//------------------------------// // Different Messengers (Mulberry Guardian 3, Black and White Guardians 2) // Story: Guardians of Many Hues // by TadStone //------------------------------// Different Messengers (Mulberry Guardian 3, Black and White Guardians 2) Celestia’s order had consisted of a big pink cake, originating from a certain equally coloured friend of hers, a couple of sandwiches and tea to go with it. The cake hadn’t lasted long, preyed upon by Celestia herself who ate it as one giant piece, leaving the variations of toast to the rest of them. Dash wasn’t hungry anyway. By now it was 1 pm, three hours after Luna and the Guards left and none of them had returned. She had finished her recounting over two hour ago. The only guest to venture into the police station had been a lemon green stallion who wanted to place a complaint against one of his neighbours who had dug his irrigation too deep, flooding the stallion’s fields. One of the waiting guards had recorded his claim and found that he was right onto inspection of the site. The neighbour had agreed to correct his mistake easily enough as was reported back. Other than that nothing interesting had happened and even this event hardly fell into that category. All other cases had been already deemed unimportant beforehand and could wait until the new officers could be recruited. Be it for the diminishing effects of the Fliers Sprout or the overdue messengers, Dash was back in her self-doubts, even though not as bad before, pacing in circles around the room, wearing off the floor that already showed a darker colour around Rainbow’s path. No amount of talking from Twilight seemed to improve the situation, partly because she was nervous herself and wasn’t good at hiding it from her friend. So when a knock finally permeated the stifling air, both of them jumped to attention at the same time, with Twilight smashing the door open in a burst of magic. A violet clad captain entered, panting and puffing, parts of his armour missing. It was the very same one Celestia had sent out to arrest Ms Birch. He came to a halt in front of the princess, saluting before he began his short recount, wheezing in between the words. “Reporting back from arresting the target. She is the aunt of the chief officer of Trottingham and was hidden by the same for the past year. Found her living in his cellar. Chief and target successfully captured. No more casualties caused by her. More investigations are done this very second.” He ended in a coughing fit that overtook him and forced him down on his knees, nearly retching on the floor. Celestia was fast at his side, handing over a big cup of cold tea and conducting him to a wall he could lean against. “That is very good news,” she addressed the soldier. “Thank you for your good service. Please rest.” The tea and the sitting position brought about their effect, reducing his barks to uneven breathing. “My apologies for being late and not being formally dressed to gain speed,” he answered in between inhaling deeply, but stertorously. “Please have some tea and a sandwich and take the rest of the day off,” Celestia more ordered than offered. This indeed was very good news, at least for the foals in Trottingham. For Rainbow it was only part of the solution. An important one for sure, but her fear for Scootaloo drove her mad, bringing her back circling as soon as she convinced the stallion was alright. “Please stop it Dash. Luna will be here any second now,” Twilight started in a new attempt to calm down the apprehensive pegasus, blocking Dash’s path at the same time. “You’ve already said that, Twi.” Dash simply moved around the unicorn as if nothing had happened. “But it’s true. I—” Twilight was interrupted by an audible plop, announcing the arrival of the Night Princess, landing in the rubble of the desk no one had bothered to clean up yet. If it weren’t paradox to describe the dark blue alicorn as radiant, that would be the adjective to go for to describe her mood. Rainbow could finally catch her breath. She stopped dead in her tracks and sat in front of the new arrival, buzzing her wings like a hummingbird (or Scootaloo), not noticing the small tornadoes building up beside her. “Everything went perfect in the end. My congratulations Dash.” A heavy weight was lifted from the pegasus, showing in her suddenly upright posture and a looping executed in confined space. The clean hoof prints on the otherwise dusted ceiling only improved onto the character of the room. “Scootaloo was still listed as happily living in the orphanage. It took us a while to update her accounts. But here is your approval.” Luna levitated the form together with Scootaloo’s certificate of birth down to Rainbow, who happily took both. Even though the other ones could only guess, Rainbows expression was surely orgasmic, a moment where all built-up pressure fell from her at once. As far as Dash was concerned it certainly felt better than the last one she’d had. “See; I told you it would be alright.” Twilight bumped playfully into her friend. “Congratulations Rainbow.” Spike joined in and clapped on the mare’s back. “My congratulations as well. You’ve all done the country a great service once again, my little ponies.” Celestia had placed herself next to her little sister. Somehow her mane had begun billowing in an ethereal wind. “I reckon it is time to leave. Rainbow, I wish you the best of luck for the rest of the way, even though you won’t need it. You will find the little filly considered in your next pay check.” “Before I go, there is one thing I need to ask you, Luna,” Dash started. “Scootaloo told me that you once visited her dreams and helped her. She’s been having nightmares ever since her last night in the orphanage and probably even before that. Why couldn’t you help her?” Dash’s tone wasn’t accusing at all, but rather interested and concerned. For Luna it still felt that way. Ever since being woken up today and hearing the news she had pondered the same questions, accompanied by self-reproach. Even for the Master of the Night, as she used to be called by some ponies before her banishment, dreams were a concept hard to grasp and even harder to control, thus she wasn’t sure of the answer herself. “Dreams are emotions given life. I can feel them, I can see them. Sometimes I can enter them. Other times they are so strong they will reject me. I have sought to join my dreams with hers more than once, ever failing. I have seen her in condition so many times with you all in Canterlot that I did not strive for more clarification, as I should have. And because of that, I have failed in my duty as the Princess of the Night.” “Applejack and I had our own hints. Scootaloo never appeared to be unhealthy or uncared for. She never had any injuries the Crusaders hadn’t been responsible for. We made the same mistake.” Rainbow tried to console the princess with words while already pacing to the door. “Thank you all, but I gotta get goin’.” Dash put on her saddlebags that felt much lighter containing only Scootaloo’s record and the confirmation of custody instead of the huge stack of forms needed to gain that one single paper. She didn’t bother to close the door behind her. Strong wings propelled her into the sky, accelerating to sonic speeds. Circular expanding spectra painted the sky in her wake.