Chapter 9 – A Royal Visit
Az spent the next day holed up in his room, poring over the texts he had received from Clear Sky the previous day. The majority of the readings consisted of mission reports, damage assessments of towns hit by foreign raiders, and the like. What caught his attention, however, was the inclusion of personal memoirs of officers during the War of the Sun and Moon. The notes detailed conflicting opinions, doubts about the future of Equestria and what that meant for the Guard, and, interestingly, the letter of resignation penned to Princess Celestia from the Captain of the Guard following Luna’s banishment.
Close to dinner time, Az heard a knock at his door. Longshot entered after Az responded with the affirmative. She gave a small laugh seeing the books scattered across the room, with Az in the middle of the maelstrom, quill in mouth.
“Been a while since I’ve seen you like this. It’s almost comforting, like everything’s right with the world if you have a set of books in front of you.” Az grunted, but did not look up. “Find anything particularly interesting?”
“Almost. I’ve been piecing together journal entries from a couple of the Guard’s Lieutenants from the War of the Sun and Moon. They keep mentioning something only referred to as “the room”. No other details, but I get the feeling it’s significant. If only I had that map of the old kingdom that’s in my apartment…”
“Can’t you just ask your marefriend to bring it for you?”
“She’s not my marefriend. And if I could, I would, but I don’t have any more of those special magical mail ribbons. But I swear there’s something to this. If I remember correctly, the old kingdom was abandoned relatively quickly, meaning that whatever this room is, there might be some valuable resources in it.”
“Emphasis on valuable?”
“Well, you know me. Once a klepto, always a klepto, kinda comes with the territory.”
“True enough, but if you’re at a dead end, it might be a good idea to head down to the main hall, the Captain’s called a meeting due to our “surprise” visit tomorrow. Plus, you could eat, can’t have me saving your sorry flank if we get a mission drop and you can’t help yourself due to exhaustion.”
“Shaddup.” Az got up and followed Longshot out of the room and down to the main hall. The majority of the Guard was already there, either eating or chatting while they waited for Captain Shade to start the meeting. They walked up to the food counter and ordered their meals before taking their places behind one of the oaken tables. About halfway into dinner, the Captain stood up behind the podium and cleared this throat. The room gradually fell silent as the Guard waited for what he had to say.
“Is everypony here? Good, looks like we can get started. So long story short, we have received information suggesting that Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle will be coming through tomorrow on a surprise visit. The goal for the day is to appear as if they had surprised us, but at the same time look as if we are ready for an inspection. This means we need to get everything spic and span before they arrive.” There were some groans mixed in throughout the crowd. “I know this is relatively short notice, but as I said, we need to make it appear as though we were caught off guard. Also, as with tradition, our newest member will be making an attempt at stealing Princess Celestia’s tiara while she is here.” Members of the Guard around Az began chuckling.
“He made it sound as if it was a new idea yesterday,” he said sideways to Longshot.
“Nah, this happens every time she shows up.”
“Corporal Wind, did you have any ideas as to how you’ll be completing your objective?” Captain Shade had spotted Az in the crowd and directed the question at him.
“A few. Would it be alright if I take one of the aerial approach escort positions?”
“That can be arranged.” He looked across the room to a green pegasus. “Corporal Limelight, you can stand down.” He then returned his attention to Az. “You and Proxis will meet and then escort the chariot as they approach. Just wait for the siren.” Captain Shade then began to address the entire room again. “Tomorrow will be a full armor day. Each team lead will be expected to have something planned. I don’t care what it is, just look busy. Anypony have any questions? No? Good, carry on about your evening.” He stepped down from the podium and walked into his office.
Flow walked up to Longshot and Az. “Alright kiddies, the team leads pulled duties before the meeting started and we’ll be policing the landing strip area for debris.” A blue pegasus with yellow mane and tail and a grey unicorn with a red mane and tail approached the trio. “Ah, good. Lightning Shift, Wise Guy, I just finished telling Azure Wind and Longshot here that we’ll be policing the landing strip area. Do you guys want to do this tonight or bright and early tomorrow morning?” Each opted for policing at night, so as to get it done and out of the way. “Outstanding. Well let’s get to it.”
They joined the other crowd of ponies exiting the building as they went about their assigned duties. It was a half-moon that night, which provided plenty of light for the Guard members going about their duties. Luna’s outdone herself. The sky looks really good tonight; I guess Princess Celestia never really got the hang of it. Az took off as soon as he left the building and climbed rapidly to gain altitude before tucking his wings and diving straight towards the landing strip. The cool night air was refreshing after being inside all day, and he took a deep breath before refocusing on his task. As he closed in on the strip, he opened his wings to their fullest extent and began to skim along the ground. This should go pretty quickly. I hope. He flew along the length of the runway, and once he was satisfied there was no debris, began a wide arc that brought him in front of rest of the group, who had just arrived at the end of the strip.
“Fancy flying there, hotshot. See anything on the runway?” Flow had approached Az as the remainder of the group spread out and began searching for trash.
“Nothing on the strip that I could see. I noticed a couple loose rocks though. Probably would be a good idea to tamp them down.”
“Get on it then. Once you’re done with that, start looking at the approach area, to include along the treetops over on the wall. Gotta keep that clean too apparently.” Flow walked off, and began searching around for small items that could mar the area’s appearance. Az walked down the runway and stomped down any rocks that were beginning to come loose. Once he was satisfied that the runway would not pose any further problems, he checked the approach area for debris on the ground. I don’t see why we need to check for debris. Everypony here seems pretty clean. He looked around the courtyard. Well, maybe around the archery area. Feathers could go astray I guess. Upon finding nothing, he flew above the natural treetop parapet and scanned for anything out of the ordinary. Again, he found nothing, and returned to find the remainder of his squad waiting at the far end of the runway.
“Find anything?” Flow asked. Az shook his head before landing. “Didn’t think you would, but it never hurts to check. Well it looks like we’re about done here. Everypony get a good night’s rest, tomorrow should be interesting.” They returned to the long house and went their separate ways upon reaching to the dormitory hallway.
Az returned to his room and began closing and stacking the archival information he had received them in. As he was walking the last two volumes to the shelf, a piece of paper fell out of one and fluttered to the ground before stopping at the foot of Az’s bed. “Shit, Clear Sky is going to have my head on a platter if I misplace this” he muttered to himself. Az picked up the piece of paper and was about to return it before noticing that he had never seen this sheet before. Where did you come from? I read every single page of those book and you weren’t in there… The page was a diary entry from a Guard member who found himself locked in “the room” during a rebel assault on the base in the Old City.
The rebels continue to pound away at our defenses. Their attacks are mindless, ferocious, and lacking a command structure. We’ve tried to identify field marshals, but as of yet have found there is not direction but from the Nightmare. Luckily for me this room is protected with the strongest wards Princess Celestia could think of, so it’s unlikely our secrets will be discovered… I hope she can get to the Elements in time to end this.
He finished the reading, astonished that there was even more to the Guard than most remembered. Maybe I can ask Princess Celestia tomorrow. Or I can have the Captain ask. Any undue conversation could result in a deep-fried Az… He replaced the page within the book and set it on his bookshelf. May as well get some sleep though. Tired hooves make for sloppy work.
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The next day, Az awoke as sunlight began streaming into his room. He groomed what he needed to, and put on his armor in preparation for the royal visit. His coat and mane turned an inky black, which gave him pause. I need to get used to that. He left his room and made his way down to the main hall and ordered his typical toast and fruit. Az noted that he was one of the first Guard members awake, as he was the third one in the hall, after Hammer and the shadow of Captain Shade pacing behind his office door.
He finished his breakfast, gave the tray back to a sleepy-looking Hammer and made his way to Captain Shade’s door. Upon reaching the door, he knocked, and rather than the Captain calling from further back in his office, the door opened to admit Az instantly. “Yeah kid? You need something?” Captain Shade admitted Az into his office and sat down behind his desk.
“Actually I had a question for you. Have you ever heard of “the room”? I was looking through the archives yesterday and I happened upon the name a few times.”
The Captain pondered for a moment before responding. “The room, huh? Never heard of it. Anything you can tell me about it?”
“From what I gathered, it was a tightly guarded secret of the Guard of the Fifth Era, a place where they kept a significant number of secrets, even from the Princesses. To my knowledge, it’s somewhere in the old city, and protected with a significant number of wards that Princess Celestia placed on it during the War of the Sun and Moon. Outside of that, the information is vague at best. That was all I had managed to piece together. If I had a map of the Old City, I might have been able to pinpoint it, though.”
Captain Shade processed the information for a moment before speaking again. “You said you have a relatively extensive collection in your apartment, right? Does that include a map of the Old City?” Az nodded. “Good. After our visit today, you have my permission to go retrieve said map and then return here to complete your research. Once you have accomplished this, I’ll task Nightstalker to finding and retrieving any artifacts you deem pertinent to our cause. Did you have anything else for me?”
“My horseshoes…?”
“Ah, right. Here they are.” Captain Shade flipped a bag containing the shoes to Az. “Any more pressing questions?” Az shook his head. “Very well. You can continue about your business.” Az turned to leave “Oh, and one more thing. When you go to escort the chariot, put your hood and mask on. We can’t have Princess Luna or Twilight Sparkle blowing your cover.”
“Good point.” Az left the room and Captain Shade closed the door behind him magically. The main hall had begun to fill up with ponies clad in their black armor. Longshot walked up to Az as he walked away from the Captain’s office. He was surprised to see her wearing armor composed primarily of plate, with patches of leather interspersed at the joints.
“You get yourself in trouble?” she inquired.
“Nope. Got us a job after the Princesses leave. Recovering priceless artifacts from a secret Guard base.”
“That room thing you were telling me about yesterday?”
“Yeah. Also, I’m surprised you’re wearing plate. If I remember right, you preferred lighter armor.” They began walking into the room and sat down at one of the tables. Flow, Lightning Shift, and Wise Guy joined them as they were getting themselves situated. Flow wore his armor in the standard configuration, Lightning Shift had removed the plates from his back, and Wise Guy had opted to remove the joint protection from his.
“I started using plate after the Changeling invasion. I got pretty banged up fighting them off. I figured a little extra protection couldn’t hurt.”
“Fair point.” Az turned his attention to Flow. “So as far as practice goes, what did you have in mind? I think Princess Twilight wanted to get a chance to talk to me. And before you say it, shaddup.”
The remainder of the squad was snickering as Flow answered. “I was just going to say to make yourselves scarce. If you really feel need something to do, give Hammer a hoof in the forge. Outside of that, anypony else have news?”
“Actually yes, I picked up a job for us a few minutes ago.” The others, with the exception of Longshot, groaned.
“You had to go and make us work…” Wise Guy complained.
Az shot him a glare. “It’s a simple enough job. I was looking through the archives and I found out about something called “the room.” Apparently there’s a bunch of secrets and stuff hidden in it. Seems like it could be some fun.”
“Sounds good to me,” Flow said. “But the Captain hasn’t talked to me about it yet though, did he say why?”
“I don’t have all the information yet, he’ll probably let you know tomorrow at some point. The place is apparently protected by some strong wards, so the trick will be finding it.” Just as he had finished speaking, the alarm siren went off. “Looks like that’s my cue. I’ll see you guys later.” He pulled up his mask and hood and left the room at a canter. He spotted Proxis waiting for him over by the landing strip.
“So, uh, have you done this before? I don’t want to sound like an idiot.” Az asked as he reached Proxis
“Yeah, it’s easy enough. You ready for some crown stealing?”
“I certainly hope so. So where are… ah there they are.” Az could see a faint golden glint to the East. “Shall we?” Proxis nodded, and they took off on a course to intercept the chariot before it reached the base’s airspace. As they flew in front of the chariot’s trajectory, Proxis pulled up short and began hovering, and Az followed suit.
“Halt! Who goes there?” Proxis yelled at the chariot.
“You damn well know who, Proxis you big lout!” Luna replied. She looked as if this trip was inconveniencing her sleep cycle, as she was resting her head on the side of the chariot. Makes sense, she’s in charge of the night after all Az thought. Still, I would have thought she would act a bit more dignified. I guess there’s more to these three than everypony thought. Princess Celestia rolled her eyes at her sister’s outburst, and Twilight giggled to herself.
Proxis barked out a laugh. “Very well. Princesses, if you’ll continue along your previous course heading, we’ll see you to the base.” He then nodded to Az, who took up his position to the left and rear of the golden cart. The chariot duty continued pulling the Princesses’ chariot towards the base. Az waited until he was sure his shadow would not be spotted by anypony in the carriage before taking up his place directly behind it. He slowly made his way closer to Princess Celestia as they flew on.
Almost there, almost there. He inched closer to the tiara sitting on the Sun Princess’ head, until he was certain if he moved and further forward, it would notify her of his mischief. It's been a while since I needed to steal anything off of somepony. I definitely need practice.He placed his hooves around it and lifted as straight up as he could muster. Once he had cleared Princess Celestia’s horn, he yanked the tiara back into his chest and placed it within one of his armor’s pockets. No fiery death for me today I guess. He looked over at Proxis, who was barely containing his amusement by biting his lower lip.
Az grinned to himself and turned his attention to the quickly approaching base. It now appeared to be buzzing with activity, with at least a half dozen Guard members flanking the runway. Az could clearly see Captain Shade at the end of the runway, attempting to look as regal as possible. The chariot landed, and Az and Proxis made their landing next to Captain Shade.
“So?” Captain Shade asked, as quietly as he could muster.
“Mission accomplished.” Az replied, grinning behind his mask. The Captain nodded, and Az and Proxis walked off towards the long house. Once they were out of earshot of the Princesses, Az leaned closer to Proxis. “So what should I do with this?”
“Hay if I know. Nopony’s ever been able to get it off her. Just keep it on you for now I guess.” Proxis was wearing a huge grin. “I just hope nopony blows your cover before you make it back inside.” Az quickened his pace.
“I, for one, like to remain unburned if I can help it. Shall we pick up the pace a bit?”
“Fine, fine.” Proxis matched his pace to Az’s. They reached the longhouse and were immediately surrounded by members of the Guard asking Az if had managed to get the crown. He produced it, drawing a cheer from the crowd surrounding him. He put the crown back in his pocket, removed his hood and mask and made to leave the building.
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“So, Captain, how have things been since my last visit?” Princess Celestia stepped down from her chariot following Twilight and Luna.
“Well enough, Princess. We’ve been breaking in a few new recruits, but outside of that, things have been pretty slow.”
“Good. I take it one of them will be trying to take my tiara again? Also, speaking of new recruits, Luna has told me one of your Privates was responsible for the theft of my tiara a few months ago?” Luna had begun snickering.
“That wouldn’t be entirely accurate your highness, see, he’s already advanced up through Corporal. He’s probably one of the best recruits I’ve seen in years.” Captain Shade began leading the delegation towards the long house. Luna and Twilight had noticed the disappearance of Celestia’s tiara and were barely controlling their mirth.
“So he is already indistinguishable from the rest of you then. How… unfortunate.” Celestia noticed that they were snickering and turned to see what was going on. “May I ask what is so funny?” Luna pointed to where the tiara usually rested and Celestia poked at the top of her head with her hoof. “What-?” She looked at Captain Shade, who was biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing. “WHERE IS HE?!?!”