//------------------------------//
// You Only Shiv Thrice 
// Story: Mission: Improbable 
// by The card holder 
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After vacating the area swiftly, the Spy once again started looking for the disguised changelings. If what he overheard at the hive was true, then they would most likely all attack at once. They'd most likely go for Celestia and Luna, too. But after almost witnessing what the sun princess's private activities, he almost decided to just leave and forget anything that had ever happened. But he couldn't do that; as much as this world annoyed him, he still wanted the ponies to be happy with their existence. Besides, he always wanted to help prevent a change in government, rather than cause it like he was hired to do so often before. 

That, and he thought Chrysalis was a bitch who needed to be stabbed in the back.

As the Spy was searching for any signs of changeling infiltration, he heard the sound of a large group of ponies all galloping at once. Looking out the window, he saw why: a near-literal wave of changelings were converging on the castle. Civilians screamed and fled, while guards took up defensive positions in front of the door. The Spy didn't stay to see how it would end; if the changelings are attacking now, then that means the queen herself was somewhere in the castle. More likely than not, she would probably be where Celestia was. Since he jumped out the window, she could've either stayed there or went somewhere else. And the only other place he could think of her being in was the throne room. But where was it?

The Spy's musings were interrupted by the battle outside pouring into the hallway. Unicorn guards and changelings were exchanging blasts of magic, while other guards and changelings took a more direct fighting style, throwing each other into the walls and other combatants. Amidst all the chaos, the cloaked Spy almost felt as if he was home. With practiced ease, he dodges through the battle, avoiding charging ponies and errant blasts of magic. One of them even started using a fire spell of some sort, nearly lighting his cloaked form. Some things never change, it seems. 

A few hallways later, the Spy still was caught in the thick of the fight. Unfortunately, he had managed to get himself boxed in with no easy way out. Sighing, he assumed the disguise of a changeling and uncloaked. None of those fighting noticed his sudden appearance, although a couple of the guards were now firing at him. No time was wasted in finding a changeling whose back was turned, then dispatching them. Embarrassingly, the Spy forgot that stabbing removed his disguise, yet no one seemed to notice him. However, a stray shot of magic lit him on fire, so he used his Dead Ringer to both put out the flames and make a stealthy escape. If any of them noticed the burning "body" of a human, they didn't show it. 

And he thought that some of his colleagues in RED were clueless.

Even when cloaked, however, a few charging combatants unknowingly threw the Spy around. He struggled to get through the chaos of the battle, eventually finding refuge in an unoccupied alcove just as his cloak ran dry. Well, unoccupied, save for the burnt husk of a changeling. It smelled rancid, but the Spy had been covered in an Australian man's urine many, many times before; the smell was nothing to him. 

As the battle raged on, he did a quick check to see if everything was still there. Revolver, check. Sapper, check. Disguise kit, check. Knife, che-

Wait. It wasn't there. The Spy looked in all of his suit pockets, not finding the bladed object. Without a knife, he almost felt naked, and he wasn't going to wade into the fight just to find it. His eyes rested on the burnt changeling corpse. Namely, the hole-filled horn that was on its head. With a little effort, he was able to break it off. He tested its weight, and gave it a few jabs at the air. Satisfied, he pocketed the makeshift shank. If he could make an icicle a lethal weapon, he could make due with the horn of an insectoid pony thing. 

While the guards and changelings were still fighting, he made good his escape. He watched behind him, making sure that none of those fighting would bump into his back, revealing his cloaked form. As if fate itself held a grudge against the French human, he instead bumped into a figure away from the battle. Turning and uncloaking on reflex, he came face to face with a changeling. Acting quick, the Spy dodged right past it and sank the horn-knife into its back. Instead of the death cry he was expecting, however, the Spy was met with silence from the changeling as it seemingly disappeared. At the same time, he automatically disguised into that same changeling. Looking at the knife, the Spy decides to keep it when this was all over. Who else would have a re-skin of that one Arabian knife that was pulled from a dead creature?

Cloaking, he continues on his way towards the throne room. At least, where he thought it would be. Either way, he'd get there eventually. Maybe. Hopefully.



It was one thing to be invaded by changelings during an event as public as a wedding. But to be invaded by the same changelings in the same place when nothing special was going on? Celestia didn't know if she was getting worse at national protection, or if Chrysalis was getting better at invasion. The fact that she had managed to, somehow, once again best the very leader of Equestria helped Celestia make up her mind about the issue. She didn't even bother really listening to the changeling queen's ranting and gloating, since she could guess what it was about: something about waiting for years, natural order, taking what's theirs, blah blah blah. Celestia was beginning to hope something would happen just so she wouldn't have to listen to the queen's ranting anymore. 



The Spy felt like he was close to the throne room. The halls seemed a bit more regal, and not a soul was in them. 

Or, it could've been the loud bragging of the changeling queen that gave it away.

Regardless, he went in the direction of the gloating. All the Spy could get from it that wasn't the usual "given birthright, 'we shall rule', etc." stuff was that Celestia was somehow defeated. He wondered where the other princess, Luna, was during all this, but he decided that he didn't really care. Waiting just outside the large doors of the throne room, he could see Chrysalis bragging over an injured Celestia. Judging by the look on her face, she was bored more than anything. Weird.

"-mine! The castle, Canterlot, all of Equestria- mine!"

Due to the queen's gloating, she didn't hear the Spy uncloak behind her. Meanwhile, Celestia's eyes went wide, but she said nothing. 

He silently slid up to the changeling queen, readying his makeshift knife. 

"And there is nothing you can do about it, Celesti-"

Her bragging was cut short as the knife was embedded into her back, causing her to let out an ear-piercing shriek. She turned her head, seeing the hat-wearing figure of the human she could've sworn she had killed.

"Nothing personal," he said, "I just had to shut you up."

Chrysalis was dumbstruck. "What- But- We killed you! How are you here?!"

"Oh, what was that you said?" The Spy cleared his throat and performed an exact replication of her voice. "'Allow us to escort you back home to Tartarus'? In that case, give the devil my regards."

In one swift motion, he pulled out his revolver and shot the queen point blank in the face. He removed his improvised knife as she fell to the floor, deader than a Scout who didn't see that level 3 sentry. He fixed his tie, then tipped his hat at Celestia, who was wide-eyed with shock.

"No need to thank me for fixing your problem." Without another word, the Spy strode back out of the throne room, ignoring Celestia's weakened calls for him to wait. She knew that he was the 'merc' that Saxton was looking for, but she couldn't do anything in her current state. 

Behind her, a hidden door opened, and a dark blue alicorn mare stuck her head out. "A- Are they gone, Tia?" Luna walked out into the throne room. "Are all of those... things gone?" Before Celestia could answer, Luna caught sight of the dead changeling queen, causing her to scream and run back into the room she left, her crippling fear of changelings getting the better of her. Celestia just lay there and let out an annoyed sigh.