Chapter 4

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“Hey, nice job out there today! You’re gettin’ a lot better!”

I rubbed my left wing, feeling the fake feathers on my disguised hoof, trying to relieve some of the burning feeling racing through it. “Thanks,” I gasped, my lungs refusing to work properly after the workout. “But next time, why don’t we try avoiding the thunderheads?”

She laughed, her voice cracking slightly. “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, it builds character!”

I just shook my head as I walked back towards the library, too tired to bother responding as she floated a few feet above, off to my right side.

What Rainbow Dash said was true, though; I was getting quite a bit better at all sorts of flying day-to-day. Since the race we had when we first met, Dash had become a sort of impromptu-tutor to me, teaching me workouts and exercises for improving overall flight, and in those four weeks, I could fly faster, longer, and with much more precision. Her given reason for helping me out? “I just think that there’s a lot of potential in you, is all. And I’ll be damned if one of my friends isn’t at their absolute best!”

While I rather enjoyed the flights and the challenges she pushed on me, Dash as a pony could rub me the wrong way sometimes. She had next to no sense of humility when it came to flying, and her bragging and boasting soured the occasion many a time.

Twilight joined us as we passed the Town Hall, her saddlebags looking like they were full of important scrolls and documents as she trotted down the steps. “Hello, Rainbow Dash! Hey, Peili!” She smiled at us, matching my pace of a tired, groggy slug.

I smiled as warmly as I could at her as she came up alongside me, given the way I felt right now. I refolded my wings to my side and put my hoof back on the ground, the stiffness my feathered limbs had acquired making me wince slightly. Truth be told, I really didn’t have anything to complain about, as Dash’s little crush on me kept my strength flowing throughout our regime. Even now, I could feel her eyes and affection on me, slowly easing the tension from my joints and bringing vitality back into my body.

It made me feel guilty, leading her on for so long, pretending that I was clueless, but I was torn between trying to let her down gently and at the same time preserve what we had, or continuing the charade and maintaining the status quo. I kept trying to tell myself that, as long as things stayed as they were, everything would be fine, but my conviction of that belief weathered away with every flight as Dash became less and less subtle.

Twilight nudged me with her shoulder lightly, smirking once I had looked to her. It was that smirk; the one I got every single day after spending more than five minutes with Dash, the one slightly teasing and begging for details of our excursions.

I dismissed her with a sigh and a shake of the head, throwing in a small smile of my own in case the Unicorn thought me to be in a bad mood. I was glad when I saw the library not three blocks away, happy to be rid of Dash for a bit. I know that sounds horrible, but the moments in her company not spent working out and flying were terribly awkward and uncomfortable for me, especially when she made passes at me.

“I’m gonna take off, Scoot’s waiting for me at her clubhouse for a meet or something like that. I’ll see you guys,” She bumped my flank with hers, throwing in an indiscreet wink while she was at it. “Later.”

Exactly the type of thing that made me apprehensive of being around her. As she flew further and further away, I felt cold as her emotions left me, and my hooves felt like they had been dipped in cement somewhere along my journey. I shivered quietly for a moment, but the flash of negativity only lasted a moment as my body readjusted to the lack of love quickly.

“You have to acknowledge it at some point, Peili.”

I quirked an eyebrow at her. “What’s in the bag? Looks important.” I stated with feigned interest, trying my best to dance around the topic for as long as possible.

“Oh, various love letters, mushy sonnets, the like.” She returned, not missing a beat.

“Really? Who’s Mayor Mare’s special somepony?”

“Well, she’s very tight-lipped about it, but she keeps referencing a dark stallion with a green mane and teal eyes... Does he sound familiar to you?” Twilight sounded for all the world like the embodiment of innocence, but her emotions reeked of mockery.

I grinned at the opening she gave me in this verbal battle. “I can honestly say that I’m not a stallion, and I do not, in fact, have a green mane.”

She quickly looked around, checking to see if anypony had heard me, but there was next to no one in the streets of Ponyville right now, the sun having set a few minutes ago. “That reminds me, how are we going to break the news?” She asked, satisfied we were not being eavesdropped upon.

The door to the library was opened with an aura of her magic as we reached the landing, and I stepped back, letting her pass through the threshold before I did. It wasn’t until we were both inside the tree, surrounded by the glow of its candles and lanterns that I answered her.

“Truthfully, I haven’t given as much thought to the problem as I should have. Specifics are undecided, but perhaps having Celestia present would help ease the situation?” I made for the kitchen, through which the bathroom was located, intent on taking a shower in lieu of my workout.

“That seems like a good idea. Also, when-?”

A knock at the door cut her off mid sentence, and I slipped into the kitchen after she told me that she would get it. In my haste to get under the jets of hot water I had become fond of during my stay here, I didn’t bother knocking on the closed door first, so it was to my shame and disappointment when I was greeted with a softly humming Spike in the middle of taking a bubble bath.

The sound of the door hitting the wall roused him from the singing of a song he had more than likely made up, and his face went bright red at seeing me.

“Please tell me that this isn’t one of your marathon-long baths...” I asked dejectedly. If this was the case, there was next to no chance of me getting under the showerhead tonight.

“What?” He asked defensively. “I gotta maintain the smoothness of my scales for Sweetie, and unless you wanna go to a volcano and get some lava for me, I need this long in the water!”

“Can’t you just go down to the lake or something?” The baby dragon and I had already gone through this conversation numerous times, but I didn’t expect anything to change even as I asked this.

“It’s too cold in the lake. Besides, the lake doesn’t have bubbles.” He sunk further down into the soapy mass spilling out over the edges of the bathtub, resolute on staying there for as long as possible.

My ear twitched towards the kitchen as I heard Twilight speaking, but it didn’t sound like she was talking to anypony in particular. Still, better to see what she was talking about than listen to Spike for another quarter of the day. I couldn’t resist a parting shot before leaving, though.

“Alright, fine. But Spike?” I waited until he looked back at me, and seeing the slightly annoyed expression on his face made my next action all the sweeter.

As soon as his eyes were on me, I dropped my disguise as quickly as I could, revealing the Changeling underneath and taking a lunging step towards him, throwing in a quiet hissing sound through my teeth while I was at it. Watching the little purple biped jump out of his armored hide made the inability to take a shower seem much more manageable.

“I hate it when you do that!” He called out as I turned, walking back through the kitchen and stifling a yawn. I still had my devilish grin on my face as I peeked out into the main lobby, making sure it was just Twilight there and nopony else. Satisfied, I stepped through the portal, calling out to the Unicorn as I did so.

“Twilight? Did you say something?” I moved over to the table in the center of the room upon seeing one of her books lying on it, taking in the details of the cover. It was was a very deep blue, spiral notebook, decorated with white and purple stars and a swirling blue pattern on the top half, with two large, aqua stars to the left of the swirl.

It was odd for Twilight to leave books just lying around, especially ones that looked as special as this. As I got within a foot or two of the notebook, I could feel a slight aura of magic radiating out from it, which was odd, seeing as there was no Unicorn casting a spell on it right now.

“Sorry?” She called from upstairs, and I could hear her trotting down the steps shortly afterwards. “Oh! That’s a special delivery from the Princess!” She explained, seeing me gesture towards it. “There’s a spell she wants me to complete inside, but it’s a little late for that now, don’t you think?”

I nodded, and just in time to punctuate her point, I could feel another yawn coming.

She giggled warmly at me, throwing her head towards the stairs. “Why don’t you head to bed? You look like you could use some sleep after those workouts with Dash.”

I didn’t even look at the grin she had as I passed her, opting instead for a playful swat on the withers with my black and grey tail. “Goodnight, Egghead.” I called, ascending the stairs to her room.

A minute later, I was curled up between her bed and the large window once more. It was a while before I finally fell asleep, but my rest wasn’t as nice as I would have hoped for.

There was something... nagging at me that night. Buzzing away in the back of my head, disturbing every dream. Flashes of green floated everywhere, tiny specks in the corner of my eyes everywhere I looked.

As I blinked awake, unable to maintain sleep, the darkness of midnight greeted me. Luna’s moon was shining above, framed by Twi’s window, and its glow drew my eyes. The brightness blotted out my surroundings, allowing me to zone out and focus on the invading feeling plaguing my rest.

It was a vibrant green beacon in my head, floating far, far off in the distance. It barely seemed to move, but that was more than likely due to my perspective on it. The weariness I felt hindered my thoughts and speculations, so it wasn’t until the moon touched the edge of the window sill that the realization and terror gripped me, pulling me to consciousness in a heartbeat.

My holed wings shot out to either side of me reflexively, and I couldn’t keep my left one still as I rolled to my hooves, all but sprinting to Twilight’s bed once I stood up.

Just as I reared to try and shake her awake, I paused, thinking of the panic waking her in such a manner would introduce. I dropped to all fours after staying frozen in the air for a moment.

Should I even wake her?

Of course you should! What do you think she’ll assume happened if you - a Changeling in disguise - suddenly disappeared overnight?

What if she tries to stop me? I have to leave, now, and I’m not sure telling her the exact reason is the best plan of action.

She’ll understand. Friends always do, and you know she trusts you. Sure, she’ll be nervous, but it’s better than terrified, the way she would be if you left her in the dark.

I had a point. Informing her seemed like the best way to go at this point, and I really couldn’t afford to wait around and think this through any longer. So saying, I nudged her quite urgently on the shoulder with my hoof.

______________________________________________________________________________

My heart was racing and my wings were burning by the time I got within half a mile of the other Changeling. I had to drop to the forest floor and rest before I plummeted out of the sky.

The other knew I was here now, if he didn’t know before. I was absolutely certain of this, as the beacon of light rose a dozen metres or so, above the canopy of the Everfree, and flew straight towards me. It wouldn’t be long before he got here, maybe two minutes, and though I knew not their intentions, being caught off guard was never a good idea. So saying, I spread my hind legs slightly, lowering my torso to the ground, and making sure the other knew I was ready to defend myself. My left wing twitched slightly as I waited.

My breathing was still heavy as my ears perked at the sound of buzzing wings coming from directly ahead of me. The green light wasn’t more than half a kilometer away, now. I watched from my mind’s eye as it drew closer. Four hundred metres... three hundred... two... one...

A solid black form with glowing teal eyes dropped through the thicket of branches, landing fifty feet away from me. My breath caught in my throat as I looked on my brother, taking in the pattern of his fori, and my eyes went wide.

“Kuva?” I gaped, speaking in Equestrian tongue out of a habit born during the last four weeks.

His features were steely, unreadable, but the emotions pouring off of him resonated with contempt and disappointment, though the former was much, much more apparent. He remained absolutely silent, unmoving except for the slight flaring of his nostrils.

I shook my head in disbelief, my breathing still coming in a slightly labored fashion. “What...?”

“How, fucking, dare you?” He clicked with his wings and teeth. Menacingly, he started taking slow strides towards me, and I backed at an equal pace, not out of fear, but to buy time.

“Kuva...”

“Peili, shut the fuck up. I don’t give a rat’s ass why you left and betrayed all of us, and I don’t want to hear your bullshit.”

His steps grew slightly longer and faster, and I tried increasing my pace as well, only to have my flank hit a tree painfully. My head dropped defensively, and a low snarl ripped through clenched teeth as a warning to him.

He plowed right through the sound, completely unfazed. “The fact is, you’re a traitor. I can tell just by the scents rolling off of you. You’ve been spending a lot of time with ponies.”

“Let me speak!”

He never slowed. As he drew nearer, I had to quickly circle to the right to slow his advance. I ran, and he mirrored me, causing us to stalk around each other, both low and tensed.

“Kuva, I had to leave. I couldn’t stay-”

“I already told you,” he interrupted dangerously, “I don’t care. I didn’t come looking for you to hear an explanation, I came here to make you realize that you abandoned me without a single fucking glance backwards.” He growled at me, closing in slowly.

“I’ve been feeding almost daily for the past month, and I bet that I could rip your head off with a single foreleg. Even if I were about to become a husk, I wouldn’t get more than a few scratches from you on any given day.”

“I know, that’s why you were in the Honor Guard.”

I backed away, but he was gaining.

“Kuva, please...”

No response. He wasn’t more than five feet away, now.

“KUVA!”

He leapt, and I reacted on instinct. As he came flying towards me, teeth bared, I buckled my right legs and rolled to the side, dodging his grapple. I came back up quickly, spinning to face him, and he did the same.

“Hey! Relax!”

“Shut up!” He hissed. He attacked again, though he stayed on his hooves in case I rolled again. He raised his left leg to swipe at my head as he lunged, but my reflexes made me duck under it. I kicked with my back legs in one powerful motion, lifting my head at the same time and driving my horn into his upper right foreleg.

His momentum and my attack sent him toppling to my right with a shriek, and I pulled my horn out as he fell, slashing him across the chest and neck with the razor-point. I heard a sickening crunch as his full weight crushed his extended wing underneath him.

Yellowish-green blood trickled down my forehead and his wide wounds. I could hear him whimpering softly from the pain, and his agony was not lost on me. I couldn’t even try to look at him, instead staring at the ground, shaking slightly while a frenzy of emotions battered around in my chest and throat.

A sharp cry and a soft *thump* sounded from him, and I guessed that he had tried to stand up, only to flop right back down again. Tears stung my eyes, and though I squeezed my eyelids tightly, he noticed almost immediately. A painful, coarse laugh was barked out by him.

“I don’t understand you, Peili. Why can’t you just grow the fuck up and be a real Changeling?” He spoke in Equestrian now, unable to move his wing without pure agony piercing him.

I had to swallow my snarl, but even so, he got the rise out of me that he was fishing for. I raised my head, meeting his stare unbreakingly. “Changelings are monsters. There has to be some part of you that sees this.”

He tried to shift, and I heard another crack from his pinned limb. He groaned slightly, but it didn’t stop him. “I see a traitor that left his home behind. Yeah, we might be monsters in their eyes, but look at what they do to us on sight. All they have to do is look at us before deciding that we’re vermin and need to die like cockroaches.”

He winced after every breath, and it tore me to pieces to see him like this, even though his words kept a fire burning inside me. “That’s because we’re nothing but parasites to them! All we do is kidnap, use, then kill them!”

“If they would give us a chance, we could be something more! We wouldn’t have to hide and kill just to survive!”

“What do you think I’ve been doing for the past month? Sitting on my flank and sucking my hoof?! I’ve been living with a mare, learning from her, and she’s been doing the same from me! I even have the blessing of the Princess!”

He stared up at me, most of the malice gone from his eyes and aura, replaced with blank shock. I pressed this advantage, hoping to make him see my goals.

“I left because I couldn’t take the guilt and shame of almost burning a city to the ground over half a year ago. I went to their castle with the full intention of dying, but the Princess spared me, and said that I could help her kingdom by opening ponies’ eyes to what a Changeling really is. She sent me to live with her student, and she treats me the same way she does the ponies she met over two years ago.

“Don’t you see, Kuva? I’m trying to help everyone here, Changelings and ponies. If I can get them to see us as equals, we can live in harmony!”

His jaw was wide open, gaping with the story I thrust at him and leaving him in disbelief. “I... I had no idea, Peili...”

I shook my head slightly, feeling the last embers of my anger die down. “If you had let me explain...” I glanced at his wounds, and his leg repeatedly drew my gaze. The slashes I inflicted on his chest weren’t too bad, but the open hole was as large as one of his fori and constantly trickling blood. I gave a slight huff, smirking at him. “You bull headed idiot.”

He returned the gesture, and though his tone was airy, it was strained. “Ah, screw you. Now help me up, my wing fucking kills.”

My head shook again, and I looked to the foliage around us for something to use as a bandage. “Not yet, we need to patch your leg.”

I spotted some large ferns hanging off to our right, and I galloped over to them, hearing him mutter behind me as I departed. “Thanks for the reminder, that feels like it’s on fire, too.”

“You big baby,” I grabbed the bases of two ferns that were about the size of my leg in my jaw, being careful not to rip them to shreds with my teeth. “It’s just a flesh wound.” I mumbled around them, dragging them to his side.

I dropped the plants, moving my nose to his injured leg and looking around it. Thankfully, my horn didn’t puncture the other side or break off any small pieces in the wound, or this would be much more complicated. “I’m really sorry, but you’re going to have to extend your leg so I can wrap it.”

He gave a deep, nervous sigh, nodding lightly. I could almost picture the muscle inside flexing as he groaned, moving his limb away from his body and shaking from the pain. I set to work instantly, bringing one fern over the wound and draping it across so that the tip hung from the other side. I had the plant tied around his foreleg a few seconds later, but a small part of the hole still peeked out. I saw the tears in the corners of his eyes, and quickly had the other fern fully covering the injury.

“Alright, relax,” I muttered, taking most of the weight of his leg on my nose and guiding it back to his side. “That’s all set.”

“Thanks, I think. When did you become a combat medic?” He half laughed, half groaned.

“Never, unfortunately. I have no idea if what I just did helped in any major way, but at least there’s pressure on it. I’ll have to ask Fluttershy about treating injuries sometime.”

“Fluttershy?” He asked, quirking a brow.

“One of the ponies I’ve met in Ponyville. She works with animals and treats their wounds all the time. Now...” I walked around behind him after grabbing a stick off the ground and placing it in front of him. “Bite down on that, because this is going to hurt.” I pushed my nose under the blades of his back, signalling my intention.

“Oh, fuck.” I heard him snatch the wood off the ground, grunting apprehensively a moment later.

I pushed upwards with my neck, bringing him off of his side and onto his hooves. I heard his wing crack as it readjusted to being free, as well as the sound of agonized shrieks and a stick snapping violently in half.

As he stood upright, I hastily moved my head and shoulders under his torso, lifting him onto my back. I didn’t trust him to be able to handle his own weight just yet. Though he wasn’t too heavy, I wasn’t entirely convinced that I could make the trek back to town in one journey.

I felt him shuddering and shaking on top of me, and though I didn’t actually get a good look at his wing, I knew it would be far from fixed at this point. Hopefully, Fluttershy or somepony in town would be able to help us.

After a few moments, he had calmed down for the most part. “You okay?”

He drew in several deep breaths, and even managed to keep most of them from shaking. “Yeah, I’m good. Know where we’re going?”

I grunted in affirmation, setting off through the trees towards Ponyville.

______________________________________________________________________________

I walked for a number of hours, though my pace was hindered by the lack of a distinct trail as well as the rather loud idiot on my back, but even through his near-constant protests and mumbles, he stayed on my back. Picking our way through dense trees, brambles and thorns, and even having to half-swim, half-fly across a wide river depleted my energy quickly. By the time I could see the lightening of the sky as the night came to a close, I was absolutely exhausted, and ready to drop within the next hour or so. Changelings were not built for carrying things long distances; that's why we have cocoons.

Kuva was asleep, as he had been for an hour or so, but I had to wake him when I saw lights in the distance of the otherwise-pitch forest. A few smart flicks across the cheek with the tip of my wing got his attention.

“Hmmwhat?” He moaned, displeased at being woken up.

“I need you to get off for a minute, I see something ahead.” I whispered to him, assuming that whatever lay ahead was hostile.

I felt his chin brush my shoulder as he turned his head, looking forward, and he suddenly became much less relaxed on me. “Right...”

I found a fallen log for him to rest on, and, slowly and carefully, I set him against the wooden surface. I helped him prop his leg up and elevate the wound, but my stomach dropped when I caught sight of the ferns; the parts of green covering the wound were wet and completely stained through with pus-colored ooze, which I knew to be his blood. I was unsure if the makeshift bandages were even slowing the blood loss, but I knew enough not to remove the ferns and check.

I also finally got to see his wing, and almost immediately wished I hadn't looked. His translucent appendage looked like a piece of crumpled foil, split and cracked and bent in all manner of angles. The dark, sea-green color it was supposed to take was very pale, as the base of his wing had become swollen and engorged, cutting off his blood.

My chest felt as frozen as the tundras surrounding the Crystal Empire. He may lose his wing because of me.

This also presented a new problem; since Kuva’s wounds were startlingly more severe than I had first thought, I wouldn’t be able to rest before scouting out whatever was ahead, like I wanted to. Now, I had to pray to whoever laid above that there was some sort of aid available to us from the lights.

“Sit tight, I’ll only be a minute.” I shot over to him, morphing into my standard black Pegasus form.

“And if you don’t come back?”

I clenched my jaw a few times as the weight of his words settled on me. “If that’s the case,” I whispered, turning to him. “Then I’m sorry. And I love you.”

He giggled ruthlessly at me for a few moments. “You big, sappy oaf. Get outta here.” He smirked.

I snapped a mock salute to him before cautiously picking my way towards the lights. I kept my torso as low to the ground as I could, moving or sidestepping twigs that might give me away. The sounds of various wildlife animals helped mask my approach, and it wasn’t more than three minutes before I could make out a distinct shape from which the light was pouring through.

It was a large and twisted tree, but it was not menacing or threatening looking. The two tribal masks and the bottle filled with various liquids might deter somepony from thinking otherwise, but this looked to be a traditional zebra-style home. I cheered inwardly; zebras were masters at brewing and using potions and poultices, and even if we couldn’t persuade the house’s occupants to help us, we could always snatch some medical books and medicinal herbs.

The front door of the hut opened suddenly, and I retreated further into the brush, hiding in the deep shadows cast by the lights of the hut. I observed a cloaked figure stepping out, her brown garment not concealing her various golden bracelets or earring. This was good, as it helped me recognize her.

“Zecora!” I shouted, trotting out of the trees towards her.

She jumped at the sound of her name, but her composure was resumed instantly upon seeing me. She dropped her hood and grinned before speaking. “Ah, Peili, it has been a while. Though you look like you have been through bog and bile.”

She was probably right, and I could feel dozens of scratches and nicks on my form, but there really wasn’t any room in my exhausted mind for that. “I know, and that’s a long story. I’ll tell you later, but I need your help first.”

“Your breaths are deep and your words are rushed. Tell me, what is causing you this fuss?”

I paused, choosing my next words with great care. “How much do you know of Changelings?” I phrased this slowly, cautious to her reaction.

Her head tilted and eyes narrowed, but she didn’t look put off by me. “Little knowledge do I possess, but that is better than none, yes?”

I sighed deeply, thinking that Kuva may not have a chance at keeping his wing after all. “Would you try to help one? He’s wounded badly, and I can’t give him the care he needs.”

Her hesitation was born of suspicion of me, not of helping a Changeling, that much I could tell. It was a moment full of tension as she evaluated me with nothing but her eyes, and it was a great relief when she finally spoke. “Bring him here, I will do what I must. But Peili, after this, there is much to be discussed.”

I nodded, and we turned away from each other, setting off in our respective directions. While she went back to her hut, presumably to prepare her supplies, I raced back through the forest, quickly reaching my brother.

“So? What you’d find?” He asked, seemingly nervous at my rushed pace.

I smiled openly, helping him to his hooves and lifting him back onto me. “A friend. She’s going to help you out, Kuva.”

He slumped on my shoulders, breathing a relaxed sigh. “‘Bout time I caught a break.”

“Listen, she doesn’t know that I’m a Changeling, but I think she has her suspicions. If the subject comes up, let me handle it.” I felt his chin bump against me as he nodded.

In a minute, we were at Zecora’s front door, and the portal seemed to open of its own accord after I knocked twice. Stepping through, I felt the hot atmosphere hit me like a wave, and quickly found the zebra at a large cauldron in the center of the room, mixing together vials of liquid and some various herbs.

“Come in, lay him down, and then we must meet,” She gestured to the far side of her hut, where a small mattress lay beneath a window. “I need you to tell me of the wounds we must treat.”

I followed her instructions, setting my brother on the yellow bedspread with caution before trotting to her side. “He’s got a mild gash across his chest and neck, nothing too bad,” I started, not waiting for any signal. She nodded along with my words, gathering different vials and tonics as I described more of his condition. “There’s a deep, wide hole in his upper foreleg, and I’m worried that it’s still bleeding, even though I wrapped it. His wing looks like the worst; it’s very swollen at the base, cutting off his blood, and it’s cracked and bent everywhere.”

She took three wooden bowls from the side of the cauldron, scooping the mixture inside the black pot into the bowls and filling them about halfway. Quickly, she poured different solutions and crushed herbs into the three bowls, and all three turned different colors. One was a deep, blood red, another was a pastel green, and the last was completely clear and looked gelatinous.

She handed me the bowl with the clear paste inside before grabbing the remainders, moving to Kuva’s side. I followed behind her with the bowl in my mouth, reaching my brother in seconds. He was on his right side, facing us, wing clearly displayed in all its sickening horror. I don’t think Zecora even batted an eyelash at the sight.

“Your bowl,” She mumbled, setting down her two before continuing. ”Will ease the pain of his wounds. Apply it to his chest, and the leg will come soon.”

I did as she said, scooping a little bit of the paste with my hoof and moving to his front.

“This isn’t gonna hurt, is it?” Kuva eyed my gooey hoof wearily, backing away a fraction of an inch.

“You are such a wuss!”

“You can go to hel-ooooh.” I pushed my hoof at him, smearing the gel across his gash, and he immediately let go of all tension in his body. “Know what? Keep going. That feels great...” I slathered some more of the paste onto his chest, completely covering his wound in it.

“See? Not so bad... Kuva?” My brother was out cold in the blink of an eye, and I figured that was cause for some alarm. “Zecora?”

The zebra was examining his wing, but she did not even glance at me before answering. “A mild sedative is in the gel. I had to add it so he would not yell.” Just as she finished, a rag soaked with the crimson mixture was pulled up by her teeth, and she gently draped it across the swollen knot at the base of my brother’s wing. I guessed that it was supposed to reduce the swelling or something to that effect, but there was no time to ask as she moved to the ferns around his leg.

Taking the tied knots in her teeth and pulling, the plants fell off the bed and revealed the hole underneath. “My oh my, you are no liar. This wound looks like it is full of ire.” The edges of the puncture were inflamed, making the black chitin around it puff up angrily. “Take some of this green, rub it here, and all that is ill will disappear.”

In a moment, I had the aforementioned cloth in my mouth, and I could smell nothing but the potent scent of the solution as it stung my nose. Wanting to put the dripping rag down as soon as I could, I guided it to Kuva’s leg wound and dabbed around it, hearing a rather painful hiss when it contacted flesh and thanking the stars that my brother was asleep.

“Inside, too?” I muttered around the cloth, turning to the zebra. She had taken the cloth off of his wing, and was soaking it in the red solution again. I was surprised to see how small the base of his appendage had become already, and cracked a ghost of a smile at the returning color it brought.

Zecora simply nodded, bringing the rag back to the knot. I resumed my task, bringing the rag to his wound again and lightly touching all of the surfaces I could reach with the rag. After a few seconds, the hissing noise came from inside the wound as well as out, and I set the cloth back into its bowl. I heard cracks from the right as Zecora readjusted his wing, and I was suddenly glad I was occupied so I didn’t have to see the process.

“What now?” I asked, but to my surprise, the mare shook her head, causing the golden rings around her neck to clatter lightly. I stepped out of her way as she brought over some proper bandages, applying them the his leg wound after some of the clear gel was rubbed on it.

“Now we let this poor soul rest. Both you and I have done our best.”

“He’s going to be fine, right? He won’t lose the wing or anything?”

She nodded, gathering the three bowls and balancing them on her head, using her ears to keep them from falling. “I believe that his chances are very good. Though I urge you to not let him walk or fly, understood?” I gave my affirmation, and she trotted over to the cauldron, replacing the bowls before looking around at the shelves covering the walls. “A trip into Ponyville must I make. Not long, I assure you, will I take. While I am gone, try to sleep. I see the way your eyes weep.”

“Thank you so much,” I said, bowing slightly. “I can’t think of a way to repay you for this.”

“An explanation of this Changeling will suffice. Now and go and rest, I will not tell you thrice!” She added with a smirk.

With another small bow, I turned, walking with heavy hoofsteps to my brother’s bedside. I heard the door shut while I curled up beside the bed, sighing at finally being able to lay down. I could hear the call of morning birds as they got ready for the day. As I drifted off to sleep, it was no small comfort to me to know that my brother was above me, and that he would be alright.

-(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)--(O)-

Author's Note

I apologize for the profuse amounts of swearing in this chapter.
But yeah, comment on what you think, whether that be criticism or praise! Thanks!