Author's Note

Sorry for not posting a chapter last week, guys! My weekend was rather hectic. Here's a longer chapter to tide y'all over. Enjoy!

Chapter 19 “Change of Mind”

It was before the crack of dawn, and Ember slowly strolled towards the cave’s entrance, carrying a sleeping Speckle on his back. He was a little surprised to see Collin walking out of it, the pegasus’s eyes blue. “Rookie? What are you doing up this late?” Collin raised an eyebrow at him as he got closer.

“I would ask the you the same thing …” He paused, glancing at the mare. “...With Speckle, no less.”

The Lead snorted. “Well excuse me for wanting to take a little break from here. You’d think someone like yourself would understand that.”

“I didn't-”

“I’m just messing with you. Now, you didn't answer my question.”

“It's Sirena. Starting to have her cravings now. Today it's fish.”

“Ah. Funny, the one thing Speckle couldn't stand when she was pregnant was fish.”

There was silence between them before Collin cleared his throat. “W-would you like to join me, Sir? You know the paths better than I do.”

Ember nodded. “Of course I'll join you. Besides, I wouldn't want my Second in Command to get kidnapped by vampires. Or worse, witches.”

Collin rolled his eyes. “Really?”, he muttered. “If I knew you'd be like this I wouldn't have asked.”

“Oh, lighten up, you. Now I'll be right back. I got to put this sleepy head in bed.”

“You go do that. I'll be here. Thinking.”

The pair of stallions walked calmly down the path, Collin occasionally yawning from being up so early. Ember, on the other hoof, was as perky as a daisy, and didn't show any signs of tiredness at all. When they reached the river, he was the first one to wade into cold water and then stand still. Moments later, his head zipped down into the water, snatching a passing fish in his jaws. He came back up with his prize, throwing it against the rocks on the bank. He then got out and sat on the bank, holding the wriggling fish under his hooves, quickly grabbing a heavy rock and hitting it upside the head with it. Soon the aquatic creature went limp, and the earth pony proceeded to transform himself, then tearing the fish’s underbelly open.

Collin had a more practical way of catching fish. He dipped the tip of his tail in the water, swaying it back and forth in a steady motion, acting like a bait. He soon felt a tug at it, and he flicked his tail upwards, the fish flying through the air before landing on the bank. He managed to get a few more fish before getting out of the river, shaking the water out of his coat. Ember simply sat and watched him, his sharp gaze unwavering.

The pegasus coughed nervously, avoiding his eyes. “What? You don't like how I catch fish? Well that's your problem.” His ears perked as he heard a sound between a whine and a growl, then realizing that the wolf was laughing at him. “Hey! Don't laugh at me. At least I'm not the one who got his face all wet.” The wolf transformed again, and Collin could now hear Ember's laugh clearly. His mouth was then drawn into a scowl, and he looked annoyed. “It's not funny.”, he muttered.

The Lead wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as he quieted down. “I'm sorry… I'm just a bit tickled today. Don't know why.” The pegasus sat down in front of him, catching his eyes. The sound of the river rushing beside them was quite calming, and the two felt their heartbeats slow to a steady pace.

“Sir, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Rooks. What's up?”

“What were your parents like? Well, moreso your mother.”

Ember's eyes flashed for a split second, showing that he still wasn't the most comfortable with talking about such a touchy subject, but he answered anyway. “If you must know, she was a kind soul before she got infected. Always there to support me, and she always stood up for me as well.”

“And your father?”

“He was rather distant. When my mother passed away, he did’nt talk with me normally at all. Always ordering me around, yelling at me more often than not. I started to hate him, and almost ran away on a couple of occasions.”

“Wow. I'm sorry to hear that, Sir. But… you two seem to have a more or less good relationship now. What changed him?”

Ember shrugged. “I don't know. I guess with him going to the Elder Pack, and him trying to cope with my mother's death, something clicked. He still has that stubborn streak though.”

Collin chuckled. “Sounds like someone I know.”

The Lead’s eyes narrowed. “You’re one to talk. And what about you? What was the deal with your parents?”

The pegasus flinched, his feathers ruffling. His gulped, then took in a deep breath to calm himself. “I...um… didn't know my parents that well. I lived with grandparents until I was of age. Then I stayed with my mother for a few moons, until she got sick and died. As for my father, we weren't that close. I would try my best to be good for him, to make him proud, but he would just call me a disgrace and tell me to leave him alone. When he left, even though I knew he didn't really love me, I felt like part of me went missing.” He stopped suddenly, face going pale with fear. “What if… what if I’m not a good Dad to the baby? What if I start acting like my Dad and not show it any love?”

At this, he broke, instinctively cowering under his outspread wings, crying loudly. His body shook with his sobs. The other stallion came over to him, gently pushing down one of his wings to look at his face. “Collin… come here, bud.” The pegasus practically fell into the earth pony’s open arms, crying even harder. Ember gently held him, running his hoof up and down his back slowly. “Alpha, look at me.” A pair of watery purple eyes glanced up at him. “Can I tell you a secret?” Collin nodded once. “I was scared too. Probably even more so than you are. And look at me and the girls now. Everything between us is fine and dandy, and I know you'll be a great father to your kid. Believe me when I say that.”

Collin looked down for a moment, then smiled a little, looking back up at his Alpha. “Thank you, Sir. Could you not tell Sirena about this? If she hears that I was crying like a foal, she'd be on my case about it for the rest of my life.”

Ember winked at him. “Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. Now let's head back home. The sun is up and we both know that a hungry mate is a scary mate.”

Collin laughed. “That sure is true.”

As the two were on their way back, another question popped into Collin’s head. “Sir, can I ask you something else?”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s it like living with Crimson? I've been wondering that for a while now.”

“Why don't you ask him? I'm sure he has much to share.”

Right on cue, said Infecto floated above them. “You called?”, he purred, absolutely interested in talking about himself and his living conditions.

“Hi there, Crims. Old Rookie here wants to know what it's like living with me.”

“Oh, let me tell you, it is not a walk in the field. His body so warm and tight, it's like I’m walking around in a sweat suit. Don't ask me what that is, it takes a long time to explain it. The only place I can find some freedom is in his mind, but he kicks me out before I can take a breath. I still think I could have given you pointers last night, Ember.”

Collin raised an eyebrow. “Pointers on what?”

“N-Nothing!”, Ember stammered, glaring at the ghost while blushing brightly.

“So is that all? You just sit and watch?”

“Pretty much. I always try to give the big lug some advice now and then, but he never takes it. But, of course, if I really need some fresh air, I don't have to ask for permission.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The figure floated over and picked up a sharp stone. Going over to Ember, he lifted one of his forelegs and quickly cut him with the stone. He ignored the Lead’s hiss of pain, instead watching the blood trickle down his leg. He held a hoof out and touched the blood, and instead of it phasing through his see through hoof, it started to become absorbed by him, a dark red coat appearing. Soon, a stallion with a splitting image to Ember stood beside them. The pair were in shock, their mouths hanging open briefly.

“Y-Your real!? But I thought you were just a spirit.”

Crimson rolled his dark ruby red eyes. “Please. If I had to stay as a ghost for all of eternity, things would be a bit more complex, now wouldn't they? Besides, Ember, how did you think I was able to save you when you fell off the cliff? My ghost form clearly wouldn't be able to carry you. And you forget that we Infectos are turned, not born. I was just like you guys before I was turned, not that my life held anything interesting.”

Collin looked confused. “You’re an earth pony though.”

“That, my friend, is where your wrong.” Seconds after his spoke, a pair of dark red pegasus wings suddenly burst from his back, and he gave them a showcase flap. “I can shapeshift. It make things easier the more simple the vict- I mean, pony is.”

“Which is why you look like me.”

“Correct, good Sir.”

“But why stay with me? If you have a physical form then can't you just do what you do on your own?”

The darker stallion pouted. “So you don't want me anymore? I save your life, and this is how you repay me? Chasa was right, some ponies really are cruel.”

“I never said that, Crimson. I was just asking a question.”

“Oh. Well I only do it as a form of protection. All Infectos do. There’s a race called the Queet. Their only purpose in life is to find us and kill us. Problem is, they can shapeshift like we can, which makes scouting them out harder. So, we made the whole attachment process a thing to hide us. Of course learning about who you’re attached to can be beneficial.”

“I thought you weren't attached to me though.”

“Not yet, I'm not. It's a rather...complicated process… and it’d be best if only your ears heard it.”

Collin snorted. “Why is that? I feel like I have a right to know too.”

“Look, Rookie- darn it. I'm starting to get your lingo. I really don't think you should know about it. Unless, that is, you have an Infecto yourself…”

“ I don't. I think I would know if voices started talking to me in my head.”

“Some Infectos can be mute, never showing themselves unless they want to be seen.” This made the stallion start to panic, until Ember calmed him down. Crimson's eyes darted between them, then he cleared his throat. “Now, can we get going? I don't know about you, but I could use some food right about now.”

The trio walked towards the cave, Sirena coming out to greet them.

“There you two are. We were wondering when you’d get back.” She froze when she laid her eyes on Crimson, pupils becoming as small as pin pricks. “S-Sir? What happened?”

Ember raised a hoof and waved. “That's not me Sirena. It's Crimson. He apparently has an actual body now.”

After the Lead spoke, said stallion stared to fade back into his ghost like state. “Hmm. I'm surprised the blood made me last this long. I wonder…”

Immersed in thought, he subconsciously floated back into Ember, disappearing from view. Sirena blinked in surprise and confusion, but her gaze quickly switched over to the fish on Collin’s back. She went over and picked one up, gingerly carrying it inside to Den. The others followed her. She sat down and ate it happily, giving her mate her thanks. He nodded and sat down beside her, letting out a surprised yelp as she accidentally hit him in the face with her wing. She froze again, quickly blurting out worried apologies.

“It’s alright, Love. It didn't hurt, I promise.”

She calmed down after that, curling up against him. He draped a wing over her, and she purred.

“It's like I'm under a warm blanket.”, she murmured tiredly. The stallions couldn't help but smile at that, talking with each other quietly as she slept.