//------------------------------// // Chapter 72 - Targets and Victims // Story: Off The Mark // by Goldfur //------------------------------// “Ummm. Care to be a bit more specific?” One could not go wrong when asking for more details about a potential assassin. I was rather attached to living and seeing my foal grow up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Penumbra move up close to my side. Tempest held up a hoof to forestall giving me an answer. After a few seconds, several balls of static erupted from her horn and weaved around each other as they spiraled upwards, exploding into clouds of sparks when they hit the ceiling. Not only was that trick new, I had to admit it was also fairly impressive. My foal caught their breath, switching rapidly between their two forms as if trying to process the scene every way possible. Then they settled on pegasus colt and clapped their hooves together. “Yay! Fizz Fizz! Moooooooooooore!” The unicorn laughed. “That’s enough for today. Time for your nap, I think.” “No nap!” Gemini opened their mouth to say more but closed their eyes when a huge yawn overtook them. Trixie pulled a baby blanket (a gift from Fluttershy) over the foal’s withers and gently stroked the frog of one hoof down Gemini’s face. I’d seen this before and it never ceased to amaze me. No magic involved, just the timeless knowledge of foal-rearing. In stages, Gemini settled down and got sleepier with each slow pass of Trixie’s hoof. In less than a minute, they were letting out little snores on my wife’s chest. Trixie looked up at Tempest once she was sure our foal was truly asleep. My wife said in her quietest voice, “Trixie takes it you asked for the extra guards?” The red mare nodded as she sat down as I moved up next to my wife. “Yes, Your Highnesses. As you know, my troops have been searching for the group that has been launching attacks against the military and civilians. A week ago, an informant told me where to find their base deep in the mountains. Their leader was known only as ‘Overseer.’ He came from the Storm King’s clan and acted as the empire’s spymaster and ‘population manager’. Completely loyal. He left immediately after the Storm King’s defeat was announced.” “My troops took up positions outside their walled-off mountain cleft. Numerous arrow slits allowed the Overseer's followers to cover every approach to their base with overlapping fields of fire. He chose to answer my call to return to his previous job with magic blasts and a very well-aimed arrow. Not that I was serious, mind you. He knew his brutal subjugation of the conquered territories could never be without consequences. I simply tried to spare his clansmates the same fate he would suffer.” When a castle servant offered Tempest a glass of water, she shook her head and continued. “That’s when I gave the signal to attack. The two dragons loaned to us by the former Dragonlord and their subcontracted diamond dog clan were most useful. While my soldiers and one dragon kept the foe busy by attacking the front gate, his brother and the diamond dogs quickly found one of the base’s escape tunnels and widened it. Within an hour, the defenders were sharing their cramped compound with an angry, fire-breathing dragon. By the time he tore the gate open from the inside, there was very little left for the rest of us to do. Picking through the wreckage, we found that all usable intelligence had been disintegrated or burned even before the dragon arrived. I did find Overseer who laughed at me despite his grievous wounds. He used his final breath to swear a blood oath, which is very powerful among the yeti. He said something I must report but I’m afraid I do not understand. ‘Our Princess will kill your Prince.’ ” I accepted a goblet of water from the servant and stared at the liquid inside as I considered. There was only one way I could think of to interpret this. I glanced up at my wife who gave me a very concerned look. Gemini chose that moment to start fussing so I put down my glass and stroked her mane until they settled down again. “Tempest, were you involved with the Storm King’s raid on the Southern Wastes changeling hive? It would have happened about a year ago.” The mare shook her head. “At that time, I was overhauling the army’s air defenses. I heard there was an operation in the barren lands to the east of the newly conquered city of Sisophon. I was not in the ‘need to know’ for the details.” “The Storm King conquered the hive and killed their queen. Queen Chrysalis and, by extension, I had assumed that their hive and all their drones were killed, but it looks like we were a bit hasty.” Tempest shook her head. “That’s not the Storm King’s manner of operating. He always used his resources in creative ways. The more unusual, the better.” Trixie said, “So at least one of the hive’s princesses must still be alive.” I frowned. “And now she is out to kill me. Either by coercion or free choice.” Tempest’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Because Overseer was involved, I doubt it was her idea.” Trixie gently set Gemini down onto the bed. “Tempest Shadow, who came with you through the portal to Canterlot?” The unicorns’ eyes went wide and her horn sparked once. She barked out, “Lieutenant Rancid Clover, front and center!” A large earth pony mare marched into the room and saluted. Tempest said, “What did you get for your baby brother for Hearth’s Warming?” Rancid Clover grinned. “A set of Abyssinian throwing knives. I’ll have them sharpened when he gets a bit older.” “And your older sister?” The soldier’s smile fell. “You know she died in a training accident two months ago. Why are—” Tempest interrupted. “Code 37. Target: Prince Mark Wells.” “Oh!” She glanced at me and saluted again. “By your leave, Your Highness?” I nodded. The earth pony left the room, barking orders. “Anypony else?” I asked the Commander of our Foreign Forces. “Yes. The apprentice from your Guild of Mages. Because he does not report directly to you, I dismissed Hexbreaker as soon as we arrived.” She winced. “That may have been a tactical error.” Penumbra nodded to two of the guards stationed around the room. They filed out and I heard them gallop down the hall. The remaining four guards repositioned themselves. I picked up my goblet again. “Now we just need to figure out the most unobtrusive way an assassin could get to me.” “Sir!” Penumbra never called me that. I stopped with the water halfway to my lips. “Please set the goblet down and move away from it.” I froze for only a moment, then did as she requested, being sure to not spill a drop. Corporal Broad Stripe moved in from her corner of the room, covered the container in a bubble of yellow magic then stared at the liquid as her horn glowed. After a few seconds, she said, “Some sort of nerve poison.” Trixie said, “Go find Gilded Tapestry! She left just a minute ago.” I took a couple of deep breaths while two more guardsponies left our room to be replaced by another pair. Penumbra started quizzing each to verify their identities. After Broad Stripe had passed inspection she asked, “Should I destroy this, Your Highness?” I shook my head. “No. Take it to the apothecary. I doubt our assassin will try the same trick twice, but if there is an antidote, we need to know what it is.” Trixie said, “And take two guards as an escort.” “Yes, Your Highnesses.” The soldier levitated the goblet off of the floor in her sphere of magic and carried it out of the room. When Penumbra was done verifying the identity of the replacement guards, she came back to my side. “Thanks, Penny. I owe you one.” “Just doing my job, Your Highness. Please take your other form.” Oh, yeah. More powerful and presumably less vulnerable, despite being a bigger target. After changing into Marklestia, I noticed the tendons in the batpony’s neck were visible from clenching her jaws closed. Probably angry with herself for letting me get that close to death. She was in one hundred percent focused, on-alert professional mode right now. I turned to see Tempest Shadow kneeling with her nose almost touching the floor. “Your Highnesses, I have failed you. I offer my—” “Enough.” I really wasn’t in the mood. “But I did exactly what the Overseer expected of me. My actions—” Trixie interrupted this time. “Tempest Shadow. Your Triarchs do not expect you to be aware of everything this Overseer could have planned. Your new orders are to find the Southern Wastes Hive and secure it. Report back when you have done so. Inform us if there are any survivors among the changelings.” I added, “We especially need to know if there are any other princesses still alive. When the last princess dies, the hive dies.” The unicorn stood and bowed. “Immediately, my lieges.” After she had left, Penny said, “I recommend you and your wife stay here this evening, sir. I’ll make sure everypony is fully screened before they enter your suite.” Everypony’s head turned to the door and the conversation going on outside. After several seconds, the door opened but the guard pony stayed in the hallway upon seeing Penny’s upraised hoof. “Report.” The guardspony said, “The real Gilded Tapestry has been found, Your Highnesses. She was unconscious in one of the castle pantries. Also, her uniform was gone. The last thing she remembers was talking with a young apprentice mage just before he cast a spell.” “About what Trixie expected. Guard, please use the portals to go to Friendship Castle and ask Princess Twilight and King Thorax to come to our chambers as soon as they are able.” “At once, Your Highness.” He bowed then galloped away. My wife turned to me after picking up Gemini, who had started fussing again. “The Great and Wise Trixie decided our co-regent needed to be informed. This was the most expedient way to do so. Also, we could use more of a changeling perspective on this.” I mulled that over. “I agree. But there is one more changeling I want to talk to.” “Queen Carpacia? I believe she could get here tomorrow evening for a round table discussion. Trixie wants the Elements to be there as well.” I nodded. “And the Old Pillars of Equestria. I think with all of us together, we can devise some strategies. No. I meant our resident psychopath in the basement. She has first-hoof knowledge of what their clan can do. But that can wait until our special visitors arrive tomorrow morning.” Twilight teleported Penumbra and me directly to the entrance of the dungeon. The familiar lavender shield appeared so quickly that I would have sworn she teleported with it. We materialized into the center of a ring of mages and soldiers, all facing outward. Those weren’t the only precautions for this trip. Following the suggestion of Twilight and Thorax, I agreed to stay in my short-maned Marklestia form until the threat was over. Also, I would be wearing my crown with the Changeling Stone whenever I left the safety of my chambers. The purple alicorn touched me on the shoulder with a hoof. “Are you good, Mark?” I smiled. “As good as can be expected. Thanks, Twilight.” She glanced briefly at Penumbra before dropping her shield. That’s when I noticed at least three shields covering the entire group of ponies. Twilight grinned with a twinkle in her eye. “I’ll go get your special guests.” We traveled in tight formation down to the interview room at the lowest level of the dungeon. Entering, I saw four guards on each side standing against the walls. This was the same room I had previously used to interview Chrysalis, with five immobile concrete chairs on either side of a concrete table that stretched from wall to wall, dividing the cinder block room. There was hardly enough space for Penny to take up a spot next to the door as I took the seat in the middle directly across from a frowning Chrysalis. Reluctantly, I changed back to my stallion form because the chair was not made with towering alicorns in mind. I steepled my hooves and gave her a knowing smile, choosing to say nothing. As her glare became more venomous, I just grinned wider. Eventually, she sighed. “Why have you interrupted my knitting, so-called pony? I will not sit here for your amusement.” I gasped. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. You see, I heard that it was your birthday, so that means you deserve a special present, just for you.” She snarled. “Do not toy with me. I want only one thing from you and that heart’s owner is currently rotting in Tartarus. And it is not my birthday.” “Then when is it?” The changeling queen opened her mouth then froze. “I… I have no idea.” The door behind Chrysalis opened and Pinkie Pie bounced in, a small cake on a plate held in one hoof. While every pony in the room recoiled in shock, the pink mare slid the dessert onto the table and wrapped the changeling in a hug. “Silly queenie! Of course, it’s your birthday!” It was? Really? Chrysalis’ eyes vibrated and her mouth was caught in a soundless scream. Her hooves grabbed her chair so hard they started to shake. I could sympathize with Chrysalis’ desire to hold onto anything sturdy in a vain attempt to ground herself back into a reality she could understand and deal with. Of course, that was a futile effort. I said, “Pinkie! This is a maximum-security facility!” The pink mare looked up and released her squeeze toy. Chrysalis slid bonelessly to the floor, her eyes never leaving the Element of Laughter. The pink pony smiled. “Well, it was a maximum-security emergency that our resident Queen of Crankiness have an extra-specially-awesome day today! Did you know she’s gone ninety-eight years without a cake or present? I can’t stand for that! And looks like Queenie can’t either.” Chrysalis’ head re-appeared as her front hooves flailed for purchase on the table and a chair back. “I will… I will… I will...” Obviously, she was trying to put together a threat of some sort, but her brain had not recovered from a concentrated dose of Pinkie. When the party mare leaned over the queen, the changeling flinched down so far I could barely see her quivering eyes. “Yeperonni! I made your faaaaaaavorite cake in the whole world. Tastes like yeti heart!” Chrysalis gasped and I think I did as well. The queen’s shivering stopped. “Really?” Her voice was tinged with hope. “Nah, not really. But you can always pretend. That’s what I do!” Pinkie cleared the table in one leap then punched me in the shoulder with a hoof. Ow. Earth pony strength. “Great job arranging the super-duper awesome-licious present, Marky Mark! I’m proud of you!” Pinkie opened the door behind me and pronked away. One of the equally stunned soldiers in the hallway closed it behind her. A guard opposite of me did the same to the door on that side. Penumbra said, “Ummm… I suppose there was no need to verify her identity, was there?” I shook my head. “The universe can’t handle more than one Pinkie.” Across from me, Chrysalis tried to crawl back into her chair with some semblance of grace. Tried. After taking a few deep breaths, she eyed the cake dubiously. “I have changed my mind. There is one more thing I desire. I do not want to ever encounter that pony again.” I smiled. “Oh, but that wouldn’t be fair to you, now would it? Think of all those parties and cakes you would be missing out on.” Chrysalis’ head jerked back. “You wouldn’t!” I gave her my best impression of a shark eyeing a minnow. “You would.” Chrysalis sighed. “Just don’t expect me to eat any of that cake.” A gentle breeze blew through the room, carrying the scent of cotton candy. “… until later,” concluded Chrysalis. She shivered slightly with her forelegs wrapped around her. Three knocks came from the door behind me. I slid to the side to allow two mares to enter so they could face the prisoner directly. I kept my eyes on Chrysalis the whole time, seeing her reaction to Chryssy’s co-ruler Princess Cadance (a snarl followed by a head tilt), then that universe’s Princess Postgena (mouth gaping open and irises narrowing to slits thinner than a pencil-lead). The changeling queen recovered quickly. She sprang away from the table and lowered her head in an aggressive stance. “Blast you to Tartarus, stallion! I never gave permission for you to bring her here!” The blue changeling princess slammed her hoof on the table. “Do not presume that I am controlled by any Prince, near-sister. Am I not allowed to make my own decisions? Am I not allowed to act on my own will and wish?” I got my first look at the Crystal Hive princess as she stood just on the other side of Cadance. Unlike Chrysalis, the mare had a pure blue mane and tail. While her lower legs and wings had the familiar voids, her horn was as straight and spiraled as any unicorns. Perhaps a steady diet of love affected changeling royalty differently than for drones? I’d have to ask about that later. Postgena had a pony’s flat teeth and round irises, but her piercing stare and smile would have looked at home on Chrysalis. Being charitable, I would call her expression ‘zealous.’ Not being charitable, I would call it ‘borderline deranged.’ Chrysalis blinked a few times then rounded on Cadance. “And you! Perverter of hives! You can go—” Anything else the queen was going to say died in her throat when Postgena put a second hoof on the table. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has been declared Hive Savior and holds a place in our royalty on par with my own. If you insult her, you are insulting me and my hive. What was it exactly that you were going to say?” All the guards in the room tensed and I prepared a spell. It would be very difficult to get anything through the invisible fields over the table that divided the room in two. Wait! Pinkie jumped through the space where they should have been. Never mind. Can’t think about that. For now, every pony waited for Chrysalis to speak. The disdain had disappeared from Chrysalis’ face as she stared at Postgena. “I apologize for my words. They were spoken in haste and ignorance. I meant no offense to you or your glorious hive.” Her voice was sincere. Wow. The changeling queen backtracked so quickly her hooves should have touched ground last week. Next to me, a seated Cadance said, “Because Queen Chrysalis and I have never met, I cannot accept this apology. No insult was given or taken. The scales of our chitin are still balanced.” This got an appraising but not hostile look from Chrysalis. Mentally, I made a note to learn more about changeling customs. Postgena smiled a bit wider, which in no way was more comforting. She sat down in a chair and leaned back, lounging in it while waving a hoof at Chrysalis. The changeling queen carefully sat down and studied her counterpart. “You… really do resemble my sister. Though your demeanor is not what I remembered.” The changeling princess laughed. “I would hope not. I’m… what? ...at least seventy years older than the one you knew, yes?” Chrysalis turned to Cadance. “May I ask why you are here? And you are wearing an emotion-suppressing charm of some sort. You are… are you here to probe me for weaknesses?” The alicorn shook her head. “I’m also here of my own recognizance. And no, I’m not wearing any emotion-masking jewelry. I’m afraid I just do that automatically when Postgena is around.” She narrowed her eyes and glared at the mare seated next to her. “Mostly because she keeps robbing me blind every time we play betting games!” Postgena’s smile was unchanged. “You just need to get better: better at dice, better at card games, better at hiding your emotions, but mostly, better at bluffing.” “I will win my crown back, you insufferable royal pain-in-the-flank!” That earned her a chuckle and a lazy wave of one hoof. “Well, alicorns are supposed to be immortal, so that raises your odds to about… oh… twenty percent, I’d say.” Chrysalis had that deer-in-the-headlights look on her face again. Definitely not a good day for her grip on reality. Or sanity, I suppose. Regardless, I needed to butt in. I said, “As much as I hate to interrupt family-reunion-time, I have some news that will interest you, Chrysalis.” She snorted derisively. “I highly doubt—” “At least one daughter of Queen Dactylia is alive. I’ve sent troops to the Southern Waste Hive to see if there are more.” Chrysalis gasped. “Who? What is her name?” I smiled grimly. “I was hoping you could tell me. One of the Storm King’s loyalists sent her to kill me.” She smiled and leaned forward. “Oh, that would be Princess Apicula. She has a perfect record of accomplishing her assigned missions. You are dead and just don’t know it yet.” I matched her stare and likewise leaned forward. “Don’t you mean ‘you are dead without my help to save your sorry pony hide?’ ” Her grin turned mocking. “You know what my price is. I will not waste my time repeating myself.” I waved a hoof. “Already offered you what you wanted. You turned it down. Pay attention, Chrysalis. This is a different subject. What is your different price so I can turn you down this time?” The bug queen got up from her seat and leaned over the table. “These nullifying bands removed and my unfettered access to the entire castle. But you don’t have the courage for that, do you? Or the sense to fear what you struggle to comprehend?” I likewise stood up and moved closer. “With the way you act like the Queen of the Universe and regard every pony around you with contempt? Give you free rein of the castle? You haven’t demonstrated anything to earn that kind of trust.” Cadance rolled her eyes and yelled, “By sun and moon!” Postgena followed up, “Would you two just find an alcove and get it over with already?” I gaped at the two then glanced back at Chrysalis. We shared a look that confirmed our agreement on the subject. She recovered her voice first. “We are not… flirting.” Our two guests laughed and held onto each other. Both Chrysalis and I slowly sat back in our seats. Cadance said, “Of course you are. Please don’t tell me I don’t know my own aspect.” She pointed a hoof at me. “Are you trying to tell me you aren’t attracted to strong-willed and prideful mares?” I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times. Eventually, I settled on, “I prefer my mares to not be… pathological.” Cadance and Postgena shared a skeptical but knowing look. The princess addressed Chrysalis. “You need a strong stallion that will give you the best possible princesses for your new hive. Who better than the one that outsmarted you, outfought you, and is at the very least your equal in will and wit?” Chrysalis frowned and decidedly did not look my way. After several seconds she answered. “I hate him too much to consider giving him any part of myself. I will never allow him to lord over my body.” “A most creative objection,” mused Cadance, the corners of her mouth pulled upwards in a smirk. “Yes,” agreed Postgena. “Tragically, that is a pony’s way of seeing things. Changeling queens are only interested in the welfare of their hive and are immune from such sentiments, aren’t they?” Chrysalis fidgeted in her seat. For exactly once in my life, I found myself wanting to bail her out. “It’s customary to offer your birthday guests a slice of your cake.” The changeling queen looked at me with wide eyes, then at the cake. I had no doubt she knew exactly what I was doing and why. Still, I couldn’t resist twisting the knife. “It’s the pony way of seeing things.” That earned me a renewed glare from across the table and I heard a wave of giggles next to me. Cadance tittered, “Oh, you two.” That stung, but it was still worth it. “If I may?” asked Cadance. Not taking her disapproving gaze off of me, Chrysalis nodded. The plate was wrapped in a blue glow and levitated to a spot behind me. I heard Penumbra step closer, then a few seconds later, four roughly-equal sized slices of the cake floated back over the table, Chrysalis’ slice still on the plate. I grabbed a piece in my magic, took a bite, then stopped chewing. It tasted like bacon. As in real bacon. Was Pinkie telling the truth? No. She had said that it wasn’t really made with yeti heart. “Ugh! Disgusting!” Cadance spat out her bite and ran two hooves over her tongue. “That is… unspeakably vile! Give me crickets or locusts any day over this!” Postgena raised an eyebrow and floated Cadance’s remaining piece closer to herself. I looked back at Chrysalis, shrugged, and took a second bite. Time to be done twisting the knife and just shove it in deeper. I batted my eyelashes. “Go ahead… dear. Have more. You never know when you’re going to need your strength.” From Cadance’s attempts to stifle her laughter, she understood what I was hinting at. Chrysalis put the slice back on her plate, only one bite missing. “I’ve lost my appetite. And stop trying to humiliate me.” More snickers from the mares on my left. I heard Cadance say, “No. No flirting whatsoever.” Postgena said, “Please, near-sister. This is embarrassing. You are allowing this stallion to control your every action. Try to show some self-respect, at least.” That earned the princess a snarl. “I will not be toyed with by this annoying worm! He is beneath the dirt on my hooves!” The blue princess wasn’t paying attention, having turned to Cadance. “Has my near-sister tried to mate with him already? Be honest now.” The pink alicorn shook her head. “No. Chrysalis sent one of her finest infiltrators to stand in for Trixie Lulamoon during her attempted take-over of Equestria. Mark saw through the ruse almost immediately.” Postgena gave me an appraising smile. “Is that so? How did it turn out?” “Princess Twilight shared the conflict’s out-briefing and lessons-learned reports with me. Mark bucked the infiltrator in the head. Put her in a coma for a month.” The changeling princess roared with laughter and rolled onto the floor, holding her stomach. The magic field levitating both pieces of cake cut out and the slices splattered a bit on the table. After a minute or so, she returned to her seat, wiping tears away from her eyes. “Oh… Oh, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in ages. You must share those reports with me, then I can go over all of my near-sister’s failures with her in excruciating detail.” I said, “No, you will not.” Postgena’s unnerving stare and smile were now pointed directly at me. Every pony else was completely silent. “Oh?” “Neither you nor Cadance will share our intelligence with a sworn enemy of Equestria.” The blue princess smiled wider. “Are you saying you have control of what I or the Hive Savior choose to do?” I leaned closer. I felt as much as heard Penumbra move to my side. “No, I am not. What I can say is that neither of you will ever visit this dimension again if you do not do as I say in this matter.” I was shown how carnivorous a set of flat pony-like teeth can appear. After a few seconds, Postgena leaned back. “You were correct, Cadance. A most unusual mix of emotions for a pony. Why is that, I wonder?” She didn’t wait for my response, instead looking across the table. “I’m tired of your petty resentment. Your resulting spawn would be adequate, regardless of your inflated standards. Stop trying to convince me of his unworthiness.” Chrysalis splayed her ears back and snarled. “I don’t know what lessons you learned from your mother, but mine taught my sisters and me that all ponies were inferior. Nothing I have seen or experienced has caused me to doubt this. Mother betrayed her entire race by forgetting this and her obligations as ruler of our hive. Tragically, she sought to elevate one of them to our level. I say ‘tragically’ because—” “Ha!” Postgena slammed her hoof on the table. “That’s it! I know who you remind me of now!” She grinned even wider, turning to the alicorn. “Hey, Cady. Remember what I told you about growing up with Aunt Calyxia?” “Oh, dear.” Cadance covered her eyes with a hoof. Chrysalis furrowed her brow. “I… I don’t recognize that name.” The blue princess smiled even wider. “Calyxia was the Crystal Hive’s most experienced infiltrator. Everyling respected her knowledge and accomplishments. All of us sat at her hooves for hours and hours. More than any changeling now or since, she understood the minutia of pony lives. She taught us how to build a framework to establish the unconscious reactions of the race we fed upon. Because of her, even the least-experienced infiltrators could quickly switch our thought processes between genders and ages for all three tribes. And do so convincingly.” I waited for the other horseshoe to drop. I was not disappointed. Postgena chuckled. “Of course, everyling was embarrassed to admit she was part of the family.” “She had this insane idea that changelings were supposed to be carnivores. You know… eat the essence of your enemies to make yourself stronger. Actually killed a juvenile manticore and got violently ill after eating its liver. Claimed she was twice the ’ling she used to be… after she could walk again. My squad and I had to personally pull her plot out of the fire when she put her sights on an adult hydra. At that point, we knew she was crazy.” I remembered a similar belief from primitive tribes on Earth. “Did she eat any ponies?” All eyes turned to me and I shrugged. “You know – eat their hearts and all that.” As the resulting silence stretched out, I realized that maybe my genuine curiosity was misplaced here. Chrysalis sighed. “Can you, just once, stop being so maddeningly grotesque?” I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you say, Honey Bug.” I heard a growl but didn’t spare her a glance. I perceived small shifts in Postgena’s smile. “You’re even odder than Cady and Chryssy would have had me believe. We will face off across the sparring field or a card table before my visit to your kingdom is done.” Cadance said, “Prince Mark, if you wouldn’t mind, Postgena and I would like to speak privately with Queen Chrysalis. We will be quite safe without any guards present.” I noticed she did not promise anything regarding our prisoner’s safety. Still, it wasn’t entirely my decision. “Well, Your Majesty? Your protection is my primary concern.” Chrysalis regarded the two mares next to me for several seconds. Without looking at me, she raised a hoof and waved it lazily. “Leave.” I nodded to the guards on the far side of the table and to those behind me. I exited the room, followed by Penumbra then the four guards, the last of whom closed the door. At Penny’s loud clearing of her throat, I remembered to change back into my short-maned Marklestia form. I walked back to the stairs leading up towards the castle proper. Again, our contingent of mages and guardsponies surrounded Penny and me. I couldn’t really relax, though. Every castle servant or guard we passed could be the assassin. I wanted to look behind and in front of me at the same time. Once Penny and I were within sight of the door to my suite, I heard my bodyguard exhale loudly. Had she been holding her breath during the whole walk? I put up a privacy bubble around just the two of us. Learned how to do that just last week! I asked, “You good?” “Sure am. I got what I needed, but I don’t think you realize how tense that situation was back there. It could have gone very badly very quickly. And not just the two obvious times.” I thought about the interview room’s three remaining occupants. “And when we left?” Penumbra shook her head. “They’ll be fine. Already worked through all their crises, I think.” “I’ll take your word for it.” Even here, I was keeping my eyes moving and ears open. I dropped the bubble shield and waited for the door guard to open the door to the room after she exchanged a code phrase with the watch on the inside. Later that morning, my guardsponies nixed the idea of me sparring with Postgena, so our two guests and I settled for a game of chance. Trixie answered my request for her to join us with a dark stare and a view of her backside. Very efficient with words when she wanted to be. I knew I couldn’t out-bluff a changeling, so I opted for the impartial odds given to me by a set of dice. It didn’t make a lick of difference. Despite Cadance’s urging that ‘I was so close to getting luck to turn my way,’ I resisted the temptation to buy back into the pot with my crown. Sorry, Cady. Your misery can get by just fine without my company. After some discussion with Penumbra and my guard detail, I was not allowed to visit Duke Blueblood. He was, however, given an armed escort to my suite. I looked up from my desk to see a very upset stallion. “Why are you sending your goons to harass me? I am an upstanding noble of royal blood who has every—” I interrupted. “And that’s exactly the point. I thought you’d like to know that Equestria has received a credible threat from the Storm King’s deputy. He said, ‘Our Princess will kill your Prince.’ ” “That does not excuse…” At that point, his brain appeared to catch up to his ears and the Duke’s eyes went wide. “Oh… I… umm.” He took a couple of deep breaths. “How… how credible is this threat?” “Credible enough that one attempt has already been made on my life.” “And you think my… former title may put myself and my wife in danger.” It wasn’t a question. I nodded. “I have no idea how picky the changeling assassin is. May I recommend you both take another vacation? Feel free to use the daggerscale portal room. These guards will accompany you for as long as it takes to get you two on your way.” Blueblood bowed respectfully. “Thank you, Your Highness. I… greatly appreciate your consideration. I’ll… um… let Vigne know about the… ah… change in plans.” As he was about to exit the room, I called out, “Oh, and Blueblood?” He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone of your destination.” He looked around the room suspiciously, nodded, and left at a trot. The meeting of Equestria’s brain-and-power-trust ended with a few actions agreed upon. Every guard detail for the Triarchs now had two additional members. Upon orders from his brother, Pharynx had nominated a pair of evolved changelings to accompany the three of us at all times. Thorax and Carpacia explained that no unevolved changeling could pretend to be an evolved one. Something about how internally-generated love “tasted different”. That meant each guard detail had a one hundred percent effective way to verify the identity of the two changelings arriving for the next shift. After some heated debate, I was allowed to take a shift of Day Court, though the number of nobles in their gallery was drastically reduced and petitioners were extensively screened. Limiting where and when the assassin could make her next attempt meant we controlled the situation rather than the other way around. In addition, three different teams made a sweep of the Throne Room before the session. Also, a few dozen mages and guards stationed themselves around the chamber. Two hours into the session, everything had progressed in a normal fashion, if a bit slower than usual because of last moment checks of petitioners. That’s when Baron Top Drawer started babbling nonsense at the top of his lungs. His eyes were wide and his body shook uncontrollably. I raised my personal shield and glanced at Penny. Unlike everypony else, she was looking up. I jumped off my throne and opened my wings. To my right, I heard and felt the heat of a horn blast from Starlight Glimmer. Clear of the dais, I moved to the left but felt my magic being sucked out of me through my shield. Glancing up, I saw a pegasus that resembled Rainbow Dash dodge a few spells cast her way. Water ran off her body but her wings were dry. This mare was definitely not my friend, because this set of eyes held no warmth or pity. Directly above me, a metal sphere sparked and hissed as it pushed its way through my shield. I only had a moment to recognize the similarity to the stone sphere used to petrify Twilight during the Storm King’s invasion. Just before my shield collapsed, Penny was there. She flew above me, grabbing the ball with both hooves. Unlike the ones used before, this petrification bomb acted almost instantaneously – Penumbra was encased in stone in less than a second. I caught her in my magic and put her on the floor next to me as quickly as I could. Then the world went white. Fortunately, I happened to blink right when the blinding flash went off so I only saw a few spots in my vision. I lifted my gaze and saw the assassin. The magic blasts impacting the now-damaged ceiling missed her by a wide margin. This time, she threw a brown sphere towards me that I recognized. It was an explosive grenade from the Storm King’s inventory. I caught it in a bubble of my magic and redirected its trajectory to shoot out one of the stained-glass windows. Before I could release the bomb, it exploded and my shield shattered. I was struck with a massive headache as the magical feedback forced its way into my horn. Through gritted teeth, I looked up at my attacker. The faux-pegasus had a ghost of a smile now as she pulled back a foreleg, only for her expression to change to wide eyes and a gaping mouth. The last beat of her wings made a loud high-pitched whirring sound. Dimly, I perceived that the air in the room glowed the same color as Starlight’s magic. Every horn in the room excluding mine shot a beam at that spot and a number of weapons were thrown that way. Even over the sounds of the marble ceiling crumbling under the assault, the droning of her wings was clearly audible. After dozens of near misses and a couple of glancing hits, the frantically turning assassin shot through an opening above her and was gone. At the last moment, I saw where some of the ceiling debris was falling. “No!” A few pieces struck Penumbra’s outstretched wings. I heard two sickening snaps and they fell to the floor, having broken off at the base. One wing further shattered into several pieces when it landed. I ran up next to her, a yawning pit growing in my stomach. I had never felt this helpless. “No! Goddammit, no!” Starlight blinked a few times then focused on me. She followed my eyes and gasped. “I’ll… I’ll go get Twilight and Thorax.” With an inrush of air, she was gone. “Your Highness! He’s dying!” I looked to where the voice came from. A noble mare was cradling Baron Top Drawer’s head as his shaking lessened. Vaguely, I recalled this was his wife, although I couldn’t remember her name. I turned to an earth pony mare to my left. “Stark Herbalist! Apply the nerve poison antidote immediately!” All around me, the pieces of stone began to levitate in the air, slowly floating toward the ceiling. Somepony had triggered the restoration enchantment that had been incorporated into the reconstructed Throne Room. I pointed at the two evolved changelings. “You two! Protective shields around Sergeant Penumbra right now.” I was not going to risk the untried spell failing halfway. The pair followed my orders and shields covered me and Penny, cutting us off from the rest of the room. Looking back at my bodyguard, I saw blood slowly leaking from the wing nub closest to me. With a flash of light, the ceiling was restored to its previous state. Looking up, I ground my teeth. Some things weren’t going to be so easily repaired. # # # # # # # # #