Chapter II
Griffonia

There was no mistaking what he had seen; she was close. All he had worked for, his little piece of heaven, an escape from the world...was at stake. He didn't stop running until he was home. The door flew open and then was swung shut, with several locks falling into place. His exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he fell over and lay still for a long time, thinking about what had just taken place.

A groan was what woke him from his light sleep. He clutched the pitchfork in his hand, his knuckles turning white. It had been several days since he saw what had woken the pain in his heart that he had kept hidden for so long. Night had fallen to day, and day unto the night. He hadn't left his room, unless he needed to eat. Time seemed to move so slowly, yet he didn't keep track of how long had passed; he knew it was only a matter of time before he saw her again. In his nightmares, which were so vivid as of late, he always heard her seething voice, yet underneath the velvety tone lie a venom that made him seize in fear.

"Thomas..." she whispered, her once beautiful eyes now shaded a dark crimson.

This wasn't her. It couldn't have been. But then again, did Thomas really know who she was anymore? It was all fake, the love, the time they spent together... all a fake mask she displayed. How could he have been so foolish? He thought to himself bitterly. Every time the wind blew, he flinched. Never did he want to relieve such a pain; a pain that had plagued his mind even now, after so many years. Physical wounds can heal with time, but they leave will leave scars. But what she had did to him was so much more; his mind had once been a beautiful canvas of happy thoughts and memories...now...

He couldn't even answer that anymore. It was too much to think about.

Huddling deeper into the corner of the tiny hut, he drew his blankets tighter and began to weep.

***

Celestia

She stood by the window, looking into the distance. It was never any easier for her. Even more so recently. She had felt this way before, coming waves of grief and sorrow. Celestia hadn't felt this horrible, even after she had banished her younger sister for a millennia alone on the moon. No, this was something else. She loved her sister dearly, but this love was of a different kind. One she had not had for Faust knows how long.

She sighed as she lowered the sun hastily, weary from a day full of suffocating griffin nobles and the press. It was time for her to settle down for the night.

Which would have been the case, but she felt a pulse through the land. A form of magic that should no longer exist in this plane. She didn't know why, but suddenly felt an unrelenting feeling of anger. She doubted herself, thinking that it wasn't possible. It couldn't be; how could she feel changeling magic when they were all dead? The magic signature came from the north,and even though it was incredibly subtle, she could still feel it; a parasitic form of foul magic. It was late, she thought to herself, deal with it tomorrow. It was difficult to calm her rage. It was all because of them that she had lost her Beloved. With a snarl, she stomped her hoof and stormed away from the window. She would deal with this tomorrow; it was late into the night by the time she had calmed herself. But yet she couldn't sleep, knowing that there were more of the horrid monsters about. She consoled herself in the fact that they would be dealt with in the way that they had shown mercy to her love: there would be no mercy. At least there was that ideal that the Griffin King agreed with. Putting the stubborn old bird aside, she lay her head down as she fruitlessly tried to sleep.

***

Thomas

It had been long enough. Perhaps he was overreacting? It was a possibility. An unlikely one, but a possibility nonetheless. A constant state of paranoia was what kept him going so long; it had nearly been a week since this mess had first started. Food was getting low, which Thomas wasn’t too concerned about. Rationing would have to begin, and water was always readily available from the river about 10 minutes away. Slowly, Thomas rose to his feet, shaking the sawdust off of his stiff legs. Perhaps he really was being foolish. Hell, maybe she had already left. Either way, he needed to go into town sometime soon.

A sharp knock rang through the house. His heartbeat started racing. Could it really be her?

“Hey Thomas, ya in there? Just wanted to make sure you were alright. Haven’t seen ya in a few days,” came the voice of the local deputy.

Thomas let out a sigh of relief. He quietly walked over to the door, and unlocked it. The door opened to reveal an elderly griffin with grey plumage and rich brown eyes.

“I’m alright. I just...wasn’t feeling the greatest the last few days.”
The deputy looked him over. Concern was quite evident in his face.

“Are ya feeling any better? You look like ya just saw a ghost or somethin’,”

‘Well, I technically thought I did,’ thought Thomas.

“I assure you,” began Thomas, “I’m alright. Just a common cold is all.”

The deputy stretched his wings and looked around the house.

“Well, I’ll head back and tell everyone you’re alright then. Folks were worried about ya, ya know.”

Thomas smiled, genuinely surprised by the comment. “Thanks, Deputy. It’s nice to know that people care.” He showed the griffin to the door, while deeply expressing his thanks. “I really do appreciate it, Deputy.”

The Deputy smiled and nodded as he left.

Thomas stood in the doorway, watching the Deputy walk away. People were concerned about him. The last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself. But what was he supposed to do now? He had to go into town eventually, but the problem was the Royal Guards. Since he had disappeared, there had been non-stop searching for him. He cursed the primitive technology here; he could really use a delivery service right about now. He sighed. It was inevitable; he’d have to find a way to keep concealed if he was going to go into town.

***

Celestia

It hadn’t stopped. The magic trace had been bothering her non stop; it was like a dull throb that wasn’t necessarily painful, but was more annoying than anything. She woke to feel the same throb. Magic was quite the tangible substance if you knew what you were doing. There were several different ways to manipulate it; she remembered Twilight being set loose in the archives at the castle, and then not resurfacing for days at a time.

She trotted over to the window, staring off into the distance at the quiet town several miles away. It truly was a beautiful view. The sun rising into the sky, casting a warm glow onto the rivers, valleys, and the trees. A small smile formed on her face. It was little moments like this that meant so much to her. Small fragments of her endless life where she could be at peace with the world, if only for a moment. Her entire world, which seemed to be going by very fast, would slow down for a minute, and she was able to take a breath, and relax without the thought of all the work that needed to be done looming over her like an executioner. It was always like this; it seemed like whenever there was a moment to relax, there was always something else to do. Such was the job of a princess, and a co-ruler of a country. But when she did get the small chances to enjoy life for what it was, she always appreciated it. It always brought joy to her heart to see Thomas sneak through the balcony window with a little snack for her. The guards weren't to fond of him, considering all the mayhem he had caused when he had first come to Equestria. If she remembered right, there were several guards hospitalized. All that mess because he somehow found the kitchen and was hungry. Whatever it was, it smelled good. She hadn’t genuinely smiled since she lost Thomas. Thomas… suddenly she snapped out of her daze as the pulsing began to speed up. It must be him. It must be. Could she just be getting ahead of herself? No. It wasn’t possible. She hadn’t felt anything like it in a very long time. Her goal set, the great solar equine lept from the balcony, gliding towards the small town that lay far into the distance in the morning sun.

***

Thomas

"Goddamn fucking bugs," Thomas swore as he swatted the insects away from his nose for the umpteenth time.
This had been going on all morning. It seemed logical to try to hide in the woods, trailing alongside the road. It also seemed
stupid, because it took him considerably longer to get to town, and there wasn't anyone to be seen. And when he did end up getting to town, he got a couple of odd looks for stumbling out of the woods when there was a perfectly good road a foot away.

What followed was an hour of quickly running from stall to stall to get what he needed. No one asked too many questions as to why he was covering his face. If they did, he just said that he was "sick, and didn't want to spread the cold".
It seemed to sate the questioning glances he got, which worked fine for him.

Apples were the next thing on the list. A friend of his sold them in the northern section of the market. They were cheap, but pretty good. As he was walking back, he became aware of a weight upon his shoulders. When he turned to look behind him, no one was there. But still the pressure remained. Sweat began to pour down his brow. It seemed the sun had shone a bit harsher on him, which was odd considering it was Fall. A thought occurred, and he really hoped he was wrong. He began to walk faster. Everywhere he looked there seemed to be more and more guards by the minute. No, no, no... he really hoped this wasn't happening.

It was then when he saw her in her regal glory; Princess Celestia. She walked slowly down the street, looking around the area, as if she was looking for something. When she got closer more and more ponies and griffins bowed. It seemed like he was the only one who wasn't. It was at that moment when she turned her head exactly in his direction, all he could do was stare as her eyes studied him intently. The air was still; no one moved. She took a tentative step forward; he stepped back. It was then when his survival instincts kicked in. He turned and ran as fast as his legs could take him.

***

Celestia

Who was this thing? And why did it remind her of...Thomas? Was it really him? She couldn't believe it. She had finally found him. But...he was running? She angrily huffed and shouted "Guards! Seize him!"
He wouldn't escape her. Not again. She would make sure of it. After so long, she couldn't bear to lose her Beloved again.

Author's Note

Love you all ;)