A Second Chance at Love

Terror in the Night

Kuray stood in the center of a large courtyard, or maybe it was a park. It was very hard to tell but shrubs and benches and trees dotted the grounds around him. Suddenly, several changelings popped up around him, seemingly materializing out of the air. Instinctively, he drew himself up onto his back legs and brought his forelegs up in a defensive stance intended for grappling with his foes, and they both mirrored him, but rather than having their right hooves close to their chests like he did to protect his core, they were extended and held a large, curved daggers that glinted in the soft moonlight.

"We were your family, your friends. We were all you had Kuray. You were the best in the hive and now you've gone native. You left all of us, and for what? Love, do you really love that white mare?" One of the changelings sneered while they both circled him as a pack of timberwolves would circle an injured deer.

"Her name was Sweetie Belle if I recall correctly." The other said.

"That's obviously a pony name. Soft and pampered like the lot of them!" The first nearly spat out the last few words.

"Why do you hate them so much, without them there would be no us. It's time to stop hiding from all of the ponies and maybe start living alongside them like the Alpha intended for us to all that time ago." Kuray said finally.

"Do you hear him? Saren, do you hear this fool, he wants us to live alongside these ponies." The first scoffed.

"What's next Kuray, you want us to come to their little tea parties. Sorry, but I don't own a skirt!" Saren prodded Kuray in the back with his dagger. Kuray quickly spun around and slammed his hoof into Saren's wrist with staggering force for just a glancing blow sending the blade away and landing at the root of a tree. Saren didn't expect a blow like that, not even from Kuray; but as they had said earlier, he was the best and also the most seasoned fighter among them.

"Impressive, but," Saren paused and the other changeling slammed the pommel of his dagger down on the back of Kuray's skull. He staggered slightly giving the changeling behind him enought time to hand off the dagger to saren and grab him from behind. He wrapped one hoof under the pit of his foreleg and the other around his throat, locking him in place. "You've always got to keep an eye out for what's behind you." Saren said twirling the knife around his hoof, smiling sadistically as Kuray struggled to get out of his assailant's grip. Saren gripped kuray's chin with his magic and held him still and the rest of him stopped thrashing about but his muscles were still tense. "we could have done great things together Kuray, but you threw that chance away." Saren said dragging the sharp point of the blade down Kuray's chin but holding his head in place, "and now I'm going to return the favor." He said, he backed his head away and released Kuray from his magical grasp and he let his head sag. Being held fast in a magical grasp while being colt-handled wasn't much fun and his head was pounding from the blow.

Suddenly an agonizing pain shot out from the center of his chest and outward. He threw his head back and wailed, half in surprise, half in agony. He looked down and locked eyes with Saren holding the handle of the blade that was a third of the way in his chest and his green blood oozing out of the wound and onto saren's hooves Saren himself was smiling crazily as if he enjoyed Kuray's wails.

"I'm not the only one who wants us changelings to finally co-exist with ponies, killing me wont get you anywhere." Kury said breathlessly, the dagger in his chest hurt like nothing he had ever felt before.

"Who said it had anything to do with ponies?" Saren said backing away, Kuray's blood glowed softly on his hooves. "This is about revenge, for my wife, and your sister!" Saren roared suddenly grabbing the handle of the dagger and yanking down, drawing it slowly and agonizingly across Kuray's chest. Kuray screamed in pain.

Suddenly Kuray snapped awake, a oft bed underneath him, but he asn't thinking straight. He clawed at his chest as he scrambled to sitting position. His scar burned more than it had in a long time. Sweetie Belle grabbed hold of his hooves but he was stronger than her and he wasn't thinking clearly and he continued thrashing about.

"Kuray! Kuray stop!" She shouted.  His thrashes became slower and more calm. She scooted closer to him and resting her hoof on his cheek. "You're here in Ponyville in the boutique. I'm right here with you, just relax," she cooed. She could see his face in the darkness. His glassy eyes found hers and she could she his jaw relax as he calmed down.

She relaxed more herself and rested her he'd on his chest, bing mindful of his scar. She could hear his heart beating rapidly but gradually slowing down as well as the rate at which he was breathing.

"Sweetie I'm sorry I-" she cut Kuray off by putting a hoof to his lips.

"We'll talk about whatever it was tomorrow morning. For now, you relax." She said calmly but firmly all the same. He sighed and slowly slid back down until he was lying down again. Sweetie belle rolled over and looked into his glassy green eyes as if she was coughs in a trance. Without warning he wrapped his hooves around her neck and embraced her tightly. She wasn't shocked at all and quickly returned the favor.

"Thank you sweetie belle." He said, his voice broke and Sweetie Belle knew something was wrong. He sounded scared, no, terrified of whatever he had dreamed about. She had never seen him like this. He had always been cool, confident, he had always held it together; but if a memory was enough to get him like this, should she be scared as well?

She pushed the thoughts aside and focused on what was going in now, all she had to be happy about. Here she was lying in bed with her colt friend in her hooves; and he had calmed down more now, his breathing is steady and his heart rate is normal. She slid her forelegs down from around his neck to around his rib cage for a more comfortable embrace and he did the same.