Chapter 1

Shield Heart was laying down quietly in his straw mattress feet-to-the-wall in an unpainted bedroom in his house in Ponyville. It was Wednesday morning, and he felt really alone. Shining Armor left on Sunday, which really made him sad. He was the closest thing he had to a friend in this miserable town. Also his friends all postponed his housewarming party until he was returned to active duty. They all said the same thing: Orders from HQ.

So he took a moment of his bored life to take stock. He had a large house, an arsenal in his basement, four all-terrain Four-Wheeled motorcycles and no form of entertainment for the next month.

This really wasn't looking very promising.

He was glad that at least Fire Storm had taken the time to pack his clothes and other trophies and send them his way. Now he just had to go around unpacking the boxes But to his great dismay the warm weather in Ponyville was drastically different from that of the cold north of Vanhoover. This meant he wouldn't be able to wear most of the clothing he had before, and also meant he had to acquire a new style.

He was relieved that his friends had at least bothered to send his Gamesphere, four controllers and his collection of video games. Now he knew now he could satisfy his need for blood, even if it wasn't the same. Nothing could beat the sensation of killing an animal and eat its...

There was a knock on his door. "Shield are you in there?" Asked the bewildered voice of Cadence.

Shield answered by moaning like one of the zombies from the new action flicks he liked watching.

"Please, it's been three days since you've left the house! You need some fresh air!"

"I have a balcony, thank you!" He exclaimed as he pointed over to his sliding doors behind a pair of thick onyx curtains. The balcony was what he called the vantage point. At night he would grab his Macintosh hunting rifle and take aim at the forest, hoping that something threatening would show up so he could shoot it. So far he hadn't had the chance to shoot at anything potentially dangerous, but he wasn't going to give up.

"Please just come outside! Rarity needs to talk to you!" Yelled Cadence once more. He really regretted letting her stay in his home. But he really couldn't find the strength to abandon a childhood friend in need. And anyway, who was going to clean up the rest of the house, him? Like he could even manage to sweep a room properly.

"I'm sure you can handle it, after all if I make my choices you'll just disagree with me."

"This is your house! You should be the one making the decisions, not your friend!" Protested the melodious voice of Rarity. "I always thought you were a better man than this."

Shield looked at himself, he was wearing shorts and a tee. Both of which were in horrible conditions since he hadn't bothered of changing in the three days he's been confined. The room was also littered with boxes of pizza which became his nutrients during his time in solitude. "Not gonna happen!" Was his reply.

.oOo.

Princess Cadence was at the other side of the door hearing her old friend's reply. "This is ridiculous, it's like I'm dealing with a child. But I've had enough of this, I'm getting Twilight to blast this door open. He is getting out of this room today whether he wants to or not!" She said as she stormed out of the house. Rarity followed her until the door.

"I'll keep trying to convince him, maybe we can still solve this through diplomacy." She said calmly.

"Be my guest, but if he isn't out of his room by the time I come back with Twilight he'll wish he had done it the good way." Responded the princess of love as she left the premise.

The seamstress walked back to the door.

"Shield Heart, why don't you want to come out?" She asked.

"Because there's nothing for me out there, at all." He answered coldly from inside.

"What are you talking about? There is plenty to do in this town! We can go to the orchards..." She started before being interrupted.

"I meant there isn't any sort of action like I'm used to! It's been three days and there hasn't been a single cry for help, not one!" He yelled.

"Oh come now! There are more ways to keep busy that do not require someone to be in trouble."

She heard some movement from inside, it appeared he was approaching the door. "Ma'am, do you have any idea what my job consists of?"

"Your job is about helping people, but I doubt that it means that someone needs to be in mortal peril."

"And what alternatives do you propose?" He asked as a thud was heard. Rarity imagined it must have been his head.

"You could always find a job or find some sort of hobby to keep you busy." She replied.

"There's no army or police force to keep me busy, so I seriously doubt that there's anything worthy of my time."

"Oh don't be so negative, I'm sure there's something for a handsome young lad such as yourself."

"As much as I love flattery, miss, I seriously suggest you stop. My jobs so far have been on a military career track, I really don't know how to do anything else."

"Oh pish posh! I'm sure you have some other interests, like painting, or walking, or maybe you could help Twilight in the library. I saw your box full of novels and must admit you have a good taste. Starhoof Troopers was a good book, even though I'm not into the whole military lifestyle. And what about that book, The Mechanical Angel? I never took you for one who could like romance."

She heard him stand up and approach the door. "What else did you see?" He asked with some concern in his voice. "Did you spy on the other boxes?"

She gasped. "I feel insulted at the very question! I merely happened to see those books when I entered to inspect the premise." She paused for a moment. "I would never search through your belongings without your permission. I am a lady."

"Exactly my point." He answered before grunting. "Sorry about that, I'm used to dealing with those idiot aristocrats. Stupid brain!" She then heard a slap. The front door opened quietly and soon Twilight Sparkle was near her.

"Don't you fret dear, I know how people are sometimes. Anyway, have you thought about my idea? Hmm?" She smiled at the librarian and signaled her to back off a little. "I'm sure Twilight would agree with me."

"I don't know..." He answered, his voice dripping with doubt.

Things were finally looking up. And Cadence arrived.

"So how about you open that door dear?" Continued the violet-haired woman. "Could you please do it for me?"

And to their surprise the knob began turning, then the door started opening slowly. They caught a glimpse of his eye against a very dark room. A putrid smell emerged from inside and a man with unkempt hair peeked out.

Twilight was the only one to speak. "Did something die in there?"

Cadence immediately rushed over to door, hoping to slam it open and avoid losing her chance. But Shield was alert and quickly slammed the door in her face.

Rarity sighed. "It was going so well, I almost had him!"

"Sorry." Said the princess as she turned to her other friend. "Think you can help us open the door?"

"Don't you have a spare key." Asked the librarian.

"I did but SOMEBODY took it from me in my sleep!" She roared against the door. They heard a body fall unto the bed and another moan. "I don't suppose you have an alternative."

"Of course! I just so happen to have the perfect spell to pick the lock." Answered Twilight as she prepared her wand. With a swish she unleashed a raspberry bolt toward the lock, but this keyhole struck back. The force of the enemy bolt pushed her backwards.

They could hear maniacal laughter from inside.

"What's so funny?" Asked Cadence.

"You actually thought you could just walk through my door? Seriously, you know me better." He responded before he started snoring.

Rarity and Cadence helped Twilight get back up.

"Don't worry, I have another plan, one that's definitely foolproof." She said as she withdrew a small tan book. She flipped through several pages and started copying a rune she saw.

As soon as she finished it the symbol floated in midair before rushing towards the lock and producing a satisfying click.

Cadence immediately pushed the door open and her nose punished her for it.

Aside from the pizza boxes there was also several bottles of soda and milkshakes. These, combined with the stink produced by a man and adding farts and burps and this is what the room smelled like.

The curtains leading to the balcony were closed, preventing sunlight from entering his room. Rarity tried to maneuver through the mess and neared the curtains. She grabbed them and prepared to open them.

"Gently please." Said a curled up blond as he lay in bed. "I've got a certain weakness to the sun."

She paid no heed to his warnings. She pulled the curtains as fast as she could and the ten o'clock sun shed some much needed light to the room. She then opened the balcony door and stepped outside to breath some fresh air.

Shield Heart hissed loudly as the sun's rays struck his eyes. He got out of bed and covered his eyes as he fumbled through the floor. His left leg was puffy and didn't support his weight. With a loud thud he hit his head against the nightstand.

"Who could possibly survive in this cesspool?" Exclaimed Rarity as she entered the room. "You sir have much to answer for. And what is with your leg?"

"It burns!" He yelled in a very high-pitched voice. "It burns us! We don't understand how you..."

He never got to finishing his sentence because he was smacked with today's newspaper by the Princess of Love. "Behave yourself!" She commanded.

Shield was a complete mess, his entire body was smelly, there were stains in his pajamas, and his breath stank worse that a clogged sewage pipe. His hair was a complete mess, and he now sported a long beard.

"You will take a shower now and you will take me to see the doctor in fifteen minutes whether you want to or not!" Exclaimed the tri-colored woman with authority.

"Okay, we'll do as master says." He said quietly in his faked voice as he grabbed a shirt, a pair of jeans and some clean underwear before wobbling into the bathroom.

"I'm so sorry you had to see this, I really don't know what's going on." She said as she started picking up the the trash.

"I think he's experiencing an Identity Crisis." Responded Twilight as she picked up the straws and paper glasses.

"What? Him? He knows perfectly who he is, he can't possibly have that."

"But I agree with Twilight, it can't be easy to move from a job in the army where you must conduct drills all day to life in here. He feels confused, as if there is nothing for him to do."

"Really? Did he say those things while I was gone?"

"He said there was nothing for him to do that could relate to his job. He is a soldier at heart, and what could a soldier do in a peaceful place like this?" She asked as she removed the sheets from the bed.

Twilight and Cadence have each other puzzled looks. "No idea."

"Exactly, we know next to nothing about him yet we expect him to adapt to our alien environment." She asked as she left the room.

"That does make some sense, but what can we do to help him? There's no conflict anywhere near here, and it's not like he'll "

"No, but maybe we can create a substitute. He seems to be fond of reading, something I believe we can use this to distract him from his tasks."

"How did you figure this out?"

"It was the day his delivery from Vanhoover came over. One of the boxes was somewhat open and I managed to catch a glimpse of some comic books and some regular ones too. I must admit his taste is rather refined. Maybe he could help out in the library, or at least we can convince him to read."

"I never would have guessed." Said Twilight as she exited the room.

"Yes, and do you know anything about the other boxes he brought? One of them looked very similar to the cases where he stored his weapons."

"Shield wouldn't let me near them, saying things like it's nothing to worry about. Which I'm sure means the opposite." Answered Cadence as she dumped the boxes on the garbage can outside. "He left the box you were talking about back in his basement. He's even installed a special lock on the door. It only opens to his hand and eye."

They walked back into the house and found Shield walking over to the kitchen. His hair was now clean of grime, his face free of beards and his presentation now acceptable. He was wearing a short-sleeved tee with a silver double-headed eagle imprinted on the front. His denim pants looked almost new, and completely intact.

He was sporting his oak cane on his left hand, and he seemed somewhat drained of emotion.

"Oh, hey. I'll be ready in a sec. You can go to Pabu if you want." He recommended as he went down the stairs. Twilight left the house with her former babysitter, but Rarity followed him.

He went down the stairs and placed his hand on a black panel next to the white door. With a buzz the panel came to life and moved a white line from top to bottom. Then a small spheres emerge above the palm reader and produced a laser beam aimed at his left eye. After a second the door opened a d Shield walked inside. The seamstress followed.

The white tiled room was very similar to before, except now there were metal racks holding various weapons, from small pistols to large assault rifles.

"Why did you follow me miss Rarity? I thought I told you to wait for me in the garage." He said as he walked over to a mannequin and removed the blue greatcoat it was wearing. He placed the coat on a counter and put on a pair of leather bracers. The back of his shirt read:

Vanhoover Steel Legion.
Never Give Up, Never Back Down.

He didn't stop, continuing to put on an onyx vest with two opals on the back.

"What is that?" She asked.

"This is a dragon scale vest outfitted with a special barrier matrix powered by those two opals." He said as he pointed both of his thumbs to the gems.

"Are those real dragon scales?" She asked with a worried look.

"Yup, I had a little showdown with one a while ago and my friends salvaged as much as they could. Which was actually a lot since I managed to keep most of the beast intact." He talked. He put on his set of holsters all over his body and tightening all of the straps. He then began arming himself.

He grabbed a pair of pistols from the counter and spun them around his fingers. He later holstered them and eyed the rest of the arsenal.

Rarity began to inspect the racks, and noticed that each rack was labeled according to the model they had. One specific rack caught her eye, the one labeled: Vulcan-Pattern Mark VI Mana Rifle.

What interested her was not the design of the guns, but the fact that there were four gunmetal rifles and one black rifle. She carefully grabbed the odd one and examined it. She was stunned by the beauty, the gold and silver linings showed the weapon must have been made by expert craftsmen. The lines weren't painted on, they were seamlessly integrated with the entire rifle.

She had never seen jewelry that could match this degree of perfection. And coming from someone who had people show her the finest pieces from all over Equestria.

"That was an early birthday gift from the Legion. They must have thought that I needed superior firepower." The fashionista quickly turned around to see the blond standing right behind her, his hands holding a black, short weapon in his hands.

She was startled. "Really? And how far is your birthday?"

"It's eleven days away, ninth of June. If you must know." He said grimly as he concealed his gun.

"Must you always walk around armed?"

"Yes, yes I must. A plumber is nothing without a plunger, a seamstress is nothing without a needle and a commissioner is nothing without a gun."

"You do raise a valid point, maybe we should just leave." Said Rarity as she left the black gun back in its place and walking it of the room.

"Yeah, we should do that." He responded as he walked out the basement.

Chapter 2

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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.

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

"Well that's great news! Now I think we should go someplace else, what do you propose Shield?"

Shield Heart looked surprised, his face holding his chocolate as if it were a cigarette. "I think we should go with miss Rarity. I feel out of place in this outfit and maybe a change of clothes would be welcoming sight for the people." He said as he walked out the door.

"That may be the best idea you've had in a while." Said Cadence as she exited the hospital.

Shield started his ATV again and drove. He was grateful for the silence behind him, as it helped him focus on the people around him.

To his surprise it was already noon, time really seemed to fly by in this place. They passed through Sugarcube Corner, the delicious smell of pastries filled their nostrils. And then the Commissioner's stomach began to growl.

"Would you mind if we stopped to have a quick bite first?" He asked his passengers as he slowed down.

"Sure, I suggest we go to Bluegrass Delites." Responded Twilight as she pointed out a restaurant near the town hall.

"Sounds like a plan." He said as he pulled over and killed the motor.

As with all buildings in this town, the inside was very quaint and simple. Every square meter seemed to be alive without any sort of technology, and being there really felt like being in an actual restaurant in the outskirts of Prance.

He scanned the inside and there was something, or better said someone, that attracted his attention.

At the very end a woman with light pink hair and white clothing sat eating lunch with a man who was probably in his fifties. The man had black hair with several grey hairs peppering his head and a brown suit.

He knew they looked familiar, but dared not speak with them. Instead he followed his group to a table next to the terrace.

"Welcome to Bluegrass Delites, the Gourmet restaurant of Ponyville." Said the waiter as he handed each of them a menu.

The Commissioner began reading the prices, curious if they inflated the costs just because this was a place with a fancy name.

And if they did so, he really couldn't tell. In Vanhoover he would spend the same amount on a bacon cheeseburger, extra fries and a Sparkle Cola Zero in Rocket Power.

He ordered a simple turkey ham panini. Cadence and Twilight both ordered a portobello salad, something vegetarians love ordering.

Minutes passed as he sat in silence and the women made small talk. It was mostly about trivial stuff like cribs and romance and something about Princess Celestia choosing Shining as the head of the ERG.

He had to chuckle in his mind at that idea. There was little chance that Iron Hide would resign any time soon. But he was the best candidate, after all if you're already in charge of the princesses' security you might take control of all the security on the country.

And so they ate in relative peace, undisturbed until the time for dessert came.

"Is that Shield Heart? Commissioner of Vanhoover and Brigadier of the Steel Legion?" Said a female voice behind him.

He turned around and saw the pink-haired woman in front of him. He knew he had seen her before but couldn't quite pin down her name.

"Of course he is Fleur, but I must ask what this man is doing here." Said the raven and white haired man.

Shield immediately rose from his seat. "Mr. Free Will! What a surprise to see you here with Miss Fleur Dis Lee."

"She's with me because Fancy Pants sent her as an ambassador. They're planning on expanding their clothing lines and want Rain Industries to help them with the distribution. But the real question is, why are you here?" Answered the man in the brown suit.

"That's kind of complicated." Shield started.

"He's actually the new commissioner of Ponyville." Intervened Twilight as she rose from her seat.

"Now is that right? I heard the rumors but dismissed them, now I can sleep better knowing that you are here." The man said as he turned to face the librarian and shook her hand gently, his head appeared to be searching for her name. "You're Miss Twilight Sparkle if my memory serves me right." He finally answered.

"Your memory does serve you well sir." She replied.

"You still haven't answered me sir. I thought you were out touring the world?" Intervened Shield.

"No my boy. Rain Industries is still not ready to brave the world, we still have to deal with a few bureaucratic dilemmas." Answered the elder. "Nothing to worry about, I assure you. Ive actually retired here, much more peaceful than Hollow Shades.."

"Really? I never thought an active man such as yourself would decide on a peaceful hamlet such as this." Responded the blond. "I bet good money you had moved to Manehattan."

"No my boy, Manehattan is the last place I want to live in right now." Chuckled Free Will.

Then a catchy song interrupted the conversation, the rhythmic chip-tune song emitted from one of them.

It was Shield. He pulled out a cellphone from inside his coat and answered. "This is Brigadier Shield Heart speaking." He then exited the restaurant, leaving Cadence and Twilight behind. "Fine Ex-Brigadier, you win Fire."

"I believe I must ask you to answer me some odd questions." Said Free Will as he neared the librarian.

"I hope I can answer them." She responded. Both him and Fleur sat down at their table.

"I want to know who was the idiot that thought about this idea." He said sternly as he glared at Twilight.

"Excuse me?"

"Shield Heart has several problems, and keeping him in a town where nothing ever happens is downright dangerous!"

"Are you saying Princess Celestia is an idiot?" Shot back Twilight.

"It was her?" He answered perplexed. "She has got to be out of her mind! I clearly told her that Shield was not to be removed from Vanhoover!" The man began cursing in a hushed voice.

"I'm sorry, but what's the problem with putting Shield here? This town is a great environment for him to unwind and relax." Intervened Cadence.

"Your highness, it is clear to me that you do not know who Shield Heart is. If you did you would perfectly understand why it his mere presence is a terrible risk for this town and himself." He shot back.

"Excuse me? I grew up with this man. I know that he's had a rough time and I'm confident in Princess Celestia's plan to restore him back to how he was before." Replied the Princess of Love confidently.

"Have you worked with him for the past seven years?" He glared.

"No, I've only seen him occasionally in Canterlot. But even though he has changed I know that there's still a chance we can help him out of whatever is happening with him."

"I can now see you are too naive to understand him. But I cannot speak more, Fire Storm cannot get a lot of conversation out of Shield. If you want any more information you will have to come and find me, for now I will need to leave. If he finds out about our little chat he'll be very displeased." The man stood up and started walking out.

"And one last tip. You might want to send him hunting before he gets any worst." He said grimly as he walked away.

It took Fleur a complete second to realize her companion was no longer next to her. And after recovering from her brief shock, she took off.

"Do you know what he meant by 'get worst'?" Asked a confused Twilight.

"I really don't know, but: Who does that man think he is, calling me naive and saying I don't know Shield?" Snapped Cadence.

"I really don't know. Maybe we should ask Shield, at least he can explain anything that man said."

And at that moment Shield retook his seat, his face showing disappointment.

"Some people just can't do the most basic things." He said as he covered his face with his right hand. Twilight glimpsed once more a halo in his iris.

"I told them specifically that the eight kilo black diamond we got from that dragon was specifically to be used only on the AS, and what's the first thing the do when I'm gone? They cut it up and use it on JAWs! Idiots! Don't they know that power armor is top priority in the use of rare, self-regenerating gems?" With a grunt he then shut up and called for a waiter.

A couple of seconds passed by and a petite waitress came by. "What can I get for you sir?" She asked with a cheery smile.

"Do you happen to have hazelnut cream crepes?" He asked in a disillusioned voice.

"Of course sir!" She replied. "Would you like me to bring you an order?"

"Please do so, and if you happen to have some Canterlonian fire whiskey I'll have that too. Any of you want anything?" He asked his companions. They both shook their heads. "On second thought, could you bring me a glass of Sparrow Rum and a Sparkle Cola?"

"Of course sir! So it'll be an order of hazelnut crepes, a glass of rum and a sparkle cola?"

"That's correct."

And so the waitress skipped away.

"Don't you think it's a little early to start drinking?" Asked Cadence.

"What?" He asked with an alien look on his face. "It's never late to drink! Anyways, I need to relax after hearing what they've been doing with all the loot I gave them."

"What kind of loot are we talking about?" She asked.

The order came, and as soon as the drinks were placed Shield placed half of the rum on his soda.

He took a drink.

"It was a couple of weeks ago, a category 3 green dragon nested itself near Vanhoover. So my friends and I went in, and after some failed negotiations we were forced to slay it. From his carcass, which I'm currently wearing by the way, we found out his lungs were full of miasma. This caused its aggressiveness and blocked out any sense of diplomacy. And his lair was filled to the brim with treasures, one of which was the biggest black diamond I had ever seen."

"So you kept everything? Shouldn't you have left it alone or..." Asked Twilight.

"Of course not! That black diamond alone is worth millions of bits, and is crucial to the development of better armor for my soldiers."

"What's so special about that diamond?"

"Aside from weighing eight kilos? Everything. Diamonds are the best gem to use whenever power is involved. We use them to power half of the airships in all of Equestria and most of our heavy weaponry needs diamonds as mana cores. Otherwise there won't be enough juice to power up even the basic systems."

"I didn't know gems had such an important use in the army. I thought they were mostly used for fashion purposes."

"Were is the key word." He pointed out. "Ever since we learned that gems make better bullets than the real thing we started buying mines."

"So who was that man? You seemed to know him very well."

"Mr. Free Will? Of course I know him well. He used to be the governor of Vanhoover. He retired last year when he lost the elections and then decided to begin his own company: Rain Industries. I used to work with him back in the old days. He had some pretty messed up ideals regarding safety of the people, but he was strict in a city that needed a firm hand."

"Still not clear how you know him."

Shield grunted. "I used to work for him while I was in a special SWAT division called Special Tasks Group. It was basically a group of unofficial Commissioners doing stuff too dangerous for cops and too small for the army."

"Unofficial Commissioners?"

"Better known as Auxiliaries. It's because there's a stupid law that says that there can only be one Commissioner per major city so my friends and I formed our special group. It's approved by the COD, so this isn't illegal. They actually liked the idea of a larger team of expert soldiers, but there wasn't enough major towns to justify the introduction of new recruits."

"What's the reason behind it?"

"A commissioner costs twenty thousand bits a month, so it's not exactly cheap. And since the city must provide for their every need you can imagine why it's a hassle to hire one agent."

"I imagine they still get paid for their regular jobs."

"Nobody works for free Twilight Sparkle."

"I do."

He slapped his face and sighed. "Of course you do."

He then asked for the check, afterwards they left the restaurant and headed for Rarity's shop.

He couldn't choose an outfit, since she commanded that they finished refurbishing his home before doing anything else.

And so the day ended with boring visits to various home-related shops. And half the time he wasn't even conscious, he prefer to dream about fighting dragons or something like that. It was definitely better than paying attention to three women bicker about paint and Feng Shui.

At the end of the day the blond thanked that he was finally home, for that meant that he could rest and start making plans for tomorrow.

Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

The next morning Shield Heart woke up feeling extremely groggy. His brain seemed to have refused to wake up, and the world around him seemed to blur. Every bit of his body demanded meat, he couldn't even think straight unless there was meat involved.

With staggering steps he managed to strap his brace on and went down the stairs and into the kitchen. He chewed on ten strips of cold, raw bacon as soon as he got his hands on them. He dashed to the pantry and grabbed an egg. With a swift press he punctured the object and drank.

But it wasn't enough, his hunger still remained. So he finished off the dozen.

"This can't be right, it's too soon!" He murmured to himself. Then he had a weird notion to grab his rifle and hunt. He didn't care what or why, but his brain demanded that he hunt.

Without wasting another moment, he took a quick shower and armed himself. He grabbed his pistols, one falchion, his hunting rifle, the Feline SMG, his bracers and Riot. He decided to use his holsters above his coat, no one was going to see him anyways. And he wouldn't risk a wardrobe malfunction. Too embarrassing.

He wished they had sent him a shotgun, but he was going to have to make do with what he had.

He was glad Twilight had found his crimson coat, which apparently was underneath her couch, for it now meant he could go incognito.

As he went out the door he saw a piece of paper with his name and a short note.

Shield, gone for the rest of the day.
I'll be with Rarity.
Take care.

He could tell it was Cadence's handwriting, so he thought of how to tell her she wouldn't be seeing him.

He scribbled down a note and stuck it on her door with the first kitchen knife he could find. He prepared a small lunch, in case he got hungry, and left for the forest.

Everyone in this town said this Everfree Forest was home to several dangers, but he dismissed their claims. After all, this was a town that was way behind on national news.

It took him three hours to realize they weren't joking. As he stared into the distance from a tree branch amidst the murky forest he saw a manticore licking its paw. The tail stinger was limp and the wings tucked tightly.

Glowing with glee he quietly took aim at the beast. The scope was aligning itself, pointing towards the neck, when he heard muffled footsteps in the distance to his left. He wasn't the only one, as his prey was also alerted to the sound. The beast took a whiff and started sneaking away, walking gently and not making a sound.

Shield followed it as quietly as possible, jumping from branch to branch as quietly as possible, so to avoid being detected.

The footsteps seemed to belong to a bipedal creature, probably sixty kilos in weight. He guessed it must be a person, so he decided to quicken his pace.

He finally came across a straight road, and as he looked through his scope he saw a young woman with sapphire hair with a pink and purple streaks in the center. Her simple outfit consisted of a light blue blouse and a mulberry skirt. She looked around her, as if she had heard someone.

Her hands were holding a burlap bag, but he couldn't see the contents.

"Now what is the librarian doing here all alone?" He wondered to himself.

But then he remembered his previous objective. "Oh shit!"

He gained some height and started moving toward Twilight. If he could time everything right he might be able to score a clean brain shot.

But it seemed that the beast had changed its location, and wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Before anyone could react the beast pounced on the librarian, its claws ready to tear her apart.

.oOo.

Twilight was on her way back from Zecora's, the herbalist had given her some new leaves for her tea and she was eager to taste them.

Most people would have said that it was suicidal to walk the Everfree path alone, but she was more than ready for anything that came toward her.

She had an odd sensation that she was being watched as she walked along the dirt, both from the trees and from the bushes to her right. She dismissed the claims, it was just the nerves.

After some rustling a manticore burst through the bushes, claws drawn and tail ready.

She quickly reacted by withdrawing her wand and sending a bolt of magic toward the beast. This sent it flying backwards, to where it came from. But as the creature fell back she heard a loud bang from the trees, and glimpsed a crimson bullet as it buried itself in one of the paws.

The monster was roaring and ready to strike once more.

But Twilight wasn't, she was too busy looking at the trees trying to see who opened fire.

The manticore charged once more but was stopped by another shot, this time it went to its tail.

With a roar it began its charge once more, gaping its jaw wide. Twilight had prepared her wand and released another bolt.

It grazed the tan fur, doing no sort of damage. The beast pinned her to the ground, lightly scarring her left shoulder.

The beast prepared to take a bite, but turned around when a thunderous roar assaulted its right flank. With a second of respite, Twilight quickly turned around and looked at her savior.

Shield Heart was standing there, guns hissing, not doing anything else. "Hey there." He said smugly.

He holstered his pistols and withdrew a sword from his left side.

"Come and get me pussycat!" He yelled as he took his stance.

But the monster wasn't interested on him at the moment, it already had a meal ready and served. Twilight turned to see the monster, but closed her eyes as it spat out saliva into her eyes.

Another rampage of bullets struck it, but this time they actually penetrated the fur, making each hole ooze out blood

"That's right motherfucker, you know you want a piece of me! I got real meat, not like that bookworm you caught!" He insulted it as he prepared his sword once more. "C'mon!" He cried as he banged his chest with his fist.

And without needing any more motivation the manticore stung Twilight in her left breast and proceeded to do battle with this nuisance.

The blond immediately took the lead, blinking forward and burying his sword on the right shoulder. He jumped backwards as a claw tried to cut him, and left his sword embedded as it dripped blood.

Unluckily for the beast, the steel was too close for removal, and the sword had cut through at least some tendons. So it was crippled, but it wasn't going to give up.

It limped back into position and charged again, using its wings to propel itself. This time it prepared its stinger. It managed to knock Shield off balance, and using that advantage it moved for the sting with haste.

It was quick, but Shield was even faster. By the time the tail was rushing down, the commissioner already had recovered and had withdrawn Riot, and sidestepped out of the way. The sharp tail missed its target and buried itself against a rock.

Taking advantage of this Shield quickly prepared the sword and decapitated the poisonous head. The manticore cried in pain as blood and venom squirted out of the stump.

"Booyah!" He roared with glee.

Wasting no time, the soldier quickly mounted the beast and drove his sword into its neck. But it wasn't enough, he left it there and took out his pistols.

"Ye-haw bitch! I'm gonna have the coolest urinal when I get a hold of your skull!"

He stuck them to its brain and unleashed a fury of crimson as the bullets burned through the head.

"That's right pussycat, you got owned!" He laughed.

And so Shield had his first kill in Ponyville. He retrieved his weapons and cut a fang as a souvenir. He was going to start off a new necklace in here.

A low moan forced him to look back and notice Twilight was lying on the ground.

"Crap." He murmured as he rushed to her side. He quickly pressed his hand on her jugular. It still had a pulse, barely.

He took out a shot of Med-X and injected the short needle in her neck, hoping the solution would slow down the poison.

"Twilight, if you can hear me try to calm down. I'll patch you up pronto." He said to her as he drew a rune on her forehead with his finger. It wasn't going to defeat the poison, but at this point he wanted time.

He grabbed her, placed her on his shoulder and ran as fast as he could. He could see his house on the horizon, so he stepped it up.

He barged into the backyard and blasted the door open, he didn't have time to look for his keys. As he went to the living room he saw both Cadence and Rarity, their filled with sudden fear.

"Stop staring and help me!" He cried as he set the librarian on the brand new couch.

"What happened?" Asked the seamstress as she approached her friend.

"Manticore sting."

"Then what are we doing here? We should take her to the hospital!" Cried Cadence.

"No, there's no time, my countermeasure won't last long." He said as he looked around. "Where's the box labeled: Apothecary?"

"I put it on the study." Replied Rarity.

"Thanks!" He said as he rushed off to said room. He started searching through the various boxes, looking at the labels and praying it was the next one.

He found it after a few seconds later. He grabbed it and rushed back.

He started pulling out several books and containers, occasionally reading a label.

The librarian moaned once more, her eyes barely opening up.

"That's it!" Protested Cadence. "I'm taking her to the hospital now!"

But Shield refuted as he lifted a book from the box. "No need! Hold this for me please?" He asked Rarity as he handed her the textbook: Medical Remedies for Magical Injuries, Apothecary Edition.

"Please search for manticore in the index and tell me the ingredients listed on cure." He commanded as he started taking out flasks, containers and other things and laid them on the brand new mahogany coffee table. Thankfully it was still wrapped with plastic.

Cadence pulled out her cellphone and called for an ambulance.

"They'll be too late, you shouldn't have bothered. Mis Rarity, the ingredients please!"

"Let's see." Murmured Rarity. "You need: three tablespoons of kingsfoil, two cups of olive oil, two tablespoons of plantain leaf, and a quarter cup of beeswax pastilles."

As she spoke each ingredient the soldier was busily placing it on the table. As soon as he had everything on the table he started the mixing process, then he used his hands to heat it. And after three agonizingly slow minutes the salve was ready.

With a rush he placed his hand on her throat. Convinced that she was still alive he checked her forehead. It was starting to boil. "Good, she's entering into a coma."

"How can that be good?"

"With the fever she's got it's better if her strength focuses on the poison."

He quickly pulled down both her shirt and bra to reveal the sting area. It was somewhat swollen, but mostly just red.

"Could one of you go for my box and look for a jar labeled: Dis-Agi?" He asked as he rubbed the healing salve on the librarian's wound.

Cadence was the one to hand it over to him. "What's this for?"

"Aloe Vera ointment. This thing is about a hundred degrees Celsius, so it will leave a mark." He said as he placed the jar next to her. He proceeded to carefully rub the salve. The medicine burned his fingers, but he didn't have the time to be more careful.

He placed half the product on her wound and proceeded to rub his hands with the Aloe Vera. The remaining salve was placed on the box.

After some minutes of silence Shield stood up and started walking away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be going. There's a box of sensory ward totems that need placing." He said coldly.

"You're not staying?" Asked the married woman with a puzzled look.

"No. I just said that I need to go place sensory ward totems. I never expected that forest to house manticores, heavens forbid what other rahi lurk in that hellish place."

"I'm sorry, what is rahi?" Intervened Rarity.

"Legion slang for small monsters." He said as me left the house without letting anyone tell him otherwise.

The sun was starting to set, probably meaning it was four o'clock or later.

He placed the small wooden totems around the path and on the borders. Each totem was at least a hundred meters apart, and so it took him a good part of the rest of the day to finish the task. But they were ready and fully operational. If anything got into range he would receive a notification on his phone. He was always impressed with the stuff his R&D department came up with when it came to magitech gadgets.

Returning home gave him the surprise that his backyard sliding door was fixed. Not only that, but the rooms had received a fresh coat of white paint, making it look far better than before. Also his new furniture was free of wrapping and looked great.

"It appears you've been busy." Said Twilight from the balcony above.

"I hope you're feeling well." He said as went for the basement. "What are you doing here?"

"Cadence went out with Rarity. I think they wanted to get you a new bed."

"Good, that haystack is not what I could call: cutting edge tech. Did you go with a doctor?"

"Yeah, I woke up in the ambulance. To the paramedics' surprise the poison was dead by the time they started doing any analysis. Where did you learn to make manticore antidotes?"

"I learned that in the Legion. We learned from experience that it's never good to rely heavily on the team medic. All it takes to leave you medic-less is an arrow to the heart."

"Is he alright?" She asked with concern.

"What?" He answered confused. And after a moment he understood. "Oh! Of course he's fine. The man got married, hence the reference. After him we had a hard time finding a suitable replacement. But we eventually did find someone, a bit crazy and unethical though." He sighed.

"Anyway, I need to get to my basement and get some shut-eye." He quietly said as he took his leave.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked with eyes wide open

And looking deep into her eyes, those amethyst jewels, he really couldn't say no. There was something in his mind that forced him to say yes, an old memory that insisted that he trust her.

"Don't see why not." He sighed.

Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

Shield was at the basement door with Twilight, why she wanted to follow him was a mystery.

As soon as he registered his hand and eye to the door he entered and started taking off all of his tools.

And while he placed everything on a mannequin the librarian was busy grabbing each and every single gun in the room.

Her routine seemed to grab a gun, weight it, aim down the sights and return it. And considering that each rack had five identical assault rifles, it soon got irritating.

"What do you expect to accomplish by grabbing my rifles and not shooting them?" He finally snapped.

With a surprised look she put a blue-grey bullpup Hermes-Pattern Mark III assault rifle. "Sorry, I was just intrigued by the designs. I personally liked these, it certainly was much smaller than the others, and far lighter than the rest. Why do you have so many?"

"It's called an armory for a reason." He shot back coldly, then beating himself with a nearby newspaper, and said apologetically. "No! Bad Sam! We do not use sarcasm against innocent young women!"

"Sam who?" She asked confused.

"Im sorry about that. Sam is a figment of my imagination, whenever a sarcastic comment slips my radar I blame it on him. I know it's childish but I love having imaginary friends to blame for the stuff I say." He replied as he put his harness on Buster.

"Maybe you shouldn't keep imaginary people in your brain, I'm sure it will affect you somehow." She kindly retorted.

"I know, but sometimes it's easier to blame something else when it's meaningless. Like right now." He sighed. "I don't suppose you would could tell me of a way to make it up for this?"

"I would really appreciate it if you taught me how to teach me how to use these rifles and maybe more about the history of the Commissioners." She said with a smile.

He grabbed his white pistol, cocked it and fired on one of the mannequins. The bolt emerged with a loud roar, and upon hitting the target it animated the dummy and forced it to walk into the range.

He set her in front of the fence and headed for the Hermes guns. He grabbed one with his left hand. "Catch." He ordered as he tossed her the rifle.

She fumbled the rifle and dropped it. As soon as the gun hit the floor it fired an electric blue bolt. The bolt ricocheted across the room and aimed at Shield. With his reflexes he managed to sidestep, but the bullet singed the hair behind his left ear.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she rushed over to him. "Are you alright?"

It took a second after the librarian rushed over for the commissioner to actually notice what had just happened. "Oh shit!" He started patting his head in an effort to stop an imaginary fire. "How bad is it?" He asked after confirming he was not on fire.

Twilight couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"What's so funny about setting my hair on fire?" He asked as he recovered.

"Sorry, it's just I can't believe that you got so worked up about that. It's hard to believe that the same man who called a manticore a pussycat got so scared by a single bullet." She said.

The blond immediately looked at her. "You actually heard that? How much did you hear?" He asked with a terrified look.

She turned away and said coyly. "Not much really, although I thought I heard something about using its skull as a urinal." She then laughed for a bit.

"Yeah, I guess I can get carried away whenever I'm fighting." He meekly replied as he scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, grab that rifle and we can get started."

Twilight did as she was told, but found it hard to maintain. Both of her hands were focused on the grip, making balance nearly impossible.

"No, no, no, no, no no." He stuttered as he neared her. "You don't hold a rifle the same way you hold a pistol."

He quickly grabbed her left hand and moved it to the smooth grip under the barrel.

"This is the ideal position. Right hand on the trigger and left supporting the light part. The best thing of a bullpup it this." He explained as he pointed at the butt of the rifle, which was pressed to her right shoulder. "Most of the designs make the firing chamber start in between your hands, but the bullpup has the chamfering matrix right in the shoulder rather than in between the hands, which actually allows for larger mana cores. Second, the barrel is actually of the same length as your standard gun so you have the same range with better maneuverability. Now fire."

And she pulled the trigger. The red bullet erupted from the barrel and struck the dummy in the right shoulder.

"Really? I just thought it was cosmetic design." Replied Twilight as she studied the weapon.

"Girl, the army rarely does things just for cosmetic purposes. For example." He went and grabbed the black rifle with silver lining. "These silver lines are not just to show my rank, but actually function as an accelerator for the mana bullet. With the lines the bullet can acquire more momentum than the usual." He said as his index finger trailed from the receiving chamber all the way to the tip of the barrel.

"Now, the gold on the grip and stock has the sole purpose of absorbing the recoil on this thing. Which by the way is absurd when you decide to shoot an Alpha Strike." He exclaimed as he aimed down the sights.

"Alpha Strike?" Asked the librarian.

"Yeah, it's when you concentrate on firing more magic per shot than usual. Remember when you fired that pistol eight days ago?" He said as he grabbed her gun and put it away.

"Yeah." Sighed Twilight. "It was totally unexpected."

"That's because you focused all of your mind on firing. With that you could probably pierce a dragon's chest in two shots. The big downside is that you will probably have melted down the rifling and also you'll have overheated the weapon." He presented his rifle to her.

"So in exchange for extreme vulnerability you can fire a a very powerful shot? Interesting last-resort you have." She contemplated as she was handed the rifle. The weight was greater than the Hermes, but she could still carry it even of barely. "And am I correct in assuming that only mages have this power?"

"That is correct, you need to provide the magic from your own pool." He stated calmly as he sat there, motionless.

"What's with the weird look?" She asked with an uncomfortable stare.

"I'm just waiting for you to fire. I didn't hand you a ten-thousand bit rifle just so you could hold it in your pretty hands." He scoffed. "I want to see how you fare on your own. I'm waiting."

"But you haven't shown me proper techniques with this rifle, you have yet to tell me how to avoid bruising my arm, or how to align my sights correctly or..." She started, but was cut off by Shield's raising hand.

"Look, I know you've studied magic through your books. I know that you're a bookworm. But you won't beat Star Swirl if you just read what other people did in the past." He scowled as he grabbed a black rifle from a different rack. This was severely shorter than the one she was holding, and it looked like it was made of plastic rather than metal.

"This is Manny, he's a special Bushmaster Mark IV Mana Assault Carbine that I use during most operations in Vanhoover. Coincidentally it is the standard issue weapon with the Manehattan Marines. Now, I know from experience that Manny has a special pad in the fore-end of the barrel which allows me to enchant bullets more easily. Like so." He grabbed it with both hands and aimed down range.

His left hand began glowing lightly, and with his other hand on the trigger he fired three bolts of fire straight at the target. Upon impact the dummy caught fire.

"How many enchantments are possible with that gun?" She asked.

"There's no limit. So long as you can imagine it you can shoot it." Responded Shield as he opened the chamber and a faint hiss passed.

"That beautiful sound you just heard is the sound of a mana core cooling down." He sighed as he settled his carbine and grabbed his Stallions.

Twilight was giggling as she held her rifle.

"What's so funny?" He asked as he twirled the pistols in his hands.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't help but think: Manny? You really named a gun Manny?" She grinned.

"Well, yeah. I always name my guns whenever they do a good deed. For example, Manny helped save a platoon of legionnaires who were stranded in a cave surrounded by white goblins." He aimed both pistols at the target. "And I think these have earned their name." He pressed both triggers, but instead of the usual crimson bolts, a ball of snow erupted from the white gun and a ball of ash erupted from the black one.

"I shall dub these, Snow and Ash. Kinda original, don't you think?" He smirked as he spun them in his hands.

"So your guns have to earn their names?" She asked skeptically.

"It's a family tradition."

"Your family names their weapons?" She questioned.

"Nah, I meant that earning your name is part of my family." He replied as he unleashed a barrage of crimson. "I'm the only maniac in Vanhoover to name my arsenal."

"So going back to Manny, what was that about it being standard issue only in Manehattan?"

"Oh, you don't know? How much of the Equestrian Armed Forces do you know about?"

"I really didn't focus a lot in that area, I preferred to learn more about spells and the history of magic. Something that has had little to do with the army." She answered calmly.

"Except for the Magitech Revolution that started a hundred years ago." Shot Shield with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"The Magitech Revolution pioneered by military engineer Grease Monkey. Not only did this provoke the rise of the mechanized industry but also caused the Division of the Army and the birth of the Royal Air Fleet." He replied. "Didn't you read anything besides The Great Magic Compendiums?"

"Of course I did! I read all five tomes of Magic History, the Grimoire of Mana and a whole library wing worth of Equestrian History! And I finally figured out what you're talking about! You're referring to the Great Industrial Revolution, the period in which Cogsworth introduces machines to our country and became the father of modern industries."

"Correct! You really do know about history, maybe you just need some help in the violent areas. Now take a shot and I'll start talking." He ordered before folding his arms and sitting on a case.

"Why are you so eager about this?" She asked as she focused her energy and pulled the trigger.

Unexpectedly, the rifle rocketed back and threw the librarian off her feet and making her land in the hard tiles. She nursed her backside as she stood up. "What was that?"

Shield was laughing and clapping, almost starting to imitate a sea lion as he started to run out of breath.

She dropped the hissing rifle on the ground and proceeded to slap the commissioner in the face. "What's so funny?"

He managed to regain his air and started explaining. "Sorry, I just found it hilarious when you did that Alpha Strike." Shield walked over to the remains of the target, where only the knees, shins and feet survived on the site.

The rest of the mannequin had been pushed out like building blocks. "Had this been an unlucky dude we probably would have had to use a vacuum to clean his remains." He stated as he grabbed his pistol from his back and started shooting each body part.

With a crimson haze the limbs hovered lazily back to their original position.

"Why don't you use a wand instead of your gun?" Asked the Mage with purple hair as she touched the gun. It was searing hot, almost to the point that she was confident she could fry an egg with the intense heat it was expelling

"That's because my wand is probably somewhere in Vanhoover. They didn't actually bring it, and I've actually gotten used to this whole do it with your hands thing. And anyways, I think it's cooler to cast spells by shooting them from a lethal weapon rather than from an overly glorified piece of wood." He said as he twirled his gun and holstered it on his back.

Twilight decided not to follow it, he seemed to have an air of exhaustion and it would be best to let him be.

Shield grabbed the rifle by the handle and after checking the temperature, he set it back on the rack with its cousins.

"You know what, I'm tired, and I think I should get some shut-eye. Why don't you come by tomorrow for any interviews you might want."

"You promise?" She asked tentatively. "You told me about a week ago you were ready for it."

"I'm sure, I was ready today but because of the incident I got drained of all ." He said through a weak smile.

Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

It had been yesterday that Twilight had gone to Shield Heart's firing range and performed that Alpha Strike in her first try. An event that robbed him of his sleep, which really wasn't supposed to be much of a compliment; that straw mattress had been robbing him of any sleep anyways. But in this case it was a compliment. The cause for the insomnia wasn't the fact a civilian accidentally casted it.

That much had to be obvious, she was a Mage and a very powerful one at that. No, his shock came from the damage done by it.

The bolt was so powerful that it actually dented the tiles behind the target. It was a big deal because these were military-grade ceramic tiles commonly used in praetorian armor, the really heavy armor. And seeing them dented by an accidental shot was concerning. If she could unleash this much damage accidentally, he feared what would happen if he angered her.

Shield thought about her technique, and noticed that she just concentrated for two seconds. Such power should have been beyond a mere mortal, because if they did use that amount of magic in one shot the would at least have been knocked unconscious. Yet the librarian had defied his logic and walked out not even feeling winded.

He was back in his basement the next morning rearming himself. The totems had fired a proximity alarm early in the morning, a creature approximately 40 centimeters in height and two meters long. The beast was still around the totem, but because it got near to the dirt path he decided to investigate. He encountered Cadence, who was talking to Shining Armor on her cellphone.

From what he heard they were discussing something about buying a home. Where, he couldn't tell, but they sounded somewhat serious.

He decided to quickly write another note, indicating the disturbance. He felt like they had started to develop a passive-aggressive relationship. Barely communicating and the messages were limited to notes. He considered he might want to start some sort of bonding exercise, but in that moment he had to prepare for a hunting expedition.

Because of yesterday, he decided to bring: Riot, Manny, the falchion, Snow, Ash and the hunting rifle. Once he was satisfied with his tools he quickly packed a sandwich, a canteen of lemon tea, some potato chips and a Giggles chocolate candy bar.

As before, the forest had a murky feeling, but his arsenal helped give him the confidence to continue without worry. As he approached the totem he unholstered his hunting rifle and aimed. The disturbance was somewhat uncomfortable, it was a cockatrice. The chicken-headed snake was slithering lazily, unconcerned with the steel barrel sticking from above.

With a deep breath, Shield pulled the trigger. A crack and a flash later and the beast was dead. A large hole removed its brain and it fell lifeless into the soft grass. He studied the corpse and upon seeing that it was fit for dissection he took it home.

Cockatrices were valuable for their scales and feathers, not to mention their eyes, which could be used for a variety of potions and poisons. He returned home and put the monster in his basement, where he would later harvest the body. Maybe he should ask Fire to send him a freezer.

The next few hours were spent on tracking the nest, he hoped to gather more animals and most importantly: find cockatrice eggs.

.oOo.

During the late morning Twilight Sparkle was busy buying groceries at the market. As she passed through the various locals re-stocking their pantries when she recognized a raven-haired man with grey streaks. She approached him as her brain gave his name: Free Will.

He turned around and smiled, his hands holding several bags of food.

"Miss Twilight Sparkle! What a pleasure to see you here." He said happily as he shuffled his bags to extend a welcoming hand.

Twilight met his hand. After some shaking his hand she went for the lettuce stand.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your day but I wished to ask you some questions concerning a rumor I hear from the hospital." He asked with a kind voice.

"Of course! What's this rumor you heard?" Asked the Royal Student with a concerned look.

"I believe this is a conversation best had behind closed doors." He said grimly. "Most of what I hear is sensitive material and if heard by the wrong people it could cause fear."

She was worried he might have heard of the manticore incident, but couldn't find a good reason to be concerned. "If you could allow me to take my groceries home I could accompany you and discuss."

"I have no problem, I can wait here if you wish. Or if you don't mind, I can accompany you. Do you know where Shield is by any chance?"

"Um..." She mumbled. "I think he had to check out some problem with a ward totem he placed in the Everfree Forest."

A sigh of relief came from the man. "Good, that means he finally has found something to keep it under control."

"I'm sorry, keep what under control?" She asked with a perplexed look.

"This is partly why I want to have this conversation in private. Now please, I plead that you hurry. I fear he may come when least expected, and we have no alibi as to why you are here. If he sees us he'll suspect immediately and will begin to distrust people. And that is the last thing needs right now."

"Then please let me finish, I'll be back shortly." She said as she began her chores in a quicker pace.

After half an hour of shopping, Twilight returned home and placed everything in the pantry and refrigerator.

When she returned to the market she saw Mr. Will sitting in a bench, feeding the pigeons. "Oh, I'm glad you came. I feared that I scared you off." He said as he tossed away the last piece of bread. He lead the way through the thick crowd, constantly looking back and noticing his company was falling behind.

"I see you aren't accustomed to walking through large crowds." He chuckled.

"Not really." She said from behind a tall, muscular seraph with white wings blond hair and too few neurons in his head.

Another half an hour later they finally arrived to his home, a regular thatched house with wooden walls. The main difference was on the door. Rather than being also made of some wood it was made of metal, painted with gold and sported bas-reliefs of two angel with hands to the air and outstretched wings.

He turned the doorknob, and with a loud clank the door swung open.

"Don't you lock your home?" She asked.

"Of course I do! The mechanism is coded only to my handprint. Anyone else who attempts to enter my home will get a small shock." He stated proudly.

The inside had a similar design as the doors. A lot of the metal was painted in gold, the foyer had a floor made of marble and rosewood covered the furniture. He guided her to his study, where it had a thick carpet with a floral edge. The walls were thick and soft, but had a more medieval design to them. There were several images of Great Bridle Mythos decorating the wall, and she managed to notice a triskelion in the pattern.

"Are you fond of the old mythology?" She asked as she touched the wall and noticed the silence that followed.

"Yes, but more importantly: the walls are made to completely silence the room. I assure you, there will be no eavesdropping our conversation." He said as he uncapped a bottle of scotch. "I don't suppose I could interest you with some imported scotch?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't usually drink. Especially this early."

Free Will chuckled. "I can understand, you being the Princess's pride student and all, but it makes me uncomfortable to drink alone." and opened the small service fridge inside one of the lower cupboards. He pulled out a glass bottle of Sparkle Cola. "I hope I can interest you in a non-alcoholic alternative."

"I really don't feel like drinking anything besides regular water." She said firmly. She scanned the mantelpiece. There were several awards related to political science, government plans, best mayor of Vanhoover, amongst others.

The walls were covered in photographs and snips of newspaper. Most showed his doings as a mayor, one of the earliest had a peculiar headline: "Mayor Will declaring war on the River Dragons Triad. Says: "the parasites will leave the city one way or another."

"Mr. Will saved from early retirement by vigilante."
This definitely caught her attention, so she continued reading.

Entrepreneur Free Will was assaulted by at least ten thugs as he exited the Hall of Technology after giving his campaign speech last night. Said speech was considered controversial. In his speech he openly declared war on the philanthropist Snake Eyes, his rival, and on the River Dragons Triad which has been terrorizing Vanhoover for the last five years.

As he boarded his car the thugs attacked with solid projectile pistols, knives and brass knuckles. Two of his bodyguards were severely injured during the scuffle and one lost his life. But as the enemy ganged up on the candidate, a pistol went off in the distance. This pistol belonged to a man in a crimson cloak, military grade armor and a ballistic mask standing on top of a billboard.

In a flash, three thugs were killed, and seven faced this mysterious foe in hand-to-hand combat.

After two minutes of agonizing pain inflicted upon the triad's men, the problem ended. All the dregs were killed, most presenting sever blunt force trauma as the cause of death. But before the skilled rescuer could be rewarded he/she disappeared back into the darkness.

That was pretty much all of it, but it amazed Twilight.

"I see you read the whole snip." Said the man as he showed her a bottle of water. "You might as well know the start of my history with that man. I hope this will help refresh your day."

"Thank you sir. Now what is this rumor you heard about me?" She asked as she opened the bottle and took a sip. The drink was cool and refreshing, something that she needed to stave off the Ponyville heat.

He invited her to sit down in either the couch or the wooden chair in his desk. She chose the chair, it felt more personal.

"I know for a fact that you were taken to the hospital yesterday after being stung by a manticore in the forest." He stated. "And I also know that the paramedics failed to find any trace of poison. But they did find aloe vera smeared in your left breast, the place where you had been stung."

"How do you know this?"

"I need to visit the doctors every once in a while, and I've befriended everyone in the hospital. And when I went for my weekly check-up I overheard them talking about the incident. After some regular chit-chat I learned of the case.

"And it was only a simple deduction which made me believe that Shield Heart had to be in the forest to save you. After killing the monster he took you to his home where he created an antidote for you and called an ambulance." He said as he drank.

"You are correct in all matters except for one: he never called for an ambulance."

"He didn't? How odd, he must have considered it useless."

"That he did." Responded the librarian. "But I don't understand, if you already knew everything. Why did you need to see me?"

"Because my real question lies not with what happened to you, but what you saw. I want to know what you remember from the fight between Shield and the manticore." He said with concern.

"I really don't remember much. I remember that the manticore sprung out of the bushes, got shot in the front right paw, then got shot in the tail. It pinned me down, then Shield shot it with guns. After that the monster injected me and I lost conscious."

"Really? You don't remember anything out of the ordinary?" He pressed.

"No, I'm sorry. But why are you so interested in the fight? It didn't last long."

"That is why I am worried. From the first day I formally met him, I knew that Shield has a unique problem. One that I could exploit to actually accomplish what I promised." His face turned dark.

"What problem? And what do you mean by: accomplishing what you promised? Didn't you plan to do what the people elected you to do?"

"Of course not! The Triad had controlled over half of Vanhoover, just thinking of going against them was considered suicide. I know for a fact that the first attempt on my life was more of an elaborate mugging. The Bosses were never worried about me. It was by pure chance that I met Shield that I noticed that there were people willing to fight."

"So what is this problem you say he has."

"Did you notice two days ago how he acted? He kept looking around as if expecting trouble. And yesterday I'm sure you found traces of uncooked meat. How about the week he spent locked in his room? Did you notice he could have killed the manticore in one headshot?" He smirked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't remember much of the fight, but I'm sure he did the best."

He sighed. "I'm sure he could have done it quicker. But that is not the case."

"Why are you so confident that Shield delayed his battle? I'm sure any good soldier would make sure his battle was as short as possible and that no civilians were hurt."

"He didn't plan for you to be hurt, I'm sure of that." He opened a drawer and pulled a remote control. With the click of a button the air conditioner began rumbling. "But you must understand that our friend has a special condition. This makes him a superb soldier, but a horrible person at any other time."

"And what condition is that?"

"Shield Heart thrives in vanquishing evil. Every day he spent fighting crime he bagged at least one minor dealer. Every two months he brought one mayor player. After finally meeting Shield in person I convinced Two Face, our chief of police, to accept him into his ranks and give him a free rein. The following two years of war Vanhoover lost most of its crime lords, some fleeing but most ending up dead.

"But most importantly, he loves to make evil suffer. It's his greatest thrill. Whenever he was off fighting dealers, he would toy with his victims by letting them think they had a chance. Once he got bored he would then proceed to crack every single bone they had. The lucky ones died in the moment…" said the man with a somber tone.

"And the unlucky ones? What could be worst than death?" asked Twilight.

"The unlucky ones are in a vegetable state in the hospital, hoping that they will be unplugged."

"How can you say that? Those men deserve a chance to live!"

"You don't understand, they don't have any unbroken bones; their organs are punctured and if they do wake up they think they'll be executed for crimes against the state. And that is death by firing squad in public or crucifixion, or if Shield deemed it necessary both."

"That's barbaric! How in heavens did Celestia authorize such inhumane methods of punishment?" Exclaimed Twilight as she slammed her hands on her desk.

"She never did, I did. We don't use them anymore, but I hope you can understand the cesspool that was Vanhoover before our small war. Not even our old Commissioner was immune to the corruption. He stopped doing his job after he received immense paychecks from my opponent: Snake Eyes. It didn't take long for Shield to "relieve" him of duty. What he did was cruel even by his standards."

"Do I want to know?"

"Do you want to sleep well?"

"Then I'll take it back. By the way, do you know why he hates nobles so much? Cadence told me about the scandal he caused a while back during the Gala."

Mr. Will chuckled. "Oh yes, that. It kind of stems from his ideals. He thinks all nobles should work for the greater good, not just for themselves. I agree with him, and seeing him fight those pampered boys is as chuckle-worthy as ever."

"I don't think I get it."

"Unlike rogue commissioners or officials, who get tortured on sight, he treats nobles like children. Often insulting their intelligence in different and usually creative ways." There was an awkward silence as he finished his drink. "And I assume you still want my help reforming him."

"If you could help me that would be great. So far there has been little information regarding him."

"That's because he loves his privacy. He may act over-the-top most of the times, but he still has a private life." Free Will looked at the snip. "But in order to heal him you will have to get close to him. A task easier said than done, I'm afraid."

"Why is that?"

"He has a tendency of keeping away from civilians. Your only hope of bonding is to become an auxiliary, but that will never happen. Unless…" he trailed off.

"If what?"

"If you were to show your skill you might convince him to take you under his wing. This would mean you would have access to all of his missions and also his friendship. That coupled with survival training which couldn't hurt anyone."

And then there was a panicked knock on the door. The moment the man answered he was presented to a young Seraph with brown hair, a cream shirt and denim shorts. "Featherweight! What a surprise to see you here, what's the matter?"

"Sir, you need to get over to the bar immediately. Your friend somehow met with the biker gang and everyone's crying for blood." the boy managed to say between staggering breaths.

Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

At three o'clock Shield had finished clearing out the cockatrice nest, cleaned out the corpses for dissection and prepared a batch of Maiden's Kiss. After that he found himself bored and therefore wanting a drink.

And so he started his quest around town hoping to find a tavern or a dive or any type of business where a man could buy a drink. Most females he asked gave him a funny look and didn't answer while the others didnt answer; so when he found a tall, blond burly man in a red plaid shirt walked into town carrying what Shield could deduce as a metric ton of apples he felt relieved. "Excuse me good man, do you know where a human could get a drink in this town?"

"Eeyup." answered this man.

"Is there any hope that you could point me in the right direction?" asked Shield with a deadpan tone.

The farmer raised his hand and pointed at a thatched building with the most hilarious sign: a chubby dragon with a napkin tied to the bottom of its neck, with fork and knife ready to feast on a large mound of turkey legs.

The inside looked like a bar but felt like a tavern. Most of the furniture was modern, giving off the sense of a bar, but the ceiling and floor was wooden just like the old taverns.

"Well hello there newcomer to the Chugging Dragon! The best place to relax like an adult should." said a baritone voice from under the counter. As the person rose, cleaning a pewter tankard, he scanned the commissioner. "I've heard a lot about you and was hoping you would stop by."

"Really now! And how is that possible?" asked Shield as he approached his guns.

"Most of the medical students come here often and they told about the Death Lord. They talked about how their theories were destroyed when you turned up in a coma with more problems than a repairman after a hurricane. The only lead was that you were a Commissioner." answered the barman. "And you can keep those under control, Chekov makes sure that any troublemakers stay under control." he turned his gaze to a double barrel shotgun above him.

"Sorry, I was just worried that this would be an ambush." Shield lowered his hands and sat on the stool. "I'm actually a suspended commissioner, got grounded after my last mission."

"Oh really? And I suppose all details are classified?" Grinned the barkeeper as he dashed a wooden tankard of beer. "Local draft, on the house."

"Nah, these special missions are rarely classified. That and I'm suspended, which means that the government apcan and probably will deny my mission. But there's really not much to tell. I went to the Horseshoe mines to take a medallion from the goblins, got into a fight with them and then I had to fight a bunch of changelings and at the end I had to fight a pack of trolls." Shield drank some of the beer, which was dark and very tasty.

"Aren't you the exciting one? Most folk consider themselves adventurous if they see a hunter, but you just fought three nightmares and said it so casually." said the keeper with a smile as he cleaned a glass.

"Well, when you've been head of security and acting commander in Vanhoover you tend to raise your standards. At one point I was forced to fight off a pack of shadow husks during a blitz near Hollow Shades with only a claymore. Poor things never got the chance to scratch me." Shield said with a smug grin.

"Shadow Husks? I thought that was just the stuff of nightmares! I remember my granny would tell me stories of Brave Heart and his fight against the thousand husks. I never though it was real."

"That story has been embellished so many times that if it were sugar you would get a diabetic shock just from hearing it." He chuckled.

"So what's your name kid?"

"Shield Heart, Brigadier in the Vanhoover Steel Legion and Enforcer in the Commission."

"I still remember the last one of your kind to come here. He was named Marshal Law if my memory serves me right. I was just a teenager back then, but I'll never forget his look. That deep blue trench coat and his bandolier belts holding those six-shooters. I swear I've never seen anyone enter a bar with such elegance and authority."

"You met Marshal Law? No way!" exclaimed the blond as he slammed his empty tankard. "He's the one that got me into this biz in the first place! He taught me how to shoot a gun and fight with a sword!"

"Is that so? I never really knew him, but I remember very well his mission. He told us there was some outlaw gang near town and he was instructed to make him disappear. He took sixteen slugs to the gut, but he still managed to kill eighteen dregs in the blink of an eye. And when he came back he didn't go to the hospital, he came to this bar and ordered a bottle of whiskey. That's how he healed himself."

As they continued talking about macho-healing a small kid burst through the doors, panting as his wings fell down.

"Featherweight? What're you doing here? You know better than to come, if your mom catches you she'll close me!" The bartender roared as he began shooing the poor child.

"I need him." responded the youth as he pointed his finger at Shield.

Shield immediately turned around and finished his beer. "What is it kid? Cat got stuck in a tree?" he asked as he jumped off his chair.

"No, it's Fluttershy. Some bikers got angry with her in the market and pulled out clubs. I ran towards the mayor, who asked me to get you. Then I had to ask Big Macintosh where I could find you. She said you can help."

"Kid, there's no time to lose." said Shield as he grabbed the child and placed him on his shoulders. The sprint lasted two minutes, under which Featherweight recovered and started flying next to the Commissioner.

The crime scene had evolved, it was clear that they were beating someone. All seventeen aggressors looked like greasers, all wearing matching leather jackets, hardened hairdos and spiked boots.

"Gentlemen!" he shouted, but his words were in vain. He unholstered Manny from under his crimson coat and fired a burst of bullets.

The gangers turned around to see the new threat. "Gentlemen, what on earth is going on in here?" he looked around the marketplace and saw that the few people that were left were now running away.

One of them, the leader he supposed, stepped forward while combing his hardened hairdo. "This ain't none of your business gramps, get lost!" He shouted as he pointed a steel club towards him.

"Okay, first of all, I'm probably five years older than you so the gramps insult falls flat. Unless we're talking about mental age, under which case this child right here can also be called gramps." He pointed at Featherweight. "Second, it is my business. You are beating a helpless woman for no apparent reason. And third, and my personal favorite, I have guns." he said as he opened his coat to reveal the harness. "So you might want to give me a good reason as to why I shouldn't blow your heads off."

"You think you can beat the Kobras? Do you know what we do with goody-two-shoes like you?" the leader spoke with bravado. His group now stopped kicking he poor woman and turned to face him.

"I'm sure it doesn't involve a well-earned massage. Now, would you be so kind as to stop hitting her?" he replied as he slung Manny on his back and slammed his fist on his chest to activate the barrier.

"Fuck you! You think we'll let you insult us and walk away?" he shouted as he pulled out a Buckrreta 9mm pistol. "We'll send you to hell right now!" and he discharged five rounds. The bullets hit Shield's face, but the barrier drained them of force.

"Pretty much, now I'll give you ten seconds to start running before I deliver the biggest smack down of your life." smirked Shield as he got into his fighting stance and extended his steel gloves. "Do me a favor kid and grab the poor woman once I've cleared the area." and he blinked forward, dodging another salvo of bullets. When he was face-to-face with the leader he delivered a jab aimed at the stomach, and rocketed his opponent towards a stall. One of his lackeys hit with his club, which became bent after impact.

"Is that all you got? I swear I once fought a wererabbit with more punch!" roared Shield as he dodged another club. A ganger pulled out another pistol and discharged all fifteen bullets, but it only served to disrupt the barrier. "That's it! Balls to the wall!" and he used his fists to propel himself forward, landing his crotch on the poor man's face. The momentum forced the head to slam against a wooden table, producing a sickening crack on impact.

But he then grabbed an incoming steel club, tore it from the aggressor and intended to lodge it on another's head. The weapon was too blunt to penetrate, but still dented the skull. Two more swung their clubs, but only one managed to bang the back of his head. With the impact he became disoriented, which allowed two bullets to bounce off his breastplate.

Using his fists he blasted himself away from trouble, and armed himself with Ash and Snow. In an instant he unleashed a hail of crimson bolts at the mob, downing only five as the rest threw themselves to the ground.

"Get the shotguns you idiots!" Bellowed the leader as he managed to stand up, limping on his left leg. "Kill that freak with buckshots!" And eight of the goons parted from the main group, probably heading to the various black motorcycles parked over some flower beds.

The remaining six stared at him with their steel clubs, and one of them had a nailed bat. Two attacked and missed, while another duo pulled out pistols and aimed. The guy with the nail bat just stood there, examining the commissioner's movements.

Thrusting his fists to the ground Shield fired himself unto the crowd, rocketing past the melee fighters. As he was landing he punched a gunner in the face, forcing him to back off with the increased impact of the glove. Shield then face the other guy with a gun and delivered a backwards roundhouse kick, but to his surprise the goon caught it while dropping his gun. With a smirk Shield jumped and hit the enemy with his other leg,

The club-goons were now approaching the fight with angry faces and the other two started to back down. The brigadier turned around and faced his sparring opponents, focusing on the guy to the left. He delivered a cross punch to the left flank, followed by two short jabs and ending with an uppercut to the chin. The last shot was augmented by the cannon, which propelled the goon above the fight.

The other took the advantage by swinging his club with full strength, aiming for the distracted foe's head. But the barriers absorbed the damage. With a creepy smile Shield retaliated. He delivered a kick to the enemy's left side, probably bruising his rib cage in the process. He followed with another backwards roundhouse, striking the greaser's face. As he landed he disarmed the hand that almost hit him and returned the hit, forcing the target to fall down. Shield ended his involvement with a bullet to the head.

The last grunt armed with a club charged forward, but Shield grabbed his extending arm and slammed him to the ground. He then finished him with a stomp to the head. Shield picked up the club and used it like a sword, preparing to engage the big brute with the nail bat.

He charged, but was pushed to the side when ten rusty nails hit his ribs. The barrier held, but he knew that it would break on the next hit. He swung once more, but was blocked by the board. The greaser backed up and delivered an executioner strike, hoping to destroy Shield's blond head. The strike knocked the steel baton out of his hands and pushed the commissioner to the floor as a loud crack of the barrier baking was heard.

Shield fled from the big guy by using his pistols, and then fired a barrage. But surprisingly enough, the brute was unscathed and walking menacingly towards Shield. "Oh come on!" exclaimed Shield. "That's just not fair!" he then charged with fists in front, erecting translucent shields from his rubies to deflect the incoming blow. He delivered a storm of quick punches across the stomach, but to his surprise the brute was unaffected.

With a quick hand the greatest grabbed Shield by his throat and began choking him. That's the moment the blond realized why his punches were making less damage than a baby's spit. This dude was tall, about one point ninety meters, probably clocking in at the two meter mark. But also he was a Mage, that's why his grip was as tight as a basilisk's choke. He was augmenting himself with mana, and Shield knew just what to do with rogue mages.

Reaching for Ash he noticed in he corner of his right eye that there were nine pump shotguns aimed at him, probably waiting for he brute to become separate from the group. With the gun in hand he aimed at the head using the last molecules of oxygen in his brain. "You know that's not going to work right?" taunted the greaser. "Say cheese!" said Shield pulled the trigger and released a blinding flash, damaging the brute's pupils. The Mage dropped him, covering his eyes from the light.

Shield fell down on one knee, his lungs desperate to recover the oxygen lost. After ten seconds he was back on his feet, ready to finish the batter. "No more mister nice guy motherfucker!" he exclaimed as he catapulted himself towards the brute, delivering a bone-crushing hook punch against the man's nose. At that moment he noticed an amber barrier dissolve as he fell down.

"You can hit me all you want, you cannot hope to defeat me." said the tall greaser with a smirk.

"Oh yeah? I beg to differ." Shield retorted as he prepared for one final strike. The man stood up and charged, delivering a punch with the momentum he acquired in his run. Shield relaxed and allowed the magic to course through his veins, augmenting every single part of himself. With the extra reflexes Shield was now capable of reacting faster than before, and with this power he grabbed the arm placing his right arm on the outside and his left on the inside.

With one magically-enhanced jerk he cracked his opponent's arm. The man cried out in pain, but still continued his attack, delivering a side kick aimed to the ribs. But Shield was quick to deflect it with his left leg. He retaliated with three side kicks with his right leg followed by a reverse roundhouse augmented by a magic jet erupting from the sole of his boot.

The big brute fell to his knees, his jaw unhinged from the left side. "I do not fear death." he said telepathically.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you fear things far worst than death." said Shield as he pulled out Ash and opened fire. The crimson bolt erupted from a puff of black smoke and embedded itself in the brute's forehead.

"Boulder, NO!" shouted the leader as his grunt fell unconsciously to the floor. "Attack Kobras!" bellowed the commander as nine guns roared and unleashed a thousand lead pellets towards the commissioner. But with his heightened senses Shield extended his hand and cast a magnetic sphere to attract most of the projectiles, compressing them into a neat ball of energy. "Shit, fire at will!" shouted the well-groomed ganger as he pumped out a shell from his gun.

The men fired another barrage, pumping and shooting at different paces. Shield managed to keep his magnet up, but there were still a few strays that attacked his person. Although the barrier on his armor ensured they became harmless, he was getting worried. These thugs might be way below his usual standard, but they were getting the jump on him… again.

He waited for them to finish their chambers before placing his compressed ball on Ash and firing it at the crowd. The blast erupted into a million shards, forcing most to drop their guns and nourish their faces. The leader and two mooks began reloading, their hands full of millimetric scratches.

"Stop right there sir!" came the voice of the town mayor from the distance. "I commando you to stop…" but her voice faded away, Shield was only interested in the remaining goons. The leader fired a round, destroying the barrier of an enraged man.

"I'd stop if I were you, there's really no point in fighting me." he said as he kicked the gun from the leader, the weapon fired twenty pellets in all directions. "You lost gangers, you always lose." he continued as he pulled Snow out of its holster and shot the other two greasers before they could prepare a shell. "And now you have a lot to answer for." Shield lifted the leader, preparing to deliver the killing blow.

"WOULD YOU KINDLY LET THE MAN LIVE?!" came a chilling roar from behind Shield that forced him to obey. He turned around and saw Free Will standing about five meters away from him with Twilight Sparkle next to him, his arms holding his weight with an umbrella.

Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

As soon as Featherweight left, Free Will stood up and headed for his umbrella, making sure to finish his drink before going to the front door.

"It's not cloudy outside, why do you need your umbrella?" asked Twilight with a confused look.

"It always pays to be prepared. Now let us go, there is little time if we want to stop Shield." he answered as he rushed through the door in a very accelerated pace. "We should hurry miss Sparkle, otherwise there will be no one left to save."

And so they dashed for the plaza, the sound of shots being heard from the distance. "That's not good." said Free Will as he stopped to sniff the air. "Definitely not good." he increased the pace, making sure not to leave the librarian behind. "Please don't fall behind miss, otherwise there won't be anyone left to save."

"What are you talking about?" she asked as they stopped at the plaza, and then it became clear. Mayor Mare was standing next to them, watching the battle in horror.

Two figures were next to each other, one a tall man clad in black leather and another man clad in a crimson long coat. The man in black was lying on his knees, a black pistol trained to his forehead. And a loud bang later and the man fell back. She then noticed the group that began unloading their weapons, each one denying the fear in their eyes.

To Twilight's surprise Shield survived the hail of pellets, his hand having attracted all of the dangerous bullets to a sphere. He loaded the sphere on the barrel, aimed and fired it at the thugs. The resulting explosion caused the majority of the pack to fall to the ground, but three survived, busily loading shells unto their guns. He ran toward them and disarmed the enemies.

"Stop right there sir!" yelled Mayor Mare, "I command you to stop this very instant!" But the soldier ignored her, instead choosing to grab the last man's neck and lift him up. "I demand you let that man go!" commanded the mayor, but he didn't budge. "Please Mr. Will, return to your home, everything is under control…"

"I'm afraid it isn't miss mayor, Shield is in a trance and it takes a special skill to snap him out of it." said the man as he cleared his throat. "WOULD YOU KINDLY LET THE MAN LIVE?" he roared. That instant Shield's hand opened, allowing the leather ganger to fall to the floor gasping for air.

The librarian noticed that his eyes had a glowing white ring in the iris, giving him an eerie appearance. Even more disturbing was the fact that these unnerving eyes were filled with fear, as if Free Will was a greater threat than him.

"How dare you get into a fight with knowledge that it could get you just got removed from your post due to this reckless behavior? If you have any love for the Commission you should really think about what you are doing!" said Free Will. "How bad did you hit your head that you started acting like a dreg?"

For the first time Twilight saw Shield with an ashamed look on his face. "I'm sorry sir, but I had to intervene. These thugs were physically abusing a woman, I couldn't just refuse a call for aid."

"Is this how an agent of the Commission makes excuses?" shouted an enraged Free Will. "I should have your head for displaying such disregard for rules! You were given only one rule: do not cause trouble! And the first thing you do when you hear trouble? Fix it by creating more trouble! Are you even interested in returning to the Commission at all?"

"What would you have me do sir? I don't think there was a better solution." responded Shield as he tried to confront his superior, his face trying to show no emotion at all.

"How about just beating one man? How about that? Just beating up one man could have sent the right message, don't you think? Or just shoot their guns, disarming them is a sure way to proven your superiority. Or you could just have tackled them, rescued the poor woman and walked out." barked Mr. Will.

"I..." started Shield, but ended abruptly, as if he accepted his faliure.

"Twilight Sparkle, would you kindly shoot the greaser unconscious?" asked the ex-mayor with a sweet tone. Withdrawing her wand she prepared to cast the basic bolt she had been taught for self-defense. But before she swished her wand she stopped for a minute.

"Why? He's already defeated." she asked as she lowered her wand.

"To make sure he doesn't escape." responded Free. "He may have been pounded into dust, but he still pulled out a gun and has to pay for his crimes." And that instant, a raspberry bolt shot out from her wand and hit the leader. He fell down with a moan. "So what do you plan on doing now Shield? You have about twenty enemies with no nearby prisons or any method of containment. I hope you don't plan on giving them a Frontier Burial."

"I'm going to call Whiplash and have her take them to The Cage. But before that I have to bring this meat bag for interrogation." answered the Commissioner as he grabbed the limp body and hoisted it onto his shoulders.

Fluttershy was nursing her bruised body, but the only noticeable part was her left eye thanks to her clothing. Her yellow long-sleeved blouse was full of dust, but there was no visible trail of blood anywhere. The same could be said about her long skirt, except that the ankles could show a degree of damage.

"Miss Fluttershy, I need a moment of your time. If you could please..." he said as he nudged the veterinarian to follow him, but Twilight stepped forward.

"I don't think that'll be possible, Fluttershy needs to go home and relax after this encounter." she protested as she grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her away. But she hear a gun cock.

"Sorry. No can do. I need her to tell me what the hell happened here. I swear she won't be interrogated, I just need her to give me her side of things. I need to write my report to the Commission about this bunch of punks loaded with high-powered slug-throwers and their bullying crusade." he said calmly as he pointed his gun at a groaning goon behind them. With five bangs the stunned men were knocked out. "Shut up you flesh-dungs!"

He approached the sixth hoodlum and pressed the bottom of his boot on the stomach, the sole burning through the fine shirt. "Where did you get these?" he asked as he pressed harder. The victim released a howl of pain. "Talk! Before I barbecue your lungs and eat them for dinner!" he lifted his foot to allow a moan and a brief answer.

"I ain't talking! He told us that those who don't betray him will be avenged!" shouted the mook.

"I hope you can say that when you wake up in The Cage." Responded Shield as he shot him with a stunner bolt. The poor greaser passed out with a frozen look of fear. He then raised his pistol and blasted the hands, with an unnatural jerk the arms tied themselves with a translucent rope. He repeated this pattern with the rest of the leather-jacket goons.

"If anyone needs me I'll be interrogating this sucker in my basement." Shield said as he put the body on his left shoulder while grabbing his silver cellphone with his right. "Hey Whiplash! How ya doing? Me? I'm perfect, just finished beating the living shit out of some poor gangers. No, it's okay, these are legit dudes. Nothing like those pre-pubescent punks I trashed in Cloudsdale. Yeah, these dudes had nine mills and twenty-gauge scatters." he chuckled after a second. "No! I'm serious! Look, I'll let you talk with Free Will, he retired here and saw most of the fight. maybe then you'll see that I'm not shitting."

He handed his phone to the old man. "Miss Whiplash, how are you? It has been a good while since I last saw you, was it after Operation White Dwarf or was it in the Sakura Festival? Oh, it was in the Sakura?" Free suddenly tossed his left hand into the air. "Of course! You were wearing that stunning black kimono right? Oh dear me, I'm digressing!

"Shield is actually telling the truth, I can vouche for his limited credibility. The sooner you could come the better. So you're coming here in five hours? Perfect, I'll tell Shield to prepare a warrant before you arrive. I suggest you land in the town plaza."

"So it appears as though there's no rest for the wicked. Well farewell noble town, I've got stuff to do." he snatched his phone and left, relocating the body to his back before trotting away from the scene.

Twilight looked at Free Will. "Follow him, but under no circumstances are you to leave him alone with the prisoner. And you should take your friend with you, the warrant should have her testimony. I promise he will not harm her, and it will get you into his good side."

"You're not coming with us?" asked Twilight.

"I'm afraid not. I have several things to do, I had an appointment with Mr. Rich half an hour ago. But please drop by my home tomorrow at the same hour, I would like to hear what transpires." answered the old man as he began to walk away.

Twilight took a deep breath and grabbed Fluttershy's hand. "Come on Fluttershy, let's go visit Cadence." she said as she led the veterinarian away from the plaza.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" asked Fluttershy as she shuffled behind her friend.

"Of course not! I'm going with you all the way. Don't worry, I'm sure he will only ask you some things, nothing mayor." assured Twilight as she guided her friend toward the edge of the town.

Shield walked toward the front door, refitting the limp body on his shoulder before opening the door. "Oh honey! I'm home!" he shouted as he entered the house. To his surprise, his living room was covered in wood, only sparing the minuscule foyer from being covered in trees. "Why is my house covered in plants?" he asked the indigo-haired shopkeeper as he took off his shoes.

Cadence was sitting on the couch, probably resting after a day of doing nothing. As she heard her friend walk in she turned to face him and gave him a quick glance. "What is going on and why are you bleeding?" she asked as she stared at his left leg.

He turned to look at his braced leg and noticed that there was a trickle of blood extruding from his jeans. "Oh that? I didn't notice it till just now. I got into a fight with this scum and his buddies, they pulled out guns and apparently managed to hit me, I'm only injured in the leg right?" He asked as he canned the rest of his body.

"You're fine dear, as for your house, I would say it is an improvement. But please wait here while I bring bandages. Last thing I want is for you to ruin the floor, it's still not liquid proof." Rarity said as she headed for the study.

"Shouldn't you be worried that he has a bullet wound?" reproached Cadence as she rushed to aid the soldier.

Rarity returned with a first-aid box, taking out the gauze and lifting the bottom cuff to cover the wound. "If he is capable of walking all the way here while carrying a body, I believe his leg is the least of your worries." she answered calmly. "And please remove your shoes, I want this floor to last at least a week. Oh Twilight! What a pleasant..." she stopped as she saw Flutteshy enter with her left eye almost closed. "What happened?"

"This dung bag happened. Cadence, please use the eye-patch in the freezer. I'll be back, I just need to get this prick ready for interrogation." he said as he took off his boots and walked toward the basement. "Miss Fluttershy, if you would please take a seat, I'll be with you shortly."

Twilight took off her shoes and helped the veterinarian settle down on the couch. Cadence returned with a blue eye-patch. She handed it to the pink-haired woman and settled on the sofa in front. "What happened Fluttershy?"

"I got into trouble with some bad people and..." she squirmed.

Shield returned at that moment, holding an electronic tablet in a black leather case. "Very well ma'am, I know you don't like it, but with this statement we can bring justice to those dregs. Now, for evidence purposes I'll have to record our conversation. I hope this doesn't cause any inconvenience." he said in a sweet voice, much to Twilight's surprise.

"Um... no, it's fine." she said under her breath.

"Very well, let us begin." he said as he pressed the record button. "This is Shield Heart, Commissioner of Equestria currently under suspension. This record states and justifies my actions against a biker gang calling themselves Kobras assaulting the local veterinarian." he paused before looking at her. "Would you like to state your name for the record? Or would you rather remain anonymous?" he asked.

"I would rather not say my name." she whispered.

"Please say it a little louder, we need clear statements from you."

"I would rather not say my name." she repeated with more strength in her voice.

"Thank you. I would like you to tell me what transpired before my intervention."

She laid down on the couch, gulping hard before summoning the courage to answer. "I was walking through the market making my usual shopping. I was near the vegetable stands when I noticed the gang parking their motorcycles over the flower beds. I tried to ask politely if they could please move them, as they were destroying the flowers. They soon turned their heads and started calling me names, asking if I was looking for a fight. I tried to calm them down, but they wouldn't listen.

"One of them, the big brute, punched me in my left eye, and knocked me out. After that I don't remember much, other than their kicks and Featherweight helping me get out of the fight." she said, sighing afterwards as if she had confessed something.

"Very well, were there any other people affected by these thugs?" he asked with his kind voice.

"I don't know. I couldn't see anything through them." she said with a quavering voice.

"It's all right, don't worry. Thank you for your time, I shall now end the recording before proceeding with the interrogation of the suspected leader of this Kobras gang. Brigadier Shield Heart signing off." he said as he pressed a button in his tablet. "If you will excuse me, I suggest you stand clear from the basement. If you hear any squeals for help don't worry, it just means that my methods are working." he then turned on his heels and proceeded to walk down the stairs.

Twilight thought about his words for a second before rushing after him. "I want to help you." she spurted out. Everyone that heard her turned to face her.

"Are you alright Twilight? Did you hit your head outside?" asked Cadence with a bewildered look on her face.

"I'm sure." she responded calmly.

"Are you sure about that? My methods are considered somewhat extreme by those with lesser stomachs. Or are you after something else?" he asked as he glared at her.

"I was thinking of becoming an Auxiliary." she said calmly. "I'm done sitting in the sidelines watching my friends be attacked. I want to be able to help my friends with more than just my brains." her voice flowed so serene that Shield was inclined to say yes.

He eyed her with surprise. "For real? Pray tell what skills do you plan on bringing to the table? I hope you did think this through, as the Commission doesn't just accept anyone with good intentions." he said with his usual sarcastic tone.

"I have two skills, one I have a powerful connection with magic..."

"I'm a very accomplished mage." he snapped.

"And I have direct influence over some of the Princess's decisions. One of which could be your reinstatement if you promise to behave like a human being." she replied calmly.

There was a flash of joy, followed by a face of disappointment. "But acting like a normal human is boring." he quietly replied. "Fine, if I promise not to get too violent, would you convince the Princess to remove my suspension?"

"Yes, I promise I'll try to convince her. But that's still up to her." she replied.

"Very well, I guess that's all I can hope for at the moment." he answered smugly as he disappeared into the basement.

Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

As Twilight entered the clinical basement she saw the leader was hanging from the ceiling. His hands were sore as they tried to squeeze themselves out of the translucent cuffs that tied him. These were connected to a steel hook that allowed the victim to hover just a few centimeters from the ground.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked as she thought of a way to rationally explain to the princess why it was a good idea to let this madman loose in Ponyville.

"Maybe not, but I would rather make sure he can't wiggle his way out, or have him take out a shiv to try and break the bonds. It also helps when the inevitable torture comes along." he answered with a smile. "Anyways, you want to start while I prepare the nasty stuff?"

'What? No! You won't prepare any nasty stuff! We are just going to peacefully ask him some questions, plain and simple." said Twilight as she approached the ganger. Shield, meanwhile, set up a camera and began recording.

"What's your name?" asked the librarian as she looked at the captive.

The poor leather-clad biker just stared at her, his eyes miserably trying to hide his fear. "I'm Serpent King."

"Very well, and what brought you here to Ponyville?" but Serpent kept quiet.

"Answer the question or I'll make you." threatened Shield as he cracked his knuckles.

"I'm not saying a word until I get a lawyer." he answered with little confidence.

"Kid, you and your buddies just opened fire on a military officer. You wounded me and even worst, you wounded an innocent civilian. You threw your rights out the window and into the galaxy's blackest hole the second you gave the order of attack." said Shield with a smug face. "I could go on listing your crimes... so I will:

"You attacked an innocent bystander for no apparent reason, you threatened to kill a military officer, you then proceeded to order your subordinates to attack me, your team then pulled out twenty-gauge shotguns and used them for no reason, the shotguns are most certainly illegal, and the worst crime ever: you destroyed a perfectly good flower bed!"

"And how do I know you really are a military officer huh? As far as I know you're just an old fart who thinks he can lock me in his basement for no good reason" answered the greaser as he ejected a mouthful of dirt and spit.

Shield showed him his Commissioner Badge and Vanhoover Legion ID card. "Eat your heart out asshole."

"Oh shit, you're that Shield Heart?" asked Serpent as the color drained from his face. "Oh shit, I'm fucked

"I see you've heard of me. I'm sure you know what I do to people who want to have things their way. Here's a hint: They don't get free burgers." Said the soldier with a soft, and very creepy, voice.

"Lady, please tell me you're gonna help me! I don't want this maniac anywhere near me!" started screaming the criminal.

Twilight grabbed the madman by the shoulder. "You are doing nothing to this man if you want my help."

"Fine, try to get a confession out of him. But if he resists, all bets are off. I need to make that report before Whiplash arrives." he said as he began pacing around.

"I'll answer anything, just don' leave me alone miss."

"In that case, why did you attack my friend?" she asked with a stern look.

"That pink-haired bitch..." in that moment a bullet flew from behind Twilight and hit his clavicle.

"Show some respect for women scum!" roared Shield as he returned Ash to his holster.

"Shield! It's not polite to shoot people, even if they are being difficult." she scolded. "Now, you were saying?"

"Yeah, we parked our bikes wherever and she asked us to move them because she cared more about the animals and shit. I told her to piss off. But she asked again, and I had to show my bros that I was the boss. So I made her taste my fist." as he ended his statement Twilight grabbed a nearby pistol and pointed it at Shield, who was already going for his gun.

"Drop it or there's no help from me." she threatened, and he backed off. She turned to face her victim once more. "Who gave you the guns?"

"Some asshole named Gun Runner..." and a bullet hit his groin.

"Liar!" sang out Shield. "Gun Runner is dead, I killed him myself in Vanhoover. Cremated him and the whole shish kebab. I think I actually had a shish kebab that day. Or was it shawarma? Any who, tell us the truth!"

"I'm not the one that got the guns, that was Boulder. He's the one who came up with that idea."

"Who's Boulder?" asked Twilight.

"He's that big brute who nearly kicked your ass. He came up with the idea of coming here in the first place, he said it was a good place to start building up a crew. Y'know, since you don't even have police and you're so close to Canterlot."

"What was your plan?"

"We were gonna start a gang, recruit members, racketeer a few locals, and make this town into our own personal heaven. Jack said it was gonna be easy."

"And how do you know Shield Heart?"

"You don't know him? Suits you for being a goody-two-shoes. That man behind you is a boogieman's boogieman. They say he once killed twenty doped brutes in the docks using only a toothpick."

"Nonsense, I remember that fight perfectly, I used guns, fists, chains, swords, I think there was also a chainsaw, an industrial fan somewhere and an unusually large sea bass; but I'm fairly certain that I never used a toothpick. I remember that fight, those guys were jacked up with painkillers and just wouldn't give up."

Miss Sparkle, what would your second reaction be to a man who is beating you to death with an indestructible, over-sized fish and one of your arms? The first one being GAAAAAAAAH!!!! MY ARM!!!?" he said with an insulting tone, the scream in particular was saturated with his high-pitched mocking voice.

The Princess's most powerful student was taken by surprise. "I don't know... maybe run away from my delusional aggressor?"

"I know right! But there they were; twenty smelly, repugnant and downright ugly bastards that were too busy trying to peel my face from my skull to be concerned for their own well being." he then sneezed. "Anyways, back to you prick. Why did you need guns in the first place if you picked this town specifically for the lack of security?"

"I don't know! This was all Boulder's idea! Ever since he started meeting with his shady contacts he's been trying to overthrow me! I attacked your friend to try to regain control over my men!"

"So all of this mess was to try to look tough?" asked Twilight in disbelief. "You attacked an innocent woman just because she asked you to move your motorcycles?"

"Yeah, I needed to show them that no one was gonna tread on me. But I should have known better than to trust Jack, even when we were kids he would try to do anything to get stronger."

"I hope he isn't willing to sell his soul to a Shadow or would he?" asked Shield as he crossed his arms.

"I don't know, maybe." he answered with a shrug.

"Was he always a mage?"

"What? No of course nos! We were born in Fillydelphia, we got no magic for ourselves."

"Then Canterlot, we have a BIG problem." said Shield as he stroked his chin.

The purple-haired librarian turned again to stare at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Buddy, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your friend has made a deal with a Shadow." Shield said as he placed his hand over the greaser's shoulder.

"How can you be sure?" he asked nervously.

"Because that monster was very hard to kill and even had a magic barrier. Unless he's doing Pixie Dust I'm sure he's got a fifty-fifty percent chance of exploding in a shower of gore and spawning a monster that would give me a run for my money. Kid, if you want to save your sorry ass from having your own private cell in The Cage you will tell me if your friend ever got any substance."

Serpent opened his mouth, but paused for a moment. "He once told me that he had gotten this new drug, like cocaine, but it made you way stronger. I never did that stuff, mama said it caused more harm than good."

Shield could not help but chuckle at the irony: a gang member saying he didn't do drugs because his mom said it was bad. If there was a prize for breaking the most stereotypes in one sentence, Shield was sure this dude should at least be nominated."Do you know what he was taking? or at least do you know where we can find his stash?"

"He always keeps a bag in his motorcycle, it's the one with the ogre skull attached to the handlebar." said Serpent with a fearful look.

"Thanks, due to your cooperation I have concluded that you are hereby sentenced to a year of Jail in Cloudsdale Penitentiary with a chance of parole." stated Shield in a formal voice as he stopped the camera.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have more work. Just when I thought this shit was finally over I have to deal with something even worse." he said as he cocked his birthday present. "I swear I sometimes don't get paid enough for this crap."

As he ascended the stairs he noticed Rarity was next to him, her eyes showing no emotion. "Can I help you with something?" he asked her with finesse. He felt as if she was three seconds from exploding, women were like that.

"When do you plan on unpacking the boxes in your study sir?" she asked, her eyes showing no timer to her detonation.

Shield looked around before facing her. "Once I do some more official business, maybe."

"Well I need you to clear those boxes out now so I can begin preparations on your study."

"Maybe you could start with my bedroom? I really don't have time for this, I'll be back soon." he said as he walked away. But his collar suddenly stopped, nearly choking him as he tried to walk out the door. He turned to see that the seamstress had grabbed the fabric around his neck via magic.

"I'm already done with your bedroom, and you're not going anywhere unless I have some guarantee that you will be back in at least an hour."

"Why is it so important that I do that today?"

"Because I have to get back to tending to my shop! I have been too busy decorating your home these last three days and you have yet to show a single degree of interest!" she exploded, he knew she would. Women always had that neutral look whenever the planned on exploding.

"I'm kind of in the middle of a drug bust, so unless it is critical that I unpack I ask that you do not intervene."

"Leave your rifle here as a guarantee that as soon as you get back you will unpack those boxes." she said with authority.

"What? Why?"

"I already know that there's no danger out there, so you will be fine, and I am grounding this so that you won't go into the woods on some random escapade."

"Dammit!" he cursed very softly as he handed over his early present.

"Now go and do your official business, we'll wait here for your return." said the seamstress as she hugged the gun.

"Just don't scratch her...." he said as he left.

A couple of seconds passed after he left before Twilight joined her friends in the living room.

"Where's Fluttershy? What are you still doing here?" she asked.

"Fluttershy went back to her house, she said that she was feeling better. As to why I am here, I am redecorating your new boss's home." answered Rarity with a huff.

"Are you still shocked about what I said?"

"Yes I am. Twilight, I understand that the Princess left you this impossible task and you want to make sure that you do right. But I cannot allow you to get in harm's way like this!"

"I know that my decision sounded somewhat rash..."

"it definitely caught us by surprise." said Cadence with a cup of chocolate pudding in her hand.

"...but I have thought about it. I don't want to be an auxiliary, I just think that this is the best way to get to know him. What other way do you suggest to get to know him?"

Rarity was the one to answer. "I can see the logic behind your arguments, but you must understand the dangers that your plan brings."

"I know, but we've already lost a week and we have made zero progress. He's still the same psycho who got nearly killed by a pack of trolls."

"And is this really worth getting killed for?" intervened Cadence. "I hope you did think about who you're dealing with."

"I started reading on the whole Auxiliary business, and as far as I know I won't be forced into service. Anyway, I'm too inexperienced for someone with common sense to even consider taking me out to the field."

"And yet the reason the Princess wants to save him is because he is unorthodox in his methods. Have you really considered what would happen if he took you out to the field?"

The librarian paused for a moment. The fact that he was random when it came to plans had completely slipped out of her mind. "Oh no, no no nonononono. This is bad, my entire plan was based around him not taking me to missions. What if he somehow finds something he can use? What if he goes berserk in one of our missions? Then that would mean that I've failed the princess, and I'll probably..." she trailed off before Rarity slapped her back to reality.

"Would you calm down for a second?" said Rarity as she nursed her hand.

"Sorry, I was just panicking. but I'm better now." said the librarian as she began to take deep breaths. "Now I just have to rethink everything again."

"By the way, why hasn't Spike returned?" asked Rarity.

"Princess Celestia said she needed someone to talk to the dragons in order to appease them. He probably will be back by the end of next month."

"Then I suggest we return to our more pressing matter. What was your original plan?"

"I was going to ask the princess to re-institute him and while on down-time I would give him an endless stream of menial tasks in the hopes that it would calm him down."

"I am sorry, but I fail to realize where your plan fails if you have to go out on missions."

"Because, I need to stay here and catch up on my studies! The Princess won't allow me to fall behind even if I am doing a mission for her."

"I think she would understand if you followed him on some mission. You might end up learning more than what you hoped for."

"What do you think Cadence? You've been awfully quiet."

The Princess of Love looked at them as she began her fourth cup of pudding. "I agree with some of Rarity's ideas, but I think that your brother would not like it if you joined Shield. As good of a friend as he was before, I'm scared of what he is capable of doing if he gets carried away."

"So what should we do for tomorrow onward?" asked Twilight with a puzzled look.

"Simple, you tell him that if he wants to earn his title back he is going to work for it. Take him to the farm, they always need an extra hand and his skills might help them. Then have him help Rainbow Dash of Fluttershy, I'm sure that one of them must have some job for him. After which you can have him act as your assistant, or you can send him to me. I'm sure I could use him as a mannequin for something." said Rarity as she waved her hands around.

A few minutes later Shield burst through the door, his right hand holding a bag full of red dust. "I need to kill someone." he said as he took off his boots and began storming through the living room, but he suddenly clutched his heart and fell down to the floor.

All three women shot out of their seats and raced over to him, at once they asked: "Are you all right?"

His body soon began to shake violently for a couple of seconds before freezing over. "Hit me with lightning." he managed to murmur as he fell to the floor.

Twilight's brain reacted instantly and she went for her wand, and soon discharged a bolt of lightning directed towards him. With some violent twitching he was soon back on his feet. "Sorry about that." he said as he brushed dirt off his coat and started walking normally.

The librarian stopped him before he could disappear into the basement. "What just happened?"

"Not much, I just had a cardiac arrest. It's nothing mayor, now if you'll excuse me..."

"You're treating a heart attack with the same fear as a bruise?"asked Rarity with outrage.

"Yeah I usually get these whenever I use too much magic on my body, so due to shenanigans I don't care about my heart gives up. I had been planning to install a defibrillator in my heart, but my surgeon has had... complications to say the least. I'll see if he can come by next week and install it if that will appease your motherly instincts." he answered as he grabbed his phone and walked down the stairs to the basement, walking with absolutely no problems.

"I do not have a comment for this." said Rarity as she grabbed the black rifle she confiscated. "Hey soldier, I think you are forgetting something!"

Shield patted his chest and checked the bag in his hand. "Seeing as though I still have my heart and this bag of confiscated drugs I'm sure that you are referring to something else. I will now use my powers of deduction." he said as he placed his index and middle finger on the right side of his forehead. "I believe it has something to do with the rifle you are shoving at me."

"Do you not remember what you promised to do when you left?"

"Did it have to do something with the study and some boxes?"

"Did you really forget? Or are you trying to worm your way out of this?"

"Worm my way out of what? Is it some sort of ball, because if you are talking about that then I will pretend to still have amnesia and will continue to walk away."

"I asked you to please unpack the boxes you have holed up in your study! How could you forget something that I told you ten minutes ago?" exploded Rarity as she slapped his left cheek.

"First of all, ow. Second, I still have commissioner stuff to do so it's not like I have the time to take out the several kilos worth research books." he said as he tried to walk away, but a magic aura attempted to choke him once more.

"You will clean out that room or I will convince the princess to lock you up in a mental institution."

"Fine! but I need Twilight to begin writing the Arrest Warrant, the format is in my data-slate."

"Where?"

"On my tablet that I left downstairs."

"I can't go downstairs, it's bio-metrically locked. Remember?"

Shield took out his cellphone, pressed an app and aimed his camera at her eye. In a flash her retina was saved to the system and her thumb was on the touch screen. "There, now you can access the Armory whenever your heart desires." he said in an emotionless voice as he walked to the study.

"I think I should start with that report." said Twilight as she headed for the basement.

Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

Shield stood in front of the six heavy boxes that his friends sent. Each one was labeled with the content they carried. He approached the first one, labeled: Research. He focused the energy in his gauntlet to form a punch dagger and cut open the tape. Once the tape had evaporated he took a look around the room, and he noticed that compared to what the rest of the house looked at the beginning he started thinking that the unpacking was just an inevitable chore. The room was painted in bright white except for the wall opposite to the backyard which was painted navy blue, the floor was covered in the same wood as the rest of the house and there was minimalist furniture all around.

The desk was a flat bed of stained glass supported by four black wooden posts. The two bookshelves were also black, with only a silver drawer to the left. The sliding glass door leading to the back was accompanied by a thick white curtain. There were some drawers too, also black. With a confused look he started blinking, hoping that he was just having visions.

He heard the door open behind him, and the individual that entered had a sweet fragrance about her. "Rarity, I think we need to have a talk." he said with a cool voice, kind of on-par with the villains in the Secret Agent movies. All he was missing was a large black chair and a white cat.

"I hope you liked it. I know I should have waited for your permission but I just wanted to do something to make you feel more like at home." she said with a smile, which faded away the second she saw two crimson blades forming in his fists.

With a quick turn Shield was pointing his weapon at the seamstress's neck, his face showing an angry frown. "You think I like this? HUH??"

Rarity was taken completely by surprise, she had put in so much effort in this particular room. "I thought you would like it, but there's no need to overreact..." she started negociating before he dismissed his blades and gave her a new definition of bear hug. This felt a little more like a boa constrictor was wrapping around her.

"I absolutely love it! No one has ever put so much effort into something for me! maybe my baby sister, but she never has done something like this." he said as his hug threatened to crack her spine. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou" he continued as he began jumping up and down.

Rarity tried to free herself from his tight grapple, and only succeeded when he got the memo. As she gazed upon his now-red face she saw tears coming down from his ice blue eyes. "Thank you so much! How did you know this was what I wanted? Actually scratch that, this is way better than what I had in mind."

Rarity blushed as she composed herself. "It was nothing really, I just made a few calls to some acquaintances of mine on trending things in Vanhoover, the Commission and also the Steel Legion. They all said the same thing: Be as simple and modern as possible."

The soldier cleaned his runny nose. "This is even better than when my dad gave me permission to go help Great Bridle after that hurricane struck. Or that time Grey Mane allowed me to forge Riot."

"I'm sure you've had better experiences." she said as she dusted off her white blouse.

"You don't get it, no one has ever been this kind to me without me saving them first or them shooting me in the back the second my back is turned." he sniffed. "I think I understand why you wanted me to unpack the boxes so much."

"Well... no, I wanted you to unpack those boxes because you have been neglecting your house for too long. You really should think about what you're doing with your life. I know commissioner work is tiring and requires a lot of attention, but you cannot just relinquish your duties to anyone else. You have to assume more responsibility for what you own. Imagine if I neglected my house, how would I be able to sleep if there were rats in my bed? Or how would I be able to prepare breakfast if I never clean the dishes? These may be menial tasks, but they are essential."

Shield sighed. He knew something like this had to have a downside. But one more look around made him calm down and realize something: behind all the scolding there was genuine interest in him, just like his mom. "Why is it that I can never win against women?"

"Because we are always right." she answered smugly. "I hope you understand the favor Princess Cadence is doing for you. She could snap her fingers and have a castle built just for her, but instead she decided to take on the huge responsibility that is taking care of your house and even bigger: You."

"Celestia, you had to bring this up. I know I have to mind my own house. It's just that the prospect of settling down, even if it's just for a bit seems too daunting for me. I've had to sleep with one eye open for the last eleven years, and just thinking about trying to live what you call normal life just seems dull."

"Why on earth would you spend eleven years in constant peril?"

"I can't remember why it even started. I know that my trip to Great Bridle has something to do with it, but I can't quite remember. I probably hit my head pretty hard at some point and I lost that memory."

"You mentioned forging your sword with Grey Mane, I'm sure you didn't mean The Grey Mane, the Master Forger in Concordia?" asked the fashion designer with an air of doubt.

"Yeah, that one. But like my paranoia, I can't remember why I was there in the first place. Y'konw, I'm starting to think that it wasn't a single hit that wiped my memory, it was probably all of those blows to the head I took during my years of Commissioner work." he answered as he pulled out a group picture with a black frame.

Rarity took a look at it and saw five friends hugging each other, all of them wearing thick light-grey overcoats in what appeared to be the mountains. All of them had gas masks dangling from the left side of their faces. Shield was in the center, a sword with an erect winged cross guard resting on an ogre's skull as he hugged two women smiling with him. The one to his left was a Seraph with brown wings, her helmet blocked most of her hair, except for a single strand of magenta hair protruding from the inside. Her left arm was clutching the soldier, while her other arm held a scythe covered in lightning and petals.

To Shield's right was a fair-skinned woman holding a silver rapier with her left hand. Behind her was a ruddy man holding an axe, still bloodied from fighting, and smiling as if he were being given an award.

To the opposite side of the picture standing behind the purple-haired woman was another man. He looked a lot like the one with the axe, but his smile wasn't so big as the rest.

"I still remember the day this picture was taken, It was our first Spring Cleaning Operation as a Formal STG" sighed Shield as he placed it on the desk.

"Oh, and what does Spring Cleaning consist of?" asked Rarity with some curiosity.

"Every year or so the Steel Legion will send a company of soldiers to investigate the caves on the Unicorn Range for pest control. The pest? Ogres. Big, green, smelly, dumb ogres."

"Ogres are considered pests in Vanhoover?"

"Yeah, Mostly because they are warmongering animals, but there's also the issue with their spores."

"I must admit I don't know much about magical creatures." said the seamstress as she looked for some chairs. "Would you care to explain?"

"Oh, I'd be delighted." answered the soldier as he grabbed a folded chair. "Ogres don't reproduce normally, instead, when they're killed they release dozens of spores that will eventually fester and will bring about a pack of strong ogres with all of his combat abilities ready. Those that turn out to be duds end up becoming goblins, which is actually even worse considering that they are the brains." he said.

"So you conduct your operations to ensure that the ever growing menace is contained in the caves and doesn't dare to walk into the city, right?"

"Yup in spring is usually when they get restless, so all we do is grab a couple of flamethrowers, a tank or two, a Fusion Bomb, and even a battleship if necessary."

"And what happens of they release their spores in the city? Do you have to wait for them to grow up before driving them out of the city?"

"Nope, not enough time. If one of the civilians inhales even a single spore they will have the most gruesome death available. If that were to happen we just kill the spores with fire, that immediately burns the eggs." he said casually.

'So who are your friends?" asked the seamstress as she grabbed the picture.

"This pretty lady with the scythe is Cherry Blossom, one of the most intelligent field engineers in the world. Tell her to hack a computer amid gangster fire, she can do it. Tell her to jury-rig a vehicle, just give her ten seconds while she gets the parts. The other bombshell is Moon dancer, and boy is she special. She's usually calm in every situation, but just dare do something stupid or act like a jerk and she'll pull out your vocal chords with her sword faster than Celestia eats bananas."

Rarity chuckled. "Would you like my help unpacking this?"

"I thought you wanted me to do this alone."

"I wanted you to start, I never said you had to do it alone." she said as she pulled out the latest issue of Captain Equestria.

.oOo.

Twilight was busy writing the various crimes on the data pad that rested on the table next to the rifles. She was almost done, she would have finished earlier if she had omitted an explanation, so she started eyeing the arsenal. As she finished filling out the papers she approached one of the five Hermes-pattern rifles. All of the rifles were in pristine condition, probably due to the fact that they were brand new and had never seen action like Manny that rested next to Riot.

"Hey girl, can you talk to me for a sec?" asked the prisioner as he tried to wriggle his hands out of the magical cuffs.

Twilight grabbed a bullpup rifle and aimed it at the prisoner. "Why?"

"I swear I ain't up to no-good. I just wanna know what you had planned for me. That monster said he was planning on putting me in the cage."

Twilight lowered the rifle and placed it next to the data pad. "Where's the Cage?"

"You don't know? Figures, you folks here live in glass houses after all. The Cage is a prison in Cloudsdale where solitary confinement consists of putting you in a cage in the middle of the sky, you jump and you're dead. Regular cells are very similar, so if you cause trouble you get dropped to the ground."

Twilight could picture it the effectiveness against standard delinquents, but considered it useless against fliers. "But what happens if you're a Seraph? You could just fly away."

"Nah, I heard that the bad criminals get their wings tied. And the ones that are bad motherfuckers get their wings clipped."

The librarian was forced to shrug. How could Princess Celestia allow something like this to happen? "So what do you want from me?"

"I need you to tell your pet to keep his sentence, and I don't want to spend more than one year in jail. He can have Boulder if that's what he wants, but I'm suing him if I spend an hour more than I have to." stated the leader of the gang with authority.

"And why would I do that? You beat my friend up and expect me to just help you?"

Serpent lost his authority. "Please, tell me what you want to do and I'll do it! Anything!"

"How about we make a deal: You tell me everything you know about Shield Heart and I'll make sure you have a fair trial." said the student calmly.

"Fine, but I really don't know much. They say he was one of them nobles, but he never really got along with them. Then, eleven years ago he got lost in Great Bridle and just reappeared in Vanhoover later. There he made his name by murdering any criminal that dared go out. I had three friends that got hired by Snake Eyes, the head honcho back then, and by the end of the week the city was delivering ashes to their families."

Twilight allowed the information to sink for a minute. "And that's it?"

"Nah, I'm just getting warmed up. They say he made a deal with a very powerful Shadow. Some say he sold his soul to Talos, the Concordian God of War." he pursed his lips. "Some say he's a demon and that's why you can't kill him."

"Go on."

"Some time ago, back when he reappeared he had this big showdown against Snake Eyes in the middle of the city. Snake Eyes had taken an overdose in Pixie dust and went berserk on your friend. Their brawl leveled a quarter of the city before the great Kaiju, as he was called by the Triad, dropped a twenty-story building on top of him. And that ain't even it. They also say he's responsible for killing dragons and taking white phosphorus bombs to the ogre caves under the Unicorn Range."

It took a while for the librarian to process everything. "So what does Kaiju mean?"

"Monster in their language. And after hearing about Manehattan I think it fits."

"What about Manehattan."

"After the death of Snake Eyes there was some fighting for the power over the criminal underworld. A beautiful woman from Mexicolt called The Mare of the South took over the Big Apple and took over the underworld. A year ago they send in Shield Heart and his buddies, the result? A thousand gangster corpses. They couldn't kill him, and when The Mare threatened to kill his little sister he destroyed part of the train station: killing her best friend and most of the most important chunk of her power with him.

"Some of my friends say that a threatening her sister is the worst mistake anyone can make."

"And why's that?"

"Lady, did you even listen to me? He blew up an entire Train Terminal just to show someone not to mess with his family. Even when one of the nobles accused her of being his bastard kid it didn't end well."

"Anything else you want to add?" asked Twilight as she grabbed the data-pad.

"Why don't you ask him? He's your pet after all."

Chapter 11

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Chapter 11

Three hours passed since Shield started unpacking his cardboard boxes and after Twilight concluded her questioning.

"Now I think we can say that I have officially moved to Ponyville." said Shield as he finished organizing his Full Magical Warrior series on the shelf. "Who would have thought that twenty volumes of Neijonese manga could weigh so much?"

"I am sure that if Twilight were to see your collection she would be jealous. Why on earth do you own a hundred different books? Haven't you heard of a library?"

"Of course I have! But the Vanhoover Library and I don't have what you could call a healthy relationship."

"Did you bring some books out of date?"

"Late books are the least of my crimes against the library. My biggest crime is having my backpack damaged. So whenever I have to explain that their copy of Dusk Vampires got chewed on by a bandersnatch, or that the copy of The Hunter got destroyed after a firefight in a train station it makes them want to revoke my membership card. So in order to avoid that I just simply buy my own fiction and stash it in my room."

"And what about those reference books you have? I doubt you bought Star Swirl's Grimoire just because you were afraid of losing it. I did not know they would even lend you a book of such importance, specially if the only copy is in the Canterlot Library."

"That's because I stole it from the archives in order to make sure no one stole it." he said in a villanous voice.

"And you still allowed me to see it, knowing very well that I could tell the Princess that you have it?"

"One word and I'll blow your head." he said in a cartoonishly rasp voice as pulled out Ash and pointed it at her forehead. To his surprise she didn't flinch, but this was probably due to his huge grin. "Nah, not really. Actually, that's a replica. There's no way that they're gonna let me touch, let alone keep, a relic with so much power."

"So when can we meet your fellow Commissioners?" asked Rarity as she went to the kitchen and pulled out a glass bottle of Sparkle Cola.

"STOP!" yelled Shield, freezing the seamstress in terror. "BULLET TIME!" he then pulled out Snow and in the blink of an eye fired a crimson bolt towards the soda. Before she could react Rarity saw the bullet remove the bottle cap clean off. "Sorry, I just got the urge to do that. What was your question?" he asked as he shook his head.

"I was asking you if you were going to bring your friends some day so that we could meet them." she said as she took a sip from the bottle.

"Are you sure you want to meet four more lunatics? I would understand if they were outstanding members of society, but just like me, they are demented Commissioners who possess little social inclination."

"But I'm sure that they will be just as interesting as you have been."

Shield was grabbing a Sparkle Cola Zero when she said that, he used Snow to create a small layer of ice in the glass. With a gulp he exhaled in delight. "As cold as an In-Law's kiss. Oh, well I guess I could invite them to a birthday reunion if you are so keen on meeting them. Oh Celestia, I totally forgot that my birthday is next week!"

"Yes it is, I suppose you might want to book a place for..."

"Nah, it's just a simple reunion. My house is fine. I'm sure they won't mind staying here for a week." he said as he groomed his chin. "On a completely unrelated note, how many schools are there?"

"There's just the public schools, why is this coming up so suddenly?"

"I have a little sister coming to live with me, and I want to make sure that she gets the best education available. So I think it might be a good idea to talk with the staff. She can be very special when it comes to bullies, and I would like to give them a heads-up."

"And by special you mean shy, right?" she asked, somewhat unconvinced that she was right.

"No, I mean that she gets angry whenever she sees bullying. And it doesn't matter if it isn't aimed at her, if she sees someone making someone else's life miserable she's gonna pounce. And hard. At one point I had to hear about a time she broke someone's arm just because he was insulting the socially awkward kid."

"Why is it that you and anyone you are associated with sounds to be very violent?" she asked, baffled by the statement.

"Hawk Eye is my responsibility. I've raised her to the best of my ability, which I'll admit is extremely poor. I always thought that those with strength should protect those that are weaker, and she took it a little too well. She's also a pretty good puncher for a ten year-old. Again, totally my fault." said the brigadier as he scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"You taught your sister self-defense?"

"Of course I did! Considering the dangers you can find you never know when she'll need protection and I won't be around. And before you say anything, in my line of work there's always a chance for that to happen."

"So when you offered to train my sister in firearms, were you serious?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to see her smile, I don't like sad children."

"So speaking of self-defense, when will you continue my training?" asked the violet-haired beauty.

Shield was taken by surprise and was forced to snort soda out of his nose. As he choked to regain himself. "The thought of training civilians had completely slipped my mind. Are you sure you want to learn how to defend yourself?"

"Of course, a lady must always be ready to protect herself in case there is no gentleman around to protect me Or would you rather have me a helpless burden?" she asked as she turned her head away from the blond man.

"I do prefer having a trained agent who is capable of navigating the putrescent waters of nobility rather than one who is only capable of screaming SAVE ME!" he said as he placed a small bead on his right ear and pressing a button on his cellphone. "This is Brigadier Shield Heart speaking." he said as he pushed the bead on his ear.

"Who..." began Rarity before Shield motioned for her to be quiet by placing his index finger over his lips.

"Hey Whiplash, how's your day going? Me? I'm fine. You're already here? That was quick. " he looked at his pocket watch. "An hour early in fact. It appears as though you have learned the virtue of punctuality. Oh, you're nearly there? I guess that's good enough for a Cloudsdanian." he said, pressing the bead once more as the conversation ended.

"Who was that?"

"Commissioner Whiplash of Cloudsdale, I asked her to take the thugs to their jail seeing as though it is far easier than Tartarus or Vanhoover's Gulag. That and also because it's the best prison for small chums." he declared as he put his now empty bottle down. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a gang leader that must be prosecuted." he went down the stairs, inputting his prints as quickly as possible and taking a look at the room.

The prisoner was still tied up, and his hands were starting to look purple. Without warning he blasted his feet to create another pair of cufflinks and detached him from the hook on the ceiling.

"C'mon dreg, it's judgement time." he smirked as he motioned Serpent to start moving. "It's time for you to know what happens when you choose the thug life."

Twilight stepped forward, showing the data pad with the digital paperwork filled out. "There's one more thing we need to discuss." she whispered as she tried to nudge Shield away from the prisoner.

"What is it?" he asked with no emotion.

"I need to know about his future." she said as she eyed the young criminal.

"He's getting a year of sentence with a chance of parole. There's really not much to add, he's just a kid who made a bad choice in friends. You already know this, why ask again?"

"Because for the last three hours he has revealed every single contact he knows, and after cross-referencing with the Most Wanted database I figured that there is at least one criminal who you might be interested in: The Black Rose, a gang leader..."

"Responsible for the disappearance of three Commissioners, I know. So what did he say, specifically?"

"He said, and I quote: I met him three years ago, after I saved him from a thug. He was impressed with me and taught me how to cap people, how to run a gang and even how to get drugs through immigration. After a year he got me and Boulder a bunch of dudes to start our gang and told us that we could use his safe-house in Froggy Bottom Bog whenever we wanted. End quote. You do realize that his safe-house is very close, right?"

"So I believe you are merely pointing this out right? You don't want me to call reinforcements so we can storm his house in the middle of the night?"

"I wanted you to write down that he has been helpful. Considering what he has done I don't think he deserves to be sent to a jail high in the sky."

"He's a criminal, criminals belong in jail." he said coldly.

"But he's been helpful, and he shows regret for his actions."

"I know, but he still needs to learn that actions have consequences, and so do you." he stared at her. "I know you want to help people, but sometimes you can't save everyone. This is a prime example. If he wants to save himself he will have to help us end what he started."

"And what's that? The fight is over, you won. What more could there be?"

Shield took out a small bag. "This is Pixie Dust. It makes ordinary people mages and makes mages incredibly powerful. This is at the cost of their sanity. It messes with your mind and makes you think you are as powerful as an angel. An overdose of this makes you summon an Over Soul and makes you destroy as much stuff as you can. And this piece of scum, because I'm not allowed to swear in front of innocent young women, needs to pay for his crimes. What would you have done if his buddy had gone postal on Ponyville? Ask him to not destroy the town? Hit him with the Elements of Harmony?"

Twilight felt embarrassed. "I never thought of that..."

"Which is exactly why I did. I know it's not easy living in a paradise and suddenly waking up to the dark and spooky world that is reality. If you can't think of all the dangers that surround you then you can't stop the evil. And if you can't do that then I have to step in. That's a Commissioner's duty. Now enough talk, move it kid! I ain't got all day!" he said as he gestured Serpent to move with his white pistol.

The following minutes were spent in total silence. Shield was holding his black rifle in a ready position. The goons were still passed out, their bonds still in place.

There was a sudden roar of engines around the park as a large aircraft descended into the now-devastated plaza. Its shiny chrome plating sporting the painting of a mechanical eagle swooping down. It had two engines on its wings, shifting from horizontal to vertical as it made its approach. As the craft landed with a thud, the back door hissed open to reveal sixteen Seraphs in blue uniforms. Most of them were holding the Hermes Pattern Rifles while only four held a compact version, which Shield could identify as the Parasprite SMG.

The soldiers moved about their craft, pointing their guns to the outside. From the ramp descended one last passenger, a turquoise-haired woman wearing a padded blue tank top, camo pants, leather bracers on each forearm, a Parasprite on her right and a sword strapped to her left hip. Her black wings folded themselves as she scanned her surroundings. "Secure the area men, we got ten minutes to high-tail back to Cloudsdale if I want to see my show." she said with an air of authority.

"Whiplash! How are you?" asked the blond soldier as he stepped forward and motioned for a hug.

"Put a sock on it Papa Bear, this bust had better be worth my time or I'll have..." she began scolding as Shield took out the confiscated drugs. "Pegasus's wings, that shit can't be good." Twilight handed Shield the data pad, with the documentation ready to show. "Well, at least that shit's done."

As the librarian backed down she noticed that Rainbow Dash was landing just left to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just finishing up my work when I saw that thing land, and since I recognize the eagle I thought I might stick around." answered the weather girl casually.

"You mean the mechanical eagle on the side of that aircraft? What's so special about it?" asked Twilight.

"You don't know? That's the Warhawks's logo. Don't you know?"

"My specialty is not in the Armed Forces."

"Yeah, anyways, what are Cloudsdale soldiers doing here?"

"Shield asked their Commissioner, Whiplash I think is her name, to take the thugs who beat up Fluttershy to jail."

"Really? Wow, your friend is definitely something. I hear he beat them up single-handed." Rainbow said as she looked at the Seraph Commissioner. "Is that Whiplash?" she shouted aloud as she walked toward the couple of warrior.

Both of them turned their gaze to look at her. "Is that Rainbow Dash, the world's fastest Seraph?" asked Whiplash as she began to recognize her.

"Buck yeah!"

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought Spitfire had accepted you into the Wonderbolts."

"They still haven't accepted me in, maybe because they think I'm too good for them." said Rainbow as she lifted her hair with her left hand.

"How do you two know each other?" asked Shield with a puzzled look.

"We met in Flight School back in Cloudsdale. She was the fastest one while I was the strongest one."

"Figures." replied Shield coldly.

"So you ready to jail these jerks for hitting Fluttershy?" interrupted Rainbow.

"These assholes did what? I thought we were accusing them of selling Pixie Dust?" snapped the female Commissioner as she stared at him with Alice blue-eyes.

He jerked back as he prepared to refute. "We are, that and also with several other charges, including: disturbing the peace, unprovoked assault upon an innocent bystander, use of solid projectile weapons and the worst of all, being the biggest assholes in this part of Equestria."

"Okay, promise me you'll keep an eye on Fluttershy. That girl means a lot to us."

"Sure thing boss, and here's the paperwork." he said as he put the tablet forward.

With a swift move she pulled out a black device and bumped it against his. "Good to know that for once you have your papers on time." said Whip as she turned to face Rainbow dash. "I'll be back soon for that rematch you owe me Crash. Oh and Shield, you got any new moves for the tests?" she turned to her soldiers who were loading the prisoners to the large craft. "Hawks, back to the bird!" she commanded as she spun her index and middle fingers in small circles.

All soldiers immediately flew toward the back of the VTOL, before it took to the air while the back closed. Three seconds later it disappeared with a large boom.

"You really got to love the Albatross VTOLs, those things are effing fast!" said Shield as he turned on his heels and began walking so fast it almost appeared he was running.

"What did she mean by new moves?" shot Twilight as she froze him in place.

"I kinda have to come up with something new to prove that I have not been scratching my buttocks for the last five years or so. A task like this naturally requires months of training..." he said as he failed to meet her eyes, desperately trying to drop the subject.

"And am I correct in guessing you forgot about this crucial part of your job entirely?" retorted Twilight as she approached him.

"I'm sorry, but I thought that taking some R&R after the Manehattan Operation was a reason for me to stop worrying about the tests." he said enraged as he holstered his rifle. "Now if you will excuse me I need to go home and have a little cry while I think of new career paths." He soon left without letting anyone talk back.

Chapter 12

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Chapter 12
The following morning Twilight arrived to Cadence's current residence at eight o'clock with a plan. She knocked on the door two times, waiting for a response form inside. She started looking around before Cadence opened the door. "Hey Twi! What are you doing here so early?"

"I was just hoping to catch Shield before he started his day so I could show him the schedule I had prepared for him." said the librarian as she presented a rolled-up scroll of parchment. "Did I miss him?"

"Yes you did, he left an hour ago wearing his training clothes. He prepared himself a smoothie and bolted out the door. I know this will sound strange but I think he was very stressed when he left, because he didn't even bother to say goodbye. He was just muttering to himself. Do you know why?"

"I have a hunch which I'm sure is right that he's nervous about the tests. Cloudsdale's Commissioner was here yesterday and asked him if he had any moves to show, to which he simply froze. I asked him if he was ready and he tried to justify his irresponsibility. That's why I'm here, I came up with simple magic techniques which might help him pass. Also I devised a plan to have him help Applejack and Fluttershy. If my plan works he could be fit by the time the tests begin." said Twilight confidently as she showed her roll.

"And do you have a backup plan? You know that Shield has a habit of rendering most strategies useless by simply going insane." Asked the Princess with a yawn.

"No, I don't. I didn't believe I would need one. But there's a good chance that my plan will work because it's very detailed and even he can see the logic behind it. All I have to do is get him to follow me and the rest will do itself. And by the end of the week we will have a saner Commissioner than yesterday."

Cadence looked surprised. "I forgot that you're no longer that simple girl I used to care for back in Canterlot." she said as memories of the past coursed through her mind. "You grew up so fast."

"I know. Sometimes I wish I could return to a time when my biggest problem was finishing my bowl of potato salad. Now it's all pressure and studies." said the librarian with a sigh.

"Do you want to wait for him inside? I'm preparing a pot of coffee and I don't want to drink it alone."

"Sure thing!"

They went inside the house, each grabbing a ceramic cup filled with the caffeinated drink that allowed them to recover their energy. They started discussing small events, such as Shining Armor's talks of a new show in Canterlot.

"So you're saying that Shining was asked to provide extra security for some gladiator event proposed by Count Pearl? I thought Celestia had banned them eons ago!" said Twilight in disbelief. The thought of having a bunch of people killing each other seemed to be too barbaric for the city.

"Yeah, but he somehow managed to convince her that it was a good idea. And Shiny told me to keep it a secret, so please don't tell anyone."

"You know you can count on me, I won't say a word to anyone." said Twilight before the door swung open to reveal a sweaty blonde wearing a grey tank top imprinted with a black double-headed eagle, matching grey pants and polished black combat boots. His entire body gleamed with stinky sweat, except for his shirt, which seemed to remain unaffected by the perspiration.

"Good morning ladies, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Shield Heart said as he grabbed a nearby towel to clean the sweat off his face. "Cuz I just went out for a jog around town and it was great!"

"Good morning to you too. Are you ready to help me with some problems across town?"

"You think you could give me ten minutes to shower? I doubt that people would want to smell me." he said as he began climbing the stairs and tapping a bead on his right ear.

"Of course, I'll just wait here with Cadence I guess." said Twilight before realizing that her former babysitter had left. "Or I can wait alone. That works too."

Seven minutes later Shield descended the stairs wearing a grey shirt, his dragon scale vest, jeans, red sneakers and a thin Commissioner's Greatcoat. "So what do you have in mind Miss Twilight?" he asked as he tightened the leather bracers.

"Applejack told me she needed some help in the farm, they needed help getting the apples down from the trees before cider season begins. I told her I would ask if you could help us, I'm sure you're good at punching trees"

"That's all I have to do? Punch trees? Well, I guess it's good therapy. But I'll do it under one condition."

"And that is?"

"You will have to submit yourself to basic firearms and self-defense training with your friend Rarity. If you plan on being an Auxiliary the least you could do is learn to defend yourself." he said as he cocked Ash and Snow. His holsters were very well concealed behind the coat, latching themselves to the sides of his vest armor.

Twilight thought for a second. The idea of learning how to use a gun and her body to inflict harm did not exactly appeal to her, but she knew it was something that could come in handy in the future. "Why did you mention Rarity? Why can't I take these lessons on my own?"

"Because she told me she wanted to continue with the classes I gave you a while ago. And the last thing I want is rumors flying about that I'm spending too much time with your fashionista friend. Rumors tend to damage your image." he said dismissively as he holstered his guns.

"So your plans to counteract possible rumors of you having a relationship with a woman is to have two women constantly around you?" she asked in disbelief.

"Of course, everyone knows that you're a killjoy so that way nothing will happen. Also I want to nominate you for Librarian so later you can be my Second-in-Command. And I can't do that If you can't defend yourself in our tests." he replied as he opened a bottle of soda with Snow.

"What?!" asked a dumbfounded Twilight as she tried hard not to spit the last of her drink. "Did you just say: Participate in my tests? As in: I will have to take the same trials as you?"

Shield froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I'm so sorry, I didn't expect you would actually think it was true! Of course you don't have to take the test. Avoid it like the plague if you can, but you can still do it if you would like. It gets you into the payroll." he said as he took a gulp of his soda.

"Shield, don't you think it's a little too early for soda?" asked Cadence as she put down the laundry basket on the floor.

"Don't you think it's too late to rethink your life?" he asked condescendingly as he took another gulp of soda and exhaled in delight.

"What does that have anything to with this?"

"It's a vague attempt to divert your attention from the matter that I'm drinking soda at eight in the morning." he said as he finished his drink and walked out the door. "Come along Twilight, we have a day full of things to do and I will not waste another minute of it!"

As he strode out the door Twilight followed close by trying to keep up the pace. "Could you please slow down?" she asked.

"There are no brakes in the pain train woman, learn to keep up." he responded with bravado as he continued walking without any sense of direction.

"But you don't even know where you're going." she snapped as she grabbed his shoulder and attempted to stop him.

Shield turned around, a frown transforming into a smile as he said. "Then please lead the way!"

The walk to the Apple Farm took over fifteen minutes, as there was little blocking them from reaching their objective. The farm was busy as always, Applejack was busily bashing trees with her feet while Big Macintosh effortlessly pulled the loaded carts.

"Who's that ogre pulling the cart?" he asked as he pointed toward the man wearing a red plaid shirt.

"That's Big Macintosh, Applejack's big brother. They've both been working in this farm for years, and still keep it running even after several mishaps. You'll never find a more dependable duo in all of Equestira."

"I'd say you're wrong, but I get your point."

"C'mon, let me introduce you to Big Mac and see what you can help them with."

They approached the farm brothers as these were unloading a cart of apples unto the barn.

"Hey there Twilight, what can Ah help ya with?" asked the blonde as she clapped her hands free of dirt.

"Hey Applejack, I was just bringing Shield to see if you needed any help around."

The farmer hesitated for a moment as she scanned the Commissioner. "Ah'm sorry Twi, but we got all the help we need..." she began as a thin man, clad in a white dress shirt, leather pants and vest decorated with a silver star, and wearing a brown stetson hat, emerged from the barn. His belt carried a shiny silver revolver with an ivory grip and a bowie knife on the left hip.

"Why hey there Shield, nice ta see ya here!" said the man as he cleaned his hands. "Didn' think I'd see ya here of all places!"

"Breaburn! What are you doing here? How's Appleloosa?" said the blond soldier as he tried to shake the surprise from his face.

"Great, much better now that the Bull Tribe have been helpin' us. Ah asked the Rangers to give me a week vacation ta spend some time with ma favorite cousins." responded the cowboy. "So what're ya holding up? I heard about the suspension."

"Could be better if there was more trouble." sighed Shield.

"Wait, you two know each other?" asked Applejack with surprise.

"Of course ah do! Remember about that psycho that attacked the dust coyotes a couple of years ago?" he asked as his cousin nodded her head. "This is him!"

"He's the one that rode a horse into a dust cloud while hollerin' nonsense?"

"That nonsense were actually ancient incantations used by Bull Shamans to appease the ancient spirits. Without those hollers Appleloosa would be nothing more than a ghost town!" shot Shield defensively.

"There's no need to get upset man, she's just makin' sense of things." intervened Braeburn as he tried to calm down his friend. Shield complied, returning to a relaxed stance. "So anyways, how about me an' Shield take care of the South Field huh cousin?"

"Ah guess ya can. Jus' don't destroy any of the trees, those things are about as old as Granny Smith herself." said the farmer as she faced Twilight. "Yer gonna go with them, right? To keep an eye on him."

"Sorry Applejack, but I really have to get some more parchment. Don't worry, he won't disobey your orders, and I'm sure Braeburn can stop him if he gets out of hand." said the librarian as she started to walk away.

"Ya better be right." murmured Applejack as she showed them to their materials.

.oOo.

Removing apples from a tree, or bucking as it was known in this town, was easier than he thought. Not only was it a great form of exercise but it was also therapeutic. All he had to do was set up the baskets on the ground, and he could begin a barrage of punches until all apples fell to the floor. They went without conversation for three hours, mostly because they had

"So," started Braeburn as he picked up a casket and set it on the cart. "what do ya do around here for fun? Ah doubt you can make as much chaos here than you did in Vanhoover."

"It's certainly more peaceful, but you can be surprised to know that there's some dangerous shit just waiting to eat you alive." said the blond soldier after he punched a tree.

"Ah know, ma cousin told me 'bout an ursa minor that came walkin' in here an' Granny Smith told me 'bout the timberwolves that live in the woods."

"Really? I've never hunted timberwolves before."

"Maybe we can go huntin' for some later. I could use the distraction from all of this work."

"How about we go tomorrow? I have to take care of my new students."

"Students? Ah thought yer sister was the only student you ever wanted."

"That's right, but the Princess has other plans. She's seen to it that I train her student and her fashion friend."

"Really?" asked the ranger incredulous. "And have you considered establishing a relation beyond master-student?"

"Twilight has told me she is interested in being an Auxiliary."

"And you believe her?"

"I have to, she's the best hope I have to get unsuspended. I'm sure she's just tagging along because she's ordered to."

"Ye sure 'bout that? You're a mighty interestin' guy."

"But when her brother tries to convince her to not take me in when I didn't have a home it makes me suspicious. That and the fact that she is somewhat repulsed by my style."

"Not surprised considering you kicked a banshee into that cactus trap you set up."

"Hey! That trap would have worked if that monster hadn't seen it. And after all those hours I spent making it the least it could do was pretend to be surprised."

"Okay, but ya have t'admit that that no one besides you would dare kick 'im while you had a gun on yer back."

"I had to be pragmatic about the situation. I was not going to waste bullets when a kick was more than enough. Also I had to see that display of fireworks, took me a good long while to get those fucking runes."

"Alright, so ya had to do it. End of discussion. Now tell me, do you have any sort of intention of establishing a stable relationship with anyone?"

As Shield thought about it an image of a blond woman with amethyst eyes flashed before him. Her face was familiar, slender and elegant. He soon recovered from the flash. "I don't think anyone in their right mind would consider dating me." he scoffed.

"Who knows, maybe you can find someone who would like t'meet an interestin' man such as yerself."

"Me? Interesting?"

"Of course! Who else has more war stories than you?"

"No one gives a shit about battles." grumbled Shield as he grabbed another basket and set it on the top floor of the wagon. The transport had a curious design, having two separate floors to place the baskets and avoid destroying the produce.

"Ah bet kids would love ta hear 'bout them. And maybe someone who loves history." exclaimed Braeburn as he adjusted his belt.

"Yeah, but kids aren't allowed to come near me. Too much ass-kicking happens near me."

"Not always, you did manage to entertain those kids while their teacher fended off a dust coyote."

"True, but I still don't think any woman would seriously think that I would make a good companion." said Shield as he cracked his knuckles. "Now how about we finish these last trees and we can go to lunch?"

"All right then, let's finish this." said the ranger with a smile.

.oOo.

Twilight Sparkle was near the train station on her way to Quills and Sofas when something in the platform caught her eye. A small girl, about ten years old, was walking around in a carefree manner. Her blond hair was tied with an elaborate braid decorated with a purple bow on the end. Her white blouse, khaki pants and brown vest were pristine clean and could not attract attention if it weren't for the white and pink bow next to a yew bo staff strapped to her back.

Each weapon looked unique enough to deserve some advanced description. The bow's upper and lower limb looked more like the white wings of a bird, with the details on the feathers painted in pink. When the little girl turned around the librarian was able to see the weird mechanism that comprised it. The arrow rest was replaced by a thin tube, and the string had a handle where one would place an arrow. The tube and handle connected themselves perfectly, and Twilight suspected they were a firing mechanism she hadn't seen before.

The staff had been painted white and had pink runes painted across. And that was just about it, aside from weapons that looked like they could fit a little girl there was nothing extraordinary about her. The girl hopped from the edge of the platform and approached Twilight. "Hello ma'am." she said with a bow. "Do you happen to know where I can find an arcade?"

Twilight was shocked, partly because of the bow and the other part because the girl reminded her of someone. "I'm not sure, but you could always ask around, the town is small so if they do have an arcade they will know."

The girl looked a tad disappointed. "Very well, thanks for telling me!" she said as she perked right up and began skipping through the dirt road.

Twilight started thinking about just what had happened, but stopped when she saw a couple looking around nervously. The man had a very athletic build, and wore winter-camouflage fatigues. His dark blue hair was cut very short, his eyebrows were trimmed and the light eyebags showed some exhaustion. The woman had a swirling mix of beige tones on her hair, which contrasted with her dark green sundress. Her wings were actually camouflaged by the dress, only visible when she spread them to cover herself from the sun.

He continued looking around as if he had lost something, and then directed his gaze toward the librarian. "

"I'm sorry to bother you miss, but have you seen a little girl about yei-high..." said the man as he placed his hand on his hip to gesture the size of the girl. "with purple eyes, blond hair, a white staff and a wing bow?"

"As a matter of fact I have." said Twilight. "She went around looking for an arcade. But don't worry, she can't get lost, the town is pretty small."

The man's face immediately tensed. "Dammit, I knew we shouldn't have left her alone. Thanks a lot miss, you've been very helpful." he then began pacing around, and gave one loud shout: "Hawk Eye please get back here!"

Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

Shield Heart was finally pulling the apple-saturated cart into the barn, sighing in relief as he got rid of the heavy load, when he heard a very high-pitched scream. The noise was coming from the nearby forest, and it was undoubtedly a sound of distress. Braeburn was next to the soldier when the scream came, and immediately ran to one side of the barn to grab his unique lever action rifle. Shield took some time to pull out his thin glasses and turned his face toward the direction of the scream.

As the sound continued a particularly distressed Seraph with yellow wings and pink hair came out of the woods. She sped past the Commissioners and headed for the farmer, who for a while was resting from her tiring morning. "Applejack, I need your help! Mr. Snuggles refused to take his medicine and has gone wild!"

"So waddaya need me for?" asked a confused Applejack.

"Well, um. It's kind of complicated, Mr. Snuggles attacked a pack of timberwolves and they're following him."

"So ye want me ta help ye fend 'em off?"

"Yes, and also I need you to knock him out..." started the vet before Shield stepped in.

"I could do it. I'll take care of them." he said as he tapped his pistols.

Fluttershy's fear turned into pure panic when he intervened. Her body was still bruised from yesterday, with a couple of scars that were very fresh. "Oh why hello there mr. Shield almost didn't see you there..."

"Don't worry about that, most people rarely do. So where is this inconvenience of yours?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I really don't want to bother you." she said apologetically.

"Don't worry about that, I'd be delighted to do it for you! What's a Commissioner if he can't defend his town? C'mon Brae, let's go hunting!"

"But really, you don't have to..." replied the pink-haired woman as she hovered in front of him. Shield stopped and gave her a baffled look.

"You're worried I'll kill your bunny, aren't you?" he asked smugly.

"He's not a bunny..." she looked at him.

"Then what is he?" he asked smugly. And as if his words were magical, a large kodiak bear erupted from the trees on the outskirts of the farm. The bear seemed to come out of a work of fiction: standing two, maybe even three meters tall, on it's hind legs and with its red-brown fur carefully groomed. It gave a loud roar and raised its claws into the air. What made Shield think this was a joke was the top hat and monocle the animal wore

"Mr. Snuggles, really? What, was the name Mr. Bloodthirst taken?" he asked rhetorically as he activated his gloves.

"Please don't kill him!" she cried. "He's very sweet." The bear then charged, tearing through the wooden fence without a problem and was aiming directly at its nurse.

Braeburn took aim, and Shield took out a part of his black carbine. He flipped the stock and snapped a holographic scope hidden inside his coat. As he took aim he flipped off the safety and turned the danger dial to yellow. "On your go Brae."

With a nod, the ranger fired his gun three times. All three seemed to singe the hairs of the charging beast. "Damn!" he cursed.

Shield as he fired a bolt of crimson magic. The bolt penetrated the bear's skull and knocked it unconscious, its tongue sticking out comically. "And that's how we do it in the Legion."

Fluttershy rushed to her fallen animal, making sure that it was still alive. When she checked for a pulse she let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought you said that there was a pack of timberwolves chasing him?" and as if his words had power, five timberwolves roared.

"That's it? Just five? I was hoping for more like a thousand, or at least a dozen. That way there could be an actual sport." he complained as the golems advanced, their wooden jaws riddled with splinters. "Come at me bro!" he roared slammed his fists together.

One of them lunged at him, only to be destroyed by a punch to the head. The blow shattered the wooden frame, and a second punch dismantled the body. "C'mon you twigs, is that the best you can do?"

Two more charged at him, while the remaining force jumped past him. Braeburn began firing his rifle, cocking the lever after every shot to dispense the heat.

Big Macintosh emerged from the barn as soon as he heard the chaos. "What in tarnation..." he started before seeing a timberwolf charge at him. He responded by delivering a punch to its nose. The magnitude was so great that his fist turned the entire body of the wolf to splinters.

Shield fended off another swipe from one of his opponent's paws, his barrier absorbing the energy. He rolled to his right, shooting his carbine at the joints. The bullets managed to pierce through, but did nothing to stop the beast from mauling at him. He turned to see his first victim rebuild itself and chase after him. "Great, these things are golems?" he asked as he punched another one, shattering its jaw.

"Of course, didn't ya read the bestiary?" asked the Ranger as he blasted his opponent's stomach, releasing a ton of miasma as the projectiles pierced the wood.

"Fuck no! I never thought I would have to face these things!" answered the blond brigadier as he ripped a jaw from its body. He turned to face the ogre-like man. "Hey, think you could get the girls out of here?" The man nodded in agreement and ushered his sister and her friend inside.

He dropped his gun and pulled out his pistols, dodging a ferocious paw in the process. With a dozen bullets from either gun the enemy had lost its head, leaving the rest of the body completely limp. A second wolf attacked with its mouth, grabbing Shield and almost penetrating the barriers with the sharp log-fangs. He reacted by putting both barrels on its eyes and focusing his energy, pulling the triggers with the intent of destroying the monster. He got what he wished for. The head exploded in splinters splattering chips of wood, leaves and some light blue miasma all over the ground.

Shield got back on his feet, his guns hissing from overheating. He holstered them and delivered a magic ball with the cannon mounted on his hand. He continued with nine more shots, each directed to target a different extremity. To his surprise the wolf dodged most, losing only it's back-left paw. Using three legs and a stub it launched itself at him, knocking out his barriers as it sent him crashing through the barn doors.

"That's it bitch, you're gonna taste this bad motherfucker's medicine one way or the other!" he yelled as he extended his right hand and allowed his never-ending knot tattoo to glow. The wolf ignored his theatrics, as its foot reattached itself and it prepared for another strike.

The other golem redirected its attention to Braeburn, lowly growling with every step as it drew closer.

A roar of thunder was heard, and with a flash a winged claymore appeared in the sky. It fell like a meteor and pinned the wolf by its neck. "Ha! Bet you weren't expecting that were you birch?!" Shield laughed as he rushed to grab the sword and pull it out. He raised it above his head and impaled the monster.

Braeburn was having a tougher time, the first monster he had killed had regenerated and managed to swipe his rifle from his hands. He jumped back, barely dodging another swipe. He managed to grab his revolver and secure his footing. In an impressive display of skill he used his left hand to pull the hammer back and his right hand to pull the trigger. In a matter of seconds he had managed to shoot fifty bullets, enough bolts to severe a front leg.

The wooden golem howled in pain and backed down, preparing its hind legs for a pounce. Breaburn holstered his pistol and dove for his rifle. he managed to grab it and took aim. "Aim for their heart!" he shouted as he fired three bolts to the leaping beast's underbelly. The bullets managed to break the skin, revealing a light blue core at the center.

Shield nodded as he pulled out his sword, powering it with his magic as he gripped it tightly. The long blade was covered with crimson mist, which then mutated into a serrated chain. "Come on!" Shield shouted as he tightened his grip, causing the mist to move.

The timberwolf took the bait, charging forward and pounding at the blond soldier. Shield moved his sword over his right shoulder, calculating the trajectory of the incoming beast. As the beast approached him he cleaved its right flank, activating the serrated chain upon impact.

The chained claymore began tearing through the wood, showering chips of wood over the place. The strength of the swing was great enough to launch the golem out of the way. the beast crashed against an appletree, almost uprooting it with the momentum.

The wolf moved away from him, only to have its right front leg blown up by two pistols. "Oh no you don't you fucking stump!" Using his mana to double his strength he lept into the air, forming a small crater as he left the ground. "Banzai!" he screamed as he drove his sword at the timberwolf's heart, the red mist shifting from chain to a shiny glaze. He slashed in a vertical fashion, cleanly separating the monster in half. The only thing to avoid the magical cleave was a turquoise crystal heart.

He retracted his gloves to pick up this object, but dropped it immediately when his hand reacted to the searing temperature. With a deep breath he picked it up again, sensing an abnormal amount of mana within the crystal. He drained enough energy to recover from his attacks, but there was still enough for the beast to rebuild itself. He tossed it in the air and slashed it cleanly. As the halves fell to the floor they release a large amount of the miasma that had been a substitute of blood. "There, it's done."

Braeburn was struggling with his wolf, as it kept escaping every time he managed to get a clear shot at the heart. "Dammit stand still!" he would yell as it fled the projectiles.

"Want some help?" Shield asked as he put down his sword and relaxed for a moment.

"No thanks, Ah can get this one myself." answered Braeburn.

After minutes of deliberated stalling the wolf charged, and the ranger answered with a flurry of magical bullets. The monster trampled, rolling violently toward Braeburn. But he ran toward it, somersaulting as he placed more shots on it. Once it stopped moving it limped its way to face him, but it was too late for it. The ranger had already gotten on top of it and using his revolver to blast the gem. "An' that's how Appleloosa Rangers git 'er done."

Shield clapped slowly. "That's some fin work indeed, though if this were a contest I totally beat you."

"Say what now? Ah won!" responded the orange-haired ranger as he patted out the chips of wood from his clothes.

"Like hell you did! I beat faster than you!" he said as he tried to hide a smile. They burst out laughing as they realized the ridiculousness of their squabble.

.oOo.

"Will that be all?" asked the cashier as she bagged the novel Twilight had just bought.

"Um yes, of course. Here." responded the librarian as she handed her a bill.

"Thank you, here's your change and have a nice day miss Twilight!" said the cashier with a smile.

"Thanks, you too." said the librarian as she stepped outside. She heard a rumble, and turned her head to see the Apple Farm. Everything was normal except for a cloud that was a little too low to be normal. "What the?" she began wondering to herself before she was pushed by a little girl. "Hey!"

"So sorry ma'am!" exclaimed the little girl as she un-holstered her winged bow, pulled the handle and shot a pink bolt that split itself in two and stuck to the two closest beams of wood sticking out. She pressed hard on her bow and was shot into the air. She seemed real familiar, she looked like someone she knew. But she just couldn't nail it down.

Twilight was left with a baffled look until the man with blue hair ran toward her, pausing to catch his breath while the Seraph with green wings landed next to him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"We're fine, it's just that..." he said between pants as he started studying her. "wait a second." he took out a picture from his wallet and placed it next to her. "You're Twilight Sparkle?"

"Uh, yes, that's me. And you are?"

"I'm Enforcer Fire Storm of Vanhoover. This is my fiancee, Crystal Rose." he said as he gestured to himself and the Seraph. "Do you know what's in that direction?"

"The Apple Farm is over there, who was that little girl?"

"That handful? That's Hawk Eye, Shield's adopted little sister." said Crystal.

"That's his.. wait. WHAT!" asked Twilight as she tried to recover from the brain overload she experienced.

Chapter 14

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Chapter 14

"Miss Sparkle, are you okay?" asked a concerned Crystal Rose as she waved her hand in front of Princess Celestia's prized student.

Twilight was too busy thinking: under what universe was Hawk Eye Shield's adopted sister? They looked very alike. She might have believed that they were biological brothers, but saying that they are adopted really made her believe that they were playing some sort of prank on her. Serpent King's theory that she was actually her bastard child seemed far more plausible than what they said.

"She's not buying it. She got a pretty good look at her and won't accept it." said Fire Storm as he snapped his fingers in front of Twilight. "Am I right?"

The purple-haired librarian snapped from her thinking and thought of an appropriate answer. "Uh, of course I did. What made you think otherwise?" she said nervously as she tried to back away from the potentially dangerous Commissioner. Sure she knew they worked for Equestria, but she still didn't trust Shield and his randomness. Why should this man be any different?

"Because you are ridiculously bad at lying, that's why. Don't think I'll murder you to keep some dark secret hidden. We're not the Brotherhood of Night." he said in a calming voice. "Have you heard another theory that makes more sense than what we just said?"

"Uh..." she mumbled as she tried to think of something. "no, I haven't."

"I did hear about that gang's arrest you know. So if the leader told you some sort of rumor let me tell you right now: it's a lie. No one has been able to prove it."

"What?" asked Twilight nervously. "What made you think that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Look, I know it's hard for you to accept that you thought that unreliable information was plausible. Trust me if I didn't know the truth I would have believed you. But everything Count Pearl Lance has spread about Shield are lies."

"Honey, stop being so defensive!" intervened his girlfriend. "Sorry about that, he tends to get really worked up whenever someone says anything potentially insulting about himself or his friends." she said before chuckling. "You can say he gets fired up."

"That would have been funny if I hadn't heard it ten times just this month." he said drily.

Twilight found herself smiling at the bad pun. "There's no shame in admitting you believed him. I did too myself when Pearl tried to persuade me to join him." said the green-winged woman.

"How about this, we go in that direction and drop this subject entirely? We already know what you wanted to hide in the first place so why bother having you admit it." said Fire as he began walking toward the Apple farm. "So, what's over there?"

"It's the Apple Farm. My friend Applejack and her family pretty much run the place."

"Wait, are these people related to commissioner Braeburn?"

"Yes, they're his cousins. As a matter of fact Braeburn was at the farm when I dropped Shield off."

The commissioner stopped on his steps. "You sent him to work in the farm? Did you trick him into a mission or something like that?"

"Yep. He just told me that I would have to sign up for training."

"Oh Celestia, he's already dragged an innocent victim into his schemes." sighed the woman. "Fire, you have to tell him to stop it! We can't let him create another Yard Bird, or worse: another Hawk Eye!"

"Sweetie, I think Shield knows better than to try to convert Celestia's own student into a psychotic murderer. And anyways, Yard Bird isn't evil. She's just... misunderstood."

"Okay, so she's had a rough childhood. That doesn't give her permission to become a vigilante! And it was all thanks to him!" exclaimed Crystal.

"True, but Shield didn't intend to turn her psychotic. He just wanted to help." he pointed out.

"Sorry to interrupt, but what are you talking about? Is this something I should know?" interrupted the librarian, thinking that maybe it would have been better if she had shut up.

"Oh, maybe. Yard Bird is this girl Shield saved during the unofficially named Triad Wars. Her parents were caught in a cross fire and she managed to survive by hiding in the sewers. Shield found her and immediately took her in. He trained her in martial arts and she got the idea of fighting what he calls The Good Fight. So yeah, he did create a monster of sorts. But it's not like he'll convince you to train so you can carry out your own vendetta. Contrary to what most nobles think, he isn't stupid. Insane, yes. But dangerously intelligent when you dare challenge him." he chuckled. "Think it helps?"

Twilight realized she should have listened to her instincts. "Thanks for the update. At least it's something interesting to add to my notes. And here I thought that Free Will had told me everything."

Fire turned to look at her. "You know Mr. Will?"

"Of course I do. He lives here in Ponyville, and he's been helping me with my assignment."

"So it was true. I thought Celestia had given up on reforming Shield after her previous plan backfired horribly." said the commissioner.

"And what plan was that?" asked Twilight intrigued. If there was something worse than making a plan is making a plan that has already failed.

"Letting Hawk Eye live with him. She thought that the responsibility of caring for a child would slow him down. It worked to some degree, Shield became a little less suicidal than before. What she didn't expect was that he unintentionally created another Shield."

"Why does he train young, innocent girls in fighting?" asked Twilight, her face somewhat concerned at the fact that she could fit in that particular bill.

"Fatherly instinct. He wants to protect his two girls, mostly Hawk Eye because he's already realized that Yard is old enough to take care of herself."

"So he trains his sister to make sure she can fend for herself in case he dies?" realized Twilight as he finished his statement. "And because he's a soldier and a commissioner he knows he can die at any moment."

"Well well, she is smart. And here I thought Shining Armor was just embellishing her." he responded. "That's it. I find it odd he didn't tell you about her. He always makes sure to show her off to every single friend he meets." it then dawned on him. "He doesn't consider you his friend yet."

"Really? You say he doesn't consider me my friend because he hasn't told me about his adopted sister?" asked the librarian in disbelief. "He's saved me from a manticore, he's taught me about guns and he's even done what I suggested him to do. What would you call that?"

"That would be him being him. He probably considers you to be his superior, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't consider you his friend. Not by a long shot."

"But we will help you in any way we can, right honey?" declared Crystal as she gave her fiance a stern look.

"Of course we will! You don't need to threaten me. Damn, you're even worse than my mother!"

"And yet you still gave me a ring." said Crystal as she hugged his arm.

"Maybe that's because I'm a masochist." he said as he kissed her. "That or I'm crazy."

"Maybe Shield has finally started rubbing off on you." she replied as she kissed back.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have two questions." intervened Twilight as she stopped.

"Oh of course, ask away I guess." replied the blue-haired commissioner as he corrected his posture.

"First of all. Why are you here?" her eyes were showing distrust, but at the same time they showed curiosity.

"That?" he paused for a second. "That is actually a good question. We came here for two reasons. One, to take care of Hawk Eye as she changes homes. And secondly, to be here for Shield's birthday."

"Shield's birthday? When's that?"

"It's next week. June ninth to be exact. Didn't he tell you?"

"No, I guess he must have missed that teensy little detail." Replied Twilight. Off in the distance she saw a thin hand wave at her from a shop. It was Rarity wearing white denim pants a black shirt and a white jacket. Her other hand was holding some shopping bags, probably from the sewing store behind her. Twilight motioned the commissioner and the woman to stop.

"What is it? Oh! I see, you want us to meet your friend?" said the soldier as he turned to see the seamstress approach them.

"Why hello Twilight! Fancy seeing you here." said the sapphire-eyed woman as she turned to see the visitors. "And who might your new acquaintances be?"

Fire stepped forward. "Allow me to introduce us. I am Count Fire Storm, Commissioner of Vanhoover." he said with a bow. "And this lovely woman is my fiancee Crystal Heart."

Rarity looked surprised when the word Vanhoover came after Commissioner. "Oh, so you must be friends with Shield Heart."

"Very good deduction ma'am."

"Yes, well, your face is familiar." she said. This response garnered a mean look from Crystal toward her soon-to-be husband.

"What?" retorted the commissioner as he tried to stop staring at the eyes. "I've never seen this woman before!" but it was to no avail. "I thought we had gotten over this two years ago! I am not like my brother! He's the womanizer not me! It's just bad luck that we look alike!" he shot out defensively.

"Oh dear Celestia, no I meant that I recognized you from a picture Shield has in his study. Shield told me it was from your first Spring Cleaning operation." she intervened quickly.

Crystal appeared to have calmed down as she stopped frowning. "Sorry, but you can never trust men. Last time I let him go alone his face was plastered all across the magazines, surrounded by scantily clad women and with the headlines: Forest Fire goes wild. And you seriously want me to trust you?"

"Yes!" he replied as he shoved her hand away. "That's why I gave you that ring you're wearing. It symbolizes that I am giving my life for you! I don't have eyes for other women!" he replied angrily."You very well know that

Crystal chuckled. "Isn't he just adorable when he gets fired up?"

With that sentence Fire Storm burst into flames. Not metaphorically, he really caught fire. Every strand of hair was replaced by blue flames, his face turning red with rage. "ENOUGH WITH THE FIRE PUNS!" he roared as his hair blasted upwards. "THEY'VE BEEN STALE FOR THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS!"

"Honey, calm down! You're scaring everyone!" quickly said Crystal as she tried to approach him. But he refused.

"I WILL NOT FUCKING CALM DOWN! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU CONSTANTLY MOCKING ME FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT!" He yelled. "WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE IT EASY ON ME FOR ONE..." he never got to finish because the Seraph had rushed to kiss him, shutting him up for good and extinguishing the fire in his hair.

"Because I love the way you defend our love every time I question it." she replied as she unglued her lips. "That's how I can tell people that you really love me."

"And is that a good reason to make me explode in anger every time we meet someone new?" he asked with an irritated look.

"Yes." she replied happily, earning her a grunt from the soldier.

"So, where were you headed? Ponyville Inn?" asked the seamstress as she tried to change the subject.

"Uh, no. We were actually headed in that direction." said Fire as he pointed toward the Apple Farm.

"You were going with Applejack? And is there a specific reason why you chose to go there? It doesn't seem like a particularly romantic option." said Rarity as she groomed her wavey hair.

"Shield Heart is in that direction, and soon so will his little sister." he replied as he straightened his fatigues. "And we need to be there when they meet, otherwise..." he shiverd "I don't want to think about it."

"Oh, I do recall him mentioning having a sister. Do you mind if I join you your highness?" asked the seamstress as she reintegrated herself.

"Your highness?" asked Twilight, her face sporting a very confused look.

"Of course darling, he is Count Fire Storm. You know, the royal family of Seraphs? Like The Bloods and The Precious? Surely you remember." retorted Rarity.

"Wait, you are from the Storm Family? Why don't you have wings?"

"Twilight, you can't just go asking counts why they don't have wings! It's not polite." said Rarity defensively.

"Nah, it's all right." he said with a wave of his hand. "Most people have made that question so many times that it's odd when they don't ask. I'm a Mage in case my angry explosion didn't hint at it. It comes from my mother's side."

"Well then, how about we go and meet our mutual friend before we miss all the excitement." Rarity said as she increased her pace, her face saturated with glee as she imagined a reunion between a mad soldier and an innocent little girl.

Chapter 15

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Chapter 15

"So, Ah wanted t'thank y'all fer savin' the farm." said Applejack uneasily as she paced around the field. To be fair she was surprised they didn't wreck the place. From the stories Braeburn had told her, she should be standing in a field of burnt trees and be looking at a destroyed barn. Instead there was one damaged tree (which wasn't going to give fruit anyways) and a dented barn door, which didn't affect their daily lives.

"Don't sweat it cousin, Shield an' I are always glad t'help. Ain't that right Shield?" exclaimed commissioner Braeburn as he slapped the blond Vanhoover soldier as he tried to fit his sword inside his blue overcoat. In the heat of the moment Shield forgot that the town had a strict no weapons on sight policy that made it difficult to carry a two-meter long claymore around town. And he knew that it wasn't totally necessary, he could have beaten the crap out of those wolves with his fists. But after trading punches with those thugs Shield had been left yearning for sword action.

"Yeah, of course! There's nothing better than punching and slashing wild animals to brighten your day." he said with a smile as he refitted his sword. He hated the fact that his summoning rune only worked one-way, but he hated even more the fact that he couldn't carry it around town in the first place!.

"Well, if ye need any help ye can count on us. Anythin', juss say it." said Applejack as she faced the commissioner.

"Oh, come on. I was just doing my job..." he began before thinking. These people were farmers, and their main harvest was apples, and apples made cider and brandy, and these were things he would need for his upcoming birthday. "Maybe there is something you could do for me."

Braeburn looked at him in horror. "No, yer not draggin' her into our mess..." he began before he recieved a slap to the back of his head.

"It's not that! I need some spirits." he said, hoping to calm Brae down.

"Ye mean like cider 'n stuff?" she asked with a confused look.

"Yep. I'm gonna have a birthday party with all my commissioner friends. All three of you are invited of course, but I need something for my friends. Cider, beer, ale, mead, whatever you have I'm willing to pay good money. And if you start with the you can have them for free, it's the least we could do I will order an airship to come here and drop a metric ton of gold. That way you will be forced to accept the pay unless you can manage to carry that thing all the way to my house." he replied with a stern look.

"Ah wus gonna offer ya t'stay fer lunch, but Ah'm sure we could work sumthin' out." she said with a smile.

"That..." Shield began as his stomach rumbled. "is actually a good idea."

.oOo.

Rarity was looking at the couple of foreigners with curiosity. Count Fire Storm (or just "Fire" as he insisted) looked serious, his red eyes constantly surveying their surroundings. But he seemed lax, unlike Shield who usually had a hand in his guns.

Crystal Rose on the contrary, only turned to look at her soon-to-be husband. Her amber eyes never stopped looking at him.

"So..." began the seamstress as she tried to break the silence surrounding all four of them. "How did you two meet?" The tired look on his face was misinterpreted by the fashionista as she immediately backed down. "I'm sorry for asking, I just wanted to start a conversation."

"No. It's all right. I'm sorry, but I've been awake for the last thirty hours :yawn: and it's finally taking a toll on me." he said as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"I'll answer this one honey." answered Crystal as she patted his arm. "It was Shield's fault." Rarity stared at her in confusion. They seemed happy, yet she made it sound like it was a bad thing. "I mean that he's the reason why we met. I was an elementary school teacher about four years ago, and was in charge of Hawk Eye, Shield's little sister. So after one too many missed family meetings I sought to it that he became present to every meeting we had. That's when I found out about his unique status in the army.

"Taking pity on him I decided to become her second legal guardian, raising her whenever he wasn't around or even when Shield was off doing paperwork. I basically became Hawk's second mother. And naturally I began hanging out with them, which usually meant that I was with Fire. Two years worth of dating later we find ourselves here."

"That is quite... the story. Not what I would call swooning or daydream romantic, but it is most definitely original." stated Rarity as she checked her pockets and pulled out her vPhone. She had gotten a text from her parents, asking that they pick up Sweetie from school.

"Great, just when I thought I could get some...." she paused as she heard the caw of a black bird. This bird flew over the group and perched itself in Fire's hair. Rarity's instinct caused her to wave her hands to shoo the bird, but it had no intention of getting off it's new nest or even acknowledging her. "Shoo! Get off you ugly crow!"

To her surprise, the bird faced her and gave an angry caw as it narrowed its eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd think the bird had just been insulted. "Edgar, be nice." mumbled fire as he patted the bird.

"Is it yours?" asked Rarity with surprise. Crystal couldn't help but giggle as the bird scratched its neck using the beak. Twilight joined her, but because she found a small black cylinder strapped to its back.

"No, he isn't. He's Shield's." he grumbled, his eyes struggling to remain open.

"Is that a Canterlot Raven?" asked Twilight as she tried to to pat it. "I've heard that they're extremely smart." the bird lowered its head as the librarian tried to scratch its head. The raven gave a happy caw as she scratched.

"Correct on both accounts, I didn't know you were familiar with fauna." said Fire with surprise as he yawned once more.

"I'm not actually, that's my friend Fluttershy's specialty. But I do remember reading about the ravens and how Stern Root, master druid and proficient in all things nature, would teach the ravens to scout the forests and alarm him if anything ever went wrong."

"So did it actually feel insulted because I called it ugly?" asked Rarity with embarrassment.

"No, Edgar is better than that. He got angry at you because you said he was a crow. If there's one thing he hates more than being called dumb is being confused with a regular crow." he responded as he pointed at the farm and with one last cruck, the bird flew ahead of them.

.oOo.

Shield has been in several balls, fancy dinners, buffets and even in bonfire barbeques, but in no universe would he imagine that steak was better when it was prepared by an young woman in a farm in the most boring town in Equestria. Their meal was nothing like the celebrations to gluttony and bulimia better known as banquets back in Canterlot, quite the contrary. It was just some steak, some fresh vegetables, a cob of corn and some fresh apple cider. But even still, that steak could rival any chef's creation without blinking.

"Ah'm guessin' ye were hungry." said Applejack as she settled the plates inside their house. Although she and Fluttershy had already eaten they were surprised when the blond commissioner devoured his meal in a minute.

"Yeah, thanks for the steak. I promise that i'm telling the truth when I say that this is the best steak I've had in years." said Shield as he cleaned his mouth.

"Thanks fer the compliments, I've been usin' that recipe fer years. Homemade an' not any fancy stuff from restaurants." said the farmer proudly.

"No wonder it tasted so good." he said. He was about to continue with his praise when they all heard the call of a bird in the distance. Within minutes a large black bird perched itself in the window, tapping the glass with its beak with a distinct rhythm. "Edgar?"

"Git outta mah window ya varmint!" yelled Applejack as she flapped her arms. But the bird kept tapping.

"Wait, I think I know this bird." he said as he opened the door and the bird flew inside. The raven perched itself in his right shoulder, rubbing its feathers against his neck. He chuckled as the separated the bird. "You know I hate that."

Fluttershy was coming down the stairs after recovering from her shock. "I thought I heard a raven..." she began before noticing the bird. "Oh dear! Mister Shield, please don't shoot the bird on your shoulder." she said as she carefully approached him.

"Shoot Ed? He'd peck my eyes before I could grab my gun!" he exclaimed.

The veterinarian looked extremely puzzled. "You know this bird?" she asked.

"Of course! I bought Edgar about six years ago, right before I became a commissioner!" the bird squaked in agreement. "C'mon Ed, don't be rude and say hi to miss Fluttershy." commanded the blond soldier as the raven took flight and landed gently on the pink-haired zoologist's arm. It cawed once and lowered its head.

"Wow, I've never met a raven like you before." she said in amazement, her fear of the brigadier having evaporated in a second. "I can tell you are the third smartest bird I've ever met." she said in a voice used to talk to babies. The raven tilted his head to the right in puzzlement. "I'm sorry, but don't feel bad! Third place is pretty good!" she said rapidly as she tried to console the bird.

Shield whistled a short note and the bird quickly turned to look at him. "How did you get here?" he asked. The bird cawed once. Shield immediately sighed. "Fire's here, right?" the bird replied with one craw. "Of course. There's no way you would have flown all the way from Vanhoover."

"Wait a minute, Fire's here?" intervened Braeburn as he fixed his hat.

"Apparently if the bird's to be trusted. He didn't tell me he was coming." scoffed Shield. The bird returned to face Fluttershy. "I think he wants to know who's better than him."

"Oh, you can communicate with him?" asked veterinarian with surprise.

"Yep. And maybe with Koro, my sister's dog. I've been with Ed for about six years now and he's been an invaluable tool for scouting dark forests or large mountain ranges."

"So, you've trained this raven to help you fight?"

"What? No! He's trained for scouting. He flies over enemy lines, returnes and then we begin a game called Ed says. It pretty much goes like this: Ed, did you see monsters? And he goes..." he motioned the bird to react, and Edgar bobbed his head. "then we say, was it goblins? And he goes..." the bird shook its head. "and that's how it goes."

Fluttershy's face was filled with surprise. "I never would have guessed you were good with animals."

"I'm not." he shot. "It's just that Ed's a smart animal. But you are good with animals by the looks of it. Maybe there's stuff I could learn from you." he began pondering. "But that's for later, right now I have to think on how to feed..." he began counting with his fingers.

Applejack turned to her cousin. "Ain't this Fire feller the one ye warned me ta stay away like he's got flu?"

"Nah, that's Thunder yer thinkin' bout cous'. Fire's a decent feller." said the Ranger as he wrestled a few bits of corn out of his mouth with a toothpick.

"So anyways, I need about fourkegs barrels of cider, one bottle of brandy, four barrels of beer, one of ale and one of mead. What can you give me?" stated Shield as he sat down.

"Well, we do got some kegs of cider left. We got some brandy too, but fer the rest yer gonna have ta talk to Oak Cask. He runs the Chuggin' Dragon." said the blond farmer as she scratched her head.

"I think I know him. Well, how much for the cider and brandy?" he asked.

"Ah got three barrels of hard cider an' two barrels of regular. If ye want 'em Ah could give sell 'em at a hundred bits..."

"Sold!" shouted the commissioner as he pulled out a bill from his wallet and gave it to her. "So how about that brandy? How does fifty bits sound?"

Applejack immediately backed up. "What? Nah, that's too much. The brandy's twenty bits fer ya."

"I can't deny a good deal." he said as he paid up. "Think you can have them in my house the ninth of June?"

"Can do. Ah'll have have Big Mac take 'em there."

"Perfect, now if you'll excuse me I think I have to meet some friends." said Shield as he snapped his fingers to recall Edgar. "Miss Fluttershy, where do you live?"

The veterinarian looked surprised. "In the edge of the forest, why?"

"East or south of the town?"

"East." she asked with some worry.

"So you live somewhat close to me." he said in a low voice, mostly to himself. "I don't suppose you'd like me to escort you?"

She shook her head. "No thank you, I still have to give Mr. Snuggles his medicine."

"Very well. If you ever get into trouble just whistle loudly and Ed here will find you." said Shield as he opened the door and left the farmhouse. He walked for a couple of seconds before noticing that someone was coming up the road, or better said: some people.

He focused his eyes on the dirt road and saw four different hair colors: Dark blue, a swirl of beige, a uniform indigo and an azure hair with pink and purple streaks. "There's something missing..." he said as he looked at their waists.

Chapter 16

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Chapter 16

Shield continued scanning the four people, but failed to find someone that reached them to their knees. He walked over to Fire Storm, hoping to get some answers. "Fire Storm! What a surprise seeing you here!" he said as he opened his arms to hug his friend.

"Yeah sorry about coming here so suddenly, but Hawk Eye wanted to visit you." said the current commissioner of Vanhoover as he yawned loudly. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

"That's just what I was about to ask you." said Shield with a concerned look. "You haven't lost her, have you?"

Twilight looked at him in surprise. "She isn't here? I saw her sling herself with her bow." she turned to face Fire, whose face was imploring that she stop.

"You. WHAT?!" yelled Shield as he slapped his friend. "You lost her again?"

"She gave us the slip the moment that the train stopped. But she can't have gone far. I'm sure she saw the cloud." responded Fire as he nursed the attack.

"Miss Twilight, did you happen to see her?" Shield said as panic overcame him. "DID YOU SEE HER?!"

"Yes! She asked me if I knew where to find an arcade and I told her to ask around!" she shot out nervously. "Can you please not do that?"

"What? Panic?" he asked with a mocking look on his face. He pulled out his cellphone and began fiddling with it. In a couple of minutes he turned it off and put it back in its pocket. "Follow me." he declared as he began marching down the road, oblivious to the rest of the group.

"Where do you think you are going?" asked Twilight as she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I'm going to see my sister, if you don't mind." he said as he shoved her hand away.

"She can't get lost, the town's too small." she replied as she tried to calm the soldier down.

'I'm not worried about her getting lost," he exclaimed furiously. "I'm worried about her getting in trouble!"

"And I suppose you've already tracked her down." said Fire as he yawned.

"Of course I did, I can find her anywhere." he said angrily as he vaulted himself over a fence without caring for the rest.

Twilight reached for his arm once more, immediately releasing it when she felt several slight lumps on his wrist. "What the..." she wondered to herself as she began scanning the skin. She stopped the commissioner, pulling him back as he tried to worm his way out. On the surface there was no problem, aside from the fact that the black tattoo didn't feel like a tattoo. But the real problem was beneath.

Further meticulous revealed that the veins on his forearm had received several bumps, and there was only one reason as to why it could occur. "Is this tattoo a summoning rune?" she asked with a confused look.

"It's not a tattoo, it's body art." he quickly shot. "But yeah, it's a rune."

"So these bumps mean that you used your body as a medium, but why?" she ended the question with a tone that discouraged an answer. It was a question for herself. And then she noticed it, the handle of Shield's sword was sticking out awkwardly behind his back. "How in Celestia's name did you get that sword? You didn't have it on when we left your house..." then it finally made sense, even if it was less logical than any of Star Swirl's untested experiments. "You linked your sword to this rune?"

"Smart girl, can't believe you got that so quickly." Shield replied dryly as he wiggled his hand.

"But why? You could easily transfer a rune to a piece of paper or a charm. Why do you need to risk your hand?"

"Because it's insane and no sane human being would think about trying something like it." he said casually. "That and the fact that you can't take it away when you capture me. Unless you cut my arm, but no one expects this."

"So you're happy with risking your hand just in case you get caught?" asked Twilight, baffled by his statement. Shield broke free of her grip and continued with his past objective, getting to his sister.

"So long as he's got a week's worth of rest he doesn't care." interrupted Fire as he battled with his tired eyes. "You might want to slow down when interrogating him, or consider using his sister as your source of information."

"Or you can stop the hostilities and spend some time with him." contradicted the seamstress as she brushed her hair. She looked at the group, who had been eyeing her with incredulous faces. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

"Since when can you talk to Shield in the same way as a regular adult?" asked Crystal.

"Since some time." replied the sapphire-eyed seamstress as she tried to remove their incredulous gazes. "Why do you continue looking at me as if I were some sort of freak."

"Because he's not a grown-up." declared the green-winged Seraph. "How in Celestia's name did you manage to talk to him like an adult? He's usually either playing with Hawk or acting like a prepubescent gun nut."

"I do not think I follow. Shield Heart has acted a little immature..." said Rarity as she paused to think about the incident a few days back.

"If you're referring to the day we forced him out of his room after his three days of lock-down..." interrupted Twilight. "then we have seen him act immaturely."

"Three-day lock-down? This I gotta hear." said Fire as he slapped himself to get some adrenaline.

"If you don't mind I have to go pick up my sister from school, I will see you later." and so the seamstress departed, waving her hand as she disappeared.

"it was a couple of days ago, he confined himself to his room with nothing but his video games and a mysterious supply of soda, pizzas and milkshakes." said the librarian as she chuckled at the memory. "Cadence was trying to get him out of his room, but becoming frustrated decided to give me a call so that I could unlock the door. At first I tried a simple lock-picking spell," she paused for a moment.

"Which no doubt backfired horribly." added the soldier.

"Yes, I then had to resort to drawing a spell-symbol in the air."

"Ah, the Symbols, I'm surprised you actually pulled it off. Did you use a spell book in hand?"

"That's right, I usually have a copy of The Standard Book of Spells in case of an emergency."

"I don't suppose you have it with you right now?" he asked with an innocent grin, as if he wasn't expecting her to have it.

"I don't need to, All I have to do is summon it and it'll come flying toward me." she replied as she tapped her holstered aspen wand.

"A plan befitting your position, I suppose." said the commissioner with a tone that suggested that he wasn't fully convinced. "Only flaw would be if they took your wand away you'd be helpless."

"But I'm rarely in a situation where I'm captured, and I doubt I'll ever be in a situation in which I can't find an answer." she declared proudly. "I have even enchanted my wand so that it will always appear in its holster no matter how far it goes."

"Yep, that sounds like Shining's Control Freak all right." he replied.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I was just remembering what your brother used to tell us back when we were Auxiliaries for Canterlot. He would always brag about how his little sister was capable of putting together a thousand plans, and had everything under control." he chuckled.

"You were Auxiliaries in Canterlot? When?" asked the azure-haired librarian. "I thought that you just became commissioners just because you were good enough."

"Actually, most commissioners spend a year or two as an Auxiliary before they get the job. I actually spent eight years as a Second in Command, and the first three years were under the command of the great Lord Marshal Brave Heart the Third." he said as he stared into the distance. "Wow, it's been a while since I've had to say all of that." he then coughed, before wheezing loudly, then culminating in a loud burp. The burp materialized blue flames, which manifested two envelopes.

"You can use floo fire?" asked Twilight with surprise and disgust. As far as she had known, only drakes had this ability, but apparently she was wrong. He couldn't respond, as his throat was still fighting the coughing. after ten seconds of repeated chest-beating he managed to regain his breath.

"Yeah, but I hate it when they force it down my throat. I usually get a warning or something." he replied as he looked at the envelopes. One had a crimson wax seal, which Twilight managed to recognized as the royal seal, the other had another wax seal which she couldn't recognize. It was a sword pointing downwards, with feathery wings emerging from below the crossguard. "Wow, a letter from the Princesses and one from the Commission. This is bound to be interesting."

As he turned the envelope around they could all see the large red sign stamped to the front:
Priority

"I don't think that can be good."

"I agree with you. Because our orders are supposed to come from the Equestrian Royal Guard, not the Commission itself." he said as he looked at the other envelope, which, to their horror, was labeled with the same stencil ink. "Oh blitznak" muttered Fire.

.oOo.

Shield paced around the school's backyard, occasionally glancing at his cellphone to confirm his position. The bell rang and out poured several children, forcing Shield to take cover behind the nearby shed. Peeking out again he noticed that there were four girls in the swing, and surprisingly enough he recognized all four of them. Three were locals, one of them he managed to identify as Sweetie Bell. Kind of hard not, with her peculiar hair. The other two girls he had only seen once, back in his welcome party the day he woke up. The last one was a little blond girl, about half a head smaller than the rest.

He got out of cover to get a better look, and he was surprised to see that the little blond girl turned her head to meet him. She immediately jumped from the swing she was in and ran toward Shield shrieking: "BIG BRO!" she then lunged herself at him, tightly wrapping her arms around him and locking her feet on his back.

"Puppy! Oh thank Luna you're okay!" he replied as his lungs exhaled and his arms embraced the little girl. After a spin or two he finally set her down. "How dare you disappear from Fire's watch?!" he scolded as he hugged her once more. "You know better than to wander alone."

The little girl wriggled her way out of the death-grip, and slapped him. "And you know better than to get killed! How do you think I felt when they said that you were hospitalized?And you know what Doc said about using your runes!" she scolded as she gave him a stern look. Shield immediately winced at the sight of anger. "What do you have to say for yourself mister?"

"I'm sorry?" he said coyly as he tried to give her an innocent look. "How did you find out?"

"We got a letter from the General saying that the mission had gone wrong." she replied dryly. a millisecond later she launched another slap. "How did a bunch of trolls get you?"

"It wasn't just them! There were also changelings and goblins!" he retorted.

"Yet you don't get scratched when you fight ogres, right? You should have brought backup and you know it." she said with a serious tone.

Shield was about to respond, but lost his breath as he failed to come up with an answer. Shield looked up and was surprised to see a certain seamstress behind his sister. "Miss Rarity! What a surprise to see you here." he quickly said before his sister could speak.

"Why hello Shield. And you know you don't have to call me miss. We're friends, aren't we?" answered the fashionista with a smile, earning her a glare from the little blond girl.

"Bro, why's this woman being so kind?" asked the archer as she grabbed her white staff, pointing one end toward the woman in question. "Did you seek to replace me so quickly? Is this why you never called? Talk or the pretty woman gets it!"

"Pup, will you relax?" he chuckled "I'm not replacing you! How can I replace the Legion's Pup? Huh?" he added. "Now please, put the staff down before someone gets hurt." His sister obeyed, slinging the staff back to its original place. "Miss... I mean, Rarity. Please meet my sister Hawk Eye. Hawk Eye, meet Rarity. She's the town's fashion designer and also a wonderful person. She's been helping me decorate our new house."

"Did she include a slide in my room?" asked the girl with sudden enthusiasm.

"Nope, In fact I don't think she did decorate your room. I think she decorated all rooms except the spare bedrooms." he pondered to himself.

" I could always help you dear, I'd do anything for a friend." replied Rarity quickly to avoid seeing the girl sad.

"Nah, it's okay." she replied. "C'mon big bro, we should go home. Crystal's not gonna let me hear the end of it if we don't hurry." she turned to the group of girls she had just met. "Bye! See you later!" she said as she began skipping toward her brother, signaling him to turn around. She jumped onto his back and gripped his throat tightly.

"Goodbye Rarity, training begins tomorrow at seventeen hundred. Don't be late." said the commissioner before heading out. He noticed that Fire was running toward him, holding two envelopes in his hand. He handed them over and paused to catch his breath for the second time that day.

"We have to get to your home, now." said the blue-haired man. Shield looked at the envelopes and nodded.

.oOo.

Twilight was sitting in the living room opposite to Shield, his hands tearing open the Princesses' envelope first. Three minutes later he put the letter down and looked at the librarian. "What was the name of your assistant again?"

Twilight paused for a moment. the question seemed to have come out of the blue. "Spike, why?" Shield's eyes widened at the sound.

"Eh, nothing. It just came up as a random thought. The letter is just a mission we have in three weeks." he said dismissively as he put the letter back in its place and opened the next letter.

"We? As in you and I." she asked, her bewilderment clear.

"I meant my team, but you can come if you want. That is, if you can get through basic training." he said as he opened the letter. Two minutes later his eyes widened in horror, his face constantly moved back and forth throughout the letter as if he was hoping that he had misread something.

"What is it? Is it some sort of bad news?" asked Fire as he put his mug of coffee down.

"The worst there is." responded the blond soldier as he searched inside the envelope and pulled out seven golden tickets labeled:

Grand Galloping Gala

Admit One

How to Bore a Commissioner

by Shieldheart204

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16