The rebel, the outcast and the crescent moon
The night air was cold. Winter was on it's way. The war between the remaining changelings and USE has been on for nearly 20 years, and with no end in sight. Both sides were cold and exhausted, but they couldn't let their enemy get a step ahead of them. Roughly 40,000 changelings still remained unchanged, and loyal to the life they have known for centuries. Them against the deployed forces of the USE, who was 200,000 strong, the changelings have managed to hold out and fight back, though scattered about and in their own groups, with different leaderships. For the first time in history, multiple changeling queens exist at once. There are countless separate colonies, though there are some that are larger and stronger then others. One of the three largest and strongest colonies, Vera's Legion, attempted to ambush a USE convoy. Heavy losses on both sides incur... Though, one of these changeling rebels manage to flee from the fight. Badly wounded and afraid.
23 T.E., 2oth day of the 11th moon, 03:43am.
The air was cold. The wind blowing through the trees, the sounds of nighttime nature everywhere. Under the cover of the trees, a lone changeling rebel of Vera's Legion stumbles over the lightly snowed ground, limping and wounded. Barely being able to carry her own weight, she was bleeding from a spear wound leaving a trail of neon green blood as she made her way through the forest. Tired and afraid, she's desperately trying to find some sort of old structure or cave so he could get out of the cold and try to stop her bleeding.
Slowly, the sound of flowing water reaches her ears, and though sluggish, she raises her head and look around. Just off the path she was following was a river. A slight ray of hope hits her, so she stumbles down the slight ledge and following the flowing of the water. IT felt as if hours have passed, and for all she knew, that could have been the case. It's as if she lost all sense of time. She could feel her consciousness trying to slip away from her. As the changeling progressed alongside the river, the flowing of the water slowly grew more violent, and the sound of what seemed like a waterfall slowly began to fade in.
Soon, the rebel reached a shallow cliff, the water flowing down into a lake. Looking around, she could spoke what she thought was a cabin, though her noticeably blurrier vision was no help. Backing away from the ledge, she surveys the immediate area hoping to find a path down and to the cabin, though she can't seem to spot any. She had no choice, she thought to herself. She would have to climb down the side of the cliff to make it to the cabin. With a deep, albeit painful deep breath, she begins her descent.
Though her consciousness was slipping, the changeling managed to make it down the cliff. It wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be, though even that thought quickly disappeared from her mind as she fell to the ground, the blood loss and exhaustion finally getting the better of her. Looking up towards the cabin, which was only around 30 metres away, she could see the faint glow of a light inside the cabin, which she was certain she didn't see before. She tries to get up, but to no avail. Soon, her vision fades to black. She knew she was going to die, and had no choice but to accept that fate. Afraid and alone in the cold, she drifts away from consciousness.
23 T.E., 2oth day of the 11th moon, 04:28am.
The sound of a fire crackling fills the air, and the changeling rebel could feel its warmth against her carapace. Though not easily, she opens her eyes as best she can.
"Hey, you, you're finally awake." A voice, unfamiliar to the changeling speaks.
The changeling looks to both sides, but sees nothing.
"I'm up here," the unfamiliar voice called, "Though try not to move too much. You're pretty beat up."
Ignoring the strangers warning, the changeling tilts her head back, and sees...
"A pony!" She exclaims, jumping off the table she was placed on and entering a battle stance.
"Surprising vigor, for a runaway with fatal wounds." The pony says, standing up from his chair, "Would you kindly lay back down? You may tear the stitches and ruin my hard work," The pony begins, turning his back on the changeling as he trots towards the fireplace, "You know how hard it is to close up a wound in a carapace?"
Just a little confused, but above all else, cautious, the changeling backs away as far away from the pony as possible. "Who are you? What did you do to me?" She asks.
"I'm the one that just saved you from deaths clutches," he pauses for a moment, "literally. You were minutes away from dying." the pony picks up a ladle and stirs the contents of a cauldron in the fireplace, the steam of the cauldron billowing out and up into the chimney. "Name's Kuracanto. Weird name, I know. You could call me Kura if you want." Using the ladle, the pony, Kura, empties the content of the cauldron into a bowl on a table next to the fireplace.
Sticking a spoon into the bowl, Kura picks it up with one hoof and trots the the table the changeling was formerly on, and places it down. "I gave you what blood I could, but it'll only be temporary. You'll need to eat up to get back in shape."
The changeling looks at the bowl, then back at the spear wound on her back. It was wrapped in dressing, but she could feel the stitch work underneath it. It felt almost metallic. Looking back towards the pony that seemingly helped her, she drops her guard, if only a little bit. "What do you want?" She asks, keeping her eyes on the pony.
"Well, a 'thank you' would be nice." Kura says, once again turning his back on the changeling as he makes his way back to the cauldron. "And before you ask, yes that's all I'd like."
Slowly though hesitantly, the changeling moves to the table, though she doesn't take her eyes off of Kuracanto, just in case he tries to attack her. "Why would you help me?" She questions, glancing at the bowl on the table for a moment so she could pull it closer to her side of the table. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't hungry.
"I'm a combat doctor. It's what I do." He says simply, now turning back towards the table with his own bowl.
"But why me, a changeling?" She asks, now looking into her bowl. It was soup of some sort.
"Because I swore an oath that I'd help anybody in need." He puts his bowl down onto the table and sits down, "Notice how I didn't just say anypony?" Kura lifts up a spoonful of the soup to his mouth and blows on it, trying to cool it down. "By the way, what's your name?"
"My name? Why would you want my name?" The changeling asks, now a little more comfortable. She follows Kuras lead and blows on a spoonful of the soup, though she didn't expect it to actually cool it down.
"Well you're my patient now, whether you like it or not. I like having my patients names." Kura sips some of the soup broth from his spoon to check its temperature before eating the mixed ingredients off of it. "And yes, I know the soup will do damn near nothing for you're actually hunger. It will help with getting your own blood flowing through your veins again."
"My name is Azul. Not like it matters though." She pauses for a moment, finally processing the second half of what Kura said, "My own blood? What does that mean?" She asks, looking up at the Kura now.
"Well, my blood-type is O, so I gave you some of it," He takes another bite of his soup, "Yes, there are a some fundamental differences between pony blood and changeling blood, but it'll keep you kicking for awhile. At least until your body can make more of its own. You're a damn resilient bunch."
Azul looks down at her hoof holding the spoon. Now that Kura mentions it, her body in general does feel a little warmer then usual. "Isn't a blood transfusion between two species really dangerous?"
Kura laughs a bit, then picks up his bowl, drinking up some of the broth again. "Normally, yes. But like I said," He puts down his bowl and looks at Azul, "You lot are damn resilient. Arguably more resilient then dragons."
Before Azul could even think of a response to Kuras remark, she suddenly remembers - "What time is it?!" She exclaims, dropping her spoon and looking towards the door off to the side.
Kura looks through the doors window, and then at Azul, "Nearly 5am. Why?" He asks curiously.
Azul hops over the furniture between her and the door as if her wounds were gone entirely. She swings the door open and looks to the stars, trying to get her bearings. "I need to get back to my camp before sunrise, or I'll be left behind!"
Kura sighs, and puts his spoon down, meanwhile Azul is searching the night sky frantically trying to figure out where she is, but to no avail.
Standing up, Kura makes his way the the door with Azul, grabbing and throwing on a jacket and scarf from his coat hanger. "Korrin Chasm isn't far. I'll show you the way." He says, tying his scarf up to keep him nice and warm.
A moment of silence passes, then Azul swiftly spins around, facing Kura once again in a battle stance, "How do you know where we're holed up?!" She exclaims, ready to attack Kura.
"I was hiking a week back and stumbles across some big changeling camp in the Chasm. I kept my distance, but I knew exactly what it was." Kura says, stepping out of the cabin beside Azul, closing the door behind them, now basically face to face with Azul. "And I know exactly what you're going to try and ask," He begins, pushing past Azul and facing the East, beyond the lake, "It's true that I'm just looking out for my patient, however-" Kura turns his head to face Azul, who is still in a readied stance facing him, "You're still on some fairly potent anesthesia, it was all I had left. I'd rather my patient not collapse or get lost before it wears off."
Though she didn't process half of what Kura said, Azul came to the conclusion that Kura wasn't a threat, and that maybe he was right. Though she began to suspect that maybe that was the anesthesia talking. Easing up, Azul quickly matches Kuras pace, though she still keeps her distance.
The first few minutes of the trek to Korrin Chasm was a quiet few, only occasionally disrupted by a gust of wind. Admittedly curious about her mysterious savior Kuracanto, Azul decides to do something she isn't use to doing, and she breaks the silence between them with a question, "Why are you so comfortable around me? That's not exactly normal..." She asks, keeping her eyes on the path ahead of her and Kura.
Laughing to himself a bit, Kura looks up the the sky as he trots, seeing the crescent moon, slowly descending. "I mentioned I was a combat doctor before, right? Well-" Kura begins, Azul immediately regretting her choice to ask a question. She could feel the exposition coming on.
"I worked with the USE, once. A combat doctor, which I was damn good at. I vowed I would help anybody in need no matter what." He says, looking back down to the path ahead of him as he shivers a bit. "Which is what got me chased out of the USE. Of course I helped my allies, but I also helped wounded changelings. Yes that defeats the purpose of the entire war effort, but I took an oath. I never said not to help them too." Kura smiles to himself a bit and looks to Azul, who at some point began looking at him, "That and plenty of other changelings have came across my little abode over the years. Some big shots too."
Now just a little more curious, Azul stops trotting, if only for a short moment before catching back up the Kura, "Over the years? So other colonies have been around here?" She asks, wondering if her leader, Vera, knew of this.
"Yep. Can't remember their names, but I'm sure I'd remember if I seen the flags up close." A moment of silence between the two passed before the path began to incline slightly. "Just over this ridge is the chasm. You can see it from there." Kura says, though unbeknownst to both him and Azul, a small dark figure darts through the sky above them.
Somehow it was already 5:50am, and the sun was ever so low in the sky. Sunrise was right around the corner. Azul shifts her wings before unfurling them and taking off into the air. She felt heavier then usual, and her movements in the air sluggish. But despite this, she took off to make her way over the ridge without saying anything.
"Wait!" Kura shouts out, galloping to try to catch up to the admittedly quick changeling, "I need to replace the dressing when we get there!"
Azul spins around in the air, facing Kura, "What for? I need to get to the camp, now!" She shouts back, making her annoyance clear with a quiet huff.
"Their magic imbued to boost the healing process. If they're left unchanged, they'll just hinder it instead." He explains, reaching into his coat pocket to take out a roll of dressing that he conveniently had.
"Seriously? I can do that later." Azul says, turning tail and flying over the top of the ridge and down towards the camp in Korrin chasm.
"Stubborn, just like the rest." Kura says sighing, before stuffing the dressing back into his packet as he makes chase after Azul.
As Kura made it over the ridge, lantern and fire light came into view, black blobs scurrying about a camp of white tents and teepees. It was clear that the colony of changelings were about to leave, presumably back to their home. The changeling he was chasing was already practically there, though Kura himself was still some ways behind.
Just then - SMACK!
An instant passes and Kura opens his eyes. He was just outside of the changeling camp, and immediately could tell he was knocked out and picked up by other changelings. Before he could say anything to then, he's drop from about a metre above the ground, hitting it with a thud. "Ow! Was that necessary?" He asked, scrambling to his hooves and looking up to the two changelings hovering above him.
One of the changeling snarls at him, and says, "Silence! We will attack if you forc-" The changeling is cut off by a voice from behind Kura.
"Why did you follow me all the way?" The voice asks. Kura spins around and is faced with Azul, who turns her gaze to the two changelings, glaring at them. Kura could feel the rank difference simply from the silent interaction between them. Almost as if Azul spoke to them telepathically, the changelings simply nod and fly off. "What if the killed you instead of bringing you here?" She asks.
Kura once again grabs the dressing from his jacket pocket and begins unfurling it, as if nothing happened. "Then I would have accepted my fate. Also, what are you, an officer or something?" He asked Azul, stepping forwards closer to her. "Stand still so I can replace the dressing already."
Sighing, clearly trying to make it obvious she's annoyed already raises her wings to make for easy access to the wrapped area. "We don't use words like that. I'm a centurion." She says, once again letting out an annoyed sigh. She seemed so tolerant before, but not so much anymore.
"Ah, Vera's Legion then." Kura says, removing the old dressing from Azuls wound, "I've actually helped some of your pals a few years back. They were based a few miles up north." As Kura begins to wrap the fresh dressing around Azuls wound, it begins glowing slightly, the magic imbued within it already taking effect.
"We've... Been here before?" Azul questions. She recalled Kura saying he's helped changeling in the area before, but she didn't know that her colony had been in the area in the past. She was told it as the Legions first time there.
"Yep. Like I said, a few year back-" Kura isn't able to finish his sentence as a changeling appears from behind them. The changeling was tall, had a mane, and was wearing a rather decorated set of legion-esque armor. "It's been awhile, Doctor." The tall changeling says. A voice faintly familiar to Kura. Fortunately, he had finished wrapping up Azul, just before both of them swung around to face the changeling. Almost out of instinct, Azul bows down before them.
"That it has been, Vera." Kura says casually, nudging the bowing Azul in the process. "Yeah, I forgot to mention that I patched up your leader here last time the legion was in the area."
The tall changeling, Vera, the leader and queen of the colony, bows her head slightly to Kura as a greeting before looking down to Azul, "At ease, Centurion. I can see you've been injured, so no need to strain yourself." Azul raises her head and looks to her leader and queen, to which she nods, as if Azul silently asked a question or something of the sort.
Standing up, Azul look to Kura, then Vera, then back to Kura. "You know each other?"
"Well, you see-" Kura begins.
The End
