Chapter 18: Change of heart

Von gathered himself together from his daze as he stared at the azure unicorn in front of him. Her mane was a light blue, the kind that reminded him of the clear skies above from his memories on Dragon Mountain and when she woke up, Von was captivated by those violet eyes. For reasons he couldn't explain, Von thought this unicorn was beautiful.

"I wonder what kind of unicorn she is." He mumbled to himself.

"Watch where you're going. You nearly messed up The Great and Powerful Trixie's mane." The unicorn declared with a haughty tone. Von's feelings immediately went from interested to annoyed.

Apparently the kind that loves to brag..., he thought. His thoughts were sour, but he wanted to try and at least get to know the unicorn before he judged her. He already felt the pain of what it means to be judged.

"So...who is this 'Great and Powerful Trixie' anyway?" He asked the unicorn. She scoffed and gave him a smug grin.

"I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! Or does Trixie need to show you proof that I am who Trixie says she is?" She responded. Von's irritation was beginning to rise as he never met any pony that acted the way she did, but he was somewhat intrigued at the same time. However, the fact that she called herself 'Great and Powerful' didn't change the fact that Von thought she was weaker looking than Rainbow Dash.

"You don't seem that great and powerful to me." He declared. He ended up getting the reaction that he expected. Trixie got furious and stepped closer to him.

"How dare you! You dare to say that the Great and Powerful Trixie is not great and powerful at all?!" She screeched. Von chuckled in response.

"Yup."

"Very well. Then watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats in which the likes of you have never seen!" She declared as her horn lit up. Von sat down and leaned against a tree.

This is gonna be good, He thought.

Back in Canterlot, Twilight and her friends came rushing into the castle. They were all in a panic and there was a reason why.

"Princess Celestia! Von's gone missing." Twilight stated. Celestia was in the midst of writing a letter by the time they came to her. She stopped writing and looked at them.

"I know. I heard about the commotion near Sugarcube Corner from one of the residents. Tell me what has happened." She said. Just then, Rainbow Dash flew up in front of her face.

"Who cares what happened?! We need to go out there and look for him NOW!!! Who knows what kind of trouble he could have gotten mixed into?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The girls, even Princess Celestia, were shocked to see Rainbow Dash getting so worked up to the point where she'd actually scream at their ruler. Pinkie Pie bounced in front of Rainbow Dash.

"Don't worry, Dashie. Von will come back home safe and sound in the next chapter." She declared. The pegasus immediately backed down and stared at her friend with utter confusion.

"What chapter, Pinkie?" She asked.

"The chapter after this one. Duh. It's a real shame what's gonna happen to him when he sees Nova again. Oh, and you and Soarin are gonna have a great time together." She said. Rainbow Dash continued to stare and the tension in the room died down. Pinkie snorted and started to laugh. "Oops. Spoilers. But that's ok. I'm sure he'll be just fine, Dash." The pink pony's random act managed to calm her friend down and she smiled as she normally would.

"Thanks Pinkie. So, go ahead, Twilight. Tell Celestia what we heard." She said, turning to the unicorn. Twilight nodded and stepped forward. She bowed her head and looked Princess Celestia in the eyes.

"Right. This is what I heard had happened in Ponyville."

"So you're expecting all of Ponyville to run him out?" A curious Chrysalis questioned. Nova chuckled and wiped the leftover blood off his lips.

"That's right. The fact that you brought him into this world, resulting in dad's death is enough to make me want to kill you. However, you seem to be suffering enough because of your little love shortage. But Von has yet to suffer. Ponies and dragons have never been able to get along. Father attempting to love their princess was foolish of him. And you changelings are the enemies of those ponies. Von is a fool for trying to protect them. He wants to be friends with them? He wants to live with them? Then let's see how much he'll still care for them when his true self is revealed to them." After his little rant, Nova opened up a book written in dragon tongue and started to read.

"Precisely, why do you dragons not get along with them? Chrysalis asked. Nova stomped his foot, causing a tremor and looked at her.

"Because of your actions! But I should thank you. I was getting tired of sharing the same air as those beasts. When father died, he died in Celestia's territory. Celestia assured us that there would be no casualties whatsoever should a dragon come into her domain. She let us go to her gem deposits and take as many gems as we wanted to keep ourselves fed. But the moment he died...the moment Von was conceived, I grew to hate them even more!!! But no matter. With this spellbook, I will gain even more power. And I'll deliver Von's head back to his precious princess myself." Nova's eyes turned bloodshot as he said those last words and a wicked smile spread across his face. "Excuse me. I have something to take care of." He closed the book and walked away until his image vanished behind the trees. For the first time in her life, Chrysalis was shaking. She wanted a new addition to her forces in order to gather more love for her changelings without any problems. But now there was a huge problem: Nova was going to kill Von, her own son. And she had helped him gain the power to do it!

I was so foolish. How could I have done such a thing?, she thought.

You did it because you wanted what you desired, her subconscious argued back.

But this isn't how I wanted it to turn out! Von is my son. I--

What, you love him? Do you even know what love even feels like?

Chrysalis' own thoughts stabbed her like a knife. She had known that Ponyville was a huge source of love, but she never EXPERIENCED love herself. She was at a loss for words. At that moment, she thought about the past. Whenever Von came to her, she felt something strange. It was a mixture of pride, of happiness and of confidence. She was happy that she brought Von into the world and she was happy to call him her own.

Yes. I do love him. He is my...mine and Ignus' child. And I will not allow Nova to take him from me., she thought.

How? You betray him, he'll slaughter your horde. Can you really put the life of your child before the lives of your subjects?

It felt like time stood still for Chrysalis. Listening to her own fears, she realized that she was right again. If she helped Von, she'd put the lives of her horde at risk. But if she continued to cooperate with Nova, then Von would be put to death. She had to make a big choice: Help Von or help Nova. Protect one life or protect thousands.

Meanwhile, far from the ruins of the changeling castle, Nova continued to read his spell book. Just then, he looked at a nearby pond. He saw his image, but he couldn't believe his eyes. He had fully become a changeling. His horns had become a single jagged horn, his once proud dragon wings became insect-like, his claws into hooves, he was was the same size as Chrysalis and his tail had vanished.

"What's happening? Why have I become like this?" He asked himself.

Because of Chrysalis' bite, A mysterious voice whispered in his mind. It was sinister and spine-chilling, but Nova did not fear it.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!"

Calm yourself, young dragon. I am an ally. I despise the ponies just as much as you do. You want to see them die. You want to see them suffer. You want to see them writhe in pain, don't you?, The voice asked. A wicked grin formed on Nova's face.

"Yes, I do. But what does it matter to you? My feelings towards the ponies are personal."

As are mine. They are the reason why I am in my current condition. My heart is as black as night, just like yours. But you, Nova. Your darkness is different. You can harness it well, letting it be the one thing that keeps you moving towards your goal. You just have to let it out, The voice declared with a chuckle. Nova scoffed in response.

"And why should I listen to you?" He asked.

Because if you do, you can punish that little half-breed that's giving you so much trouble. Nova's eyes flared up in surprise. How does this voice know about Von?, he thought. But he was right. If Nova was to have any chance against Von, he would have to listen. He needed the help of this mystery ally.

"What do I do?" He asked. The dark voice cackled before he resumed speaking.

Just concentrate. Let the darkness in your heart free from its cage. Now turn that feeling into power then imagine yourself using this power. The power to accomplish your goal. The power to kill those ponies and the power to slay your brother. Don't deny this strength within you. You want it. You NEED it. Nova listened to the voice and closed his eyes. In his mind, he saw the images of Von and all of his friends.. But then, everything went black. There was a chilling mist all around and then he saw the images of the girls. They were beaten, bruised and bloody. Their limbs were torn off and he felt....nothing. But that was to be expected. The next image came to his mind and it was that of Von. Von was lying there cold and dead, his head cut off, his limbs broken and his horn snapped clear off and he was in a pool of his own blood. And he felt...nothing. No pain. No remorse. No sadness. All he felt was....nothing. Nothing but pure bliss. A smile spread across his face as he opened his eyes.

Do you feel it? With your inner darkness released, you no longer have to limit yourself. You no longer have to feel any sadness once you end the life of your younger brother, The voice said. Nova began to laugh and showed a wide, wicked grin.

"And it'll be so much fun!! I can't wait to see the look on his face in his last moments! 'Nova, why?' And as for that Chrysalis...Heh. I'll let her live just a bit longer. I still need her. But this is great. Just great. This power...this power! THIS POWER!!!!!!" Nova continued laughing as the mysterious voice chuckled a bit as well.

Back in the forest, Von was laughing to the point where he could barely breathe. The tricks that Trixie was showing him were horrible, or rather just amateur. But she expected this. The tricks that she was using were the exact same thing she had done back in Ponyville.

"Are you finished yet?" Trixie asked with an angry tone.

"Haha! Ha...ha...ha...Yeah. I'm done." Von said, catching his breath.

"Good. So what--" Trixie was quickly interrupted as Von burst out laughing again. This time, he was pointing at her and rolling around on his back.

"Oh my celestia. You...you really aren't that good at magic, are you?" He asked. Trixie was about to blast Von with her magic, but the aura around her horn faded and she sat down. A small tear fell from her eyes and Von instantly felt guilty and sat back up.

"H-hey. Don't cry. You just...need a little practice is all. Yeah, that's it. Just practice." He said softly. Trixie shook her head and looked at him.

"No, it's alright. I understand. Trixie is not very talented with magic. But even knowing that my skills are....mediocre, I still like to perform for the ponies. Even if they don't want me to. I was shunned from Ponyville during my last visit. Just like I was a moment ago, I boasted quite alot. I showed up this unicorn and her friends and got alot of attention. Especially from these two young colts that worshipped the very ground that The Great and Powerful Trixie walked on. If they were older, I'd--"

"Um...aren't we getting a little off topic?" Von asked. Trixie blushed and regained her composure so she could continue.

"Of course. But when it came to the point where I was asked to use my magic to stop an Ursa, I couldn't. But that unicorn was able to use her magic to stop it while all I could do was sit and watch. I was embarrassed, so I turned tail and ran. I'd understand if the citizens of Ponyville still don't want me there, but I love performing." She concluded. Von sat there and stared at her with sad eyes. He felt sorry for her, but was a tad confused as to why she'd continue to perform for ponies when they don't like her. If that were the case, what would be stopping Von from going back to Ponyville to be with the ones he loved even knowing that he wasn't welcome because of what he was.

"I see. Thanks, Trixie." He said as he stood up. Trixie gave him a confused glance.

"Why are you thanking me? I've done nothing--" Trixie's sentence was cut short as Von gave her a kiss on the cheek, causing the azure unicorn to turn a bright red.

"Don't give up performing. If you really love it, then don't let anypony stop you. Just like how I love all my friends in Ponyville and I'm not gonna let two unicorns keep me from being with them. See ya later." He waved goodbye as he started to run back towards Ponyville. Trixie could only stare at him as he faded into the distance.

"What a strange stallion."

Von wore a bright smile on his face as he was going back. He felt better about himself thanks to Trixie's story, but his happiness soon turned back into anger. Before him, blocking his path, was the same unicorn that caused him to leave Ponyville in the first place. His eyes lit up with anger and the purple mist returned to his eyes once again.

"YOU!!!!!!!!" He shouted. The unicorn giggled and then she ran off into the woods. Von growled and looked in her direction.

"Come back here!!!!!!!!!!" He shouted as he chased after her. Von didn't relent and he kept on the unicorn's trail. She kept constantly looking back at him and giggled the whole way. It felt like hours passed as Von continued chasing her, never letting up. He wanted to make her pay. He wanted to make her suffer for making him feel such sadness. And he was going to accomplish this goal, no matter what.

Back in Canterlot, Celestia was shocked by the news she had heard.

"I see. So he's run off somewhere, has he?" She asked. Twilight and the others nodded their heads in response.

So he used his dark magic again. If he keeps it up, he'll lose control! Luna thought. Celestia looked at her sister and noticed the worry on her face and looked back towards the element bearers.

"Fear not, everypony. I have already sent a few pegasi to look for him." Just then, a whooshing sound was heard from outside. "Ah. It seems they have returned. Let us hope they were successful." Celestia said. The castle doors opened and all the ponies eyes were focused on the pegasi that came in. There were three of them, two male and one female. And out of the three, Pinkie pointed out one of them.

"Kammy!!" The party pony shouted as she bounded and bounced onto her lover. Kamen laughed as Pinkie started kissing him all over.

"I missed you, too but can we save this for later?" He asked. Pinkie was happy to oblige and got off of Kamen and allowed him to get back onto his hooves. The girls were happy to see Kamen, but Rainbow Dash was fixated on the other two pegasi. They were both in uniform and seemed to be quite important. The male pegasus had a pale blue coat and a dark blue mane. The female pegasus to his left had a golden coat with an orange mane. Rainbow Dash started to squeal like a fangirl when she realized who these pegasi were.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!!! You're the Wonderbolts! I can't believe it! Soarin! Spitfire! It's been so long." Rainbow Dash blurted out. The two of them lifted off their goggles to reveal their eyes and smiled at Rainbow Dash.

"Hey Rainbow Dash. You haven't changed a bit. We haven't seen you since you helped send more water up to the weather factory in Cloudsdale. Sorry we couldn't hang out before." Spitfire said. Rainbow Dash shrugged it off and smiled.

"Pfft. Don't worry about it. You guys were busy, so...yeah." She said. She was lying, but she was telling the truth about one thing. They were quite busy with their fans, being famous and all. Soarin stepped forward and smiled at Rainbow Dash.

"Well, if there's anything we can do to make it up to ya, you can always ask. And if Spitfire can't do anything, then I could." He said. Rainbow Dash turned to mush hearing Soarin speak to her like that.

"Uh...sure. I'd like that." She said with a nervous voice. The sound of her friends and Spitfire awoke her from her daze and she chuckled nervously. Celestia giggled and looked at the three pegasi.

"Have you found him?" She asked. Spitfire stepped forward.

"Yes. We saw him chasing after a female unicorn. They seem to be heading into the direction of Neighagra Falls." She reported. "But it appears that the unicorn is....deliberately leading him there. I have no more information that I can share." Luna blinked in confusion.

"Why would this unicorn be taking him there? The only ones that know how to get there are Ignus, Celestia, myself and--" Luna cut herself short when she realized what was going on. She smiled and her sister smiled as well.

"That is adequate enough, Spitfire. Thank you for your report." Celestia said. Spitfire and Soarin bowed to Princess Celestia and while she wasn't looking, Soarin opened one of his eyes and winked at Rainbow Dash, causing her wings to flare up and her face to turn red. Once they raised their heads, the two of them left. Rainbow Dash looked at her friends who were staring at her in confusion and she looked at the floor.

What's going on?, she thought.

What's going on is that you're turned on by Soarin, Her subconscious said to her.

That can't be. I'm in love with Von. He's my coltfriend. I love him and he loves me and--

You love him? Please. I know you're the Element of Loyalty, but this is ridiculous. How can you say you're in love with a dragon that you DON'T really love. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened hearing those words. She didn't want to believe it but she was right: she wasn't in love with Von. She was just desperate to be in a relationship after she was rejected by Kamen. She was happy to have Von there in her time of need, but her feelings were the same as they were before. She couldn't see him as more than a friend.

A friend...that's all he is. I can't believe this, she thought.

Can't believe what? That you were stringing him along or that a celebrity has the hots for you?

But I can't just hurt him. He's my friend.

There goes that devotion again. Look. Better to let him know now rather than stringing him along more. Besides, you want to get with Soarin. Could you really sneak around your dear friend's back? She thought a little more about it. If she broke up with Von, he'd be upset but he'd be able to deal with it a bit easier if she just told him. But if she cheated on him, he would be devastated and possibly never speak to her again.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack shouted. The sound of her friend's voice snapped her out of her trance and she looked at the farm worker.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry about that. Kinda lost it for a sec. But I'm ok now." She assured her. Applejack smiled and patted her friend's shoulder and they looked at the princesses.

"Everything will be alright. We know where he is, so we know that Von will return to us tomorrow. Go back home and get a good nights rest." Celestia said. They looked at each other with worry in their eyes. But they nodded their heads. They knew the princess would not lie to them and went on their way.

"Hey Applejack?" Rainbow Dash called out.

"Yeah, Rainbow?"

"Can we talk when we get back? I think it's important that I talk to somepony about it." Applejack smiled.

"Sure thing, sugarcube."

Von continued to chase after the unicorn and was starting to fall behind. The sun was setting and Von could see some of the stars. But he didn't let up. He kept pushing himself to his limit until he finally caught up to the unicorn. Up ahead was an opening that was brightly lit. The unicorn ran through the opening and Von followed behind. The light blinded him for a moment and when he opened his eyes, he saw the scenery. In front of him was a waterfall and a rushing river of water before him. On a grassy surface that was near the base of the waterfall, he saw a gravestone. He jumped over the river and stepped closer to it. He read the words that were inscribed in it:

Here lies Ignus.
A faithful friend
A great leader
A loving father

Von blinked in confusion and shook his head. Even knowing that he finally found his father's resting place, his mind was still set on finding the unicorn that lead him there.

"Where are you?!?! Come out!!!! Come out here and face me!!! You'll pay for making me go through that!!!! You'll--" Von clasped his head in his hooves and yelled out in pain. The dark aura around his horn was surging erratically and it was hurting Von. The surges struck the area around him, reducing the patches of grass it struck to ashes. Von couldn't stand the pain as it felt like his head was about to explode. He started to cry and yelled in pain more.

"What's happening? Somepony...help me!" He cried out. There was no answer. "Please...somepony...Twilight...Applejack...Rarity...Pinkie...Fluttershy...Kamen....Rainbow Dash...." There was still no response and the dark magic continued to surge from his horn and nearly struck Ignus' gravestone. Dad....mom.....somepony....please help me....it hurts...., he thought. Just then, a female voice rang out, catching Von's attention.

~Sleep now well, so calm and mild
safe and sound
my sweet young child
Sleep now softly in my hooves
until the morning blooms~

The voice was almost angelic, soothing and it calmed Von's mind. The purple mist faded from Von's eyes and the dark aura around his horn disappeared. But Von couldn't rise. The sound of the voice that he just heard made him drowsy and his eyes were starting to get heavy. He looked up in a daze and noticed a black figure. It was feminine, but very hard for him to make out.

"That song....it seems so......." Von trailed off as he laid his head in the grass and went off to sleep. The black figure stepped closer to him and revealed itself to be the unicorn that he was chasing. But green flames suddenly rose up around her and once they dispersed, Chrysalis stood in place.

"You still look the same when you sleep, even after all these years." She said to the sleeping half-breed. She kneeled on her forehooves and kissed Von on the forehead. "I have made my choice. I will keep you safe...but I cannot go against Nova. Not just yet. Forgive me for not being there when you needed me most....my child." She turned her head when she finished speaking and noticed the gravestone before her. "It's been quite a long time hasn't it, Ignus? Even though I hadn't planned on it, it seems we were able to bring such a handsome child into Equestria. I didn't know it before, but....I think I love him......and I love you too. I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm sorry. I apologize for deceiving you, but I was acting for my subjects and myself. Please forgive me." She said in a sorrowful tone. A small tear ran down her cheek and she laid her head against Von and fell asleep, her wing covering him. As they slept, the wind blew gently towards them and three leaves danced around in the grass before they blew into the sky.

Meanwhile at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack brought Rainbow Dash into the farmhouse so they could speak. Rainbow kept fidgeting, causing Applejack to get a tad impatient.

"Consarn it, Rainbow. Will ya just tell me what's on y'alls mind!" She demanded. Rainbow Dash looked down at the floor and back up at her friend. She wasn't all the confident to tell anypony, but if there was one pony that she could confide in about anything, it was Applejack.

"Alright. What i want to talk about concerns me....and Von." She said. Applejack stared at her and her eyes widened in shock at her next words.

Next Chapter: Lustful Sorrow* Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 26 Minutes