//------------------------------// // Bronze Armor: C Day // Story: Imbalanced // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// [Blazing's Entry] It's been almost half a year since my last entry mostly because not much happened. Between my increasingly capable recruits, patrol duty and evenings drinking at Sole Regret there isn't too much free time. Don't take it the wrong way, I still drink a lot but the ambience at the bar is just somehow fitting and most of the time I just get a glass of wine which Singer orders especially for me, light a vanilla and read some book from the castle library. Choking's been coming to my sessions regularly now and it seems the rift between us is mended. It somewhat bothers me though that in terms of relationships the recruits think we're a couple. I know that her visiting my office to cuddle when she's sad, tired or even plain bored could hint at that but very little has changed in terms of her one night stands with other ponies. Things aren't as good as they seem though. I've been getting strange vibes from other guards recently, it feels familiar but I can't really place it. Asking the ones who feel normal proved pointless and the only thing I found out was that according to Sharp Biscuit there was a lot of guards who had a sudden vacation recently. Also, there's a wedding being planned. The leader of Royal Guard, who I've never met, and a princess are getting married. Not one of the sisters but a different one. I asked Sharp about his Royal Guard colleague but aside from telling me the name Shining Armor he couldn't be of much help since the ties between Nightguard and Royal Guard are not as tight as I thought. It doesn't really concern me but the Elements of Harmony are invited to the wedding for some reason, maybe it's for the security? An alicorn and a such high-ranked civil servant wedding must be pretty important. [End Entry] I'm sitting in my office filling in the blanks in recruit evaluation reports and feeling pretty smug despite everything going on around me. I suppose sometimes one must take pride in his work when the results prove indisputable. The inter-group practice week when the recruits spent a week in some mountain camp practicing against others from different military installations was a success, or at least that's what the reports in front of me indicate. I haven't doubted Solid Steel or Rising Thunder thanks to their immense experience and skill but the success of Heavy Hoof finishing second after Rising surprised me. Well, now it's official and Canterlot has got the best guards in Equestria. I scribble a note to schedule a one-on-one session with Heavy to taste his progress for myself. Royal recruit regulations forbid the drill sargeants to practice with recruits personally during standard lessons so we have to just watch, give advice and let them grow by fighting one another. What we do in our free time however is our own business. A headache assaults me and I wonder whether I've been bothering with the reports for too long. The clock disagrees with me though and I just have a drink... of water! It doesn't go away and when I slump back to my chair it feels more like a distant buzzing than a normal headache which I usually experience via hangover delivery. Something's wrong. Well I haven't heard you in a while. Last time I tried to tell you something you weren't listening, you piece of shit. That's way too much aggression considering I managed to right most of the wrongs I caused. You were lucky. You got a job cause some mare took pity on you. Valiant is out because you turned into a changeling somehow, there was very little of your involvement. Your group of recruits is doing well because you got lucky again and got two experienced soldiers to show the others the ropes. Even then you wouldn't have made it without Choking covering your ass. Hey! I got through that and made it through the nights successfully. And then you almost killed a mother and her filly, broke Choking's bones and threatened to murder her coltfriend. AND you got lucky because for some reason she didn't want to shove your sorry face in front of Luna and let her fry you alive. That is something I can't dispute. Alright then, I'm unconsciously angry at myself so what else is new in the wide world of Equestria? She's back! Crap. I'm right. Now I know what I am though and I know about changeling hostility towards ponies which means I have no reason to let this slide. The white lady's desire to know about me was a ruse to find out something about castle security which hasn't changed since. I can feel her and as things fall in place I realize what was the sensation from the guards. They kidnapped the real guards and replaced them thanks to you. Buck me. But there is still time, I have to tell princess Luna. Too late. The door to my office open and a royal guard pony enters, her disguise doesn't fool me this time though. I get ready to fight. "That's interesting. Not even my subjects can sense me if I don't want them to," she purrs amusedly. "Who are you?" "Who do you want me to be, my little experiment?" "I want to know how you really look," I say and focus on staying aware of myself, remembering the last time her eyes completely broke me. "Then gaze upon your true queen, pet," she exclaims and a familiar burst of green fire burns away her pegasus form and leaves... It's not only my changeling side which finds her beautiful. She is as tall as princess Celestia but completely black and covered in glistening plates made of the same stuff as mine. There are differences though. Her horn is jagged and twisted and on her back there's a pair of translucent wings mirrored by a turquoise decorative plating covering her belly. On second look it doesn't look as much decorative like effective. Her tail and mane match the color and a small crown ornament on her head proves her status. The queen is a being born to kill which is apparent just from two glances. "Wow." The dumbest think I could have possibly said comes out. "A fitting greeting but there is something still missing from you," she comments and her horn bursts with green light. I don't want to give her the satisfaction of me screaming so I just gasp and groan when the sensation of something tearing through my belly removes all control over my limbs. It's over soon though. Well that's REALLY fitting. Bwahahahahahahaha! The pain fades almost instantly and I feel fine again, a bit heavier though. The queen conjures a reflective surface with her horn and I see I now have a similar additional plating around my belly... unfortunately I don't look in any way as menacing as her. Mine formed in a red corset shape causing my rump to stand out against my slimmer frame. I sigh, completely forgetting the presence in front of me. The loss of concentration makes me look at the queen without thinking and her green eyes remove the possibility of any more thought in an instant. "Perfect. Now let's go, we have important things to accomplish." My mind comes back when she returns to her pegasus shape but I know I can't go against her will again so I try to retain what little control I still have so I'm more than just a passive observer in a puppet body but it's so-so. "Where are we going?" "To visit the future groom and wish him all the best. You're here just in case he resists too much. My other subjects informed me that you are very skilled in terms of combat and Shining Armor is a first-class fighter as well and he can use magic. Together we will take him out. I need him alive." I don't ask anything more not to raise suspicions and gather all my strength to resist her when the time comes. Soon we come to a door I recognize as one of the guest rooms and the queen knocks. "When they open, you take out the alicorn and I'll deal with Shining." The door opens and a pink alicorn, smaller than Luna, doesn't even manage to shout before I punch her chest and knock the breath out of her. She has no value for the queen but whatever little control I have stops me from killing her. My instant kick to the side is supposed to connect with Shining Armor but stops abruptly mid-air and I feel the impact shake my entire body. It turns out that the queen's magic assault on the guard captain failed miserably when he conjured a barrier protecting him and charged her hard enough to slam her into the wall. "Stop him!" she hisses and I shatter Shining's barrier with a devastating blow. The problem is that without his protective shield he can move freely and the instant the pink shield disappears he dodges the blow. It's apparent he is way faster than me. I have way more experience though in fighting unarmed and am able to bait him into overcomitting to an attack which leaves him open. Or so I believe until the time when my hoof hits another pink shield around his body. Our scrap gives the queen a moment to recover though and that is all she needs. A green burst of magic hits Shining Armor, who is focused at me, and strips his barrier away. "He won't be able to use it again soon, immobilize him!" orders the queen and I take a crushing blow from Shining directly to my side flinging me away. I'm surprised at how easily my new armor took and softened the blow. It didn't really hurt but the force was still there and despite queen's control over me I want to match my skill against his without the pesky magic. What speaks volumes about him is that he's here, in a small room, fighting one on two against an expert on hoof-to-hoof combat and an immensely powerful mage and is still holding on. The fact that we want him alive is the only reason that's the case but I still respect him at this point. We can't hang around too long though not to raise suspicion and while using my queen as a bait is something I have serious issues with it works and I tackle Shining and make my armor as heavy as possible to immobilize him. His struggle is pointless and when the queen looks into his eyes I let him go recognizing the change in behaviour. She doesn't even need to bite him to make him her slave and her magic shows again when she teleports the unconscious pink alicorn away. "You've done well, my pet. Now it's time for your final service," she smiles and I drop to the ground while I feel my strength slipping away, devoured by her. And if nopony stops her then this will happen to everypony in Canterlot.