Alpha's Sojourn

Alpha had been walking for well over an hour and finally the trees had begun to part, he could see a large red barn in thedistance. Warily he approached the barbed wire fence that marked the perimeter of the farm land. A swift hop and thud later, and he was across the fence. He marveled at the size of it all. It must have taken several ponies to work the entire farm, yet he could see nopony there. In the distance he spotted an apple orchard.

He looked towards his stomach and it replied with an unearthly response. For the first time in centuries he would be able to respond to its cries of pain. Alpha made a beeline towards the apple orchard, chains carving the earth behind him. His sheer force of will was all that he could do to stop himself from ripping a tree straight out of the ground and devouring it whole. Alpha passed the rest of the morning gorging himself on the lush laden trees, followed by a well deserved nap.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash had spent the past twenty-four or so hours searching for Twilight and Fluttershy as well as warning ponies to stay away from the Everfree. The two of them had searched all over town, finding neither hide nor hair of the pair. Thankfully Applejack had been able to locate Pinkie Pie and Rarity and now the four friends were off to search Fluttershy's house as it was one of the few places in town left to check.

"So Pinkie what makes you you think that either of 'em's at Fluttershy's house."

"Well the narrator said it was one of the few places we haven't checked yet." The rest of the party simply stared at her dumbly.

"Pinkie you've been sure to take your medication right."

"Of course silly the blue ones twice a day, and the suppositories once a day."

"Good." Stated Applejack with an air of suspicion

"My word has anypony else noticed that the door to Fluttershy's cottage is ajar," noted Rarity as the four of them approached Fluttershy's home.

"If I see one thing out of place in there I'm gonna pound the pony responsible," snarled Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear.

"Cool your jets RD we've no idea what's going on in there for all we know she's doing some sweeping and left the door open." Offered Applejack as the voice of reason.

Sure enough the four friends, upon arriving, saw that the door was in fact open, and the numerous locks and deadbolts on the inside of the door were intact.

"At the very least we know that nopony of dubious character came in and absconded with any of her possessions," said Rarity.

"In Equestrian please," replied AJ.

"Nopony broke in and took her shit," retorted Rarity obviously flutered.

"Thank ya now was that so hard."

"Yes actually I think I felt my I.Q. drop a bit."

The four of them searched Fluttershy's home finding nothing but animal droppings, and copious amounts of sugar in one of her kitchen cupboards. Finally all that was left to check was the upstairs.

Slow plodding echoes mirrored their path up the stairs. The four mares could hear the slightest snores, and murmurs coming from the opposite side of the door. Gently the door to Fluttershy's room swung open soundlessly, save for the gentle thud the handle made when hitting the wall.

There the four of them saw eight limbs of purple, and yellow intertwined in the buttery mare's bed. Pink, and indigo manes sat disheveled atop their owners heads while their lips sat mere centimeters away from each other gently inhaling and exhaling in synch. A purple hoof began to caress a yellow barrel, as a buttery hoof stroked an indigo mane.

"So should we get goin' cuz it don't feel right intrudin' on their private time." Offered Applejack as a furious blush spread across her face.

"My, my dear how often does one get the chance to enjoy gossip in the making, just think about what fun this will be to discuss with everypony." Retorted Rarity, clearly enjoying this way too much.

"Yeah, lets go I mean what's the fun of just watching. Plus this is starting to feel really wierd. I mean what if the situation were reversed would you want them watching you post coitus." Rebutted Rainbow Dash.

"Come on don't be a spoil sport they're just getting to the best part." Pinkie Pie piped up,"I mean look at them two young lovers locked in each others thrall while their closest friends watch not a stones throw away. The  of of their carnal relations still hanging in the air,  punctuating the late morning, when they would wake in each others embrace."

"And then as their eyelids slowly open to meet the days harsh rays they stop, and look only into one another's longing gaze. But what is this, their friends sit at the entrance to their sanctum staring, judging, silently knowing that nopony in the room will have the same relationship again. So now the star-crossed lovers find themselves torn between their love for each other, and the knowledge that no mater how much they care for one another society will never find their union possible. After years of running, and hiding the lovers stand on the edge of the forest that has claimed the lives of so many others in the past. Luckily the pair know a secret within the deadly timberland, a spot clear of prying eyes. Unbeknownst to them however a single stallion furious with their decision has taken upon himself to end the lives of the heathens. After chasing the two for miles the stallion has cornered one against a cliff face, and before her mate can stop the insane colt he manages to plunge a knife deep into her abdomen. Finally the other has caught up, and ended the life of the one who would deny the pair their happiness. Slowly the two limp towards a great stone keep stopping frequently due to the loss of blood.  Now their final endeavour shall be undertaken hiding deep within an ancient, crumbling castle beneath long rotted tapestries, and banners of an age long since passed. The dying sun now slips beneath the horizon leaving cursed sanguine in its wake slowly fading to indigo, and then finally violet as the shadows grow longer leaving only the scarcest traces of light left around them. For one last time they stare into turquoise, and lavender eyes respectively before drinking the goblet of poison laced wine that would end their lives in each others hooves, as they always wanted to go."

"Oh my Pinkie, darling, that was beautiful." Choked out Rarity between sobs.

"Yeah that was the radest thing I've ever heard we really should let them express their love freely, and without judgment." Agreed Rainbow now weeping with Rarity.

"What the BUCK was that Pinkie." Retorted a flustered Applejack.

"That's just what the Author wanted to say in order to garner more feels, and gain more viewers for his crappy story silly filly."

"Come on lets go get yer happy time pills Pinkie."

"Awww but they make the readers sad."

"Were goin' end of story. Come on you two quit cryin' lets go."

Once Applejack had successfully coaxed the other three out of Fluttershy's house under threat of violence. She marched ahead leading the way to the hospital to get Pinkie a series of painful injections against her will, to get the voices in her head to stop. Before they left however AJ closed Fluttershy's front door with more force than was necessary, and answering her slam of the door was, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," emanating from the second floor window in stereo. Thereby dispelling any notion the two had been in a same sex relationship.

Chitin had been wandering the woods in the general direction of the cave he had been guarding for some time. Now he felt a pang flow through his body rendering him to a huddled mass. Before the last of his strength left him he pulled a small crystal from inbetween one of the holes in his hooves, regarding it briefly he saw a small pink mist swirling within the otherwise transparent quartz. Charging magic into his horn he drained the crystal of all the power it contained.

Luckily he had had the foresight to pack four of the love containing crystals into each of his legs. He would've packed more, but two were suspicious as it was. Only one of these crystals was issued to everyling in the hive, in case of emergency. It had saved many of them after the Canterlot Incident. Draining the gem had given Chitin a much needed boost, and also served to remind him that he had not had a proper "meal" since before he left his post.

With renewed vigor Chitin took to the air to reassess his bearings. Audible pops traced his path through the air as he closed the gap to the cave via teleportation. Several teleports, and a few miles later Chitin felt fatigue take purchase once more. He couldn't stop now the cave was nearly in sight, he felt it in his exoskeleton.

There on horizon he saw the clearing that he so loved to frequent on slow days, which was mostly every day. Only now it looked off, rather than the picturesque scene he had grown so used to, there now sat a muddy, bloody pit over flowing with filthy water slowly growing stagnant.

In that place he could still feel some residual emotion emanating from the site. Instead of the pleasing sweet emotion of love he had grown so used to this new feeling felt only bitter on his tongue. Rage, pain, sorrow all sat in his senses filling him with the anguish of the one who had felt it. The strong emotions that permeated the air were still enough to recharge him, and as painful as it was to draw on the emotions of this place he felt obligated to absorb the negativity in this place. With a heavy heart, magic pulsed from his horn absorbing the sentimental ether all around him. Several minutes passed while the deed was done, and after, he felt only the desire to kill something weak, and vulnerable.

Chitin skulked towards the cave, hatred emanating from his every pore, and he could almost see the dark miasma that hung around him. What little wildlife did live this far into the ancient hoary forest seemed to scatter at his every stomp. The small insects unlucky enough to be caught underhoof were crushed into paste without remorse.

The noonday sun barely cut through the intertwined branches, and sprayed the forest floor with dim light. A single solitary beam cut clearly enough to be called a ray, and caught Chitin in the eye. He now felt these emotions from a different perspective, he didn't want to feel this way anymore he wanted to dispel these feelings. A lump formed in the back of his throat growing ever so slightly,  he could feel these feelings concentrate into the base of his skull. His head whipped back and forth as wheezing coughs, and gags built in succession. He could now feel slime climbing its way up the back of his throat, and he had to suppress the urge to empty the rest of the contents of his stomach. The seconds stretched into minutes as finally an oily black slime worked its way out of his mouth, and rolled haphazardly onto the ground.

Now the negative emotions that had plagued him so had been congealed into physical form, and expelled forcefully. Now the sunlight seemed brighter, and the dull gray shades all around him looked sharper, crisper even. He stared upon the repugnant, lumpy ball in disgust as it radiated the negative emotions he had been feeling earlier. The bitter taste still fresh on his tongue, he set off in the direction of the cave with a new spring in its step.

The path he had taken to and from the clearing had been a well worn one, long before he had been assigned to guard the beast's prison. He could travel this trail with his eyes closed, and he had on several occasions. The steps today however felt off as if alien hooves had trampled over the sanctity of this place, with clumsy stupid steps.

He could now see the entrance to the cave, and several shadowy figures within the recesses of the cave. The first to leave the cave was a Changeling with a flare of green fire on its flank. The one that followed had the constellation of orion adorning its flank. Another exited the gullet of the cave with a green bubble on its side. The fourth, and final Changeling to leave the prison had no cutie mark, only its eyes had gone from their natural blue to a black so deep they seemed to absorb all light that entered.

Chitin had hear stories but thought them only that, stories. The group of Changelings that had been granted cutie marks by the Ageless Queen herself. The military's elite tracking and execution squad. This was the Cult of Skaro. Sec the leader, Caan the second in command, Thay navigator, and Jast combat specialist.

Chitin was considered foolish by many, especially himself, but even he wasn't about to knock heads with the most feared government sanctioned killers in the changeling empire. He promptly turned tail, and ran as quietly as possible before his legs could give out.

He ran at break neck speeds back to the clearing the monster had trashed. Looking upon the carnage once more Chitin could make out a trail barely distinguishable from the rest of the mangled forest clearing. Taking great care to not touch anything in the fresh-ish grave Chitin floated over to the "trail." Apprehension built as he took his first step into the beasts wake.

"Commander Sec look," Thay exclaimed, "this appears to have been excreted from a Changeling, and recently. The negative emotions are so great its easy to see why it was cut like a cancerous tumor. What do you make of this commander?"

"Quite obviously, there is a Changeling following us, we shall have  to keep a close eye on further developments, and eliminate this loose end if need be." Sec stated his cold dead eyes betrayed by a smirk breaking his otherwise stoic nature. "Who knows this may even be fun."