twilight… my friends… I hate all of you, suffer for what you did to hurt me in that way. You don't have to think that I'll love you anymore… for my hatred for Equestria is now burning.
Long live… Queen Chrysalis… and the Changeling Empire… I am one with her…