Discord and the Queen were in almost the exact position they'd been in when they left; clearly there'd been no thawing of relations here, much to Discord's disappointment. The Queen looked up as they returned, and the Zebra nodded to her; she returned the nod and stepped off of Discord, who hovered into the air and stretched exaggeratedly. "Well, I'm glad we can put that behind us." The Queen looked suspicious of Frozen's request, but she nodded stiffly and followed him cautiously. "I never even got her name," Discord sighed, watching the Queen leave. "Metamorphosis was her name," The Zebra said in a slightly softer tone. "And mine was Xarame"
Frozen led her to a room with a grand table, and he took a seat, motioning for her to sit down across from him. "I have always felt a particular pity for your people, the Hive. Like mine, you are similarly cursed."
Metamorphosis looked around for something to write with. She grabbed a piece of charcoal from the fireplace, and a blank scroll with her magic, and wrote out her response: 'I apologise, but the curse placed on me by Arzeroth to prevent me from reaching out to my swarm also prevents me from talking. This is the only curse I carry so far as I am aware, and I do not desire pity for it; I do not believe Changelings nor Windigos to be inherently cursed.' She floated the note over to Frozen.
Frozen read over it carefully and then said, "You require another's love, just as we feed off of hatred and anger. This is disharmony, or a curse if you will. This is why I pity you, or at the very least I understand the pain you endure."
Metamorphosis frowned quizzically at Frozen, then scribed another note. 'The only pain I endure is a product of being trapped here; before our imprisonment, my swarm and I were perfectly content.'
"Forgive me," he said, "I am singular in my opinion that my situation is one cursed. This is why they call me Frozen Heart, because I am a Windigo with a conscience." Frozen sighed a bit, "as for your people, I have studied the hive for many centuries, trying to find a link between Changelings and Windigos, trying to understand why your people hunger for love and hunger for violence. It is through my studies , of attempting to find a non-violent solution to my need to feed, that I discovered this wretched place."
Metamorphosis sighed inaudibly and picked up the charcoal once more. 'I can see why that might be desirable for you; the emotions your kind feed on are plentiful in this realm, it is my belief that that is the reason no Windigos are imprisoned here; well, except for him. For we Changelings however, this place serves as the perfect prison; love and it's derivatives do not exist in this realm, at least, not until recently, and so our powers are greatly diminished.' She glanced back at the bedchamber, where Discord and Xarame had remained, as she wrote the final line.
"Him?" Frozen asked, "there is a Windigo imprisoned in this realm? As to the state of your people, Discord and I plan to return to Equestria, those of you who wish to may follow and be free of this place."
She nodded, before scrawling away once more. 'He... He is not exactly imprisoned here. I believe He may have been voluntarily installed by the creators of this place; He resides in the central tower, and I have seen Him but once. I pray I shall not see Him again. Freedom from this place would indeed be most welcome, if it can be managed; I will lend all the aid I am able towards this goal.'
He read these words reluctantly, and sighed. "Then he will die, if it means we can escape." He gazed out the window, a distant look upon his face, "once, I would have sought to reason with him, as one kinsman to another. That was shortly after my forced exile, when I sought to save my people by teaching them the error of their ways. Centuries have taught me better, however. I now know I was always alone in this. No matter how hard I try, I will never convince my fellow Windigos that what we are is an abomination."
Metamorphosis wrinkled her nose and looked slightly indignant at that last word. 'Abomination? Seeing as you think us so closely linked, are you saying that term also applies to me and mine? You have a strange way of trying to recruit allies, Frozen Heart, son of Northern Light. I would go so far as to say you have a strange outlook in general; I have spoken with a few Windigos in the past, and none have expressed your views.'
"I apologize," he said, in embarassment, "My opinion of what we are does not extend to your kin. You, at least, illicit positive feelings in the beings you fees from. Windigos only survive by causing pain. How could something that causes fear and pain, to survive, be anything but that? I don't understand why I am expected to take pleasure from feeding, when the very act rends my heart in half with guilt." Frozen placed his hooves to his head, "I'm sorry, we are getting off topic and you probably don't want to be bothered with my problems.. We have more pressing issues to consider, such as your safety and that of your hive."
She frowned. 'I am unsure how long I have been trapped here, but in the Equestria I left behind, Windigos and Changelings merely feed off existing emotions; it would seem to me that causing the emotions one feeds upon would arouse unnecessary suspicion. Though I admit, it is an easier task for a Changeling to blend into society and feed of love where it can be found than for a Windigo. As for myself and my hive, the ones here are as safe as either of us, and the rest are scattered throughout the other citadels. At any rate, I will be of no use to them until I can lift this curse; I cannot reach out to them, and as far as I know, I'm the only Changeling who can read; I have Xarame to thank for that.'
"Your curse will be lifted once I kill Arzeroth," he said, "the curse ends when the holder is destroyed. Do you have any idea where he may have fled to? Speaking of Xarame, I hope she and my friend are getting along, would you permit me to allow them to take part in this discussion? Discord has helped me inumerous times, and Xarame's insight could be helpful."
Metty nodded. 'I am aware of the workings of such curses, however, I imagine Arzeroth will have fled to the central tower, to report this attack to Him. Our only chance would be if he is sent to lead the counter attack, however, He may choose to punish him, in which case we're unlikely to see him outside of the tower again. I have no objection to the others joining us; it is you who requested privacy.' In the bedchamber, Xarame and Discord had become embroiled in an intense game of Hearts. Judging by the scoresheet, they were equally matched.
Frozen nodded his head and he rose, heading to the entrance of the room, "You guys may come in," he said, "we could use the extra insight."
"May we? Oh I'm humbled, truly." Discord said, dryly. Xarame snickered slightly. They finished their last hand, then made their way in and sat at the table. Discord sat as close to Metamorphosis as he could without seeming too obvious. "So, what are we discussing?" He asked, looking around the table.
"Our next course of action," Frozen said. Frozen smiled in amusement, at Discord acting like a schoolcolt with his first crush. Although, he had to admit, the Zebra certainly had a beauty to her..
"Well, we've already started our preparations for the counter attack," Discord said, looking at the Changeling and Zebra. "I've organized the Changelings and Zebras into my personal unit, I hope you don't mind, Metamorphosis?" She scribbled on her response and slid it over to him. 'Not at all; as I have explained to your friend, I no longer have control over my hive. And please, call me Met; it's less of a mouthful.'
