Shining was a tough stallion, but with the steel clasp on his horn disrupting his magic, he was as helpless as a rabbit whose foot had been taken to bring someone else good luck.
Four burly changelings had no trouble hauling him to the dungeon. When he tried to escape anyway, they knocked him out and dragged him the rest of the way before throwing him in a cage. He landed in a heap on the sheet of bedrock that served as a floor, surrounded on all sides by rusty, dented iron bars two inches in diameter that speared straight through the ceiling.
The pair of changelings that stayed behind to guard the entrance would have blended in seamlessly if not for the stabbing light of their eyes, for the darkness was almost absolute on the lower levels of the hive where the coal dust choked the glowing mushrooms of moisture.
"Shining?"
Other cages formed a row with Shining's, most of them devoid of life. The next one over bore the silhouette of another prisoner, but even if Shining was awake, he wouldn't have been able to make out many details. This same prisoner had just whispered.
"Is that you?" she asked, a little louder.
Shining perked up his ears and swiveled them toward the noise, an instinctive reaction, for he was still asleep. As is often the case when on the verge of wakefulness, the words wormed their way into his head anyway. They were far too familiar. His mind drifted to a scene that had taken place just the other day in Canterlot Castle's hospital.
"Please wake up, Shining."
At length, Shining rose to his hooves and looked around. The outline he saw was too soft and rounded to be a changeling. It had a horn, so he presumed he was looking at a unicorn mare.
"Who's there?" Shining asked. He sniffed the air, hoping her scent would be some indication. His eyes crossed and he gagged as the smell of rotting flesh hit him like a freight train.
"Shh... I don't want to think about what the guards might do if they hear us," the mare said.
"Who are you?" Shining whispered. He held his hoof over his nostrils, masking the tinge of hope in his voice with a nasally quality. He knew only a fool would dare to be optimistic in a situation like this, and he would never wish such an ill fate on his sister, but he couldn't help clinging to the desperate belief that he might not be alone. Coming to the hive by himself was insane, but maybe by working together, they could escape. Not his idea of quality time, but a small blessing nonetheless.
The mare stepped into the faint glimmer of light between their cages and whispered back, "What's wrong? Don't you recognize your own sister?"
Shining was surprised how much better off she looked than him; their captors hadn't even bound her horn. She must not have put up a fight, or else they'd have known what a grievous mistake they'd made. Maybe that was her plan all along. He held his hoof to the bars. "Twilight, what are you doing here?"
Twilight's ears drooped. "That's a long story."
Shining smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."
Twilight didn't. "Spike came to visit me after you left. We fell asleep together, but when I woke up, he was gone and the window was open. I knew he must have been foalnapped by changelings, so I came after him. Not wanting to hurt anypony, I tried sneaking by." She gave a sad, quiet laugh. "I didn't get much further than the front entrance."
"Don't worry, Twilie. I'll get us out of here." Shining felt around in the darkness for the offset rectangle that marked the cell door and inspected it. He was no expert, but the lock seemed to be a simple, archaic mechanism. She could probably shift the tumblers into place telekinetically. If that didn't work, time and use had deteriorated the metal casing enough that smashing it apart wasn't out of the question.
He had no doubt that would alert the guards, though. On the other hoof, their night vision was probably acute enough that they'd already seen him. He wondered why they hadn't tried to stop him yet. He wasn't looking to pick any more fights without his magic.
He wasn't a coward. He'd come here by himself, after all. Then again, that was only because no other pony, not even Celestia, had the guts to do what he needed to.
He wasn't stupid either. He'd done his research. He'd expected the changelings to fight like they had in Canterlot. He didn't expect the level of micromanagement their current leader must have employed, but they wouldn't be so lucky next time.
"Promise me you won't kill anypony," Twilight said.
Shining had no idea how long he'd been lost in his thoughts, staring at the cell door, but she must have seen his expression turn sour—quite a feat considering how dark that part of his cell was. He walked back to face her before answering. When he did, his voice held none of the coldness it had in the hospital. His words were a grim acceptance of fact. "You know that's a promise I wouldn't be able to keep."
"Why?"
Shining doubted any Element of Harmony could ever accept that fact, but he still had to try. "These changelings are vicious, mindless insects that will stop at nothing to carry out their orders. They don't care who lives or dies. Their leader is the only one with thoughts of his own, and he's the worst one."
"Is that why you murdered my assassin?"
"What?"
"The changeling who tried to kill me. You murdered him." Twilight turned away so he wouldn't see the gleam in her eyes. "You bashed his head into the cell door until he bled to death!"
"That's not true! He did that to himself. I thought Princess Celestia told you."
By then the guards had overheard the conversation, but they did nothing to stop it. Judging from the glint in their eyes, they were probably stifling laughs.
"You thought Celestia lied to me, you mean. She did, but the nurse who examined the body didn't." Twilight turned to face Shining. "You know, the one you tried to intimidate when you came to visit me."
"You couldn't have heard that; you were asleep."
"I heard enough."
"He tried to kill you, Twilight! What part of that don't you understand?"
"In case you haven't noticed, he failed. You killed him anyway." Twilight tilted her head. "I'm curious, why did you do it? Was it for me and Cadence, or was it for your own sick pleasure? I bet you smiled at the sound his shell made when it cracked like an egg against the iron bars. I bet you giggled like a schoolfilly as you tried to wash the blood off your hooves." She grinned. "It wouldn't come off, would it? No, you wanted more. That's why you came here. You don't care about Equestria. All you care about is petty revenge. Tell me I'm wrong. I dare you."
Shining should have known. Part of him probably did, but that didn't make the realization any less disturbing. "You're not my sister."
Twilight laughed. Her voice became deep and resonant. "Good grief, you sure took long enough. After what happened at the royal wedding, I knew you ponies must be thick, but that's just... wow. You deserve a medal or something. Does my foalsitter know she married a world-class imbecile?"
Shining knew that voice all too well. It frayed his nerves like a piano would to the rope holding it aloft from a second-story window. Cassius's audacity knew no bounds. "She's not your foalsitter, Cassius," he spat, "and she never was, now get the hell out of Twilight's body!" He slammed his front hooves against the bars. "I'll—"
Cassius stepped forward. They were almost nose to nose. "You'll what? Kill me?" He mimicked Twilight's voice again. "You're more of a monster than I am if you'd do that to your own sister."
Shining thrust his horn through the bars, the steel clasp caught between them with a clang, causing a hairline crack to spider web up the base of his horn. He stumbled back and hit the ground, pressed his forelegs against his skull, and bit back a scream. He'd endured broken bones in the service before, but nothing compared to the mind-shattering agony of a cracked horn. Unlike most injuries, it would have to heal on its own time. Medical magic would only make it worse.
"Careful now, Shiny Dearest. You wouldn't want to destroy what few brain cells you may have. That's my job." Cassius's horn flared with green magic.
Shining lifted into the air and slammed against the bars on the far end of his cage. He had the good fortune not to hit his head again. Tattered as his armor was, it cushioned his back against the impact. He hung in the air for a moment, but not long enough for his stomach to settle before he soared up to the ceiling. The magic dispersed and he fell to the ground, landing on his haunches.
"Are you ready to talk now, or am I going to have to knock some more sense into you?"
Shining didn't answer. His eyes rolled around in his head. They eventually settled back into their natural position, but the lights stayed off; nopony was home.
Cassius waited for a spark of intelligence to return to Shining's expression before continuing. "It's a brutal way to die. I didn't know ponies were capable of such violence, but I suppose I should expect no less from the stallion who murdered my mother."
Shining massaged his forehead with a hoof. "She's dead?"
"You threw her off a mountain, you ass. What did you think was going to happen?"
"I thought she was made of tougher stuff. She beat Princess Celestia in one-on-one combat."
"Ugh, don't even get me started on that pretender. If—"
"Hypocrite."
Cassius glared at Shining. "As I was saying, if Celestia was using her full strength, there would have been nothing left of poor Chrysalis." Cassius began to pace around his cell. "Hell, she might have fried all of Canterlot if she wasn't careful," he grumbled, "saving me a heap of trouble."
Shining shook his head, more from the news than the injury. He winced at the wave of searing pain the gesture brought to his forehead. He felt as though his brains were sloshing around. Assuming he got out of this hell hole, he hoped there wouldn't be lasting damage. "Why would she hold back?"
"Beats me. Your sister seems to think she did, though."
"How do you know all this?"
"My spies are everywhere. The nurse who was tending to Twilight, for instance."
Shining's eyes snapped open, some of their former alertness returning. "She's the one who foalnapped Spike."
Cassius stopped pacing and smiled. "You catch on quickly. Perhaps I misjudged you."
"He's not on your side, is he?"
Cassius sat down and brushed his chin with a hoof. "I'm not sure. I've heard that evil can't comprehend good, but his actions are too convoluted to be pigeonholed as either."
"What about you? Why are you down here tormenting me when you could be marching on Canterlot? If you want a military victory, this is your chance." Realizing what he'd just said, Shining cursed himself. His role as Canterlot's first line of defense was no secret, but if Cassius hadn't known about it, countless ponies' lives could be in jeopardy.
"You answered your own question. I have no interest in a military victory, nor do my brothers and sisters. In truth, we want the same thing you do."
Shining was too confused to be relieved. "What's that?"
"Revenge."
Despite the circumstances, Shining cracked a grin. "Funny."
"You know as well as I do that that's why you're here. After what my kind did to your wife and sister, you're dying to see what color I bleed."
Shining rolled his eyes. "You've caught me."
Cassius made a sweeping gesture to the surrounding dungeon. "Literally, but that's not the point I wanted to make." His body shimmered as he changed his form to match Shining's, injuries and all. Being a superficial illusion, the process wasn't as grotesque as might be expected. "We're kindred spirits, you and I."
Shining couldn't help but marvel at how well the disguise accounted for the dust and bloody patches that mottled his coat. Even the swollen eye was there. Only the chains and scraps of armor were missing. Impressive as the disguise was, it didn't stop his hypocritical laughter. "You look like hell!"
Cassius ignored him. "Revenge is the only thing that keeps you going."
Shining's mirth faded.
"As my darling Aurelia said to me earlier, I'm a soulless husk." Cassius looked aside. His voice had been carefree and mocking since he'd revealed himself, but it became tinged with remorse as he spoke. "She thinks I'm going to kill you to get back at Equestria for Mother's death. She's right in a way, but my motives aren't so simple." He looked back at Shining. "Tell me, do you know why I feel the way I do?"
"I couldn't care less."
"That's disappointing. Despite what Aurelia thinks, there's more than hatred in my heart. Too bad the same can't be said for you. You may be happily married, but you only want one thing, and only one individual can give it to you."
"I don't cooperate with terrorists," Shining growled.
"Shut up. This is between, you, me, and the eavesdropping guards, so you can drop the act."
"I'll sooner die."
Cassius smiled. "All in good time, but wouldn't you like to get what you came for first?"
Shining walked away and sat on the opposite end of his cell.
"I'm a reasonable changeling. You may have murdered my mother, but your revenge won't be complete until I lie dead, nor will mine until all Equestrians know what losing someone they love feels like. You just tell me who to kill, and I'll let you fight me to the death. Simple as that."
When Shining answered, he didn't look back. "As Celestia is my witness, I'll never help you."
Cassius was silent for a moment, but not long enough for Shining to enjoy it. "Very well, as soon as Celestia lies dead, I'll be back to do the same to you. You'll have healed by then, so we'll have a fair fight." Cassius turned to the guards, who were making no effort to hide their eavesdropping. "You there, guards! Open this cage. I have a matriarchy to topple."
"Yes, Sir," came the guard's reply.
Shining heard the clink of a set of keys being taken off a hook before one of the guards walked over and unlocked the door to Cassius's cell.
Still wearing his disguise, Cassius disappeared into the darkness. Seeing no more reason to stick around, the guards followed suit. The sound of their hoofsteps faded away.
"I assure you, Cassius," Shining said to the empty chamber, "you'll be long dead before you ever lay a hoof on her." He sighed, lay down, and shut his eyes.
***
Cassius was not a changeling of hyperbole. When he told his guards to make an embassy, they knew better than to think otherwise, but no small amount of effort went into finding the shabbiest location available.
After trudging through many miles of long-abandoned tunnels, the guards found what they were looking for in the farthest northern reaches of the hive. By day, a split in the rocky ceiling that cut through to the surface world sent a warm beam of sunshine, as well as the odd shriveled leaf or other debris, into the middle of the chamber. The perpetual suspension of coal dust was thin this close to the surface, but thick enough to give the light a three-dimensional quality. The room was pitch black by night, for the ultraviolet radiation stunted the mushroom's luminescence. The guards had set up two chairs, a round maple table covered in a red and white checkerboard quilt, and a brass candlestick in the far corner from the narrow, unrefined slit in the wall that comprised an entrance. The furniture would have looked out of place anywhere else in the caverns, but the intended jest was lost on Spike.
As Spike sat in his chair, his head and shoulders just visible over the edge of the table, he could almost imagine he was sitting at a picnic table in one of the grassy meadows outside Ponyville instead of the depths of a changeling hive. Though he missed the mushrooms' pleasant smell and entertained the notion that eating one might make him glow in the dark too, he welcomed the sight of natural light.
The guards had said they would send for Aurelia, but as the hours ticked by, he began to wonder if that was true.
Finally, at around twilight if the dimming light's orange tint was anything to go by, a tall, slim changeling slipped into the room.
Spike had fallen asleep at the table. He was enjoying a dream about an ordinary day back at the Ponyville library, but the sound of hoofsteps woke him up. He took a moment to remember where he was. Looking up to see the changeling looming over him, he yelped and dashed under the table. It didn't provide much cover, but the illusion of security gave him a moment to gather his wits.
For her part, the changeling was equally surprised. She had stumbled back into the ray of light, where she sat with her hoof held across her chest as she stared at him. Her wide blue eyes glittered with undisguised curiosity. "Um, hi," she said, more meekly than she'd intended. "I was supposed to meet somepony named Spike here, have you seen him?"
Spike blushed. He'd faced a room full of changelings, including their homicidally insane leader, with nothing but a candlestick—the candle wasn't even lit—yet here he was cowering before the only changeling he'd met who seemed genuinely friendly. Perhaps that was what set him on edge—Cassius had been a thinly-veiled wolf in sheep's clothing. Her being drop-dead gorgeous might have played some part as well.
The misconception that changelings didn't have manes arose from how the males would shave their heads before battle for the same reason members of Celestia's Royal Guard had bleached coats. Since changeling females seldom fought in the open, they were allowed to keep their manes, which were the same shade of gray as their tails. The few individual changelings that bothered with styling these features were among the only ones that members of the other races could identify.
This changeling was one such individual. Both her mane and tail were braided into ponytails. The latter fell around her withers with bangs that reached to just above her eyes, shining like silver in the early-evening light.
Though Spike was sure he'd never seen her before, he couldn't help feeling a sense of familiarity. Gathering his courage and what remained of his dignity, he crawled out from under the table, cleared his throat, and said, "I'm Spike, actually. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms..."
He offered his claw for the changeling to shake.
The changeling seemed confused by the gesture. Slowly, as if testing water, she stretched out her lifted hoof.
Spike clasped her hoof in his claw and shook.
"My name's Aure—hey, that tickles!" The changeling pulled her hoof away when his talon brushed into one of the cavities. Scientists have yet to determine what purpose they serve, but every changeling knows how extremely sensitive they are.
Spike scratched the back of his neck. The way her cheeks lit up made him wonder if he'd committed some sort of social faux pas. He'd never been trained in diplomacy, after all. "Sorry. I didn't know."
The changeling thought she saw a devious glint in his eyes, but it was gone too soon to tell.
"What were you saying your name was?"
"Aurelia. So you're Spike, huh?" Aurelia sized Spike up with mock skepticism.
"What?"
"I was expecting someone older."
"You're not so old yourself."
Aurelia quirked an eyebrow. "Should I take that as a compliment?"
"I meant I'm probably not more than a few years younger than you are."
"Okay, but shouldn't the Equestrian ambassador be a pony?"
"Do you have a problem with my being a dragon?"
"The few dragons I've known have all been selfish, egotistical jerks."
Spike laughed. "You're telling me."
"So you're not like that?"
"Would I be here if I was?"
"I don't know, would you? Your letter was pretty ambiguous. It almost sounded like you betrayed that unicorn so we'd take you under our wings." Aurelia flitted her translucent green wings. "I'll bet that's how Cassius read into it."
Spike sighed, walked back to his chair, and slumped into it. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Aurelia climbed onto the chair across from him. Figuring out how to sit in these things was always awkward, as if they'd been made exclusively for bipeds, but after some trial and error, she managed to find a comfortable position.
"I guess I just didn't want anypony to get hurt." Spike chuckled mirthlessly. "You can see how well that turned out."
"Yeah."
"There's one thing I don't get, though." Spike looked up at Aurelia.
Aurelia looked back expectantly.
"My letter was addressed to Legate Cassius, but he said it came to you first."
"How does that work, anyway? Do you just breathe fire on it?"
"Pretty much. So long as I know who I want on the receiving end, my dragon magic will take it to them."
Aurelia tilted her head. "Can you show me?"
"Sure. I'll need something to send though."
"Wait here, I'll be right back." Aurelia scampered out the door and around the corner.
Spike waited. The light was almost gone, so he blew a wisp of flame at the candle, being careful not to think about her as he did so. For all his magic was good for, it suffered from one serious flaw: it had no off switch. He'd learned to control it, though, so the wick flared up as intended. He stared into the candlelight as it bathed the room in a flickering yellow-orange glow. Fire had always fascinated him.
Aurelia returned with a raven's quill, a bottle of ink, and some ashen parchment. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Spike took a scrap of the parchment and began writing something.
Aurelia sat down and looked around in wonder. She'd seen candlelight before, but it had always been blended with the blue-green glow of the mushrooms, the result being dull-white light. Only the coal miners saw candlelight in its raw form, and she didn't envy them.
"Here goes."
A flash of green fire drew Aurelia back to the matter at hoof. A moment later, a folded piece of parchment appeared next to her just as before. She opened it.
"You're cute," she read. Her heart fluttered around in her chest but made no effort to escape this time. The candlelight reflecting off her lampblack skin made her blush all the more apparent. "Thanks," she said, sparing a glance at Spike. The look she gave him would keep him warm for days to come. She gestured for the quill. "May I?"
Spike handed her the quill.
Aurelia wrote something else on the parchment and enveloped it in her own burst of green flames. A heap of ashes fell to the table.
"Yeah, it only works for dragons. What did you write?"
Aurelia smiled. "You're cute too."
"Aw, shucks. You know, I used to think all changelings were just like Legate Cassius. I'm glad I was wrong."
Aurelia's smile faded. "He wasn't always so bad."
Spike remembered the way Cassius had looked at Chrysalis's portrait. "How so?"
"It's complicated."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't really want to talk about it, I mean. Not right now."
"All right."
Spike and Aurelia sat in silence, avoiding each other's eyes.
After a minute, she asked, "How did a dragon come to live among ponies?"
Spike seized the opportunity to lighten the mood and delved into the same story he'd told Fluttershy on his first day in Ponyville, about how he'd been a test egg in the entry exam at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, how a unicorn foal had hatched him one day in a brilliant burst of magical energy, and how they had grown up together in Canterlot.
He went on to highlight their various adventures upon moving to Ponyville and all the other major events leading up to the present day.
Aurelia listened to the better part of his speech with rapt attention but began to fall asleep toward the end.
Watching her lay there with her muzzle nestled in her hooves reminded Spike of the days when Cadence used to read stories to him and Twilight before bed. He got the feeling Aurelia hadn't slept this peacefully in a long time. If not for his overpowering curiosity, he would have felt guilty about waking her up. "What about you?"
Aurelia opened her eyes and looked up at him with a sheepish smile. Rising to her hooves, she shook her head to clear the haze. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I'm done boring you with my story, so now it's your turn." Spike winked.
Aurelia nodded and yawned.
Spike couldn't help noticing her fangs, which weren't much bigger than his own despite her being several times his size.
Aurelia got up, stretched, and sat back down at the table before beginning. "Well, since I've only been self-aware for little over a month now, my story isn't a long one, but I should probably explain a few things about changeling culture and biology first."
"A history lesson, huh? I don't suppose you'd let me use you as a pillow?"
"Maybe if you'd done the same for me. My neck is still stiff."
"I could help with that." Spike held up his claw. "These are good for more than just tickling, you know."
Blushing, Aurelia tucked her hooves under the table. "Perhaps later. I still owe you a story, after all."
"Of course."
Aurelia told Spike that while changelings need to eat and drink like anyone else, they need love most of all. It fuels their magic and keeps them alive. Though there were many families in the hive, Chrysalis had loved them all like her own children. To reinforce the notion, everyone had begun referring to each other as "Brother" or "Sister," and to Chrysalis as "Mother." Her love had kept them alive for a long time, but she only had so much to give.
The changelings had to find other sources eventually. Starved, they were drawn to Equestria as if by a magnet, but the ponies had no intention of helping what they saw as twisted, demonic shadows of themselves. Chrysalis had met with Celestia on several occasions, but Celestia didn't trust her. Desperate, the changelings started feeding off the loved ones of abducted ponies, earning the name "Changeling."
Aurelia breathed a subtle sigh of relief when Spike didn't ask about the attack on Canterlot. She wasn't ready to talk about Chrysalis's motivation, but she didn't want to stain their first meeting by lying to him.
Instead, Spike asked what not being in control of her own thoughts was like.
Aurelia struggled to find the right words. She had never felt like someone else was in control. Her actions had been a foregone conclusion, one she hadn't needed to think about. It was like a dream that never ended—a nightmare at times, such as when the connection would waver and she'd be left to operate on animal instinct, but those occasions were rare. Like a fish with the good fortune to have never left water, she hadn't had a concept of free will.
The feeling of that someone no longer being in control was unmistakable, though. It had been traumatizing, not just because she was suddenly alone in her head and her body wouldn't move unless she told it to, but because she knew the reason why. The others had the benefit of ignorance until they got their thoughts in order and put two and two together, but she knew from the start.
She agreed with Spike, albeit for a different reason, that the time she spent under Chrysalis's control wasn't worth talking about, so she went on to tell him about the last few weeks, her first few weeks of self-awareness. He listened with rapt attention.
***
"That's when the guards came to get me," Aurelia finished. She felt guilty that Spike hadn't shown any signs of boredom since she began. He'd even asked questions whereas she'd simply sat there and listened during his story. To be fair, hers was a lot shorter. Unlike the surface world, the last few weeks were a subject she knew well, so she found opening up much easier.
"You know," Spike said, "writing that letter may be the stupidest thing I've ever done, but at least something good came of it."
Aurelia leaned in and rested her forelegs on the table. She knew the answer to her next question, but she still wanted to hear him say it. "What's that?"
Spike leaned in to meet her and held her hooves in his claws. As tempting as seeing her reaction again was, he took care to avoid the holes this time. That could wait until they were somewhere with a door. "I met you."
"You're sweet."
"Saccharine even?"
Aurelia giggled. "Oh yes."
"I'm glad Shining can't see us right now. I'd be discharged from Celestia's Royal Guard for fraternizing with the enemy."
"You're not in Celestia's Royal Guard. Now if Cassius saw us, I'm sure I'd never hear the end of it."
"Do you think—"
"Monster!" a voice shot across the room.
In their revelry, neither Spike nor Aurelia had noticed the unicorn entering.
"I'll paint this cave with your entrails!" The unicorn drew back a hoof and leveled his horn, which was no longer restricted by the steel clasp, in preparation to charge.
Aurelia froze. Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't seen this unicorn before, but there weren't many of his kind running around the tunnels. There shouldn't have been any; Cassius had caught his would-be assassin hours ago.
Spike leaped from his chair to stand between them, arms outstretched. "Shining, stop! She's not our enemy!"
Shining snorted. "What's the meaning of this?" His eyes fixed on Aurelia, who was still sitting at the wooden table. He didn't have the natural talent of a cockatrice, but the effect was much the same. "You would stoop so low as to enthrall my nephew? Release him!"
Aurelia dared not move a muscle. She hardly knew any spells, much less love spells. If Shining wanted a fight, she didn't stand much of a chance. She hoped she wouldn't have to. Spike might try to protect her, but she doubted he could bring himself to cause serious harm to Shining, who was apparently his uncle. Not biologically, she assumed.
Spike relaxed his stance but stayed put. "You've never called me nephew before."
Shining, the Captain of Celestia's Royal Guard, was caught off guard for the second time in the past two days. He hesitated. His expression shifted to that of a colt caught trying to swipe a cupcake from Sugarcube Corner.
Aurelia could only watch in abject terror as Spike marched up and slugged him in the muzzle. She finally let out the breath she held when Spike didn't become a macabre new ornament on Shining's horn.
Shining just chuckled, a sound that soon gave way to hysterical laughter.
The way it echoed off the granite walls gave Aurelia the impression that there were several of him all laughing at once like a pack of hungry hyenas closing in on a cornered animal.
Spike went to throw another punch, but Shining blocked him with a magical barrier—a green magical barrier.
Aurelia found her voice, cracked as it was. "Cassius! What the hell is wrong with you?" When Cassius ignored her and kept laughing, she flew over to land in his face with her forelegs around Spike in a protective stance. "You have a sick sense of humor."
"You should have seen the looks on your faces!" Cassius said. "Especially you, Aurelia."
Aurelia glared at him. "What do you want?"
"I'm terribly sorry, sister. I didn't mean to interrupt your date, but I wasn't expecting to find you 'fraternizing with the enemy,' as Spike said. You can bet you'll never hear the end of this, though."
Aurelia fought a blush and held her glare. "How much did you hear?"
"More than I'd care to, I assure you."
"Is there some reason you're bothering us?" Spike asked.
"Of course!" Cassius coughed. "Shining, the real one, helped me come up with the most ingenious plan, but I'm going to need your help to pull it off."
"Give me one good reason why I should help you."
Cassius sighed theatrically. "You two are so grumpy today. This was your first time too, wasn't it?"
"You've never gotten any further," Aurelia said.
"Touche." Cassius gave her a look she couldn't decipher before turning to Spike. "Perhaps I wasn't clear. If you don't help me, I'll torture your uncle until you do. He's safe and sound in the dungeon right now, but if you're going to be difficult, his cracked horn should make things interesting."
"What's to stop you from hurting him any more than you already have?"
"You think you know me so well, but you're wrong. He did that to himself. Don't believe me? Ask Spike. He knows I'm a changeling of my word."
Aurelia stepped back to look at Spike. "What's he talking about, Spike?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "He's just trying to—"
"You mean he didn't tell you about our deal?" Cassius grinned. "Come now, Spike. You didn't think you could hide your dragon nature from her forever, did you?"
"Spike?" Aurelia's voice quavered.
"He could have been raised by ponies, penguins, or pineapples. He's still a dragon, and like all dragons, he's a compulsive, greedy backstabber!" Cassius couldn't stop his anger from slipping into his voice.
Aurelia would have seen the red flag had she not been preoccupied with her own internal dilemma.
Spike had no such issue clouding his judgment, but he knew he wasn't going to win this fight with words. His next act was the only logical response to such blatant manipulation. He leaped at Cassius's throat, talons bared, and shouted, "Liar!"
Aurelia smiled despite herself. She knew Spike's claws would be stopped by the chitinous hide beneath the illusion, but the display was enough for her to see where his loyalties lay.
It was more than enough for Cassius. He levitated Spike up to eye level. "I could shatter every bone in your body with a single thought."
"Try it." Spike clawed at the air.
Cassius laughed. "You have no idea how much I'd enjoy that, but you haven't outlived your usefulness yet. You're going to help me whether you like it or not."
Aurelia pulled Spike out of the air and set him down beside her. "Stop it, Cassius. This isn't funny."
Cassius stared her down.
Aurelia stared back.
Neither blinked.
When Aurelia didn't relent after more than a minute, Cassius got bored. "Fine, have your moment," he said. "I suggest you savor it. You might not get another." He was halfway out the door when he craned his neck to fix them with a piercing glare not unlike the one the real Shining gave Twilight when she crashed his wedding rehearsal. Only Spike would have seen the connection, but he was too busy clinging to Aurelia's foreleg. "Unless you want to share a cell with one very pissed off unicorn, don't even think about escaping. My guards are everywhere, and they'll be on the lookout for the two of you."
Aurelia waited for him to leave before letting herself fall on her haunches. This was the first time she'd seen the extent of his malice, and she could only imagine what his plan entailed. She wanted to cry, but no tears came. Her body heaved all the same.
For his part, Spike had grown numb to the course his life had taken. Nothing compared to the feeling of almost losing Twilight. He'd lost her anyway, but at least she was still alive.
Aurelia wasn't so lucky.
Spike wrapped her midsection in a tight embrace, feeling how similar in texture her chitin was to his scales. He rested his head against her chest. The gesture did nothing to steady her pounding heart. He might have pulled away had she not put her forelegs around him.