SPQR

Chapter 4

The edge of the Everfree Forest, Near Fluttershy’s Cottage

Gaius was pleased when he found a few saplings near the edge of the forest. Normally he would have used a bow to hunt larger game, such as deer but unfortunately he did not bring one with him. Perhaps later he would investigate if the ponies had any fletchers. At the moment he wasn’t hungry due to the meal he had at the hospital, so the rabbits and small game he would catch today would serve to feed him later as either a stew or jerky. Once the snares were set, Gaius waited behind a tree and was shortly joined by a minty green unicorn.

Lyra nudged his arm. “I can’t believe you’re doing this! We shouldn’t even be out here, the forest is dangerous.”

Gaius put his hand over her mouth. “Be silent mare! If you make any more noise, you’ll scare away the rabbits. They’re very sensitive to sound and movement.”

“Fine, but it still doesn’t change the fact that we might be in danger.”

“I can handle anything that comes our way.”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Oh come on! You just got out of the hospital. You’re in no condition to be running around, killing woodland creatures. What if you hurt yourself even worse?”

“I’ll be careful. I normally would have avoided the larger predators if I was by myself, but those fillies needed rescuing.”

Gaius shushed her once more as he heard a few leaves rustling. Much to his surprise a plump looking white rabbit was casually walking towards one of his snares already. Gaius would have laughed at the creature if his dinner didn’t depend on complete silence. The furry rodent seemed to have an arrogant air about him, as he nibbled on the end of a carrot.

Where had the rabbit gotten a carrot? And why wasn’t it more cautious in a forest filled with predators? If the creature wanted to be stupid, that was fine with Gaius. That would make it all the easier to catch. Finally the rabbit’s leg caught on one of the snares, making it flail angrily in a vain attempt to escape. Donning a triumphant grin, Gaius walked over to the hapless rodent with Lyra in tow.

“Ha Ha! You shall make a fine stew.”

The rabbit crossed its arms and blew a raspberry at Gaius.

“You’re a feisty one aren’t you?”

Lyra’s brow furrowed. “Hmm I swear I’ve seen that rabbit before somewhere.”

“That shouldn’t come as any surprise considering most rabbits look the same, although I rarely see any white rabbits. Actually come to think of it, why is he white? That’s a poor color for living in the woods.”

Lyra gasped. “Oh no.”

“What’s the problem? I know you horses are vegetarians but I have needs and…”

Gaius was interrupted by a yellow blur tackling him to the ground. Since he was wearing armor he barely felt the impact. Once the Roman regained his composure, he noted that a particularly agitated pony was staring at him with a pair of aquamarine eyes.

“HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ANGEL!”

“Angel? What, you mean that rabbit?”

“Of course I mean the rabbit. I don’t know what you are, but I won’t stand for you teasing and torturing him.”

Gaius raised his brow. “Why do you care?”

“I care because he’s my pet!”

Gaius couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard. A pony having a pet…HAHAHAHA.”

The yellow mare puffed her cheeks out. “I-it’s not stupid. Some poor, defenseless creatures need to be taken care of.”

“Yeah, and the only way I’m taking care of this rabbit is by putting in my belly.”

Gaius pushed the mare away and cut the rabbit from the snare, dangling it by the legs. He went only a few paces, when he felt something latch onto his leg. The stubborn yellow mare was actually trying to stop him. How utterly absurd. Was some silly rabbit really worth that much to her? Much to centurion’s dismay, the horse actually began to wail like a newborn child after he took a few more steps.

“*Sniff* P-please Mr. Monkey creature, let Angel go! H-he *hic* means so much to me. I r-raised him since he was a b-baby! I’ll give you all the bits I have, just please…let him go.”

Gaius winced. “Oh…alright. If the little whelp means that much to you, I’ll let him go.”

Once Gaius cut the snare with his sword the little rabbit lunged at the mare, hugging her neck. The mare herself nuzzled the rodent with equal fervor, wiping a few tears with her hoof. As soon as she calmed down, the mare trotted over to Gaius and wrapped his leg in a tight hug.

“Oh thank you so much!”

“Ermm…you’re welcome I guess. However, I’m right back where I started.”

The mare squeaked. “I’m so sorry, I got so wrapped up with Angel being safe again that I forgot to pay you. Just follow me back to my cottage and all give you some bits…if that’s ok with you.”

Gaius put his hand on her back. “Look, you don’t have to give me any coin. I was just hungry is all. You have to understand that I have certain needs. One of which includes meat. So I would appreciate if…”

“Oh but of course! Most monkeys I’ve seen are omnivores and they usually get their protein from bugs. But…you’re a bit bigger than they are so it stands to reason you’d want a more substantial source than bugs.”

“Right, well I really could use some so if you don’t mind…”

“Since you’ve been such a nice monkey, how about I get you some tasty fish? I’m sure I still have some from when Harry the Bear was visiting.”

Gaius groaned. “Look it’s not that I’m ungrateful that you’re offering me meat but…I’m not some damned monkey!”

The mare’s ears drooped. “Oh my…I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you. I’ve never really seen anything like you before so…umm all I could think of was a monkey.”

Gaius patted her on the head. “No need to worry yourself, such has been the case with most of the ponies I’ve met so far. Might you tell me your name, so that I that I may thank my benefactor?”

“I-I’m F-fluttershy. And could you tell me your name too…if you want to that is.”

Gaius held out his hand. “Certainly, you may call me Gaius. It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy gently placed her hoof in his palm. “Nice to meet you as well Mr. Gaius, but I wish it had been under more pleasant circumstances. B-but don’t feel bad though! I know you didn’t have any idea that Angel was my pet bunny.”

Lyra trotted up to Gaius. “So can we get on with this whole food ordeal? I’d really like to be back in Ponyville before dark.”

“Ah yes but of course! Ponies have so many things they need to do, like munching on grass. Forgive me for delaying you from your important task.”

Lyra huffed. “We do not just munch on grass all day! I’m only hurrying this along so that we can focus on more important tasks, such as you learning our language and writing.”

“How insolent of me! I had nearly forgotten that horses also need time to frolic in the meadow. Miss Fluttershy let us make haste, lest we upset Ms. Lyra further.”

Lyra grumbled. “This human is going to drive me insane.”

Fluttershy shuffled her hooves. “Umm…I don’t really want to upset anypony, so I guess we should hurry. But I really do like frolicking in the meadow it’s…nice.”

Lyra face hoofed. “Shy please don’t encourage him!”

“Oh I’m sorry…was I doing something wrong?”

“You know what? Just forget I said anything; let’s go find his stupid fish.”

Fluttershy’s Cottage, Ponyville

Gaius sat on an old log next to Lyra while Fluttershy went inside a small shack to retrieve some fish. He still found it odd that a mare would be taking care of animals, as pets or otherwise. Even stranger was the fact that Fluttershy was a pegasus, yet she seemed content to stay on the ground. But that wasn’t even the strangest thing.

What really got the Roman thinking was: How in Tartarus did horses go fishing? Did they use nets, or did they just dive into a river and use some kind of spear? Being familiar with spears himself, Gaius didn’t think that these tiny horses would have an easy time using a spear with their mouth. His musings were cut short when he saw Fluttershy trot out of the shack with a bag full of beautifully colored trout.

The buttery pegasus sighed. “I hope that you like trout, because I’m all out of salmon. Harry ate all of them when he visited last time. I’m sorry…”

Gaius rubbed his hands together. “No need to worry, I love trout. These shall make a fine meal. Do you happen to have a table I could use to gut and fillet them?”

“I don’t have one in the shack but I do have a small table inside the cottage. If you give me a few minutes I should be able to get it for you.”

After about ten minutes Fluttershy came back with a small, folding table. Gaius had never seen such a thing and was impressed by its clever design. Without missing a beat, the Roman unsheathed a dagger from his belt and began to slice open a few trout. Fluttershy in the meantime, decided to sit next to Lyra. She smiled at the minty unicorn as if she didn’t have a care in the world, while Lyra looked ill.

“Umm Lyra what’s wrong? You look really sick. Are you feeling ok?”

“I really wish he would hurry up and finish gutting those fish. It’s disgusting. Doesn’t it bother you?”

Shy shook her head. “No, I’m used to seeing plenty of animals eat meat.”

“I guess that comes with the territory huh?”

“At least you should be thankful that he isn’t eating red meat. Why when I was visiting Marty the Manticore, he was eating a deer just before I arrived. There was so much blood. Maybe I can teach him to have better manners.”

Lyra dry heaved. “By Luna’s fetlocks do you have to talk about blood!?”

“Oh sorry, I forgot you aren’t used to seeing that kind of stuff.”

“I’ve never been very good with blood. It makes me feel queasy just thinking about it and don’t even get me started with hospitals.”

Fluttershy giggled. “You remind me of Rainbow Dash. She won’t ever admit it, but she’s deathly afraid of needles. One time when she had to get a shot, she hid underneath a bed for two hours. She only came out when I promised to buy her a Spitfire doll.”

Lyra shuddered. “Normally I’d laugh my flank off…but I hate needles too.”

Meanwhile Gaius was busy cooking the fish over a makeshift fire pit he had made out of some rocks. Both ponies were amazed at how little time it had taken him to construct it. As Lyra continued to stare slack-jawed at the human’s efforts, the smells of cooking flesh filled the air. Being near the Everfree Forest, this was not the best way to detract some of its carnivorous predators.

Lyra stared at the fire. “How did you set that up so quickly?”

“It’s an old camping trick, taught to every recruit in the legion.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “You must not be able to handle raw meat very well.”

“Fish can be eaten raw, but some men get sick from consuming it that way. The sickness applies to other meats, particularly any kind of foul. I don’t like to take any chances so I always cook any kind of meat that I come across.”

“A lot of ponies eat cooked food too. But I think it’s more for the taste than anything else.”

Gaius chewed on a piece of trout, swallowing it faster than he would have liked. He could have sworn that he saw something stirring in the bushes nearby. With practiced ease he unsheathed his gladius, using his other hand to signal the ponies to move closer to him.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened with worry. “I-is something wrong?”

“I thought I saw something in the bushes over there. Make sure that you stay behind me, it could be something dangerous.”

Lyra looked over at Fluttershy. “Do you think it’s a manticore?”

“No, I don’t think so. We’re too far away from their hunting grounds. However, it’s not unheard of for Timber wolves to hunt around here…but it is rare.”

Gaius grimaced. “I’m sorry; I should have been more careful where I cooked my food. The smell of roasting flesh tends to attract wild animals.”

Fluttershy placed her hoof on his back. “It’s ok, I should have let you cook inside my cottage but I thought we were far enough away from most of the larger predators. I’m sorry if you…”

The mare was interrupted when an ungainly creature leaped out of the bushes. It was, quite possibly, one of the strangest animals Gaius had ever seen (not counting present company). The thing was shaped like a horse as well, but that’s where the similarities ended. Its entire body was encased in black shell-like armor, along with a pair of insect wings. Like some of the other horses he’d seen, it too had a horn but was jagged and came to a point at the end. Its mane (if you could call it that) was a greenish-blue color that had random holes throughout. The thing snarled at him, bearing a pair of tiny fangs.

Fluttershy squeaked. “Wait I know who that is!”

Gaius kept his sword pointed at the abomination. “Do you mean to tell me this creature is intelligent?”

“Umm…yes she is. I think that’s Queen Chrysalis b-but I haven’t seen her in a long time.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “It seems at least somepony recognizes me.”

“What do you want, if you don’t mind me asking…that is.”

“As much as it pains me to admit this, I am in dire need of food. The smell of the monkey creature’s cooking  led me here. As you can see by my abysmal condition, I haven’t been eating as regularly as I should.”

Lyra cocked her eyebrow. “Wait, I thought changelings only fed on love.”

“Foolish pony, how little you know of our kind! We do indeed feed upon emotions such as love, and it is our primary means of sustenance. Changelings can also eat meat for nutrition but it does not fill us up as much as love.”

“If you’re starving, then why didn’t you just take some love from nearby ponies?”

Chrysalis laughed. “Don’t you think I would’ve tried that, if it were so easy? Ever since my failed invasion you ponies have been relentless with trying to weed out any remaining changelings. It has made feeding…rather difficult to say the least. My energy is so low right now that even if I wanted to transform, I could only maintain it for a matter of minutes.”

Gaius placed the tip of his sword at the Queen’s throat. “If all you require is food, then I am more than willing to share. However, if I so much as see you try anything violent I will not hesitate to slice your throat.”

“You would be willing to share with likes of me? HA!”

“I fail to see what is so humorous in this situation.”

“Most of Ponykind despises changelings and would sooner run a spear through our chest than share. It amuses me that you would even be willing to share food, monkey creature. Very well, you have my word. No harm shall come to the ponies or yourself. I may be destitute but at least I still have my honor as a queen to uphold.”

As the changeling queen greedily gobbled down several trout fillets, Lyra scooted closer to Fluttershy. “What are we going to do? We can’t just like her go, she’s dangerous!”

The element of kindness shook her head. “If Gaius wants to help her, then we have no right to tell him not to. Maybe Chrysalis will be nice to us, if we are nice to her.”

“Yeah and she’ll just put us under her spell and turn us into zombies, just like I was at the wedding!”

“We don’t know that for sure. Besides, she isn’t in any condition to be doing things like that. She doesn’t even have any other changelings following her. Are you suggesting that we let her out here to die?”

“Well I…but, she’s a changeling!”

Fluttershy frowned. “Even if she used to be our enemy, everypony deserves a second chance. I’m disappointed that you even thought about leaving her to die, that’s horrible. What if we had found a little filly starving out here instead of Chrysalis hmm? I bet you wouldn’t have hesitated one second to help, if that was the case.”

Lyra’s ears flattened. “Look, I have a really hard time trusting her after what she did to me. Is that so difficult to understand?”

“No but that doesn’t excuse your attitude. If you can befriend and look after somepony like Gaius, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to see Chrysalis as more than just a heartless monster.”

“Alright…you win, I might be holding a bit of a grudge. But what must I do to change that?”

“Maybe you could offer to look after her, like you did with Gaius.”

Lyra gasped. “What!? T-that’s too much to ask. I’m already going to have my hooves full with him, let alone a changeling queen. And what about Bon Bon, she’ll freak out if she hears about this!”

“You have Chrysalis do what changelings do best…change of course.”

“Oh...yeah. I guess I could have her turn into a filly or something.”

Shy smiled. “See, that wasn’t so hard was it? Now go over there and make your peace.”

Gaius busied himself by smoking a few trout fillets in order to make jerky. Fish jerky wasn’t the tastiest but at least it gave you energy when you needed it. Thankfully the pegasus had given him enough so that not only he could enjoy a hearty meal, but the bug-horse as well. She hadn’t really said much, choosing to wolf down some fish instead. The mare moved a little bit closer to the fire, appearing lost in her own thoughts. Gaius was about to start cleaning his sword, when he felt one of her hooves touch his leg. He swore that she was blushing as she looked at him.

“I…just wanted to thank you, for the food. But don’t get used to my gratitude for it is not very often that I indebt myself to other creatures.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad that you were more reasonable than I first presumed. For a moment, I thought you were going to devour those ponies.”

Chrysalis laughed. “I look this way for a reason you know. Predators cannot look cute and cuddly after all. Ah but me, eating a pony? How utterly absurd! They would probably have too much fat from all that comfortable living.”

“Are you well enough to move about now?”

“I suppose so. At least I don’t feel as if I’m at the verge of death anymore.”

Gaius sheathed his gladius. “Good. That being said, I’m afraid I don’t have much more to offer you. I presume you seek shelter as well but sadly, my own living arrangements are dependent upon Ms. Lyra.”

“I shall simply have to make due with sleeping in the forest. It’s not glamorous, but it shall have to do for now.”

Lyra trotted over to the queen. “You don’t have to do that.”

“And why is that?”

“Because…I’m going to let you stay at my house, along with Gaius.”

“You crazy mare, who addled your brains today?”

Lyra bit her lip. “Nopony did, look don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be.”

“On the contrary, I’m not trying to be difficult. I am merely confused as to why you would wish to show me any form of kindness, especially after what I did to you.”

“About that…I felt really bad for judging you so harshly so, I’d like us to start over.”

Chrysalis smirked. “Very well, if that is what you wish. I suppose you’ll want some kind of apology from me in return hmm?”

“That would be a nice start.”

“I’m already indebted to some monkey thing. My pride as queen has already hit rock bottom, what is one more debt? I apologize for causing you any form of mental and or physical trauma caused by my mind control. There, are you happy now?”

Lyra was about to make a snide remark, but Fluttershy stared at her. “That didn’t sound very sincere but at least you apologized. The only rule I have if you decide to stay with me is that you must remain disguised as a filly while we’re out in public. I don’t want everypony freaking out that the queen of the changelings is living in Ponyville.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Naturally. Well then Ms. Heartstrings, I am in your care. As you ponies say: This may prove to be the start of a beautiful friendship!”