The Royal Thief

by LTBroski

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“So, about that tour?” Twilight Sparkle grinned sheepishly at Az and Longshot, switching her view back and forth between the two and growing increasingly red under their hardened stares. After a few awkward moments, Az finally sighed, looked back at Longshot, who seemed deeply embarrassed with herself, and refocused back on Twilight and her friends before relenting.

“Fine, but please keep your personal statements to yourself. I can’t just send you guys back right after you got here, right?” He forced a small grin to put the remaining four mares more at ease. Luckily, the non-silenced Elements of Harmony seemed more ready to forgive his past actions, based on the smiles given back to him. “Can I just talk to these two first? Like, alone?” Twilight looked unsure at first, but eventually nodded, removing the gagging spell she had placed on her friends. Az shot a quick glance at Longshot, who seemed to have relaxed after the impromptu grilling. She nodded, and looked at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with the two belligerent mares.

Az motioned with his head at Rainbow Dash and Applejack, indicating that they should follow him just outside of earshot of the rest of the group. Once Az could be sure that the others would not be able to hear their conversation, he stopped walking and turned to the two mares, who each glared at him, seething quietly. He looked at each of them in the eye, trying his hardest not to simply start yelling.

“You two don’t know how lucky you are that Twilight shut you up when she did” he said quietly, shaking his head. Rainbow Dash and Applejack left their glares behind for confused and shocked looks once Az started talking.

“And why would that be?” Applejack asked, arching an eyebrow. Az looked her dead in the eye, fixing her with as cold a stare as he could muster.

“Are you really sure you want to know that?” he asked through his teeth.

“Yeah, thief, we do. What the hay was she gonna do? Stare at us to death?” Rainbow Dash asked, brazen as ever. Her attitude was beginning to grate on Az, despite her earlier giddiness, her disdain for anything related to him was more than disconcerting. “Oh, and another thing, what gives you the right to talk about Twilight like she’s your friend, huh? She’s our friend, and you have nothing to do with any of us.”

“First, I have a name. I suggest you use it.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and Applejack looked like she wanted to be indignant, but something held the emotion back. “Second, because she asked me too. I’m on a first name basis with Luna too, just in case you were wondering. I consider them both my friends, and they see me as the same. Don’t believe me? Ask them yourself.” Rainbow Dash was about to retort when Applejack, sensing that the bad news was about to drop, put a hoof on her shoulder to silence her. Az paused momentarily, sensing that his next bit of information would unlikely go over very well with the two, especially considering Applejack’s now worried expression.

“I’ll address the third thing with another question. Do you have any idea as to what Longshot did before she got recruited for the Guard?”

“Well, like, uh, like Twi said, she coulda done anythin’” Applejack said, her confidence starting to waver under Az’s scrutinizing gaze.

“True, but I’d like to hear what you two thought she did” Az responded, sounding more like a scolding schoolteacher than he would have liked.

“Was she a thief like you?” Rainbow Dash asked, her attitude fading less than Applejack’s had.

“No, she wasn’t. Applejack?”

“Uh, a chemist?” she flashed a sheepish grin at Az and winced under Rainbow Dash’s now harsh stare.

“What the hay kind of guess was that?” Rainbow half-yelled at her country friend. “You just trying not to look bad or something? Sheesh…”

“Are you done?” Az asked, fixing Rainbow Dash with a cold look. When the pegasus mumbled something incoherent back at looked at the ground angrily, Az looked back at Applejack. “She could have been. Went to University and studied chemistry there, actually, so it wasn’t a bad guess. Still, her former profession was not as a chemist. Do you both remember what I said when I first brought you over here?”

“Uh, somethin’ about us bein’ lucky Twi knew that magical gag trick?” Applejack asked, now more confused than nervous. Rainbow Dash continued her grumbling.

“Exactly, would either of you know why I said that?” Wow I really do sound like a schoolteacher. The two mares shook their heads and Az looked at each of them before sighing and continuing, not entirely dedicated to his course of action. “It’s because you were about ten seconds away from not being identifiable by next of kin.” The gazes of the two mares snapped to Az’s face as panicked and fearful expressions crossed their visages. Rainbow Dash’s scared expression quickly turned into indignation as she looked back and forth between a calm and collected Az and a now panicky Applejack.

“How the hay do you expect us to believe that? And why were you asking us if we could guess what her job was?” She flared her wings quickly and furled them again in agitation.

“So I could make you understand that she is likely one of the most dangerous ponies on this base, and that you not only hurt her feelings, but insulted me as well. We are very good friends, and have been for a long time.” He looked at Rainbow Dash and narrowed his eyes. “Now settle down and neither of you breathe a word of this to the other Elements. Her previous job, before Princess Celestia recruited her, was as an assassin.”

“A what?” Applejack asked in a small voice, her pupils turning into pinpricks.

“An assassin, a hired killer, an incredibly precise mercenary. She is absolutely unstoppable with her crossbow, and can hit a once-inch, moving target from nearly a half mile away. Please understand me when I say that she is very good at what she does and you really hurt her feelings. While she is used to seclusion and being shunned, she is not all that experienced in handling outright cruelty from anyone that wasn’t about to receive a steel crossbow bolt through their chest.” The two mares had finally been silenced, and shocked expressions sat fixed on each of their faces. Az sighed, suddenly sympathetic to how they were likely feeling, given the information that he just dumped on them.

“Now, I don’t know if either of you have families, significant others, or what have you, but I can only assume that each of you have something to live for. Look at me” he said suddenly, drawing the mare’s gaze to his own. “Twilight just saved your lives because I asked her to. Give that a moment to process. Now understand that everypony on this base has received supplemental training from Longshot.” He looked at each of them in the eyes. “Alright, so I think I’ve sufficiently scared you two straight. Will I be having any further trouble from you while you’re here?” He received two nervous head-shakes in response. “Good. Say what you will about me when you leave, I don’t care, just do not go insulting my friends, because Twilight and I may not be there to pull you out of the fire next time. Now let’s get back to your friends.”

Az walked between the two towards the rest of the group, where he could see Longshot standing further from the group than she had been, looking uncomfortably at the ground. The other four mares were whispering to each other, occasionally shooting a glance either at Longshot, or at where Az was talking with Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Pinkie Pie noticed that the trio had started walking back towards and hopped towards them, chipper as ever. Upon seeing Rainbow Dash and Applejack, she stopped bouncing and cocked her head to the side, confused.

“Heya guys, so, uh, Applejack? Rainbow Dash? You two feeling OK?” She looked back and forth between the two mares, each of whom shared a quick glance then looked down at the ground, ensuring they did not look at either Az or Longshot in the process.

“Yeah, you two are looking a little pale” Twilight said, concerned, as they rejoined the group. She shot a questioning glance at Az who did his best to feign a smile and shrug it off.

“We’re fine, Twi” Applejack said, forcing a grin. She turned nervously towards Longshot, who still was focusing on the ground, apart from the rest of the group. “Uh, hey Longshot?” The black-armored mare looked up to look at Applejack, her eyes betraying her newfound state of melancholy. “Uh, Rainbow and ah are mighty sorry we started grillin’ you like that. We didn’t have the right to say the things we did.” Rainbow Dash begrudgingly nodded behind her, still reluctant to look at Longshot in the eyes.

Longshot looked back and forth between the two mares, coughed to clear her throat and took a step back towards the group. “It’s alright Applejack, no harm done, thank you.” She grinned warmly at the cowpony, although it still looked to Az like she was biting back whatever sadness had found its way through her mental armor. She rejoined the group, and looked towards Az and gave him a look that he was unable to decipher before Twilight started talking again.

“So, uh, where were we?” she asked the group.

“Ooh! Ooh! I know!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, beginning the jump up and down again. “Azzie was telling us about the Guard and then Longie was telling us why it’s called the Guard instead of the Secret Guard!”

“Please don’t call me that” Az stated flatly, leveling a gaze at Pinkie through the group.

“Awww, why not? I give all my friends nicknames!” she pouted. To the surprise of the group, Longshot actually chuckled at what she had said. Pinkie Pie looked at her, confused. “What’s so funny about that? I wasn’t trying to make a joke. I think.”

“Hm? Oh, no, it’s not that.” She grinned at Az, who looked at her with an equal amount of confusion that Pinkie had displayed. “Only his sister gets to call him that is all, I’ve tried a few times and got my head bit off in the process.” Az felt his jaw go slack after hearing what Longshot had just told the group.

“Wait, wait, wait. Az has a sister?” Twilight asked Longshot, then switched her gaze over to Az. “I thought you told me you were an only foal?” Az found a grip of his senses, glared at Longshot, who simply grinned back, and then turned to address Twilight.

“She’s your sister” he said over his shoulder at the armored unicorn. “She just lives with my mom is all, we grew close.”

“That’s one way of putting it” Longshot muttered, still grinning.

“Shut it. Now, enough about my past, where were we regarding the Guard? Oh, right, how old it is, especially compared to the Royal and Lunar Guards.”

“Alright, out with it, how old is this place?” Rainbow Dash interjected, having regained her bravado with her color.

“The Guard as it is known today was founded around the time of the Crystal Empire incident.”

“I hate to break it to you, darling, but that is hardly very old. That only puts your organization at about a year old” Rarity said, looking at a forehoof.

“What? Oh, no, not that one. I mean the first time, when King Sombra was rising to power in the Fifth EAD.” He grinned with satisfaction as he saw Twilight’s jaw practically unhinge and the rest of the group look at him, confused.

“But, but, there’s nothing about it in any of the history books I’ve ever read! How is that possible!?” the lavender Alicorn sputtered. Rainbow Dash began chuckling at her friend, who seemed to be at a loss for words

“Heh, there’s something the egghead didn’t know after all” she said, grinning. Twilight paused in her spluttering long enough to shoot Rainbow Dash a glare before turning back to Az with a confused look on her face, then turning to Longshot who nodded in confirmation with what he had just said.

“In any case,” Az said, “we ought to get this tour going. Gentlecolts?” he addressed the two golden-clad ponies standing stoically behind the group. When he was sure he had their attention, he continued on “if you need someplace to cool your hooves, you can make your way over to the long house, I’m sure Hammer will be able to whip up some food or drink if you want any.” The two golden-clad ponies nodded, unhitched themselves from the chariot harness and walked off towards the building.

Once they were out of earshot, Longshot leaned to Az and whispered “you just sent them into the lion’s den, you know.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I was well aware” he stated, looking back at Longshot with a satisfied grin. “Those two chuckleheads have tried to arrest me a few times. Never worked out well for them though.” Longshot barked out a laugh, causing Az to chuckle, thinking about the fate that awaited the two Royal Guardsponies. “So, where were we?” he asked, turning back to the Elements of Harmony. “We just finished giving you a brief synopsis as to why this is the Guard. I guess next is the big tour.” He looked over at Longshot, who, despite their rough start, looked happy that everything was going moderately well.

“Oh, actually, we can start over at the hanger. I think Flow and Wise Guy are getting the airship prepped for later today. It might be our only chance to show it to them before it gets airborne.” She looked at the group of mares arrayed in front of them. Rainbow Dash, despite her previous misgivings, perked up significantly at the mention of the airship. Twilight Sparkle also showed an immediate interest, demonstrated by her ears perking straight up and her eyes widening when she looked over at Longshot.

“You have an airship!?” the two mares asked simultaneously. They shared a shocked look with each other before looking back at Longshot, who seemed equally stunned at the impromptu synchronization.

“Uh, yeah. We can walk over there now if that’s okay with everypony.” Longshot looked over at Az, who nodded and started walking towards the open hanger door, which rested perpendicular to the end of the runway. After a brief moment, she had caught up and looked back at the group to ensure that they were following, but far enough away to have a private conversation. Az looked at her, expecting the same smile he had seen a moment before, only to see Longshot’s face in a twisted state of sorrowful agony as she fought back tears. “Az, I-I almost k-killed them” she whispered, instantly looking towards the ground. Az saw a single tear fall to the grass underneath her head.

“But you didn’t, and that’s what matters” he responded, also in a whisper. “Truth be told, I thought of it myself when they kept laying into you like that.” He smiled when he heard her chuckle, although the sound remained choked due to the sudden onset of tears.

“Like you’d have the sack for it” she said, her voice still strained. Az snorted in indignation before deciding to continue comforting his friend.

“Hey, everything’s fine, L. Just put it out of your mind and the rest of the day will turn out alright.” She nodded, and was about to raise a hoof to wipe away what tears had formed when she and Az walked face-first into what appeared to be simply thin air. As they pried themselves off of whatever they had walked into, they could see Wise Guy just look up from what he was doing inside the hanger and begin walking over to them where they had found their path blocked, an apologetic look on his face. Az looked around the massive doorway to try and find what they had walked into, only to find that a dim light shimmered around the edge of the frame.

The Elements of Harmony walked up behind them, confused as to why their tour guides had stopped so suddenly. Upon reaching the new-found magical barrier, Twilight put a hoof up to the barrier to test it, and finding it sturdy, dropped her hoof with a shrug. Wise Guy finally made it over to the hanger door and smiled apologetically at Az and Longshot, each of whom was rubbing their now sore noses and glaring at him.

“You mind telling us why we can’t get in?” Az asked, annoyed. When Wise Guy stared at him blankly, Az knocked on the barrier to emphasize his point.

“Oh! Sorry” Wise Guy whispered. Az arched an eyebrow and looked over at Longshot, who simply shrugged. “Flow is putting the new magic crystal cell into the airship and needs almost absolute silence so he doesn’t mess up.” Az made to respond, but was waved off by Wise Guy, who continued talking in a whisper. “I can’t hear a word you say, the barrier is set up to block all noise and, well, visitors from getting in” he looked pointedly at the group of mares who had started chatting amongst themselves a few paces away.

“When-“ Az stopped himself and drew a clock in the dirt, followed by a question mark.

“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes. I think he’s almost done.” Az nodded and turned back towards the larger group, then cleared his throat to get their attention.

“So, we’re going to need to wait a little bit, since Flow is installing the new magic crystal cell in the airship. Apparently he needs absolute silence or something bad is going to happen” he said. This garnered a few confused looks before anyone spoke up.

“Like what?” Fluttershy asked in a whisper.

“Boom” Twilight said simply, causing the pegasus to “eep” and hide behind Applejack, who she was standing next to. Twilight sighed at the reaction and turned back to Az and Longshot. “Anyways, now that we have some time, I’d like to hear about this sister of yours” she said, her growing grin matching Longshot’s typically demonic impression. The other five mares quickly huddled in around Az and Longshot, expectant looks on their faces (with the exception of Rainbow Dash, who attempted to look cool by remaining aloof).

“Seriously? We’re back on this?” Az asked Twilight, who responded with another grin and a small nod. “She’s your sister, you get to start” he said to Longshot, resigning to his fate with a sigh. Longshot gave him an annoyed look before glancing over at the six mares, and heaved a sigh as well.

“First thing I’d like to point out is that Nurana is eleven years younger than me, and ten years younger than Az. Also, she isn’t a pony, she’s an ocelot.” The second statement drew a collective surprised gasp from Longshot’s now captive audience. “There’s a bit of background to that, as well. See, ocelots are considered lower than second-class citizens in Tigra, which is predominantly ruled over by Tigers, Lions, and various other big cats. As a result, they are rarely ever able to get actual jobs, and are occasionally forced into slavery. Otherwise, they typically turn to crime in order to get enough money to scrape by. This usually involves robbery, smuggling, and selling off whatever they can get their paws on.”

“That’s simply awful!” Rarity exclaimed, holding a hoof up to her mouth. Her friends nodded in agreement. “If they are so mistreated, why don’t they just leave?”

“Because the Tigran Empire borders two countries: Equestria and Draconia. Ponies generally don’t trust any of the big cats, and dragons are, well, dragons” Az responded. Longshot nodded in agreement before continuing.

“In any event, I was on a job with my dad in Tigra when I was thirteen or so. We were sent in to…assist in a business takeover. The identified individual that we would be dealing with was, as luck had it, an ocelot crime lord. Really bad guy all around. We got the job done and a lot of bad stuff happened, chiefly some large explosions rendering a small drug ring penniless. The trouble with explosives, though, is that the resulting fires can destroy entire cities if left unchecked. This was exactly what happened after my dad and I finished up the job. We needed to more or less sprint to get away from the worst of the fire. Once we had reached the outskirts of town, I could hear a sort of mewling cry coming from one of the back allies that had started to fill up with smoke. I investigated the sound and found an ocelot cub curled up in a ball, crying.

“I’d like to point out at this point that it is not uncommon for cubs to be abandoned at a young age and left to their own devices. Once the parent feels they can live on their own, they just abandon them in the street.” Another collective gasp sounded off around Longshot, causing Az to roll his eyes at the group. He looked back inside the hanger to see Flow slowly moving towards the airship from the far side of the structure, a large glowing cylinder held in his magical grip.

“While I’d like to say that the deed is abhorrent,” he began, looking back towards the group, “every big cat goes through it. Tigers, lions, the whole lot of them. The whole “right of passage” thing is an integral part of the Tigran society. Ocelots just do it ten or so years earlier, and hope for the best with their kids.” He nodded at Longshot, who continued on with her story.

“So I grabbed the cub and ran to meet up with my father, who instantly gave me an earful about picking her up. I was about to just leave her behind when we noticed that she had stopped breathing. Luckily, my dad knew CPR, and we got her breathing again, or at least coughing up some of the ash that she had managed to inhale. I convinced him that she would die of we left her behind, and he finally relented, and let me take her home with us. Once we got back to Canterlot, I nursed her back to health, and was tasked by my dad to take care of her, teach her to talk and read, that whole bit.

“We got along fine for the first few years, my dad working, and me taking care of Nurana at home while he was out. I actually had to convince her that I wasn’t her mother at first.” Longshot chuckled at the memory before continuing. “Once she got older I was able to let her be alone for a few days at a time, or at least have somepony check on her while I went out with my dad on a few jobs every now and then, just enough to keep my skills sharp. Around my eighteenth birthday, I got accepted into the University, and decided on getting a degree there.

“Around this time, though, my dad died while on a job. Without him around the house, I was forced to take Nurana with me to where I was living up at the University. It had to be really hush-hush, though, since I technically wasn’t allowed to have her living with me.”

“What about yer mom?” Applejack asked uncertainly, rubbing a foreleg with the other.

“Never knew her” Longshot answered simply. Applejack’s eyes widened and she looked down at the ground, starting to play with a tuft of grass. The reaction went unrecognized by Longshot, but Az noticed and filed it away for later use.

“Anyways, it was around this time that I met Az, actually. I had heard some of the girls talking about this “cool guy” trying to pick up University mares by saying that he was an archaeologist, and sometimes claiming he was a master thief. So, I figured I’d check out what all the fuss was about, and that’s how I ran into him.” She looked at Az, a small smile on her lips, and a genuine warmth behind her eyes. “So this is where you pick up the story, right?” Az chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, that was a weird period for me. Can’t say I was ever successful, nopony would believe me, up until Longshot found me and started asking some really pointed questions. I figured out that she was also in the trade and invited her on a job with me. She agreed, but we needed to go back to her place since I was still providing for my mom at the time, and was living with her. Once we got to her place, Nurana practically tackled me, the goofiest grin you’ve ever seen on a cat’s face plastered across hers. Without ever seeing each other before, she apparently already liked me. That was how I met her, and after doing a few jobs with Longshot, I volunteered that she could stay at my mom’s house so L didn’t have to hide her every time somepony came over. She’s been living there since, and we both make a decent effort to drop in as often as possible. Since joining the Guard though, I guess Longshot hasn’t been able to all that much, since seeing her here was the first time I had seen her in over a year.”

Longshot looked at the ground briefly before looking back up at the group, most of whose visages had softened from the cold stares she had expected to see from them, given her initial reception. As she was about to speak, she heard a throat clearing behind her, and turned around to see Flow and Wise Guy standing at the mouth of the hanger.
“Hey there everypony, we’re all set in here. No more explode-y crystals or anything” Flow said with a small grin.
“Well then, I guess story time is over” Az said, turning back to the group. “Now if you would be so kind as to follow Flow and Wise Guy, they’ll be conducting the tour of the airship. Longshot and I will wait over here, since neither of us are particularly knowledgeable when it comes to that thing.” The group nodded intermittently and followed after Flow and Wise Guy into the hanger, and Az chuckled as he heard the gasps of wonder as they actually saw how big the airship was from close up.

“Well there’s a story I never thought I’d be telling anypony” Longshot said, a small grin on her face.

“Tell me about it” Az replied, shaking his head, also grinning. “Especially to those six, and after what happened when they first got here.”

“So how is she, anyways? I never got a chance to ask before.”

“She was well, the last time I dropped by the house. It was tough getting home, even before joining the Guard.” Longshot gave him a questioning glance, to which Az shrugged. “A lot of jobs cropped up, no idea what the impetus was. And figures the one job I do for myself I get pinched…” Longshot barked out a laugh at this, causing Az to shake his head, a rueful smile apparent on his face.

“Sounds like you were getting a bit soft” Longshot teased.

“Seems like it, doesn’t it?” Az chuckled softly before looking back into the hanger, where he could see the Elements boarding the airship. “Applejack seemed to warm up to you, though” he said, his eyes lingering on the orange mare before she disappeared into the black undercarriage of the zeppelin.

“Oh? What makes you say that?” Longshot asked, drawing her eyes away from the hanger.

“Body language, facial expressions, the whole deal. She probably has a younger sister that she’s raised almost on her own or something.” He shrugged, looking at Longshot, “doesn’t mean she’s going to be any nicer to me. I gave her and Rainbow Dash quite the lecture back there” he motioned back to the landing strip with a nod of his head.

“Well, you just be nice to them, kill her with kindness.” She paused, then chuckled softly, “just not literally.” Az chuckled in response.

“At least two of them like me. I think Fluttershy is still scared, and Rarity seems pretty aloof” he shrugged, “ah well, not my top concern right now anyways.” Longshot nodded, but said nothing. The two remained silent for the majority of the time Flow and Wise Guy were showing the Elements of Harmony the airship and its capabilities, which lasted another half hour. They stood up once the group left the airship and began walking towards the hanger door. Az could hear them chatting animatedly, with Rainbow Dash still quizzing Flow about the airship’s capabilities, although it seemed Flow was starting to get tired of the incessant questions.

“Like I said last time, it’s a zeppelin, not a pegasus, I can’t make it do any tricks” Flow said, almost exasperated.

“Well, why not!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “It flies! It should be able to do some really cool stuff!”

“It can drop up to ten highly trained operatives into enemy territory and land itself, ready for immediate take-off. I’d call that pretty cool” Flow retorted. Az chuckled, drawing an pleading and slightly angry look from Flow.

“Alright Flow, Wise Guy, we can take it from here” Az said, cutting off the stream of chatter. Flow nodded appreciatively, and walked with Wise Guy back into the hanger, grumbling at the other unicorn. “So we hope you enjoyed the tour of the airship, next up is the long house, where we might be able to get you into the forge area if Hammer is in a good mood.” The six mares nodded, in noticeably higher spirits than they had been before entering the hanger.
It was a fairly short walk over to the long house, where Az and Longshot briefly explained the layout of the building, and the purpose of each individual room. When it became apparent that Hammer was actually in the forge, Longshot decided it would be better to ask for forgiveness than permission from the grizzled blacksmith and led the way down the long, heated corridor. Upon entering the forge, several “oohs” and “aahs” could be heard from the six mares as they looked around the room.

The papers that Az had noticed covering the walls earlier in the week were gone, and were placed in a neat pile on the floor next to Hammer’s main work bench. The original decorations of the forge, various weapons and armor of every shape and size, had resumed their rightful place, albeit the shiny steel displays were now interspersed with the matte black metal of the Old Guard. In the ruddy orange glow of the fires, the displays almost looked menacing. Looking back at the group, Az could see Rarity attempting to coax Fluttershy out from behind her mane.

Hammer was working a new sword on the grindstone on the far side of the room. He looked up from his work momentarily and caught sight of the large group standing in the doorway to the forge. He carefully put down the sword, took off the protective goggles he was wearing and walked over to them, intermittently wiping his forehooves on an already stained blacksmith’s smock. “So what can I do ya for?” he asked, arriving in front of the group. “Six sets o’ armor and matching weapons?” He noticed Twilight’s wings in addition to her horn, and his eyes widened. “Wait, nevermind that.” He turned to Az and Longshot and fixed them with an angry glare. “Ya mind tellin’ me why ya brought guests here?”

“Just showing them around the Hammer, relax” Longshot responded with a small smile. “Just figured we’d give them a glance at the armory, maybe ask our master smith a few questions before we move on.” Hammer rubbed his chin for a moment, smudging it with a fair amount of soot and grease from the various instruments that he had come in contact with since beginning to work that morning. He looked over the six mares, each of whom were either looking at him or looking about the room, still in awe at the various instruments of death arrayed before them.

“I s’pose I could work with that” he finally said. “But the next time ya want to bring somepony down here, make sure ya ask me first” he said, pointing accusingly at the two black-clad ponies, each of whom nodded quietly. “Right!” he said loudly, turning to the waiting mares. “Now I’m the smith here, and as ya can see, I take care of outfittin’ the Guard with any manner o’ weapons and armor. My work is relatively self-explanatory. Any questions?”

“Why is some of this silver and some of it black?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around the room.

“Ah, a very good question. Had ya come a week earlier, all o’ this would have been pure steel.” He motioned with a hoof at the walls of the room. “Granted, it’s stainless, enchanted to resist damage, corrosion, and to improve its sharpness. Not to mention they are also completely non-stick. Liquids roll right off.” He grabbed one of the black blades off the wall with his telekinesis. “Now these black ones, these are new. Some o’ them are over a millennia old, but you’ll be hard pressed finding them amidst all o’ this. They’re made of some sort o’ strange obsidian-infused steel. Extremely durable, very easy to sharpen, and completely resistant to anythin’ ya can throw at it.” He flipped the blade over in his grip a few times, looking it over. “O’ course ya gotta be a unicorn to make it, though.”

“Huh” Rainbow Dash answered simply.

“Ooh! Ooh! I have a question!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping up and down, a hoof raised.

“Sure, kid, shoot” Hammer replied with a cocked eyebrow.

“How come everypony has different armor? Like the Royal Guard all has the same golden armor and the Lunar Guard has their super scary purple armor!” She stopped bouncing and looked between the three Guard members standing in front of her.

“And here I was thinkin’ ya were gonna ask somethin’ strange” Hammer said, shaking his head. “Long an’ short of it is that everypony is built different. That means that different armor fits each individual differently, and each has their own preference.” He motioned for Az and Longshot to move in closer so that the group could get a better look at their armor. “There are two types o’ armor that I make: leather and plate. Different groups tend to like different types o’ armor. Pegasi, for example, prefer leather armor, much like Az here. Granted, is set is custom, but that’s beside the point. Others who simply prefer mobility over solid protection also use leather, like Longshot. Granted, she had quite a bit o’ trouble when the Changelins invaded Canterlot, which is why you see bits o’ plate here and there.

“Wait, you were in Canterlot when the Changelings invaded?” Twilight asked Longshot, drawing a simple nod from the unicorn.

“Heh, that’s an understatement” Hammer laughed. “She took down an entire company o’ them by herself. Damned impressive work, if ya ask me.” The group drew back momentarily, each casting wary glances at the now embarrassed unicorn before turning back to Hammer as he resumed talking. “Anyways, most earth ponies an’ unicorns will wear plate armor, and right now I’m slowly workin’ on gettin’ them phased into the new stuff, which is a hay of a lot stronger than enchanted steel. A fraction o’ the weight too. With the plate armor, you’ll see a significant amount of personalization, more so than with the leather. Who else have ya met?”

“Captain Shade, Rapid Flow, and Wise Guy” Twilight answered.

“Well the Cap’n and Wise Guy aren’t very good examples to work with as far as personalization goes” Hammer stated, scratching the back of his head. “An’ Flow ain’t much better, but he does have a few personalized bits here an’ there. For example, his right pauldron is significantly larger than his left one, an’ his left foreleg has very little armor on it at all. This is ‘cause he uses a sabre in combat, an’ fights in a fencer’s stance.”
“So each member of the Guard has different armor based on their tastes and fighting styles?” Rarity asked. Hammer nodded. “As a fashionista by trade I guess I can respect that,” she continued, “but must you use the color black darling? It’s just so…ugly. Black is definitely not in this year.”

Hammer barked out a laugh, surprising Fluttershy back into hiding behind her mane, from which she had peeked momentarily to listen to the questions and answers. Applejack noticed her surprise and gently rubbed her on the back until she had regained herself. “Black’s jus’ the way it’s always been, ma’am” he said, chuckling. “Plus, what’s a black ops group without their cool lookin’ black armor?”

“So there are earth ponies here?” Applejack asked. “Cause Ah ain’t seen any since we landed.”

“That’s ‘cause they mostly keep to themselves” Hammer responded. “Trust me, they’re around.” Applejack nodded slowly, not wholly satisfied with the answer, but remained silent. “Anythin’ else?” Hammer asked the group.

“I have one, actually” Twilight said. “You said that some of the equipment in here is millennia old, but it’s only now being phased into use. Why is that?”

“Like I said, we only got it about a week ago. Without goin’ into too much of the specifics, the exact… recipe for making this style of metal was lost to the Guard when we abandoned the Old City, which is in the Everfree Forest.”

“Well that certainly explains the cloaked ponies moving through town with carts last week” Rarity remarked, drawing startled expressions from her friends.

“Bingo” Hammer replied. “So yeah, I finally managed to recreate the metal, an’ we’re startin’ to get it into use. These two are among the first to receive it, along with the rest o’ their team on account of the mission comin’ up.”

“Which explains the training exercise later today” Twilight stated.

“Yup. Well unless you fine mares have any other pressin’ questions, I gotta get back to work. All this metal ain’t goin’ to forge itself.” When nopony from the group spoke up, he nodded, wiped his hooves off on his smock again and grinned.

“Well it’s been nice talkin’ to you, I’ll see you later. Or not. Either way.” He turned and walked back towards the grindstone where he picked the sword back up and continued refining its edge where he left off, as if nothing had happened.

“Alright, so that’s the forge” Longshot said, starting back down the hallway. “All that we have left is the obstacle course before we start with the exercise later today. Oh, and lunch.”

“So what was Mister Hammer talking about when he said mission?” Fluttershy asked Longshot timidly.

“Sorry, but we can’t really go into that” Longshot answered with a warm smile, attempting to hearten the easily-frightened pegasus.

“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, drawing surprised looks from her friends and the two black ponies. “We got permission from the three princesses, didn’t we?”

“Yes,” Az replied with a carefully leveled tone, “you got permission to come here, not to be privy to mission details that not even Princess Celestia knows.”

“Why-?“ Applejack began.

“Plausible deniability” Longshot answered, cutting her off. “There is the distinct possibility that any of us could be captured or killed on a mission, and the less the Princesses know, the less the political repercussions could be.” She looked over the group, who had stopped dead in the hallway. “Although, we always make our best effort to recover the individual or body, whatever the situation dictates. Political ramifications or no, there is still a great deal of sensitive information that we know that many would kill to get to.” Six horrified faces still stared back at her in the gloom of the hallway, their eyes visible against the glow of the forge behind them. “Uh, we like the think we’re good enough to never get caught though, if that helps.” She smiled sheepishly at the group, hoping to relieve some of the tension that was apparent within the group.

“Alright!” Az said quickly, before further damage could be done, “so onto the obstacle course! I think Pinkie Pie had said something about wanting some pointers?” This at least snapped the bright pink pony out of her daze, and a smile stretched from ear to ear as she looked back at Az. The smile almost seemed evil, in its own way. I’m definitely going to regret saying that Az thought wryly.

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading!