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Chrysalis

Humming in contentment I couldn’t help but think how nice it is to wake up warm and not on the ceiling today. Ari’s feathers tickled my chitin and my wing gave a half hearted buzz underneath his wing. This was perfect.

*grumble*

Of course the storm would still be there. Hopefully it blows over today, I would like a proper bed again, and even a pile of leaves would do at this point.

*grumble*

I didn’t want to open my eyes, this sensation of love and warmth was almost too good to be true. Of course now that I said that, Celestia’s began to raise the sun, it seems even thousands of miles away she still manages to aggravate me. Little known fact about changelings is that we have incredible night vision.

*rumble*

Wait the sun's out, then what is making that sound?

Once again my thoughts are derailed, this time not by wavering thoughts but by my living blanket and pillow, also known as Ari. He stood and stretched his wings and then his back, giving me a perfect view to his morning problem.

“I appreciate waking on the ground this morning.” I said with a playful sass before I stood as well, cracking my back. Did his eye just twitch?

“Sorry about that.” Ari still looked sheepish but in a endearing way, not nearly as stupid as he had been.

“Did you hear all the noise just before the sun rose?”

“No, maybe it was the end of the storm?” I looked outside, there the baleful ball of gas was still raising the sun, in minutes it would reach its position and all sense of direction would be lost again. Interestingly there wasn’t a cloud left in the sky, I didn’t know they could move that fast without pegasi.

“Did you want some breakfast before we hit the road?” What a strange expression, what road are we traveling in this forest and why would we hit it? I gave him a raised eyebrow.

“What?”

“Hit the road?” I sat back and made air brackets with my hooves.

“Oh, sorry that just an expression from where I came from, it just means “get going”. I wasn’t sure if you had enough love last night.” Well that explained it, sort of; actually it was just filling me with more questions the longer I thought about it.

“The food was more than sufficient. I think your love is actually managing to taste better. I could use some breakfast but I can eat as we travel, you are right to “hit the road” as I have been in the Diamond Mountains for way too long.”

He looked like he was going question me so I quickly explained about the lightning storms being centralized in the Diamond Mountains. Mind you, I hadn’t seen a lightning storm till today but all that really proved was Mother Nature's recent level of craziness. With an approximate location I felt better at least, Ari did too if his reaction was any indication. He perked up with the seemingly endless energy that Alicorns are known for, that and their appetite, which is disgustingly large. Ari glanced at me again before we left the cave.

Outside it looked horrible. Aside from the trees by the base of mountain, which looked the best by far, most trees were worse for wear. Once beautiful branches were snapped and splatters of ruined berries dotted the mushy forest floor like a sickening purple rug. There was also a handful of black stumps that gave the forest a eerie feeling. It probably didn't help that it was completely silent.

We were both speechless at what Mother Nature had done. That was mostly true. Once again Sunbutt and her sister had managed to live in what seemed to be the only place that wasn’t suffering. Equis’s weather was going a little crazy. And I didn’t mean estrus level crazy, which was quite scary for unsuspecting stallions, no, I meant the laugh girlishly before killing you type of crazy. Trust me on this, I have been there.

Ari was the first to snap out of the stupor and I trotted to catch up, keeping my chitin in contact with his fur for some love on the go.

“So where are you from? I have never heard of your saying before. I have been to quite few countries, save the Dragon's Badlands of course. They don’t have any love or I should say they have so little love and live in such a dangerous terrain that it isn't worth the risk.” I really hated the draconic badlands, it was nearly all volcanoes and lava pits. The dragons were only slightly better.

He seemed to stew my question over before asking a question that in hindsight made complete sense. “There are dragons here?”

“Yes! Aren’t there dragons where you came from?!”

“…Nope, I am not from around here you could say. On Earth dragons are just a myth, a story to amaze children with. Err, I mean foals.”

After climbing over a particularly thick downed tree we resumed our conversation. “Where is earth? I don’t think I have travelled there before? I might actually want to visit if everyone is as generous as you. You know nopony would ever give love freely like you do. I usually have to disguise myself among other less enjoyable steps to get my food.” I trailed off, I felt suddenly cold as it sunk in. All the disguises, research, and training had turned out to be for nothing. My family never got their safety and food, they had died in hunger and pain. While even now those uninvolved tyrants live in a dreamland, never looking beyond their walls, or perhaps they do know and just don’t care. I’m not sure which reality is worse.

He must have felt my change in mood because he raised his wing and curled it around me in a hug. Looking both thoughtful and sad he nuzzled my ear. “I’m sorry you had to do that I didn’t know that ponies here were soo selfish. But I’m afraid I’m the only earthling you will probably ever meet, I’m from a whole other planet. You see, heh, this sounds really crazy. You see I was taken one day, went to sleep in my bed and woke up hurtling towards the ground. The…cocksucking bastard that took me told me that I had to stop two Alicorn’s from moving the sun and the moon, among other things. Apparently they are killing the planet by moving the sun and moon. I think you know the Alicorn’s I’m talking about.” Ari gave me a mad grin, but I just blinked stupidly after that.

How do I even respond to that? The truth was radiating from him. I could feel no deceit only a righteous anger, a strong emotion that almost made me step away from him. Ari was foal-napped from his home, which was on another planet, and has no way home. For even with my extensive research into magic I have never even heard of planetary magic of the nature that could allow beings to move to other planets, the distance was just too great! That could only mean whoever took him was pretty much a god in magical power alone. The task Ari was given was pretty crazy as well. Why give one Alicorn the task of stopping TWO Alicorns? Not to mention Lovebutt, Shiny, and the elements of harmony would stand against him in such a battle!

I glanced at him, I knew I looked disgusting with the pity in my eyes but I thought I had it bad. “You are doomed, you know that right?” He chuckled at my statement, his anger replaced with mirth.

“Yes, I figured that out.Two very experienced Alicorn’s against one inexperienced Alicorn is a death wish. I haven’t a clue how to get them to stop. Since you seem to know of them anything you could tell me about them would help.”

“You are actually going to try to stop them?” I felt a small feeling of hope.

This time he sighed, “Yes, you see although I want to impale the god who brought me here on my horn, I do have to agree with him. Their meddling with the sun and the moon isn’t natural and doesn’t seem to be working out if that crazy storm is any sign. It is also very annoying that I can’t tell where I’m going or what time it is with their meddling with the sun.”

I giggled at his frustration before it hit me. He was right, the weather was crazy and it had only been getting worse. “Your right, the weather has been crazy. Every year the storms and droughts and floods get worse…” Ari’s attention was completely on me I could feel his hope rising. I cant believe i'm about to do this. “I could help you, I know all about the princesses I had to study them intensivly before the…” I trailed off, I had just put my hoof in my mouth, and now he was curious. Not an unpleasant emotion but I had hoped to never mention this to him.

“Preparing for?” he left it open in a obvious question and I glanced around, noticing we had almost reached the edge of the forest. A rock field lay ahead of us.

There was no avoiding this I guess.

“I had staged an invasion of Equestria, the country the Alicorn princesses live in. It was a desperate act I realize now. My family was starving, I was starving. Our hiveland was being swallowed by burning waters that we couldn’t drink. We had to travel farther everyday to find water and gathering love was becoming harder as fewer changelings were available to gather love. I knew I had to do something or we would die, then it hit me. Why not take over the only country NOT being affected by the unnatural weather?!” I couldn’t bring myself to finish, they were dead because of me.

He stopped; we were on the rock field now. I felt his fur press against my neck, now Ari was tucking my head under his while his wing tightened its hold over me. His love was flowing stronger now, with a hint of sadness marring the otherwise perfect moment in his warmth.

“I failed. We lost and were sent flying over a thousand miles away. I have been searching for months for survivors but I only found bodies. I am the last. I am flightless and alone.” I could feel my eyes burn as I said the truth that I had refused to say these long months. A couple tears escaped and my knees collapsed as my emotions boiled over. I was alone. I was broken. I had killed thousands of my kind, my family, with a half baked plan that I could now see was desperate and doomed from the start.

I don’t how long my emotions poured out but Ari just lay with me on the cold ground with his wing hugging me close. I slowed my hiccupping breaths and nestled my head into his wing. Damn I just ruined my preening job with my snot. I couldn’t believe I just broke down, I mean Ari was ripped from his home he didn’t even so much as a sniffle. Pathetic.

“This is embaras-“

*rumble grumble*

We both froze and looked up at the sky. It was clear, no clouds in sight. Then where-

*GGRRRR*

My eyes widened in recognition, but before I could warn Ari he was hit with a green sphere and unconscious. Five Diamond Dogs had popped out of the ground, surrounding us with green spheres ready. Diamond Dogs truly are a ugly lot. They walk on two legs, had paws instead of hooves, and just like their name suggests looked like a dog.They were one of the few creatures that like dragons I never gathered love from if I could help it, almost for the same reasons as the dragons coincidently. Before I could manage a attack one of the green spheres shattered in my face, releasing a noxious green miasma that forced me unconscious.