Chapter 2
After revving Pabu Shield Hear drove around town, taking driving lessons from both Cadence and Twilight. He was sad Rarity hadn't come, at least she would have known when to shut up. Probably.
"Slow down, you'll miss this turn!"
"Watch out for the market stalls!"
"Turn left, turn left, turn left!"
This had gone on for a couple of minutes before Shield stopped abruptly and nearly sent his passengers flying. But they had fastened their seat belts and therefore grounded. "Fuck." He mumbled quietly.
"What was that for?" Asked an infuriated Cadence as she slapped her chauffeur's head.
"That was for being a pair of worried widows. I have driven tanks, jeeps, APCs, lightning-fast motorcycles, hell I've even had to control dragons. I think I can manage getting two thin women in an ATV. Now if you could just sit back and relax that would be great." He snapped, his eyes flashing a faint white circle in the middle of the iris, as he revved the vehicle and continued.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Shield was in a foul mood. But Twilight began wondering what caused his foul mood. Was it the fact that they forced him out? Or was it the fact he is bored out of his mind? She didn't have an answer, but she was going to need one soon.
At the hospital Cadence was passed with the doctor Stethoscope. It was then that librarian noticed one crucial detail: Shield was using the cane he bought. What perplexed her was she dang seen him use it since the day he bought it. She also remembered his left leg when they barged through.
She made her question, making sure she phrased it correctly as to not anger him.
"That?" He asked as of wasn't important. "That's nothing to worry about, it's just a reaction to the brace I usually wear to help heal my knee."
"I'm no doctor or expert in medicine, but shouldn't you be worried?"
"Absolutely not! The swelling will go down eventually, but I need to rest after using it for six days non-stop. Using Surrogate tech has its disadvantages you know."
"I'm sorry, Surrogate?" Asked Twilight confused.
"Yeah, you know that most braces tend to restrain your bones so that they can heal faster?"
She nodded her head.
"Well, in Vanhoover that stuff is ancient. Surrogate braces are more like a temporal prosthesis." He explained as he sat down in the waiting room. "When I move my leg I'm not actually moving it, but instead I'm moving the brace itself. The metal is covered with spikes which connect to your nervous system and allow for the tech to work."
Twilight was a little puzzled. "So how does that work? Do you use magic or some form of..."
"It's rocket magic, each needle has a special rune etched at a microscopic level. This allows for the substitution. And while the metal replaces your leg. Also drops a stream of healing spells to increase the recovery speed. So instead of having to go to rehab for six weeks or more I can continue my life and be rid of it in three weeks."
"But doesn't the magic flow in your blood?"
"Well duh, how else is it supposed to get to where it needs to go?" He said rhetorically.
"But using your bloodstream as a medium is hazardous to your health! Why on earth would you use something that harms you while it is supposed to heal you?."
"I'm well aware of the dangers surrounding this, trust me. But as a Commissioner you need to be in peak physical condition everyday. So it's really more convenient to suffer a little so you can do your job better."
"I guess that makes some sort of sense." she answered with a confused look. "So how does being a Commissioner work by the way? Because I really couldn't understand the description in your manual. It said that you can still have another job, but that doesn't make much sense to me, how can you have two jobs?"
"You have a Commissioner's Manual? We don't even use those anymore!" Shield chuckled. "Woman, that thing is easily sixty years old and hasn't been use sinse the Defence Reform Act.
"Being a Commissioner is more of a title than an actual job. Granted that title will give you important tasks. But it's not a job per se, usually Commissioners always have another job. Most of us decide to commit our lives to the army or law enforcement. Some are farmers and others have no job."
"So how can the title work if you don't have to report to anyone? How do we know you aren't dozing off?"
"You don't, but all of us have a special set of skills which comes to play in our city. For example, my friend Cherry Blossom works in the fields in Dodge City. Using her signature weapon a scythe, she trains her skill and produces some of the best product. Or Iron Fist, he's a good example of law enforcement. He works with the Manehattan Police in the Q-DART department often referred to as Spider Cops." He turned to look at Twilight. Her look was priceless.
"It's this order of cops that uses grappling cables to quickly move around the city. He uses his status to learn about everything that goes on in this city and goes into the fray accompanied by his team. Q-DART stands for Quick Displacement Across Random Terrsin."
"That's actually pretty impressive. So what was your job?"
"I was a Brigadier in the Vanhoover Steel Legion. If there ever was any threat I heard about it. Whether it be fighting day walker goblins or hunting beasts, there never was danger too great for the Steel Legion. Not even the husks of the Frozen North could hope to conquer us, for we smote them down like demons."
"You've fought husks? As in Shadow Husks?" she asked.
"Of course I meant Shadow Husks! What other form of mythical danger can come from the north?"
"Now is when I start to question your honesty." She said smugly. "Star Swirl's theory on conjuration of dark creatures clearly states that there's no wizard capable of conjuring more than one creature at a time. Not only are you saying that you've seen them but in both occasions you imply you fought more than one."
"I know it's hard to understand, but I never said that there was a wizard commanding them."
"Then who summoned them?"
"The Frozen North harbors many dark secrets we have yet to discover." He said with a mysterious tone.
"I still don't believe you. Husks don't just appear out of thin air, so there's no way you fought them. You would have seen a lot of wizards controlling them."
"If I was telling a lie, why would I tell it in such a way that an educated woman such as yourself would easily dismiss?" He asked as a smug grin formed in his face.
"I couldn't say. Maybe you wanted to state an obvious lie and point out the basic flaws so that I would then assume you are telling the truth due to the outrageousness of your lie. But I can't believe what I have read to be impossible and cannot see."
"Yet that didn't stop Nightmare Moon from returning."
"I believed in her return." She defended.
"Really? Then I must have confused you with Sunset. That woman had brains, but also had some messed up thoughts. She insisted that the old theory concerning Over Souls was intact, and that Luna couldn't survive a thousand years in vacuum."
"Over Souls? I can't remember much about that. Is it some sort of obscure magic?"
"Obscure? The fact you haven't heard anything about them says that it's not just obscure, it's completely forgotten." Shield took a deep breath. "What's your theory behind the creation of The Mare in the Moon?"
"According to the official records she was born out of Princess Luna's jealousy for her sister's popularity."
"And you believe that? That her emotions alone made her go berserk?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, yes. I don't think there's any other explanation. Are you implying that we have been lied?"
"Lied? No. But they didn't tell us the whole truth." Shield made himself comfortable.
"Over Souls are powerful manifestations of our mind. Usually the invocation of such a spell can leave you unconscious for years. Angels have no problem, as they have infinite pools of mana. And the most important part of an OS is you need to have an unwavering mind. If there's even the slightest doubt on your mind, even if it's meaningless like deciding what to eat for lunch, will give the OS a chance to take over your mind."
"And you're saying Luna didn't make up her mind concerning her next lunch and that caused her to get banished for a thousand years?" Asked Twilight intrigued. If there was anything she loved more than books, it was magic.
"No, the OS took control of her because her doubt was much greater. She never really wanted to fight her sister, but she had to get some sort of attention. Or at least that's my theory." Answered Shield as he grabbed a chocolate stick from his coat and stuck it in his mouth.
"And where do these deductions come from?"
"From nowhere in particular. I just like to think that the whole mess was a tantrum gone wrong. At least that way Luna looks more like an innocent child."
"But how come I haven't heard of this before? It really strikes me as unnecessary."
"As I've said. It's a ridiculously complex procedure where even the slightest mistake can have dire consequences. And the trigger mechanisms vary from person to person. So it's not even an exact science." He shot a quickl glance at Twilight. "You still don't believe me." He sighed.
"Sorry, but I'm sure the princess would have mentioned something."
"Did she tell you about Star Swirl the Bearded's time traveling spell?" He asked with a smug grin.
"How did you..."
"You're not the only one who has contacts in the guard. We were notified the second you snuck into the wing."
"Oh." The librarian sighed as fear gripped her. Did they know about the times she would sing the spells in the library so she could remember them?
"Don't worry, we're not the SIS if that's what you're worried about. We only keep tabs on strategically important places, like that wing or the armory." He said casually.
And in that moment Cadence emerged from her room. The doctor used both of his hands to apparently congratulate her.
After saying the goodbyes she approached her companions.
"So, how did it go?" Asked the bookworm eagerly.
"It's all good, I just had some questions concerning my morning sicknesses." Responded Cadence.