My Sweetie

The End

Kuray awoke with a gasp as his heart started pumping rapidly. He tried to get up but a set of restraints kept him fastened tightly to the chair he was in and a magical suppressor had been slapped onto his horn. In other words, he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Ahh, good. You’re awake.” His sister said walking into his field of view, but she had changed. The shell on her back was no longer the soft green but a eerie black, like the rest of her body.

“Where am I?” Kuray asked though he had a pretty good idea.

“You’re in hive seven’s torture room brother.” She said emotionlessly.

“And how am I still alive. You sapped me, every last drop of energy right through my wings.” He asked struggling in the chair again but to no avail.

“That Marefriend of yours nearly recharged you completely before you even hit the floor, but I handled her.” The female changeling said with a laugh.

“Sweetie Belle.” He whispered to himself. “I swear if you hurt her I’ll tear you to shreds!” Kuray shouted trying for the third time to slide his hooves out of the restraints.

“Oh don’t worry about her.” She said as a monitor popped up through the floor and in front of Kuray. It flickered to life to show him the image of Sweetie Belle sitting unconscious in a chair like his. “As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to go pay her a visit. Get to know my brother’s Marefriend and what not.” She said walking to the far side of the room and opening a door. “I won’t be long brother, try not to get into trouble.” She said mockingly as she closed the door.

Kuray tried to force his way through the restraints, heating the leather until it became brittle and even using the thin membranes of his wings to get through the locks but it was no use. The restraint had been enchanted and could only be opened by the one who had set them. He lowered his head in defeat but raised it when he heard the sound of a door opening.

The monitor revealed his sister walking into the other torture room and trotting over to Sweetie Belle. She picked up a small syringe and extracted some clear medicine from a grey vial. She positioned it right and then plunged it into Sweetie’s chest with an audible thud. She pulled out the needle and looked up to what must have been a camera that was monitoring the room.

“A shot of pure adrenaline. She’ll be awake in three... two...” She paused and looked over to the unconscious pony as she gasped for breath. She looked around the room frantically, much like Kuray had but the fear was visible in her eyes. He could feel her fear from here, a sour tang in his mind.

“Where am I?” She demanded locking eyes with Kuray’s sister though not realizing who it was she was looking at.

“You’re in hive seven’s torture rooms, and your little Coltfriend is watching through that camera.” She said pointing up to the camera that he had been watching through. “He’s still alive?” Sweetie asked looking at the changeling in front of her. His sister thought this over for a moment and nodded her head. He felt the fear disappear from Sweetie. She knew that Kuray would get her out of here and to safety, and that was what he planned to do.

With Sweetie being awake, he could feel his energy growing and he had already formulated a plan to get her out of here but it would only work if he was right about the magical suppressor.

Meanwhile in the other torture room which really wasn’t being used for its intended purpose, Sweetie Belle sat in the hard wooden chair as the female changeling stared hatefully at her. “Sooo, if this is a torture chamber, what are you waiting for?” Sweetie asked. She wasn’t trying to be brave, as a matter of fact she was scared out of her mind, but the silence was killing her.

“Right now the council is trying to decide whether or not to put you to death.” She answered taking her eyes off the mare.

“And Kuray...” She trailed off.

“Set to be executed tomorrow morning at dawn.” She answered. This answer shocked Sweetie even though it was what she had kind of what she had expected her to say.

“On what grounds will he be killed?” The mare asked, she was finally getting some answers and wasn’t going to stop now.

“He broke one of the four main articles of the Changeling Code-”

“Four, he only told me there were three main articles.” Sweetie interrupted

“That’s because the third is to never tell another living creature other than another changeling about the code.” She finished. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go talk to your Coltfriend.” She said, obviously flustered but Sweetie had no idea why. The changeling walked across the room to the door and stepped out. As the door shut, a monitor popped up through the ground and flickered to life. It showed Kuray sitting in a wooden chair just like her’s.

She watched as the female changeling trotted into the room and stood in front of Kuray. The two stayed silent but stared hatefully at each other as if they stared hard enough the other would burst into flames. “Mom is going to be there tomorrow.” She said finally breaking the silence, and eye contact. ‘Mom? But that can’t mean...’ She thought to herself.

“Now that’s bullshit and you know it sister. Mom died eight years ago.” Kuray spat at her. She wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the monitor, but she thought she saw a tear on the female’s face.

“I don’t want you to die Kuray, you’re all I have left.” She said sadly. He was slightly surprised by her sudden change of mood, but didn’t let it show.

“Well then I guess after tomorrow you’ll be all alone.” He said leaning out of the chair a bit until their noses almost touched. She slapped him across the face and Luray jumped back into the chair, a small green trickle had begun on the edge of his lip. “You’ve gotten better, i’ll give you that.” He said with a brave smile. At this point, his sister was nearly to the point of total sobbing, which is just what Kuray wanted. Even though his sister was a changeling, she was family so he could still feed off of her emotions. Families were linked in that sense and for the past few moments, she had been pouring her emotions into him. He could barely contain all the excess energy, which was a good thing at this moment.

“Why did you have to tell her the bucking code?” She demanded. “You two could have lived the rest of your lives together, happy! But you had to go and tell her the code, and for what? You knew this would happen!” She shouted at him and then collapsed to the ground in a fit of sobbing. Kuray stayed silent and smiled to himself. This was his chance.

He channeled all the excess energy to his horn. Normally, the amount of magic he was currently using would kill him, but he had enough energy from emotions to last him a week and still have enough to get out of here. The cone on his horn started to fizzle with power and began to smoke before eventually shattering. “What in the-” She asked lifting her head. Kuray quickly fired a small bolt of energy which collided with his sister, knocking her out.

Sweetie Belle watched the scene unfold on the monitor as Kuray shattered the cone and took out his sister. As he turned his attention to his restraints Sweetie Belle tried to replicate the results with her suppressor. She channeled her magic into her horn, every last drop of her magical energy channeled into one small part of her body. She felt as if her horn was going to explode. She closed her eyes and imagined the cone exploding, but it didn’t. She heard a door creak open and her concentration shattered. She opened her eyes and saw the most comforting sight that she could have seen at that time.

Kuray rushed towards her and pushed the cone off her horn before undoing her restraints. “Oh thank Celestia.” Sweetie said wrapping Kuray up in a hug.

“Don’t thank her just yet.” He said turning to the wall behind Sweetie Belle. His horn began to glow as he channeled more of his energy and fired a bolt of magic at the wall. It collided with the concrete barrier and exploded, blowing a hole in the wall big enough for them to escape the torture room through. But that was the easy part.

On the other side of the wall was a narrow corridor which lead to the main pavilion which was where Kuray could get them out of here. But there were no doubt going to be plenty of guards to stop them. Kuray stepped into the corridor and looked down in both directions.

“We’re clear.” He whispered stepping out with Sweetie behind him.

“So, what’s the plan for getting out of here?” Sweetie asked.

“When we get to the main pavilion, I’m going to hold off the guards and you’re going to run for the surface.” He said. Sweetie nodded and followed silently.

Soon they reached the end of the corridor which funneled out into a massive pavilion with surprisingly few changelings. “Seven must have fallen on hard times.” Kuray said looking out into the pavilion.

“Alright, you ready.” Kuray said turning to Sweetie.

“Could you explain it all one more time?” Sweetie asked nervously. Kuray sighed and turned back to the pavilion.

“I’m gonna go out there and draw the attention of the changeling and while I’ve got their attention, you’re going to run over there and take the lift up to the surface.” He said pointing to a spot across the pavilion from where they were.

“As long as you promise to meet me at the surface.” Sweetie said.

“Deal.” Kuray responded. He gave her a quick kiss and walked out into the pavilion.

He was immediately spotted and several guards dropped down from ledges along the circumference of the pavilion. “Aye sir, we’ve got him.” One of the guards spoke into his wrist. Kuray smiled at the guards, “Not just yet.” He said. He fired a magic bolt at one of the guards. The changeling slumped to the ground, unconscious.

“Restrain him!” One of the guard yelled lunging for Kuray. He easily stepped aside and threw him to the ground before smashing his skull against the ground. Sweetie took this as her queue and sprinted out of the corridor and into the pavilion which was now deserted except for the scuffle. She ran past the guards without drawing their attention which was directed at Kuray.

Kuray watched Sweetie sprint by the small circle of guards without any of them seeing her. ‘Just keep running Sweetie.’ He thought to himself as a few more of the guards lunged out at him but fell to the floor in quick succession. These guards were meant to protect but comparing Kuray to the hive guard was like comparing a marine to a kitten.

Sweetie ran into the lift and pulled the accordion style iron door shut before taking a moment to catch her breath. “I’ve never run harder in all my life.” She said looking through the folding metal bars to Kuray who was standing in the middle of a circle of an ever thinning number of guards. She managed to catch his eye and he gave her a nod before bucking  another guard in the chest.

“You’d better meet me up there.” Sweetie said to herself. She allowed her one last look at Kuray before pressing the button. The lift let out a terrible screech and yanked her up. The guards turned their attention to the lift as it shot up through the shaft and up to the surface.

Why they were distracted, Kuray spread his wings and flew up towards the ceiling. ahe prepared one last blast of energy. His horn glowed an intense green and a massive bolt of magic burst his horn and carved a hole into the ceiling and into the hard rock above.

Sweetie felt the lift tremble about halfway up and had to brace herself against the steel walls to keep from falling. ‘That better be you Kuray.’ She thought to herself.

The magic beam cut through the stone and soil like an irradiated knife through butter. If he was  correct, he would breach the surface just after the lift did. And if the hive still ran the way it did when he had lived here, that would be just in time.

The lift grinded to a halt and sun poured in through the metal box. Sweetie pushed the metal accordion to the side and stepped out into the sunlight.It looked like she was in a less dense part of the Everfree Forest so there was enough gaps in the trees for sunlight it make it through. The air was cold but the sun warmer her coat. “Now where are you Kuray?” She asked out loud.

“He’s not here to help you, that’s for sure.” A voice said. Several changelings stepped out of the underbrush, each of the carrying what looked to be one of the sappers that they had used on Kuray. Sweetie threw her hooves in the air to show she was unarmed. “Oh it’s too late for that.” One of the changelings said. Sweetie Belle locked eyes with her as she raised her sapper.

“That’ll just knock me out, like it did to Kuray, right?” Sweetie asked. The changeling smiled and clicked the safety off the weapon.

“Sucks the energy out of a changeling, sucks the life force out of a pony.” She said. Two little barbs protruded out of the front of the device, aimed directly at her. Sweetie closed her eyes. If she was going to die right here, she didn’t want to see it coming.

Kuray could sense Sweetie’s fear which meant he was getting close to the surface. But he could only hope he was in time.

Sweetie felt the ground tremble and then an audible rumbling from below her. She opened one eye and saw the changelings looking down at the ground. “What in the hell?” One of the changelings said. Suddenly, a brilliant green beam broke through the soil and shot up into the sky with none other than Kuray following behind it. The beam dissipated and kuray dropped to the ground in front of Sweetie Belle.

“That’s one way to make an entrance.” She joked. Kuray gave her a quick kiss before turning to the rest of the changeling. Most of them had dropped their sappers and were cowering in fear. All except for the one female changeling who had her sapper raised defiantly.

“I’ll give you one chance to drop the sapper.” Kuray said.

“Fat chance.” She said. Kuray raised himself onto his hind legs. Sweetie hadn’t notice it until now that Kuray was glowing green with energy. The changeling pulled the trigger on her sapper and the two barbs flew out of the end and collided with Kuray’s chest, but they didn’t affect him. He grabbed on of the wires with his hoof and wrenched them out of his exoskeleton. “That’s... impossible.” The changeling said. Half in fear, and half in awe. Kuray walked forward and picked her up by the throat.

“It’s called an overcharge. I’ve been storing energy for months, waiting to use it, and I just did.” He said. The changeling struggled in his hooves.

“No changeling has ever been able to achieve an overcharge.” She choked out. Kuray smiled at his own achievement.

“Well I just did.” He said. He dropped her to the ground as she gasped for breath. “If you follow me, I won’t hesitate to kill you.” Kuray said dropping down onto his forehooves. THe female quickly shook her head and skittered off into the brush with the rest of the changelings right behind her.

“That was amazing!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed trotting up next to Kuray who was panting heavily. “Kuray?” Sweetie said concerned. He was about ready to collapse but managed to keep himself standing.

“That took... a lot of energy.” He said between breaths. “We need... to get back... to Ponyville.” He said taking a step forward. Sweetie pressed her body against his to keep him from falling and together, they made their way through the Everfree forest and back to Ponyville.

Kuray and Sweetie Belle trotted into Ponyville a little after noon. Sweetie had been flooding him with love energy which he had used to recover and he could walk on his own but he liked leaning on Sweetie. Even after all that had happened, they were both perfectly fine, for the most part. Though Kuray was pretty sure Rarity would murder him when she next saw him.

“Sweetie Belle!” A voice shouted from down the street. They turned to see Rarity sprinting down the street. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” She said wrapping her sister in a hug. “Where have you been?” She asked.

“It’s a long story.” She said.

“We’ll talk about it back at your apartment.” Rarity said.

“And here we are.” Kuray said explaining the last bit of the day to Rarity. She sat across from him, her mouth hung agape.

“Kuray, if you’re lying to me I swear-”

“Why would I lie to you about this?” Kuray cut her off. He was on edge because he knew this wasn’t over yet. Rarity didn’t respond but just stood up and walked into the kitchen, and beckoned Kuray to join her. Kuray nodded to sweetie and joined Rarity in the kitchen.

“You’re not telling me something.” Rarity whispered.

“The hive won’t stop looking for me until I’m dead and as long as I’m with Sweetie Belle, she’s in danger.” Kuray said. He hung his head in sadness, he didn’t want to leave.

“You haven’t told Sweetie yet, have you?” Rarity asked, gently embraced him. He shook his head. “Go tell her now.” She said letting him go. Kuray nodded and stepped out of the kitchen and sat down next to Sweetie, his sadness clearly evident.

“I have to leave.” He said plainly.

“W-What do you mean?” She asked.

“I have to go Sweetie, I can’t stay here anymore.” He said, a tear streaked down his cheek.

“Why?” She asked. “Is Rarity making you leave?” She asked, her voice cracking.

“No, rarity isn’t making me leave.” He said.

“Then why do you have to leave?” She asked. Her question was met with silence. “Answer me!”

“The hive will keep tracking me until I’m dead and as long as I’m with you, you’ll still be in danger.” He said.

“I don’t care if I’m in danger, I’d rather be with you.” Sweetie said clinging to him.

“It’s not for you to decide.” He said holding her. She couldn’t hold it in anymore and she began sobbing. “I don’t want you to go.” She sobbed into his chest.”

“Neither do I.” He said stroking her mane.

Rarity watched from the kitchen door with tears in her eyes. As mad as she was at Kuray for putting her sister in this kind of danger, he had always been there for her.

Kuray rose from the couch with Sweetie Belle still holding onto him. “Sweetie, please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” He said. Sweetie released him from her grip but stole one last kiss. She smiled as she pulled away. “I’ll come back, eventually.” Kuray said. “And i’ll always be watching you, even if you can’t see me.” He said walking towards the door. He pushed it open and spread his wings. “Goodbye, my Sweetie, for now.” He said, and then he was gone.

Kuray soared through the sky as the sun began to go down, he had one last stop to make before leaving. He landed in front of Pebble’s house and trotted up to the door. He knocked on the door and took a step back. In a few minutes pubble pulled the door open.

“What do you want?” He asked. Kuray brought a hoof back and slugged Pebble in the jaw. He felt his bones break under his hoof. “Don’t let anypony hurt Sweetie Belle or there’ll be more where that came from. Pebble held his jaw with a hoof and nodded quickly.

“Come back to bed honey.” He heard a familiar voice call down from the hallway.

“Sounds like somepony wants you.” Kuray said before taking off.