//------------------------------// // From Bad To Worse: Revenge // Story: Imbalanced // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// [Blazing's Entry] Thinking you've lost everything changes a pony. Whether in a good or bad way I have yet to find out. What to do? [End Entry] I wake up in the dark with a minor headache, unwilling to leave the bed despite rumbling stomach. Being raised from the dead by mysterious and slightly distracted Scream didn't make much sense but what is the worst thing she could do in case I fail her somehow? Freedom like this feels strange. Do I have to find a new job? Does it matter if there really is some huge conflict coming to Equestria? In short, I'm really hungry and bored. Blueblood's face appears from the darkness. I can't do that... can I? Why not? Having some fun and teaching Blueblood a lesson he will remember for the rest of his life should kill some time. I've patrolled fancy parts of Canterlot often enough to know his habits but I would have to make it look like a mugging attempt. If he somehow suspects it to be connected with Choking then I will have to kill him. On the other hoof, once again, what's the worst thing that could happen? I would be just doing something I was already executed for. My autopilot kicks in and I go brush my teeth. Hiding myself behind toxic clouds might be an interesting ability but I don't feel like disobeying my routine. The messed up visage in the mirror is my usual unicorn-changeling face but the reflection is glowing in a strange, purple shimmer. The source eventually proves to be a set of some runes scribbled on my chest and circling my legs. My only guess is that Scream somehow remade my body and summoned my soul to inhabit it. Unfortunately the only thing it means is that as soon as I need to be sneaky I find myself turned into a walking lamp. It's not a huge problem though and I rummage through my drawer to find a dark green cloak, the best color for nighttime invisibility. Protection? The effort of changing the toughness of my skin makes me gasp for breath. I desperately need food, both for my changeling side and my normal one. With not enough energy to use my hooves as hammers I put on my set of combat, I mean educational, horseshoes. Jumping out of the window is not an option so I just use the hard pieces of metal on my hooves to unlock my door piece by piece. Leaving the building, I tell the landlord to get the door repaired and pay him with some bits I had stashed in my apartment. Worried about being seen by other guards, I put my hood on and find the closest food stand. With the Gilded Hall being my destination, there is a lot of ground to cover but the only thing counting against me is time. It can't have been too long since my death because the landlord didn't seem surprised in the slightest by my presence. With gusto rivaling a hungry dragon in a pile of rubies I eat my freshly bought sandwiches while planning how to get to Blueblood. If my guess is correct then Blueblood will arrive at the Gilded Hall pretty soon for his evening routine and his carriage will be parked in the private parking-lot behind the estabilishment and will be guarded by his two personal guards. Not a big deal, I can dish out enough pain to deal with his minions and probably thanks to being ex-dead I have much less of a problem with it. I will have to take out the guards silently and at the right time. This might turn into a huge mistake if by some chance I fail. He will turn on Choking and even if I cripple him permanently it won't change my life back to the way it was and I won't even be able to say I'm innocent anymore. Does being innocent really matter? Has it ever helped before? You again, back to bother me? No, but we are one. Black and white, written on my ass. Well, I've always believed that while being a screw-up I wasn't evil. Wasn't it just fear of failing that caused you not to ever do anything? Being good isn't something achieved by not doing bad but by doing good despite unexpected outcomes from time to time. There was never a reason to argue with myself. I have to act an accept the consequences. So, what do you WANT to do? The answer is there and all doubts from before disappear. I will pay for my actions but I want to crush all bones in Blueblood's body. I want to see him squirm in pain and puke blood and there is nothing stopping me anymore. With the exception of a chain fence protecting the parking lot and an elderly guard sitting inside a booth watching the only entrance. The security in Canterlot is a joke compared to Canterlot castle and even that is significantly lacking. Feeling confidence for the first time in my life I crawl under the guard's field of view and enter the dim area full of carriages, looking for Blueblood's. He's either not coming today or it's too early. Hidden by my dark-green cloak I meld into the shadows and watch the entrance to the lot myself. It isn't too long before two unicorns pulling a golden-blue carriage decorated by Blueblood's twin star pattern enter, drive into a free parking space and let the prince out. They step into the shadows themselves and leave only two red dots as they begin smoking. It's not allowed to let ponies stay here but Blueblood and rules don't go well together. According to experience, Blueblood's dinners usually average about one hour differing only in case he meets somepony interesting. I have no way to measure time though and I can't just come and knock out the guards, they might wake up too early and cause commotion. I've spent enough time on patrols to know how long I take to finish my vanilla cigarette though. It's risky but without it I'll either miss my chance or go too soon. In the end I just light one and calm down for a while, watching the carriage. My final allowed cigarette runs out signaling that the hour is almost over, if my guesstimate was correct. I begin sneaking through unlit parts of the area to get to my target. "Do you smell it?" comes from one of the guards. Crap. Smoking too many vanillas at once to measure time has a side-effect, an expected one though. The other guard turns to the one I'm behind and sees me, ready to strike. "Behind you!" Ignoring the turning guard I jump straight at the one who spotted me and send him to sleep with a well aimed blow powered by steel on my hoof and kick back with both hind legs which clangs on the other guard's armor. The surprise is enough for me to take him out as well within seconds and I drag both unconscious bodies to the shadows. It doesn't take long and the prince enters the parking lot, unescorted. Just a little closer, Blueballs. Lacking the presence of his guards or a presence of mind to fight back, prince Blueblood doesn't even shout when I jump at him, knock him on the ground and take off my hood. "Remember me, Blueballs?" "What.. How... GUAR-!" His scream is stopped abruptly when I, ready for it, shove my hoof into Blueblood's mouth. To prevent him biting back, I twist it forcefully a split second after. Blueblood apparently wasn't going to do so and something in his unsuspecting mouth snaps when his jaw muscles fail to react. I realize that when only a muffled squeal comes out and dies almost instantly. "Make a sound, you little bitch. Just. A. Sound." Whether in fear, shock or anger, Blueblood is shaking but still looking silently at me. "I said make a sound!" I growl angrily and jump at Blueblood's front leg forcing a crack and another sqeal. It's obvious Blueblood has no idea what's going on. He saw me die but my desire to make him understand why all this is happening disappeared when I first saw his smug face again. I break his other foreleg with a happy smile and in one fluid motion I stomp at both his hind legs, shattering bones again. One thing has to be said for him though, he is enough of a stallion not to give me the satisfaction of screaming and just watches me with tears streaming down his face. Or it's just shock, I don't know. You can kill him, nopony will suspect anything. No. He will suffer more this way. With bones shattered enough, he will be happy if he ends up limping for the rest of his life. And one last little gift... "If anything happens to my friend who you know so well... Let's just say that I've come back from the dead once already and I have nothing to lose. I hope I'll NEVER have to see you again, Blueballs." I spit on the body on the ground and kick him in the ribs just to hear another cracking sound and then coughing interwoven with painful groans as Blueblood begins twitching again. A memory of Choking in a slightly torn dress shaking by the library window returns. What I've done until now still isn't enough. Positioning myself with pinpoint precision I look at Blueblood's crotch and crush one of his testicles, shutting the prince down completely in a pool of his own vomit. The fun is over. "Goodbye, Blueball," I just sneer at his destroyed body. One more place to go. One grey coat to turn red. I grin.