Chapter 13 “Discoveries”

Stars sparkled and glimmered in the night sky as Ember slowly trudged into his cave. It had been so long since he had last been here, he was slightly surprised that he remembered how to get back. The usual loud and playful bickering he would hear between Lovelace and her sister was gone, an eerie silence in its place. What he did hear though were low, hushed voices, seeming to come from his personal chamber. A faint light painted the walls as he drew closer. Peering around the corner, his eyes widened at what he saw. Sirena was lying on the floor, eyes shut while she shivered and shook uncontrollably. A glowing transparent projection of herself was floating above her, basking the chamber in the light the male had seen earlier. Speckle was sitting a few feet away from the pair, one ear twitching at his approach. “So you’ve returned,” she noted, voice flat.

“Speckle, what is this?” Ember questioned, gaze moving from one spot to the next.

The glowing figure scoffed. “What do you think, Ember? Sirena has fallen ill, far past the point where I can do anything about it. A host in this state is of no use to me, so I’m out. Should do the poor thing some good.”

“You speak to me as if you know me. Who are you?”

The ghost’s lips twitched into a smile. “Infecto Mauve, pleasure to finally meet you. Although, you may know me by another name…”

“And what is that?”

The creature began to shift, growing taller as its wings fell from its body, mane and tail getting shorter and brightening in color. Its fur darkened into a burgundy red, and ruby colored irises replaced the dull magenta. The Lead’s jaw dropped. “Crimson...it’s you! But...how…?”

“Surprised, Alpha? Worry not, I shall explain. Ever since my...abrupt passing, I’ve spent moons trying to find a way back to you. To make my leave less burdening. Because my ties with you were broken, I settled for the next best thing: a close friend.” The Infecto paused, glancing down at the pegasus still quaking on the cold stone floor. “And what a joy she was.”

The unicorn looked confused, tilting her head. “Why didn’t you tell her it was you in the first place? Surely she wouldn’t have reacted as strongly if she knew that you had come to visit Ember.”

Crimson shrugged. “I didn’t want to spoil things so quickly. Besides, it was quite amusing to see how fast I could light her fire. It’s a shame I can’t stick around much longer. This bond is not permanent.”

Ember’s ears perked at that. “Is that why she’s so out of it?”

“Perhaps. I’ve read before that this can happen to new hosts whose Infectos are intent on leaving. A mental reboot, you could call it. Take her to the landing, we can finish things up there.”

Sirena’s health had already begun to improve as Ember gently laid her down onto the landing, now having the strength to open her weary eyes and sit up, wings pressed against her sides. Crimson stood in front of her, glowing dimly as a heavy sigh left his see-through lips. “My apologies to you, Alpha Sirena. My intent to meet my previous host one last time had clouded my sense of proper sociability. I wish our short time together hadn’t been so...trying.”

The mare gave him a soft smile. “It’s alright, Crim. I forgive you. I’ll admit, I wasn’t being the best host to you, either. I guess we both had something to bring to the table, huh?”

“I would agree.” His head turned to look at the Lead in question, slowly raising a hoof towards him. Small red balls of light formed and shot off in his direction, circling around his head. “A small gift before I go.”

The stallion began to ask what it was, but was quickly answered when the orbs drifted down to his neck, joining together and fading into a black cord necklace with a single large ruby tied into it. The gem seemed to glow itself, filled with a sort of magic that even a skilled unicorn like Speckle couldn’t completely comprehend. Ember smiled as he looked up. “Thank you, Crimson. We won’t ever forget you.”

“And neither will I. Farewell to you all.” With that, the Infecto faded out completely, shifting into a small sphere of light himself. The ball took off into the night, soon disappearing and becoming one with the stars amidst a sapphire sky.

A bright flash of light illuminated the otherwise dark forest as rain poured down in sheets. Collin was tangled up in this ravenous thunderstorm, blindly moving from the miniscule protection of one tree to the next, not that it mattered much at this point. He stopped in his tracks when a voice called out to him. “Alpha Collin!”

His head turned, looking down at Ryker as he ran up to him, mane plastered against his face due to the water. “Oh. It’s you. And you’ve actually called me by name for once. Aren’t you growing up so fast.”

The younger pegasus wasn’t amused. “What are you doing out here? I told Alpha Ember that we’d continue the search once this storm blows over.”

The Lead grunted. “I’m not concerned about the search. In fact, I’m not going to be concerned about anything for a while. So go home, squirt.”

Ryker’s face turned to one of bewilderment. “What? Why?”

Collin turned back to stare at him. “Soundwave and I had a disagreement. Things got out of control, so I did what I always do: leave. Does that answer your questions?”

“But... what about the others? Don’t you think they’d wonder where you’ve gone?”

“I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. You don’t get it, Ryker. Everything I’ve done this past month and a half has torn one of the things that I care about most apart. What’s the point of watching it crumble further?”

The colt darted in front of him, ignoring another clap of thunder as he gave him a hopeful look. “So you can fix it. If there’s anyone that I know who would be able to get out of the mess he put himself in, it’d be you, Alpha.”

Collin’s gaze softened, but only for a second. He shook his head, moving past the youth. “I can’t, not now. I need some time alone to reflect on things. I don’t know when I’ll be back, if ever.”

“C’mon, Alpha. Don’t tell me your just going to walk out on all this. We need you.”

The elder pegasus unfurled his wings, taking each of his silver feathers in between his teeth, forcefully ripping them out with a sharp tug. They fell to the ground in a wet clump, tips red with blood. “Give those to Sirena the next time you see her. And...when you do find them, tell Obsidian he has my blessing. Goodbye, Ryker.” He kept walking before he could be called back, form quickly blending into the dense and dreary colors of the rain soaked woods. The little Hunter didn’t have the heart to follow him, so he sat in a puddle, letting the cold raindrops mask his tears as he stared at the blood stained plumage before him.