"It really shouldn't be here." The young changeling said out loud as it sped through the Everfree Forest alone. "It's not like its scared" It spoke again only trying to convince itself. "It's not that its scared. Its just to smart to put itself in this kind of unnecessary danger." Taking a big gulp after unintentionally reminding itself of the real threat it faces from the nightmares that live in the forest. The changeling quickened its galloping wishing it could fly even with torn wings. It was making itself faster. Trying to outrun a danger that wasn't there yet. It would've felt better in this damned forest if it could use magic but with its new cracked horn it had a hard time doing anything not basic. With neither magic nor wings it was helpless.
The forest was dark, too dark. the sun should've been in mid sky but all around the changeling was blueish darkness, the ground and trees were painted the same color. "Its a dark nightmare that seem to go on forever." Paranoia started to take over its mind. The changeling increased its speed even further. Its legs started to burn as its eyes started playing trick on it. They made it seemed like the trees passing were morphing into demons. Trying to claw out with their long sharp branches as the changeling made its way through. Smiling and laughing at it as their grins showed what looked like rows of long sharp jagged teeth.
It closed its eyes. Tears threaten to come. The fear and the pain in its legs was slowly becoming to much to bear. It didn't want to be here. It wanted to stop. To run back to the Hive Mind. To the home it always known, but it knows, it knows it can not. After what it saw this was all the changeling could do.
"How could this have happened?" It questioned itself. "How could sh.." Its second question was abruptly ended as it tripped over an unknown object on the earth causing its face to meet the dirt violently. The fall made its eyes close tight. A sharp pain ran down its neck while its muzzle ached from the sudden impacted. The changeling tried to pick itself up but failed doing so. Feeling too weak to move it started to focus on the cooling sensation that was replacing the burning in its legs. Without being affected by the pain from the neck-up it laid there forgetting where it was and how it got there. A strange sense of peace over took it from halting its stressed out muscles. The "peace" didn't last as it opened its eyes again to reveal a familiar darkness, the Everfree Forest.
"Nothing changed at all." The changeling thought. "This forest was still the same. A dark hell with monsters all around." The tears that were once trying to come forth were back in full force. Now easily breaking thrown and falling out. It felt like rivers were poring down its harden black cheeks. Sobs started to escape its throat.
It wanted to ignore it, ignore it all. The feeling of fear, panic, and sadness that wouldn't leave it, the pain from falling that seemed to be getting worse, the new sensation of water or some other kind of liquid sailing under its back legs, and the feeling of truly being alone by being disconnected from the swarm. Forget it all and disappear into nothing. It had to be batter than this. Dieing slowly from hunger or violently from something unknown in this cursed forest that the elders told it not to enter alone.
More sobs broke out involuntarily as the changeling put its hooves over its completely red colored eyes trying to stop its waterworks. Its own discomfort form the liquid between its hind legs and the Everfree Forest remained unnoticed. It just couldn't think about anything but trying to suppress its tears and its uncontrollable sobbing. Remaining unsuccessful its weeping continued.
"Help." A low raspy voice came from nowhere. Its eyes jolted open. its forelegs that still covered its eyes were showing it fragments of the forest through the holes that riddled all changeling legs. "There should be nothing here." It thought to itself.
The changeling rose to its hooves with little resistance from its pain and exhaustion now. paying no mind to the stinging that still lingering it twisted its neck around to reveal the scene behind it. The "object" was not an object at all but a bloodied pony. It stood less then twelve inches away form him. The laying dark gray pegasus had to be taller but it couldn't tell how much so. He had a long light cyan mohawk with a couple of large lighter streaks of the same color running from the tip of his mane to the scalp. He looked half died as he laid in his own blood. The pegasus glazed over amber eyes rested on it. Spots of blood covered his body. His right back hoof looked beyond saving as it laid on the ground bloodied and twisted in an unnatural way. His wings were no different as they Hang from his back, broken and red. It looked back up to see his eye still trained on it. They seemed more aware now, even a little shocked. His mouth open slightly as he look over its body. The changeling wasn't crying anymore but couldn't stop small sobs and silenced gasps from freeing themselves.
After a moment he turned his muzzle away from it. His features soften as he spoke "I thought monsters only came in bucking huge." A weak laugh escaping his half grin.
It took a couple of minutes for the changeling to catch up. "It's a monster." The thought now in its head. Dumfounded the young changeling stared at the damaged stallion. Soon its confused feelings replaced itself with another, anger.
"MONSTER!" It shouted in its head. Its red blood boiled as it gridded its teeth together. Its small razor sharp fangs showed themselves to the stallion. Panicked over the new face the male pegasus moved his head back trying to keep distance form the teeth. Its rage boiled over as it rose its two front hooves from the ground to immediately slam them down on the same spot.
"MONSTER HE CALLS IT!" It yelled at the pony. "He dare call it a monster. He will regret calling it a name such as monster."
The pegasus eyes widen as his pupil shrank. He kept his eyes on the venting mon.... thing. Letting a moment pass before speaking again. "You can talk?"
The question infuriated it. "Of course it can." It huffed. "Ponies and their lack of common sense." It didn't understand why its so heated over this. Other ponies called it names and seen it as nothing but an animal before. It simply shrugged it off then did whatever was needed for survival.
"I'm sorry but if you can talk then you can help us. Please, I'm depressed over here." He looked tense as he spook
The changeling took another moment to register his wolds. "Us?" It thought to itself as it cooled down. It looked around to try to see another pony, Its pain now numbing. It looked back into the ponies goldish eyes. "Us?" It voiced "It doesn't see any other pony."
The light black pony let out a breath of air "Yeah, he's back at camp safe and sound, but he wont be safe for long without somepony there for him"
"Why?" It asked. "Is he weak and stupid? Why should it go out of its why for him?" The changeling questioned.
"He's a newborn!" The slightly taller stallion shot back. "So yeah, I guess he is both and he wont be able to survive without someponies help."
It thought about helping but decided against it. It had no reason to help. "It'll pass."
"You gotta help!" He shouted. "He's alone and probably hungry and the Manticore I just fought with might find him. You can't leave!"
"IT CAN!" The changeling shouted back making its voice higher then the pegasus. The fear it unknowingly lost came surging back. It forgot where it was talking to him. "It can not stay here! He took up too much of its time!" The panicked changeling shouted. "It needed to hoof it. Now!" It thought as it began to turn.
The crippled pegasus started up again "Wait! I heard you crying!" That stop the changeling mid turn. Its one eye that could still see the down stallion was now fixed on him. "You shouldn't be here, right? If you get my son to me and... and me some food I will help you get out, ok? I know the way out." Dumfounded again the changeling stood. Its pure ruby eye still locked on him not knowing what to think.
"I'm sorry." The pegasus muttered "I see now your not a monster and I'm sorry for that but if you don't help us now we both will die. Hes voices was higher now. "You get what you want and I get what I want, a win-win."
It blinked and finely started thinking about what he just said "It doesn't wish to help any pony in anyway but he was right." It realized. "It needs his way out. Running like it was would do nothing but place it deeper into the black forest and make its death come that much quicker. It needed this pony at least til he gave it the way out" The changeling turned itself so he was facing the laying pegasus again. It gridded it teeth showing off its fangs again. Doing this before forcing itself to respond. "Fine." It said snorting afterword from its own response. it lied all the time to ponies but this didn't feel like it was lying. it felt like it was being used.
"Great! I knew you wouldn't leave me hanging." A grin formed on his snout while he spoke. "Ok then." He picked up his left hoof and pointed it in the same direction. "Go that way, you cant miss it. its only five minutes or so." The changeling stared at the spot he pointed and into the forest itself. The thought of going anywhere in this place was not a fun one but it had to obey.
"Wait, I changed my mind"
It looked back to the still grinning pony "What does he mean he changed hes mind." voicing its question.
"I need you to take me to camp." He answered with that grin still plastered on his muzzle.
"What?!" It cried "It can not carry him anywhere!" It added before any answer could be given"
"Come on pony, look at me!" The torn up stallion yelled back. "My wings are gone and both of my back legs are broke." It peeked pasted his head to look at his over left hoof. It looked fine to it but who was it to argue. "I don't want to be here by myself like this. Its only five minutes." The dark gray pony pleaded hoping not to be left.
"It really didn't wish to go anywhere but out of this nightmare others call a forest and it really did not want to carry the pony, but it had no choice." Stating to itself. "It could try to force him to just tell it the way out but he didn't have much to lose. Even if it used the foal against him it doesn't have a guarantee he would comply. It needed to do what he says until he pointed it to the exit."
After convincing itself the changeling turned and moved backwards. Closing the gap between the two then lowed itself to the ground for the injured pegasus to climb on. A moment passed before he felt the front hooves on it back. The changeling heard low grunts and huffs from behind as it felt the pegasus pulling himself forward. He adjusted his front hooves placing them around its neck. Most of the ponies weight was on the changeling now. The stallion chest rested on its back as his head stock out a little past its own.
"He is much lighter than it thought." Its wing were still free and out of the ponies wight. As the pony made sure he was fully on it decided the pegasus was on good enough and started to rise. The young changeling was now standing with the dead weight of the pony. It looked at the spot pointed to earlier and started to move.
"AHHHHH!" The ear piercing yell was exactly that as the changeling folded its ears inward to try saving them from the sudden assault. It looked to the hurting pegasus face hoping for a clue of what to do. The face was twisted from pain unknown to it as a second blood curdling scream was released. It looked him over the best it could. Finally seeing his right hoof was dragging along the ground and now rested in a weird positions. The changeling placed its torn wing on his gaskin than warped it around the stallions thigh. it slowly lifted til the leg was suspended in the air. A third scream flew out the stallions mouth. It looked to the other leg to see it also was dragging across the earth. The changeling wanted to do the same for this leg but after glancing at its own wing it founded it to be impossible. The wing was simple to shredded to hold anything.
The yell started to die down. The changeling looked at its passenger. The agony on his face seem to be melting away. Whimpering for a moment. Trying to get his head together the pegasus let out a small Huff before he spoke. "Thanks." Relief washed over the changeling form knowing it stopped the cause of that cringing noise.
Just grasping that he thanked it the changeling look back and responded. "Don't thank it. It just didn't want to endure your wailing the whole five minutes." Its eyes dawdle on him for a moment before returning to the darkened forest.
"And your a dick." The dark gray pegasus shot back. A unseen smirk found its home on his muzzle as the changeling trotted further into the forest.
