//------------------------------// // Ruse // Story: Common Ground // by LunasCaptain //------------------------------// Click, click, click. Crystal boots against the floor of the palace. ...no threat...just in case...understand, Captain? Cadenza. Distant and quiet. Of course, Princess. The red-coated unicorn guard. ... Nothing more. Carapace lay curled into a ball in the center of a nest made of pillows and sheets, limbs tucked underneath its thorax, wings laid flat against its shell. It had been expecting to be hauled out of bed and beheaded for a couple of hours now, after its conversation with the princess. Not necessarily by her forces, either--if the Queen had heard what it said about her...about their relationship... A shudder of instinct-born horror made the skin under its shell crawl. But that hadn't happened. As far as Carapace knew, it was still alive. It hadn't allowed itself to relax, though. It felt perfectly safe in this dark room with the windows closed and the walls of its nest rising over it. But somehow, the basic mood of the palace had...changed. Carapace sighed deeply and sat up, rubbing one hoof across its face. Catching sight of the deep cleft that still bled lightly every few minutes, it scowled, reaching for one of the piled sheets around it with stuttering green magic. A single snap of its jaws created a suitable bandage. It wondered just what in the name of the Queen it was doing as it tied the ragged silk through the holes in its hooves to close the crack. Was it really worth it? It had failed, that much was clear. No matter what it said, the princess would not trust it. She would not listen to what the Queen had told it to say. Carapace might have had a bit more luck with her mate, who had the practical mind of a soldier, but it hadn't seen him since it had been caged. Maybe Twilight would talk to them on its behalf. After all, it had fought for her. But it really doubted that Cadenza would listen--she was dead-set on the suspicion that it was working with the monster. Carapace lay back down, not bothering to bind its other wounds. It saw only three possible outcomes to the situation that it was in now. Cadenza might have her army chase it out of the city, back to its homeland. It'd have to face the Queen's wrath, but right now, that sounded almost enjoyable. Familiar. Something that it knew how to deal with. Or she might decide to execute it. With a spell or an axe or a noose. The prospect scared it, but only on an instinctual level. It'd be over fast, and besides; if the princess came to that decision, there wasn't a lot it could do about it. The third outcome was the only one that actually frightened it. What if everypony just...forgot about it? What if they simply locked it in this room and left it to starve? Carapace shut its eyes tightly, burying its muzzle between its forehooves. It didn't want to think about that. It didn't really want to think at all. A slight shifting of the feather mattress underneath Carapace was what woke it. Its eyes snapped open, perfectly adjusted to the dark, and its ears twitched. Otherwise, it didn't move. There was another minuscule movement, and it tensed. All its senses strained. Was there somepony else in the room? It felt nothing now, and it couldn't hear the loud, obvious breathing of a pony. And while its kind had a very limited sense of smell, their ability to taste others' emotions more than made up for it. It didn't taste anything right now. If anything, there was a strange lack of-- Carapace barely had time to freeze in horrified realization before one wall of its nest was demolished. It sprang to its hooves, hissing and scrambling backwards as the massive figure of a red-coated Amore guard charged. One crystal-clad hoof rocketed towards it, and out of pure instinct, it leapt. The thin membranes of its wings were rapidly replaced with bones, muscle, and feathers, and it flapped once, managing to propel itself across the room. It landed heavily, sending shooting pains up its legs. But no matter. It started changing the second its hooves touched the ground. Fangs retracted, false eyes were projected, the holes in its legs filled in, and a pink coat spread on top of its softening shell. It--she, now--didn't have the time or the energy to change her height, but in a matter of seconds, she had managed to morph into a miniature replica of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. "Please!" she cried in the princess's voice. "Don't--" The guard wasn't fazed. A heavy combat spell flashed amber from his horn and clipped her on the jaw, sending her reeling. Cadenza's delicate features vanished as Carapace reverted to an easier, more familiar form--white coat, teal mane, blue eyes. She kept the wings. She dropped her fangs, scuttling away from the stallion as he advanced steadily. She hissed, spread her wings, even though she knew that the threat display was useless. He was almost twice her size. He charged again, horn lowered. She dodged. Her own horn glowed green, and one of the heavy sheets whipped off of the bed and settled on top of him. He tumbled to the floor, but an amber light ripped the sheet in half almost immediately. A blast of the same light slammed Carapace into the wall. "Why?" she snarled, struggling to her hooves once air had returned to her lungs. One wing dangled awkwardly, and the sickening pain of a broken bone made her feel dizzy. "It'd be so much easier to execute me publicly. I wouldn't fight and the citizens would love it." "I have to make it look like an accident," the guard replied flatly. Carapace dropped the disguise from her wings as he approached. When the bone vanished, the broken wing became merely twisted. The pain wouldn't distract her now. She darted in and leapt, correctly guessing that there was a gap between the crystal helmet and neck piece. Her fangs met flesh, and she tasted blood as the guard bellowed. Pity her kind weren't venomous. An amber glow descended over her head, and she was roughly jerked away, taking a large chunk of flesh with her. The guard flung her away, and she landed on her hooves, spitting. His blood had a strange taste. He didn't even give her a moment to rest. A blow from one of his forehooves struck her on the chest, and she staggered, gasping. He turned and bucked, and Carapace felt something snap--but there was no immediate pain. The blow left her crumpled in a corner, eyes closed, but she raised her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. She tasted blood again. Her own this time. The guard's booted hoof nudged her just below her neck, and she hissed with pain, jerking away. "Broken collarbone, punctured gland," he muttered. "Not serious." "I'm so glad," Carapace wheezed. Survival instinct demanded that she get to her hooves, bite and slash and try to stay alive. Intellect told her to stay down. It wasn't worth it. An amber glow wreathed her head. "If I twist, the bones of your neck will break--plates in your true form," the guard murmured. His voice sounded...gentler now. "It will stimulate a certain nerve bundle, and you will go into immediate and deep hibernation." Carapace closed her eyes and laughed--now there was a sound she hadn't known she could make. "What are you trying to do, save me?" she snapped. "Without blood, there's no way Cadenza will think I'm dead." "No," he agreed. "But Chrysalis will. She'll know that you've stopped breathing and she'll let you go." "Why would that--" Irritated, Carapace opened her eyes and looked up into the stallion's. Just in time to see them flash from brown to brilliant green. Her breath hitched, and her disguise melted away. Carapace trembled, spitting out a mouthful of blood in order to speak in a hoarse voice. The light around its head brightened and turned green. "Elytra." Snap.