Changeling

"Hey Lazybones, get up!"

Shade blearily opened his eyes as the cave swam into focus. For a moment he was confused. Why aren't we at the Hive? Then the hoof that had prodded him into awareness jabbed his side again, and with a groan he rolled over to stare up at his companion. It turned out to be none other than the king of stuck-ups himself, Rune. He glared down at Shade with bright green eyes, wings buzzing impatiently.

Shade covered his eyes with one hole-covered hoof - not that it did much good - and rolled back over, mumbling, "Go away."

A snort from behind him told the Changeling that his request was not going to be granted. "Come on newbie, it's two days 'til the battle and we have a lot of training to do. Or have you forgotten?"

Oh, that's right, the battle. Now I get it. Shade opened one eye and gazed mildly up at his companion. "Actually, yeah, I did.. Being rudely awoken from a really deep sleep can do that to a changeling. Is breakfast ready yet?"

Rune snorted again and replied, "In a couple of days you can feed to your heart's content. If you're too weak to make it 'til then, you shouldn't be here." He poked Shade again, then turned away and marched out of the small cave.

Shade closed his eyes again for a moment, then decided that a few more minutes of sleep wasn't worth Rune's wrath. He wished he could remember his dream though. With a small sigh, he reopened his violet-coloured eyes, and began his day.

Rather than excersizing his legs, and regaining the feeling in them, he unfurled his wings and flew - well, more like dragged himself through the air; hooves inches from the ground, head drooping with his eyes half closed - over to the entrance and- smacked face-first into the wall. He promptly fell onto his back,eyes now wide open.

"Well. I'm awake now." He said, to no one in particular. He got up, shaking his head to clear it, and trotted outside, being careful to avoid the other side of the cave. He winced at the sudden brightness of the sun, and almost walked into a tree. Ugh. I really need to be more careful. Either that or get some more sleep. That would work too.

Slowly regaining some feeling in his legs, Shade walked through their makeshift training camp, head swinging side to side. He was looking for- "Frostbite!" The female turned her head, her light blue eyes sweeping the area. "Hey Shade!" She grinned, the sun glinting off her unusually long fangs. "Did Rune hit you again? You've got a bruise on your face," Frostbite said, gently placing her hoof on her friend's shoulder.

Shade rolled his eyes. "Nah. I just walked into a wall."  The two shared a laugh for a moment, then became serious. "We'd better get going. I was just heading on over to the 'arena,' wanna come?" The lighter coloured changeling asked. "Sure. I need all the practice I can get," Shade replied, and they took to the air.

The "Arena" was really just a small meadow they had found near the camp, which they now used for battle training. In the month they had been here, the once beautiful clearing had basically turned into a blood-splattered patch of dirt. The training sessions were brutal, and when Shade was there, his blood was spilled heavily and often.

When the two friends landed in the shadows of the trees just at the edge of the area, another battle was already taking place. Two large males were circling eachother, snapping and hissing. The darker one lunged at the other, sinking his fangs into the slightly smaller one's neck. He threw it to the ground, and the smaller one struggled for a moment before giving in with a small growl.

"Good."  Another male stepped forward, who Shade recognized as the training instructor, Slash. His large yellow eyes swept over the changeling on the ground. "You're both improving. This time, I think Fang won by pure luck."

The one called Fang didn't seem to pleased with this; he narrowed his eyes and glared at the intructor. Slash glanced up at him. "You are both excellent fighters. The queen would agree, if she could were here now. But you could both be a little quicker. Go practice against others, and when you feel ready, come face eachother again. Now, who is next?"

Shade and Frostbite trotted forward into the center of the clearing. Frostbite hurried forward eagerly, while her companion dragged his hooves. "What's wrong with you?" Frostbite hissed to her friend. "Show a little enthusiasm!" Shade shrugged. "I'm just not good at fighting. Every time, I just get beaten up and yelled at." By now they were in front of the instructor, who surveyed them carefully.

"Hmm... Ah yes, Frostbite. A promising young warrior." (Frostbite beamed at this rare compliment. Shade rolled just rolled his eyes and looked at the ground.) "I don't think you are the best one to fight Shade," he continued. "I don't want you taking it easy on him. The sooner he learns to toughen up, the better. He won't last five minutes in Canterlot if he doesn't." Shade's head snapped up. "I'm tough!" He snarled, flaring her wings. Slash raised an eyebrow. "Then why have I never seen you win a battle, even with your best friend?" He replied coldly."I will fight you myself. Frostbite, head over there and meet Blaze."

After Frostbite had flown happily over to greet the male, Slash got into battle position.

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Shade groaned. His whole body hurt. Slash had shown him no mercy during their training session, and he was now covered with scratches, and even a deep crack in his shell where Slash had thrown him into a boulder. He was limping slowly along beside Frostbite, who was flying along quite happily. Apparently she had beaten Blaze easily, even though he had a reputation as a great fighter. "Stupid.. annoying..." Shade muttered, not even paying attention to his friend's words anymore. It probably didn't even apply to him anyway. She had been going on and on about the training session ever since they left the clearing.

"And then he said- "Oh, SHUT UP!" Shade snarled. "I don't care, okay? I just don't care how great you are at fighting, I don't care how easily you took down Blaze, and I don't care about whatever the hell he said! So just shut up!"

Frostbite froze, staring at Shade with wide eyes. She took a step toward her friend. "You know if you just tried harder, you could be great too." "Just leave me alone, okay?" Shade snapped. "Can't you see I'm trying as hard as I can? You think I like being told I'm worthless? That's why I don't 'try harder'? Well wake up, Frostbite, because I don't!" He yelled, and trotted quickly (and painfully) back to the small cave he was staying in. He flopped down on his nest and curled up, closing his eyes. Why am I so horrible at this? The thought echoed endlessly in his tired head.Slash is right. I'll probably die in the battle, and then they'll be free of me. I bet Frostbite won't even miss me. The thought hurt.