//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: The Alicorn Guard 
// Story: Oathbound 
// by ChronicleStone 
//------------------------------//

Canterlot Palace
April 15, 10:11 AM

It never changed.  It looked exactly the same way it had when he had seen it for the first time a year and a half ago.  And it probably hadn’t looked much different before that.
The door.  The same door that he and Fluttershy had visited just over a year ago still stood there, silent and mysterious.  Only now, he knew its significance.
It wasn’t a door at all.  It was a keyhole.
Slowly, Sky raised his front right hoof and placed it in the center of the force field.  There was a quick flash of light.  To his right, a fissure in the wall opened, and as it widened, it revealed a well-lit staircase descending down a flight of stairs into the depths of the palace.  He snorted.  Never would have guessed that it worked that way a year ago, he mused.
He casually worked his way down the secret path that had become so familiar to him over the past nine months.  Behind him, he heard the secret gateway slide shut.  Only a very few select ponies even knew of the existence of this path…and even fewer were allowed to traverse its steps.
Finally, the staircase came to an end.  Sky progressed along a short corridor until it opened up into a wide cavern, illuminated solely by bright crystals embedded into the walls, giving the chamber a distinctly calm ambience.  It was not furnished; in fact, it looked very much like a cave should look, save a few additions scattered around.
Along the walls, chests and cabinets sat in a long progression, holding supplies and contraptions of all sorts, each one suited for a specific need that may arise.  Several large rugs had been assembled together in the center of the chamber, if for no other reason than to provide something soft to sit on.  Against the far wall, coat racks had been affixed for those that grew tired of lugging around their outfits.  There were several outlets into smaller areas, such as the laboratory, the Guard library, and small meeting areas.  But all along the walls, the glowing crystals lit the paths in a display that had stolen Sky’s breath away the first time he had seen it.  Occasionally he would still find himself breathless, caught up in the simple elegance of the scene.
A group of familiar ponies was scattered around the chamber, all busying themselves with personal tasks or simply socializing with one another.  As Sky passed the cavern opening to the lab, an orange pony with a tawny mane and tail came out, tinkering with a device attached to his front leg.
“Hey, Blitz,” he said in a distracted voice, not even bothering to look up.
“Heya, Hobo,” Sky returned.  “Whatcha working on now?”
Still the pony stubbornly refused to look away from his contraption.  “It’s this orb launcher,” he replied simply.  “I’ve been trying to develop an improvement on it to keep it from jamming whenever you step or kick the wrong way.”
“I remember,” Sky nodded, observing the metallic object.  It was a cylindrical silver frame, shaped in such a way that it could be affixed to a pony’s leg.  A spring-loaded mechanism would fire magical spell orbs when the leg was flexed a certain way, but an issue had arisen that caused the mechanism to jam whenever the leg was flexed in the opposite direction.  Hobo had taken it upon himself to try and remedy the problem, but four weeks had passed without success.  “Still no breakthroughs?”
Finally, Hobo looked up at Sky, his face contorted in annoyance.  “No, not yet,” he said in a voice that matched his face.
Sensing that he should move on, Sky took a step back and looked around the chamber.  “Oh, well, I’ll just leave you to it.”  He walked towards his coat rack at a brisk pace, where a lavender pegasus mare with a bright yellow mane and tail was putting up her own guard armor.  “Hello, Nova,” he said as he approached.
She turned around, her bright eyes acting as a mirror for the cluster of crystals on the wall.  “Oh, hello, Blitz,” she said.  “Been working on your flight skills like you were supposed to?”
He placed his own helmet on the shelf marked with his code name, “Blitz.”  “Of course,” he replied, the corner of his mouth tugging into the makings of his famous smirk.  “I’d love to put my skills to the test against you sometime.”
Nova chuckled and worked her favorite ring onto the end of her tail.  “We both know you’re already a better flier than I am,” she admitted.  “But Nighthawk and I don’t want you to compare yourself against us.  You need to compare yourself to yourself.  Keep getting better.  You don’t know how good you may have to be one day.”
“Right,” he said, unbuckling his coat of armor.  It slid off his back and landed with a dull clang on the stone floor.
“I dunno, Nova,” said a beige pegasus with a jet black mane and tail who had wandered over.  “If he’s so fast, how is it that he was late to the meeting last week?”
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you,” Sky shot back.  “You’re late more often than not.  You just manage to get off by telling one of your jokes and making everypony laugh.”
The pegasus shrugged.  “Hey, it works, doesn’t it?”
Nova gave him a disapproving look.  “Wouldn’t it just be easier to be on time?”
He frowned and lowered his ears against his head in a look of mock disappointment.  “Now, where’s the fun in that?”
Sky rolled his eyes as he finished hanging up his outfit.  “Rimshot, you’re one of a kind.”
His ears perked up as his cheerful demeanor returned.  “Haha, too true, too true!”
“And that’s a good thing,” Nova continued.  “Celestia knows that Equestria couldn’t handle any more than that.”
Sky and Nova shared a hoof bump while Rimshot looked on.  “Hey, I can’t argue with that,” he admitted.
“So, what’s up with Hobo?  He seemed…touchy,” Sky asked.
“Oh, him,” Rimshot answered, gazing across the cavern to where the orange pony continued to tinker with his shooter.  “Well, aside from the obvious, he asked Juggles out on a date again.”
“Oh, no,” Sky sighed.
“Oh, yeah,” Nova corrected.  “And wouldn’t you know it, she turned him down.  Again.”
“At what point does he give up?  I mean, Juggles and Sprocket have been together since before I joined the Guard.  And he always acts like this whenever she turns him down,” Sky said, shaking his head.
“What can you say?  The guy’s persistent,” Nova said.
“And determined,” Sky replied.
“And thick,” Rimshot added.  Then, seeing the looks of his fellow pegasi, he put on his best innocent face.  “What?”
“Hey, there’s my favorite newbie!” came a shout from the entrance to the library.  The three turned to see a white unicorn with a silver and red mane come strolling towards them.  “Nice to see you could make it this week!”
Sky sighed.  “Ace, I’ve already covered this.  I was busy wi—”
His words were abruptly cut off as he felt a leg wrap around his neck while a hoof rubbed against the top of his head.  “Aw, you’re so cute when you’re making excuses!” Ace exclaimed.
“Hey, whoa, Ace, take it easy!” Sky shouted, wriggling free of the unicorn’s headlock.  “You know, you’re going to get in trouble for that one of these days.”
Ace leaned in with an eager look on his face.  “Wanna bet on it?”
“No.”
Ace’s smile turned into a pout.  “Spoil sport,” he muttered.
“Oh, grow up, Ace,” said the dark green pony that slowly approached.  “You’re such a foal.”
Ace turned to his companion.  “You know, Scope, I’m beginning to think that the nerves around your mouth were damaged as a foal.  You should smile more.”
“I’ll smile when the situation warrants it,” Scope replied stoically.
A new voice rose above the din of conversation throughout the chamber.  “All right, fillies and colts, let’s cut the chatter.  Front and center; we’ve got stuff to talk about,” boomed a deep baritone voice.  Almost instantaneously, the ponies from all ends of the room began to assemble on the rugs, taking a seat in anticipation of the meeting and the topics they would cover.
A large, lumbering blue pony (who had been the one to call the assembly) stood to one side of a large bulletin board affixed to a wooden frame with wheels for convenience.  On the other side, an orange pegasus with a fiery red mane and tail looked on nonchalantly.  And between them, a deep violet unicorn with a colorless mane paced back and forth, waiting for the ponies to finish settling in so he could begin.  
His code name was Ghost.  Like every other pony in the Guard, that was the only name they used.  Of course, they had their real names, but to protect themselves, their true names were never spoken aloud.  Ghost had been in the Alicorn Guard for years, proving himself time and time again until he had earned the honor of being named the leader of the team.  It was a position he took seriously.  
Sky found himself staring at his commander thoughtfully.  When he had first met Ghost, he had thought him friendly, but a bit…aloof.  It was as though he knew he was good…better than most.  But as Sky had gotten to know him, he had come to understand that if that was indeed his attitude, it was not merely a haughty outlook.  His reputation spoke for him.  
At last, as the final pony took his seat, he stepped forward and whipped out baton.  “Thank you, Boulder,” he said with a nod to the large blue pony.  His voice was cordial, yet it carried the weight of somepony with a great deal of experience and authority.  “Okay, so now that we’re all here, let’s take a moment to show our thanks to Rimshot and Blitz for both being here on time this week.”
The group all stamped their hooves in applause.  Rimshot waved his hooves wildly, apparently enjoying the attention, but Sky was unamused.  “Seriously, it was one time; can’t you ponies just let it go?!”
As the stamping came to an end, Ghost cleared his throat.  “So, let’s get some updates.  Hobo, how goes the work on the shooter?”
The orange pony looked up for a minute, having heard his name.  He was still busy fiddling with the device, though his frustration appeared to be near the boiling point.  “I’ll get it; just give me some more time,” he answered through clenched teeth as he turned his attention to the contraption again.
“You’ll have time when this is over,” Ghost chided.  “Can you spare a few minutes for the meeting?”
Sky thought he heard a growl come from Hobo’s general location, but if anypony else heard it, they didn’t let on.  “Keeper, how’s the new spell working out?”
The teal-maned, yellow unicorn mare stood up where she was.  It was an unnecessary gesture, but it was a prime example of her unquenchable confidence.  “The spell itself is not overly complicated, though it is so powerful that it requires an immense source of magic to cast: a pool of which that is beyond my capabilities at this time.  Perhaps beyond anypony I have met.  However, I have yet to encounter a situation that would necessitate such a drastic healing spell.  I believe I speak for us all when I say that I hope that I never do.”  She sat back down, apparently satisfied with her answer.
“Oh, well, uh…”  Ghost turned in confusion to the orange pegasus on his left, who merely shrugged and returned the same befuddled look.  “Thank you, Keeper…I think.”  He made a face that conveyed his bewilderment before continuing.  “Anyways, some notes that Solace sent down to us for future reference.  The spiders in the Macintosh Mountains have been sighted a bit more recently, so be ready if we get a call to go handle a situation there.”  He pointed to a different paper on the board as he continued.  “Also, let’s not forget that the envoy from the Crystal Empire will be coming to Canterlot in a few weeks.  The Council hasn’t determined which teams will be given escort duty, but at least two teams will be devoted to the task: one primary, one observing team.  Maybe two observers.  Solace has assured me that we’ll be kept up to speed as the date approaches.  Now,” he said, pulling several pages off the board, “as for individual team assignments: there’s only one, and it’s for team four.”
Behind him, Sky heard the unmistakable voice of Ace.  “Woohoo!  Yes!  Something to do!”
The pegasus beside Ghost smirked knowingly.  “If you knew what you were in for, Ace, you wouldn’t be so quick to cheer.”
“Nighthawk, I’m just glad to get out and do something.  Isn’t that reason enough to celebrate?” Ace replied.
Nighthawk snorted and shook his head.  “Whatever you say.”
The sound of a throat clearing brought an end to the conversation.  An assignment sheet landed in Sky’s hooves as he quickly began to scan the page.  “Recently, a rash of train heists has been noted near Rambling Rock Ridge.  They appear to be burglaries, though they seem to be rather specifically aimed at wealthy passengers.  They don’t take bits or money of any kind; just jewelry.”
“Just jewelry?” Scope asked.  “Seems odd.”
“It is odd,” Ghost agreed, “so the Council did a little digging.  A source indicated that a group of canine bandits inhabited the area, and they were obsessed with gemstones of all shapes and sizes.  They even ponynapped a citizen of Ponyville to try and help them mine the gems that are found in their own cavern homes.”
“Despicable,” Scope replied.
“So what’s the plan?” Sky chimed in.
“The bandits are too well entrenched in their caverns for us to go in after them, so the Council has decided that the best way to flush them out is to lay a trap for them that they simply can’t refuse.  We’ve organized a group of ponies to board a train to Manehattan for a special black tie affair.  Word has gone out about the train and its passengers.  We’re hoping that such a tempting target will draw out the dogs so that the three of you can handle them.”
“Where’s the catch?” Ace asked.  “Nighthawk said that I wouldn’t be too excited about my role in this.”
“He’s right, Ace,” Scope said, lowering his page with a gleeful smile.  “You get to be one of the upper echelon of Canterlot.”
“What?”
Sky almost burst out laughing as he saw Ace’s role on his sheet.  “You mean…HE’S going to be on board the train?!  That’s too funny!”
“Me?!  I’m no snooty, proper, well-behaved pony!” Ace protested.
“Obviously,” Scope remarked.
“Gotta be this way, Ace,” Ghost explained.  “Scope needs to be able to see the bandits coming, and having him inside a car would severely limit his abilities.  And Blitz needs to be outside to engage them as quickly as possible.  You’re the only one left.  Besides, you can coordinate everything from inside the train car.”
“But why even have me on the train in the first place?  I mean, if our job is to stop the bandits from even getting to the train, then isn’t my presence there just one big redundancy?” he continued to argue.
“Because our first priority is the safety of the ponies on that train,” Ghost said sternly.  “Even if these bandits never reach the train, we have to think of the safety of the passengers first of all.  You know that.”
“Aw, poor Ace,” said a sea-blue unicorn with a matching sea-green mane.  “He’s gotta act like a grown-up.”
“He’ll have to act, Riptide; Celestia knows he isn’t one at heart,” Rimshot blurted.
“Ease up, ponies,” said Trucker, a dark gray earth pony with a burgundy mane.  “Let’s not make this any harder for him than it has to be.”
“Gee, thanks, Truck,” Ace mumbled.
“Anytime,” he replied.  Then, with the smallest of smirks tugging at the corner of his mouth, he added under his breath, “It’s still as funny as all get out, though.”
“You know, this sounds an awful lot like something that happened to one of my friends a few years back,” Sky asked, redirecting the conversation.  “Was the one you referred to happen to be a certain fashion designer?”
Ghost nodded an affirmative.  “We don’t know why they want the gemstones, but the fact that they are threatening the lives of ponies is reason enough to act.”
Scope looked over the top of his page and met the gaze of his commander.  “When’s the mission going to happen?”
“In six days,” Ghost replied.  “So I suggest you get prepared for it.  That’s all, ponies,” he finished with a dismissive hoof.
As the group dispersed, Sky began to meander over to the main exit from the chamber.  Behind him, he could hear the hoofsteps of Nova and Rimshot.
“A mission, huh?  Lucky,” Nova remarked.  “We’ve been working the same guard duty for what seems like forever.  I’d give just about anything to get out and do something.”
“Tell me about it,” Rimshot agreed.  “Cubic keeps telling us to ‘use the time to your advantage,’ but I have no idea what she means by that.”
Sky raised his eyebrows as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.  “Wow, a serious comment from Rimshot?  Are you feeling alright?”
“Sorry, lost my head for a minute there.  I’m better now,” he replied, and Sky could hear the laughter on the edge of his voice.
“So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day, Blitz?” Nova asked.  “Got any plans?”
“Well, sorta,” Sky admitted.  “I need to do some research in the palace library, and I want to spend a little time with Lily.  It’s been tough to do recently, with our conflicting schedules and all.”
“Oooohh, someone’s got a date,” Rimshot teased in a sing-songy voice.
“Go ahead and tease,” Sky replied.  “We all know that the only reason you tease me about my dates is because you can’t get one.”
Nova snorted loudly as Rimshot took a deep, sudden breath.  “Oh, that was harsh,” he said, bringing a hoof to his chest as though he had been kicked in the ribs.
“It was a joke,” Sky said with a roll of his eyes.  “At least you’re not Hobo.”
Nova sounded like she was going to choke from being unable to breathe as Rimshot burst out laughing.  “Boy, you better get all that snark out now, or Lily’s liable to smack you!”
“You’re right.  She’s the kind of mare that would relish the opportunity,” Sky said.  Then, with a turn of his head, he regarded his friends with a quick salute.  “But even so, I don’t want to keep her waiting.  I’ll catch you guys later.”
“See ya’ around, Blitz!” Rimshot replied as he and Nova waved.  Then, with a quick flap of his wings, Sky accelerated through the remaining stretch of corridor before reaching the case of the stairs.  He stared up into the dimly-lit space above him before beginning his ascent.
It’s been almost two weeks since we’ve been able to spend any meaningful time together.  That’s too long to wait.  I want to make that time up to her.
As he climbed, the sounds of conversation from his fellow guardsponies faded until he was left alone with his thoughts in utter silence.  It hadn’t even been a whole year that he had been a part of the Alicorn Guard, but he already felt as though they were a part of his family.  He had come to know them, befriend them, care for them…he loved them all.  Sure, they all had their flaws (like Scope’s stubborn resistance to smiling), but what family didn’t?
Sky had instantly been taken in by the entire team, but he had felt most comfortable with three ponies that had become his closest friends: Nova, Rimshot, and his own team commander, Ace.  They were friendly and outgoing, and always seemed to be willing to lend a helping hoof to their newest recruit.  For a while, Sky had wondered if Nova had a crush on him, though it never amounted to anything more than a close friendship.
But of all the members of the Guard, the one that Sky wanted to truly spend time with was Nighthawk, the pegasus commander.  His flight skills and abilities were astonishing, and even Sky had been reduced to a stunned silence after watching a demonstration of his aerial prowess.  He was faster, nimbler, and just all-around better than any pegasus he had ever seen, including Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts.  Granted, Nighthawk was bolstered by a special magic, much like Sky was.  But it was obvious that he had a keen understanding of that magic and that it was phenomenally potent in what it could allow its bearer to do.
But Sky’s efforts to learn from his commander had usually ended in frustration.  Nighthawk was a demanding teacher, offering little praise and much criticism.  Nothing he did had ever seemed to satisfy his instructor, in spite of the acclaim and admiration of every other pony within the Guard.  It just seemed like Nighthawk didn’t approve of him…or didn’t like him at all.
Sky shook his head and shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind.  It wasn’t going to do any good to get upset because of Nighthawk’s ill treatment of him.  He was going to see Lily, and there wasn’t anything that could dampen his spirits now.  As he reached the top of the stairs, he peered through a small viewport to make sure the coast was clear.  Seeing nopony, he pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway, quickly shutting the door behind him.
“Well,” he said to himself, “let’s go see what Miss Pond is up to.”