A Fawn's Journey

Elain woke up lying on a humid wooden floor after a loud growl from her stomach. The room was small and rectangular. Only the sun's rays through a window providing some vision, it was dawn. It took Elain a couple of minutes to regain consciousness, she moved her head to look around and noticed she wasn't alone.

There were many deer of different characteristics and colors, all of them with a hind leg chained to the ground next to the wall with metal shackles. Elain felt too weak to count how many they were, but she could notice they were acting strange, all of them had their eyes lost and were sitting in silence. It seemed as if they were dead in life.

There was a door infront of her. Elain tried to get up, but then she heard the sound of metallic tinkling, she turned her head back and looked down to notice that her own rear hoof was chained against the floor of that seedy room, although she was still wearing her cyan coat. She sighed and looked foward, then sat on the wood, like the rest of the deer and adjusted the cord of her coat around her neck.

"Hello? Where am I?" She tried as she casted an glance around the herd in the room. No one replied back.

From outside Elain heard footsteps on the snowy ground approaching the door. She suddenly remembered what happened last time she was awake.

The changelings must have captured me.

She laid back on the floor and closed her eyes, pretending she was still unconscious. She heard a kick that violently opened the door, hitting it against the wall. The sunlight illuminated the room.

Elain ajarred her right eye and saw three changelings on the door, two of them armed and wearing that military uniform with the helmet. The changeling in the middle wore a gray uniform with medals hanging on the chest, on his head rested a black cap with that winged trident embroidered in gray on the front. His purple eyes differentiated him from the rest of the changelings.

The three changelings where talking to each other in that language Elain couldn't understand. But she could recognize a name among their words, referring to the purple-eyed changeling "General Pharynx".

After a few minutes judging his movements and tone, Pharynx was upset and wanted something from the deer. The other two changelings stood stiffly professionally, weapons between their holed hooves. Elain felt her heart pounding.

Pharynx fell silent and focused his gaze on Elain, a malicious smirk appeared on his muzzle as he licked his fangs.

"I know you are awake" He turned into Olenian language with his rough voice.

Elain pinned her ears back as she remained on the floor scared, still pretending to be unconscious. Pharynx clicked his tongue as he begun approaching.

"I'm not in the mood to play, fawn. Get up"

Elain didn't move, she was scared and doubtful, wishing that all that were just a nightmare. The hoofsteps stopped right infront of her, suddenly she felt a kick on her stomatch that made her wheeze. She coughed and risked a look up, pale blue eyes met purples. Pharynx analyzed her for a brief moment.

"You should eat something if you want to last more than one harvest" He glanced at one of the guards on the door. The guard left the weapon on the door frame and grabbed a bucket full of apples, he poured them on the floor for every deer to eat. Some deer reacted slowly to grab an apple, others didn't move. Elain scrunched her muzzle, but she was starving.

"W-where's my brother?" She said with a shaky voice as she frowned at the changeling.

"I don't know, neither I care. I just give the orders" He stared back with a serene look. "But don't you worry, as soon as this war is over we will release you"

Elain was really confused, she didn't understand what was the point of their actions, she remained silent. Pharynx simply turned around and walked out of the room, both changelings grabbed the bucket and the weapon and walked away behind him, then closed the door. The room became dark again except for the light coming through the window.

Elain sat again and took a look around the herd once again, some of them staring at nothing, others focusing on their apple and eating slowly.

"What is wrong with all of you?" She asked concerned.

After several heartbeats finally someone replied.

"Love harvest" A tired female voice answered from her left.

"What?" She turned her head to that side to meet a doe that looked two decades older than her. Tired hazel eyes stared at her with an expressionless muzzle. The sun's rays dimly illuminated her white horns and her green jacket.

"The changelings are here to invade, their next target is Vaverfront" A male voice replied from the right corner next to the door. Elain looked ahead, he was a buck with light green horns barely a few years older than her. He was wearing that pastel blue uniform she saw in the fair.

"I don't understand, Why are they doing this? Why are we here?"

"They feed on the emotions they extract from other living beings, that's why they want us"

Elain gasped. "I need to get out of here and find my brother!"

The older doe sighed. "Good luck figuring out how, fawn" She laid on the floor and closed her eyes.

"We can only wait and have faith" He said downhearted.

"Wait for what" Elain asked confused.

"For the oportunity to break out."

Elain's stomatch growled again, then she looked at the few apples left on the floor. This time she grabbed one of them and bit into it eagerly.

The buck laid on the floor but remained alert.

About an hour passed judging by the position of the sun. The deer had already recovered from their trance state, the doe to her left was sleeping. Elain was lying melancholically on the floor, still hungry.

The door opened and the sunlight illuminated the inside of that seedy shack once again. Elain raised her ears and squinted at the door. A squad of armed changelings entered and began unchaining the deer with keys. The weapons rested on their side with a strap.

"Wake up, it's time to work" One of them said with a strong accent.

The changeling begun unchaining that buck in Olenian military uniform, the buck suddenly pounced on him. Elain's ears pinned back and her eyes widened. The changeling fell backwards on the floor and hissed up to him. The buck tried to kill the changeling with bare hooves but a bullet pierced his temple before he could put a hoof on him, the sound of the gunshot made Elain flinch, she covered her eyes with her forehooves to avoid looking at the scene. The blood spread across the floor, splashing onto the nearby deer and the changeling on the ground.

One of the changelings was in the door, pointing at the corpse with a pistol whose design was particular, smoke coming out of its barrel.

"Don't try anything stupid or you will end up like him" He said with a hiss.

The changeling remained on the door frame, pistol in hoof. The changeling on the floor got up and left the building, muttering something in that unknown language, he looked upset. The two remaining changelings kept unchaining all the deer one by one, no other altercation occurred.

All the deer filed out the door. Elain remained on the floor with covered eyes. The changeling who unchained her kicked her flank.

"Get in line!" He hissed.

She quickly rose on trembling hooves and walked foward, trying to avoid looking at the corpse. She left the shack and was escorted by more armed changelings. The change in luminosity after going outside made Elain wrinkle her muzzle and close her eyes for a moment, then she looked around as she walked.

There were many shacks around like the one Elain was in, and the horizon was covered by a tall metal fence, it seemed like everything had been built quickly. In front of her was the entire herd of deer walking in a row, she was the last one. On the sides and behind her were a dozen changelings, most armed with normal rifles, it seemed that the most modern models were reserved for the battlefield.

"Where are we going?" She risked asking.

One of the changelings pushed her forward. "Keep walking"

Elain almost stumbled, but regained her balance and kept walking.

They finally stopped when they reached an area far from the shacks, still inside the fenced area, the ground was full of rocks. A pile of pickaxes rested in front of the rocks.

One of the changelings was standing infront of the deer, he wore a different uniform with a cap instead of a helmet. All the deer in the enclosure gathered in a square position. The changelings forced the herd to join the square and then the officer begun counting deer one by one. Elain glanced around, looking for her brother, but there was no fawns between the crowd.

"Now each one of you will grab a pickaxe and mine until the twilight, otherwise you will be shot" The officer said dryly as he pointed at the tools with a hoof.

Elain had no choice, all the armed changelings were watching at the deer. She approached to grab a pickaxe with a hoof, she felt the tool heavy, it almost fell off her shaking hoof so she stood up on two hooves and grabbed the pickaxe with both forehooves.

Elain had never mined in her life, she didn't know what she had to do, she simply observed the deer around her and imitated their movements. Some grabbed the tool with their forehooves, others with their mouths. Elain began to mine, raising her pickaxe over her head with difficulty and sticking it into the stone, repeatedly but slowly. The effort made her wrinkle her face every time she raised the pickaxe.

After several minutes, a buck around her age panicked, threw his pickaxe on the ground and ran towards the fence. Elain widened her eyes and lowered her ears at that, but the changelings did nothing about it. When he touched the fence, he received an electric shock. He didn't get up from the ground, no one knew if he was still alive, the changelings didn't care.

Elain was shaking, more from fear than from muscle fatigue, she just wanted to go home to her family and was fighting the urge to run away. She continued working, no one started talking, they preferred to save their strength to get through the day.

After three hours, Elain couldn't take it anymore, her legs hurt too much. She left the pickaxe on the ground, fortunately more than five minutes passed until one of the guards noticed, he yelled something in his language and pointed his gun at her. Elain jumped in fright and quickly grabbed the pickaxe again. For a few moments she felt it lighter, but it wasn't long before it became heavier between her hooves again as she lifted it. She wanted to cry, she was hungry and tired, she was afraid and uncertain. But what weighed most on her was not that tool but the last words she dedicated to Elmer, she knew that memory would haunt her conscience for a long time.

Most of the changelings had already left, they took turns from time to time, Elain could see how some of them were playing cards at some outdoor tables.

why do they do this to us? I don't know them. Is this the end? Where's Elmer? Where are my parents?

Several thoughts were going through her head, she felt helpless.

The older deer could no longer continue after four more hours, some had already passed out, including the doe she spoke to earlier. Fortunately the sun was already going down behind the mountain range. Elain didn't know what part of the kingdom she was in.

"psst" someone called out behind her.

Elain turned arond after sticking the pickaxe into the rock one last time. It was that young buck with light green horns and Olenian uniform, Elain stared at his brown eyes in shock.

"How. . . I thought you. . ." She begun with a tired voice as she widened her eyes in terror, like she was seeing a ghost. She thought maybe she was hallucinating due to hunger and overwork.

"I will explain later, it's the perfect time to go now" He wispered and pointed to a guard. Elain glanced around and saw that the few remaining changelings were apparently sleeping.

He turned around and begun to walk towards the shacks. Elain followed him.

"The exit is on the other side, let's go"

Elain slowly nodded, she walked with difficulty because of her leg pain. The buck slowed down.

Why did he pick me and left everyone else there? She thought, but she was too tired to ask it out loud.

They both continued walking slowly among the wooden buildings in the evening light, there was absolutely no one around them, everything was silent. For the first time since she arrived, Elain felt calm.

The buck and the doe arrived to the main door, it was closed.

"How are you going to open it?" She tilted her head.

She barely finished the sentence when suddenly she heard that damn sound behind her, that flaming sound she heard when that fair vendor turned into a changeling, her ears pinned back. Elain looked around and saw how they were both surrounded by six guards. She was terrified, she instinctively closed her eyes and hugged tightly to one of the buck's legs. Nothing happened, not a single sound, every second the tension grew.

After several heartbeats Elain heard that flaming sound again, this time much closer. She opened her eyes and realized she was hugging a changeling's foreleg.

The changeling began to laugh out loud, then the other six followed and high-fived each other with their hooves. Elain let go of his leg and fell on the snow from fright, surrounded by those seven guards who were laughing at her. Elain's eyes where teary, her pupils shaking, she did her best not to burst into tears in that place.

"This was funny, but is time to go back" said the changeling who deceived her as he wiped away his tears from laughing so much. Two of the changelings helped her up and escorted her back as the other five walked away cheering and talking to each other.

Elain walked on shacky hooves all the way to the shack, the sun had already set.

One of the guards opened the door, the deer were already chained in place, some of them narrowed their eyes at the guards. The guard forced Elain to walk to her spot at the end of the room, then chained her hind leg. The other guard stood in the doorway with a pistol on his hoof, to make sure no deer would attack them.

Both changelings left the building and closed the door. Everything became dark and silent in that humid room, like when Elain woke up, but now she was physically and emotionally exhausted.

The deer started talking to each other about how they missed their homes, about their professions, about their lives before entering that place, everyone shared names and stories but Elain did not pay attention to any of their words, she remained lying on the floor lost in her thoughts.

Why are they so cruel?

The door opened again, this time it was the dim moonlight that partially illuminated the room. A pair of changelings entered without saying anything, one with a bucket of apples and the other with a tray full of small wooden glasses, they handed out an apple and a glass of water to each deer one by one.

The changeling carrying the bucket of apples looked at Elain after leaving her an apple, Elain looked up and made eye contact with her. That changeling had Elain's age, she was saddened by the expression on Elain's face and decided to leave her a second apple when the other guard wasn't looking. Elain blinked and her expression changed momentarily, she now looked confused. The changeling turned around and, without saying anything, both guards left the room and closed the door.

Elain started to eat eagerly while the deer resumed their conversation.

"And why are they invading our land? Simply because they are hungry?"

"They want resources to continue building tanks and planes" Elain thought on those terrifying vehicles she saw in her village.

"I heard they want to attack Equestria"

"I think they are testing their weapons on us before daring to attack the ponies"

Elain this time was paying attention to the conversation as she chewed on her second apple, filling her stomach relieved her.

"It's all King Johan's fault, Chrysalis offered an alliance before this war started"

"Lie! that bug only wanted to enslave us from the beginning. The king did the right thing by rejecting"

And several deer entered into a political debate, Elain did not speak at any time, nor did she understand anything about the debate, she just ate her apples and laid on he floor.

Finally everyone quieted after a long time arguing, Elain didn't have a watch, but in her mind about two hours had passed.

All the deer were already asleep, the room was completely dark, the moonlight through the window was barely noticeable. When the silence returned, thoughts flooded Elain's mind again.

Elmer, Mom, Dad. I hope you can forgive me, I hope you are okay. I have been a bad sister, I'm just an useless fawn. Even these bugs mock at me for how incredulous I am.

She curled on the floor.

Elain was finally relatively alone and had a moment of rest. She began to sob silently until she fell asleep.