//------------------------------// // Security Measures And Unexpected Returns // Story: Not a Cloud In the Sky // by OutOfTheBlue //------------------------------// "This has been WITHOUT A DOUBT the biggest embarrassment in guard history... EVER!" Captain Shining Armor shouted while pacing in front of the gathered Royal Guards. After the wedding invasion, and the fact that the entire guard force was neutralized in minutes, many ponies were panicking. Nobody trusted anyone, because who knows who could secretly be a changeling! Cloud snapped back to attention when Shining Armor stomped his hoof. "Did anypony actually do any fighting at all! Or did you just roll over and let those disgusting parasites terrorize civilians!" One guard raised his hoof. When Shining turned to him he shrank down in his seat before stammering out, "Well cor- I mean- Cloud showed up a few minutes after we were all captured and put some serious ass kicking on those monsters. Even after he got taken down he literally knawed his way out of his bindings." Cloud froze when all eyes turned to him. Why did he have to bring me into this! "Well guardsman! Is this true?" Cloud gulped. "Umm... I wouldn't call it ass kicking but I did throw a few punches." Another guard scoffed. "A few punches?! You drop kicked one of those things into a wall!" Shining Armor nodded approvingly before continuing. "And you refused to give up even when captured AND you used you head to get out of your restraints. That shows character soldier, I believe I misjudged you this entire time. It's a shame you're leaving us shortly" All the rest of the guards sighed in relief, glad to be off the hook. Cloud sunk a bit lower, unaccustomed to this much attention. Shining Armor turned to a unicorn standing at the back of the room. "Spellweaver here will be demonstrating a new spell to detect changelings in disguise. Cloud! Front and center!" Cloud inwardly groaned. Just because he wasn't as much of a pushover as the rest of the guards didn't mean he wanted to be a guine pig for experimental spells. As the unicorn fired up his horn, Cloud looked down to notice he was now glowing bright green. "Uhh... it makes you green?" He was cut off by Shining gasping and then shouting, "He's a changeling! Get him!" Cloud's ears drooped. "Oh shit." ----------------------------- Cloud moaned in pain. After the initial panic the guards managed to subdue him... by using the "changeling infiltrator" to vent their anger. So far Cloud could confirm three broken ribs, a broken leg, and a broken wing. Shining Armor stalked over to the cell he was sprawled in and sneered at him. "Where's the real Cloud Nine scum!" Cloud could only wheeze in response. Shining unlocked the door to his cell and strode in. It didn't take emotion sensing powers to know he was very angry. "I would say I'm not going to enjoy this, but until the princess arrives to question you herself, I'll be trying to get you to talk my own way. Now, just drop the disguise, I want to see your disgusting real form when I'm doing this." Cloud feebly tried to protest but only succeeded in coughing up more bright green blood. Shining narrowed his eyes and grew a wicked smile. "I was hoping you'd say that. This is for Canterlot, the princess, and my wife!" Shining proceeded to slam him into the wall of his cell, causing excruciating agony to pulse through him from his leg, ribs, and wing. What started as a scream soon became a gurgle as more blood gathered in his lungs. He heard a door open and was dropped to the floor. He looked up to see an enraged Princess Luna, a pink alicorn who was looking at him in a mixture of disgust and fear, and Princess Celestia who had a scowl on her face. "DROP THY DISGUISE VILE CRETIN! OR WE SHALL HAVE NO MERCY!" Luna said in the loudest voice he'd ever heard. Celestia raised a hoof to silence her before she said to Cloud in a voice that was so low and filled with barely subdued anger it gave Cloud the chills, "Changeling, drop. The. Disguise. Or we will have to forcibly remove it ourselves which I assure you is not an enjoyable process." Cloud tried to speak but his head was so foggy and his chest so damaged only a sputtering hiss came out. Pain, mind numbing pain. That was all Cloud knew, no princess or guards or dungeon. Only pain. He would give anything to make it stop. Even death would be better. Upon seeing no results, Princess Celestia sighed before announcing, "Luna and I shall go fetch Twilight and discuss what to do with it. Please do not harm it further until we return. For all we know it could simply be a mindless beast and all of this has been for nothing. We shall return shortly." As the two left, Cloud turned his thousand yard stare to look at the remaining alicorn. She flinched and he felt his head get turned sharply to the side. He found himself looking dully into Shining Armor's eyes as he forcibly said, "Don't even look at her you brute!" He slammed Cloud's head into the floor and both he and the alicorn went into the room the princesses went into. He heard voices before- a moment of clarity burst forth at the sight that greeted him. No! Not them! Anyone but them! Five of the mares from Ponyville entered the room and soon were glaring at him. The purple unicorn was the only one of the group that was missing. Rainbow Dash flew into his cell and grabbed him by the neck. "Alright you gross freak, where's the real Cloud." Cloud closed his eyes, accepting his fate. They're going to unleash the pink one on me. I'm going to die. She has returned to finish me off. And return she did. She somehow appeared between between Rainbow and him and shouted, "ANSWER THE QUESTION YOU BIG MEANY!" She pounced and began hitting him upside the head with a rubber chicken. "WHERE *bonk* IS *bonk* CLOUD!! *bonk, bonk, CLANG*" the last hit came from a frying pan instead of a chicken because she had one of those apparently. The princesses, Shining, the other alicorn, and Twilight all entered the room. The anger directed at him was so thick he cut it with a knife. Celestia nodded to Twilight who nodded in return before lighting her horn. As her magic washed over him, Cloud was confused as to why nothing happened. Apparently she was confused too because she immediately did it again, and again, before her face paled. Shining looked to her, "Well? What's the hold up!?" She gulped before turning to look at him and raised a hoof to her mouth to hold back her gore. She failed and soon wretched onto the dungeon floor. All present looked at her in shock before she wiped her mouth and said in a shaky voice, tears in her eyes, "S-sompony c-c-call a d-doctor." When several ponies began questioning her and shouting, Cloud noticed that the edges of his vision had been darkening. The constant head trauma was making his head all fuzzy and he couldn't think straight. When everyone quieted down Twilight answered. "H-he's not a changeling. The s-spell was... wrong." Fluttershy immediately fainted and everyone gasped in shock and horror. "Y-you mean he's actually been a pony the entire time." Twilight nodded. All faces turned to him, now filled with fear and regret. Celestia shouted, "Medic! We need a medic in here!" As Shining sat down hard mumbling to himself as he stared wide eye'd at Cloud. Cloud felt a weird tugging in his stomach. "What have I done." Shining mumbled. Ponies were still staring in shock at his bruised and battered form when the tug finally accomplished it's goal. Cloud began coughing, more blood splattering out with each cough until he vomited up all that he'd swallow and promptly passed out in a pool of his own blood.