Fallen Stars

by Zachurra

Chapter 26 - Equestria's Finest

The Demon landed quietly in the castle courtyard. He had no reason to make a fuss with his arrival and would have preferred that the guards simply let him be. Surely they had more important matters to be attending to than to waste time with him. Of course, this would simply not be the case. He had only just landed and he was already being approached by three ponies in their flashy golden armor. A Unicorn led the way, flanked by another Unicorn and a Pegasus. The leading Unicorn’s armor was somewhat more elaborate than that of her fellow soldiers and, if the badge on her chest was anything to go by, she was likely an officer.

“Vice Virtus?” She asked, halting in her approach once she was within speaking distance. She stood tall before him; taller than any mare he had met so far. If not for hearing her voice, he likely would have assumed her to be nothing more than a slender male. “My name is captain Dawnstrider. I have been tasked with escorting you to the throne room where the princesses will be deciding the fate of the Changelings.”

Vice watched the mare carefully as she spoke, particularly interested her use of how she was ‘tasked’ with his escort. Considering her attitude, stature, and status, she likely saw him as nothing more than some vigilante who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Which was not necessarily far from the truth, to be honest. More concerning to him were her two subordinates: a Pegasus and a Unicorn. Magic was still something he wasn’t used to and didn’t know the full potential of, while a Pegasus would add enough variety to the group to keep their offense inconsistent during a fight.

“I appreciate the gesture,” he replied, “but that will not be necessary. I can find my way-“

“With all due respect, Mr. Virtus, her Highness insists. Now, please, if you will follow me.”

She quickly spun about and began marching back towards the castle entrance. With a small sigh and against his better judgement, Vice followed behind her while the other two guards followed behind him. As they walked through the grand halls of Canterlot Castle, he kept his eyes forward and his ears tracking the guards that flanked him until he memorized the pace of their hoofsteps.

Old paranoid habits simply died hard, he couldn’t help it.

Despite his paranoia, the trip was so far proving itself uneventful. Not a word was spoken and every guard they passed by stepped to the side and saluted, though it was likely more out of respect to the mare than anything else. He was beginning to believe that perhaps there truly was nothing to worry about after all. At least, until he sensed another soul approaching from around the corner.

It was like a pony’s soul but… different, somehow. It naturally had a somewhat cooler sense about it while at the same time being… louder? One would think that after so many years of living, he would be able to find better ways to describe how a soul feels. If he ever found himself back in Hellion, he would have to find someone to help him construct new words for such a purpose.

From around the corner came a ponylike figure. Its coat was a deep and dark blue and its somewhat messy mane was black with a blueish tint under the right light. Unlike other ponies, however, its eyes were a golden amber and more akin to the eyes of a cat than anything he had encountered so far. He wore armor of similar design to the royal guards that escorted Vice though with some slight changes, mainly the blue color and the star on his chest being replaced by a catlike eye. Adorned on his chest was a medal that almost looked like the same one Dawnstrider wore, though it was hard to tell given the angle and distance.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you take another step closer to the throne room.” He said, giving the group a mere sideways glance.

“What is the meaning of this?” Dawnstrider demanded, eyes locked with his.

His winged flared, revealing leather rather than feather. Oddly enough, they looked nearly identical to Vice’s own Demon wings save for the color. The captain gave a sigh so quiet that only Vice caught the brief exhale and gave a gentle roll of the eyes. Without a word, the newcomer launched forward at the mare. She made no effort to move despite his speed. A moment before they would make contact, the strange looking stallion became nothing more than black and blue smoke. The captain could only look on, unamused the smoke brushed by her fur. She blew it out of her face before it dissipated into the air.

At the same time, the stallion reappeared, the same smoke coming together to form his body, practically right on top of Vice. He wrapped his foreleg around the Demon’s neck and flipped himself forward, pulling Vice off the ground before slamming him back down on his back.
The Demon groaned in pain from the pain of being thrown into a marble floor before looking up and seeing the cocky grin of the stallion looking down on him. “He doesn’t look so tough. You sure he’s the one that offed Madora, Sunny?”

Captain Dawnstider didn’t reply. She didn’t even bother turning her head to see the scene behind her. The stallion shrugged before holding his hoof out to Vice, who was glaring daggers up at him. “Hey, no hard feelings buddy. I just figured that a pony who claims to have beat-“

Vice tore the gem from his neck and blinded those looking with the light of his transformation. Before any of them could have a chance to regain their senses, Vice had the stallion by the neck. He pulled the pony over himself and slammed him down on his back just as he had been. He then planted his knee into the stallion’s gut, knocking the wind out of him before pulling one his shorter blades out and pushing it down into his mouth when the pony gasped for breath.

The stallion froze, the fear more than obvious in his bright eyes as he looked into the eyes of the Demon in his true form.

The sound of swords being pulled from their sheaths broke the momentary silence as the two guardsponies realized what had happened and acted to retaliate. However, they stood down as the captain held up her hoof. She turned her head towards the two and looked down at the one with the blade down his throat. “If you ever bothered to read a single report that ever came your way, captain Moon Shield, then you would know that today’s heroes are somewhat less than natural.”

Captain Moon Shield made some kind of noise and gave Vice the best puppy dog eyes he could muster in an attempt to get himself freed. Vice was unpersuaded and Dawnstrider gave a gentle shake of her head before continuing on down the hall. “I respectfully ask that you release him, Mr. Virtus. I have been told numerous times that if he is to ever die then I will be the one stuck with his duties and paperwork.”

Vice glanced at the captain as she spoke before returning his gaze down to his prisoner, who appeared to have his hooves together in some sort of prayer. Somewhat reluctantly, he pulled his blade from the second captain’s mouth and rose to his feet. Moon Shield coughed and rolled onto his side before picking himself up and licking his hoof. “I swear, if my tongue got cut…” He examined his hoof and was relieved to find no red marks and no trace of copper by his taste buds.

Vice shrugged, sliding the blade back into its appropriate sheath and tucking the gemstone into his pocket before following the mare once more. “No hard feelings.”

The rest of the trip was silent. Vice followed behind Dawnstrider, the guards followed behind Vice, and Moon Shield hung behind them, still slightly sore about their earlier scene. The group of five soon reached the grand entrance to the throne room where the princesses would be waiting. Two guards in slightly fancier armor than that of the two that were tasked with escort duty stood on either side of the door, raising a salute. Dawnstrider returned the gesture and the horns of the two guards lit up as the great door was pulled open.

Vice strode past them and entered the grand throne room alone.

The door shut behind him, leaving the two captains alone with their guards. Without a word, Dawnstrider turned and began making her way down the hall. Moon Shield trotted faster to cover the distance. “Well, he was an odd one.”

The mare gave him a look that all but screamed, you’re one to talk. When he didn’t even notice, she turned her eyes back forward. “I agree. If you aren’t careful, he may end up taking your place as captain of the night guard.”

“Pfft, like that’ll ever happen.” He said with a cocky smile. His smile faded over the next few seconds and he turned to his friend in a panic. “Y-You don’t think Princess Luna would actually do that, do you?”

It was entirely unlikely, but she didn’t plan on telling him that. She enjoyed putting a little fear in him to stifle all of that overconfidence. With her acute magical senses, his brash attitude was as uncomfortable as staring into a flashlight. While her senses had their uses in detecting another’s feelings and intentions, she often found herself feeling the same emotion as whatever was strongest in the room. Years of training helped keep that under control, but sometimes he could catch even her off guard with his ego. There were times when a little of his confidence was welcome and even helped her get through a few rougher days, but she would never admit that to him.

That said, her senses alerted her to Mr. Virtus’s anxiety from the moment he caught sight of her and the two corporals in the courtyard. After getting what information she could about these “Demons” after hearing about what they were capable of and knowing there was one currently unconscious beneath the castle, she couldn’t help but be confused as to why he was filled with so much paranoia. Were the lawkeepers in his world considered so untrustworthy that he felt the same way towards her and the rest of the royal guard? And the way his anger sparked after Moon Shield attacked him like an idiot. Had he not been in Canterlot Castle and under the eyes of multiple guards at the time, would Moon Shield still even be alive?

These Demons, whoever they were, were an odd and interesting bunch – and while such a description could be considered common in Equestria, Dawnstrider had no intentions of letting them do as they pleased simply because they were different.