//------------------------------// // Crazy Train // Story: Equestrian Steel // by Shieldheart204 //------------------------------// Crazy Train The second both Mages entered the golden car, their jaws dropped. Never had they seen something so... Well, different. The inside was definitely larger than it looked, and the golden interiors made everything shine. Sitting in front of them was a man with a blue frock coat and a black top hat. He grabbed his golden tipped cane and stood up. " Hello Miss Twilight Sparkle, I must say it is a pleasure to make acquaintances with someone who the Princess highly respects. And it is a great pleasure to meet you too miss Rarity, don't think I would forget to greet the fashionista that caused such an uproar in the Canterlot Socialite circle." he said as the old man grabbed each ones hand and kissed it. "Well, we are quite flattered, but I am afraid that we do not know your name kind sir." replied the seamstress. " Oh you are right. Where are my manners. I am Gold Heart, founder and CEO of McHeart Enterprises. I see you have met my nephew Hawk Eye." " You're the famous Gold Heart? Owner of half of Equestria! Oh it is such an honor to meet you!" exploded Rarity. " No no no, the pleasure is mine. Standing before me are two of the six women responsible for the defeat of Nightmare Moon and Discord. Also, if there is anyone more capable for the impossible task of helping my nephew return to his old self, I am sure is you." said the elder with delight. Twilight was left speechless. She had been surprised far too many times today. First with the assignment, then with the incident in the alley, afterwards the scuffle in the castle and now the expectations from an old man. This might be the toughest day so far, even tougher than her brother's wedding. " Well, we assure you that we will do everything we can, but we cannot promise anything." responded her friend. " Well, then I guess it is high time you met him. Copperworth!" and the butler appeared. " Yes sir?" " Could you be so kind and tell Shield to get here? Also, tell him to dress properly." " Of course sir." responded Copperworth and left the car. "I have question sir." said Twilight. "Yes, what is it?" "What sort of magic did you use to make this place seem larger?" " Oh, no. This is the actual size. Years ago I had scientists develop a unique technology that allows me to compress rooms. It is very complex and I don't remember the details, but I do remember that it it's called REDIS." "Wow, so what does McHeart Enterprises focus on?" "Well, it focuses on everything, from technology development, to mines, to agriculture. If it is profitable, we're in it." he said with a gleeful smile. "Are you in the fashion business?" asked Rarity. "Not yet, we are still looking for a rising star without a sponsor." "Well, maybe I could be that star." " How about we sit down to have a proper conversation. Anyone want some Canterlonian whiskey?" said Gold as he reached for a cupboard, where inside were several liquors. He pulled out a bottle with a brown liquid. He set it in an end table next to him, and proceeded to pull out four short glasses. "No thank you, I don't drink." " Oh, come on. I promise you won't regret it." "No thank you. My brother told me to stay away from alcohol." "Shining Armor said that? But he usually sits down for a drink." "But still. That is what he told me." "Lighten up Twilight, I am sure that a sip won't do you any harm." said Rarity as she approached the cupboard. "Now you stay right there lass, I will be attending ya." They both obeyed and sat down in the sofa. The millionaire handed the, their glasses as he himself sat down. Hawk Eye took a seat next to him, without a glass. "So, what do you know about my nephew?" Twilight felt as though she was being quizzed. She simply sat there, completely nervous and hoping that Rarity wouldn't talk. Although, her friend was apparently next to someone extremely important. "We know little about him, and most of it comes in the negative form, which is wrong, so if you could tell us who we is and how we can help him we would be most grateful." Gold was silent for a good deal, then he spoke: "I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that someone of your status would willingly accept to tutor, coach, or whatever it is that you want to name yourself without knowing who you were helping." "Well..." Rarity said, hoping to stall him. But he was still waiting for an answer. Seeing her friend in peril, Twilight intervened. "Isn't it obvious? She is the Element of Generosity, so she is willing to help anyone, especially if it is a favor that the Princess asks." "Why, of course! That is the most logical reason as to why I am here." added the fashionista "All right, how about you Miss Twilight, why did you abandon your studies to travel with Shield, I know that you know far more than her. I saw you in the library, talking to Maester Grimoire." Twilight was getting creeped out. This man knew what she knew, which was little above nothing. She had heard the bad stuff, but it really wasn't much to go on. Shield walked into the room, he was wearing a grey dress shirt and jeans. His hands were clad in black fingerless gloves and his right hand was holding a tankard. He took a long drink and proceeded to talk. " Good evening ladies, it is my pleasure to welcome you to my Uncle's living room, if you wish to follow me, I will see that you are settled in." he said in a suave manner, a hint of cocky attitude present in his voice. "Have you started drinking beer so early? You had better not spill anything over my furniture or I'll toss ya out of this train!" scolded Gold Heart. With a smooth wave of his hand he replied: "Don't worry uncle, it's just sweet cider." "Oh really, Ah hope ya don't mind if Ah take a sip." "Nope, heck, take the whole tankard if you don't believe me." his face carried a smug grin. " No no, I believe you. Very well, if you ladies would be so kind as to follow him." motioned the elder millionaire. They obliged, leaving their drinks. He lifted his ebony wand and with a swish the luggage flashed out. "Don't worry ladies, your luggage is already in your room." They crossed the door to the next room, a large kitchen. The room had a similar linear decoration, but instead of gold it had silver covering all lines. The actual kitchen part was small, about five meters on length, two in height and one in depth. It had the basic appliances, such as a stove, refrigerator, sink and cupboards. "How much water can you store in each train?" asked Twilight, she guessed that it ,it's be a lot if it was a two-day trip. " About a thousand liters for the entire train." responded Shield as he took another drink. He went for a barrel and refilled his tankard. " But that isn't a lot of water, or is it?" "The entire system runs through a water purification talisman, which recycles all water through the entire train. So don't worry about water poisoning." "All right, so where are you taking us?" "You will be staying in my car, at the very end of the train." They passed through the library, the large quantity of books amazed Twilight. Not for the size itself, Canterlot Library was still the largest, but to have this size in a train was incredible. The next car was a workshop, full all sorts of metal scraps, grease and other materials. "Gearloose! Come out for a moment! We have guests!" shouted Shield. A tall man peered out from the ceiling, his head upside down. "Oh why, hello there Shield! I didn't expect you to get here so fast, I still haven't finished investigating that cannon that you got me from, oh..." said the engineer, but stopped when the knight swiped his hand back and forth across his neck, while tilting it at the same time in a horizontal fashion. "What cannon? What are you hiding from us?" asked Twilight. She knew that cannons were bad, unless it was Pinkie Pie's, and hiding one was wrong. "It is none of your concern, I just wanted to introduce you to my Uncle's private engineer and head of the R&D department. Gearloose." "It is of our concern now! What are you hiding?" "Absolutely nothing!" "Then you wouldn't mind if we saw it, right?" "After you are done settling in, right now Gearloose has a lot to do. Isn't that right?" Shield ended his sentence with a menacing glance, which scared Gearloose into disappearing back into the roof. Their walk was silent, crossing each of the reality-defying cars with awe. After the garage came a room described as the "Entertainment room" which housed a large amount movies and music records. They passed through the bed rooms, not Shield's car but the car that belonged to the train, and finally entered the last car. Compared to the other cars, this one had a completely different art style. Compared to the art deco from the train and the baroque style of Canterlot, the car was incredibly minimalistic. There was very little decoration anywhere, and most of the furniture was simple in design. The walls and roof were white, and a red carpet covered the floor. The room had five doors, two on each side and the last one in front of them. "You can choose any of the rooms to the left. First door to the right leads to my room, which is also my brother's. Second door leads to Saphira, whom you haven't had the pleasure of meeting. So what is your choice?" "First to the left of course." responded Rarity. "Excellent choice, and it just so happens to be the place where your bags are. Now I will leave you to get settled, if there are any questions I will be in the library." and he left them. They entered the room, which held two bunk beds on either side, a wardrobe and a door to their right. Their bags were neatly placed in the center of the room. The walk in front of them had a large window, which showed the great speed at which they were traveling. Rarity quickly opened the wardrobe and gasped. Surprised, Twilight went in to have a look. And once again she was surprised by the power of magic. What they were staring at wasn't a wardrobe, but a doorway to a large closet. It had a large collection of clothing, so large in fact, that it rivaled Rarity's own collection. The seamstress wasted absolutely no time in looking at the selection. She proceeded to grab and study every garment, from pure silk dresses, to large winter coats to regular polo shirts. There was an even distribution between gender clothing, "My Celestia, this selection is incredible!" gasped Rarity. "What's so special about it?" Asked the librarian. "This man has pure silk imported from Ib'Xian! You can tell from the quality of this dress." her friend responded as she held the dress with both of her hands. "And that is?..." Twilight couldn't see why this was something to get exited about, it was just silk after all " Exteremly hard to come by. Just importing the raw materials needed to make this dress is enough to put me in a financial crisis. But it is so worth it." Twilight was getting suspicious, her new best friend was wealthy. Made sense, he was part of the royalty and his uncle was a very wealthy man. But her question was: Why did he have a giant closet worth of women's clothing. It made no sense. "Do you think he would mind if we used theseTwilight?" "Don't think so, but you could always go ask him." "You are absolutely right, I should ask." and she left the room. Rarity walked back through the rooms, until she arrived at the engineer car, where Gearloose greeted her. "Hello ma'am, are you on your way to the library?" he asked as he dangled upside down. Not expecting this, the Ponyville fashionista was startled. She looked at the grease-covered man in round spectacles and responded: "Why yes, how did you know?" "Simple logic, Shield is there. I imagine he didn't teach you the shortcuts." "No, he must have forgotten to mention that." "Well, as an engineer I am inclined to tell you about our fast-travel system." he said as he landed face front into the metal floor. He quickly got up, cleaned his hands on his already black vest and pulled out a metal rod from his hip. "The entire train is connected by a portal system, so if you are a Mage you only tap three times..." he said as he tapped the door with the rod. Instantly, a soft yellow glow enveloped the doorway and he said "Shield." he then opened the door and shocked Rarity, he door was leading to the car where they were staying. "Wow, Twilight will definitely want to see this. How is this possible?" asked Rarity. "Well, it's extremely complicated, and I don't want to bore you with tech talk, so let's just say that this is thinking with portals." "Very well, I thank you for your assistance." Gearloose closed the door and jumped back into the roof. Rarity opened the door and found Shield Heart resting on one of the couches, his hands clutching a skin covered book titled "Starhoof Troopers." "What is it?" he said as he continued reading behind his glasses. "I just wanted to ask if it was All right if we used the incredible selection of clothing you had in your closet Mister Shield Heart?" He lowered his book and stared at her. "Sure, I don't see why not. And in the future, could you please call me just Shield? I don't like being called mister, makes me feel old miss." "Well, if we are going to be on those terms, then you should also drop the formalities also Shield." "I doubt it ma'am, old habits die hard and this habit is engraved to my memories." "Well, maybe you should be more considerate of what you ask. You ask me to be informal, and so you must comply when I ask you something of equal value." "I can't argue with your logic ma'am, but I will need your name. Otherwise I wont be able to communicate with you." "I am Rarity the Mage." Shield raised an eyebrow when she mentioned her name. He felt the urge to facepalm himself for not remembering her before. She was the beauty he had saved in his déjà vu. But he won't about to say it, so he looked for an alternative. "Rarity the Mage as in The Rarity? The one responsible for Sapphire Shore's bejeweled dresses? The one behind Fluttershy the model's career? The one responsible for the hilarious humiliation of Prince Blueblood in last year's Grand Galloping Galla?" he said as he laid his book on his lap. "Well, yes, that would be me." Sid Rarity both flattered and embarrassed. "I can't believe it! Oh Luna, it is such an honor to meet you! Sorry that I didn't recognize you before, but I haven't actually seen your exploits, only heard of them. Never before have I heard of a woman with the gall required to put that miserable twat, sorry for my expression, in his place." each word full of childish joy, as if he were meeting a hero. "You consider that to be an achievement?" asked a confused seamstress. "Of course, that obnoxious ass had it coming to him. And most women keep up with his attitude just because it gives them social status. Those twats have no idea of priorities. Sorry about my language, but it irks me that there are women willing to sell their souls just for a spot at the socialite magazines when there are men and women protecting their hypocrite hides and they don't even get a foot note in the local newspaper." "I believe you are jealous. Your reputation led me to believe that you were a warmonger, but now I believe you just want attention." a smirk forming in her face. "Then you are wrong miss Rarity. My actions pass on anonymously because I want to, but actions such as the Discord Dilema and Nightmare Moon's return were kept under wraps with barely more than a mention of your names in the news and rumor mill." "Clearly you haven't been to Canterlot Castle then, because we have two mosaics dedicated to us, one for each of the events you mentioned." "And how many people have congratulated you about any of these exploits? After all, it is you who has walked amongst the nobles." retorted Shield with a smirk in his face. Rarity couldn't respond to this because he was too right. No one in up the Canterlot Elite had ever congratulated her, she hadn't even heard a mention of their doings in small talk. The Warden chuckled when she retracted. "I knew it. This is exactly what I mean, the nobility is too busy watching out for what people think of their new outfit than to see past their walls and see that their world is on the verge of collapse. If they took a single day off of being the talk of Equestria and saw the dangers that lie even in the city itself then they would actually do their jobs. You know what I speak of, Hawk told me about the delay you three suffered." "All because of you! You were the one who incapacitated the Duke in the first place! We talked to the guards in the alley where you fought him." "You and how many others were snooping around? I believe you are missing the point, and for the record: Silver Platter started it, he was the one who pulled a pistol to my face." "A what?" asked a perplexed Rarity. Shield took his ebony wand from the coffee table in front of him and swished it. Soon a small ivory with aluminum object floated from under the couch. Shield grabbed it with his left hand. "This baby right here is something you rarely see in a lifetime this, before you go on asking, is a revolver handgun. A single projectile from this thing to you can leave you crippled, or dead." "And why are you showing me this." "This bad boy was in the hands of that spoiled brat. Worst part is that this is illegal." "Yet you handle this with ease, as if you had had previous experience." "Well, I have had experience handling firearms. Though not here, mostly in Great Bridle and Germaneigh." "You have been to Germaneigh?" said the seamstress With surprise "And Prance and Many other places." "Including Ib'Xian?" " Yes, including Ib'Xian and even Neighpon-Ja." The Sapphire eyed woman was stunned. Before her sat a man that had travelled around the world and yet behaved as if it were not an accomplishment. "If you want to talk about my journeys then turn around, because I am not ready for it yet. Dinner will start at ten o'clock, so I suggest you freshen up." he picked up his book and continued reading. Rarity tapped the door three times and returned to her room. Twilight was unpacking her lighter books, mostly themed around properties of magic. "Twilight, what on earth are you doing?" "I thought about what somebody told me, that there are people capable of wielding magic through their hands. And i need to get to the bottom of this mystery." "Twilight, you of all people know that what you are saying is impossible! We all know that magic needs a medium, and only angels are capable of using their bodies as one." "I know, but this guy really bugs me, what did he say about the clothes." "Oh, that, he said it was fine. But we began discussing the Canterlot Elite, he was extremely cynical about it." Twilight was skimming through he books, and said: "How come?" "He spoke of them being, I don't know how to describe it. Being them. He criticized them for being self-centered hedonists." "Isn't that what they are?" "Well yes, but it feels wrong the way he says it. I can tell that he is hiding something. He speaks as though he was superior." "Oh, I forgot to tell you that he just so happens to be a prince in the same sense as BlueBlood." "I wish you had remembered to mention this before, this is a vital piece of information for the puzzle. So what do you plan on doing to complete your assignment?" "I don't know, I will first try to gather more information on him. I believe that he is merely misunderstood, and if we can find more about his past it will be easier to change him." Rarity huffed: "He would have an easier time if he stopped being so cynical and enjoyed the luxuries he could have." "Well, everyone is different, maybe you will need to change your approach. Rather than treating him like you would treat most people, you might want to see what you have in common." "Well, we seem to share a taste in clothing for what I can tell. I will be taking a bath in case you need me." "The bathroom has a working tub?" asked Twilight confused. "Apparently, it's more of a jacuzzi than a tub. He may criticize the elite, but he sure lives like one." said the violet dressmaker as she closed the door. Twilight continued reading the Big Book of Magic. She had read the book several times, but thought she might have missed something relevant to her Dilemma. But to her dismay, she remembered every sentence none of which described how to manipulate magic. It clearly said that only wands with a special type of core, such as unicorn hair in her case, could be used to perform magic. She dismissed the claims Bookworm made, only angel blood could be used as a medium of magic, and he lacked the wings required to prove his species. She decided to forget everything and simply enjoy the wonders she was being given. She walked into the closet and browsed the large selection. She noticed that everything was evenly split, half was for men and half was for women. Half was formal and half was casual. And they all were ordered in a chromatic scale. Reds in he centre and purples all the way to the edges. As she checked the shirts she noticed that they were all same sized, for both men and women. She started choosing her next attire, hoping that that would help save time. She ditched her argyle attire in favor of something much more comfortable. A pair of grey jeans and a lavender polo shirt. Her foot ware was a pair of black sneakers labeled "chucks". After several minutes of waiting, Rarity finally emerged from her long shower. She was wearing a white silk kimono. The borders were colored in Saphire blue and her back sported her three diamonds. When Twilight noticed it and commented, the seamstress quickly ran to the mirror. A long gasp followed. "How did he manage such level of enchantment? It is rare to see a single piece of clothing to be able to replicate a cutie mark!" Gasped Rarity "Well, that means that there is more for us to learn. Now if you don't mind, I will be showering." And so Twilight entered the bathroom. Half an hour later, she emerged with her new look. She took longer than expected because of the jacuzzi tub, each jet of water calmed her greatly, and the temperature was always perfect. As she emerged enlightened, she noticed that her pink star was embedded in her right breast. When Rarity noticed, she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Looking at the clock they learned that the was still half an hour before dinner, so they left their room. Upon arriving to the connecting door, Rarity withdrew her wand and tapped the door three times with it. "Library" she commanded and the doorway was filled with a soft light. When she opened the door the librarian gasped in surprise, standing before them was the library. As they both entered they noticed Shield reading "The Great Bridle Guide of Guns." On the coffee table rested his wooden mug filled with ginger ale right to the brim. On the side there were three letters, one was to be sent to a Metal Riffs, another one to Commissioner Baton and the last one was instructed to Fire Storm and Thunder Storm. Rarity coughed once to attract his attention, but he didn't react. She called for his attention again and he still ignored her. "You do realize that what you are doing is rude?" She asked. "Don't worry, I know that you have arrived, I knew it the second that doorway lit up. I see Gearloose has taught you the portal trick." He responded "Yes, and no help thanks to you." "Listen ma'am, this has been somewhat of a rough day, and I am really tired, so I ask that you please forgive me for not mentioning a luxury." His tone thick with sarcasm. "How bad was your day." Questioned the librarian. "Bad enough." "Could you please explain, we may be able to help." "I don't want to trouble you, so I will resist speaking about the matter. All you need to know is that I am in peak physical condition for the following missions." "But we want to know more about the brain controlling the body in peak physical condition. Or is the mind not important?" Imposed Rarity "Look ma'am..." "What did we say about formalities?" "Fine. Look Rarity, my mental condition is and always has been a mess, so there is no need to worry about it. My brain is always ready to complete my missions, no matter how ugly they may be." "We'll, maybe we can find a way to heal your brain so that you can do even better." "Are you a psychologist?" "Well, no, but I know how to deal with people." "Then you cannot help me. No offense, but not even my psychologist friend is able to help me with my plethora of traumas, so I doubt that a little miss sunshine could even hope to help me." "That was rude, have you ever heard of the word cynical?" "Why yes, it just so happens to be my identity amongst the higher classes." "And why don't you look for a way to change your image?" "Why would I! Being cynical has proven me right so many times that I might as well become the cynical overlord. That would be a good title next to Sergeant Sarcasm and the Scoundrel of Vanhoover. Don't you think?" "Is Crimson Prince also one of your titles?" Interrupted the violet librarian. Shield hesitated "No. Although I would love to be, imagine my envy when I find out that someone can punch nobles." Without second though Twilight went for the nearest book and flung it to him. A copy of The Pistolero flew from the bookshelf toward the ice-eyed man. But the book was suspended in midair, caught in a translucent crimson cloud. Shield had stretched his hand, his veins extruding from their places, bulging out with a bright blue tinge, and his entire hand was covered in a crimson aura. "I can't believe he was right!" Her eyes saturated with awe. "Dammit!" Swore the knight. "What possessed you to try something like that? You could have hit me! And then they say I am the only mad one around here. And who was right about what?" Neither Ponyville resident could believe what they had just seen. An ordinary Mage had just used his hands to telekinetically stop a book in midair. "How is that even possible?" Twilight was in shock. She had studied magic for most of her life, and this man had just shattered her ten years or so she had invested in research of magical properties. "Oh, yeah, this is a side effect of one of my brawls in my youth. I am not actually a normal human, I am more of a Nephillim. A man part angel. So I am able to use my angel blood to cast magic through my fingertips." "Incredible, but how did you get angel blood, and what is the percentage?" Twilight was very curios, he was some sort of halfbreed, an anomaly worth studying. "I got it when I entered a twenty against one gang fight. This was WAY before my training so I got my backside demolished, and one of them had a kitchen knife, which slashed my jugular." He pushed his collar back to reveal a large, faint scar on his neck. "Cadence and Shining found me on the west wing, almost bleeding out. They managed to take me to a hospital, where they found out that I had lost too much blood and needed a transfusion. Pronto. But my parents were in Yeguadalajara, visiting my grandparents on my mother's side, my older brother was chasing Luna objects near Hollow Shades and my sister was incompatible. "Cadence was the only option. So several transfusions and about three months of recovery later. I ended up with three quarters of my circulatory system replaced with angel blood. The doctors thought it would be fine, nobody thought about side effects. But hand magic wasn't the only one, Luna no. "The other side effects include accelerated healing, emission of Seraphim aura magic, schizophrenia, hallucination episodes and rare loss of balance. There is also the matter of heart attacks, occasional anemia attacks, back pain, occasional chills and seasonal fever. There is also flank pain, which I am experiencing right now" He enlisted his symptoms with clear joy, as if they were some sort of joke to him. He had his right hand pressed against his kidney. "How are you still alive?" Sid Twilight with disbelief. He seemed perfectly fine, but he listed about as many symptoms as an elderly person would have. "Magic" he said as he moved his hands in an arch, from top to bottom with the biggest smile he could manage. "I'm not explaining it." "But haven't you seen a doctor about your conditions?" "Of course! He usually gives me an injection every month to stabilize me. Which actually will be very soon. Although it isn't very reliable, since it once caused severe nausea for thirty days. And another time it simply increased the frequency of all symptoms. But then again, I am the only one to blame, since I tell him to keep experimenting." "Why's that?" "Because the shot nullifies both the healing and the Seraph magic. And I encourage him to use me as a Guinean pig. Who knows, maybe one of these days he'll get it right." "Or you could end up dead." "So?" "So? You are willing to get killed just in the hopes of becoming stronger?" "Well, I am one of Equestria's finest, so if I can be even better so be it. It doesn't matter if I die, so long as I know that if I live I can be something more. Someone capable of maintaining the status quo better than before." "So you are willing to commit suicide so long as that means you can become a better tool?" "Pretty much!" "Do you have no regard for your personal safety?" Questioned the seamstress "Nope, none whatsoever. I live only to save Equestria." "So you are the Crimson Prince?" He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "You're not giving up are you girls?" They nodded. "Usually, sometimes it's my brother who takes the mantle while I'm away, to help divert the suspicions." "You are very forthcoming, why?" "I want you to understand that you are with a pro here, I'm not your Royal Guard. I know how to fight better than most people in this nation. Also, I know you will be reporting to the princess, so you can tell her that everything is going to be fine." "So how did you get your experience?" "I won't be giving you any details. But you can say that I have had firsthand experience from incidents from all over the world." "Why hold the details?" "Because I can." "You can trust us, we promise to keep it a secret." "With all due respect, I don't even trust my family with this secret, so why should I trust you?" Both women were left speechless. They weren't prepared for this response. "How about we continue this discussion after dinner, of after Nightmare Night, whichever one you prefer. I would go with Nightmare Night but it is your choice." And before they could respond he got up and walked to the door. He exited the room and left both of them just standing there. The door opened, where the blond man merely peeked out and said: "By the way, that kimono looks beautiful on you Rarity, as for you Twilight, I see you favor practicality over fashion. That means you are on my team." He quickly entered, grabbed his tankard and letters and disappeared before they could say anything. "What sort of monster are we dealing with Twilight?" Asked a shocked Rarity "I don't know, but we can't let the Princess down now." Answered Twilight. "Something tells me that the angel blood gives him dementia, a side effect he deliberately forgot to mention." "I have never heard of angel blood transfusions ever giving problems before. Heck, I never even thought it was possible to try something like that." "Well we are now certain that that is something we should avoid at all costs, lest we end up like him." "I don't think the blood turned him crazy, it probably was himself." "Well, whatever, I think we should go to dinner. I cannot think very well with an empty stomach." "Yeah, me neither." And both Ponyville women travelled to the kitchen. The table was set for six people, with Shield already sitting on one of the fronts. Hawk Eye was sitting to his left, both seats on his right were empty, and the seat in front of him also remained vacant. "You two ladies can sit to my right, the space next to Hawk is reserved for Saphira." They followed his instructions. And a couple of minutes later entered Saphira, her short white hair was a complete mess, she was wearing a royal blue sports bra and denim hotpants. She looked at the visitors with both her sapphire eyes, half closed from excessive sleeping. "Yo." Was her only answer as she sat next to the red-head, her head down. The boy looked at his brother, who merely nodded his head in response. The following second he lifted his arm and slapped the back of the Drake's head. Infuriated, she looked at the male to her right and shouted: "What's the big fucking idea?" "Don't look at me, Shield told me to." Responded the young archer innocently with both hands raised. The female turned to the older male. "Manners young lady. First, watch your language. We have guests here. Second, what in Tartarus are you wearing? We told you to come DECENTLY. Last time I checked bras and hotpants don't count! Now go change into something I consider decent, NOW." He said with authority. "It ain't my problem you brought two bitch..." But she was cut off by another slap from Hawk. "What gives you stupid pri..." And she was interrupted as she intercepted another slap. But was buffeted by a crimson bolt of energy protruding from Shield's fingertips. " Smaug damn you! Fine! I'll leave your prescience to change my attire." He muttered bastard, which earned her a fireball to her backside. The atmosphere changed drastically when she left, from the tense discussion to silent. Shield sat down again and face palmed himself. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. But Saphira tends to be a rebel when this sort of thing happens." "She's a drake? Why is there a drake with you?" Asked Twilight. She had identified the eyes, which were the most clear giveaway. Spike had the same slit pupils. "You're pretty smart, so you guess it." Twilight thought for a moment, what did they both have in common? It wasn't the royalty, that's for sure, and neither was the lack of sanity. Her brain quickly produced an answer. "Because you hatched her during your test right?" She said as if she had just figured out the obvious. "Correcto!" He exclaimed with a fluent accent. "Hello everyone, are ya ready fer dinner?" Gold Heart burst through with arms wide open. "Where's Saphira? I told her that dinner would begin at ten sharp." "I sent her to her room, she wasn't dressed properly, that and the fact that she was being rude." Respond the second male adult. "Oh, very well. We will just have to start without her. We can't let the guests go hungry." "But we can wait.." Intervened Rarity "No we can't, Saphira has to learn that there are consequences to her actions. I can't let this slide. And anyway, we have steak, so I can't let this get cold just because of her. Uncle, would you please do the honors?" Shield grabbed his silverware and looked at his uncle. "Bon appetite." Said Gold as the food teleported in front of everyone. Their meal was a fillet mignon, with a side of mashed potatoes, a small cup of what should be gravy and asparagus. Gold Heart quickly proceeded to knife his steak, the blade gently slicing the fillet. The other males imitated his actions and began eating. Rarity waited a little longer before she began. Twilight never started, she always had trouble stomaching meat, since it tended to throw her into sickness. "What's wrong Twilight?" Asked Shield after gulping down a bite. "Umm, do you have anything vegetarian?" Twilight was feeling slightly embarrassed. "Um, Copper, do you have anything for the lovely young lady here?" Gold Heart looked at the butler, who merely nodded his. "Remember who I am sir?" "Yes, of course." Gold pressed both his index finger and thumb unto his nose bridge. "Could you please change her dish?" "You only need ask sir." Said Copper as he swished his wand. The steak disappeared, and was replaced by a large salad coved in Caesar salad and portobello mushroom. Twilight thanked the butler, who responded with another wave of his wand, appearing three baskets full of bread. "So, what interesting stories do you have Shield?" Rarity took another bite. "Hundreds, usually I get a mission every week." "Really? Poor thing, you must be exhausted." "Not really, you get used to this life." "How 'bout we tell them of our latest mission?" "Sure, why not, and you help me Hawk in case I forget something." Shield leaned forward. "So, we got a call about a week ago. The town of Rock Slide had been stopped, their mines had stopped working, their problem..." He paused. "Diamond Dogs, ever heard of these monsters?" "Of course, we have had our run-in with those lowly creatures." Rarity was feeling somewhat uncomfortable about releasing a rather bad part of her past. The blonde was surprised. "Really? Do tell." "You finish your story first." "Fair enough, so, returning to my tale. We arrived at Rock Slide, Hawk Saphira and me. And we went straight to figure out what the message said. So we went to have a chat with the mayor, who told us that the Diamond Dogs were hoarding their gems, and so it was up to us to stop them. "We got on the monorail used to connect the mines, and as we were arriving, a bunch of monsters started banging the steel line. Naturally they did nothing to it, so Hawk and I took potshots at the dogs. A couple of them went down, stunned. I don't do killing. When all of a sudden one of the monsters pulls out a large black hand cannon. He fires it and BOOM! We lose our line. Saphira and Hawk immediately flew out, leaving me to deal with gravity. "So as I as about to fall into a large gorge I pulled out my trusty mana crossbow, loaded it with a magic rope bolt and shot through a window. I pushed my sorry life and threw myself into the rocks. But I w still only half way, since I still had a slight climb to go. So after climbing up..." "You completely missed out the part where I met you as you recovered." Intervened Hawk. "Yeah well, your 'intervention' consisted of saying hi and only that. After which I finished climbing back to where we were supposed to stop and was arrested by a pack of rusty spearheads." "How did you escape?" Keenly asked Twilight. "Simple, by whistling Saphira to help me out. She presented herself as a full dragon, puffed some fire and suddenly the brutes were on the run. Only that not all went according to plan, the herd split into four groups: one commanded by Catdog the shrieker, another by Brutus one by Mr. Midget and the rest of the herd. Each small group of about twenty ran into three different mining districts..." He went pretty straightforward from there. He tried to detail everything so that his guests could get the idea of what his job consists of. He still kept other details hidden, no need for them to know everything. He had given up on dissuading them by leaving them in the dark. He believed that if they could see the horrors, they might back away from this. To his misfortune, they didn't. But by then everyone had finished heir meal and Saphira was no where to be found. Twilight noted this, to which Shield responded: "She's still angry at me, so she won't come" he grabbed his three envelopes and burned them with a blue fire covering his hand. "Why are you sending those letters?" Asked Twilight. She got up from her seat. "I need to rally a couple of people for the coming days, and I need Comissioner Baton ready to receive me." "Have you considered that he may be a changeling?" "Of course! Under which case it will probably be hard to dock once we get there." "Dock?" Both women said puzzled. "Oops, probably shouldn't have said that, anyway, I want you miss Twilight to write a letter to your brother, ask him how he's doing yada yada yada. Also tell him to meet you and Rarity in the air docks at ten o'clock in the morning June the first. Please don't tell him you are traveling with me. I want to see if he still remembers me." "We are traveling by airship?" Asked the violet bombshell. "Yeah, there's no other way in which we will get there in time. Today is the twenty fourth of May. At a hundred kilometers an hour we will make two days in travels. After that, I will need to begin preparations and mobilization of my crew, as well as basic training for both of you." "We can handle ourselves in a fight." "Have you ever been in a firefight? This isn't some simple Invasion, I read the reports. If what I saw in the vision if half true, you won't survive a second." Shield got up and again, left the room before there could be any objections. Gold Heart was sent to his stateroom by Copperworth, and Hawk followed. The girls were left alone just wondering what had happened, and quickly proceeded to the library. As suspected, they encountered the blond menace once more. He had taken up his previous seat, but the coffee table had a large textbook with a blank greyblue cover. Next to it was a small parchment roll. "I think you should properly learn about the Ordo Ravus." "Ordo what?" Asked the librarian. The name wasn't familiar, and the terminology just confused her. She simply suspected that this was a new organization. "The Ordo Ravus is commonly known as the Order of the Greys. We came up with a simple name in order to look more natural. What do you know of the history of the Greys?" "I know nothing about them." Responded the seamstress. "I just know that you are a shady group founded by a man called Brave Heart after a rebellion after Nightmare Moon was banished. Do you plan on telling us?" Shield smiled: "Nope! Just wanted to know what previous knowledge you had." He handed her the parchment. "Use this to write to your brother, give it to me tomorrow morning when you are done, I am going to bed now." And he pulled his now classic maneuver of a quick exit. .oOo. Shield entered his room, much like his guests room, it had two bunk beds, meaning for in total. He quickly changed to his long pajamas and went to bed. His dreams weren't going to be pleasant, but he was used to them by now.