//------------------------------//
// Thunderstruck 
// Story: How to Tell Your Friends You're Dating a Changeling 
// by Infinite Carnage 
//------------------------------//

Athena was proud of her job. Being captain of the guard was not a title handed to any old schmuck with a helmet on their head. From the moment she had been hatched, her parents pushed her towards being the very best she could be. She was highly competitive, excelled in infiltration, spear combat, magic, and had passed her final exam with a perfect score, while finishing faster than any ling before her. So dominating was she that on her very first day in the guard, she challenged her commanding officer to a one on one duel. A fight that she infamously won. Some would say she had a tendency to rub other lings the wrong way. She would tell those lings to grow a spine.

She was now the youngest ling to be promoted to the rank of ‘captain’ in over eighty years. Despite her youth, she commanded fierce loyalty from even those three times her senior. Her gross unpopularity amongst her superiors had done little to halt her momentum as she was undeniably the best ling for the job, so much so that she now directly answered to the king himself. For a ling of her station, she had already reached the mountaintop, and there was little else to do but maintain her strict performance and rake in the rewards and adulation her title should bring.

However, today was one of those days where she questioned if this was the right career for her. Whenever King Daedalus left his castle, she was to be notified at least ten minutes before departure so she could properly escort him with her finest contingent. Despite his age, the king was still strong, but it was her duty to keep him - and everyling around him - safe. Conveniently, his majesty neglected to send out that notice until he had already stepped out with untrained recruits who wouldn’t dare question a word he told them.

Athena had practically charged down the roads of the capital in a desperate attempt to catch them. She prayed that she might reach his majesty before he got himself into some mishap, but she was too late. She arrived to find the king passed out in the middle of the street, having entered the hivemind. He was now left slouched in a chair far too small that was starting to buckle under his weight. He was utterly defenceless in this state, and the only other ling present was in no better shape than him.

Athena knew him very well, Toxotis, a known traitor and someling that should be rotting away in the castle dungeon, and not in the good company of the king. She despised him greatly. She found him weak and detestable, but her opinion did not matter when it conflicted with Daedalus, so she held her tongue. Now with her frustration at its peak, she found herself with two unfortunate victims to turn her ire towards.

“Would you care to tell me what happened here, recruits?” Her tone was filled with enough venom to wipe out a small village of griffons.

Her quarry did their best to stop the involuntary shaking that came from being under her ferocious stare, but to no avail. She already knew everything that had happened, this was merely sport for her.

“We were by the gate, mam.” The first ling spoke, his voice as shaky as his form. “His majesty emerged and asked us to accompany him.”

“We’re sorry, mam,” his companion said, her voice just barely holding its nerve. “We know we should have-”

“Summoned me first!” 

“Y-yes. But his majesty said-”

Athena blocked out the rest of her ramblings, that was all she had needed to hear. Deep down she had known it was not their fault. This was Daedalus being Daedalus. In her short time on this earth, he had proved to be her greatest nemesis. Athena had a tendency to dominate anyone that opposed her. She could not do that to Daedalus. Not only because he was her king, but he also had an infuriating ability to play-off anything she would do or say. 

He had pulled this trick before, delighting in watching her fly after him down the street and greeting her with some smartass remark. Did he hate her? Athena reasoned he must have at least thought she was somewhat good at her job to keep her in this position, he gave it to her in the first place. Yet he delighted far too much in playing silly games with her. Testing her, prodding her, perhaps hoping she might break. Well Athena had already decided she would not falter so easily, but she had to admit, her patience was wearing thin. 

“Enough,” she announced forcefully, cutting off whatever the lowly recruits were trying to say. “You will help me take these two back to the castle at once. We will discuss what is to become of you later.”

There would be no punishment of course. Obviously they could not defy the king, and while she was a cold woman, Athena was not needlessly cruel. All she wanted was to put the fear of god in them and leave it at that. She took the lead as always, enveloping the king and Toxotis in magic. The other two marched ahead, signaling to any nearby citizens to clear the way. Athena did not want his majesty to be seen like this.

Part of her was tempted to leave Toxotis behind, but separating two ling’s when they were connected in the hivemind was extremely dangerous. His majesty would likely survive, the detective would not, and while Daedalus was not an angry being by nature, she had heard the barely whispered legends of his ‘old temper.’ She could die a happy ling if she never experienced it first hoof.

“Hold Guard Captain!” Boomed a voice directly behind her. Athena spun on her heel and locked eyes with a ling she had become unfortunately familiar with. “You are in good health, yes? You look terribly haggard, child.”

Minos was a ling that oozed a slimy venere from every gap between his chitin. His eyes were just a little too large, and his horn was a tad too jagged, in fact everything about him always felt just a little off for her liking. Like Daedalus he had a single fang that stuck out from the others, chipped off at its end. The green in his eyes had a tinge of blue mixed deep within. She didn’t like Minos, and it wasn’t just because he looked funny.

Some had called him a radical, others a dangerous influence, though many recognised his way with other lings. Minos was part of the elite, the closest equivalent to the nobility of pony society. They are ling’s recognised for their services, or rather their families service, which they wore as if they had achieved something. Minos was more proactive than his peers, he was not content to roll on his back and grow fat from his opulence. He wanted to turn his family's power into something tangible, and this had led him all the way to the doorstep of the king.

For a moment she wondered how he had gotten the drop on her, she should have sensed his presence from a mile away. Then as she looked over him she remembered his old trick. Minos purposely would disconnect himself from the hivemind for extended periods of time. The practice was not illegal, nor was it even cautioned against, but if one was to try and find Minos in that period of time, it would appear he had vanished from the face of the earth.

“What are you doing here, Minos?” She greeted him with the same warmth she gave to everyling else.

“I merely wish to speak to the king.” His voice was more of a hiss. It was a strained tone that played havoc on his throat as much as it did another's ears. His head tilted to the side, observing the sleeping monarch. “I assume this is a bad time?”

“Evidently. I will be on my way.” Athena had thought she might end this encounter quickly, but she was not so fortunate.

“It was not just him I wanted to speak with, Athena. I was very much hoping to speak to you as well.”

“I have nothing to say to you. If you wish to speak to his Majesty again, you may arrange it like everyling else.”

“But you and King Daedalus aren’t like everyling else. The three of us, were very much the same.”

She didn’t want to react, but finally her mask cracked through. She let out a dark chuckle, bit angrily at her lip and turned to face him, pushing the King and Toxotis further away from her and towards the other two guards who were watching the scene intently.

“Alright, I’ll bite. How are we in any form like a bottom feeding parasite?”

“Not the words I would use,” he laughed off the insult, showing no sign it had affected him at all. “You’re looking at me in the wrong perspective. The three of us are changelings of vision. We see a future for our people, yet the only key difference is while mine and his majesty’s vary somewhat, I believe you and I see eye to eye.”

“This is absurd. I have noth-”

“I know you hate them.” Was all he said, his smile dropping instantly as he stared directly into her soul. “You despise them, and what we have become because of them.”

The fire that was set ablaze within Athena’s soul was suddenly extinguished. She knew what he spoke of, a deep lingering thought that had rested within her psyche she dared not speak aloud, but he had seen it within her. He could be bluffing, but it would be a very strange move to make without certainty, even for a ling like Minos. She had to be sure.

“You two, take the king to the end of the street, I will join you both shortly,” she called out to her fellow guard, not taking her eyes off Minos for a moment. 

She floated the king and Toxotis towards them until they safely held them in their magic. They wanted to say something, voice their objection to being left alone with such valuable cargo, yet neither could muster the courage to speak up. Wordlessly they departed, and the second they were out of earshot, Minos spoke again.

“Ponies rule the earth. It is no secret. The griffons, the wolves, the dragons, the yaks, they would all make their claim, but deep down we all know who holds true power. Who holds our fate in their hooves. And you and I both know very well what we stand to lose if we are discovered. Because you have already lost it…”

“Be. Very. Careful.” She growled through her teeth, her fire reigniting into a burning inferno. “You speak about something that many would not be allowed to walk away from in one piece. Choose your next words carefully.”

Minos did not flinch however, in fact his unnerving smile only grew wider. “Careful is the word, is it not? It doesn’t matter how careful any of us are, one little slip and we are as good as dead.”

“Minos,” she threatened, her eye starting to twitch.

“We are not safe, none of us are. Until the problem is sorted. Is that not your philosophy? The mind of a soldier?” He stalked around her, slowly eking out his doctrine. “You’re a warrior, Athena, a very good one at that. A good soldier knows their purpose is to be useful. But here you are, prancing around like a court jester for a king who does not respect or appreciate you. You are a trifling amusement to him, nothing more. But it’s not just you. An immortal can never appreciate what life truly is, what danger is breathing down our doorstep.”

“The way you are speaking, you are leading down the road to treason.”

“What would ever give you that idea?” He snapped quickly. “I am just speaking my mind, is that not my right? The right of everyling of the hive?”

“Perhaps, but it is also my job to root out threats before they become them.”

“Then perhaps it is finally time to do your job.” He stopped suddenly, their snouts centimeters from one another. “For there is a great threat. The spectrum menace who want us all dead. Should we wait for them, or perhaps we pull the weed before it has the chance to grow.”

Then very suddenly, he turned away from her and began to walk away. It all happened so quickly that it left Athena in a daze. Her mind tried to catch up with what had just occurred, what was just said, and the only answer she had was to get angry.

“You dare walk away from me?”

“I have said all I needed to say,” he hissed, not bothering to turn back to her. “Think on my words. Think of our people.”

He vanished into the dark, slinking away like the snake he was. Yet his words did linger, they echoed in her mind like a siren. ‘Should we wait for them, or pull the weed before it can grow?’ She stood there, for perhaps longer than she realised, before she remembered her duty. She marched back down the street and reunited with her comrades, hoping these strange thoughts would leave her soon.

They would not.





As the world formed around him once more, Daedalus quickly realised he was very high in the air. He stood precariously on top of a fluffy white cloud, pegasi wings buzzing all around him. Looking downward he could make out the bustling market square of Ponyville. It had been sometime since he had seen so many ponies at once, it was a rare joy indeed for him.

He suspected that the element of honesty was busy tending to her family's apple stall, and perhaps the other elements were scattered about as well, mingling among the denizens of the town they called home. But the ponies below resembled multicoloured ants from this altitude, so any attempt to tell them apart would be futile. Oh how he wished he could meet them, to shake each of their hooves and thank them for keeping the world safe, but that was an impossibility now. He would have to be content with watching from afar.

Soaring above his head, pegasi were busy at work moving large bulks of black clouds. They shook and thundered about the place, barely able to hold in their ferocious payload. It was a shame that such a lovely day would have to be ruined by rain, but just as everypony could do with a bit of sunshine, the world would always need a spot of rain. At first they seemed a disorganised lot, but there was controlled chaos hidden within their patterns, all held together by one mare barking her orders from the top of her lungs.

“Alright fillies, we’ve got another shipment drifting in from the east!” A familiar raspy voice boomed just across from him. “Showers are meant to start in an hour. Let’s move!”

Rainbow Dash floated up from behind a very large, dark cloud. It rumbled and shook so strongly that Daedalus feared it might explode at any second. The cyan mare did not share his concerns as she stood atop the bulging beast. Electric sparks crackled and popped around it, and if not for the fact that Rainbow was a pegasus, she would likely resemble a roast chicken dinner about now.

“After that, the main show begins. The whole town needs a good soaking, but don’t forget to put the thunderclouds away from any civilian areas! That means you, DITZY!”

Pegasi magic was truly an oddity. Not only did it help them fly with wings that were far too small for their bodies, but it allowed them to walk among the clouds. This was something changelings could not naturally do. Your average ling would be forced to cast a cloud walking spell on themselves whenever they journeyed to a place like Cloudsdale. But it was often an exhausting process, so unless a ling had a steady supply of love coming their way, it was generally advised to avoid settling in the sky.

“Main team, go fetch the rest of those clouds!” Rainbow Dash shouted towards her legion of pegasi. All of which saluted her before flying away. “Reserves, keep an eye on the ones we have here. Make sure they don’t drift away. We’ll be back in ten seconds flat.”

Rainbow sped off with her signature streak following closely behind. Just as she vanished from sight, Question Mark floated down from above and settled on the same cloud as the king. Dedalus remembered that the detective had taken a second job as a reserve member of the weather team. It paid a pittance, but it was fair work and a decent time waster. Though it appeared Question had not done it justice. Whenever they had talked about it before, he made it seem rather dull and monotonous, not the hectic and dangerous environment it clearly was for him.

Though he appeared to be a pegasus, he was still a changeling. A creature that did not have the same genetic protections again thunder clouds. It was reckless for him to be involved in this line of work, but it had been a chance to get closer to her, and back then he cared little for his own survival. Daedalus frowned, suddenly feeling the pressure of having so many volatile electric bombs around him. And if he felt this way when he did not have a physical presence in this world, he could not imagine how Toxotis felt.

Yet when he looked back at him, his little ling seemed entirely unfazed by the situation. His only care in the world was staring wistfully where Rainbow Dash had just been. Only a few days had passed since his flying practice with Rainbow, and the pair had not seen hide or hair of one another since. Work had consumed them both. Dash had been preparing for some time for the thunderstorm today, while maintaining her practice and workout routine. While Question Mark had been out of town for some consultation jobs, only returning today to help out with the storm.

Work had helped distract him, but his impending doom was slowly creeping up to him. In a few days he would be guiding his fillyfiend and her sister around his former home, the last place on Equis that he wanted to return too. He buried his face in the cloud, one of the few white and fluffy ones that he could find. His anxiety was getting the better of him again; a horrible beast that took far too much pleasure in torturing him.

As he laid there feeling sorry for himself, two more players in this complicated game came into view. Daedalus noticed the forms of Flitter and Cloudchaser poking their snouts out form behind a thundercloud. He left Question behind and floated his way towards the two mares, who quickly ducked back downwards and began to speak in hushed voices.

“Maybe it went really badly?” Cloudchaser said with a small smile.

“Try not to sound too excited about that,” her sister grumbled. “Something else might be eating at him. You’re jumping to conclusions, as per usual.”

“I should’ve brought a snack. Maybe it’s not too late to fly back and grab some choc-”

“Right, you’re taking the food thing too seriously. There’s a time and a place, y’know?”

“I mean maybe it will cheer him up.” Cloudchaser pawed her hoof against the black cloud, pouting like a child.

“Okay, let’s focus. We don’t know anything, for all we know it went horribly, or perfectly, so one more time, how are you going to play this?” Flitter pressed her sister.

“Cool,” she replied, not so confidently. “Were still friends, and we should both be supportive of him, no matter his answer.”

“Now keep telling yourself that, and we’ll get through this just fine.” Just as they were about to fly over, Flitter draped a foreleg over her sister's shoulder. “And in the name of all that is holy, do NOT ask him out now if it went shit. He’ll need time to get over it first. Getting you laid comes later,” she finished with a wink, causing Chaser to blush.

The two mares fluttered over as casually as possible, making no secret of their descent, yet Question failed to notice them entirely. It took them standing directly behind him before the typically keen-minded detective realised something was off. He turned to them and gave the pair a small smile.

“Hi guys, it’s good to see you both.”

“Could have fooled us,” Flitter teased as she punched his shoulder “We haven’t heard from you in over a week. You hiding from us now?”

“Not that we mind!” Cloud said quickly, already starting to sweat. “We understand if you’ve been preoccupied.”

“It’s fine, I’ve just been busy ever since we last spoke. I’ve been out of town until recently.”

“We swung round your place and it was a ghost town, at least more than usual,” Flitter explained. “Figured you were off with the whole detective thing.”

“It’s more consultation.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I’m only advising on cases, not doing any busy work to solve anything. More like a glorified adviser I suppose. Occasionally it’s a bit more than that, but not really full-blown detective work.”

“It’s still cool though,” Cloud insisted. “How you help other ponies is really remarkable.”

“Well if you consider rich stallions with too many bits and too little sense to know where they left their car keys, ‘helping ponies,’ then I appreciate it,” Question chuckled, his sour mood melting away. 

Just as he started to feel elated again, their conversation came to a screeching halt. Both mares turned to the other, knowing they had already reached the end of the line; there was only one subject left to broach. The pair found themselves wishing they could have dragged things out a bit longer, but Flitter, as always, was ready to bite the bullet for her sister.

“Sooooooo,” she began, trying to find the words. “How did your date go then?”

“Funnily enough…” Question paused, staring down at the cloud below him. Cloudcahser and Flitter leaned forward, eyes open wide, ready for whatever his answer was. “Really well.”

“Oh…” Once again, Cloudchaser felt her heart snap in two. “T-that’s-

“Great” Flitter quickly spoke up. “That’s just great.”

“Honestly I was scared witless going in there, and it wasn’t the smoothest transition.” Quickly he swung his head around, making sure no pony else was listening in. “Truth be told, we both have a lot of baggage. Maybe any other time it wouldn’t have worked, but I think something just clicked between us.”

“S-so you’re seeing her again?” Cloud asked, her voice shaking as much as her knees. Flitter turned in surprise, amazed her sister was hanging on and still asking questions.

“We kinda had a second date,” Question admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

“Kinda?” 

“Well it felt more like a torture session, my wings have been aching ever since.”

“Ah! She put you through one her world famous work-outs,” Flitter beamed. “Yeah, not everypony is built for that kinda stuff. Don’t feel so bad, takes years of practice-”

“So what’s your excuse, huh?” Rainbow’s raspy voice rang out above them. “Last time I checked, you barely made it half an hour on my routine, rookie.” She fluttered down with a confident smile, landing dead centre between the three of them.

“Well yeah, that’s because you’re a crazy mare,” Flitter argued back. “I don’t mess with crazy, no matter how hot they are.”

“Couldn’t hang with me anyway,” Dash said with a flex of her wings. 

If Cloud’s face of dread wasn’t anymore transparent, it practically became a warning beacon as Dash descended before them. Daedalus had kept his focus on her, his heart aching as he witnessed Chaser’s shatter entirely. He wanted to give her a friendly hug more than anything, but outside of her sister pressing her side against her, there was little to stop Cloud from breaking down. Despite her notable distress, Question was still oblivious, but Dash had taken notice.

“You alright there, cadet?” Dash spoke up, knocking Cloud Chaser out of her trance.

“Wha-” She blinked at her, suddenly unable to speak.

“Just look a bit shaken. Thundercloud get you?”

Rainbow Dash and Cloud Chaser had an interesting relationship. Not rivals, friends, enemies, yet not quite acquaintances either. Somehow they fit within all those brackets, floating between them whenever the mood suited them. Cloud envied Dash for her confidence and ability, respected her for the same, and liked her just as much as she seemed to hate her. Dash felt little towards Cloud, she was always the little sister of Flitter that followed them around. Never really bugged her, but never cared for her company either.

Perhaps they were destined to be two souls at odds with one another, yet the time and place they were born in led to little reason for any conflict. Until now, because when Cloud Chaser looked Rainbow in her eyes, her vision was filled with red. She bit her lip, afraid of what she might say next. It was an irrational anger, deep inside her heart she knew that to be true, but she couldn’t stop the trembling that crept into her limbs.

“Yeah, she’s just shook up, Dash,” Flitter answered, bringing her sister in closer. “Mind if I take her away for a bit. Just to give her a chance to cool off.”

“Sure, rest of the team should be back in a mo anyway.”

With nothing else needed to be said, Flitter wordlessly guided her sister up towards a bulk of clouds and vanished behind them. Once they were out of sight, Dash gave Question a concerned look. “That was weird.”

“Yeah, maybe she’s sick?”

“I’ll check up on her in a minute, but first,” Quickly looking around them, Dash nuzzled up against Question. But before he could return the favor, she poked her right hoof against his snout.

“Ouch, what was that for?”

“Not gonna make a big deal about this, but what did I say?” She gave him a raised eyebrow and a stern look. 

“I don’t follow.” He responded, giving her a blank expression.

“Keep this between us. I’m not ready for other ponies to know yet.” Her steely edge suddenly softened, her eyes turning downwards as she looked at the fluffy white cloud. “Not until I’m sure about us.”

“I’m sorry, Dash,” he said quietly. “I told Cloudchaser and Flitter about our date before we actually went out. I’ll catch up with them afterwards as well and let them know to keep this hush. If it helps, I doubt they've said anything to anypony else.” Finally she smiled and nuzzled him again, letting him return the favor. “You all set for the big day?”

“Packing tonight, but I won’t be taking much, I always travel light.”

“Let me guess, large bags weigh you down?”

“Y’know it! Gotta stay at my aerodynamic best.”

“Makes sense. Did you get the rooms sorted?”

“Yeah, my bonus came in so I splashed out a bit. Thought the Squirt would like her own king size bed.”

“I could throw a few bits your way to cover my share. I really don’t mind.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved him a dismissive hoof. “Money is good for me. Plus it’s the least I can do, considering we’re making you show us around your old home.”

Question felt his smile slip at the mention of Trottingham, but he quickly corrected himself. He wasn’t sure if Rainbow had noticed, either he was a better actor than he thought, or she was too blinded by her own thoughts. Speaking of, he noticed how she went strangely quiet, her cheeks starting to burn as she refused to make direct eye contact with him.

“The one thing I kinda did have to skimp on were the rooms though.”

“In what way?”

“Well I could only get two, partially because we’re booking so close to the day. So Squirt’s got one for her, meaning…”

“Oh!” Question felt his cheeks begin to warm as well.

“No funny ideas,” Dash blurted out. “Just we’ll have to share the bed is all. Good chance to find out if you snore,” she chuckled away, trying to hide her bashfulness.

“Same to you.” He shot back, a comfortable silence settling in between them. He looked out towards where the thunderclouds should have been arriving, but there were no signs of them. “Don’t you need to be helping the others with the clouds?”

“Nah, I left Thunderlane in charge. He needs a bit more practice anyway and he’s got it covered.” Rainbow started to look around nervously again. “Need to talk to you about something else.”

“Go on.”

“Well I was thinking about before, how our last date wasn’t… well… much of a date”

Question vividly remembered how shortly after Dash’s performance, he had been forced to walk home as Dash flew Scootaloo back to her aunts. His body had ached the entire way, and while the pain was now more manageable, it was still a present problem for him. He grimaced at the thought, but smiled as the images of her flying through the sky burned bright in his memory.

“It’s fine, it was a little different is all.”

“Maybe, but I realised there won’t be much time to do anything just between us. We're gonna have the Squirt to look after. So I got to thinking, what if on the last day, we go out in the evening and get some drinks. Just the two of us?”

“I’d like that,” he said quickly, his smile beaming widely.

“Sweet, it's a date then.” She went to peck him on the cheek again, but held back as something else occurred to her. “One more thing…”

“Yeah?”

“Your wings… how often do you preen them?” Question could only blink at her question as he let it settle in for him. “Just cause, when I held it back at practice, it looked a bit rough. Outside of the scarring I mean.”

“Not often, just always forget to sort them out honestly.”

“Do you want me to preen you?”

Daedalus was very rarely left reeling from a question, but both he and Question Mark gasped in unison. To preen another pagasi’s feathers was often viewed as an intimate act, one reserved for close family, or intimate partners. In Dash’s eyes it was an innocent request, she simply wanted to help sort out an issue that was likely affecting her coltfriend more than he realised, but even she could not deny what many would see as the connotation of her request.

“Don’t make it weird, dude. If its too much-”

“I would love you to preen me,” Question blurted out, shoving a hoof in his mouth just as fast. “I mean to say, I would appreciate that.”

“Cool, not here though.” Dash spun her head around, making sure one last time they were completely alone. “Should have at least five minutes before the others arrive. Follow me.”

Dash led the way as they floated away from the king, and for a moment, Daedalus considered following along. Yet he remained where he stood, coming to the conclusion that they deserved their privacy. Perhaps it would be as simple of an act as Dash claimed, or maybe it was her first steps to something more intimate. There was one thing he was certain of though. He had just witnessed two fools in love attempt to figure out just where they stood, and realised they were still too shy to say what they really wanted; the other. Just as he felt the world fade around him, he turned his eyes upwards to catch the peeking snout of Cloud Chaser, who watched on as a bitter sadness took over her soul.