//------------------------------// // Stronger Than Stone // Story: Stormageddon: Changeling Spy // by Shakespearicles //------------------------------// It was starting to get light outside as I sat on the edge of the bed. I didn't sleep well at all last night. I looked over at the vanity mirror on Echo's dresser. At Moonshine's reflection. But it wasn't him. It was just me, wearing a Moonshine disguise. Moonshine was dead, and Echo was fast asleep beside me. I put my head in my hooves. I never thought that my first time doing... that, last night, would be as a changeling. I always knew that it would have to be as a pony. But I never thought that it would be like this. It felt... I don't know. I wanted to say wrong, but it didn't. It was like as a pony watching a wolf eating meat. It seemed like such a horrifying concept. But to the wolf, it was only natural. That was what it felt like, Predatory. I felt like a predator. A monster. I didn't like how good it felt. It made me uncomfortable in my own fur. Or rather, Moonshine's, as was the case. And all because I didn't want to hurt Echo. I certainly didn't want to betray my secret identity either. But her pain was inevitable. I didn't want to be Moonshine forever. How could I be? She was a clever bat. She'd found me out before when I was careless. Even if I was careful, she'd discover my truth eventually. I looked at the mirror again. If I wasn't careful, it'd be my head in a box next time. Then again, it still might be. I stood up and silently crept out of her bedroom. I opened the fridge in the kitchen. "That... is a lot of mangoes," I said to myself and closed the door. I would get something on the train, I decided. It was still pretty dark when I reached the Canterlot Train station. I took a seat on the bench and played with the heart-shaped pendant on the necklace Echo had given me. "For good luck on your mission," she said, late last night. The train I was meant to board wouldn't be along for another hour or so. It was always hard for me to leave the comfort of a warm bed. Even harder when it was shared. The air was chilly on the station platform, waiting for the light of the coming dawn. Kenopsia: The eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place usually bustling with ponies, but is now abandoned and quiet. There was a strange sort of quiet to the train station at this hour. Objectively, it couldn't be any more quiet than silence. It just seemed all the more so for such a place to be quiet when it was normally so busy and noisy. It created a weird dissonance. Almost like a negative silence. Broken, suddenly, by the sound of a set of hooves behind me. "You are a difficult bat to locate, sir." I turned to see Agent Quill walking towards me with a large duffel bag. He put it down in front of me. "You were not at your residence, as I had been made to expect. The princess said it was quite likely that you would be at the Belfry getting, quote, 'shmammered'. But at last, here you are. I am pleased that you are not of the ill effects of the drink." "You're welcome. What's all this?" I asked. "Your effects for your little... vacation. Do take good care of them. These items mustn't fall into the wrong hooves." "Is there a sandwich in there too?" I asked. "I should think not, sir." "Darn." "Good luck, sir." "Thanks." He turned and walked back out of the station. Once he was gone, I opened the bag a little and looked inside. There were several items. Some I recognized from his spy lab. Some I didn't. On top of everything was a pamphlet. And there, on the front cover of the pamphlet, in the middle of the center of the front cover, in parentheses, in capital letters, in quotation, with three exclamation points, did read the following words: ("READ ME!!!") And it got me to thinking. I don't think I had ever felt more attacked before in my life. And that's saying a lot considering I had been kicked in the jimmies less than a week ago. I never felt more attacked, by printed words, of all things. It was an attack on my sense of free will! It wasn't a request, or even a suggestion that I read it. It was an imperative. With no less than three exclamation points. Read me! Like I was some kind of inept foal. I rolled it up and got ready to stuff it in the trash bin. But then, Quill did seem to put a lot of effort into getting this stuff to me. And there was kind of a lot at stake. Fate of Equestria, and all. "Fine. I won't throw it away," I said to myself. "But I don't have to read it right now, either." I stuffed it to the bottom of the bag. Echo's contact, Griff, would be expecting a bat pony. But then, so would the enemy. I checked around myself to make sure that I was still alone, and shape-shifted into Storm Cloud. "One changeling, against the entire counter-intelligence network of Gryphonstone," I mused. "Heh. They don't stand a chance." Yeah. Just keep saying that to yourself. Maybe it'll come true. The eastern horizon began to glow brighter. I could hear other ponies approaching. I zipped the bag closed. The clock tower rung out the hour as the sun breached the sky. It wasn't a large crowd at that early hour, but enough to occupy most of the platform by the time the train rolled into the station. "All aboard!" the conductor called out. I boarded the train and found my seat. It was in coach. "Sheesh, you'd think they'd send us first class," I muttered to myself as I took my seat. As the train pulled away, I continued to rifle through the bag. The small mirror I already knew how to use. There were a pair of wide bracelets. "Ooh, pretty," I said, putting them on. There was also a small tin filled with, what looked like ping pong balls. A pouch of white powder. A reagent bottle wrapped in a handkerchief. A box of matches. "Good old-fashioned stick matches. Never know when you might need them." And of course, a lock-pick kit. "Aww yiss!" I looked back through the window of the door to the next car, towards the caboose. There were two guards in front of it. "Oh, right. Nevermind." I leaned back in my seat. It would be almost 18 hours before we got to Gryphonstone. "Maybe on the way home," I decided. "If I'm still alive." Stops along the way were called out. Even as the sun began to pour into the windows, my sleep debt caught up with me. I nodded off with the gentle rocking of the train as it rolled along the tracks. "Crystal Empire!" I heard called out. My eyes flittered open for a moment. Most of the ponies filed off of the train. Only a few boarded. The track to Gryphonstone had to go north of the Crystal Mountains to get to the strait just north of the Grittish Isles. It was useful having the transportation infrastructure already in place when the Crystal Empire reappeared. I nodded off again. We were only halfway there. There were still a couple more stops. "Trottingham Ferry!" It was late afternoon. We were less than an hour away now. The rest of the passengers got off at the train station to head down to the marina. From there, one would take a ferry to Trottingham. No ponies boarded. "Next Stop, Gryphonstone!" Hearing the name Gryphonstone got my attention. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes as the train pulled away from the platform, noting that I was the only passenger left on it. The train left Equestrian territory, crossing the bridge over the strait. I started to actually feel nervous. "Well, we can't be having that," I said to myself. I grabbed my bag and headed to the back of the train. "Just one to calm me down. And then maybe four or five more to make this mission actually seem like a good idea." The train reached the other side of the narrow waterway, crossing into the eastern continent. I opened the door to the last car before the caboose. "Excuse me sir, are you lost?" One of the guards asked me. "Do you need help finding your seat?" Oh, right. These guys. "Uh, no, I was just looking for-" "Storm?" the other asked. He took off his helmet. "Storm? What are you doing here?" Pound Cake asked. "Pound!? What are you doing here?" I asked. "I'm a guard. We guard ponies. It's kinda what we do," he said. "We're guarding the prince," the other said. "You mean, you're guarding the prince's royal caboose," I corrected. "No. We're guarding the prince." Pound repeated. "You see, while your actions in Ponyville got us sent home early, Princess Twilight actually wrote a glowing review for my efforts. So I got another royal assignment." "Oh, so this is the notorious Storm Cloud I've been hearing so much about," the other guard said. "I'm surprised you're not up front, raiding the bar car. You know, Pound here was just telling me-" "Wait! Why are you here!?" I asked them. "I just told you!" Pound said, growing more agitated with me, "We're guarding Prince Shining Armor!" "But why is HE here!?" "Well I can't guard the prince alone," Pound said. "I mean why is the prince here!?" "HE WAS INVITED!" Pound shouted at me. "That's what national leaders do, Storm, they visit eachother. That's how diplomacy works. I swear Storm, sometimes I wonder how you ever managed to..." His voice faded away as I stopped listening. The prince is here. Why is the prince here? Gryphonstone is preparing to attack Equestria. Why would Shining Armor visit Gryphonstone when they're about to- Luna's words rang out in my mind, "... and the only way they can get on with their happy little lives is because they DO NOT know about it!" Pound continued to ramble "...and if you had just listened to me about-" "He doesn't know about it," I muttered. "What? What are you talking about?" Pound accused. "He doesn't know about it, the prince! Your Highness!" I shouted at the door. "Storm! Are you drunk? Stop!" Pound moved in front of me, shoving me away from the door. "You've gotten yourself into enough trouble already!" "We have to stop the train!" I shouted. "Sergeant Aegis," Pound said. The other guard moved over to assist him, grabbing me by the hoof. "We have to warn him!" "About what!?" Pound asked, dubiously. Behind me I head a screech. We all looked up at the door leading towards the front of the train. There was movement in the open airspace between the train cars. A gryphon popped up into view, showing the lynch pin he had just pulled from between the cars. "Oh, not good," I muttered. He grinned and tossed the pin away before flying off. The rest of the train began to drift away from us. Then three heavy weights landed on the roof of our cab. THUD THUD THUD "It's a TRAP!" The windows on either side of us smashed as two Gryphon assassins swung in from the roof. Aegis was already at arms, running him through with his spear. Pound parried his attacker and sent him tumbling towards me. The bird fell onto me and I put my hooves up to defend myself. His weight bent my right wrist back, causing a concealed blade to spring out of my wide bracelet, stabbing him deep in the throat. "Oh. That's what that does." Avian blood sprayed my white fur as his body fell limp and rolled off of me. I stood up as the forward door burst open. The third Gryphon jumped inside with a crossbow leveled at me. I put my hooves up. As I did, a dart shot from the left bracelet, catching the gryphon in the eye, sending him reeling backwards out of the train car. "Wow. I really should have read those instructions." The screech of another lynch pin turned us back towards the caboose. The three of us rushed inside. It was empty. Behind us, another window broke. A large blinking bag landed inside. Aegis ran over to it and opened it. "Well, I've got bad news, and some really bad news," he said as he quickly threw it back out of the window. "The bad news is that they got away with the prince. The really bad news is-" --=BOOM=-- I had walked back to the royal caboose. I was going to pilfer some booze. When I came to, my body hurt and my ears were ringing. My whole world was sideways. I must have really overdid it. I was in no condition to be going on such an important mission. I'd have to call in sick on this one. My head was pounding. Pounding. Pound. "Pound!" I yelled, remembering what had happened. I sat up, but fell sideways out of the seat, onto the wall. I fell onto the wall. Everything actually was sideways. One side of the train car had been caved in from the blast. The other side was crushed against the ground. "Pound!" I shouted again, crawling through the rubble of the train wreck. I had nicks and cuts from the broken glass, but I was otherwise okay. I found Aegis. Well, most of him. "Pound!" I yelled again. I saw the glimmer of his brass armor. He had landed between the mattress and the box frame, shielding him from most of the carnage. "Storm?" he groaned. He had a bad cut on his shoulder. "Storm!?" I pressed a piece of the curtains into the wound. "Hold this!" I ordered, grabbing his hoof with mine and applying pressure. "Where're you going?" he asked. I turned and rummaged through the liquor cabinet, looking to see if any of the vintage bottles survived. "Wow, seriously?" I managed to find a lone bottle of Applejack Daniels, and pulled the cap off. I poured it onto his gash. "AHHH! OW! ASS!" "Sorry. I forgot to say that it's gonna sting a little." I grabbed a cleaner drape and dressed the laceration as best as I could. "Can you walk?" "Yeah, I- I think so," he groaned, getting to his hooves. That was when I saw his wing. "Oh, oh that is... really not good," I said. "Is it bad? It feels bad." His right wing was doing it's impression of a pretzel. I took a closer look at it. "It's... it's not broken. Definitely dislocated," I said. "I need to try to... pop it back in." Pound took a deep breath. "Okay." "Okay. I'm going to count to five, ready?" I asked. He nodded. "One, two-" -POP- "ARGH! What the actual buck!" He screamed. He let out a few more colorful pieces of language and calmed down. His wing was able to fold closed properly again. He glared at me. "Give me that!" He took the bottle from me. I braced myself. But for the crippling pain he would have taken a swing at me for sure. Instead he took a couple deep swigs of the liquor for himself, coughing a bit. "I thought you didn't drink," I said, wrapping his wing. "Yeah, well, I guess I've picked up some bad habits from you. Did you find Sergeant Aegis?" "Part of him." He winced and took another drink. "Alright..." he breathed, "Alright, as ranking guard-" "Only guard," I corrected. "Consider yourself deputized." "Great." I muttered. "You ready to go?" "Do you even have a plan? "Yeah. We rescue the prince." "THAT'S NOT A PLAN! THAT'S A GOAL!" "Right. Okay, so we fly in and-" "Storm!" he glared at me. I looked at his wing. "Do you think you can fly?" I asked. "Not on your life," he grunted, trying to flex the muscle. I frowned. "... it might come to that." I took the bottle from him and took a couple drinks of it before I set it down. I salvaged what I could from my bag and helped him climb out of the caboose while I checked around us to make sure everything was all clear. It was going to be getting dark soon. Which was good, and bad. The night would help cover our approach. But there were things worse than gryphons out in the wild after dark. And the smell of blood was on the air. We walked along the tracks towards the city. "So why were you going to Gryphonstone?" he asked. "Oh, you know, To see the sights. Get a postcard. Assassinate the king. Tourist stuff." "Ha. Ha." he deadpanned. It turned out that we were closer to the train station than I had thought. The international tensions were telling once you were looking for them. I looked at the stop in the dim light of the evening. It was in dire disrepair. I pulled down the faded tourist map from the wall. I could barely make out the word 'Gryphonstone' on the wooden sign pointing at a long dirt road leading away from the station. "Seriously though, Gryphonstone is on the verge of war with Equestria." "Oh come on," he scoffed. "How could you possibly know that?" "It's... a long story." "It's a long walk," We followed the road up to the main gate, moving quickly under to cover of the coming darkness. Given our odds of survival, I guess it didn't matter if he knew the truth now. "Well, it all started when-" "Hey, dweebs!" A gryphon appeared by the main gate, pointing a knife at us. "Outsiders gotta pay a toll! Gimmie your Bits!" Pound tensed, reaching for his missing weapon. I put my hoof on his shoulder to calm him. I opened my bag for the gryphon. I took out the reagent bottle and the cloth that had wrapped it. "What are you doing?" she asked, getting irritated with me. "Well if you're going to flirt with me, I'm going to need some cologne," I said, pouring a bit into the cloth. "Are you dense?" she asked. "So I keep being told." "Gimmie your Bits!" she demanded again. "Alright, alright!" I reached into my pocket, grabbing one of the ping pong balls. "Here!" I tossed it at her. The smoke bomb burst in her face and I dove in after it, tackling her to the ground. "Hey, does this smell like chloroform?" "ChlorofomffFMM!" I held the rag over her mouth. "Shh, shh shhh. Go to sleep." She stopped struggling after a moment. I pulled her off the road and leaned her to sleep against the gate post. Her pouch of, what I presume to be stolen, Bits fell from her belt. "Ah ah. These are mine now." "Where did you get these things?" Pound asked. "Again, a long story," I said. I heard voices up ahead. "And not one we have time for right now!" I pulled Pound with me off of the road. I looked at the map from the station. Gryphonstone proper wasn't a terribly large place. Most of the residents were sprinkled around the mountains the surrounding area. The lay of the land was a relic of the old ways, before the Idol, when Gryphons didn't get along so well. I kept my eyes peeled, on the lookout for any of the locals, and making sure to keep us well clear. Griff's place on the west rim of the city was easy enough to find with the instructions I had been given. It was dark both inside and out. "Wait here," I told Pound. Once it looked clear, I ran over to his door, giving it a quick knock. "Griff? Grey Fin? It's Moonshine!" I whispered as loudly as I could through the door without attracting too much attention. I heard nothing from inside. And the longer I was out here, the more likely it was that I would be discovered. I slipped the lock pick kit out from under my wide bracelet and set to work quickly. It was a surprisingly simple lock for someone who was doing undercover work. But I suppose with the window right next to it, if somebody wanted to get in, a thoroughly locked door would hardly stop them. I slipped inside and closed it behind me. "Griff? Griff!" I whispered again. That was when it hit me. The smell. Everybody knows the smell of blood. It's one of the most basic, and fundamental shared experiences among ponykind. Even the most protected of foals lose their baby teeth at some point. And Griff's house smelled like blood. I managed to find, and light, a candle. I wished that I hadn't. The walls were splattered to the point that it looked like a modern art masterpiece. "A study in crimson," I muttered as I searched the house. There was no sign of Griff. No body. I couldn't know if the blood was even his. If it was, whoever killed him hid his body elsewhere. If it wasn't, he must have done the same and fled. I searched as quickly as I could. We couldn't afford to be found here at a murder scene. But I needed to know if I needed to assume Griff's identity. The door was kicked open behind me. "AHA!" said a gryphon that was not Griff. "We knew somepony would come looking for the traitor!" He brandished his sword. "Oh, okay," I said putting my hooves up, "I guess he owed you money too." "What!?" Success. I managed to confuse him. "Say, let me ask you something, friend. Have you ever danced with a nightmare in the pale moonlight?" I asked. He pulled his sword and lunged at me. I barely dodged his blade's thrust. I put my hooves up to defend myself and flicked my wrist back. SHICK "HURK!" A blade in my right bracelet switched out, stabbing him in the neck. He dropped to the floor and I saw another figure in the doorway behind him. "Uh, Storm?" Pound said from the doorway. I could see a gryphon behind him, holding a knife to Pound's throat. They stepped inside together. I recognized his face. "Griff?" "You!? Where's Echo?" he asked. "It's just me. I hope that doesn't make you- laugh," I said, putting emphasis into the word. He slumped and shoved Pound away towards me. "You've got to be kidding me," he groaned. "No. I'm not." "So you're here to-" he glanced at Pound Cake. "Does he... play chess?" "No. But he's in the game now," I said. "And you're the one they sent to... checkmate?" "Yeah," I sighed. "Can you fly him out of here?" He grimaced and turned around, showing me the stumps on his back where his wings used to be. "Oh. So I guess that explains the paint job in here." "I barely got out with my life. I hid the assassin's body and I've been staking out my own home for two days waiting for Echo, or... somepony to try to contact me. And instead you two show up." "We need to rescue Prince Shining Armor" Pound said. Griff laughed. "If he isn't dead already, he will be soon." "They wouldn't dare!" Pound spat. "He's too valuable. They would use him as a bargaining chip or ransom him back to the Empire at least!" "Why bother?" Griff shrugged. "It's not going to stop them from attacking. Why negotiate with someone you're about to destroy?" "By the stars," Pound gasped. "Do they have the dragons?" I asked. "As far as I know, not yet," Griff said. "They're waiting to join the assault on Canterlot after the Crystal Empire falls. Which shouldn't be too difficult with the Yaks help." "When?" Pound asked. "It's too late. Everything is ready. King Guto has been coordinating everything to happen when he sends off the signal letters in two days." "It's not too late yet," I said. "New plan. Rescue the prince. Kill the king." "Again, those are goals. Not a plan," Pound said. "Okay. We need to get to where the prince is. Where would that be? The castle dungeon?" I asked. "Well that depends on how soon you get there," Griff said. "Why?" "Because depending on how long they have him, he may be in one place, or many," he said, pointing at his own back. "Well then, there's not a moment to lose," I said. "What's the fastest way to the dungeon?" He pointed out the door. "Take a stroll up to the front gate of the castle and hope they're in the mood for taking prisoners instead of killing you on sight." "Let's... put a pin in that idea," I said. He grabbed my map. "Well, around the south side of the castle, there's a waste tunnel that leads into the dungeon from below. Echo would be better for this. She's the one that got me out over a year ago. I have no reason to think that the way has gotten any safer. But it should still be easier to break into the Gryphonstone Dungeon than to break out." "I guess that'll have to do," I said. "What about you?" "Come with us," Pound said. "Three against a hundred? It'll be a slaughter!" Griff said. "That's the spirit!" I said. "No, I mean our slaughter!" "Well, it's three times better than I thought it was going to be when I got here," I said. "Failure isn't an option, or it will be everyone's slaughter. The alicorns aren't going to hold back this time if this war happens." Griff huffed an empty laugh, "I guess I'm dead either way. I'm a marked bird here, and if I defect back to Equestria again, I'll be in hell's path." "Unless we prevent it," Pound said, putting his hoof out. I put mine on his, waiting for Griff. He sighed, putting his talons over top. "Alright guys," I said, "Time to save the world." We moved quickly along the outer parts of the city. The lone guard watching Griff's home was all they had spared within the city. Aside from the contingent guarding the castle itself, most were assembled in the nearby military fortress on the next mountaintop, preparing for the invasion. Just as he said, the drain pipe was on the south side of the castle. The bars on it looked to have been cut. The rust told me that it had been some time ago. "You know the way," I said, motioning to Griff to crawl in. "I was barely conscious when Echo dragged me out of here," Griff said. "This is your mission." I looked at Pound. "Ladies first," he said. "Thanks." I climbed into the pipe. It was a straight shot for most of the way, until it came to a four-way intersection, including the way we had just come from. I lit one of the matches. "Which way?" I asked. "I don't know," Griff said. "Can you smell him?" Pound asked. "All I can smell is sewage," Griff said. "Alright. We need to split up," I said. "And that was how they all died," Griff muttered to himself. "We'll find him faster that way," I said. "I... may never say this again," Pound said, "but Storm is right." I set the box of matches on the pipe. "Whoever finds him first, bring him back here and burn this box of matches, then get him as far from here as you can." I said. "If you don't find him, come back here and check if the box is burned. If it is, get out of here! Everyone for themselves at that point. If not, place a match on the pipe in your tunnel and head down the one to your left to help if it doesn't have a match on its pipe." "That's... actually pretty smart," Pound said. What if one of us gets captured?" Griff asked. I looked at the ground. "This is a rescue mission. To rescue the prince! He's all that matters. It should be pretty clear what that means for the rest of us." "Expendable," Pound said. "But! it shouldn't come to that. We still have the element of surprise. So we've only got one shot at this," I said. "Can I get a 'Go Team'?" "No," Griff said and went up his section of pipe. "Storm," Pound said. "Yeah?" "Try not to die." "Yeah, you too." He walked up his section of the tunnel into the dark. I went up mine. After a couple of minutes, I could see light up above. I moved silently as I got closer. I could hear muffled voices up above. I peeked through the grate. "... ince in his cell. Tell... ... king. He's ...ing to want ... ... Go tell him! I'm going back to see the prince." I watched the two guards walk in opposite directions. If I went up there, I'd only be able to follow one of them. Okay. New plan. Kill the king FIRST, then rescue the prince. I opened the grate and climbed up, closing it behind me. I followed after the guard headed to see the king. I closed the distance quickly and quietly. Following him until he was nearly there. Once I got close enough behind him I took the small powder pouch from my bag. "Hey," I said, just loud enough for him to hear. He turned around, a bit startled. I flung the pouch at his face. The powder burst, knocking him unconscious. The 'Zzz' on the bag was all the instructions I needed. I dragged him into a shady alcove and shape-shifted into his gryphon form. I stripped him and donned his uniform. "Now, off to see the king." The dark hallways of the castle gave way to a wide, well-lit throne room. It was mostly empty but for the sconces on the walls and the chandelier above lighting the room. And of course, the throne, and the king, alone. What guard he had must have been posted at the castle perimeter. I closed the door to the entrance and barred it from the inside. I didn't need unexpected company for this. I walked across the large room. My paws and talons were quieter on the stone than I was used to. "Your Highness," I said, causing the elderly gryphon to stir from his sleep in the throne. "Ah," his withered jaw stretched, "what news from our 'guest'?" King Guto asked. "Did he say anything useful before he expired?" "Actually sire, he wanted me to ask you something." "Oh?" "Have you ever danced with a nightmare in the pale moonlight?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes at me with a glimmer of recognition. He sat up, and stretched. "You don't need to wear that silly thing," he said after a moment. I agreed. The uniform was a burdensome hindrance to my movement. I shed it onto the floor. He smirked, pointing at me with a crooked talon. "Heh! No, no. I mean that." He set his crown on the arm of the throne, revealing the crooked horn protruding from his forehead. In a green flash, he struck me with a magic spell, causing me to shed my disguise. My bare changeling form was revealed. He walked down the stone stairs. His own disguise peeled away in a green shimmer. "Ah, much better," she said in a feminine tone. She looked me over. I had never seen another changeling before. Her carapace was black just like mine, with a blue shell on her back. Her eyes were the same light blue. And she had translucent wings too, but they didn't shimmer like mine did. But her body! It was full of holes! As were her legs, wings and tail! My body didn't have holes like that. Not at all. "Ah, so it is true," she mused. "The infamous Stormageddon." She walked closer. "It must be nice..." She circled me slowly. I kept my guard up, never letting my eyes off her. "What is it like?" she asked. "What is it like to not know the hunger?" "What are you talking about?" I asked. "I suppose you wouldn't know, now would you?" she purred. "It must be nice." "Why do this? Why impersonate a gryphon king to rally a war against Equestria? What is this about? Conquest? Revenge?" I asked. "You know, I'm actually glad you asked that because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan-" In a flash she lanced a spike of green magic at me. I was ready with my own shielding magic. It deflected off easily. She lobbed a couple more elemental attacks without effect. I fired back with a bolt of my own. She readied her shield also. It hit it and it caused the bolt to be stopped, but it also shattered her shield. I saw the fear register in her eyes. I understood. I was stronger. "I'm stronger than you. I'm never going down at the hooves of the likes of you, because I'm so much better. And every part of me is saying 'go get her'." She rushed me, flailing at me with her porous hooves. I could feel it, behind my eyes. I could feel her thoughts. Her intentions. I could predict her moves. "She's just using you!" she said as she pressed her attack. I dodged, parried, deflected. It was as predictable as if I was fighting myself. But I was faster, stronger, more agile. And I knew why. "I am made of love. And it's stronger than stone." "And it'll make a hearty meal!" she growled, flinging more magical attacks. It wasn't even a fight anymore. It was a dance. A dance of death. Her emotions only fueled my abilities. We were both changelings, true. But I was something more. "Changelings are what we are, but this is who I am. And if you think you can stop me, then you need to think again. Because I won't let you hurt my family. And I won't let you hurt my friends." She grabbed a sword from the decorative armor stand and charged me. "I am made of love. And it's stronger than you!" I grabbed the sword with my magic and wrenched it from her hooves, using it to smash her twisted horn. Fragments of both her horn and the weapon skittered across the stone floor. She stumbled and fell at my hooves. I knelt down behind her and put her into a headlock, squeezing her airway in my elbow. "You think you've won!?" she gasped as she struggled under me. "You don't even know what bucking game you're playing!" "Playing is for foals," I said. And then I broke her neck. I sat there on the floor with her for a moment. For everything I had gone through to get here, the encounter seemed disappointingly brief. Almost too easy. I shape-shifted back into Storm Cloud. "And now to rescue the prince and get out of here," I said to myself. Before I could react, a charcoal hoof wrapped around me, holding a rag over my mouth. "Does this smell like chloroform to you?" she asked. My vision faded. Right. Because why should anything go right for me?