A Changeling hugging a pony.
Claymore never thought he'd see the day.
But the prisoner had waltzed right out of its cage, flashed a ghastly smile at that Sparkle mare, and thrown its forelegs around her faster than either unicorn could blink. Currently, she was stiff as one of the crystal swords in the armory, face frozen into neutrality.
"Thank you," the Changeling whispered, its huge fangs dangerously close to Sparkle's (her first name was Twilight, wasn't it?) ears. "You have no idea how--"
"Uh-huh. Please get off of me," Twilight said, her voice unusually high.
It let go, smiling at her apologetically. Claymore barely managed to resist rolling his eyes. He had seen better acting at elementary school plays. No wonder it hadn't bothered to disguise itself--honesty was the only thing it had going for it. Didn't Chrysalis teach her operatives anything anymore?
"There are a few conditions for your freedom," Twilight said, flipping through her notebook to avoid making eye contact. "You'll have to take an equine form, so you don't panic anypony who doesn't know about you. You have to let Cadance place a tracking spell on you, and you have to answer my questions whenever I come to you."
"I accept your terms." No hesitation at all. Claymore raised an eyebrow.
There was a quick burst of green fire, and then a small, slender-legged mare stood in place of the Changeling. Claymore's eyebrow inched higher. Off-black coat, pale blue irises, a ragged teal mane and tail.
No. That wouldn't arouse any suspicions at all.
"Um..." Twilight eyed the Changeling's new form, apparently having the same misgivings.
"Yes?"
"The fact that you're an alicorn might cause some...speculation. Go with either pegasus or unicorn."
The pegasus wings vanished with a flicker of green flames, leaving only the unicorn horn on the Changeling mare's head. Claymore sighed deeply and stepped forward.
"Maybe logical thought is difficult for you, beast, but you still look exactly like a Changeling. Didn't the Queen teach you better?"
It--or maybe she, now--glared at him, but her coat flickered and became off-white. The mane and tail stayed, as well as her obviously blank flank.
Twilight sighed exasperatedly. "Good enough. Here."
Her saddlebags glowed magenta, and floated off of her back and onto the disguised Changeling. The smaller mare's flanks were hidden completely.
"Come on. Er, Captain?"
Claymore nodded, staying close to both mares. He could tell exactly how uneasy Twilight was. He understood, of course. The Changeling's new white coat wouldn't make her--it, whatever--any less unnerving to ponies who knew what she was.
Another five guards met them at the top of the stairs, dipping their heads to Twilight and Claymore as they seamlessly took up a position around the obvious threat. Claymore nodded back.
"I take it you've finished speaking to the prisoner, sir?" one asked. The "prisoner" in question glanced back at him.
"The conversation was uneventful," he replied, "but yes."
The journey from the dungeon to the throne room was more or less uneventful, despite the huge number of ponies, kirin, and other creatures who stopped to gawk. A strange-looking unicorn who warranted the protection of six guards--including the captain--and Twilight Sparkle of Equestria? Who in the name of Celestia was this mysterious mare? The princess of some exotic tribe? A hermetic magician with enough power to raze the city?
Claymore's ears flicked at every rumor that reached them, each more ridiculous than the last, but he didn't stop to correct anypony. Whatever explanation they eventually settled upon had to be less inflammatory than the truth.
----O----
All seventy-two Amore guards in the throne room snapped to attention when their captain entered. He examined their arrangement, along the carpeted ledges and pews that normally held nobles and diplomats, and mentally nodded in approval. Whoever had directed their positioning had known what he was doing.
Granted, he had probably had to toss out a lot of angry nobles to do it, and there would be retribution, but that wasn't Claymore's problem.
The princess was sitting ramrod-straight on her throne, wings slightly flared and head held high. The sapphire-encrusted seat next to her, meant for her prince, was empty.
All seven newcomers bowed deeply. The Changeling was the last to raise her head, and Cadance's gaze strayed to her.
"I'm not prepared to deal with you civilly today," she began.
"I wasn't expecting you to be, Princess Cadenza," the Changeling replied. Cadance barely managed to keep a grimace off her face.
"You'll be given a chamber in the guest wing," she said stiffly. "Two guards will escort you there."
Two stallions, one a pegasus and one a unicorn, stepped forward. The Changeling shrank away from them. Claymore shot them a look--a nonverbal order to tone down whatever distaste they might be feeling.
"I expect you to stay there. And if you don't, believe me, I'll know." The princess's horn suddenly shone with a blue aura, one that also surrounded the white mare in front of her. The Changeling looked down at her hooves as the glow faded, suspicious. "We'll discuss the terms of my alliance with your Swarm tomorrow."
Cadence said the last part with a neutral expression, but everypony around her reacted immediately. Half the guards began to mutter to one another, the other half stamped their hooves in agitation, Twilight cried, "Cadance!", and the Changeling allowed herself an incredulous smile. Claymore was the only one who managed to keep his emotions in check--perhaps because he had none to be expressed.
"Everypony, quiet!" the princess yelled, her voice cracking on the last syllable. It was the only outward sign of the stress she was under. "Garrote! Valiant! Take our...guest to her quarters. Everypony else can return to their posts, but Twilight, Captain, please remain with me."
The guards cleared out, most still muttering. Claymore had the feeling that more than one of them would be following Garrote and Valiant Heart on their mission.
Cadance sighed deeply once they were gone, slipping the golden shoes of off her forehooves and massaging her temples. Twilight's panicked eyes softened, and she ascended the stairs of the dais that the thrones were on. The princess hugged back when the unicorn put her forelegs around her, and the two mares simply held each other for several moments.
Claymore shifted his hooves awkwardly. He wasn't sure how to deal with the level of emotion in the room.
Finally, Cadance took a shaky breath and let go of Twilight, giving her a grateful smile. "Thank you. I needed that."
"Cadance, I know you said you had a plan when I arrived, but you can't seriously want to ally with the Changelings!" Twilight burst out. The princess's smile became reassuring.
"I don't, and I'm not going to."
"But you said--"
"Princess Cadance realizes that the Changeling may still be connected to Chrysalis," Claymore interjected. "Pretending to humor her 'ambassador' will help us to figure out her plan, so that we may act accordingly."
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Cadance agreed. "Twilight, there's no use wasting this opportunity. Try to learn as much as possible about the creature. Ask it questions, observe it. I'm sure that the scientists in Canterlot will appreciate your findings, and besides, it may slip up eventually and tell us why it's really here."
Twilight brightened at the assignment of a research project, but Claymore noted that the princess's tired eyes didn't escape her notice. She put a hoof on the other mare's shoulder.
"Are you really sure you want a Changeling loose in the palace?" she asked.
"No," Cadance confessed. "I--I know that I won't be able to focus on anything with it around, but Shining can help me, and the court...and besides, there's no other way to figure out what Chrysalis wants."
"There are other ways, Princess," Claymore corrected. "I'm sure you're familiar with the special talents of Cat o' Nine and Canary Song, and there are several retired members of the Night Guard living in the city who would be more than happy to--"
"Torture is not an option, Captain," she interrupted sharply. "There is a point where we become just as bad as they are."
"Are you sure, Princess? The wings are very sensitive, as the insides of the holes on the legs. A hot poker--"
"I said no." A pause. "How do you know?"
Claymore suppressed a sigh. "My hometown, as you know, is very large, Princess. So large that a strange pony inserting himself into the meaningful relationships of other ponies might not be noticed for some time--at least until he makes the mistake of revealing his fangs.
"I was barely more than a foal, but I was allowed to watch what they did to him."
There was a moment of silence in the near-empty throne room. Then Cadence nodded her sympathy.
"I don't think we'll need any of your knowledge on this particular subject, Captain. Just make sure that your stallions keep an eye on the Changeling--and don't tell them what we're planning, I wouldn't want it getting out..."
Claymore nodded in return and left. He wasn't sure whether he was disappointed or relieved that the princess had rejected his offer.
A/N: And thus a second active OC enters. I wrote this chapter through Claymore's perspective mostly so that Shining Armor wouldn't be the only male main character. The alternative was bringing in Spike, and I couldn't think of a graceful way to do that since it was pretty obvious that Twilight arrived alone.
What are your thoughts on the captain of the Amore guards? Please, by all means, comment.