Scootaloo's Guardian

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 27

Hidden Truth led Braeburn and Little Strongheart through the busy streets with the same cold and calculating stare on his face. The two Appleloosan travelers were still wrapped in confusion over his sudden mood shift, and Braeburn could not help but question why "Say, Hidden Truth? What's gotten ya all worked up? Is our quest that serious?"

Hidden Truth lightly shushed the cowpony as he made his way across "We cannot talk now. Not like this." He looked up at the sky to see the moon slowly rising "It's getting late. We'll need to pick up the pace. Come, Braeburn and Little Strongheart! My base of operations is up ahead! We can talk there where nopony can hear us!" He said as the trio moved faster.

After a moment of travel, they found themselves at a nearby dockyard, where a row of large storage bays stood. Hidden Truth stopped and slowly moved an outstretched hoof to distinguish which one to go to until it stopped on the third one. He smiled and signaled his new friends to follow him. When they reached the door, Hidden Truth knocked on it three times and stood forward patiently. In a small moment, the door opened to reveal a young green, blonde-maned unicorn mare with pink eyes as she held a suspicious glance. It changed to one of joy and relief when she got a good look at Hidden Truth "Professor! You're back!"

Braeburn and Little Strongheart stood in surprise to the remark "Professor?" They parroted in unison.

The mare looked back and glared at the two newcomers "Who are they? They're not part of the research te-"

Hidden Truth interjected with a serious tone "Not now, Open Mind! These two travelers are important links to our research! Let us inside so we can get back to work!"

Open Mind flinched before she backed away to let the trio inside "Y-Yes, Professor!" She regarded Hidden Truth with a stare of slight fearfulness while he, Braeburn, and Little Strongheart made their way inside.

The storage bay was indeed vast and a good amount of it was vacant. The group trotted in further to see a small group of unicorns working restlessly as they studied their own papers. There was a shadow looming in one of the distant corners of the area that caught the eye of Little Strongheart.

While they were trotting in, a pink unicorn mare with a long straight black mane, brown calculating eyes, and a cutie mark of a ebony whip stopped them in their tracks as she regarded Hidden Truth with an expression that betrayed emotion "It is good to see you again, Professor..." She spoke in a leveled tone.

Hidden Truth nodded with a smile "Likewise, Sharp Wit. Any breakthroughs during my absence?"

Sharp Wit shook her head "I'm afraid not. Nothing new on our latest find, nor any leads or points of interest to our benefit. But what of you?"

Hidden Truth's smile widened "We may have a possible lead with who I've met out in the streets of Fillydelphia!" He turned and waved to his new friends "I would like for you to meet Braeburn, cousin of the Element of Honesty, and his friend Little Strongheart of the Appleloosan Buffalo Tribe!"

Braeburn nodded with a smile "Howdy, ma'am!"

Little Strongheart gave a curt bow "Pleased to meet your acquaintance!"

Sharp Wit squinted her eyes at the Appleloosan travelers before she turned to Hidden Truth "Pardon my doubts, Professor, but are you sure these two are what we have left in our latest subject?"

Hidden Truth nodded again "Most definitely! They have come in contact with what we possess and more! I've yet to completely extract the information and add it to our own!"

Sharp Wit gave a light scoff "Well, you do come through in the end...I suppose I shouldn't doubt your judgement. I shall get back to my task at hoof while you handle your own." She then trotted past the group without another word.

Little Strongheart watched her go back to work before she turned to Braeburn "She does not seem as friendly as the griffon from the restaurant..."

Braeburn smiled at his friend "Probably cuz' she's too caught up in her work! Wouldn't wanna disturb her!"

Open Mind looked away "Sharp Wit's one of the best members we have on the Professor's research team! She usually comes across breakthroughs before the rest of us!" Her muzzle contorted into a scowl "That show-off..." She muttered in displeasure.

Braeburn went to comfort Open Mind until he noticed her flank. Unlike the other unicorns seen in the storage bay, she lacked a cutie mark of her own. The mare noticed and she quickly got in Braeburn's face with a glare "And just what are you looking at!?"

The cowpony backed up as he stared awkwardly at Open Mind "I'm mighty sorry, Open Mind! Was jus' curious about ya not havin' a cutie mark is all!"

Open Mind steamed from her nostrils "So what if I am a blank flank? Got a problem!?"

Hidden Truth casted a stern look on the young mare "Open Mind, be nice! Braeburn did not know any better!" He snapped authoritively.

Open Mind cringed slightly until she looked away in a pout "I'm sorry..." She said as she then donned a face of curiousity "So you said you've come across something similar to our research?"

Braeburn smiled at Open Mind "Sure did!" He looked down at his wound "Wasn't all that much fun, though..." He added in a slightly regretful tone.

Hidden Truth pulled out his scribbled notes with his magic and levitated them to Open Mind "Here, Open Mind. This contains their findings prior to before we first met. Study these notes and compare them to our current data, please." He asked in a kind tone.

Open Mind nodded and grabbed the notes with her magic "Yes, Professor!" She then trotted in a quick pace, leaving the trio to themselves.

Hidden Truth turned to the two travelers "So tell me, you two. When exactly did your event occur?"

Braeburn spoke up "About two days ago. We jus' set out th' day after that cloaked feller left Appleloosa!"

Hidden Truth looked down in thought "This isn't good. But the strange creature you speak of isn't the sole reason of me bringing you here." He then turned and began trotting away "Follow me. I have something to show you two..." The two complied without hesitation.
_____

Raphael leaped from roof to roof along the many storage bays with the shard in his hand until it finally glowed brightly. He grinned darkly as he stood over the current building "Yes...It's here!" The vampire whispered triumphantly. He turned to see Amy catch up with Trixie in her arms, the lady making sure to hold Trixie carefully "Ready yourselves at once. We're to storm in and take no prisoners..." He turned to Trixie with a sneer "One's plenty..." He uttered in disdain.

Trixie snorted "You do not scare Trixie with your barbaric formalities, vampire! And how can you be so sure that what we seek is under our feet?" She narrowed her eyes at Raphael.

Raphael stashed away the shard in his armor as he looked down "That is not your concern. What matters now is to do exactly as I command. Now let us hurry and find an opening into this wretched establishment! We're wasting time just standing here!"
_____

Zasalamel and the element bearers snuck across the alleys leading to the docks, much to Rarity's displeasure, and they managed to reach their destination in a matter of minutes. The cloaked man squinted his eyes up ahead "Stay close, all of you...This will be most formidable for you."

Rainbow Dash scoffed "We had worse than this, you know! This whole 'Sneaking inside' gig is nothing!"

Zasalamel advanced forward "I'd hold you to your words, Element of Loyalty..." He said as he looked up. His eyes widened when he noticed three silhouettes on the desired destination and he quickly darted his head to the group "Hurry! We may not the only ones looking for the shards!" He said as he moved forward in a sprint.

Twilight perked up "We aren't!? Zasalamel, wait up!" Twilight and the others quickly followed after the cloaked man.
_____

Braeburn and Little Strongheart gasped at the sight in front of them. Sitting inside of a small cylindrical glass jar was a familiar shard that glowed with power. The cowpony could not believe his eyes "That's th' same shard we saw way back when! Where'd ya find it!?"

Hidden Truth examined it as he straightened his glasses "We found this particular item in a forestated area just outside of Baltimare as of two months ago. Sadly, when one of my late colleagues came into contact with it, he went wild, and nearly erased my entire team in the past had we not acted sooner...We've been studying it meticulously ever since.

Little Strongheart looked saddened "That sounds awful. Our sincerest apologies for your loss..."

Hidden Truth gave a forlorn sigh as he forced a smile "There's no point in dwelling in the past, even if my research is mostly based on most of Equestria's history. Sadly, most of my discoveries are seen as conspiracies to other ponies." He sifted through papers and images on the desk that sat with the jar "I've had several findings in my time with other ponies before my current research team. From hidden facts of the creation of Equestria to the story of Slendermane, I've kept every record at my side throughout my years of study. I was lucky to graduate from the Canterlot School for Gifted Ponies without almost being considered a lunatic in the eyes of the public..."

Braeburn frowned "I'm mighty sorry t' hear that, Truth."

Hidden Truth shook his head with a smile "It was only in the past, friend. Nothing short of what needs to be looked into right now..." He sifted through his papers until he fished out a particular image with his magic. It contained a shadowed bipedal silhouette hiding behind a patch of woods "If my findings on your explanation are correct, you said you've personally come across a creature of bipedal structure, right? And it took the shard with it?"

Little Strongheart nodded "Yes! The creature happened to be male according to appearance. However, he seemed rude at the time. He completely disregarded our condition when the battle had ended!"

Hidden Truth rubbed his chin as he looked at the picture "This may prove to be the most fruitful discovery of my years of study..." He looked to see Open Mind approach with her notes "Ah, Open Mind. Finished comparing already?"

Open Mind smiled as she presented her data "Yes. They're no doubt similar to most of our own findings!" She then frowned "But the question remains as to where to find said bipedal figures if we wish to push this subject further..."

On cue, the windows on the upper right reaches of the storage bay inwardly shattered as three figures flew through and landed in the middle of the room, startling the small group of unicorns and halting their work. Amy landed on her feet with Trixie in her arms and gently set her down afterwards, then observed her surroundings with quiet curiousity. Raphael landed on one knee and recovered as he looked around with a sneer "Ugh...Detestable filth as far as the eye can see..."

Hidden Truth gave a low gasp "Remarkable...Our prayers have been answered in ample time!" He beamed at the sight of the intruders.

Braeburn was dumbstruck as well "But we ain't seen these two before!" He then noticed Trixie after rubbing his eyes "They even got a unicorn of their own!"

Trixie stood proud when she was addressed "Not just any unicorn! You have been given the honor of witnessing the breathtaking appearance of the Great and Powerful Trixie!!"

Raphael turned to glare at Trixie "Bite your tongue, you insolent pest!! And as for the rest of you..." He continued looking around as he spoke "Who is in charge of this place?" He called out in a commanding tone.

Hidden Truth trotted forward and voiced his answer without fear "That would be me. Can I help you all?" He smiled up to Raphael as if he wasn't a monster.

Raphael leered down at Hidden Truth with a dark smirk "How polite. You could start by handing over your shard!"

Hidden Truth's smile left at the request "My shard? Why would I do that?"

Raphael's eyes narrowed "Because it would save me the trouble of making a mess..." He uttered as he went to draw his blade.

Little Strongheart saw this and went to charge, but she then noticed that the shadow she saw the moment she arrived had instantly vanished. There was a small gust of wind, and Raphael perked up as he quickly dodged to his right as a breeze flew past him. A visible cut showed up on his cheek afterwards.

Hidden Truth smiled when he felt a presence at his side and turned to face it. It was a pony that was not a unicorn, but its features were all hidden in a foreign garb of jet black while covered in a shrouding cloak of the same color. Most of its eyes were covered, but they appeared pupilless and slightly glowing "Ah, excellent work in fending off our enemy!"

Little Strongheart turned to the strange pony with widened eyes "Who is that!?"

Hidden Truth turned to the Appleloosan travelers "Ah, yes. I haven't formally introduced you to everypony here. This is my...associate, Quick Work. He is responsible for our defensive needs."

Braeburn looked at Raphael's group "Ya think he's willin' t' scrap with these folks? Iffin' they're like the one me an' Li'l Strongheart met, they could be tougher than nails!!"

Hidden Truth looked at his associate "He can resolve certain issues if push comes to shove. Quick Work can be most reliable in situations like these."

Raphael growled "Such callous behavior...Perhaps I should teach you some manners before I-"

Suddenly, the front door to the storage bay flew open as seven more visitors stormed in with vigor. Zasalamel stopped when he noticed Raphael and Amy in sight and narrowed his eyes "I was correct...We're not the only ones looking for the shards..."