A Pierced Heart

Chapter 16: Tiding Over

Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash had been wandering the quarry for hours.

Rarity kicked at a rock with her hoof. “EERGH!” she screamed. “Nothing but a few displaced pieces of rock where we were attacked and where you found that changeling Rainbow!” Rarity sat on the ground and looked up towards her cyan friend hovering a few dozen feet above. “That and blood,” the white mare added.

“We’ve done an’ searched e’ery nook and cranny we could,” Applejack stated. The farmer pony looked over at a Quaray Eel nest and gulped. “Except those ones.”

“NO!” the white mare yelled. “He has to be alive! That changeling hid him somewhere. Maybe one of these nests is empty.” Rarity stepped towards a hole before Sweetie Belle stopped her with a magical tug on her sister’s tail.

“Sis! What are you thinking? Don’t just step up to any single one! They could decapitate you in an instant!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash added. “Seriously, there’s a reason I fly on the opposite side of this canyon when doing stunts.”

“Hold on, I could go and check,” Fluttershy offered, before she could be stopped she flew over to the hole and positioned herself above the entrance. “Hello? Anyone home?” With no answer the butter pegasus tentatively lowered a hoof. All the others gasped. When nothing happened they gave a sigh of relief. “Just a moment,” Fluttershy requested before going into the hole. A minute later she came back out.

“Anything?” Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy shook her head in response. For several more hours they searched each hole. Some were occupied and skipped over, but a few were empty. Each showed no sign of pony occupancy. The group returned to the library with heads hung low at their failure.

When Twilight saw they returned she stepped over to the group and put on a smile. Her eyes lacked the twinkle of genuine happiness. “Any luck?” she asked.

“What do you think?” Rainbow asked flatly.

Twilight’s ears folded against her head. “Sorry,” she said. “But I’ve found out a lot about changelings that you might find interesting and useful. I’ve gone over all the books I read when I wrote my report on the changelings after the Canterlot invasion for the pamphlet, so this should all sound familiar.”

“Go ahead Twi, we’re listening, e’ery ‘lil bit helps.” With that Applejack gestured with a hoof for the purple mare to speak.

“Well, first things first, changelings cannot turn ponies into other changelings. They have two methods of feeding. The first is that they imitate an intelligent creature, such as a pony, a diamond dog, or even a gryphon or dragon, then they use that creature to naturally absorb the love somepony might hold for whoever they mimic. The second method is used if they are unable to get the love the easy way. It involves forcefully pulling out the love from somepony, that procedure however can result in the death of the pony.” At this Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, and Rarity tensed. “This is likely what Queen Chrysalis was intending to do if she had won in Canterlot,” Twilight concluded, eliciting a collective shudder.

“Changelings hives have one queen each, and they can live for long periods of time. However their population often explodes and they end up using the second feeding method as a stopgap. Eventually, they either hit a point where they can’t find a food source, or an expedition is called to eradicate the hive.” Twilight took a deep breath.

“Are you getting all this?” When the group nodded, she continued.

“As you all know, the Gryphon Kingdom and Diamond Dog Khanate are attempting to determine where the hive that tried to start the a war between them is located. Before that the last hive to be eradicated was over seven hundred years ago.

“Now to something that might be useful, changeling drones, like the one that attacked Rarity, sometimes go rogue from their hive. Why this happens is unknown.

“How does any of this help us find Pokey?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, if we could figure out if the changeling was rogue or still associated with a hive, that would give us some clues of where to look,” Twilight answered. “If its rogue, it would have either killed him, in which case we would have found a body.”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “But if it wasn’t... then maybe Pokey has been taken to a hive, maybe there were others that did it and left that wounded one! Twilight, is there any way of figuring out where their hive with be?”

Goddess I’m getting tired of leading my friends on a wild goose chase. There must be some way of getting them to focus on Pokey, Twilight thought. The purple mare cleared her throat and spoke. “Not exactly, but going from the fact that the changeling attacked the two of you; it would be safe to assume that it had some way of knowing where you two might have been. You should check to see if there are any signs at Pokey’s house to see if maybe a changeling broke in at some point.” The lavender unicorn stood up and headed to a pile of books.

“Alright,” Applejack said, “check out Pokey’s home tomorrow and move from there.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’ll check in with the eels and animals tomorrow as well, maybe one of them knows something.”

“I’ll help!” Sweetie Belle announced.

“No, you won’t Sweetie Belle,” Rarity stated.

“What? Why?” the filly questioned.

“You have your studies. I can’t put your needs above my own now that we have a plan,” the fashionista answered.

“But I--”

“No buts, you’re my sister and I refuse to let you squander your talents, practice your singing for when we find Pokey.”

Sweetie Belle hung her head dejectedly. “Okay,” she sighed.

The tension in the room was palpable. Twilight looked at Applejack and Fluttershy who were holding Rarity; Sweetie Belle stared at the floor as Rainbow dash hovered over the whole affair.

“Um,” began Fluttershy, “Where are Pinkie and Spike?”

“Oh! Um, they’re downstairs looking through the older books to see if there is anything else that might be useful. I’ll go get them.” Twilight excused herself and headed to the basement.

She opened magically sealed door and saw Spike and Pinkie looking at Pokey with morbid fascination.

The dragon looked up and hopped down from the table. “Twilight! Things aren’t looking good, he’s barely breathing.”

Twilight glanced worriedly at the prostrate form. She shook her head and then said, “There’s nothing we can do, the others wanted to see you both.”

With that the two mares and one dragon returned upstairs. Another conversation ensued and final arrangements were made. The next day Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would check the quarry and surrounding area one more time. Applejack and Rarity would check Pokey’s home, and Sweetie Belle would stay with Twilight to continue her studies.

The mares soon departed, leaving Twilight and Spike in the library. However, as Twilight turned from closing the door, she noticed Sweetie Belle standing there.

“Sweetie Belle is there something else you wanted to talk about?” Twilight asked.

“What do you think?” the filly snapped back. “The first stallion my sister finally establishes a beautiful relationship with is now most likely dead! And there’s nothing I can do about it!” The pastel-maned singer stomped on the ground. “I just wish I could help Pokey!”

Twilight gave a sidelong glance to Spike. Her eyes strained to convey silent meaning. The adolescent dragon shifted his wings and nodded.

“Sweetie Belle, there might be a way for you to help, but you have to promise not to tell the others.” Twilight looked as Sweetie Belle as her eyes brightened. “I’ll do anything if it means helping Pokey! What is it, is there a book you want me to help looking for?”

“No, but first I need you to promise,” Twilight responded.

Without hesitation Sweetie Belle stroked a hoof over her chest twice and prodded a closed eye with her hoof. Twilight guided the unicorn into the basement and turned to face Sweetie Belle.

“Sweetie, you love Pokey right? Like a member of the family? For making your sister happy?” Twilight asked.

“Yes,” the little singer responded, tilting her head confusedly. “What’s this all about, how can I help?”

Twilight’s horn glowed and the door near her swung open. “Sweetie Belle, you have to understand. I think Pokey may have been keeping a secret from you and Rarity, from all of us.”

Sweetie Belle looked inside and saw a black lump strapped to the chair and gasped. “It’s that changeling!” she screamed before Twilight lowered herself towards her.

“I think the changeling is Pokey, he claimed that he was before he passed out, he wasn’t wearing armor like Rarity said he was, and his eyes are yellow, not green.”

“But why would a...” Sweetie’s eyes widened. “He’s a... rogue changeling?”

“I think that may be. He’s very weak. I think he may have fought the other changeling to protect Rarity,” Twilight answered. “If you could, goddess, this doesn’t sound right... If you could let him uh, feed on you, it might let him live long enough for Rarity to come to terms with this.” Twilight’s amethyst eyes stared imploringly into the the white filly’s.

Sweetie Belle shut her eyes. “Okay.”

*****

One presence, two presences, three presences, no presence. Pokey’s condition had been reduced to the time he spent completely alone and the brief, infinitesimally small feedings of love he received. He looked about and sighed dejectedly. He had killed Snaggle, and had saved Rarity. He snorted as he pined over his condition.

That was when a new presence came. It was different from the three previous ones. It had a greater tinge of fear. A translucent green that soaked along the ground. When it stopped it stayed the same for quite some time. Then a small fleck of yellow flowed out, then another. Soon an entire tendril of affection lapped at the changeling. When is grazed a hoof he gasped.

“Sweetie Belle?” He questioned, standing up. Yes, familial love, like for a brother, or a father. Pokey walked to the source in his mind and drank up the love as more yellow bled into the green. Pokey felt invigorated, but as he looked around again he sighed. “Still have to wait until I heal,” If I heal.