> Equestrian Steel
>  by Shieldheart204
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Caves of Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was May 22nd, in the small town of Rock Slide. With barely two hundred inhabitants, this town was a rare stop for a passenger train. Its main export was gems, since it was adjacent to the Unicorn Range, the mountain range that boasted the largest gem caves in all of Equestria.

But today was the day that the Pony Express would stop to drop off three passengers. The last car, a gray painted wooden box opened up. From inside three people stepped out. The first one was a tall, blond man with ice blue eyes. His face revealed some of his personality, his eyes were focused everywhere, trying to gather as much information as possible. His  long thin nose inhaled the air, identifying the different smells. His small mouth remained close, not even twitching. His average build was covered by a white cotton dress shirt and a space wolf grey leather duster. His bottom was wearing khaki cargo pants, black combat boots and a brown belt.

The second one was a child, about ten years old with messy red hair huge bright green eyes, small nose and happy mouth radiated his childhood energy. He was garbed in a grey cotton shirt, tanned leather vest, camo green cargo pants and scorched brown combat boots. Strapped to his back was a flight pack.

This device is unique, being fueled by gems filled with magic, it gave the wearer the ability to fly, usually a regular person would have to switch gems every now and then, but certain people, called Seraphs, could radiate enough magical energy to power it themselves, though they couldn't actually control it as well as the Mages. All they needed was the proper rune stone and up, up, and away they could go. 

Only certain seraphs could properly control it, and fewer still could actually use it to fly over long distances. This kid, obviously, did not posses this refined skill.  


The last passenger to exit was a late teenage girl. Standing a hundred and sixty three centimeters tall with a very curvy figure with deep blue eyes and slit pupils, this albino bombshell was sporting a scaled tank top, blue denim pants and black sneakers. The train crew immediately detached the last car, storing it in a special hangar. Later, the train quickly departed.

They continued walking past the train station, through the main plaza and into the city's town hall. The town itself did not offer much to do or see, it was a simple mining town, with most buildings resembling shanty towns from the Hooviet Union. People here were not known for making much money, they were miners.  The town hall was a simple two story building, about hundred and fifty square meters,  ingrained to the mountains. Upon shoving the oak entrance doors, the blond stranger entered the main hall, where various townsfolk jumped at the unique entrance. A stubby old man looked at him surprised, his eyes widening when he finished scanning. 
"Why hello there sir, how may I help you?" he said, his voice was slightly high pitched.

"Hello good sir, I am looking for Mayor Coal Mine, do you happen to know where he is?" said the man with a duster.

"You are speaking to him, how may this poor mayor help you?"

"I am one of Princess Celestia's agents, a plea for help was sent to the castle concerning these mines." and the young adult went for a pocket on the inside of his coat and pulled out a silver star attached to a leather pouch. The star read Grey Warden Ser Shield Heart in the middle. 

"These are my companions, Hawk Eye and Saphira" he said gesturing to the boy and the teenage girl respectively

"Ser, thank goodness that you have arrived, allow me to brief you in my office, this is a matter best spoken of privately." most of the people were eyeing them curiously. the small man ushered them inside a room. The office was scarcely decorated, with only a desk and three chairs. It also had some bookcases, filled with the usual books you would expect it really looked like more of a file storage. He invited them to sit down, but the three travelers politely refused, knowing that one of them was going to have to stand up. The mayor accepted their decision and slumped to his chair. 

"I am truly sorry sir, but I am going to have to ask your friends to leave." 

"Sorry, but my friends are part of my team, we work together, and if there is something you can tell me, you can also tell my friends." Shield's face was serious.

"All right they can stay. I am sorry for being rude, but I was afraid that the princess would ignore our plea for help, I mean, we are just a small mining town."

" But you are a town in Equestria, and that alone is enough to bring our attention. What is the problem?"

"Well, recently our mines have been infested with Diamond Dogs. It usually isn't a problem, they hibernate during the winter when it becomes too dangerous to mine so we usually ignored them, but this time they have overrun the mines, refusing to leave us and also claiming all of the gems. Without those, we won't be able to fill our quota for this season and..."

Shield interrupted him by raising his arm half way and lifting a finger "I understand sir, now don't worry about this, just tell us where to start."

" Of course." the chubby man got up and opened a drawer, taking out a map which he laid in the oak desk. 

The map described the various mountains that they used, it also revealed several passages and caves. 

"This is our map to the mines, the Dogs are concentrated here." the mayor said, pointing to the mountain closest to the village, called Mount Mare.

"All right, then let us get our gear out of our car and we will get started. We will meet again on the entrance to the tram system."

Twenty minutes passed since the trio was given their mission. They presented themselves in the tram system that connected the mines with several duffle bags and one backpack each.  The mayor was there, along side a strong man with a black beard in an orange jumpsuit, or so they could guess, because the jumpsuit was so stained with everything that could be found in the mountains, that the only evidence of the original color was barely recognizable. 

" Mr. Shield Heart, I would like you to meet Pickaxe, he is the main supervisor for our entire mining operation."

The miner did not waist time with formalities and said: " You should start here, on district one, that is where they appeared last, also, please avoid district twelve." Taking out a map, he pointed to various areas, the restricted district, which was right in the middle of the mountain

"Why's that?" asked Saphira, her tone marking her a little bossy.

" This is our coal deposit, and I would prefer if you could avoid any fighting near it, we will need the resource for the winter."

"Don't worry, if all goes well, we might be able to talk them out of it. By any chance, are there any mountains that we could use to  fight them? You know, in case things get out of hand?"

"Well... You could always use K-9, that mountain has been clean  of gems anyway."

"All right! We are ready then, follow me boys, we have some dogs to tame." Said the knight with a happy tone.

And the team boarded the train. It was a five car machine, attached to a top monorail line. After some minor stuttering, the transport started moving. The inside held twenty passengers sitting down, and probably the same standing. So there was lots of space.

"All righty then, let's suit up!" Said the Warden.

Each of the duffle bags they brought contained their equipment. They hid it because some of the stuff wasn't supposed to be seen, thanks to the fact that it was rare to see weaponry in Equestria, and that the sight of objects of violence usually brought more violence. In order to avoid mass panic, they decided to hide everything that showed some sort of disharmony. It was based on personal experience, last time they arrived into town fully armed, people believed that they were going to destroy the town. After dodging a shower of pans, brooms, rakes and other objects bette left unmentioned, they were allowed to explain their situation: an errand issued by the Princess of Dawn, to retrieve a special tiara left by her sister which for some reason was left in the middle of a dungeon infested with goblins.

Opening his first duffle, Shield Heart removed a wooden crossbow, this weapon sported the familiar design, a wooden stock and frame with an iron trigger, a spider silk string and an iron reload bar.  The weapon had a leather strap attached from one end of the weapon to the other end, which was used to sling the weapon on your back. On his right hip he sported twelve steel bolts in a short leather quiver. Unlike most crossbows, where you are forced to put the weapon on the ground to pull back the string, this one had a metal pull bar that when used, it moved the string back so that you could load another Bolt in less time that usual. On the small trench where you should load the bolts, was a ruby cut in the shape of a hexagon, extended by its sides to cover part of the gap. On his left side we sported a sword, a simple Equestrian steel gladius with a ruby embedded on both sides of the pommel. The sheath also contained his ebony wand, the most popular tool of magic in Equestria. Opening his second and last bag, he removed a scaled breastplate, each scale was pure Equestrian Steel, so it was thin, strong and light. He also removed from the bag a pair of steel shin guards, and two leather bracers. Each armguard was specially treated to withstand the same amount of punishment as any steel equivalent, and the left brace was adorned with a perfectly round ruby. He also withdrew a golden monocular, which he sometimes attached to the pull bar and used as a makeshift scope.

Hawk Eye opened his first bag, and withdrew an oak composite bow. This little weapon helped the child fire arrows with greater strength than if he used a longbow. With his short height, he lacked the proper size to fire regular bows, so he had to build himself a special bow that used his size as an advantage. He slung a leather quiver with two dozen steel-tipped arrows. He also withdrew a pair of tanned leather braces, to help protect him from the painful returns of the tough spider string. He put on a  gauntlet with embedded jewels on each knuckle. These gems would allow him to fire magic arrows with the Mana they possessed. Finally, he put on a dark grey cloak mottled with light grey spots. This piece of cloth would allow him to hide in the most basic of spots, and make him almost invisible to the naked eye. 

Saphira brought only one bag, and it only contained a large egg shaped ultramarine blue stone with thin white veins coursing through it. It was a thing of beauty,and also extremely rare. The bag wasn't actually a duffle, it was a sling bag. The stone was not exactly a weapon, and telling you it's use would spoil the fun, so I won't!

Hawk Eye was putting on the finishing touches to his clothing when they were suddenly rocked, throwing everyone off balance and into the floor. Confused, they took a peek at the mountain. Shield took aim with his crossbow, it was already loaded with a magic bolt. Using his monocular he managed to peek at what was coming at him. The Diamond Dogs had noticed the vehicle was nearing them, and they were viciously pounding the top rail, in an effort to de-rail the transport. In the blink of an eye, the Warden smashed the front window, aimed and fired his first shot. The bolt of magic hissed through the air, and hit one of the hairy beasts in the chest. Overwhelmed by a powerful force, the furry brown minion was pushed back, losing consciousness thanks to the bolt. Hawk Eye withdrew his bow and pulled back his string, in a flash, a long magical arrow materialized on his grip, he aimed an fired at another monster. This time, the projectile hit the dog in the head, but because he was wearing an iron helm, it did nothing. 

"Hawk, concentrate on their hearts, the heads are not their weak points." said Shield, his voice was calm, almost as if this were part of the plan. He pulled back the lever, took aim and fired. This time, his shot hissed past a dog, who merely looked at the vehicle and started beating the rail faster. The transport shook again.

Saphira took a seat, and then laid down on the other seats and spoke: " Boy, that escalated quickly! Whatever happened to talking them out of this?"

"Are you tired?" asked Shield, his hands reloading his crossbow.

"Very." she answered, making herself as comfortable as possible in the plastic chairs.

"I have an idea: Help us defeat them so we can live to arrive at the mountain." Shield took another shot, this time hitting a minion in the knee "Ha! You'll never be an adventurer again!"

"Look, I can fly, so I will get to that mountain one way or another."

The blond man merely looked at her and mouthed bitch. He reload again, took aim at an exposed monster and fired another magic bolt. The bolt hit its target, knocking it out of consciousness. There were more reinforcements, and that wasn't two or five, it was more like fifty to a hundred. They kept punching the rail, but the strong metal was not going to budge, it had suffered worst. 

" Can't they realize that they aren't going to kill us? They are going to need something a little more powerful if hey want us to worry. A few shakes won't stop us."

And as if Celestia accepted the challenge, one of the Diamond Dogs brought a large black cylinder, with bright green rods on two sides. It aimed and pushed a button on the right side of the container. BOOM!! A large ball of green energy exited the weapon and hit a monorail segment. It immediately evaporated, and the entire line bent to the right. Oh come on! He thought. Facing the possibility of falling at least a hundred meters, Shield Heart was forced to think fast. His friends would have no trouble, they could fly. He on the other hand was trapped. In two seconds, the train slipped out of its course, and plummeted to the bottom of the mountains. His friends quickly abandoned him, Saphira breaking the window next to her bed and sprouting dragon wings. Hawk Eye flew out of the front window and hovering next to the falling vehicle. 

Shield managed to press the emergency brake button, slowing his death down. But gravity was calling him, and he grabbed one of the straps that the miners that were forced to stand up used to grip themselves. The train stopped, but it was only a matter of time before it fell. The Blond man start thinking, his duffle bags were gone, lost when gravity took over, his weapon was still on his hand, but he didn't have a good shot at anything useful. He looked at the window Saphira totaled, which actually revealed a promising view of the mountain, aimed and fired a white bolt of magic. Eureka! He thought to himself. The bolt had attached itself to the rock, a white line connecting his weapon to the bright ball of magic. The only problem was that the window was at the other side, and swinging wasn't exactly a very good idea. He managed to holster his weapon which held the magic rope connected outside and jumped to the next line of handles. he lost a little altitude so he had to climb a little, and the train started shaking again. He grabbed his crossbow and threw himself out the window. As planned, the rope held, and he was safely swung to the mountain side. He climbed to a small ledge, and said: "You could have helped me!"

"Hey, I lack the strength to carry you, and Saphira decided to take a dragonnap on a ledge. What was I supposed to do?" said Hawk Eye, his flight pack flapping virtual wings.

Shield face palmed himself. That girl was starting to be more trouble than she was worth. 

"By the way, what was thing they fired at us?" questioned the flier.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it wasn't made in Equestria. let us hope that they don't have the ammo to fire it again." Shield started climbing, he wasn't that far below the tram platform. He was used to this, starting a mission promising people that he would do it calmly and politically correct, and in the blink of an eye everything would automatically turn into a Nightmare. He started thinking of witty Drake insults, but his repertoire gave him nothing. Frustrated he finished climbing. He reached the start of the metal platform, where he was greeted by several iron spearheads. 

Naturally he raised his hands. There was no way he could survive going forward, and taking a fall sounded pretty messy, and totally boring. Hawk Eye merely floated below, watching his friend get captured  by the monsters. He hadn't been noticed, Diamond Dogs weren't known for their intelligence, so he decided to keep stealth as an advantage. 

Shield was escorted into the mouth of the cave, where he was greeted by three whom he presumed were the leaders. The first one looked more like a cross breed between a cat and a dog, having green slit pupils, sharp teeth, grey fur and pointy ears. He was only wearing a red jacket with pockets filled with gems, and a black necklace with diamonds encrusted. A single jewel stood out, the orange gem stood out like a dog tag. 

To his left stood another hairy monster, though he was shorter, brown, and with yellow eyes and black round pupils. He was wearing a slate grey vest and the black collar with diamonds. He reminded Shield of a bulldog. 
To the right stood the last one, bigger than the other two; with astronomical grey coating, the classic diamond collar and a slate grey vest just like his partner the bulldog. His vest had two pockets, saturated with gems. But aside from his color and side, the eyes were more amber colored than the others. He had black round pupils.

"Who are you and what are you doing here!" asked the cat-dog mutant. His voice was shrill, kind of a certain monster he  remembered from a series of books he read: The Lord of the Horseshoes. Man was that a long series, it felt like it took forever! Oh wait, I am getting  sidetracked again, hate it when it happens!

"I am a Grey Warden, member of the Order of the Greys, and I am here to negotiate an agreement between the People of Rock Slide and you. I hate to say this, but you are stealing gems from an Equestrian mine, and that reception you gave me was very uncalled for. I mean, why were you trying to kill me? What have I done to you?" Shield tried to remain casual, if the Dossier was correct, these weren't violent creatures and could understand reason, but considering that they almost had him killed, he doubted the Dossier was right (as usual). He was going to have a serious talk with Moon Dancer, it was okay to love animals, but overprotecting them by falsifying information was extremely dangerous. This wasn't the first time this had happened. 
He then noticed something that wasn't in the reports and looked unnatural. All of their eyes, not just the leaders, had a strange (almost creepy) green glow. He cursed himself for not noticing it before. 

"We are the Diamond Dogs, we hunt for gems, it doesn't matter where they are, we will get them."

"Yes ,but you have no right to stop the town's main economy just because you feel like you have the authority to grab gems wherever they are. You are in Equestria, and I am warning you, stop right now or you will be hunting for gems in Tartarus." he was getting tired of diplomacy, these animals weren't going to understand that they were immigrants and they had no right claiming the resources of this land for themselves. So if he couldn't talk them into leaving, he was going to threaten them to leave.

All the spears suddenly converged on him, the rusted iron tips touching his exposed throat. He had forgotten the small detail that he was surrounded by brutes armed with lethal and unhealthy weapons. He was hoping for a miracle, but that was impossible. Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the mouth of the cave. 

The main ones ignored it. "who are you to threaten us? We have an army!"

"I have a dragon."

"You bluff."

"Am I bluffing?" 

"Yes, no one can control a dragon!"

"I beg to differ!" and he whistled, the high pitch confused the dogs, and the second roar scared them. From behind him, a large deep blue dragon emerged, the scales reflecting the afternoon light. Its wings we're adorned with white veins, the translucent wing membrane gave a different tone to the scene. The monster roared once more, a warm wave exhaled with the deafening sound. Before anyone could move, two armored dogs dropped from their hands and feet, taken down by white magic arrows.

Using the confusion, Shield withdrew his sword and slashed a minion. The beast dropped unconscious, knocked out by the Equestrian Steel. 

This was the beauty on using national steel. The steel was specially enchanted so that it wouldn't cause any physical injury, but the enemy could still feel something. Since it should have been a fatal wound, the body immediately dropped, the brain was sent to a brief coma. 

Everyone started routing, fleeing deep into he caves, some entered to the other mining districts, but the main horde was escaping, exiting the mountain by the connection to the next mountain, K-9. Catching his breath, Shield planned his next move, should he stay and clear the mines, or go after the hordes of cowering gorilla dogs? As much as he would like to hunt down running animals, the fact remained that their trail would remain fresh. On the other hand, the splinters would still be there, and by the time he caught up to them, it could be at least a month or more. He had noticed at least three groups split up, so if they went separate ways, they could finish up faster. The dragon was engulfed in blue flames, and Saphira walked out of it, her face was held high,  as if she had just conquered the world. In order to confirm their locations, he used a technique he picked up from an immigrant from Neighhon-Ja. 

Setting his stance, both feet equally apart at shoulder level, his hands at his hips. He moved his body to raise his right hand palm first. Closing his eyes, he bent his knees so that the palm strike would hit the flat surface. Instantly, the darkness he saw was replaced by waves of light. Using the Mage Pulse, he was able to scan the entire mountain. Reaching out to every nook and cranny, sensing all living things and monsters, he managed to locate his prey. 

Ten of them had escaped to the top of the mountain, where it seemed that there was an opening at least a day away. Another ten went to his left, to what was known as district five, running as fast as possible. 

He sensed a very large cave, big enough to barely withstand that overgrown gecko Saphira could grow into. 

Twenty ran off past district nine, completely missing the mine cart. He had to admit that their climbing skills would put any professional to shame. If he planned on getting to them by mine cart he would have to move fast, as the only thing that separated them was a weak wooden bridge.

"All right, here is what we are gonna do. Hawk, you are gonna take on district one, fly on to the lift and pursue them. Under no circumstances are you to engage them. In those caves they are gonna close up on you faster than a hungry Fenrir Wolf on a crippled deer. Try and force them to surface, direct them to K-9.

Saphira, you will take care of district five, I will go after the ones that went to district nine. We will meet back here in one day tops. Either flush them with the rest or sleep them."

"Why should I help you?"

"Because if you don't I will be forced to tell Princess Celestia that it was you who actually you who sent that dragon to sleep near Ponyville, ignoring my warnings that he could snore dangerous smoke and endanger the village."

"You Wouldn't dare!" 

"Try me." Shield's face was dead serious.

"Fine, but I will someday find a way to get even with you!"

"Someday." he muttered to himself while letting a smirk form.

As his friends left him to fulfill their mission, he went for the mine cart. Although this rustic vehicle had no engine, it was the quickest way to get down. Drawing out his crossbow, he pushed the cart downhill and boarded it. Through his ride down he wondered how he was going to return. He dismissed the worry, if miners had a way down, they must have a way up. He detached the monocular from his weapon, in these cave it was unlikely that he would be able aim at anything that wasn't in front of him. The track started spiraling down, and much to his horror, it was also ending. The dogs must have collapsed the bridge, hoping that it would slow him down, and it probably would have worked. But it didn't. Time was of the essence, if his plan was delayed by half a second, he would be falling into an eternal pit, if you could say that. Loading his crossbow with another grappler-bolt, he aimed with one hand and took hold of the handbrake with the other.

Years of training had sharpened his senses. He fired the bolt, straight for a spike, and putting his seventy kilos onto the crossbow, he swung forward. The magic rope held firm, taking the knight across the chasm. As he was reaching the other end, he got distracted and was left dangling from his wooden weapon. Pushing his momentum again, he managed to grab unto a ledge. He pulled himself up, dusted himself and then realized something. In his jump, he had left his crossbow. He looked up to the spike, and sure enough: his wooden bolt thrower was dangling lazily in the middle of the extremely deep pit. Memo to me, next time  detach the rope and holster the weapon. Withdrawing his wand, he remembered the basic Telekinesis spell and flicked his wand. Caught in a red aura, his weapon returned to him, still attached to the magical white rope. 

"Well, now that I have wasted enough time, I must start tracking those monsters, or I won't be able to arrive on time." he said to himself. 

Walking amongst the gem illuminated tunnels did not help ease the tense atmosphere. The short, narrow corridors reminded him of the passages and the time he spent in the Caves of Dark-Kunor, trying to get to the Hall of the Mountain King. Man, was that horrible. Not only did that stupid Goblin King try to eat me for lunch but I also managed to drop that beautiful Valkyrie claymore.

He kept remembering his scene, but he mostly thought of what he should have done instead of just calmly thinking of what was happening around him. He entered a small cave, well, small compared to what he had seen before. It was probably three times his height, and five of him could walk abreast one next to the other. This tunnel was illuminated by the soft glow irradiated from the various jewels that abounded. During his trip down memory lane, he failed to notice that the dogs were setting a trap for him. 

As he thought of the different outcomes of his venture, Shield's hearing picked up an anomaly, something had scurried into the cave to his left. Withdrawing his sword, he proceeded with caution. This cave was small, but he noticed that it was a dead end.

Suddenly, he felt a large rumble. Fearing the floor could crack, the knight grabbed a wall. But to his surprise, the entrance collapsed. 

Uhh, great, now I have to waste magic. He thought. Readying his wand, he aimed at the pile of rocks. As he was executing his demolition spell, a snap interrupted him. He looked back, and saw nothing. He tried again, but a pop stopped him this time.

Shield decided to look back, and then, a small sphere popped in and out of existence. Then three large balls manifested, and finally a circumference the size of a Minotaur appeared. The flash that erupted blinded Shield for a moment, his eyes unaccustomed to a bright light hitting him all of a sudden. 

Eventually, his eyes readapted to the dark cave, but he noticed something, or better said someone right where the sphere had mysteriously appeared. The person was kneeling on one foot, the position he usually took when he presented himself to royalty.

The stranger was wearing a space wolf grey trench coat with a matching fedora. His coat was extremely damaged, with burn marks everywhere, blood was encrusted in several cuts, and rough stitching barely held it together. The hat looked extremely worn, though it was in a better condition. Underneath he was wearing a cotton white shirt just like... 

And it dawned unto the knight, this man was himself, but from where, and probably more correct, when. 

The traveller got up, and looked at the hero with one glowing ice blue eyes, the other eye was a pure white marble. Limping on his left leg, which sported a large bandage, he approached. The man looked like a seventy-year old version of himself, with silver hair, a large beard and a large scar starting from the left side of his head, crossing his nose and ending in his right cheek. The thick wound was painted in dried blood. 

He spoke with a soft, weary voice: "I don't have much time to answer for my appearance so listen carefully. I am you from the future, as you might have guessed. I need to warn you about a great danger, in three months, Equestria will be consumed by the green bale fires of the changelings. It will start the first of June in Manehattan. Three days later, Canterlot will be besieged for the first time in history, and then, all hell breaks loose. I need you to activate Protocol Stalliongrad. Listen to me, I know it sounds drastic, but it is the only way to save Equestria. If you plan on saving Cadence, you must break your vow!" that last sentence hit home. He knew that he was serious when he used the Cadence is in trouble card. It was a card that no matter what happened, he would always be able to use.

Shield started thinking. Protocol Stalliongrad was something he had created in case of extreme danger. After the tragedy he had lived four years ago in the far off land of Stalliongrad, he and a group of discreet friends had started working on various war technologies that were to be used in case Equestria was invaded. Firearms, tanks, bombers, warships, genetic augmentation and various other ideas that involved preparing for war were prohibited in this nation. Protocol Stalliongrad allowed the Order of the Greys to research these areas in order to defend the people, but you needed a Celestiadamn good excuse in order to even consider it. It meant that Equestria would loose the most important value that made it stand out from any other country: the peaceful way of life. Not one nation he had visited, and he had visited most of them, had been able to maintain peace in their kingdom without a military force. The only Defence organizations that existed were the Wonderbolts, the Canterlot Royal Guard, the Order of the Greys and the various police forces that dealt with minor squabbles in the cities. It was a tough decision, he had sworn a vow to always work to avoid thinking about it, much less activate it.

He took a deep breath and responded: "Even if the threat is real, not saying that I don't believe you, how am I supposed to convince Princess Celestia to authorize it? I mean, it isn't like she will say yes just because I tell her that I travelled though time to tell myself that doomsday is coming." 

The traveller went for his pocket and withdrew a silver pocket watch. This time device was almost destroyed, the outer shell had various dents and scratches, and dirt covered almost every centimeter. The chain was equally damaged, but still held true. He gave the watch to Shield, who was too stunned to speak.

Recovering from shock, Shield grabbed the watch, put it in his right pocket and said: " I still have a situation here, the diamond dogs are loose in these mountains, and I can't abandon my mission."

"I understand, and I have a good piece of advice. These dogs are dangerous, I cannot be certain, but I am sure that they are responsible for the following events."

"Hey, know anything about that green cannon that they used to blow the rail?" 

"That device, yeah, it isn't their technology. But I can't remember whose is it. Listen to me, you have to learn where they got this tech form Allright?"

"So hey, do I ever get to marry Cadence?"

"She dies with the rest of Manehattan in the first strike."

"Really?"

"Yes, anyway, you never had a chance with her, she always preferred Shinning Armor. You were always in the friend-zone, it does no good dealing in the past."

"Why was she in Manehattan in the first place?"

"No Clue."

"Why are you so old, are you from fifty years into the future?"

"No, I am from three months into the future. I'm old because of a pod the changelings got me into. It sucked the life right out of me, I was lucky to escape, who knows what happens to the unlucky ones that stay."

"Okay, changing topic. How have you managed to stay here so long, usually time spells only allow a few seconds."

" Have you noticed that the gems are loosing glow?"

He was right, the room was getting darker every second that passed.

"You have been using the gems as a continuous source of magic to bend time? Nice one!"

"When you are standing on the edge of extinction you come up with very original ideas." responded the old man

The cave was becoming pitch black.

"So this is where I say goodbye to you right? I mean, I doubt that there is much energy left."

"Yes, you are right. Oh blitznak! I almost forgot. Once you tell Princess Celestia of what happened here, you have to enlist the aid of a girl named Twilight Sparkle." 

"You mean Shining Armor's sister?"

"Yes her, she is the Element of Magic, and an unparalleled Mage. If you plan on surviving the year, you WILL need her help."

"Okay, so I tell her to help me stop Armageddon?"

"Yes, and make sure that she doesn't come to harm, there is no one capable of replacing her."

Before they could properly say goodbye to each other, the old man flashed out, leaving Shield Heart in a pitch-black cave. 

He faced the entrance of the cave, or so he thought, and sang: "Bibbity, Babbity, BOOM" and the wand let out a crimson bolt of energy.

The blast was right on the money. The boulders exploded, revealing the way back to reality. He sighed, the rules had changed.

It was no longer about completing another job, this time, the stakes were getting higher. A Manure storm was hitting his home, and his closest friends seemed to have been caught right in the middle of it.

He needed to move fast. He had nine days, or maybe eight, if he wanted to make it to Manehattan in time, but he had about three days if he wanted to get to Canterlot, activate it, then gather the various people required to properly defend the Big Apple. 

Using his Mage Pulse, he located the dogs, they were right above him. 

Instinctively he withdrew his crossbow, aimed and fired a red bolt of magic. One of the dogs dropped, while the others cycled around him. He noticed that the cat-dog hybrid was with them, his green eyes observing him, his huge claws waving at him.

With milliseconds to spare, Shield raised his left arm. Using the round ruby, he conjured a translucent red buckler just as the sharp claws were looking to open his arm. They scratched the magic, doing no harm whatsoever.

Recovering from the blow, the knight quickly bashed the monster that hung in midair, sending him sprawling. In one smooth action, Shield unsheathed his sword and struck the first foe that neared him. He followed the horizontal strike with a roundhouse slash, turning his body a full 360 degrees before striking again. It was continued by an overhead cut, from right to left. 

With that many attacks, the opponent fell down. But two were nearing him from the left side, and he needed to respond quickly.  He dashed against one opponent, shield first, and bashed his spell. The Dog was staggered, and left no guard available to defend himself from the upcoming blows. With five strikes he was sent back with the rest.

Shield Heart realized that knocking out his opponents here and now was useless. He needed to find a way to take them to K-9 in order to seal them off with the rest. This was a plan that required cunning, planning and perfect execution...

Running to the hybrid monster, he delivered a groin kick and waited for the results. 

Sure enough, all twenty of them charged at him, but he managed to back off just in time. He started running back to the entrance, occasionally glimpsing back to make sure that he was being chased. 

As he traced his steps back to the big well, where suddenly he remembered one big problem. He had no quick way to get up. The mine cart was stuck, with no way up. He quickly came up with an idea. But before that he had to cross the bottomless pit.
In one smooth move, he took out his crossbow, loaded it at fired at the protruding spike on the roof. He detached the rope from his weapon and then holstered it.  Swinging through the chasm he reached the next end. The rope was still in existence, but it would dissolve in a minute. 

Shield caught his breath and looked back. The dogs were still chasing him, or so the swearing, growls, and occasional roars suggested. They had lost sight of him, but we're still moving to his general direction. He moved to the middle of the spiraling train tracks, preparing for the right moment.

He waited until they could see him, if only briefly. 

Withdrawing his wand he jumped as he pointed it at the floor. A single thin red bolt of magic travelled from the ebony wand to the floor. 

The result was a large explosion of blue fire. Shield Heart was rocketed into the skies, while the structure still held true. Although very handy, this explosion was not going to get him to the top. Using another technique from Neighhon-Ja, he thrust his fists downward , while small fire jets erupted from his extremities.   They did not last long, as he was forced to cast them five times before he managed to reach the entrance. 
Tired, Shield looked outside, Luna had brought up the moon, Judging by its position, it was probably nine o'clock . and it was even more beautiful than Shield remembered. Maybe it was because it brought him peace during his dangerous missions, and every time he saw it it reminded him who he was working for. It also reminded him who he was.

He was Shield Heart, a member of the Order of the Greys  of Equestria.  It was his duty to protect, to serve his country. This assignment was starting to become something else. Most of his missions required him to retrieve an object, protect a VIP from wild creatures or some hired gun from overseas, and very rarely, take someone out that has been causing too much trouble. But never was he ordered to stop an invasion. 

It wasn't a matter of whether or not he could do it, Stalliongrad had taught him that sometimes you had to adapt to the situation at hand. It was more because his friends were on the line. Never before was he confronted with this particular dilemma.

But before he could solve the big problem he needed to solve the problem he had now. The dogs were getting close and he had no idea  to how he was going to defeat them. He considered shooting them with steel bolts, that would ensure that they would be dead and therefore no longer a problem. But that was out of the question. The Greys lived to stop violence, not to promote it. 

The mountain shook, and ten dogs-gorillas exited from district 5, one of them was the pit bull. Shortly, the small cave exploded, revealing Saphira fully transformed into a dragon. Several gashes marked her flanks, fresh blood oozing from each cut. She opened her mouth and exhaled blue flames, completely covering the two last unfortunate monsters that were left behind in agonizing fire.

Unlike Shield Heart, who had fighting standards, Saphira was a Drake, or Dragon who transformed into a Human. And in accordance to her customs, fighting was a sometimes a synonym of cooking. These flames killed their victims, leaving a stench of burnt hair.  

Another shake and Hawk Eye shot out of his tunnel, his stomach was cut in half. His bow was in his hand, and it was already drawn. He aimed and fired at the big leader, who received the shot in the head. He fell down ten meters before hitting the ground. He was knocked out for sure. 

Saphira roared once more and fired a stream of blue flames at Shield's pursuers. Only five, including the cat-dog, managed to elude the fire. 

Needless to say, all Diamond Dogs were in full retreat, routing to K-9 to meet their brethren. They climbed unto the monorail line connecting the mountains and shimmied across.

Saphira inhaled, preparing a fire ball, when Shield Shouted "STOP!". The dragon reluctantly obeyed, and caught in the blue tornado, she transformed to her human self. Hawk Eye descended from the skies and walked slowly, clutching his stomach.

Her wounds passed from dragon to human, as her tank top sported three slashes, each thinly coated with blood.

Shield immediately dropped the heavy backpack he had forgotten he was carrying and went for the first aid kit. He examined the wounds and sighed with relief when he noticed that the wounds weren't deep. But they were still bad enough to say she was out of the mission. He relayed his opinion to the drake, who replied: "No way, nu-uh, I did not come all this way just to be stopped by flesh wounds. I need to beat the shit out of them!"

"NO! I have deemed you far too dangerous. You know how I play, no casualties, and I counted twenty five casualties so far. Not to mention that your actions also caused collateral damage, and you almost evaporated the rail." he said, his face showed concern

"What?! C'mon, you can't cut me!"

"Too bad, I just did. now roll your shirt up, I need to disinfect those slashes and bandage you. Last thing I want is to have you contracting some disease."

" On front of him?" she asked while nudging to Hawk Eye. 

Shield finally noticed his little friend and gasped: "What happened!". The cut was not the only thing that was wrongs with him. He was dirty and with several scratches and bruises.

"Got ambushed, as I was flying up They stayed back and tackled me. One of their claws managed to hit me right here. I lost my balance and started falling. After some minor tumbling, I managed to get my bearings back and swish right down."

" Then get over here, I need to heal you first."

Hawk eye neared him, and rolled his shirt up. 

Shield grabbed a piece of cotton and dipped it in medical alcohol. He also gave the child a thick, round, wooden stick.

"Chew on it, you will need it."

The archer obeyed, and bit hard into it. Shield started rubbing the alcohol swab. 

Hawk Eye felt that he was being stabbed with thousands of daggers across the wound. His pain was concentrated onto biting the stick, and it somewhat helped make the healing process more bearable. Shield started covering his torso with a cotton bandage, it immediately stated absorbing the excess blood.

"By the way, where's your backpack?"


"Oh, I left it with Saphira after you were captured, I cannot stand it, it is far to heavy for me!"

"All right, Saphira, get over here."

Wobbling over, she approached him. He withdrew his bed roll from the top of his pack, laid it out on the somewhat even ground and gestured her to lie on it. 

She followed, and lied on her stomach.

"Now, roll your shirt up, I need to disinfect you too. Diamond Dogs aren't known for their hygiene."

She obeyed, and partially removed her shirt. Following the same procedure as before, he first disinfected the wound, and then looping her waist three times, he locked the bandages in place. 

"Now stay here, I am going to go get your stuff, stand watch Hawk." Shield said.

It was a twenty minute walk to the edge, and a five minute climb down to the small dragon nest. As expected, both backpacks were there. 

Each backpack contained supplies for five days, including water. It also had a first aid kit, a culinary set of pans and silverware,  some spare clothes and a bedroll. The pack weighed about ten kilos, so it was somewhat heavy for a child but not for him. It was still cumbersome, and he wouldn't be able to climb properly while holding two backpacks. 

He withdrew his wand and enchanted one of them to follow him. The other one was attached to his back. After his climb up, he withdrew his own version of the silver pocket watch. This one looked brand new, even though it was just a couple of years old. He opened it and on the inside of the cover was revealed a picture of a girl, or better said a young woman. Her tricolor hair: pink,purple, and cream Was elegantly poised. Her delicate mouth wore a warm smile. Her small delicate nose helped give her the look of a mother, a person who loved. Her big eyes calmed the Warden, his worries momentarily vanished, but then reality hit him harder than a troll's punch. If he failed his job, her smile would vanish for ever.

Shield sighed and said to himself: "Why do you keep doing this to me Cadence? Was it not enough that you never loved me the same way as me and went for the Captain of the Guard."

He knew that this was masochism. Ever since they had met he had become something of an older brother to her. He was always protecting her from those that dreamed of doing her harm. He expected the answer he got from his future self. He just wished that his missions wouldn't get in the way the day she got married.

He dismissed all thoughts, and closed his pocket watch, hoping that his mind would not collapse. As he returned to camp, he stared to the fifty meter high ceiling. The central tunnel was well designed, as it offered a lot of ventilation, and it would not cause problems in case of a fire. 

" I'm back! Hope you didn't miss me." he said aloud

"We didn't." responded Saphira, she was still lying down with her shirt rolled up. The cotton bandages seemed to be doing the trick, as they had stopped absorbing blood.

"Thanks for the comment, now, let us get a proper camp started. We will need to recover our strength for tomorrow."

"So what is our plan. Are we going to meet them at K-9 and lock them up?"

"No, there was an incident in district Nine that made me change my mind. I need to talk to one of the leaders first. I need to know where in Luna's name did they get that cannon. I haven't seen anything like it. The closest thing I can imagine is a rocket launcher I saw in Stalliongrad."

"Could it be that they have had dealings with the Hooviet Union?" asked Hawk Eye. As usual, his curiosity had formed a conclusion.

"I don't think so, those commies are very reclusive when it comes to weapons tech. And unless they have developed laser cannons, they would never dare to surrender a powerful weapon to a pack of monsters. No, I am sure that some other nation is behind it. I just don't know who has this kind of technology."

"Maybe they got smart." said Saphira while changing positions, now opting for a sitting position.

Shield threw her her backpack.

" Get off my bed, I don't want you spilling blood all over it."

She grabbed her stuff and immediately took out her bedroll.

Silently, all three of them began working. Setting up Camp was usually the quiet part of their adventures. Saphira got a fire going with her breath, Hawk Eye prepared the bed rolls, ensuring that their heads faced the center of the camp and Shield cooked a tasty beef jerky stew. The stew had the classical taste of plastic wrapper, but with a few spices, it was as tasty as a cold apple pie.

"Hey, you said that there was an incident before, what was it?" asked Saphira while cleaning her plate with a piece of flat bread. As expected, she was asking about something that made Shield uncomfortable. And he had given the clue, he had changed the subject when he mentioned it, that was the only incentive that his friends needed to know that something was taboo.

"Can I not talk about it?" he asked.

" Since this is mission related... No" she said.

"Fine." he said reluctantly.

"In a cave I was exploring..."

"You were in a cave, really? I would never have guessed it! I imagined you would be on a prairie!" she commented

"You can drop the sarcasm you know. Inside this mountain here are also ravines, gorges and skylights."

"But you are still in a cave." 

"Do you want me to talk or not."

"Yeah, but you don't have to point out the obvious."

"Shut up and let me tell my tale you mutated gecko."

She resigned, knowing that he would close up if she continued.

"All right as I was saying. I was in a cave that was a dead end, the place was saturated with gems. and naturally, this being a branch to the main one, the entrance collapsed..." he continued to explain with detail everything that happened. He omitted his questions about Cadence, wanting to avoid a sneering comment from the Drake. 

As he finished Hawk Eye said: " So what if these changeling blokes are the ones who hired these monsters to get the gems for something the invasion?"

Shield was about to refute this statement, but he thought about it. "That is not a bad idea, it actually makes sense."

"Wow, the great Shield Heart finally listens to other people's words, that is new." retorted Saphira.

" I always listen to what people have to say, I simply don't take your advice into consideration because it is suicidal."

"More suicidal than that time that I told you to lock up that chimera and instead decided to free it, letting it roam through the streets of Baltimare?"

"Mmmmm... Something like that. In my defense that thing was too dangerous to be kept alive, and seeing as though it was a magical creature I had to give it a fair fight."

"Yeah right, and the fact that you always wanted a Chimera scale  coat had nothing to do with it."

" For the record that coat serves as the perfect armor. It protects you from both the cold and from most weapons."

The topic was abruptly ended, seeing as though neither one knew how to continue.

"So what is the plan?" asked the child

"The plan is this. You two will stay here while I battle them, question one of their leaders and then I will lock them up in the mountain. After that, we will travel back to Canterlot, where we will get authorization for the protocol and get to Vanhoover to pick some stuff up. Then we will go to Manehattan where I will save Shining Armor and Cadence once again."

"Why would Shining Armour be in Manehattan, I thought that he was the captain of the guard."

" I don't know, maybe he was in a convention or something."

" And how about Cadence?"

" Well, she is his Fiancée, so it makes since that she is there."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, you just said that you are going alone. Are you insane?" said Saphira. She was stunned, never had she been cut out of a big battle.

" No, first, I have dropped you from the mission for insubordination and I need Hawk Eye to keep an eye on you. Not to mention that both of you are too wounded to continue."

"You have got to be kidding me! This is nothing compared to what you have suffered! What about that time you were impaled with a dragon lance? Or when you were swallowed by a hydra? Or stabbed by a basilisk tooth?"

"Unlike you, I can avoid limping when I get cut down. And also, you are too young to be soaking  up damage, unlike me."

" I am Sixteen years old! I can take care of myself! So what if I get a boo-boo? Isn't that how I build resistance?"

"Listen to me young lady, I have endured enough of your behavior long enough and for that you aregrounded!"

"What?"

"You heard me. Once this mission ends, you will go directly to Vanhoover, not Canterlot. In your vacation you will meditate on what you did wrong."

"I did nothing!"

"How about roasting diamond dogs, is that nothing?"

"Look, I am sorry about firing up some monsters..."

"And you damn better be. You know that these incidents put a dent in our reputation. And I don't want to get into another argument with Princess Luna like last time."

Saphira sighed, once again she was feasted by the Warden.

Shield withdrew his wand and started casting some basic alert spells in case anyone had thoughts of infiltrating his camp while they were asleep.

"All right, you kids go to sleep. Under this dome we are safer than a bit in uncle Gold Heart's money vault"

" Are you sure about that?" questioned Hawk while grinning.

Shield pondered for a moment and said: "You are right, nothing is safer than money in his vault. Just go to sleep, I need to check out this watch."

They followed his suggestion and went to sleep. In two minutes, they were in the arms of Morpheus, and the elder member was left sitting in his bedroll. 

He took a deep breath and opened the watch.
> Scenes of a Memory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scenes of a Memory

The damaged watch was imbued with a powerful memory recording spell. It contained various scenes of his alternate self. Shield started by the oldest. This was about his return to Vanhoover after the diamond dog incident. 

The city was in its summer glory. The skyscrapers dotted the city, reflecting the sun with their glass walls. The various green parks were filled with the joy and laughter of children. The train station was filled with the various traveling businesspeople. Each one looking at a news paper, some of them were gasping, others screaming in horror, and very few of them said "My investments!". Most were using their scry-phones, Some of them weeping when no one answered their calls.

Shield approached one of the stands, and worried he took one of them. It was the Equestrian Daily. The front page sported a blood red margin. The headlines read 

Manehattan falls to Changeling invasion!

The cover depicted the Tames Square on ruins. All the great skyscrapers were destroyed, flames consumed the various posters. Cars littered the street, most showing damage from falling debris. A few corpses were scattered, though most were covered by black bags. 

It was a sad scene, but what intrigued him most was that it was all drawn. He looked at the date, 2nd of June. It made some sense. Manehattan was about two days away, so there would be no way that anyone would be able to take pictures and send them in less than a day. He kept reading the article. His heart froze when he saw the casualty list. Among them were various corporate leaders including Gold Tooth and Money Bag. But what mattered was the last ones: Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

In the blink of an eye his attitude switched from happiness from another job well done to complete misery. He had just learned that his two best friends had died yesterday and that there was a new threat, one that had managed to wipe out the Metropolis.

There was no time to waste, the memory flashed to three days later, in a meeting with the Princesses. 

"I understand your anger Shield Heart, but there is nothing we can do! I will not let you go on a wild goose chase in the middle of a destroyed city just in the hopes of finding someone we know is dead." said Princess Celestia, her regal white dress standing still. 

" It is not a wild chase, I need to make sure that there are no survivors. What if they managed to survive? We can't lose hope!"  shouted Shield Heart.  He refused to believe that his two most important friends had died and Princess Celestia refused to do anything.

"I know that they are dead..." she said, her tone was very somber. He managed to spy tears forming up on her magenta grey eyes. 

Luna answered, her face revealing the sadness of her sister. " We received their corpses, their bodies were defiled with the green fire."

"Them we have to seek retribution! We cannot allow them to mock us!" his anger was rising, 

"Shield, now is not he time to act with violence." said The Princess of Dawn.

"No Princess, now is the time to act, we cannot allow this to go unpunished. They must know that they cannot treat us like ants, we know how to defend ourselves."

" No, I refuse to use violence. We have never been at war, and I am not about to let that fall."

" So you will just let them walk upon our lands unchecked, slaughtering our people?" his anger was filling up, he needed revenge. 

Princess Celestia looked at him with angry eyes. " Do you really believe that you are the only one at a loss? Do you seriously believe that it does not pain me to know that my people a in peril? I have lost more than you. I lost my Niece, the future Princess of the Crystal Empire. I lost my captain of the Royal Guard, the best one I have had in decades.
I even lost my Apprentice, the only one capable of wielding the Element Of Magic!"

Shield was taken aback. In his rage he forgot the importance of the three main casualties. Also, he had indirectly insulted the Herald of Dawn by implying that she was a coward. He decided that it was better to apologize now. " Your Highness, I apologize for being so rude. How can you forgive me?"

She reverted to her usual, calm self. " There is no need for that Shield Heart, I understand your feelings."

" But wait, there is one thing thing you could do..." interrupted Princess Luna.

" What is it?"

" We need you to travel to the ruins of Manehattan to recover an object of supreme importance."

"Luna, no it is too dangerous!" intervened Celestia.

"It doesn't matter. What is it?" said the Warden.

" We concluded a month ago that the Elements of Harmony should be with their representatives. Twilight Sparkle had the element of Magic with her when she left with her brother."  Said the Princess of Night.

"Very well say no more, I shall return it as soon as possible." and before Princess Celestia could say anything, he left.

.oOo.

The memory flashed into the future, revealing a destroyed city in front of him.

He was carrying some equipment he had not used in a long time, not since Stalliongrad.

He was wearing a set of astronomican grey shirt and matching pants. He wore a special ceramic breastplate, colored pitch black, which bore the insignia of the Krauts, a black cross in a fitting white square, on the back. The Krauts were a mercenary company from Germaneigh that took him in while he was off adventuring across the world. He was wearing a great coat  colored in Codex Grey and a steel helmet padded with dark leather on the inside. He also had black boots and his leather bracers.

On his back he had his large backpack, which mostly contained supplies in case he got stranded.

His hands were holding something he never wished to use again, it was Wanda. The plastic covered device was a survival friend from his time as a soldier. Inside the black cover was a dark steel barrel. A small curve started from the Beginning of the barrel to the start of the trigger. It left a small area specially made for placing a monocular in the middle to serve as a scope.

The inner mechanism was chambered with the common 5.56 mm rounds used anywhere that had an army. Equestria was not in that list, and Shield had to illegally craft the ammunition in his base back in Vanhoover. It was a standard fortress grey XAR-42 assault rifle with a 30-round magazine, the word Wanda etched to the  inside of the stock and the Kraut insignia imprinted to the other side.  It was a rifle that could withstand endless hardships, from the humidity of the Haysead Swamp to the wastelands in the Frozen North.

On his back he had a belt holster, where Remmy was contained. This was a 12-gauge Neighington shotgun. Stockless, with a five round capacity and with a wooden grip, it was not the weapon used for precession, or stealth. It was only suited for close encounters, like on the narrow streets of Stalliongrad, where it served its main term. 

On his right thigh he had his trusty 10mm hand gun named Maria. This was a simple service sidearm that helped Shield get out of small situations. Consisting of a twenty round magazine, it tended to serve as a last resort before reloading. It also served when he paired it with tower shield when he got into a tight spot. 

On his left flank he had his gladius, neatly tucked in its scabbard and Ebony, his wand, next to the sword. 

His first objective was The Stable Hotel. It was the most luxurious hotel in all of Manehattan. That was where all three of his friends were living. 

And to his pleasure, all safeties were off. No more wimpy don't kill anyone morals anymore. Now it was personal.

Crossing the ruins was easier said than done. Several streets were covered in rubble, and others were infested with changelings.  

He managed to make it to Mane Street unnoticed, and was now in front of the hotel. The large rectangular cream structure with a green roof stood as possibly the only undamaged structure in the city. The only problem was that there were patrols near it.

He studied the changelings. They had a humanoid figure, with black skin, empty blue eyes an two large fangs protruding from their mouths. They sported insectoid wings, several holes on their arms and legs, and had what Shield could assume was a rifle. It was weirdly shaped. It had a main dark grey stock and body. The front middle part was divided in three parts, one following the stock and two prongs starting from the top, but aligned to the centre. On the bottom frame, there was what looked like an emerald.  



He looked at the building, his first objective was ten stories high, and he doubted the elevators worked. So climbing the front wall was his best choice. Only problem was that he would be a sitting duck if he started now. He decided to record the patrol movements from a ruined building in front of the hotel. His choice was a two story house, it still had food, clothes and everything, as if everyone had disappeared. 

After two hours of watching, it was six o'clock according to the silver watch. Shield had finished recording the pattern. There was a ten minute window in which he could climb up. If he used his grapple hook spell he could do it in five minutes tops. He withdrew his wand and waited. 

The changelings were away, and he grabbed his opportunity. Sprinting as fast as he could, he pointed the wand to the roof and fired a white beam. He grabbed the pearly rope with his right hand while putting his wand away with his left, and started climbing. It took him half a minute to climb. He had underestimated his ability yet again. He was at the window of room 1023, the room Shining Armor had acquired. Opening the window, he proceeded into the presidential suite.  It was tidy... And far too romantic. Between the red heart shaped bed with matching pillows and bed sheets, the large amount of rose petals scatter throughout the floor and the rose bouquet in the dresser, it felt like he stumbled into the honeymoon suite instead of a regular presidential suite. 

The fading scent of roses confirmed his suspicions, but left him wondering: Why would Shining Armor and Cadence rent a honeymoon suite instead of a presidential or imperial suite? It wasn't like they were married or anything. 

He dismissed the thought, knowing that the answer was lost with his friends. He imagined that his search would be unsuccessful, but he decided to rummage through everything anyway. 

Inspecting the  suitcases he found nothing of value, no letters, no documents, no nothing. The only surprise Shield found was linger, which made him somewhat addled. His brain, for no reason, immediately projected an image of Cadence wearing it.  

He immediately took it down, he felt like he had offended her. Meh, it was nothing to worry about considering his situation. He continued searching, hoping to find either his objective or clues. He went for the safe, and using a magnetic force spell, he picked the lock. 

Zing he thought as he moved the safe door. Inside there were two drawers, the top one had jewelry and the bottom one held three letters. He grabbed one that looked liked rolled parchment. This was from Twilight. He grazed through it and found the important part, Twilight was staying in room 595. Shield continued looking, but found nothing of value. Lifting his rifle to shoulder level, he opened the door outside. He scanned both hallways, and they were empty. 

The memory flashed to a small room. Unlike the romantic suite he had just visited, this one was very small, and with not much to see. A single suitcase adorned the closet. Shield immediately opened it, and he found the Element of Harmony. It was more beautiful than what was described. 

He Concentrated back to the task at hand. He put the tiara in a special metal briefcase inside his backpack. He picked up his rifle and stared at the window. It was going to be a simple matter of sneaking back out to the train station where his one-man ride was waiting for him. 

Suddenly, he started hearing shrills and other bug related noises. He looked outside and saw that the street was getting flooded with changelings, each pointing their weapons toward him. 

In the blink of an eye, Shield was ducking for cover behind the wall when an odd toc-toc-toc sound erupted from the enemy weapons. Green bolts of energy shattered the window, and managed to pierce the roof. 

It was time to strike back, heading for the window Shield prepared for a respite from his enemies. When it came he flicked the safety and aimed his new monocular. He managed a headshot and five body shots before he got pinned down again. He had used half a clip just that brief moment.

He took a peek outside, and saw that the enemy numbers had multiplied. And there was one that was holding a large cylinder. This object seemed familiar to the soldier, and then he remembered, it was the cannon used by the diamond dogs to nearly kill him in the monorail. 

The cannon fired and hit the wall the Warden was on. The blast pushed him to the wall, where the armor absorbed some of the impact. 

Shield was left on the floor, his face was covered in blood and scratches.   His right eye had stopped working, and he was left with only one way of seeing. His ears were ringing horribly, so much that he couldn't hear anything else. 

His vision revealed that there were several insectoids were nearing his location. They lifted their guns, but failed to fire. 

I cannot die like this! Shield thought to himself. He managed to grab Remmy and pointed it to the nearest opponent. With a large bang the weapon discharged a storm of bullets toward an insectoid, shredding it, while confusing the others.

He pumped the gun with his left hand and grabbed Wanda with his spare, storming out to the hallways. 

He touched his right eye and confirmed his fears, the eye was lost. It must have been damaged when pieces of rubble graced his eye with the green blast. 

But there were more pressing matters, such as getting out of Manehattan alive. 

He continued to run, holstering Wanda to his backpack along with Remmy. He withdrew Maria and looked back. 

Two changelings we after him, firing their black guns without control. Two shots hit Shield in the thigh, and five dissolved into the breastplate. He fired five shots, the paft inaudible to him. His opponents dropped, killed by the bullets.

He proceeded to the stairs, where pain started to take hold. The adrenaline was wearing off, giving Shield pains everywhere. He reached for a pocket on his calf and withdrew a syringe filled with a white substance. He removed the cover and injected it to his arm. 

He was using Med-X, a painkiller, developed specially for soldiers, it was fast acting and covered his body in minutes. His ringing also stopped.

He switched his pistol for the rifle and headed to the stairs. Using caution, he descended to the ground floor, where he was ready to fight his way out. 

The lobby was filling up with changelings, all waiting to kill him. He dashed forward, sliding over a desk while he fired the rest of his clip. He rolled to an overturned table and reloaded. He was storing his ammunition on his backpack and his pockets. 

As the green bolts flied over him he meditated on a strategy. If he went commando he wasn't going to survive for three minutes. And that was in the best of circumstances. He needed to formulate an escape plan, and fast.

He looked outside and saw a motorcycle. Yes, you read that right, a motorcycle. They were only found in Manehattan, Las Pegasus and Vanhoover, mostly that is.  Only these cities had the streets required to use these, that and the fact that Cantelot hated pollution. 

There were also a few taxis, but the Fast-and-furious skill for Shield Heart wasn't exactly at regular standards.

As he imagined his escape plan, he was reminded that the were some enemies after him when they appeared from the stairs.  He aimed and gunned them down as they appeared. One of them dropped its weapon toward the soldier, who picked it up and examined it. It was an energy weapon, the gem was used to provide magic bolts. He tested its weight, it was a little heavy for an assault rifle, but it could deal a good number if used as a club. 

He finally came up with a plan, it contained high probabilities of him dying, but he was probably going to die anyway, so what the hay?


He began a sprint toward the alleyway, to the left of the enemy mass. His right arm had a translucent red tower shield powered up, it was absorbing each beam of magic, creating ripples across the smooth surface. 

He vaulted through a window, getting himself scratched by glass in the process. Then he went for a Warhog motorcycle.

The large vehicle was legendary for its history as a bike of destruction. It sported a black gas tank and same colored leather seats. The mechanical part was composed of shiny chrome plating, making it shine with any source of light. The black rubber tires looked brand new, as if they had just been replaced. 

He got on it, and noticed that it was magic-blocked. Using his hand to transmit a signal powerful enough to break the weak lock, he turned it on. Revving it, he removed the brakes and took off. His right hand was holding the curious weapon, and it fired like a charm. Being stockless, it was comfortable to hold with one hand, and produced little to no recoil.  It also appeared to have unlimited ammunition, because it fired forever.  He took a couple of shots on the helmet, breastplate and calf. But it was nothing that he could not handle. 

His ride-and-gun trick was working. He was going to reach Central Station in half the time with only a thousand flying changelings behind him. His mind processed the last thought, he had completely forgotten that the vermin had wings. 

As he neared the train station, he got off his transport and ran. He managed to get into his personal train, a small train car with an electric engine, and flashed out of existence. 

.oOo.

His next memory was Canterlot. But it was a ruined version. The pearl white towers were now chunks of debris and rubble. Shield walked around, his eye scanning for survivors, but like Manehattan, he failed to find a single body. It was as if they vanished upon death. He toured the city, reaching the Dark Tower, the Grey's headquarters. He found nothing, but signs that there had been a struggle. He flashed out. 

.oOo.

The next memory was in an unfamiliar town. Very rustic, with houses being made of wood, thatched roofs and dirt roads connecting everyone. The place looked like it was used to peace, and today was the day to panic. People were running around, screaming, crying, shouting for people. 

In one word: chaos. 

Shield looked around, his marble right eye was capable of seeing perfectly, and much more. It was enchanted to be able to outline any hostile creatures.

Even though it was August, he was wearing a space wolf grey trench coat, not something you should wear for late summer. His fedora helped fend off some of the sun, shading his eyes. He stroked his short full beard. He had come to love his new facial hair. It was a good calming technique that harmed absolutely no one. He noticed that there w a little too much chaos for his job, so he did the one thing that would help everyone calm down. 

He lifted Remmy and fired a bullet to the air. Everyone, shocked with this new noise froze in fear. 

"Listen up residents of Ponyville, do not worry, I am the Grey Warden Shield Heart..." he said and he withdrew his badge. "... And I am here to get you all to safety, now of you will please follow my colleagues from the Dawn Guard..." he instructed as he pointed to several men and women, dressed in white combat uniforms. "... They will take you to the train station where you will be evacuated to Las Pegasus."

A tall grey-haired woman stepped up, her poise signaled authority.

"All right everyone, do as the man says, we need to evacuate before they arrive. Form three lines, one for kids, another for the elders and the last one of adults." immediately 
They followed her instructions. 

"Sir, do you really think they will attack? This could be another trap like Baltimare." said one of the guards.

"I don't know, but I do not plan on sitting idly while Equestria burns. This threat looked real enough, and it was the Princesses' last wish that I save Ponyville. They have the elements of Harmony, and we need to save them if we plan on fighting back. We just have to find a new Element of Magic." replied Shield Heart. 

The evacuation was in order, until suddenly one of the kids, a girl with: red hair and a southern look, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and denim overalls, pulled out of nowhere a changeling rifle and in the blink of an eye shot both the guards next to Shield. She attempted to hit him, but he managed to pop his tower shield with milliseconds to spare. The two girls next to her, one with purple hair and the other with a half-pink half-lavender cotton candy shaped hair followed suit. 

Suddenly, his right eye started marking various people as hostile. He withdrew Maria from his side holster and shot three adults. With only seven bullets he took them down. His real problem was that he couldn't bring himself to shoot kids. And there were at least ten of them taking down all of the uniforms. Black Briar, one of his assistants, pulled out Wanda, breaking the leather strap that attached it to his back, and opened fire at the midget changelings, their bodies returning to their dark form as they fell lifelessly into the ground. 

"Thanks Black." said the knight.

"Don't mention it." said the towering man. 

"Well this couldn't possibly get any worse." said Shield.

And right on cue, the clouds disappeared to reveal dozens of insectoid black nightmares. 

"Oh, COME ON!" he exclaimed. 

And without wasting a single second, he took Wanda from his savior and reloaded. He dissolved his magic shield and opened fire, he managed to shoot down several aerial menaces, but it wasn't enough, they were just too many. 

Black Briar was caught in the crossfire and fell down. Two bolts hit Shield in the neck, but for some reason it didn't hurt.

Actually, he couldn't feel anything. His neck had gone completely numb.  

He then noticed what was going on. The changelings were sleeping everyone, and then hauled them off to green pods. They took several people, But for some reason they couldn't take down a blond mountain man clad in a red checkered shirt, blue denim pants and brown leather boots. This towering human had managed to grab TWO changeling rifles and was shooting like there was no tomorrow. He seemed to be immune to the bolts because there was no stopping him, no rendering him unconscious. For some reason the word gunzerker came to mind.

"Hey big guy!" Shield called out. 

After finishing off the last of the wave, the mountain looked to him and replied: "Eeyup?"

"Okay, would you like to be an Auxiliary Dawn Guard member?"

"Why?" 

"Because you look like you can resist a couple of hits. That and the fact that I have no one else to help me. We weren't supposed to encounter any problems." 

"All right." 

"Big Mac! Have ya seen Apple Bloom?" asked a female voice.

"Not since she got on the line. She must have been lost."

A well built blonde was running to the new recruit. She too was wielding a rifle.   She was wearing blue denim shorts and a white shirt tied in a knot on the stomach. Her hair was tied to a long braid, and she was wearing a cowboy hat, the left side of her stomach revealed three red apples.  Her face was adorned with freckles, her eyes were deep with worry, and her neck sported a jeweled orange necklace with her cutie mark in a beautiful ruby color.

"Great, now we have ta look for her." 

"Excuse ma'am, but would you be interested in joining the Dawn Guard?"

"Sorry partner, but Ah can't, I'm lookin' for, a small red haired girl, have ya seen her by any chance?"

Shield's face became pale with fear. So that girl had a family, obviously.  

Gulping hard, he said: "I hate to be the one to tell you this miss, but I am afraid she was here, but she turned into a changeling. My friend was forced to kill it."

She looked stupefied, almost as if she couldn't believe it. Then again, neither could he. It was hard to imagine that this little, peaceful town had become a living hell, pretty much like Stalliongrad. Only that this time, it wasn't happening in the border between Germaneigh and the Hooviet Union. It was happening three hours away from Canterlot, the supposed Utopia of Equestria.

The Changeling Swarm had managed to swipe the East coast in a month, Canterlot falling only a week after Manehattan.

This world is going to hell, and I can't seem to stop it! Thought Shield Heart. 

The blond woman seemed confused, refusing to believe. "Are ya sure?" she asked. 

"Very sure, I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do. The only thing we can do is get to the train station before they attack again. And I need you to help me escort everyone to the train, we have stayed long enough. I am sorry about your daughter."

"Wha'? She ain't mah daughter, she's mah sister." 

"Sorry, I just did a wild guess."

"Fine, I'll help ya, but Just what is this Dawn Guard of yers?"

"The Dawn Guard are a group of men and women who serve Princess Celestia. But since she is dead, we now coordinate our efforts to help complete her last wishes."

"Fine. The name's Applejack." she said while holding out her hand. 

He extended his and said: "Shield Heart at your service."

They proceeded without another word. The mayor had managed to survive, and was helping rally everyone. The trip to the train station was uneventful, with the most exciting part being hauling off the unconscious people to the infirmary. The train was about twenty five cars long, and it was about enough to transport the entire population. 

They were about to depart when Applejack emerged from her car, yelling: "Rarity! Where are you?" she continued asking, but to no avail. Someone from the infirmary car emerged, she was a tall, delicate-looking girl. She was wearing a yellow sundress, and her pink hair was covering the left side of her face. Her neck was adorned with a yellow necklace with three pink butterflies in the center. 

"Applejack, can you please keep it down, the a lot of sick people and your noise is making them uncomfortable. I mean, of you don't mind that is." whispered the woman. She was wearing the red cross armband, meaning she had become an auxiliary nurse. Well, at least this town was joining the effort, unlike those spoiled brats back at Baltimare. 

He needed to end this now, because he was sure his gunner was about to leave them in order to go on a merry chase throughout the war zone in order to save one friend. And considering the fact that half his staff was dozing off, unconscious thanks to the relentless attacks, while the other half couldn't know which end of the gun they should be pointing at an enemy.

"Hold it, maybe I can help, where is your friend?"

"She's probably holed up in her shop, she must've missed role call." 

"Probably, you stay here, I need someone capable to stand guard. If there is another attack, leave immediately. I don't want to risk losing the entire town just because I might come back."   

Applejack seemed to hesitate.

"If I find your friend I will find a way to take her to Las Pegasus, trust me, I am very crafty."

"Fine, just try not ta get held up."

"Don't worry, I want to leave this place as soon as possible. And do you have any passphrase in order to convince this Rarity that I am not a changeling?"

" Tell her that Tom is just a rock."

Shield looked at her with a puzzled look.

"She'll understand it."

"And how do I get to the shop?"

"Go straight through town, it's the only shop with a merry-go-round. Ya can't miss it. "

"Very well, I will be back soon." and he departed. Going through town he saw various changelings knocked out, their bodies imitating corpses. And some were actual corpses. He noted that the pods they we using had somehow vanished. The craters that the contraptions made was there, but he didn't remember seeing them float away.

He continued walking, passing various shoppes and houses.  One particular building looked like a two story house, and was complete in decorations. Upon closer inspection it looked like a bakery. It had a tray of thirteen fresh cupcakes. Shield looked around, Remmy ready to fire anyone that moved. He noticed that there were several chairs and tables, something unusual for most bakeries he had visited. 

He reached for a cupcake, ready to grab one and blow the head of anyone trying to surprise him, but to his disappointment there was no action. He proceeded to taste the pastry, and was marveled. The sweet treat was an improvement over his last meals which mainly consisted in dried meat and fruits. His taste buds begged for more, so he submitted to his sense of taste.  He finished the remaining dozen, hoping that the vanilla frosting and chocolate bread would never end. He rummaged through the kitchen, finding several bags of flour, some soda bottles and sacks of potato chips.

He considered taking everything, in case he got held up, but he dismissed it. The weight would be too much for him to bear. He still had several kilos worth of guns, ammo, healing poultices, first aid kits, and water canteens.

He exited paradise to return to the ruins. And after ten minutes of walking he arrived to his destination. It was a quaint shop, the outside was quite colorful with a merry-go-round on the top, and the curtains were a beautiful golden stripe pattern.  Shield guessed that he was on the right commercial building, unless there were more carousel-themed shops in this town.

He went for the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He knocked three times, hoping that whoever was inside could open but nothing happened.

"I am going to break the door, if anyone can hear me, please step away I don't want to hurt you." and having said that, he withdrew his wand and casted a bomb spell.

With an orange bolt, the door disintegrated, shedding light to a very dark room. He attached Ebony to his shotgun via a wand attachment to the left side of the barrel. He initiated a flashlight spell and began scanning. 

The lobby was a originally a dress shop, or at least Shield guessed. With several scattered garments of every shape and color, plastic limbs, heads and bodies of former mannequins the place looked like it had been hit by a hurricane.

Suddenly, Shield saw a patch of a darker shade move, and then he noticed the green glow of the changeling gem's rifle. He pointed his gun, but his light revealed a tall, beautiful woman clad in a black linen cloak. Small turfs of violet hair poked out of the hood, and two gigantic  sky blue eyes full of rage looked into him. He questioned wether she was a friend or foe, but gave the luxury of doubt.

" Come to kill me bug? You should at least have the decency to show your true form." the woman said.

Defenetly friend. He thought to himself.

In order to prove that he wasn't lying, Shield put Remmy on the ground. "I am Shield Heart, Warden of the Order of the Greys, I am here to help you miss..."

"I am not about to tell my name to some random minion, prove to me that you are human!"

"Your friend Applejack sent me..."

"You aren't fooling me." she huffed

"She said that Tom is just a rock."

Instantly, she retracted her rifle and stood up. He picked up his shotgun and extended his hand.

"My name is Rarity, I am very sorry that you had to see this mess, but when they arrived it was the only thing I could think of to defend my self." her hands seemed to shake, and he managed to see green blood on her delicate fingers.So she had been forced to strike an unlucky bug and take the weapon. He had to admit that she was incredibly crafty if she managed to think of this  very strategy fast enough. 

Her camouflage was flawless, and if a changeling had entered, it would have been pulverized or stunned by the weapon the second it came into view. 

She stared at him her eyes filled with awe. Truth was, he was something to look at. Between his face which his mother always said was handsome, his half-burned scar and his white eye made him someone who people tended to stare at.

"What do we do now?" she asked, trying not to look at him.

"We need to get to the train station, there is no point in waiting any longer. I know that the changelings will be preparing for another attack, and we have already lost far too much time just sitting here, so if you will please accompany me." said the Knight 

They suddenly stopped, having heard several insectoid noises near the shop. Shield immediately tackled Rarity, sending her to the ground. Quickly, he placed himself over the violet haired woman and shifted his body to the front.

"What are you doing?" she asked , managing a response through the weight of Shield

As they hit the ground, thousands of green bolts pierced the walls and scorched everything they touched. The door opened and two blue empty eyes peered in. Instantly, the eyes lost their glow as nine small pellets embedded themselves into the skull. The body dropped to the floor, and another one came through, rifle aiming forward. With a swift pump, the shotgun went off again, this time hitting the target in the chest. 

He reloaded and stood up. He trusted his hand to lift her up, and she gladly accepted his help.

"Okay, listen, if I get held up, don't stop, the train is instructed to leave in case there is another attack. And that probably means we are done for, but there is a chance they are giving us a five minute window. They always do that." said Shield. He holstered Remmy and withdrew Maria on his right hand and his tower shield on his left. Then, he charged forward, smashing his energy protection against a foe. 

His pistol fired a storm of bullets, taking down all opponents unlucky enough to come in within range.

With a brief respite, the Grey Warden reloaded his pistol. He then proceeded to dissolve his shield and advanced forward. 

"That was, rather brief. Do you not think so sir?" said Rarity.

"That was just the first wave, they were merely scouts. I fear if we do not hurry, we will never make it." 

"So lead the way sir." 

"Ladies first."

But still, Shield took point. He switched to Wanda, knowing that the rifle was going to pack a greater punch that his pistol. 

They were halfway through the Town when Shield said: "Well, this is going better than expected, nothing could stop us now." 

And then fate accepted the challenge, the silence was broken by a piercing screech. It was so high-pitched that both humans were forced to cover their ears. They looked up to the skies and saw two large black masses flying really high in the sky.  

"No, they can't be, please Celestia, anything but that!" said Shield, the color of his face had been drained with fear.

"What was that?" asked the violet woman. 

"That was the sound of nightmares, the stuff you never want to hear,ever."

"But what sort of beast could produce such a sound?"

Shield pointed to the sky, and the previous masses were now visible in full detail. They looked like dragons, but they only had two hind legs, and their hands were placed on their wings. They were as black as they could, with glowing blazing orange eyes that looked right into them, and the pupils showed a faint green glow. 

"They are Fell Wyverns, two times more powerful than a dragon, and half as reasonable."

One of the monsters charged at them, Shield grabbed Rarity and pinned her to the ground.

It missed them, just managing to scratch the knight on the back.  

"Is this how you always treat women?" asked Rarity.

"If they are in danger of dying or being mauled by monsters, then yes."

The dragon perched itself in various houses, but the thatched roofs were not made to withstand the full weight of a dragon. So the roofs collapsed, bringing down the monster to the ground.

Rarity was thinking of saying something clever but instead she kept silent. And instead focused her weapon. She started firing, but her strength betrayed her. The gun was a bit heavy for someone of here physique, and the result was bullets being scattered in every direction. 

The bolts did not hit their mark, and only brought the attention of the beast that was hunting them. 

The sound of the train whistle startled them, and made them realize that from now on, they were on their own. It also made them realize that the beast now was within range to snap them. 

Shield discharged his weapon on the enemy, and the bullets bounced off the hard natural scale armor. He then proceeded to step in between the mouth of the dragon and the woman in black. 

The monster took a deep breath, and exhaled a loud roar along with yellow flames. 
Shield reacted by placing his arms in front of him forming an X. 

Rarity was pushed back, and could only see the blond man engulfed by the flames. 

She screamed, swearing that her savior would be burned to ashes. But to her surprise, as the flames faded the Warden stood. His arms had created a crimson barrier. His clothing was slightly burned, and his face showed no emotion at all. He dissolved the barrier, withdrew his sword and created a crimson buckler for his left hand.

He charged, leaping forward toward the wyvern. He slashed at the beast, who snapped its jaws in return. This blow hit the buckler, but Shield felt a house coming down on his arm. He shook it off, concentrating on delivering another slash at the dragon. He managed a cut to the jaws, dark red blood dripping from the wound. 

Since the events of Manehattan, Shield had dissolved the enchantment that dulled the blade and now it was capable of drawing blood. 

He continued fighting the wyvern, trying to dodge the attacks as often as possible. But he needed to get his VIP to safety, that was his top priority.

He charged, but was caught by the jaws of the monster. The rows of razor-sharp teeth embedded themselves into his body, tearing through his meager clothing.he managed to catch a glimpse of Rarity, and yelled: "Run you fool!".  He managed to grab Maria, and tossed her to the ground, along with whatever ammo he could. Subsequently, he was tossed into a large tree with a window. Shield crashed through, the glass shredding though his body, one large piece in particular slashing his face from right to left in a diagonal fashion. As he landed, his left foot took the full force, making a sickening crack sound. The Warden faded. And the memory flashed out

.oOo.

Shield looked at his clothes, they were drenched in blood, and the bite mark had left several cracks in his system. That's a lot of blood. Shield thought as he inspected his wounds. That's a lot of MY blood. He started to feel faint, with various liters of blood lost, he wasn't in the best condition to move. 

He put his arm against his chest, and with a soft glow he cauterized the jaw marks. He started feeling better, but not by much. He then proceeded to cauterize his face which hurt very badly. He decide to look around where he was.

His surroundings revealed he was in a bedroom. And the dragon was nowhere to be seen. He looked for something to help him stand up, and using one of the walls, he managed to get on his feet. But as he put weight on his left leg, he immediately fell down. The pain was staring to become unbearable, so he decided to take a shot of Med-x to help ease the burden. He touched his head and noticed that his fedora was gone, probably lost when he was flying across town.

As he started limping, he neared the bed, and saw a wooden picture frame. The picture depicted six young women, in everyday clothes, smiling and hugging each other. All of them sported bejeweled necklaces with unique figures for pendants. All except the one on the center, her violet hair with pink streaks was decorated with a golden tiara with a pink star in the middle. Shield knew he had seen the tiara somewhere.

And then it hit him. That was Twilight Sparkle, without a doubt. And he recognized Applejack, now wearing a fully buttoned shirt. He also noticed the pink haired medic, and to his surprise he noted Rarity. Her blue eyes and violet hair made her stand out like a diamond amongst piles of coal. He stopped his brain for a moment and considered that the reference was really rude. Sure Rarity was without a doubt the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and having seen the Valkyries of Asgard that was saying something, but the other ones weren't ugly. 

His vision started blurring again, and he remembered that the jaws had also injured his back. He managed to cauterize his back, hoping that his body would regenerate the loss of blood soon. He looked around and managed to see two sticks that could form a makeshift bracer for his leg.

Having finished securing his leg, he checked his equipment. He still had Wanda holstered to his back, with a few teeth marks, but still working. Remmy also had similar dents, but he was confident that it would work. He had thrown Maria so that Rarity could use it as a substitute, since that rifle wasn't going to do her much good. He thanked Celestia that he had the custom for keeping ammo in different bags. He noticed that he lost his sword, it probably slipped off when he got tossed like a wet rag doll.

He grabbed Remmy and reloaded the weapon. He was happy that he still had Ebony attached to the shotgun. He limped his way down the ledge to see that there were several shelves filled with books. In the center of the shelves lied a small hallway going downward. He continued his slow walk, cautiously holding his gun in case anything decided to sneak up on him. Descending the spiral stairs, he managed to see the door. He sighed relief, and  started moving faster. He started hearing the buzz of wings and the hairs on the back of his neck stood.

Suddenly, a thousand green bolts pierced the windows, walls and door. Shield was immediately immobilized, having been struck by most of the magic bullets. His torso and legs had become inactive, but his head had been left untouched. He started feeling his arms, they seemed to have received the least damage, and started crawling his way to his shotgun. He needed to remain calm, since losing control could lead him to make fatal decisions. And the best way to calm himself was to hold a killing machine.

"Hahahahaha my, isn't that cute?" said a female voice. Alarmed, Shield looked around, and he couldn't bear to relax. A tall woman, with black chitin-scaled skin and semitransparent grey blue hair looked right at him with her piercing gradient green eyes and black slit pupils. She wore a matching breastplate and thong with the same gradient as her eyes. He back sported the changeling wings, with several holes in between the flying membranes. Her arms and legs had several holes, and her pierced slender fingers were holding a VERY large pistol. The gun possessed a soft green glow on the barrel, which looked like a sawed-off version of the standard rifle. "Who knew that the legendary Shield Heart would have fallen here, in the humble town of Ponyville. Thanks to you, my plan for revenge was simplified. I no longer have to worry about you and your merry band of warriors. With your death and the death of all elements of harmony, Equestria will finally be mine!" she said, and turned her back on him. 

"This day has been just perfect, just as perfect as the attack on Manehattan. First I slew Love and Now I will slay Harmony!" As she was giving her evil speech, Shield started crawling stealthily toward his shotgun. At this range, he was confident that he could blow her brains out. It was obvious that he was going to die, but he didn't care. He had welcomed death before, and this was going to buy Rarity some time so she could escape.

Just as he was centimeters from Remmy, his arms were paralyzed. The queen and three minions approached him. Two of them seized him by the arms, a third one aimed its weapon at him and the Tall Woman passed seductively a hand into his duster. She pulled out the silver watch, now completely broken by his flying and the shots taken, and opened it. He tried struggling, hoping to break free, but these insects were really strong. 

The woman was engulfed in green flames, and what came after was Shield's worst nightmare. 

Standing in front of him was the only person he had ever loved. He warm smile calmed his nerves, he had always enjoyed seeing Cadence happy. Then his brain registered the error.  Cadence was dead, he himself had seen the body. But the woman in front of him looked just like her. It was a huge conflict inside his brain, but his body demanded that he do something quick. The Med-X was wearing off and the pressure from his captors was staring to feel quite evident.

"You like this?" Said the woman in Cadence's voice.  "Take him to the pod, let's process him like everyone else." 

The grunts moved him with ease, and he could do nothing about it. They took him outside, stripped him of his weapons, and they put him inside a green capsule filled with a transparent gel. They closed it with an almost transparent membrane and left him tied up. He could barely move his hands, and his feet were in no condition to move. His breathing was not impaired, so it had to have certain magical properties. 

He heard muffled sounds outside, and Pseudo-Cadence was smirking at him. Some humming noises later he started to feel weaker than before. He lifted his hands and noticed that they were wrinkling. His face felt severe deformation and his eye lost more sight than before. 

He managed to free his arms and started banging the cover, but to his surprise, it was thicker than expected. 

Several changelings had flown off, leaving only three guards with the woman. She seemed to laugh when she saw Shield trying to escape, but the muffling could not let him confirm anything.

He continued pounding away, his strength fading in the process. But he couldn't give up, not like this. He summoned every mana of magic he had left and augmented his punches. The first blow produced a crack, but it did not break. Alarmed, all three guards  pointed their guns at him. The woman simply flew away, her face showing a lot of fear. He should say pale, but with the black skin it was hard to tell.

As he delivered a second blow, he saw two guards drop, each clutching different parts of their body. The third one was startled, and initiated firing. The Warden delivered the last blow and crawled out. His body gave him a dose of adrenaline and he jumped at the remaining guard. His last bit of magic was concentrated on one final punch, which managed to dislocate the changeling jaw. 

Panting, he looked around and was surprised to see Rarity. She was clutching Maria with both hands on the grip. And her head sported her hat.  He took a step forward she did not hesitate to point her weapon. Most people would be terrified, but Shield noticed that the slide was pushed back meaning she had no more ammo left.

"You can relax, they have left the town." said a soft aged voice from Shield's mouth. He immediately covered his mouth, hoping that the sound came from elsewhere. But it was impossible that someone repeated the same exact words as him. "I swear it's me, Shield Heart! I rescued you from your shop!"

She eased a bit, lowering her gun. Suddenly, she started sobbing and dropped Maria. He approached her and did the one thing his heart told him to do. He extended his arms and hugged her as tight as he could. He tried to control her sobbing, but in the end she won and he shed a few tears. He has to admit, this day had been the most stressful so far.

As they were Exiting the zone, he picked up Wanda, Remmy and his watch. He decided to leave his sword behind, he was sure that they wouldn't come for the night.

Night was starting to fall and they needed to find shelter. He proposed the bakery, which he learned was called Sugarcube Corner. 

Having settled down, Rarity told him all about this place. It was not only the best bakery in all of town, but it also served as a hangout for most people. She also said that one of her friends worked and lived here. The knight cherished this last thought. It had been a VERY long while since he had time to relax. He had taken off his shirt so that it could be washed. Blood was not very attractive, and neither was it healthy.

Thankfully, he found a spare shirt in a closet. He was amazed when he saw Rarity get to work on his shirt. With a flick of her yew wand, she extracted all the blood forming a big ball of gory liquid which floated in he center of he room. She also managed to transmute the torn parts back together, making it look better than before. 

When she had finished mending his short, she went for a first aid kit and patched up his leg, covering it in a special bandage slathered with kolto gel.

After the patching up had ended they sat down in front of the fireplace with tea cups.

He saw Rarity shiver, and he gave her his coat, which she thanked him for. "Do you know why it started getting colder?" she asked.

"It's the windigos, with so much hate and war, thy are moving here. It won't be soon before they freeze all of Equestria." he said. 

She started inspecting the coat and took out the time device. Much to his horror, she opened it and saw the image on the inside of the cover. The watch did not posses a photograph of Cadence, but instead a special spell that replicated various pictures depending on which have been scanned.

"Why do you have a picture of Cadence here?" She asked. 

"Because I am a masochist. During my youth, as in until today, I loved her with all of my heart. Naturally, she never did see my as a love interest. If you click the lock the pictures will change." said the war horse.

She did so, and every time a new picture would arise, he would explain who it was.

"So you lost everyone in the siege of Canterlot?" asked Rarity.

"Yes, I lost my parents, my job, my older brother, Saphira my Drake friend, my baby brother Hawk Eye, half of my friends and my hopes of winning this war." he answered. 

"But you can't give up! You fought a dragon, that requires nerve to do!" 

"But I lost, I got tossed around like a ragdoll, imprisoned in a lifeabsorbing capsule and finally now the train with the Ponyville residents is destroyed by two wyverns. And as if that were enough, I no longer posses the age to help anyone. If only I could turn back time, but I no longer have the mana to accomplish it." 

"What if I gave you my strength?"

"Not to sound rude, but there is no way you can posses the required mana to cast the spell."

"Maybe you are right, but I have this..." and she unbelted her cape. The result was pure awe as he saw the single most beautiful woman ever. But more importantly, she was wearing a bejeweled necklace with a three diamond pendant.

"The element of generosity should serve as a suitable source of magic, don't you think so sir?"

Shield was too stunned to speak. An element of Harmony was more than enough to send him back to before Princess Luna got banished, but how could he keep himself in time long enough to get the message to his past self? That was the question.

"We should go to sleep, prepare ourselves for tomorrow. Because when the sun rises we will rewrite history." The memory ended.

.oOo.

Shield Heart was in the caves of Mount Mare, holding a broken pocket watch and looking deeply into the night sky. He was scared, for the first time war wa going to his doorstep, and his friends had front row seats for the bloodbath. The main problem was that they were the the blood.
   
> Finish what you start
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finish What You Start

Shield Heart was contemplating the scenery, and processing thousands of bits of information at the same time. His main focus was around the glowing eyes in the Diamond Dogs and on the Fell Wyvern that nearly killed him in an alternate future. They seemed to be enslaved, or maybe indoctrinated, when they showed some other color besides black on their pupils. His problems were getting more complicated as he tried to think of a plan to end his mission.

The quickest solution involved having Saphira roar them into submission, but then again, he had grounded her for the rest of the mission. And suddenly asking for her help would look somewhat weak on his behalf. Oh buck it! Thought Shield it's not like I have a reputation for being a Blueblood. But before executing his plan, he laid down on his bed and rested.

His brain processed all the new information, trying to see if there should be anything important that he should calculate before he makes his next move. He had learned that the changelings used magic-powered firearms, and also that they wanted to capture people in order to process them. He needed to learn more about changelings, because he thought that they only extracted love and affection. 

Also those rifles must have some sort of mana breeder since two Humes, or humans who cannot fully control magic, were able to use the weapon with what looked like relative ease. He knew that they were Humes because it was easy to detect a mage when you were also one. 

What bugged him was that mana breeding gems were very rare, and to have every soldier in your army equipped with one was a clear sign that you have power. 

Also, what did she mean by slaying  love? Harmony she clearly meant the elements, but she had only managed to take one down, the rest were most probably alive. But Love wasn't an element, he was completely sure of that. His gut told him that this, somehow, involved Cadence and Shining Armor. But before he could do anything, the sandman took him to Neverland.

The following morning Shield woke up first, meaning that it was his duty to prepare breakfast. He prepared yet another stew, since there really wasn't much to go on with. As the smell of the meal reached his companions' mouths, they got up and gathered around the campfire.

"Good morning sleepy heads, how are you feeling today?" asked Shield Heart while stirring the pot.

"Fine, my stomach has stopped hurting, but it is still bothering." said the child, his hand clutching the wound.

"How about you?" he questioned the drake.

She merely grumbled like a bored zombie and got up.

" Perfect! I woke up because I smelled the delicious meal that my brother Shield prepared with so much love!" mocked the knight with an imitating voice.

"So how did it go?" asked Saphira, rubbing her eyes. 

"Not good, the future is horrible." said Shield Heart with a depressed tone of voice

" Really? Was it Grimdark? Were there super soldiers clad in three meter tall power armor with gigantic guns that shoot rockets? Was there a zombie apocalypse and you were the only survivor? Were you..." said Hawkeye, his curiosity getting the better of him yet again.

" Are you stupid?" interrupted Saphira "How can it be a zombie apocalypse if he told us yesterday that it was changelings that caused the problem?" replied Saphira

" I dunno, maybe they are capable of infecting you by biting." 

"Cannot, changelings aren't known for carrying diseases, they are known for identity theft."

" Who says that they cannot infect you? Maybe they can turn you into one."

"Cannot."

"Can too." 

And with this Hawk Eye and Saphira began repeating the same words over and over again until Shield plucked up the courage to shout: " Enough! Both of you! We need a plan of attack..."

"Wait a sec, WE? I tout you said that we were staying here while you saved Equestria yet again, if I might add." interrupted Saphira. 

"Yeah well... The Vision has made me desperate to return to Canterlot, which means that I have to wrap this up quicker than Zero Punctuation during reviews of stuff he hates." 

"So what's the plan?" asked the archer.

" The plan is simple, we will go to K-9 to confront the dogs. Saphira will fly above, hearding them like sheep while you hover about picking out any stragglers. I will then proceed to acquire that cannon and interrogate one of the mutts. Hopefully we will be able to get back to the train station after lunch."

" Your plans always sound simple, but things never go according to plan. How are they gonna fight you when there is a badass dragon flying over them? Wouldn't logic imply that they shoot me first?"

"Because Hawk will be in charge of taking down anyone who grabs the weapon. Isn't that right?"

" Of course, I will not let my aim falter, it will always strike true." said the boy with pride.

"Good, I like your Great Bridle attitude. Now, both of you will be a couple of meters behind me, fifty should be good enough. Under no circumstances are you to pop up before I give one of my signals."

" Which one? You have like a thousand signals, is it the crimson sparks, the boomtastic explosion or will it be the rare cry of an emotionally scarred twelve year old girl?" asked the drake.

" Probably the sparks, I don't want to compete with you." refuted Shield.

Saphira kept shut, thinking it would be wise to not stir him up. They left their luggage on the camp, knowing that extra burden could be dangerous.

Shield walked all the way to the end on the tunnel, where with the help of his friends, he got on top of the rail Toward K-9. The walk involved balance, and lots of it. Being several meters above the ground, a simple breeze was powerful enough to send any dare devil base jumping ten kilometers down. It could have taken him ten minutes to cross, but with the winds he lost half an hour crossing the mountains.

He touched ground and started walking slowly. In five more minutes he was reaching the cave entrance, which was flooded with armored dogs brandishing spears and snarling. He tried showing that he came on peace, but they still looked like they wanted to skewer him and eat him for lunch.

"Why does the Dragon Master approach? " asked the Cat-Dog Hybrid.

Shield noticed hat they were starting to encircle him, using the pointy ends of their weapons to discourage him from moving. He needed them to calm down, but he still prepared his wand just in case he needed help.

"We will now kill you, because we cannot trust Humans like you!"

"Why not?"

"Because we were betrayed by the Violet Gem Finder, and because the Queen demands your death!"

"Which queen, there are about five political queens and about a million "queens" that are really just rich women with too much money on their hands. And by the way, who is the Violet Gem Finder, he sounds a little badass, but then again, beating you is no easy task."

The leader's eyes filled with rage and he screamed "KILL HIM!"

Instantly, one of the dogs appeared with the explosive weapon, and shot in a heartbeat. 

Shield crossed his arms to create a crimson barrier, which managed to absorb most of the blast. But the momentum still remained, which sent the hero back a couple of meters.  Using his weight, he managed to land safely, and he prepared his crossbow. 

He aimed at the cannon-dog and fired. The bolt hit its mark and rendered it unconscious. He reloaded and fired three jets of crimson magic, which exploded into pretty fireworks high in the sky.

Three seconds later a loud roar echoed through the mountain, scaring all of Shield's enemies. The grunts immediately turned tails and fled into the mountains, while the two uniques faced him. 

Imitating the Old west, he withdrew his crossbow and fired it at the mutant, while his wand shot the pitbull. With both enemies down, he raced to grab the black cannon. It was heavier than expected, but still light enough to carry while sprinting. 

Saphira appeared, her large dragon form inspiring fear into the monsters. She landed with her four massive claws, inhaled and fired a fireball at the cave entrance. It collapsed with a powerful earthquake and a deafening sound. "That went better than expected." said Hawk Eye with a surprised tone. 

Shield barely heard it, since his ears were damaged because he was a little too close to the collapse. He stocked his pinkies in his ears and started massaging his eardrums. It helped, somewhat. 

He gathered round his companions, and said: "Good job! This is the first time since The Baltimare Blitz that everything has gone as planned..." his voice trailed off, expecting the mountain to crack open and reveal some monster that was hungry after millennia of hibernation. 

But to his surprise "Nothing." he said amazed. "Fine, Saphira, I need a ride back to our camp." 

"Why?" asked the drake in human form.

"Because you are large and the only one that can carry me, c'mon don't be difficult."

Saphira grunted, but she still complied. Transforming into the blue fire monster, she grabbed him with her claws and carried him off to their next objective. After grabbing their gear. they initiated their return journey, half way through Saphira, still a dragon, asked Shield: " What are we gonna do about the monorail?"

" I have no idea, guess we will have to label it under collateral damage and call it a day. I really can't focus on details at the moment. Our priority is to get to Canterlot and tell Princess Celestia of my time traveling self and save Equestria."  responded Shield Heart.

" That simple?" 

" In a nutshell, yes."

Having arrived to the monorail station, Saphira reverted back to her human self. hoping that no one saw her because dragons were never a good sign, especially in the mountains. On their way down, they saw the train station, and a unique seven-wagon long train plated in pure gold.

" Uncle Gold Heart is here!" exclaimed Hawk Eye, and darted to the main hall, his white translucent wings giving him extraordinary speed. But a red aura stopped him in his tracks. 

" Hold it Hawk, I need you to get me one of the black evidence cases for our lovely friend here." said Shield motioning to the black cannon on his hands. " And also bring some three cases for our weapons, we don't want to repeat the incident in Hollow Shades."

"Oh, right, completely forgot that. Then let me get 'em, be back on a jiffy."  and he took off to the train station where his wagon was locked away. Five minutes later, the young flier was carrying a large black aluminum case and three pure aluminum briefcases. 

Shield opened it immediately and placed the weapon onside, the foamy surface gave in to the heavy object. 

Before anyone could do anything else, Hawk Eye shot to the train station, where he was later followed. Upon arriving to the golden transport, they were greeted by and average height, ginger-haired man with small round glasses resting on his nose. He was wearing a pink shirt, a black vest, denim pants and black boots. 

"Gearloose! How are you doing?" asked Shield Heart.

" Shield, what a surprise to see you here! What are you doing in this town?" asked the man.

" Oh, just the usual, beating the crap out of monsters that threaten our peace. So where is uncle?"

"Oh, he's with the mayor, he got bored and decided to see if there was anything profitable he could buy. We'll probably return to Canterlot to get Princess Celestia to sign the deeds."

" all right, thanks Gear. Oh hey, I got a favor to ask of you."

" Sure, what is it?"

Shield gave him the aluminum case.

" I need you to take a peek at what's inside, just don't go pressing any buttons, that thing is incredibly powerful and I don't want the Chief of R&D getting killed. Okay?"

" Sure thing!" 

". Thanks Gear, and we'll see you real soon, we just have to go with the mayor and report about the mission." 

And with that they left, Saphira was looking somewhat confused. " What's on your mind Saph?" asked the blond man.

" It's nothing." she responded, but it failed to convince him.

" C'mon, what's bugging you, you are rarely this quiet."

" Is it safe to leave that stuff with Gear? What if his engie side gets the better off of him? Uncle's train will be destroyed!"

" Look, Gear knows how to spot something dangerous when he sees it, and if he wants to press buttons, he will do it in a way that no one gets hurt."

And right on cue, a large blast occurred behind them. Looking behind, they saw a cloud of green evaporate part of the mountains.

" Told ya, Gear knows what he is doing."

" Hopefully." grunted Saphira.

"Hey, I need you two to stay in the car, and get it hooked up to the Golden Express." 

Hawk Eye looked disappointed, and Saphira merely grumped. 

" Don't worry Hawk, you will get your chance to say hello to uncle Gold Heart, just wait a moment." 

He huffed, and Shield decided to leave before he had a change of heart.

He walked through the plaza, it was more crowded than before, probably due to the fact that no one was working.

He reached the mayor office, where they tried to stop him, saying that the mayor was on an important meeting,but Shield couldn't care less, he knew that the mayor wouldn't mind.

Inside the mayor's office, a thin man dressed in a blue frock coat, red dress shirt, a black top hat, short white hair and red leather spats covering brown leather shoes, his left hand was holding a black wooden cane sporting a golden pommel shaped like a heart.  The man turned around, his face sporting round spectacles covering two large black round eyes. 

His face produced a large smile and exclaimed: " Shield, what are you doing here m'boy?" 

Shield opened his arms and hugged the old man, who was in his mid-sixties.

"Nothing uncle, just the usual. Saving people, beating monsters."

"Saving Equestria should mean something more than just being a chore, m'boy." said the old man. 

" It is an honor to serve my country, but it still gets tedious."

" So how did it go?" asked the mayor, his face showing more worry than a musician waiting to see if his friends like his song.

" There is nothing to worry about mayor, the Diamond Dogs have been dealt with and are conveniently trapped in mount K-9. I will be sending a clean-up team shortly to help restore the mines to working condition." responded Shield

" That won't be necessary Shield, I have purchased the mines and have already called upon my men to start working, they start first thing tomorrow morning." interrupted Gold Heart. 

" So once again I have saved one of your investments uncle, at this rate I should start charging you."

" And I should cut my fundin' from your little labs back home."

" Ouch, I was only teasing uncle. You know I don't charge family."

His uncle merely muttered humbug.

"Okay, then all that remains is for you mayor to look into my eyes."

" I am so sorry, what?" asked A perplexed governor. 

" It is standard procedure, I can't have you remembering my name or face. Do not worry, I will only make you forget the faces of my friends and I. It will also pass on to anyone who looks at you, but do not worry, your other memories will remain intact. You will simply forget my name and face." 

And staring right into the mayor's eyes, his ocular organs emitted a small crimson bolt. With a small flash of crimson on his pupils, the mayor slumped to his chair, falling asleep. 

" Well then, would you like to accompany me to Canterlot to get the final authorization? Not like the Princess will deny it, she never has before." said the old man. 

" Of course, we still have to report to headquarters."

" Really, I thought you would want to return to Vanhoover. Let's walk-and-talk." and motioned the young Warden to exit the room. He obliged and his friends followed him. 

" Well uncle, as much as my apathetic self would like to return to Vanhoover and lock myself up in my room, I was given top secret intel that is crucial. But I can only tell you once we reach the safety of your room, I fear that He may have spies here."

" I understand, so do not say another word about that." the journey consisted mainly of business topics. Stocks, inventions, and trade routes we the main points. It was somewhat boring, but it helped them reach their destination without looking at the depressing background.

They arrived at the third car and opened the door. The outside was of a standard wooden passenger car, except that it was covered in pure gold. The inside however, was much more elaborate. 

Based primarily on Art Deco, the fashion trend of Tall Tale, all furniture sported a sleek metallic and straight design. The car was the Living Room, with a silver chandelier composed of shiny grey sticks adorned with golden edges. The three sofas consisted of pure white cushions embroidered with silver lining. The arm rests, and the entire outside was pure ebony wood.  In the center of the seating furniture stood a coffee table made of the same dark wood as the sofas. The floor was beige with a golden yellow heart inside a crimson circle.  

A man, standing about a hundred and ninety centimeters tall, opened the door connecting to the next car. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a black Bow tie, and dark grey striped pants.

" Welcome back Master Gold Heart." he said in a snob tone. His eyes looked down and saw the blond warrior. " Master Shield Heart! I was expecting you."

" Really now, how did you expect him?" asked the man in the frock coat.

" Uncle Gold Heart!" came a shout from the next car and Hawk Eye burst through, tackling Gold. Despite his age, the man withstood the hit and managed to grab the child with both hands, and spun him around.   

" How are ya Hawk? Haven't seen you in three months! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school studying, preparing to help me handle ma money?"

" Don't worry about that uncle, I am scoring straight eights! And anyway, this was a holiday weekend."

" No it isn't, I perfectly remember that there are no holidays in May. You have been cutting class, and that is unacceptable. And y'need to score  nines as a minimum, not eights."

" Uncle, please give me a break, school isn't hard." 

" that's because you aren't studying, you need to increase you math average if y'want to join me company." 

" Fine, I'll stay I'm school once we get to Vanhoover. But you better bring me a souvenir from Manehattan Shield."

" What are you talkin' about boy?"

" Uncle, this is what I wanted to talk to you about." intervened Shield Heart and he stared at Hawks Eyes. " In private if we may." Hawk Eye skipped out and the adults took their seats. Copperworth entered with a tray with two short glasses filled with ice and a bottle of single grain malt whiskey blend decorated with a blue label. He handed a glass to the elder and hesitated to give one to the adventurer.

" You still drink don't you m'boy?" asked Gold Heart.

" Of course uncle, just not on the job." responded the blond. 

" Good, then you are not under any restrictions. Serve him a glass Copperworth." and the butler proceeded to follow instructions. 

" Uncle, I am still on the clock." said the youth while pointing at his pocket watch and leaving his glass on the coffee table.

" No, you are jobless right now and in desperate need of a drink. Copperworth, would you be kind and bring him a bottle of ginger ale?" 

" Of course master Heart." said the servant and left. 

The rich man leaned forward. " So tell me, what is so important that you have to tell me?" 

Taking a deep breath, Shield explained to his uncle the events of the future down to last every detail. Shield usually reserved his feelings, but with his parents and uncle, it was completely different. They seemed to understand his importance of having a platonic relationship.

" Listen Shield, I can understand your concern about this. But I must warn you about the mess you'll be getting Equestria into a load of trouble." 

The butler entered and filled the half-empty glass that belonged to the knight with the light brown liquid. 

Shield thanked Copperworth and took a sip. The semi-bitter drink ended with a sweet aftertaste. This bittersweet beverage always managed to relax Shield, although he couldn't  tell if it was the cold drink itself or just the alcohol acting. 

" I know uncle, but the memory was extremely real, I can't simply ignore this." he said as he pulled the destroyed timepiece out of his coat. He handed it to his uncle, who inspected it very closely. He opened it and stood gazing for three seconds. His expression changed drastically when he emerged from the trance.

" This justifies your plan, but it still doesn't change the fact that you will be arming a country that prides itself for lacking weapons.  That can be seen as a sign that we are ready for war. And I needn't remind you that there are greedy warlords just waiting for the excuse to invade us." Gold drank half of his liquor, which was prominently refilled by the butler.

" I know uncle, but how would you fend off a swarm of shape shifting bugs of it isn't through the use of firepower?"  and he took a sip.

His uncle proceeded to grab his cane and poke him in the head. " With that m'boy. Only this." he said pointing to his brain while he closed his left eye. " With this piece of grey matter sleeping on top of yer head can you do anythin'. You just have to think of an alternative."

" Well what do you suggest? I can't fight off a horde of bugs by myself!" 

"But ya can fight them with help! Get Shining Armor to help you, he's already there." 

" I can't ask him for help! What if he gets married anytime soon? He won't be always available." 

The wise man looked at him in surprise. "What are ye talking about ya war headed halfwit, Shining Armor already got married!"

Shield must have swallowed a particularly large ice cube because the news hit him harder than a train going downhill at full speed. The chunk of frozen water chocked him, enforcing its authority as a natural killer. Shield coughed it back to where it came where it came from. " What did you just say?"

" Just like ya heard it, Shining Armor got married in April, didn't you know?"

" No, I was stuck in the basement for two months conducting tests."

" So you have been living under that rock?"

" Pretty much." 

" But didn't you get an invitation? I am sure you wouldn't dare neglect you mail for a day."

" There was no invitation, no letter, no small note of apology no nothing. Gahh! I'm going to kill that Bakka!"

" Now watch your language son, he may be air headed..." 

" No, he is the single most incompetent Captain of the Royal Guard so far."

" And if that wasn't enough, ya should know that changelings infiltrated the guard and invaded Canterlot. Later on, the Queen manifested herself only to be defeated by the power of love between Shining Armor and Cadence."

The young blond's rage was starting to reach his limit, because even though he hated wedding parties, he never turned down a chance to save his impossible love. 

His head cooled down, as the information got past his emotional barrier. He suddenly realized that this was a crucial piece of information. This explained so much, from the attacks on Manehattan, to the fall of Equestria to the lingerie he found in the suitcase to the reason why Twilight Sparkle would go to Manehattan. He also realized that the suite he had visited was in fact the honeymoon suite. But This was bad. This was really bad. If the changelings had managed to infiltrate the Royal Guard then there is no telling how far they have planned. What if the Manehattan police was corrupted as well, what if his friends weren't his friends, but phonies studying his moves. 

"I know what yer thinking of m'boy, don't worry, that love wave that they cast sent them all flying to the badlands." intervened Gold Heart. 

" I just want to arrive to Canterlot and sort this out Uncle. I need to figure this out." Said Shield Heart as he left his uncle.

> The White City
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The White City. 

The train ride lasted a day, but upon arriving to Canterlot Valley, the view was breath-taking. Lodged onto the mountain and standing high in the sky stood The White City itself. The several pearl white towers, the enormous balconies perching out like shining nests. They arrived at the train station, where people could see eight solid gold cars arriving to the pearl white station. 

Shield Heart exited the eighth car, wearing his regular attire conformed of his trench coat, white shirt and brown pants. But he added something new, a pair of thin silver-framed glasses.

He walked past the registration office, merely flashing his badge. He walked straight to the castle, ignoring the various stalls offering delicious cinnamon rolls and other pastries. Reaching the entrance, he was stopped by two guards armed with halberds and clad in the iconic pearl-white, gold trimmed, plate armor.

" Stop right there! No one enters this castle under my watch!" said the stoic guard to the right. His expressionless face 

" Calm Down Tower Shield, it's just me." said the knight.

" I still cannot let you pass, the princess says that we should refrain from letting psychos into the castle."   

" Ha ha very funny, now will you please let me in?"

" Sorry, orders are orders."

Then Uncle Gold Heart, accompanied by the red-haired child. Upon arriving to be entrance, the guards lifted their halberds and let them pass, it nearly cut Shield when they blocked the path once more.

" Seriously? You aren't letting me in?"

" Sorry, but Shining Armor gave us strict orders not to let you in."

" And where is he now?"

" On his honeymoon of course, haven't you been reading the news?"

" Sorry, I have been too busy actually working to notice that he has gone on vacations yet again. So who's the temporal Captain?"

" Me." 

Shield grunted in disgust. " Please, it is urgent that I speak to the princess now!"

" Sorry, but I am not joking, he said not to let you in!"

" Fine!" responded the warden. 

He went to one of the sides of the castle. This hadn't been the first time Shining had done something as pathetic as to try and keep him out. But there was more than one way inside, and he was determined to talk to the royalty, one way or the other.  

Infusing his body with magic, he acquired the dexterity needed to climb the castle. Using the protruding bricks, he scaled for ten minutes. He contemplated the idea of using his wand, but he remembered the enchantments that surrounded he castle wouldn't let him grapple unto anything.

After ten minutes of tedious climbing, he reached the only open window that led directly to the Throne room. Taking a peek inside, he was surprised to see what was going on. Uncle Gold Heart was asking for the permits to finish his purchase of the mines. And as always, The Princess of Dawn accepted. 

Princess Celestia was wearing her regal silk white dress, the dress wasn't thick, since it was geared towards practicality, unlike what most of the Canterlot elite wore. The thin pearl dress divided itself on the left flank, making it easier for the princess to move in case of any disturbance. Her blue-green-pink hair was flowing freely, matched with her belt that sported the same pattern. The belt also had a golden sun to keep it from falling down. 

Shield decided that now was a good time as any, so he jumped through the window. It was a simple three meter drop, not something that could be dangerous. Upon landing on the floor he noticed that everyone was looking at him. He remembered that he forgot to muffle his sound, which would have helped keep him dark.

The guards were immediately alerted, rushing to encircle the new threat. The fall also dropped most of Shield's focus, so by the time he got his thoughts together he was centimeters away from being sliced by the tip of a halberd. " Stop right there criminal scum! Move a millimeter and he will kill you."

" Highly unlikely, but I like your determination rookie." responded the knight as he lifted his head. 

" Agent Shield Heart, how very nice of you to drop by." said the Princess. Immediately the five guards lifted their weapons, relaxing when the princess identified the trespasser. Her tone was very calm, as if she had yet to know of the danger that was to come. So Uncle had left him the hardest part of the job after all. 

" I am very sorry for my unique appearance, but your Captain wouldn't let me in, and it is important that I speak with you. I imagine you are done giving my uncle another piece of your kingdom?"

" Yes nephew, we were discussing the wedding gift that I brought over to the newlyweds." said the elder.  

" Oh, well sorry for the interruption, but this is very important."

" Very well, what is it that you need to tell us." 

Taking a deep breath he prepared to ruin Princess Celestia's day. " IneedauthorizationtoinitiateProtocolStalliongrad." he said as ft as he could, hoping that she would understand. 

The princess looked perplexed, confused, like she had misunderstood him. So he repeated it at the same speed. " I am sorry Shield, but could you please speak slower? For a second I thought you wanted to activate Protocol Stalliongrad." his face produced a wiry shy smile.  Celestia simply remained on her throne chair, dumbfounded by the news. 

" I'm sorry, but I cannot comprehend why you would ask me something like this, you know that there must be a good reason behind this decision."

Shield explained his incident, making sure to stress on the fact that he had seen evidence of the technology. 

" You aren't giving me much room to think of here Agent 42, could you please let me see the memory charm in order to fully understand the situation?"

He obliged, tossing the broken watch across the throne room. Using her hands, The Herald of Dawn cast a Telekinesis spell that caught the timepiece in a golden aura. Upon opening it, she was paralyzed for three seconds, before gasped in apparent horror.

" Now you can see why I need the permit to initiate the Protocol, right?"

" Yes, but it isn't as simple as you would hope. The Hooviet Union has been waiting for an opportunity to march here. If we let the news go that we have weapons then... I don't know what would happen."

" Then what do you propose we do, sit back and watch people die? I don't like this anymore than you do Princess, but we have to do something." 

" Halberd!" said the Princess, and one of the guards stepped forward. " Yes your Highness?" 

" Please go to the library and tell Twilight Sparkle to come here at once this is extremely important." 

" Yes your majesty." and the guard exited the throne room.

" Your Highness, why would you call Twilight Sparkle to this meeting? I doubt that she could provide some insight on this subject." said Shield coldly.

" She is smarter than you might think, and I want as much help as I can get because if I let Equestria in your hands there is a high probability that we will be dead before Nightmare Night."

" Thanks for the vote of confidence." said the knight, feeling a little hurt.

" Shut up lad, you very damn well know that if there is no moderator keeping you in check we will be fightin' for the rest of our lives." interrupted uncle Gold Heart.

.oOo.

Twilight Sparkle was sitting on one of the couches in the public wing of Canterlot Library. She was holding a copy of the book " The Parchment." it was a romantic tale about two lovers that met during their teenage years, but were separated by the evil mother that wanted to protect her daughter. It was somewhat sappy, but she enjoyed reading fiction in between her studies. She never had realized that friendship could be so complicated. She put the book back to where she had found it, and proceeded down to the central desk.

Her purple hair was held together with a white diadem. She was wearing a white shirt under an argyle violet vest, which matched her long skirt. She was wearing black flats, which were comfortable when it came to reading or walking down her favorite library.

An old bearded man sat on the oak desk, holding an old tome. He looked up and saw the purple haired girl and smiled. " As I live and breathe, Twilight Sparkle has returned to the library! Why this Very incident has filled me with great joy! To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence."

" Hello Maester Grimoire, I'm sorry I haven't visited earlier, but my studies in Ponyville have kept me from visiting you." said Twilight. The Maester was an old friend, having the wisdom to translate very complex spells and often aiding Twilight when she asked for help.

" Oh you need not worry dear, it is just that with you gone my library is even more empty than before, my only company is Book Worm. But he is usually too busy studying about myths and superheroes to be of any use." 

And suddenly they heard a crash in the far end of the silent room. " Oh bother, my library isn't going to last with this child constantly thrashing about!" The sage got up and lifted his wand. And blinked out of his desk. Twilight Ran to the location of the sound, not knowing where specifically did the sound come from. 

The sound came from a teenager, about sixteen years old. His green hair and grey eyes looked at the wizard, who looked very displeased. 

" What were you doing this time Mr. Book Worm? I hope you have decided to pick up a Grimoire and stop this fantasy of yours about finding the Crimson Prince!"

" Sir! I was just reaching out for one of the recent reports on missions done by the Grey Warden when I lost my balance." responded the youth

"  Idiot! Learning about The Greys isn't going to help you become a better Maester. You have got to learn about spells!" 

" But if I find the Crimson Prince he will teach me how to use my hands as a medium."

" For the last time, only Angels are able to use their hands as a medium of magic."

" But I saw him perform magic with his hands! He didn't have wings and still launched a fireball from his fingertips."

" What's the commotion?" asked the Ponyville librarian.

" This man is about to get killed trying to search for a myth." responded the elder scholar.

" He is no myth, the Crimson Prince saved me from the Blood Pack. And the Royal Guard can prove it!"

" I know their report, and they never confirmed that a superhero saved you."

" Who's this Crimson Prince guy?" asked Twilight

" He is some masked vigilante..."

" He is a hooded vigilante who is capable of fighting the houses and still manage to get away with it. He even uses a small crossbow!" said the pupil with clear excitement. " And I know that I am close to revealing his true identity, he is Shield Heart! The Grey Warden!" 

" It can't be him, he is always too busy saving Equestria from real evils to be here fighting imaginary wars with the Royal Houses."

" I'm sorry Maester, but what is a Grey Warden?" interrupted Twilight. The name seemed eerily familiar, but she couldn't quite pinpoint where she had heard it before.

" Why Twilight my dear, you disappoint me! the Grey Wardens are a branch of the Order of the Greys, the most important Peace Organization in all of Equestria!" 

" Oh right, the order was founded a thousand years ago, because of a rebellion lead by a mysterious man. How come no one recorded his name?"

" Because we never knew it, the monster was driven out of Equestria before he could face charges. Tell me more, I want to make sure that you remember your history well."

" Oh it was founded by Brave Heart, an immigrant from Prance who became zealous about protecting the Princess. The Organization usually follows a hereditary pattern, transferring the role of Master from father to son."

" And Shield, second son of the Master Grey, just so happens to be in line to the crown. Competing against Prince Blueblood. It makes sense that he is the Crimson Prince, he wants to teach the houses a lesson in case he becomes king." said Book Worm.

" And... That's it, there really wasn't a lot to go on in the books. From there on they simply disappeared." responded an amazed girl, that was all she could tell from what was known as a very important organization.

" That's because the Hearts are far too noble and secretive to let us know. Some of them occasionally drop a report for the archives,  but they usually keep all of Equestria in the dark."

Before Twilight could inquire further, a Royal guard burst through. His staggered breath tried to communicate something, but the panting made it incomprehensible.

" What is it Halberd? You look as though you Cerberus were chasing you."

" Sorry sir, but the Princess requests Twilight Sparkle's presence in the throne room."

" What for?" asked the purple haired librarian.

" I don't know, but it is urgent and Shield Heart is there." 

" You best be going my dear, Shield Heart is known for possessing many a virtue, but patience is not among them." Said Grimoire.

" All right, but I will be back Maester." she said and exited the library.

Her escorted walk was with total silence, probably due to the fact that the guard looked inclined to complete his assignment as soon as possible. Twilight was confident she had heard the name Shield Heart many times before, but she couldn't quite pin it down.

She finally entered the Throne Room. The large white enclosure was filled with silence. The Princess was sitting on her golden throne, a taller-than-average man wearing a grey duster stood at her left, staring at Twilight. A man with a blue frock coat and a red shirt was patiently waiting at the other side. Holding his white pants was a child clad in a uniform of olive green.

" Twilight, I have called you here because I need your help. I have recently learned that the changelings will be returning, and they will be striking Manehattan." said the Morning Princess. Twilight merely gasped, her sense of worry spiking when she heard that the city in which his brother was spending his honeymoon was about to be under fire.

"So what are we waiting for? Shouldn't we be doing everything to evacuate the city?"

" It's not so simple as just evacuating, I am mostly concerned about what their purpose is. I am sure this isn't just another invasion, they have a big plan and I want to find out what it is." intervened Shield Heart, his tone was somewhat serious.

" Excuse me, but who are you?"

" The name is Sir Shield Heart."

" So what do you propose Sir, we let thousands of civilians get caught in a fight?" 

" No, quite the contrary, I want to clear the city to be able to transform it into a battlefield. With this plan I want to lure out the queen in order to capture her and lock her up in Tartarus." 

" And how do you know that the queen will show up? What if she has a commander that will manage the entire battle for her?" responded Twilight, she really wasn't liking the idea of putting a city in danger so that they could capture someone.

" Doesn't matter, we just need to capture whoever is responsible for the attack so that we can prosecute them. We need to show the world that we cannot be bullied."

" But that would be stupid, there are alternatives to fighting."

" What do you propose, serve them tea and ask nicely if they want to leave?"

" No, we can use the Elements of Harmony to neutralize the threat." 

" Listen miss Sparkle, I hate to ruin your perfect plan but using a Deus Ex Machina such as the elements will only put your life in danger. Also it will send the wrong message, they will realize that our main line of defense consists of six girls who happen to use magic symbols. The first thing any nation would do would be to assassinate all six of you and that way they will be unstoppable."

" And what about your plan, doesn't it involve putting yourself in danger?"

" Yes it does, but because I can handle it miss. This is my job after all. You are crucial to the defense of Equestria against other types of enemies, such as the Avatar of Chaos or Nightmare Moon. You shouldn't get stressed about these things, leave them to people with experience."

" You have experience running wars?"

" You could say that, but that is out of the question. Princess, will you allow me to initiate Protocol Stalliongrad or not?"

The Princess suddenly became the center of attention. She pondered for a moment, she imagined what the outcome would be regardless of wether or not she granted permission. But maybe there was a way around it, it wasn't very likely to succeed, but it she couldn't let him go around using firearms. He needed something or someone to control him. She had never seen him fight with guns, at least not in real life. The memories clearly showed that he was experienced, and that scared her. 

Equestria was popular because it lacked modern weaponry, and still the medieval artifacts were kept in check. Only certain individuals were allowed to use them, and she had to admit they were not as skilled as her loyal agent.

She still couldn't realize how he gained this experience. He had a large gap in his life in which she didn't know a thing except that it changed him completely. He used to be a cheery teenager, but after disappearing for four years he had somehow mutated into the stoic, sarcastic scoundrel in front of her.

She wanted to do something to return the old child she missed, and then her idea became much more coherent.   

" Very well Shield Heart, I hereby give you authorization to initiate Protocol Stalliongrad Level One. Under the condition that Twilight Sparkle is there to supervise what you do." she finally said.

Shield heart jumped with joy while shouting " Yes!" but he landed when his finished processing the condition.

" Hold it, are you implying that I need help? C'mon Princess, when have I ever kept you in the dark about something?" retorted the knight.

" Always Shield Heart, but this time I cannot allow your regular attitude."

" Fine! But only under one condition, that she does everything I say. If I say jump, she jumps, I say duck, she ducks without question and if I say kiss she asks which cheek. Last thing I want is to be in the middle of a battle with a bitch nagging and complaining, only to get killed and get me into a lot of trouble." he responded.

" I accept Princess, just tell me what I should be looking for and I will follow." 

The princess let out a smirk, to which the Warden completely ignored. " Actually, I will also send Rarity to help Twilight, maybe she can turn this monster into a proper man." she said. 

" All right, fine, whatever. Okay, Uncle would you be so kind as to..." and he noticed uncle Gold Heart was gone. The old man and Hawk Eye had left during the argument between young adults.

" Not be here. Okay, Twilight Sparkle pack your things and meet me at the train station in five hours, same thing about your friend. We leave for Vanhoover before night fall."

" Vanhoover? Aren't we supposed to go to Manehattan?"

" No, if we want to beat the changelings we need to pick up some supplies which can only be obtained from my base. Don't worry, we will make it In time." and he left without saying another word.

Twilight Sparkle was left alone with the princess, so she decided to make the most of this opportunity." Princess, could you please explain to me who was that man?"

" You do not remember Shield Heart? He was a close friend of Shinning Armor and Cadence." said Celestia.

Twilight started thinking, he did look vaguely familiar, but she had only seen him once or twice. " Not really." 

" He is one of the Agents of the Order of the Greys, and one of my most effective ones at that. He has been able to solve any problem that Equestria has, so long as I keep a blind eye as to how he does it."

" Why would you do that?" 

" Because his methods are slightly unorthodox. He will occasionally take a life, but usually just bends the laws in his favor."

" So why are you paying close attention this time?"

" Because I cannot simply allow him to use firearms in my country. He has changed drastically, and every time I want him to tell me why he has changed he closes up quickly."

" So that is what Protocol Stalliongrad is, the weaponization of Equestria?"

" No, it is slightly more complicated, it is the modernization of the weapons department. It means that we will get an army and various other discordant things. Level one means that he still must exercise caution when using weapons, so that will slow down his insanity."

" So what do you need me for? It should be you that oversees this."

" That is because I need you to do something much more important. I need you to change him the same way Ponyville changed you. He was once a happy kid who would bring joy to all those around him. Now, well you saw him."

Twilight could relate, she had once been a secluded nerd, but she had managed to quit her bad habits. This man showed similar symptoms, but looked like his case was far more serious. 

" But what do we do if he becomes violent?"

" Do not worry, he may be violent, but he can still exercise control over himself, especially around women and children. So I am confident that neither you nor Rarity will come to any sort of harm while you are with him." 

" Princess, do you think that he was serious about the whole if I say kiss you respond which cheek?"

" I doubt it. Winter has seen warmer days than is heart. Now go, you have an important journey ahead of you."

And so the student left. She was keen on telling her fashionista friend about their new journey. If there was anyone capable of her. It was a good thing that she had taken the time off to help decorate the newlyweds' bedroom while they were away, that way she  could accompany Twilight on her quest.

.oOo.

Shield Heart exited the castle, completely frustrated. He remembered well that his future self had told him to enlist her aid, but he wasn't about to put in danger someone as important as her. His mission was getting far more complicated. Escalating from a simple skirmish to a bodyguard 

His thoughts immediately cleared when he sensed he was being followed. He couldn't exactly tell, but he had been ambushed enough times to know when someone was watching him. He proceeded down one of Canterlot's many dark alleys, commonly where people tended to disappear. 

He was halfway through when two large brutes showed up behind him, and two more in front of him blocked his exit.

" Well well, look who decided to show up." said a juvenile voice from behind. He turned around and saw a slender silver-haired man. His youthful appearance paid tribute to his voice, and his figure marked him as weak. 

" Can you make this quick Silver Platter? I have a train to catch." responded Shield. He hated when this bigot showed up to cause trouble. 

" I know, and I'm sorry to say that you will have to miss it. You see, my friends here wanted to repay you for the kindness you showed my men after your last visit to Baltimare." responded Silver Platter.

Shield remember this incident. It involved him tracking down a group of smugglers who were importing large quantities of an explosive substance called tak. In the end the docks that held the substance exploded, creating the illusion of fireworks during the festivals that were being held at the same time as the assignment. " Hey hat was your fault for not keeping an eye on what your employees hid." he responded coyly.

" Shut up you cur. We both know that you could have avoided detonating the tak,  and it could have made me rich by selling it to miners."

" Ugh, for the last time, that stuff was illegal!" and he heard several gun cocks

And suddenly Shield was looking at the barrel of a gun. All five of his adversaries had acquired pistols while he had looked to the ground remembering the past. He believed that the goons carried 9mm pistols while Pretty Boy was holding a .44 magnum auto-revolver. Either way, it probably wasn't going to get pretty if bullets started flying.  

" Listen you idiot, life was simple without you, so why can't you go back to the putrid city from which you came." it was too easy.

" You mean here? This beautiful City? I hope you remember that I was born in Canterlot, the same place where you and all the other cretins that claim to be nobility while they suck their thumbs and play with tea."

With a shout of rage Silver Platter prepared to fire, but Shield had prepared a strategy by now. Years of experience had taught him never to go through any town unarmed, so he used the most powerful one available to him: his fists.

He lunged himself at the extended arm and put his arms around the elbow. With a swift switch, he pulled his right arm in and pushed his other limb out. The result was a sickening snap, signaling that is would be months before that arm was back to holding tea cups. He followed the strike with a swift elbow bash from his right arm to the sternum, injuring it with minor cracks. A sharp scream was produced from the boy when his bones were snapped And to seal the spoiled brat's fate he punched his face with the left fist. The victim was knocked out cold. 

The minions were shocked by this, and did the worst thing possible, they pointed their pistols at him. Shield lunged again, this time striking his first opponent with a punch right to the stomach. Breathless, the goon panicked, launching a blind fist to the knight, who deflected it and palm stroke right to the chin. He fell down coldly. 

The next thug was greeted by a clockwise roundhouse kick to his hand, which forced him to drop his weapon.  He threw a basic punch, but was too slow to hit his opponent. Shield managed to get up-close, delivering a staggering elbow against the stomach, followed by a throw involving using the extended limb as a lever. The goon end up on the floor. Where he was neutralized by the bottom of a boot. 

The remaining enemies did the only thing they thought correct, they unloaded their magazines on the monster. Needless to say, most bullets did not even approach their mark. Those few that did were still under the hopes of reaching their target. 

Of the eight candidates, only half of them found their way to the Warden. One of them graced the neck, producing a wound close to the right clavicle. Another one punctured the stomach, embedding itself near the left kidney. The las two managed to strike his left triceps, allocating themselves right next to the bone.

The pain was nothing short of incredible, but Shield now was forced to end it fast. They were halfway to the train station and the castle, so if anyone had the common sense of calling the guards when they heard screaming, they would arrive quickly. Shield dashed forward, using his magic to delay the bleeding. He proceeded with an uppercut, Followed by a jump kick straight to the face. The enemy could not withstand the hundred newtons of mana-augmented blows, and was immediately unconscious. 

To finish off the last one, he proceeded to attack the vital nerves. With five quick pokes the last minion was down on the floor. 

Shield surveyed his surroundings, so far only his blood was the visible damage, but the weapons were still present. He heard the distinctive clatter of armor, so he had little time to work. He grabbed all four pistols and the revolver, packing them in his pockets. He then started climbing, hoping that the guards wouldn't want to look up. 

Having escaped the alley he reached the train station, where he avoided all sort of human interaction.

.oOo.

Twilight Sparkle was back at the library, hoping to find more information about Shield Heart. Going to get Rarity would be a waste of time, since she was too busy decorating. Instead she decided to invest her time with something productive.  Se returned with Grimoire, hoping to find out more about Shield, who was spoken of highly.

" Maester, what more can you tell me about Shield Heart?" she asked. 

" Oh dear, that is a troublesome subject. I hope you understand that that man is extremely complicated and as such most of his actions are ambiguous."

" Could you please start with the basics? Such as the Royalty involved?"

" Oh well, that makes it easier. You should remember that at the beginning of Equestria, The Princesses appointed several families that had done something for the kingdom, such as was the case of the Storms, the family of Seraphs was recognized for its involvement during the Unification. They were in charge of herding all monster out of potential zones marked by the Precious Family. The Bloods helped convince the people to accept and even welcome Celestia's rule, abolishing the corrupt council. 

Later on, other families joined the royalty, becoming Counts as opposed to the First Families that are regarded as Dukes. After the banishment of Nightmare Moon and the Rebellion, Princess Celestia awarded the Heart family with a place among the higher royalty circle, which they reluctantly accepted. They used their status as a way to continue their work and found the Order of the Greys. 

This act created great displeasure amongst the Precious and Blood families who saw it as an insult. Shield Heart has taken this a little further, often picking fights amongst the counts for being unpleasant. And truth is, they make it so easy for him. Whenever he would be here studying and they showed up, I found out that my bookcases would have new dents. 

His actions are unusual, but his first interest is the safety of Equestria and that of his friends."

Twilight was impressed, the description was confusing. On one hand he was a psychotic man with anger management issues, on the other he seemed very loyal. But she felt that there was more to tell. There had to be some explanation to his talent, she was certain that the Maester could fill the gap that the Princess couldn't. " Is there anything else that you could tell me?" she asked

" Why are you so interested in Shield all of a sudden? "

" Because the Princess has assigned me the task of returning him to sanity."

" Well, you might also want to know that he is very adept in magic. So much in fact that he was a student to Celestia before you."

" Really? How come?"

" Well, not only is he adept in magic, but he also is part of Equestria's defense, so giving him he best training was only logical. Although he dropped out when you showed your powers." 

" Why would he do that?"

" Even though he tends to be violent, he hates being a hassle for other people. And to him he is always a hassle to anyone. He told me that the Princess should dedicate herself to you and not on him, since there was not much future in him. He knows of your power and therefore prefers to get himself out of the equation before anyone notices." 

The most curious part it that three years later, at the age of seventeen, he disappeared for four years." 

" Does anyone know what happened to him during that time?"

" No, I believe that he keeps that secret locked away tighter than a cider bottle. Although you should ask Princess Cadence, she always held a special relationship with him."

Twilight's work had just gotten harder, she hoped that the Maester would be able to solve her questions, but instead has raised more. 

She thanked the sage and quickly exited the library, hopefully Rarity had finished her work and they would be able to pack with only four hours to spare.

She walked through Canterlot Plaza on her way to the home interior Boutiques, but stopped when she saw several Guardsmen blocking an alley. Ten healers, recognizable by the red cross on their arm bands, were carrying stretchers into the alley. She got closer, hoping to get view at what was happening, but the guards were blocking the way. 

" Sorry Twilight, but this is Official Business. We can't let you in." said one of the guards.

" But what happened Tower?" 

" We don't know, but we have five people in desperate need of medical attention. One of them has a broken arm, a fractured sternum, and possibly a broken nose. The others were lucky to receive only a broken nose."

"Except the one who ended up with a fractured Skull and a dislocated jaw, that guy will be in a coma for some time." said one of the healers.  

Twilight was shocked, but what happened later was a relief. From around the corner a violet-haired beauty walked on by, her casual attire consisted of a white blouse, a black short skirt and same colored flat shoes. She also wore a black and white belt, which served as mere decoration.

" Rarity! I was on my way to meet you. How did the shopping go?" asked Twilight

" Why Twilight, just look at me and tell me if everything did not go well." said the seamstress. It was true, she was carrying several bags of decorating items ranging from simple rolls of wallpaper to lamps and other miscellaneous items.

" Very well I guess."

" So what happened here?" 

" Some people got attacked, and got hurt pretty bad."

" How awful, is there a culprit or a suspect?" 

" Negative ma'am, although it is highly likely that Shield Heart was responsible." intervened Tower Shield

" Is he some sort of criminal?" asked Rarity

" Actually, he probably did this because they started it. Shield may be a monster, but he never picks fights, he just attracts them."

" And He is also our new best friend." intervened Twilight.

" What are you talking about?"

" Princess Celestia wants us to turn him into a decent human being, all while going to Vanhoover and Manehattan where there is supposed to be a large scale attack by the changelings." 

" What are you talking about Twi, I need to finish decorating the room before your brother returns from his honeymoon." 

" Well yeah, we have to change plans about that. This was issued by Princess Celestia Herself." 

Rarity started stammering, her brain was too busy processing the new information to create a regular sentence. She finished thinking and said: " Twilight, do you really think it would be wise to join, what I am led to believe, a brute?"

" Well, he was somewhat civilized, he didn't look like a monster."

" Then how do you explain this mess he has made?" 

" I can't, but the Princess asked that we both help him, and has even assured me that he won't harm us."

" Sorry if I don't believe you Twilight, but I find it hard to believe that the Princess would be so careless as to tell us to go around with a monster."

" Well, she wants you to help turn him into the gentleman he is supposed to be."

" Well sorry if I don't feel inclined to do it, but I really need to finish your brother's room."

" Rarity, why are you acting so negative about this?"

" Why are you so positive?"  

" Because the Princess wants to help someone, and as Elements of Harmony, it is our duty to help anyone in need."

"  But is it really necessary? I mean, there are various ways to help people. And running along with a complete stranger doesn't feel like we will be doing much good."

" It was an order, so we really have to play along."

Rarity huffed, and gave in. There seemed no way to dissuade Twilight from doing something that could be labeled as utterly ridiculous. They both left to their suites, needing to prepare for the coming journey.

.oOo.

As soon as the girls left, Tower Shield was left perplexed. This crime scene had various elements common with Crimson Prince related incidents, but there was something completely new to this stage. The floor was littered with brass tubes and some blood drops.

As much as they studied, no one was able to tell what had happened exactly. This was the biggest mystery in Canterlot history. Shining Armor would usually know what to do, but Tower was not as experienced. 

" What do we do now Captain?" asked one of the guards.

" We go to arrest Shield Heart, I know that he has something to do with this. And if he isn't responsible, I am sure that he will tell us what we are dealing with here."

" Is arresting him a good idea? You know how he  gets special around us. Remember last time?"

" Of course, we broke into the Royal bathroom, while Cadence was taking a bath. It has been our most embarrassing moment so far. But we have to try, I need to know what Silver Platter was doing here. By the look of things, he was asking for this."

Tower Shield gathered five more guards, and with halberds in hand, they marched to the train station. Upon arrival to the golden train, they knocked on the door of the first passenger car. The door was opened by a man clad in a black suit. 

" Yes, what can I help you with?" asked the man

" Hello Copperworth, is Shield Heart here?" asked the Captain.

" I don't believe so Tower, let me go check." said the butler, who promptly closed the door. 

.oOo.

Shield Heart was healing his wounds after his scuffle with Silver Platter. Pulling out the bullets he somewhat recognized their design. They were definitely from Great Briddle. The country was known for the massive amounts of armaments they produced and sold worldwide. He needed to know how five pistols got smuggled into Equestria. 

As he was pulling out the bullet lodged on his stomach Copperworth entered the room. " Mutilating yourself with bullets now are we Master Heart?"

" Hey Copper. No, it was just a scuffle against that bastard."

" So you are once again having kiddie fights against Silver Platter I presume."

" He started it this time."

" The guards are asking that you present yourself."

" Tell them I'm not here, if word gets out that firearms were used on Canterlot I'll never hear the end of it."

" So should I tell them that you aren't here sir?"

" Please do Copperworth."

" Very well." and the butler exited the room. Copper worth walked back to the main entrance, where all six guards were still waiting. " I am sorry to say that he left a while ago, could I deliver a message?"

" Yes, could you please tell him that he needs to present himself at the barracks, we need his help with a very troublesome case." responded Tower. 

" Very well, I'll send him to you as soon as I see him." said Copperworth. The guards left without further ado.

.oOo.

" Sir you do know that the butler is lying, right? A lot of people confirmed seeing a man matching Shield's description enter the last car in that train."

" I know, but if we force our way in, Shield will beat us up like those goons. And I do not want to fill out more medical reports. It's easier to let him come to us."

" Not like he will obey." 

" Oh, he'll come eventually. Something like this is impossible to hide." and in an orderly fashion they left, marching back to their barracks.

.oOo. 

Shield Heart was finishing up bandaging his wounds. They simply needed some kolto gel and they would proceed to repair his body. He made sure the cotton strips were tight, otherwise the healing time would double. He had taken off his white, now bloodstained, shirt, revealing a short sleeve undershirt.

" Are you done making a mess of things sir?" asked Copperworth.

" Yes Copper." responded the blond knight.

" Well then, maybe you might want to go and tell the Royal Guard what they are going up against."

" I won't, this is my problem, not theirs. All I have to do is check the docks and see where they are hiding the guns. Something tells me that they have superior firepower, and if they do, we will have to advance Protocol Stalliongrad even further."

" Don't forget the consequences of your actions Sir, or they will bite your backside before you know it." 

" I know, I know. But what would you have me do? Guard armor is weak against bullets, and if there is a coup, Canterlot will fall within minutes." 

" Well, you could always confiscate the weapons before this coup you fear starts."

" But the Precious have warehouses everywhere. I can't strike at least fifty warehouses all over Equestria at the same time."

" Then what do you plan on doing, you can't fight a civil war. That would be the epilogue of the Greys."

" But I can't think of anything else. What time is it?"

" It's half past three sir."

" What is taking those girls so long? I told them an hour ago to meet me here in five hours." 

" Sir, expect them to get here at least an hour late."

" But how much can they take for a simple trip?

" A lot sir."

Shield grunted, put on a new shirt and fell to the floor, which was very comfortable, being made of thick carpets. He was in the library section of the train. So far it was his favorite. Between the carpets, the comfy couches and the bookshelves, it was his natural habitat. He studied the five fire arms that lay before him in an ebony table. There were four generic 9mm pistols before him, of Great Briddle design. The Grip sported the signature soft cover, making it easier to hold, while still being hard to drop. 

The real mystery came from the revolver. Sporting the expensive .44 magnum ammunition, it was a powerful tool. But it wasn't the firepower that impressed him, it was the astounding quality of it. The metal was reinforced aluminum, it was light, but still very resistant and bright. The grip was pure ivory, with the word ivory masterfully carved to the handle on both sides. The words were outlined in pure gold, along with the image of a dragon, whose mouth opened at the barrel. 

Shield had to admit that the gun was something to look at, and estimated that it must have cost at least five thousand bits just to manufacture it. 

" Looking at the spoils of war?" Asked the man clad in a penguin suit.

" You're still here Copper?"

" I never left." 

" So what do you think of this?"  said the knight while holding the revolver.

" A fine piece of craftsmanship." 

" I can see that, but where do you think it came from?"

" Well..." said the butler as he grabbed the weapon. " It is obvious that it is from Ib'Xian. The dragon comes from that region, and ivory is a common enough material to be purchased by a noble." 

Shield hadn't thought of that before, but it made a lot of sense. He had seen Ib'Xian art before, and by pointing out the obvious, Copperworth had given him a crucial piece to the puzzle. He now knew that there were sleazy, powerful people involved, and that this probably means that he should be even more careful.

He admired the gun, noting that it would prove useful in case things went sour, which in his experience always happened. He knew that the ammunition would require crafting, which would be somewhat of a nuisance unless there was a way to convert the chambers. He placed all weapons in a black evidence briefcase, making sure that no one would be able to see the arms. 

He decided to leave he guns alone and pick up a book at random. His hand picked up an interesting choice: star hoof troopers. It was a good read, and considering everything that was going to happen, he could use scifi military books to help him create strategies. 

Two hours passed and Shield was halfway trough the book, when Hawk Eye burst in. He was looking bored, and down. Although it was mostly boredom what filled him. The child was suddenly overpowered by gravity as his body fell quickly to the floor. At the same time he was mumbling something only comprehensible to those who possessed the same hearing ability as a dog. 

" What is it this time Hawk?" 

" I'm bored, let's play a game, how about that medieval TBS that you always destroy Shining Armor in?"

" You mean Strategos?" 

" Yeah, that one." 

" Nah, my borked, my work can't brain."

"  That's what you always say. C'mon, please? Pretty please?"

" The physical appearance on please will not help you." 

" Then get off you lazy backside and play the game with me!"

" Great! Now I just lost the game." 

" Haha! That was my revenge!"

" You know what? I have a fetch quest for you."

The boy immediately dropped his whiny act, drawn to the mission instantly. " Really? What's it abut?"

" It's a simple one..." trailed off Shield. 

" Yes?" 

" I need you to go to the Guest wing in Canterlot Castle and ask for a young woman named Twilight Sparkle. And only return when you have her and a friend of hers that is also tagging along but I cannot remember her name"

" Wait, what? Since when do you agree to bring additional baggage?"

" Not my choice, the princess ordered me to do it."

" All right, I'm in." and he left.

" Make sure you take your staff and cloak with you, I had to fight some idiots on my way here."

Hawk Eye responded by disappearing to the left.

Shield sighed with relief, if Copperworth was right, this quest would take a a long time to complete. He considered leaving now, but knew that the princess would be infuriated if she found put that he disobeyed a direct order. Shield returned to his reading, hoping to finish the book before he could be interrupted again.

.oOo.

Hawk Eye was outside the train station, a red baton in his hand and a grey silk cloak on his back. He was still wearing his flight pack, as he never took it off, but it remained concealed by the long piece of clothing on his back. His hip was glued to a brown satchel, completely empty. With three jumps he pressed the button on the baton while in midair and it extended three times its size, standing as tall as the child. The resulting force catapulted him into the air, letting him extend his wings and fly off to the castle.

Afternoon Canterlot was beautiful, but seeing it from the air held something special for Hawk. His white translucent wings were fully extended, gliding him across the busy market stalls. He admired all the kids, seeing how they laughed and played. Not caring about the world next to them. He somehow envied them. They never had the chance to choose between helping your brother or staying home playing games with friends. 

He always cherished a good adventure, but he started thinking that he wasn't living the life a ten-year old boy should be living. Suddenly, all thoughts were extinguished as his sense of smell detected high concentrations of sugar. He tucked his magic wings in and let himself go into free fall. He aimed for a stack of hay and landed perfectly, as usual. His adventuring had taught him important skills, such as determining when a stack of hay could really embrace your fall. 

He attached his now-retracted to a small metal plate on his left side, being magnetic, it accepted the baton without a problem.  

He approached the cinnamon roll stall. Seeing the fresh rolls made his mouth water, then again, anything with sugar did. He went for his coin pouch and grabbed a handful of coins. He proceeded to ask the vendor, a lively young woman, about the pricing. She pointed at a sign in front of him. Five bits each. He was disappointed. He had expected some sort of human conversation, but it seemed the people he met were complete sociopaths. 

He was about to make his purchase when he noticed a sign next to him. There was a three-for -the-price-of-two special. Checking to see his finances, he proceeded to buy the better deal. With a brown paper bag tucked to his satchel, he started walking back to his objective. He pole vaulted himself into the air and continued his cruise.

Three minutes later, he reached the entrance of the castle, where he was promptly stopped by the guards. 

" Hey Spear." he greeted one of the guards.

" Hey Hawk, what are you doing here?" 

" I was sent on a quest to escort Miss Twilight Sparkle. She is joining us in our trip."

The guard looked surprised. " Really?"

" Yeah, really." 

" Well then, go to the left hall, you should find the receptionist in a while."

" Thanks for reminding me." said the boy, but a halberd stopped him. 

" Sorry r, but I need to check your belt and satchel. Random inspection."

Holding unto his oversized pants, he took off his pouched utility belt and leather satchel and tossed the to the guard while muttering random my caltrops.  Spear looked through the bags,  amazed at the large quantity of pellets. " Are these witch farts?" 

" No, they are smoke pellets. I always carry them around in case I get into trouble." 

" And what do we have here?" said the guard as he pulled out the paper bag.

" They're cinnamon rolls." 

" Yeah right, next thing you're gonna say is that that baton isn't a weapon."

Hawk kept silence, knowing that the guard was correct about the last statement. 

" Don't sweat it, go right ahead."  said Spear as he lifted his pole arm. 

Without letting him regret anything the boy disappeared immediately. Walking through the white halls relaxed the boy, who was enthralled in the baroque design. The various floral patterns were outlined in gold, giving it a divine look.

He reached the left wing, where he was stopped by several sharp-dressed teenagers. 

" Going somewhere?" asked a stocky girl with blazing orange hair and a prominent nose.

" Yes I am in the middle of an escort quest, so I should be going." said Hawk as he took a step back. But three teenagers had circled behind him. Not good. Shield had warned him enough times that if someone created a mosh pit around you or got within hugging distance while you were still strangers, chances were that they wanted to harm you. 

He slowly reached for his staff with his left hand while grabbing a smoke pellet with his left. Five of the ten members surrounding him pulled out knives on him. " Your brother will pay for what he did to my cousin." said the girl. 

" And what does that have to do with me again?"

" We know who you are, and you are not getting out of here without a message."

" All right then, what is it..." he asked innocently.

" You will see soon enough. Get him." said the pubertal girl as she her friends to grab him.

In the blink of an eye, Hawk smashed the smoke pellet onto the floor. The resulting cloud was extremely thick, providing Hawk with complete secrecy. He bent his body backwards as he extended his staff, managing to bang everyone's head with it. He then took to the roof, where he glided past his enemies and allowing him to continue on foot. He could hear the female screams demanding that the find him.

But he was gone by the time they noticed. He had burst out of a window and into the suites.

This was an uncommon place for Hawk, who usually spent his time in banquet halls with his uncle, so this was completely new to him. He walked past the walkways to the reception, where an elder lady was sitting, filing papers. 

" What can I help you with?" she said with a bored monotonous voice.

" Im looking for Twilight Sparkle." 

The woman grunted. " Top Penthouse." she said as she returned to her previous action.

Hawk glided op the stairs, saving him more time than walking. He stood in front of an ebony door he assumed was his destination. He knocked three times and the door was opened by a young woman with violet hair. Her large sapphire eyes mesmerized Hawk, her beautiful curvy figure had managed to negate any sort of thought other than fascination. She mouthed something, but he couldn't hear it, he was too busy contemplating those beautiful lips. His hearing came back to life as she repeated herself. "Can I help you?" she asked.

Stunned, Hawk tried to recover himself, stuttering mindlessly until his brain opted to form actual words. " I... I... Shield Heart... Come..." he stammered. His brain might have gotten over so far as he could somewhat speak, but his amazement forbade him from going any further.

The muse giggled, her sound similar to that of angels. " Sorry sir, but I imagined that someone of your reputation to be taller."

" Excuse me?" asked a confused child.

" I thought that Shield Heart would be taller." Responded the woman.

" Oh no no no no no no no. I'm not Shield Heart. " quickly corrected Hawk. " I am his brother, Hawk Eye, at your service."

" Oh, well, that explains things. What can I help you with?" said Rarity with a giggle.

" Well, my brother has cordially asked me to escort you to the train station as soon as possible miss Twilight Sparkle."

" Oh, well, that is very kind of you, but I am not Twilight Sparkle." said the seamstress meekly.

" Oh, very sorry  to bother you ma'am. If you could please disregard everything I just said, I would greatly appreciate it. And if you could point me to the room where miss Twilight Sparkle is currently staying at, I would greatly appreciate it miss..."

" Rarity. Twilight, could you come over here for a minute, someone wants to see you."

Some silent seconds later and a young woman clad in purple and argyle stepped out the door. 

Hawk Eye bowed, and proceeded to deliver his message.

" How very thoughtful of Shield Heart to send his brother on an escort mission." said the student. 

" Do I detect a hint of sarcasm ma'am?" inquired the boy.

" No, I actually didn't believe that he would send someone to pick us up. This is sort of a first."

" Really? I never thought that anyone would dare allow a woman to walk alone in Canterlot after dark."

" It's not dangerous. Canterlot is the safest city in all of Equestria!"

" You clearly haven't been outside after dark."

Twilight was confused, but decided to ignore it. He was probably just being a child. 

" Anywho, are you ready to go to the train station?"

" I think we are ready, we just need get our luggage out." 

" Well, You could always use an animation spell and get them to follow you."

" Hm... That is an interesting idea. Wonder why I didn't think of it before." 

" Well, that is why I am here. Shall we be going then?"

" Of course."

And with the flick of a yew wand, the various suitcases were enveloped in a red aura and began floating. 

They walked past the white halls at a steady pace. Hawk was too shy to speak, so he decided to keep quiet.

" Well well, look who has come back for more." said a squeaky voice that Hawk wanted to avoid. 

Standing at the end of the hallway was the pudgy girl with five friends and two gorilla-men. He quickly looked behind him and noticed that five more bodybuilders had blocked the way back. This wasn't good. If he were alone Hawk would not have a problem, but he had two civilians with no probable combat experience. 

" Can we talk this out? I'm sure we can avoid violence."

" I don't think so, your brother beat up my cousin, and I am out to even the score. And maybe I should do the same to your friends. That will teach him to mess with us."

After hearing these words Hawk withdrew his baton and extended it to a full quarterstaff. He motioned it forward and said: " You can threaten me, but if you think I will let you touch a hair on either of them, by Celestia you will rue the day you dared cross me."

" Get them." said the girl coldly. The men advanced, pulling out knives as they enclosed the boy. But he was ready for them. With as single swipe he hit all the heads, forcing them to step back. 

" Please, why can't we just get along? Isn't there an easier way to settle this? Maybe a nice cup of camomile tea with mint?" 

" I am getting tired of your namby-pamby attitude. There is no negotiating this, so surrender now and it will be easier for all of us."

" Never, I would sooner bow my head to Discord than to submit to the torments of a bully!"

" So be it adopted peasant. Guards, kill him now." said the fat girl. The thugs merely grunted as they began their approach. But again they were stopped by various swings from the metallic quarterstaff. One of them charged, but was immediately stopped as his genitals were crushed by the quarterstaff. Soon. His skull was fractured when Hawk pounded him with the other end of his staff.

The goon fell down, clutching his lower parts. The next one lunged himself, dagger-first, but his attack was parried by the boy. He slashed, but he only cut air as his target ducked, his weapon retracted to a baton. 

Hawk extended it once more as he pointed it to the ground. Using his wings he lifted himself up the pole, using his feet to kick his enemy right in the chin. The enemy was staggered, the pain beating him hard, but he still moved forward. This time his jaw received a smack, creating more pain than before. But he still continued.

The child was starting to back up, he wasn't used to fighting so many hostiles at one time. He needed to end it fast, and he was going to use the oldest trick in his book. Going for one of his pouches, he extracted several smoke pellets. He looked at his V.I.P and asked: "Can you run very fast?"

"I can sprint." she answered.

"How about you ma'am?"

Rarity looked at him, and returning her look to the enemies behind her. " Why of course, but what do you have in mind?"

"Its a tactic that my brother calls bullrush. Grab my hand and don't let go." he said. 

He started running toward the girl, throwing pellets all over him as he ran. as he reached her from the inside of his cloud, he swiped forward, hitting several people in the process. He tackled someone, that judging by the size was a gorilla, knocking him off his feet. He rushed forward, popping more smoke to conceal his friends. 

After a minute of continuos running they managed to escape the danger and exit the Guest Wing of Canterlot Castle. As they exited the castle Rarity spoke in between panting: "Could you please tell me what you just did back there?" 

" That was my version of the bullrush. I wanted to avoid hurting people so I used the smoke to conceal our exit." explained Hawk.

" Very clever, but where did you learn to fight like that?" asked Twilight.

" Oh, Shield taught me how to use the quarterstaff, he said that I needed to know melee combat if I was to join him in between missions." 

" So you abandon your education in order to travel with a maniac?" asked Rarity with surprise. Twilight gave her the: Be careful look.

"Well, yes, school usually gets boring at this time of year so I stick with my brother in whatever crazy adventure he goes to."

" Isn't that both dangerous and irresponsible?"

"Yeah, but he still lets me tag along." he replied.

They kept silence through the remainder of their travel, stopping in front of a golden train.

"You have a personal train?" asked Rarity with surprise.

" No, this is my Uncle's. We only own the last train car, the rest belongs to him." he said as he entered the car. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come in!" 

And both women followed, their luggage still floating behind them. 
> Crazy Train
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crazy Train

The second both Mages entered the golden car, their jaws dropped. Never had they seen something so... Well, different. The inside was definitely larger than it looked, and the golden interiors made everything shine.

Sitting in front of them was a man with a blue frock coat and a black top hat. He grabbed his golden tipped cane and stood up. 

" Hello Miss Twilight Sparkle, I must say it is a pleasure to make acquaintances with someone who the Princess highly respects. And it is a great pleasure to meet you too miss Rarity, don't think I would forget to greet the fashionista that caused such an uproar in the Canterlot Socialite circle." he said as the old man grabbed each ones hand and kissed it.

"Well, we are quite flattered, but I am afraid that we do not know your name kind sir." replied the seamstress.

" Oh you are right. Where are my manners. I am Gold Heart, founder and CEO of McHeart Enterprises. I see you have met my nephew Hawk Eye."

" You're the famous Gold Heart? Owner of half of Equestria! Oh it is such an honor to meet you!" exploded Rarity.

" No no no, the pleasure is mine. Standing before me are two of the six women responsible for the defeat of Nightmare Moon and Discord. Also, if there is anyone more capable for the impossible task of helping my nephew return to his old self, I am sure is you." said the elder with delight.

Twilight was left speechless. She had been surprised far too many times today. First with the assignment, then with the incident in the alley, afterwards the scuffle in the castle and now the expectations from an old man. This might be the toughest day so far, even tougher than her brother's wedding.

" Well, we assure you that we will do everything we can, but we cannot promise anything." responded her friend.

" Well, then I guess it is high time you met him. Copperworth!" and the butler appeared.

" Yes sir?"

" Could you be so kind and tell Shield to get here? Also, tell him to dress properly."

" Of course sir." responded Copperworth and left the car.

"I have question sir." said Twilight.

"Yes, what is it?" 

"What sort of magic did you use to make this place seem larger?" 

" Oh, no. This is the actual size. Years ago I had scientists develop a unique technology that allows me to compress rooms. It is very complex and I don't remember the details, but I do remember that it it's called REDIS." 

"Wow, so what does McHeart Enterprises focus on?"

"Well, it focuses on everything, from technology development, to mines, to agriculture. If it is profitable, we're  in it." he said with a gleeful smile.

"Are you in the fashion business?" asked Rarity.

"Not yet, we are still looking for a rising star without a sponsor."

"Well, maybe I could be that star."

" How about we sit down to have a proper conversation. Anyone want some Canterlonian whiskey?" said Gold as he reached for a cupboard, where inside were several liquors. He pulled out a bottle with a brown liquid. He set it in an end table next to him, and proceeded to pull out four short glasses.

"No thank you, I don't drink."

" Oh, come on. I promise you won't regret it."

"No thank you. My brother told me to stay away from alcohol."

"Shining Armor said that? But he usually sits down for a drink." 

"But still. That is what he told me."

"Lighten up Twilight, I am sure that a sip won't do you any harm." said Rarity as she approached the cupboard.

"Now you stay right there lass, I will be attending ya." 

They both obeyed and sat down in the sofa. 

The millionaire handed the, their glasses as he himself sat down. Hawk Eye took a seat next to him, without a glass.

"So, what do you know about my nephew?" 

Twilight felt as though she was being quizzed. She simply sat there, completely nervous and hoping that Rarity wouldn't talk. Although, her friend was apparently next to someone extremely important.

"We know little about him, and most of it comes in the negative form, which is wrong, so if you could tell us who we is and how we can help him we would be most grateful." 

Gold was silent for a good deal, then he spoke: "I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that someone of your status would willingly accept to tutor, coach, or whatever it is that you want to name yourself without knowing who you were helping."

"Well..." Rarity said, hoping to stall him. But he was still waiting for an answer.

Seeing her friend in peril, Twilight intervened. "Isn't it obvious? She is the Element of Generosity, so she is willing to help anyone, especially if it is a favor that the Princess asks."

"Why, of course! That is the most logical reason as to why I am here." added the fashionista

"All right, how about you Miss Twilight, why did you abandon your studies to travel with Shield, I know that you know far more than her. I saw you in the library, talking to Maester Grimoire."

Twilight was getting creeped out. This man knew what she knew, which was little above nothing. She had heard the bad stuff, but it really wasn't much to go on. 

Shield walked into the room, he was wearing a grey dress shirt and jeans. His hands were clad in black fingerless gloves and his right hand was holding a tankard. He took a long drink and proceeded to talk. " Good evening ladies, it is my pleasure to welcome you to my Uncle's living room, if you wish to follow me, I will see that you are settled in." he said in a suave manner, a hint of cocky attitude present in his voice.

"Have you started drinking beer so early? You had better not spill anything over my furniture or I'll toss ya out of this train!" scolded Gold Heart.

With a smooth wave of his hand he replied: "Don't worry uncle, it's just sweet cider."

"Oh really, Ah hope ya don't mind if Ah take a sip."

"Nope, heck, take the whole tankard if you don't believe me." his face carried a smug grin.

" No no, I believe you. Very well, if you ladies would be so kind as to follow him." motioned the elder millionaire. They obliged, leaving their drinks. He lifted his ebony wand and with a swish the luggage flashed out. "Don't worry ladies, your luggage is already in your room."

They crossed the door to the next room, a large kitchen. The room had a similar linear decoration, but instead of gold it had silver covering all lines. The actual kitchen part was small, about five meters on length, two in height and one in depth. It had the basic appliances, such as a stove, refrigerator, sink and cupboards.

"How much water can you store in each train?" asked Twilight, she guessed that it ,it's be a lot if it was a two-day trip.

" About a thousand liters for the entire train." responded Shield as he took another drink. He went for a barrel and refilled his tankard. 

" But that isn't a lot of water, or is it?"

"The entire system runs through a water purification talisman, which recycles all water through the entire train. So don't worry about water poisoning."

"All right, so where are you taking us?"

"You will be staying in my car, at the very end of the train."

They passed through the library, the large quantity of books amazed Twilight. Not for the size itself, Canterlot Library was still the largest, but to have this size in a train was incredible.

The next car was a  workshop, full all sorts of metal scraps, grease and other materials. "Gearloose! Come out for a moment! We have guests!" shouted Shield. A tall man peered out from the ceiling, his head upside down. "Oh why, hello there Shield! I didn't expect you to get here so fast, I still haven't finished investigating that cannon that you got me from, oh..." said the engineer, but stopped when the knight swiped his hand back and forth across his neck, while tilting it at the same time in a horizontal fashion.

"What cannon? What are you hiding from us?" asked Twilight. She knew that cannons were bad, unless it was Pinkie Pie's, and hiding one was wrong.

"It is none of your concern, I just wanted to introduce you to my Uncle's private engineer and head of the R&D department. Gearloose."

"It is of our concern now! What are you hiding?"

"Absolutely nothing!"

"Then you wouldn't mind if we saw it, right?"

"After you are done settling in, right now Gearloose has a lot to do. Isn't that right?" Shield ended his sentence with a menacing glance, which scared Gearloose into disappearing back into the roof.

Their walk was silent, crossing each of the reality-defying cars with awe. After the garage came a room described as the "Entertainment room" which housed a large amount movies and music records.   

They passed through the bed rooms, not Shield's car but the car that belonged to the train,  and finally entered the last car.

Compared to the other cars, this one had a completely different art style. 

Compared to the art deco from the train and the baroque style of Canterlot, the car was incredibly minimalistic. There was very little decoration anywhere, and most of the furniture was simple in design. The walls and roof were white, and a red carpet covered the floor. The room had five doors, two on each side and the last one in front of them.

"You can choose any of the rooms to the left. First door to the right leads to my room, which is also my brother's. Second door leads to Saphira, whom you haven't had the pleasure of meeting. So what is your choice?"

"First to the left of course." responded Rarity.

"Excellent choice, and it just so happens to be the place where your bags are. Now I will leave you to get settled, if there are any questions I will be in the library." and he left them. 

They entered the room, which held two bunk beds on either side, a wardrobe and a door to their right. Their bags were neatly placed in the center of the room. The walk in front of them had a large window, which showed the great speed at which they were traveling.

Rarity quickly opened the wardrobe and gasped. Surprised, Twilight went in to have a look. And once again she was surprised by the power of magic.

What they were staring at wasn't a wardrobe, but a doorway to a large closet. It had a large collection of clothing, so large in fact, that it rivaled Rarity's own collection. The seamstress wasted absolutely no time in looking at the selection. She proceeded to grab and study every garment, from pure silk dresses, to large winter coats to regular polo shirts. There was an even distribution between gender clothing, 

"My Celestia, this selection is incredible!" gasped Rarity.

"What's so special about it?" Asked the librarian. 

"This man has pure silk imported from Ib'Xian! You can tell from the quality of this dress." her friend responded as she held the dress with both of her hands.

"And that is?..." Twilight couldn't see why this was something to get exited about, it was just silk after all 

" Exteremly hard to come by. Just importing the raw materials needed to make this dress is enough to put me in a financial crisis. But it is so worth it."

Twilight was getting suspicious, her new best friend was wealthy. Made sense, he was part of the royalty and his uncle was a very wealthy man. But her question was: Why did he have a giant closet worth of women's clothing. It made no sense.

"Do you think he would mind if we used theseTwilight?" 

"Don't  think so, but you could always go ask him."

"You are absolutely right, I should ask." and she left the room. 

Rarity walked back through the rooms, until she arrived at the engineer car, where Gearloose greeted her. 

"Hello ma'am, are you on your way to the library?" he asked as he dangled upside down. 

Not expecting this, the Ponyville fashionista was startled. She looked at the grease-covered man in round spectacles and responded: "Why yes, how did you know?"

"Simple logic, Shield is there. I imagine he didn't teach you the shortcuts."

"No, he must have forgotten to mention that."

"Well, as an engineer I am inclined to tell you about our fast-travel system." he said as he landed face front into the metal floor. He quickly got up, cleaned his hands on his already black vest and pulled out a metal rod from his hip. 

"The entire train is connected by a portal system, so if you are a Mage you only tap three times..." he said as he tapped the door with the rod. Instantly, a soft yellow glow enveloped the doorway and he said "Shield." he then opened the door and shocked Rarity, he door was leading to the car where they were staying. 

"Wow, Twilight will definitely want to see this. How is this possible?" asked Rarity.

"Well, it's extremely complicated, and I don't want to bore you with tech talk, so let's just say that this is thinking with portals."

"Very well, I thank you for your assistance." Gearloose closed the door and jumped back into the roof. Rarity opened the door and found Shield Heart resting on one of the couches, his hands clutching a skin covered book titled "Starhoof Troopers."

"What is it?" he said as he continued reading behind his glasses.

"I just wanted to ask if it was All right if we used the incredible selection of clothing you had in your closet Mister Shield Heart?"

He lowered his book and stared at her. "Sure, I don't see why not. And in the future, could you please call me just Shield? I don't like being called mister, makes me feel old miss." 

"Well, if we are going to be on those terms, then you should also drop the formalities also Shield."

"I doubt it ma'am, old habits die hard and this habit is engraved to my memories." 

"Well, maybe you should be more considerate of what you ask. You ask me to be informal, and so you must comply when I ask you something of equal value."

"I can't argue with your logic ma'am, but I will need your name. Otherwise I wont be able to communicate with you."

"I am Rarity the Mage."

Shield raised an eyebrow when she mentioned her name. He felt the urge to facepalm himself for not remembering her before. She was the beauty he had saved in his déjà vu. But he won't about to say it, so he looked for an alternative. 

"Rarity the Mage as in The Rarity? The one responsible for Sapphire Shore's bejeweled dresses? The one behind Fluttershy the model's career? The one responsible for the hilarious humiliation of Prince Blueblood in last year's Grand Galloping Galla?" he said as he laid his book on his lap.

"Well, yes, that would be me." Sid Rarity both flattered and embarrassed.

"I can't believe it! Oh Luna, it is such an honor to meet you! Sorry that I didn't recognize you before, but I haven't actually seen your exploits, only heard of them. Never before have I heard of a woman with the gall required to put that miserable twat, sorry for my expression, in his place." each word full of childish joy, as if he were meeting a hero.

"You consider that to be an achievement?" asked a confused seamstress.

"Of course, that obnoxious ass had it coming to him. And most women keep up with his attitude just because it gives them social status. Those twats have no idea of priorities. Sorry about my language, but it irks me that there are women willing to sell their souls just for a spot at the socialite magazines when there are men and women protecting their hypocrite hides and they don't even get a foot note in the local newspaper."

"I believe you are jealous. Your reputation led me to believe that you were a warmonger, but now I believe you just want attention." a smirk forming in her face. 

"Then you are wrong miss Rarity. My actions pass on anonymously because I want to, but actions such as the Discord Dilema and Nightmare Moon's return were kept under wraps with barely more than a mention of your names in the news and rumor mill."

"Clearly you haven't been to Canterlot Castle then, because we have two mosaics dedicated to us, one for each of the events you mentioned." 

"And how many people have congratulated you about any of these exploits? After all, it is you who has walked amongst the nobles." retorted Shield with a smirk in his face. 

Rarity couldn't respond to this because he was too right. No one in up the Canterlot Elite had ever congratulated her, she hadn't even heard a mention of their doings in small talk.

The Warden chuckled when she retracted. "I knew it. This is exactly what I mean, the nobility is too busy watching out for what people think of their new outfit than to see past their walls and see that their world is on the verge of collapse. If they took a single day off of being the talk of Equestria and saw the dangers that lie even in the city itself then they would actually do their jobs. You know what I speak of, Hawk told me about the delay you three suffered."

"All because of you! You were the one who incapacitated the Duke in the first place! We talked to the guards in the alley where you fought him."

"You and how many others were snooping around? I believe you are missing the point, and for the record: Silver Platter started it, he was the one who pulled a pistol to my face."

"A what?" asked a perplexed Rarity.

Shield took his ebony wand from the coffee table in front of him and swished it. Soon a small ivory with aluminum object floated from under the couch. Shield grabbed it with his left hand.

"This baby right here is something you rarely see in a lifetime this, before you go on asking, is a revolver handgun. A single projectile from this thing to you can leave you crippled, or dead."

"And why are you showing me this."

"This bad boy was in the hands of that spoiled brat. Worst part is that this is illegal."

"Yet you handle this with ease, as if you had had previous experience."

"Well, I have had experience handling firearms. Though not here, mostly in Great Bridle and Germaneigh."

"You have been to Germaneigh?" said the seamstress With surprise

"And Prance and Many other places."

"Including Ib'Xian?"

" Yes, including Ib'Xian and even Neighpon-Ja."

The Sapphire eyed woman was stunned. Before her sat a man that had travelled around the world and yet behaved as if it were not an accomplishment.

"If you want to talk about my journeys then turn around, because I am not ready for it yet. Dinner will start at ten o'clock, so I suggest you freshen up." he picked up his book and continued reading.

Rarity tapped the door three times and returned to her room. Twilight was unpacking her lighter books, mostly themed around properties of magic.

"Twilight, what on earth are you doing?"

"I thought about what somebody told me, that there are people capable of wielding magic through their hands. And i need to get to the bottom of this mystery."

"Twilight, you of all people know that what you are saying is impossible! We all know that magic needs a medium, and only angels are capable of using their bodies as one."

"I know, but this guy really bugs me, what did he say about the clothes."

"Oh, that, he said it was fine. But we began discussing the Canterlot Elite, he was extremely cynical about it." 

Twilight was skimming through he books, and said: "How come?" 

"He spoke of them being, I don't know how to describe it. Being them. He criticized them for being self-centered hedonists."

"Isn't that what they are?"

"Well yes, but it feels wrong the way he says it. I can tell that he is hiding something. He speaks as though he was superior."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that he just so happens to be a prince in the same sense as BlueBlood." 

"I wish you had remembered to mention this before, this is a vital piece of information for the puzzle. So what do you plan on doing to complete your assignment?"

"I don't know, I will first try to gather more information on him. I believe that he is merely misunderstood, and if we can find more about his past it will be easier to change him."

Rarity huffed: "He would have an easier time if he stopped being so cynical and enjoyed the luxuries he could have." 

"Well, everyone is different, maybe you will need to change your approach. Rather than treating him like you would treat most people, you might want to see what you have in common." 

"Well, we seem to share a taste in clothing for what I can tell. I will be taking a bath in case you need me."

"The bathroom has a working tub?" asked Twilight confused.

"Apparently, it's more of a jacuzzi than a tub. He may criticize the elite, but he sure lives like one." said the violet dressmaker as she closed the door.

Twilight continued reading the Big Book of Magic. She had read the book several times, but thought she might have missed something relevant to her Dilemma. But to her dismay, she remembered every sentence none of which described how to manipulate magic. It clearly said that only wands with a special type of core, such as unicorn hair in her case, could be used to perform magic.

She dismissed the claims Bookworm made, only angel blood could be used as a medium of magic, and he lacked the wings required to prove his species. 

She decided to forget everything and simply enjoy the wonders she was being given. She walked into the closet and browsed the large selection. She noticed that everything was evenly split, half was for men and half was for women. Half was formal and half was casual. And they all were ordered in a chromatic scale. Reds in he centre and purples all the way to the edges. 

As she checked the shirts she noticed that they were all same sized, for both men and women. She started choosing her next attire, hoping that that would help save time.

She ditched her argyle attire in favor of something much more comfortable. A pair of grey jeans and a lavender polo shirt. Her foot ware was a pair of black sneakers labeled "chucks". 

After several minutes of waiting, Rarity finally emerged from her long shower. She was wearing a white silk kimono. The borders were colored in Saphire blue and her back sported her three diamonds.

When Twilight noticed it and commented, the seamstress quickly ran to the mirror. 

A long gasp followed. 

"How did he manage such level of enchantment? It is rare to see a single piece of clothing to be able to replicate a cutie mark!" Gasped Rarity

"Well, that means that there is more for us to learn. Now if you don't mind, I will be showering." And so Twilight entered the bathroom. Half an hour later, she emerged with her new look. She took longer than expected because of the jacuzzi tub, each jet of water calmed her greatly, and the temperature was always perfect. As she emerged enlightened, she noticed that her pink star was embedded in her right breast. When Rarity noticed, she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Looking at the clock they learned that the was still half an hour before dinner, so they left their room. 

Upon arriving to the connecting door, Rarity withdrew her wand and tapped the door three times with it. "Library" she commanded and the doorway was filled with a soft light. When she opened the door the librarian gasped in surprise, standing before them was the library. As they both entered they noticed Shield reading "The Great Bridle Guide of Guns." On the coffee table rested his wooden mug filled with ginger ale right to the brim. 
On the side there were three letters, one was to be sent to a Metal Riffs, another one to Commissioner Baton and the last one was instructed to Fire Storm and Thunder Storm.

Rarity coughed once to attract his attention, but he didn't react. She called for his attention again and he still ignored her.  

"You do realize that what you are doing is rude?" She asked.

"Don't worry, I know that you have arrived, I knew it the second that doorway lit up. I see Gearloose has taught you the portal trick." He responded

"Yes, and no help thanks to you."

"Listen ma'am, this has been somewhat of a rough day, and I am really tired, so I ask that you please forgive me for not mentioning a luxury." His tone thick with sarcasm.

"How bad was your day." Questioned the librarian.

"Bad enough."

"Could you please explain, we may be able to help."

"I don't want to trouble you, so I will resist speaking about the matter. All you need to know is that I am in peak physical condition for the following missions."

"But we want to know more about the brain controlling the body in peak physical condition. Or is the mind not important?" Imposed Rarity

"Look ma'am..."

"What did we say about formalities?"

"Fine. Look Rarity, my mental condition is and always has been a mess, so there is no need to worry about it. My brain is always ready to complete my missions, no matter how ugly they may be." 

"We'll, maybe we can find a way to heal your brain so that you can do even better."

"Are you a psychologist?" 

"Well, no, but I know how to deal with people."

"Then you cannot help me. No offense, but not even my psychologist friend is able to help me with my plethora of traumas, so I doubt that a little miss sunshine could even hope to help me." 

"That was rude, have you ever heard of the word cynical?"

"Why yes, it just so happens to be my identity amongst the higher classes."

"And why don't you look for a way to change your image?"

"Why would I! Being cynical has proven me right so many times that I might as well become the cynical overlord. That would be a good title next to Sergeant Sarcasm and the Scoundrel of Vanhoover. Don't you think?"

"Is Crimson Prince also one of your titles?" Interrupted the violet librarian.

Shield hesitated "No. Although I would love to be, imagine my envy when I find out that someone can punch nobles."

Without second though Twilight went for the nearest book and flung it to him. A copy of The Pistolero flew from the bookshelf toward the ice-eyed man. But the book was suspended in midair, caught in a translucent crimson cloud. Shield had stretched his hand, his veins extruding from their places, bulging out with a bright blue tinge, and his entire hand was covered in a crimson aura.

"I can't believe he was right!" Her eyes saturated with awe.

"Dammit!" Swore the knight. "What possessed you to try something like that? You could have hit me! And then they say I am the only mad one around here. And who was right about what?"

Neither Ponyville resident could believe what they had just seen. An ordinary Mage had just used his hands to telekinetically stop a book in midair.

"How is that even possible?" Twilight was in shock. She had studied magic for most of her life, and this man had just shattered her ten years or so she had invested in research of magical properties.

"Oh, yeah, this is a side effect of one of my brawls in my youth. I am not actually a normal human, I am more of a Nephillim. A man part angel. So I am able to use my angel blood to cast magic through my fingertips."

"Incredible, but how did you get angel blood, and what is the percentage?" Twilight was very curios, he was some sort of halfbreed, an anomaly worth studying.

"I got it when I entered a twenty against one gang fight. This was WAY before my training so I got my backside demolished, and one of them had a kitchen knife, which slashed my jugular." He pushed his collar back to reveal a large, faint scar on his neck.

"Cadence and Shining found me on the west wing, almost bleeding out. They managed to take me to a hospital, where they found out that I had lost too much blood and needed a transfusion. Pronto. But my parents were in Yeguadalajara, visiting my grandparents on my mother's side, my older brother was chasing Luna objects near Hollow Shades and my sister was incompatible. 

"Cadence was the only option. So several transfusions and about three months of recovery later. I ended up with three quarters of my circulatory system replaced with angel blood. The doctors thought it would be fine, nobody thought about side effects. But hand magic wasn't the only one, Luna no. 

"The other side effects include accelerated healing, emission of Seraphim aura magic, schizophrenia, hallucination episodes and rare loss of balance. There is also the matter of heart attacks, occasional anemia attacks, back pain, occasional chills and seasonal fever. There is also flank pain, which I am experiencing right now" He enlisted his symptoms with clear joy, as if they were some sort of joke to him. He had his right hand pressed against his kidney.

"How are you still alive?" Sid Twilight with disbelief. He seemed perfectly fine, but he listed about as many symptoms as an elderly person would have.

"Magic" he said as he moved his hands in an arch, from top to bottom with the biggest smile he could manage. "I'm not explaining it."

"But haven't you seen a doctor about your conditions?"

"Of course! He usually gives me an injection every month to stabilize me. Which actually will be very soon. Although it isn't very reliable, since it once caused severe nausea for thirty days. And another time it simply increased the frequency of all symptoms. But then again, I am the only one to blame, since I tell him to keep experimenting."

"Why's that?"

"Because the shot nullifies both the healing and the Seraph magic. And I encourage him to use me as a Guinean pig. Who knows, maybe one of these days he'll get it right."

"Or you could end up dead."

"So?"

"So? You are willing to get killed just in the hopes of becoming stronger?"

"Well, I am one of Equestria's finest, so if I can be even better so be it. It doesn't matter if I die, so long as I know that if I live I can be something more. Someone capable of maintaining the status quo better than before."

"So you are willing to commit suicide so long as that means you can become a better tool?"

"Pretty much!"

"Do you have no regard for your personal safety?" Questioned the seamstress

"Nope, none whatsoever. I live only to save Equestria."

"So you are the Crimson Prince?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "You're not giving up are you girls?"

They nodded.

"Usually, sometimes it's my brother who takes the mantle while I'm away, to help divert the suspicions."

"You are very forthcoming, why?"

"I want you to understand that you are with a pro here, I'm not your Royal Guard. I know how to fight better than most people in this nation. Also, I know you will be reporting to the princess, so you can tell her that everything is going to be fine."

"So how did you get your experience?"

"I won't be giving you any details. But you can say that I have had firsthand experience from incidents from all over the world."

"Why hold the details?"

"Because I can."

"You can trust us,  we promise to keep it a secret."

"With all due respect, I don't even trust my family with this secret, so why should I trust you?"

Both women were left speechless. They weren't prepared for this response.

"How about we continue this discussion after dinner, of after Nightmare Night, whichever one you prefer. I would go with Nightmare Night but it is your choice."

And before they could respond he got up and walked to the door. He exited the room and left both of them just standing there.

The door opened, where the blond man merely peeked out and said: "By the way, that kimono looks beautiful on you Rarity, as for you Twilight, I see you favor practicality over fashion. That means you are on my team." He quickly entered, grabbed his tankard and letters and disappeared before they could say anything.  

"What sort of monster are we dealing with Twilight?" Asked a shocked Rarity

"I don't know, but we can't let the Princess down now." Answered Twilight. 

"Something tells me that the angel blood gives him dementia, a side effect he deliberately forgot to mention." 

"I have never heard of angel blood transfusions ever giving problems before. Heck, I never even thought it was possible to try something like that."

"Well we are now certain that that is something we should avoid at all costs, lest we end up like him."

"I don't think the blood turned him crazy, it probably was himself."

"Well, whatever, I think we should go to dinner. I cannot think very well with an empty stomach."

"Yeah, me neither." And both Ponyville women travelled to the kitchen. The table was set for six people, with Shield already sitting on one of the fronts. Hawk Eye was sitting to his left, both seats on his right were empty, and the seat in front of him also remained vacant.

"You two ladies can sit to my right, the space next to Hawk is reserved for Saphira."

They followed his instructions. And a couple of minutes later entered Saphira, her short white hair was a complete mess, she was wearing a royal blue sports bra and denim hotpants. She looked at the visitors with both her sapphire eyes, half closed from excessive sleeping. "Yo." Was her only answer as she sat next to the red-head, her head down.

The boy looked at his brother, who merely nodded his head in response. The following second he lifted his arm and slapped the back of the Drake's head. Infuriated, she looked at the male to her right and shouted: "What's the big fucking idea?"

"Don't look at me, Shield told me to." Responded the young archer innocently with both hands raised. 

The female turned to the older male. "Manners young lady. First, watch your language. We have guests here. Second, what in Tartarus are you wearing? We told you to come DECENTLY. Last time I checked bras and hotpants don't count! Now go change into something I consider decent, NOW." He said with authority.

"It ain't my problem you brought two bitch..." But she was cut off by another slap from Hawk.

"What gives you stupid pri..." And she was interrupted as she intercepted another slap. But was buffeted by a crimson bolt of energy protruding from Shield's fingertips. " Smaug damn you! Fine! I'll leave your prescience to change my attire." He muttered bastard, which earned her a fireball to her backside. The atmosphere changed drastically when she left, from the tense discussion to silent. 

Shield sat down again and face palmed himself. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. But Saphira tends to be a rebel when this sort of thing happens."

"She's a drake? Why is there a drake with you?" Asked Twilight. She had identified the eyes, which were the most clear giveaway. Spike had the same slit pupils.

"You're pretty smart, so you guess it."

Twilight thought for a moment, what did they both have in common? It wasn't the royalty, that's for sure, and neither was the lack of sanity. Her brain quickly produced an answer. 

"Because you hatched her during your test right?" She said as if she had just figured out the obvious.

"Correcto!" He exclaimed with a fluent accent.

"Hello everyone, are ya ready fer dinner?" Gold Heart burst through with arms wide open.

"Where's Saphira? I told her that dinner would begin at ten sharp."

"I sent her to her room, she wasn't dressed properly, that and the fact that she was being rude." Respond the second male adult.

"Oh, very well. We will just have to start without her. We can't let the guests go hungry."

"But we can wait.." Intervened Rarity

"No we can't, Saphira has to learn that there are consequences to her actions. I can't let this slide. And anyway, we have steak, so I can't let this get cold just because of her. Uncle, would you please do the honors?" Shield grabbed his silverware and looked at his uncle.

"Bon appetite." Said Gold as the food teleported in front of everyone. Their meal was a fillet mignon, with a side of mashed potatoes, a small cup of what should be gravy and asparagus. Gold Heart quickly proceeded to knife his steak, the blade gently slicing the fillet.

The other males imitated his actions and began eating. Rarity waited a little longer before she began. Twilight never started, she always had trouble stomaching meat, since it tended to throw her into sickness.

"What's wrong Twilight?" Asked Shield after gulping down a bite.

"Umm, do you have anything vegetarian?" Twilight was feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Um, Copper, do you have anything for the lovely young lady here?" Gold Heart looked at the butler, who merely nodded his. 

"Remember who I am sir?"

"Yes, of course." Gold pressed both his index finger and thumb unto his nose bridge. "Could you please change her dish?"

"You only need ask sir." Said Copper as he swished his wand. The steak disappeared, and was replaced by a large salad coved in Caesar salad and portobello mushroom. Twilight thanked the butler, who responded with another wave of his wand, appearing three baskets full of bread. 
"So, what interesting stories do you have Shield?" Rarity took another bite.

"Hundreds, usually I get a mission every week." 

"Really? Poor thing, you must be exhausted."

"Not really, you get used to this life."

"How 'bout we tell them of our latest mission?"

"Sure, why not, and you help me Hawk in case I forget something." Shield leaned forward.

"So, we got a call about a week ago. The town of Rock Slide had been stopped, their mines had stopped working, their problem..." He paused. "Diamond Dogs, ever heard of these monsters?" 

"Of course, we have had our run-in with those lowly creatures." Rarity was feeling somewhat uncomfortable about releasing a rather bad part of her past.

The blonde was surprised. "Really? Do tell."

"You finish your story first."

"Fair enough, so, returning to my tale. We arrived at Rock Slide, Hawk Saphira and me. And we went straight to figure out what the message said. So we went to have a chat with the mayor, who told us that the Diamond Dogs were hoarding their gems, and so it was up to us to stop them.

"We got on the monorail used to connect the mines, and as we were arriving, a bunch of monsters started banging the steel line. Naturally they did nothing to it, so Hawk and I took potshots at the dogs. A couple of them went down, stunned. I don't do killing. When all of a sudden one of the monsters pulls out a large black hand cannon. He fires it and BOOM! We lose our line. Saphira and Hawk immediately flew out, leaving me to deal with gravity.

"So as I as about to fall into a large gorge I pulled out my trusty mana crossbow, loaded it with a magic rope bolt and shot through a window. I pushed my sorry life and threw myself into the rocks. But I w still only half way, since I still had a slight climb to go. So after climbing up..."

"You completely missed out the part where I met you as you recovered." Intervened Hawk.

"Yeah well, your 'intervention' consisted of saying hi and only that. After which I finished climbing back to where we were supposed to stop and was arrested by a pack of rusty spearheads." 

"How did you escape?" Keenly asked Twilight.

"Simple, by whistling Saphira to help me out. She presented herself as a full dragon, puffed some fire and suddenly the brutes were on the run.  Only that not all went according to plan, the herd split into four groups: one commanded by Catdog the shrieker, another by Brutus one by Mr. Midget and the rest of the herd. Each small group of about twenty ran into three different mining districts..." 

He went pretty straightforward from there. He tried to detail everything so that his guests could get the idea of what his job consists of. He still kept other details hidden, no need for them to know everything. He had given up on dissuading them by leaving them in the dark. He believed that if they could see the horrors, they might back away from this. 

To his misfortune, they didn't. But by then everyone had finished heir meal and Saphira was no where to be found. Twilight noted this, to which Shield responded: "She's still angry at me, so she won't come" he grabbed his three envelopes and burned them with a blue fire covering his hand.

"Why are you sending those letters?" Asked Twilight. She got up from her seat. 

"I need to rally a couple of people for the coming days, and I need Comissioner Baton ready to receive me."

"Have you considered that he may be a changeling?"

"Of course! Under which case it will probably be hard to dock once we get there."

"Dock?" Both women said puzzled.

"Oops, probably shouldn't have said that, anyway, I want you miss Twilight to write a letter to your brother, ask him how he's doing yada yada yada. Also tell him to meet you and Rarity in the air docks at ten o'clock in the morning June the first. Please don't tell him you are traveling with me. I want to see if he still remembers me."

"We are traveling by airship?" Asked the violet bombshell.

"Yeah, there's no other way in which we will get there in time. Today is the twenty fourth of May. At a hundred kilometers an hour we will make two days in travels. After that, I will need to begin preparations and mobilization of my crew, as well as basic training for both of you." 

"We can handle ourselves in a fight." 

"Have you ever been in a firefight? This isn't some simple Invasion, I read the reports. If what I saw in the vision if half true, you won't survive a second." Shield got up and again, left the room before there could be any objections. Gold Heart was sent to his stateroom by Copperworth, and Hawk followed.

The girls were left alone just wondering what had happened, and quickly proceeded to the library. 

As suspected, they encountered the blond menace once more. He had taken up his previous seat, but the coffee table had a large textbook with a blank greyblue cover. Next to it was a small parchment roll.

"I think you should properly learn about the Ordo Ravus."

"Ordo what?" Asked the librarian. The name wasn't familiar, and the terminology just confused her. She simply suspected that this was a new organization.

"The Ordo Ravus is commonly known as the Order of the Greys. We came up with a simple name in order to look more natural. What do you know of the history of the Greys?"

"I know nothing about them." Responded the seamstress.

"I just know that you are a shady group founded by a man called Brave Heart after a rebellion after Nightmare Moon was banished. Do you plan on telling us?"

Shield smiled: "Nope! Just wanted to know what previous knowledge you had." He handed her the parchment. "Use this to write to your brother, give it to me tomorrow morning when you are done, I am going to bed now." And he pulled his now classic maneuver of a quick exit.

.oOo.

Shield entered his room, much like his guests room, it had two bunk beds, meaning for in total. He quickly changed to his long pajamas and went to bed. His dreams weren't going to be pleasant, but he was used to them by now.  
> Illuminoid Dream Sequence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Illuminoid Dream Sequence.

Shield was in a large forest, wearing a ceramic white armor with the Equestrian flag painted onto his right side. He was holding Wanda, with Maria and Remmy on their holsters. He began pacing forward carefully, making sure not to make any noise. He looked at a potential ambush spot and aimed down the sights. 

A buzz later and five changelings sprung from the spot. He carefully aimed and discharged five rounds. Each one penetrated a skull. The bodies fell with a satisfying crack. He continued forward, and ten more materialized in front of him. He took down five before they could aim at him. In a flurry of green bolts he launched himself into a ditch. With half a clip available, he retook aim. Five shots later he was free of hostiles.

"Why do you steel yourself away from me child?" The smooth voice was a whisper, barely audible. The soldier looked around, but saw nothing. He reloaded and continued moving. 

As He walked he noticed the temperature drop constantly, and off in the distance he noticed the ruins of a city. A cryogenic dagger stabbed his heart with panic. The landscape had suddenly received a nice white coating of snow. He realized he was in the outskirts of Stalliongrad. He turned around and felt the world collapse, behind the frozen ghost city was the outskirts of Boardor and the Scorched Lands. He turned back forward and saw the frozen landscape. He could either go to hell or hell, only difference was the temperature.

"Why do you keep torturing yourself?" Came the soft whisper, this time louder. A loud, piercing cry came from city, he looked and saw a chest. He opened the chest and revealed  winter gear perfect for trekking. His face was covered in a large plaid black and blue scarf a balaclava underneath in and large goggles protecting eyes. 

He discarded his ceramic armor and plain white jumpsuit in order to change into a mottled uniform. He put on skull white flack armor  covering his entire upper body. Over that he wore a harness with several ammunition pouches. His legs were armored with shin guards and knee caps. The vomit brown snow boots were secured tightly around his feet. On top of everything he put on a poncho mottled in snow camouflage. His head was also wearing a white steel helmet covered in the same fabric as his poncho. His gladius was resting on his left, his wand completely discarded.

He heard the cry again. He grabbed the backpack filled with supplies, filled his ammo pouches and continued into the city.

"Shield Heart, why do you refuse my presence?" Said a booming voice. He was uncovering his mouth when he heard the cry for help again. This time he recognized the voice, it was too hard not to. Cadence was stuck somewhere inside that city, with Shining Armor nowhere to be seen, typical. He entered the snowed in streets, completely alone. Each of the buildings was fractured at some point, most bearing scorch marks. He saw a playground, noticeable only because of the outline the snow produced around the tall playthings.

He passed through several shops, their signs offering various products written in Hooviet. Most were humble food shops, offering the daily basics. Others sold clothing, one of which had a mannequin resembling Rarity. Not uncommon, but out of place.

He almost fired at a large woman clad in midnight blue that approached him. Her pale skin and dark blue hair made her a unique and easy to recognize, and her feathery wings marked her as an angel. 

Shield Heart fell to one knee. "Princess Luna, why are you here?" 

"Do not play coy with me Shield, I had to break through your multiple locks in order to get here. What are you hiding from the Princess of Night?" She demanded.

"Nothing Princess, I always steel my mind to forbid intruders into my knowledge."

"Am I supposed to believe those lies?"

"Princess, I speak the very truth, why do you not believe me?"

"Because twice I called out to you, and I know that you heard me." She was right, he had guessed who it was, but he still hadn't been  even slightly inclined to lower his guard. "I expected more respect from my new Regulator."

Shield was taken aback, he had just been promoted from Warden to Regulator by a Princess. It would have been an honor for most people, but not for him. No one but his father had the authority to promote him. Both princesses knew this, which meant only one thing. 

"Princess, although flattered, I cannot accept your offer, since you have no authority over me." He said.

"Yes I do, as of today, your father has retired as Lord Marshall Grey at my request to take up the mantle. I will meet you in Vanhoover the day after tomorrow to inspect your facilities." This last sentence froze the Regulator in place. His father always kept a blind eye to his base in Vanhoover, insisting in getting results. He was forced to play politician for the moment, he had to put a happy face.

"As you wish your highness, I await your arrival eagerly." He said.

"I also wanted to talk to you, angel to nephilim if I may."

"When did you know of my condition?"

"Since I started revising your psychological profile, for an agent of Equestria you have a very extensive list of mental issues."

"Protecting this nation tends to leave the Greys with several traumas as they are unable to cope with the chaos that surrounds us."

"Yes, and I find it very curious that you lack a professional psychologist. Your physician is severely unqualified, having lost his medical license and being a wanted man in five different nations. What say you in defense?"

He was impressed, she had done a full background check on him, going as far as to see who was responsible for his well being. Life was just going to get harder with her as his boss. 

The princess shivered, her body was starting to act to the cold weather. Most people who entered his dreams took time before they fully entered his experience.

"Would your majesty like a coat?" He asked. He was sure he could take one from the stands, they belonged to him anyways. The cry was heard again. Luna reacted with surprise.

"What is happening, and where are we?" She asked. Shield did not respond, he smashed a window shop and grabbed a black fur coat, ripping it from a helpless mannequin. He handed her the coat, which the princess quickly proceeded to put on. 

"We are in Stalliongrad. This is a simple hostage rescue."

"I don't recall ever hearing the name  Stalliongrad before."

"You shouldn't, the town has been dead for four years now, lost during the Hooviet Expansion." 

"I sense that this place brings troubles to you, would you like to say why?"

"No princess, this is one of the terrors I would prefer to venture alone. This is part of my past, a past that will forever haunt me."

"Did you have something to do with the demise of this town?" She inquired, she could tell that this was a very cumbersome scene filled with guilt.

"No, I simply aided the defense, but it did not go well. I would rather not talk about it." He looked down, a small tear forming behind his glasses. He unbelted his sword and offered it to the Princess of Night. "I believe that you know how to handle one of these?" She grabbed the hilt, tested it and nodded. 

"What are we fighting?"  

"Figments of my imagination."

"That take the form of what?"

"Changelings, I am training myself for the following days."

"Very well, I will aid you against these bugs." She strapped the sword belt on and withdrew it.

The new pair began walking through the snowed in streets, ready to face the enemies. Shield raised his hand with a clenched fist as he stopped in front of a window. Not knowing the proper hand signals, Luna bumped into him. He looked at her with an annoyed look. "Princess, the fist means stop."

"Alright."

Shield dropped his rifle, which dangled from his right side thanks to the strap that held it firmly. He grabbed Remmy and chambered a round. He unfogged a window and peeked inside and saw four enemies playing cards, but they weren't changelings. These soldiers were Enclave troops, their trademark olive green armor covered them and their shoulders sported black armbands with an olive green E surrounded by thirteen silver stars. Each had standard army uniforms, covered by tan tactical vests. 

He extended his fingers signaling four, and then neared his thumb and index fingers. The princess looked perplexed, the terminology wasn't popular, so there was no logic behind what Shield was doing. "This means four enemies. Wait for me to enter before you do." He lowered his hand and crouched, making sure not to reveal his position behind a window. The princess walked forward, completely missing the sign given by his inferior. Naturally she was noticed, and all soldiers went for their GK36 assault rifles and pointed at the door. 

With a flurry of bullets incoming, the princess dropped on her stomach, the missiles cutting her hair. 

Using this unexpected distraction, the Regulator burst through he door, his shotgun firing hundreds of pellets into the room. As soon as he heard the click of an empty camber he grabbed his side arm. Remmy had only managed to kill one hostile, since they had flipped the table in order to cover themselves. 

He created a fireball in his hand, and launched it over the table. He heard a shout and two enemies jumped out of cover, one of them hiding behind a pillar and the other one sliding over the bar and behind the beer kegs. The fireball exploded like a grenade, shattering the table and incinerating someone who was too slow to move put of the way. 

Snapping his fingers he set his hand on fire, which he extended in direction of his foes and unleashed a stream of flames. The man behind dodged out of the way, but was hit in the shoulder by three bullets, later capped by a bullet to the brain. The one behind the kegs poked out his rifle and pulled the trigger, not even aiming or looking. None of the bullets hit him, and helped him get close enough to his opponent. 

With a snap of his fingers he set the Olive trooper ablaze. Searching for a way to quench the flames, the soldier backed into the cupboard, knocking various bottles of alcohol which fell into his person. With the alcohol the flames intensified, reducing him to pure ash. The princess had recovered to this point, and saw the demise.

"Was that not a little too drastic? You could have shot him, it would have been quicker. And who are they"

"Enclave soldiers. It's a private army run by a madman. And trust me, these people don't deserve any mercy." 

They got back to the streets, and heard the cry again.

"Isn't that the voice of Cadence?"

"Maybe, maybe not." He responded, hoping to not have to give more comment.

"What is going on in here? I thought you were in complete control of your dream."

"I am!"

"Then why are we fighting someone besides Changelings? Was this private army in Stalliongrad?"

"No princess, I met the Enclave in Great Bridle, where I had an argument with the leader, a charismatic xenophobe with far too much money on his hands."

"Is he a threat?"

"Not unless we invade Great Bridle. The man may be paranoid, but he knows bette than to start an invasion upon a peaceful country. He could be a problem if we were in the Old Continent, but since we aren't, we're far put of his reach." His stomach churned, he hated lying, but he couldn't let the Royalty know that a xenophobic army was the most advanced in the Old Continent.

"What did this army do to you for it to be the primary nemesis in this wasteland?"

"Be a pain in my butt. These people never know when it is good to quit." A war cry was heard, the voice marked them as bloodthirsty. "Not them! Not Now!"

"Who are they, I demand you tell me!" Ordered the princess, but it was too late. A creature clad from head to toe in white sackcloth, with a face perforation jumped at the angel. The monster was wearing a metal mask with protruding optic tubes and a metal mesh covering the mouth. In its hands was the offspring of a spear and a rifle, with a long barrel extending past the bayonet regular length and reaching almost half a meter in blade alone, the rest of the weapon was at least a meter long.

Princess Luna was able to draw her sword and slice the monster across the chest, who with a thud crashed into the wall, dripping blood into the white snow.

Three emerged from a snow mound, firing their single shot rifles at the one they saw was better armed. Three shots managed to penetrate the poncho. But rebounded when they met the flak jacket. Shield retaliated with Maria, firing whilst on the move, three bullets hit one target, who went prone in fear of getting shot more.

The monster that attacked Luna recovered, crystal white eyes reddening with rage and  with another war cry it charged bayonet first. It was stopped halfway by a psybolt extending from Luna's palm.

Shield grabbed his rifle and aimed at the nearest sack-clad man. He fired and exploded its head, eyes shooting out like pebbles out of a slingshot. The others began firing, but the armor rendered their shots useless. He tossed another exploding fireball, which sent another baddie flying while it burned through the air.

Luna's opponent was far more resilient, quickly recovering from its wound and getting ready for another charge. Only this time it started shooting before it went on a suicide run. The shots either missed or were trapped in a barrier produced from the fingertips of the angel with a gentle twang.

The Regulator took his chance and fired two bullets, one hit the left arm  and the other penetrated the skull. The lifeless body hit the floor before it could charge.

Barely a second passed before Luna turned her Midnight Blue eyes to her agent. "What just happened? I thought you were in control of this dream?" Her eyes staring directly to his soul.

"I lost it, this is becoming a nightmare. I can't believe it, for the first time I'm losing control..." And he started gibbering nonsense. He stopped when a palm smacked the back of his head. He faced the Angel responsible. Her face was dead serious, showing no emotion at all. 

"For goodness sake, you are a Regulator, a soldier of Equestria! You are the first line of defense against all evil! You can't be having a mental breakdown in a dream that you are having!" Her words came out half with motivation half with anger.

"I can't help it Princess, it's the angel blood acting, I usually don't have these episodes because I take an injection that counteracts this. Sadly enough, my body so running out of serum and the effects are wearing off. My Lady, you must get out of here." He spoke the truth, the dementia episode was striking because of the blood. But he failed to mention that the effects were wearing off because it was a new strand of serum. 

"Why do you not simply wake up? That way everything will end."

"As much as I would love to do that I can't. My body is currently in a deep sleep, fixing the problem. And my dreams are a battlefield which I cannot escape until my main objective is complete. But since you are dropping in, you can leave just as easy as you normally would." His voice stammered a little at the end. 

"Then commit suicide, that way you will be forced to wake up."

"Impossible in this deep sleep, if I die I will fall into limbo."

"How do you know that is true?" 

"I've done this before, several times in fact. Whenever 
The princess returned her sword and vanished from existence.

Shield was left in the unforgiving cold, kneeling as his body absorbed the snow pouring down on him. His vision was completely distorted, he miraculously got up but found it very hard to maintain his balance. He bumbled around worst than a drunk, not capable of walking straight. 

He leaned onto a wall, where he continued walking with one hand firmly against the bricks and the other one holding Maria. Ten Enclave soldiers emerged from a parked black flat truck with a canvas canopy. Each one covered from head to toe in hazmat combat suits. The suits were made of a special type of PVC and Teflon used specifically to ward off all sorts of hazards painted in olive green. The suit covered from head to ankles completely, with the area where the face should be replaced by a mask seamed into the suit. 

The mask had a cylindrical filtered trudging downward from the mouth, the helmet was a polarized glass shaped like an inverted  V, with the lower part beginning inbetween the eyebrows. The cheekbones were covered , with the start of the nose bridge locating the wedge inside the V. They wore black combat boots and dark flak vests.

They weren't using regular assault rifles, the weapons were extremely varied. One of them was holding a minigun, five were wielding 12-gauge SPIT shotguns, two held PM-6 submachine guns and two more had crossbows. 

If they spotted him, he would be dead before he could talk. But fortunately a strong blizzard was covering him. Using this he retreated to the bar.

He managed to regain control of himself, the dizziness had disappeared momentarily. He holstered his pistol and grabbed the rifle that dangled from his right side.  He was hiding behind the wooden counter, hoping that nobody would find him. 

"Search the room, he's got to be in here!" Said a muffled voice. He heard several footsteps inside the room, along with the unique breathing. There would be no way for him to survive if he so much as poked his head out. "We need a medic here!" Came another voice. "Check behind the counter!" Footsteps sounded off in the distance, nearing his position. 

Shield quickly formulated an escape plan, hoping it would be enough to get him out alive. His second priority was to save Cadence, if he managed to succeed, he would be able to escape this nightmare.

He sat perfectly still, waiting for the opportunity to present itself. A soldier wielding an SMG looked behind the counter, only to be received by a storm of bullets. 

"Frag him!" Said a shotgunner while reaching for a sphere in his belt. The other three followed suit, pulling the pins and throwing the explosives forward. With a telekinetic wave produced from his hand Shield deflected them back. The resulting explosion brought the roof down, killing all four soldiers. A low hum of prepping was heard and Shield reextended  his arm, this time producing a heat shield. The loud thundering of the machine gun began as dozens of bullets hit the barrier, evaporating as they touched the scorching shield.

Running as fast as he could, the blond soldier crashed through a window. He quickly recovered and restarted his barrier. The rest of the squadron followed him, firing whenever they could. He walked past a corner, losing his perusers from from view. But to his misfortune, three trucks parked in front of him. Several hazmat soldiers descended, bearing assault rifles.

"Kill the freak!" Said one. And without further invitation, all thirty soldiers started shooting as many bullets as they could.

Thinking fast, Shield smashed through a window into a cafe. Without a chance to think of the scenery he dashed through, hoping to find a back door. He heard several noises behind him and he turned around.

What he saw was not pretty, for there were at least twenty olive green grenades littering the floor. Swearing to some higher deity, he formed an x with his arms and braced for impact.

The explosion hit him harder than a falling house, sending him flying against the wall. And with common dream physics, he smashed through the wall and was left in the back alley.

Every bone in his body ached, every millimeter of his self was in pain, and his ears were ringing horribly. But he had to get up, he had to carry on with his mission. He continued walking at a brisk pace, hoping to find some door. He did, but he felt like someone was teasing him, since the door was locked. Placing a flaming semi-sphere on the door he backed away. After the explosion he stormed in, rifle first. But to his surprise he was in another cafe, with a man sitting there floating. He was the most unorganized human he had ever seen. 

The top hair war pure white, but the right side was longer than the left. From the ears down it was black, pitch black. The suit consisted of a sewn in mess of different fabrics, but curiously they were either one of two colors: purple or red. Shield pointed his weapon, this was a man he didn't recognize. The discordant turned around, not helping him. He had a full white beard, with yellow eyes with black slit pupils.

"Well hello there! How pleasant of you to join me." Said the stranger with a calm voice

"Who are you and why shouldn't I shoot you right here and now." Threatened the soldier. 

"Ooh, such violence. Tell you what, why don't you put that down before you do something stupid.." Said the other man as he ordered him to lower his rifle using his hand. For some reason Shield complied, not voluntarily because something forced him.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Well, my name is unimportant, for I have many names. Some know me as Loki, God of mischief, but you can call me Sheogorath, prince of madness." Said Sheogorath.

"Alright prince, how did you get in here, because I am sure that you aren't a figment of my imagination." 

"How do you know that's true? For all you know I could be a representation of your growing dementia."

"No,that's impossible for these dreams have reality parameters." 

The elder stood up, snapped his fingers and a chocolate milk glass spawned in his hand. He took a bite out of it, spit the contents into a plate. But instead of glass of brown liquid, a croissant landed.

"You are right, you boring soldier. I am not from here."

"Then how did you get in? I had mind locks that took the princes about five minutes to crack."

"Well, she let me in of course! Maybe not intentionally, but both of you left the door open so I made my way in." 

"What are you doing here?" Asked Shield as he dropped his rifle and reloaded his shotgun. This man meant no harm, if he did he would already have done it.

"Because there is entertainment, like those chaps in front of me, they're doing these weird things to this lovely girl." He said as he sat down to enjoy his snack. Shield immediately looked up and felt another pang of fear. In the building in front of him was a grocery store, where five soldiers were holding clubs, beating and torturing a beautiful young lady. 

The lady had  tricolor hair, the most beautiful features, even if they were covered in blood and bruises. But it was the eyes that made everything horrible. One of them had a bruise, but that wasn't the point. The point was that those eyes carried despair, fear and ultimate submission. 

A rage was filling inside him like a waterfall filling a vase. He grabbed his rifle and went for the door. He looked back at Sheogorath and said: "You wanted to see a show sir?"

"Well, yes."

"Then I suggest you prepare because I will not repeat what I am about to do."

"If you do good I might just reward you."

Shield continued, his damned dream finally reaching an end. He made sure not to be seen, for stealth was crucial. He approached the door, making sure his footsteps were as silent as possible. Grabbing his rifle on his right, he opened the door and cast a flash bang sphere with his left. 

The soldiers we blinded, and completely helpless for the following massacre. Bursting through the door, Shield fired his bullets until the magazine emptied.  The resulting blood was enough to paint the room, and the extruding organs were good enough to add a brutal decoration to the room. Shield quickly helped Cadence to her feet, undoing the bindings in her hands and feet. 

"Thank you Shield!" Said the princess as she hugged her rescuer.

"No need sis, you know that I'm always here for you." He said casually

"I must admire your skill boy, but you did it too fast! If you really want to enjoy life you need to take it slower." Said Sheogorath.

"I couldn't take my sweet time! My sister was in trouble!"

"Well, you promised entertainment and you delivered. Albeit at a reduced time. Are you ready for your reward?"

Shield was skeptical, this man had zero credibility yet he sounded like his advice was worth more than a dragon's egg. "Sure, why not." Responded the Regulator.

"Very well, listen closely for I will only say this once: Before you lies the start of your biggest test, skills morals and trust will be strained, for your opponents know more about you than you wish. Love from past and future will gather, forcing you to chose who should live and who will perish. Your greatest opponent will not be Chrysalis, it will be yourself. And you will not see the victory over Manehattan." And with a snap of his fingers the prince of madness was gone.

"So that is what it feels like." Said Shield understanding why it is rude to disappear from a conversation. Suddenly, everything began collapsing, each building crumpling in itself. Shield just stood the, gripping the first love of his life waiting for the dream to end.

Shield woke up the next day at ten o'clock in the morning. His forehead was covered in sweat and his body ached. 

.oOo.

Twilight Sparkle was finally asleep, having changed into her long pajamas. The bed was very comfortable, so much that it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. 

In her dreams she was in a blank space, full of... Nothing. She merely stood around, contemplating her thoughts. From nowhere Princess Luna appeared, holding Rarity's hand.

"I am sorry to arrive uninvited Twilight Sparkle, but there is much that I need to discuss with both of you." Said the Princess. 

"There's no need to worry, what seems to be the problem?" Asked Twilight. "And where are we?"

"You are currently in the Dream Space, a realm created for the single purpose of meeting in a secure space. My time is not much, for I am needed elsewhere."

"So what is so Improtant?"

"It's about Shield Heart, I am afraid of his well being. I just came back from his dream and his mind began remembering nightmares, not doing what he wanted his dream to do." 

"He has the ability to control dreams?"

"Just his. A lot of people train themselves to use their dreams like training grounds, but it takes a heavy toll, and death in a dream can mean a coma in real life." 

"So you want us to wake him up?"

"My main concern is in investigating his past, no Grey has ever had a mind so corroded like the one he has."

"Can't you access his memories?" Asked Rarity

With a deep sigh, the princess answered: "Although unethical, I could do it if I entered an average person's dream, but Shield is nowhere near average, his mind has several locks, it took me half an hour just to enter his dream. There is no way for me to enter his mind without him noticing."

"So, how will we accomplish it? Shield isn't exactly forthcoming."

"Fortunately, I have become the new Lady Marshal of the Greys, and therefore have complete control over his doings." 

"And how exactly does this help? He seems to not car wether something is ordered or not."

"He will come to respect my authority, he has done so in the past. So obedience is not the issue. But I need your aid to open up his memories, without the help of friends, his nightmares might get the better of him when we most need him."

"Doesn't he have any friends? There must be more people who are willing to help him."

"I do not know, but since you are two of the Elements of Harmony, I thought you would be perfect for this task."

"Well, Princess Celestial has already given us that exact same mission." Interrupted Twilight.

"I know, and so am I. Completing this may not be as important as missions you have had in the future, but it is crucial nonetheless. Will you accept it?" Her words were sincere, she was asking from the bottom of her heart.

"Don't worry princess, I am confident that we can help him. Although we will need more time, and the rest of the Elements. This isn't something we can achieve quickly or alone."

"I understand, and I also wish to inform you that I will be arriving on Vanhoover the Twenty-sixth of May, to oversee the installations Shield has. For far too long has he been able to operate in secret, though truth be told, I am frightened to know what is kept with him."

"Then we will gladly accept your visit Princess."

Shortly after that, Twilight found herself waking up. She looked at the grey wall clock and it marked ten fifteen. She went back to bed, hoping to rest some more.

.oOo.

Shield wasn't so lucky, his mind kept bogging down, refusing to do complicated thinking. It felt as though a fog had settled over his brain. If he started complex thinking, he would find himself stuck for no reason. The worst part was that as he got down from his bed he lost balance, falling face-first into the cold wooden floor

Next up he started seeing things very differently. His bed was neon color, with an imprintedfloral design, his bathroom door looked to be made out of toilet paper. At first he considered that he was in a dream, but after going to his special twenty-sided dice, he managed to prove that this was the real life.

Next up came the schizophrenia, with Sheogorath lying on the floor. The man didn't speak, opting to simply watching a poor man tumble down for no reason. 

It surprised Shield that even with his racket his adopted brother hadn't woken up. Upon inspecting the pacifier-infested bed bunk, he figured out why. Both beds were empty.

Looking at the melting wall-clock he figured out that it was ten fifteen, well past the wakeup time.

He turned to Sheogorath who was smiling from ear to ear. Now he had decided to float casually. 

"What do you want?" Asked Shield with a grumpy mood, being in psychedelia always made him cranky.

"OOo. So rude. You know it's not my fault you can see me, right?"

"You are still somewhat responsible for using my mind to manifest yourself in the real world." 

"I'm still trapped in the confines of your mind, since I don't actually have a physical body of my own." Responded Sheogorath as he snapped a cup of coffee into existence. With one gulp he drank the ceramic container and threw the liquid through the window, exploding in green flames.

"That doesn't make sense." Replied the soldier coldly.

"What didn't make sense, the coffee or me existing in your mind."

"Both, actually. I could imagine the whole "living in the dreams" thing, but how is you drinking ceramic and throwing coffee through a closed window which then bursts into green flames make any sort of fucking sense!"

"It's quite simple, it doesn't have to!" Said the prince with a gleeful smile.

"I don't have time to deal with you, I need to get to breakfast before I am left with cereal." 

"Mind if I come with you?" 

"Like you have much of a choice."

"That's a fair point." 

Shield stopped and began to reason what he had just done. He had accepted a mind alien to his own into his thoughts and memories. He sat down and began creating locks around his memories, protecting them from Sheo. 

"I see you placed magic locks around, it would be a real shame if someone... Unlocked the." Said the prince with a fiendish smile.

"Just try to touch one and you will be expelled from my mind quicker than a cannonball."

"Alright, I'll give you some privacy." 
> Tales of a Madman
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tales of a Madman

Twilight Sparkle was thinking about her dream, or whatever you could call it because it technically wasn't a dream. Not by a long shot. The clock said ten fifteen, pretty late by common standards.

There were three knocks on the Door. Rarity was too busy fixing her hair to care about responding. Three knocks again. Twilight got up from her bed and grabbed her violet brush. Usually her hair was a mess after unsettling dreams, so the explosion would freak someone out. With three passes her hair was back to its straight form.

Three more knocks came, and she managed to open the door. To her surprise Hawk Eye was standing there, wearing a khaki shirt with a dark green vest, denim pants and black sneakers. 

"What can I help you with." Asked Twilight.

"Oh, sorry that I woke you up ma'am. I thought you would be up by now." Said the boy shyly. His face feuded to see her, why she couldn't tell, she was wearing long pajamas. So nudity wasn't the question, although it seemed to be true for him.

"No it's alright, we were already up, we just needed some time to get ready." She kindly responded. 

"Oh, very well then. I came here to invite you to breakfast, I hope you can come." He spoke with a merry voice.

"Where's Shield?" 

"He still hasn't woken up yet, he probably has had difficult dreams, tends to happen." 

"Why are you with him?" 

"I'm not with him, he is sleeping."

"Why do you live with Shield, what links you to him."   

"Oh, because I'm his brother. Albeit adopted."

"We're you raised in an orphanage?"

"Nope! Shield rescued me when I was naught but a babe. He never told me the full story, refuses to, says it'll give me nightmares."

Twilight was surprised, she expected the kid to be some sort of squire, but once again her presumptions were wrong.

"So, you comin' for breakfast?" He asked

"Of course! Just give us a moment to freshen up." She answered.

"Very well, I'll inform Shield to wait an hour before breakfast." The boy left, in the same fashion as his brother, never letting anyone respond.

"That went great." Said Twilight sarcastically. She turned to look at Rarity, but the bathroom door was closed. "So I'll just sit here alone then." Twilight was forced to wait half an hour before the element of Generosity was ready to depart from the bathroom. Lasting half as long as her friend, Twilight managed to be ready just in time for breakfast. 

.oOo.

Shield was standing in the kitchen, wearing jeans and a black long-sleeved tee and a white apron. Said apron was stained with orange splotches. His right hand was holding a spatula and his left a frying pan. 

The table was set for four people, with the checkered blue and green tablecloth. 

"Sit down, breakfast is ready to be served. I hope you're in the mood for... Wow, unexpected!" Said shield as he turned around. Rarity was wearing a blue blouse and matching white denim pants, her belt was dark violet, like her hair. A white jacket was covering her shoulders.

Natural for a fashionista, Rarity looked insulted. "Don't you like it?" She asked offended.

"Oh no, I love it, it's just unexpected, as I said. We won't be doing much today so I would advise against dressing too fancy." He said. "Also I think you'll need an apron more than me."

"And why would that be?" She asked.

"Have you ever had Chilaquiles for breakfast?"

"Come again?"

"Chilaquiles. Didn't think so. It's a traditional dish from Yeguadalajara. Sit down and I'll show you, Hawk, get these ladies something to drink." The boy followed instructions, opening the refrigerator and taking out two pitchers. 

"Milk or orange juice miladies." He asked

"I'll have orange juice thank you." Said the Sapphire-eyed woman, and the boy skillfully poured the contents from the glass pitcher.

"I'll have milk, thank you very much." Responded the librarian.

Shield started serving them what looked like fried tortilla chips. Both women went for their forks, but were stopped by a plastic spatula.

"Spicy or regular?" 

"Umm. Regular."

"Regular too."
And holding a pot, he poured its contents onto both plates. He changed the pot for a pan and with a soon served fried beans. They each thanked him and he went to retrieve a basket full of bread.

.oOo.

They could see a kind man serving breakfast, but what he could see was far more disturbing. His hallucinations had stopped, except for Sheogorath, who had taken to humping Rarity and breakdancing over Twilight's. He was both disgusted and on the brink of laughing. 

"What's your problem?" He thought to himself. Speaking would only make him look weird and more demented, but Sheogorath was living in his mind, so he could listen to his thoughts as good as words. 

"Sorry, but I can't control myself around beautiful women, especially these two."

"Got history together?"

"You can say that."

"So what are we doing today?" Asked the librarian, her head leaning forward.

He too leaned. His face was serious, he opened his mouth and spoke: "Absolutely nothing!"

"What?"

"Nothing, as in not one thing. We still have a full day of train riding, so we will be resting for today."

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, TRAIN?"

"We don't have the space, so why try? And anyways, there's more to life than training."

"Says the man willing to kill himself in experimenting shots." Replied Rarity.

"During train rides I like to relax, so please respect it. Don't worry, once we get settled you will go through a crash course."

"Is it true that Princess Luna is your new boss?" Asked Twilight. This sentence made the soldier drop his head. His fears were true, he had hoped that the princess that had visited him in his dreams came from the imagination. It was highly unlikely, since he felt the real her enter.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is."

"What's so bad about it?"

"You may think that I respond directly to the Princesses, but actually, the Order was made independent from the government. This allowed us more freedom when acting. Out of respect we still made reports on the missions. Being independent also meant that we didn't need to report if something got out of hand, so those were labeled as "secret" in our great archives."

"So for the first time you will finally have to answer to someone and you have shady business that you want to protect." 

Shield no longer met her gaze, instead he looked away. He stammered a bit of nonsense, but it was clear that she was right. He started eating, barely stopping to swallow.

"Sorry 'bout him, he tends to do this when he doesn't want to talk about something."

"So what about you? You look like someone with an interesting story." Said Rarity. She began eating and sighed in delight.

Hawk blushed. "There really isn't much to talk about me yet, I'm a simple student in Vanhoover Academy. I'm ten years old and happen to be good with a bow and a staff."

"That's a lot to say for someone so young, what do you do for fun?"

"Usually I go snowboarding, sometimes I practice hockey or I go to the shooting range to practice with my bow. Or if it's raining or a blizzard I'll go to the library. Depends on my mood."

"How often does it rain?"

"Have you ever heard of its nickname?"

"Oddworld?"

"Sorry, the other one."

"I don't believe so."

"They call it Seaddle."

"Really? How come, is it flooded?"

"No, it means that the rain will drown your soul." Said Shield in a lighthearted manner.

Both women looked at him. 

With a mouthful he said: "Wha? Ids de truth." He swallowed. "That city is completely grey! Just wait 'till we get there."

"How can anyone enjoy living somewhere so dull?" Asked Rarity.

"Because where the city is dullest the people are more colorful. Vanhoover is well known for its people and the research that takes place there, not for being beautiful in colloquial ways." 

"What sort of research goes on?" Asked Twilight, with great intrigue.

"All sorts, from machinery to agriculture to magic heck, even archeology. You name it. You never really heard of Vanhoover before?"

"Not really." 

"Well, it is considered a freaktown by most. But it still is crucial to all of Equestria. Without them, Manehattan would never have developed motorized transport, or would have scry-phones. Vanhoover is the unspoken Hero of Equestria."

"Kind of like you?"

"In some sense, yeah. Though they deserve more credit than me."

"What on earth is a scryphone?" Asked Rarity.

"It's something like a mobile telephone, except it utilizes magical energies in order to communicate. It's faster, safer and even cheaper. Half of Equestria uses them, but still they don't appreciate Vanhoovians as much as they should. The best part is that you can see the person you are talking to ."

"Do you have one?"

"Yeah but I left it at home by accident. Tends to happen all the time. Twilight, do you have that letter for your brother I asked you to write?"

Twilight was caught off guard, of course she totally forgot about it. But she regained herself and answered: "Um, yeah of course. But I left it in my room. But I've been thinking..." 

"Thinking is dangerous, you should leave it to me."

"What if the changelings manage to intercept the message, then we would be alerting them of our arrival." 

"I am setting up a bait. The reason why I told you not to include my name was because you are supposed to be alone, therefore a much easier target. With me and my friends at your side, you will come to no absolute harm if the message reaches the wrong hands. Now enough prep talk here, if you want to continue talking I suggest we meet in the library."

By that point everyone had finished breakfast, so after cleaning up they left the kitchen.

Once in the library, Shield began gagging. Alarmed, Twilight and Rarity rushed to help. But he held up an arm to stop them. He then burped, the spice was clearly present in the air. 

"Sorry about that, I usually have these incidents when eating spicy food. Now Twilight, please write the letter to your brother you are going."

"How did you know?" She asked.

"When you and Shinning both lie, you look away for a second and twitch your eyes very slightly." He answered gleefully.

"No I don't." She refuted.

"The it is again! Now stop complaining and write the letter." His hand started fidgeting and erupted blue flames. From ashes two letters formed themselves. One was elegant stationary and the other portrayed a large metallic monster in the back called Ormaggoden.

"Speaking of letters, it seems I have mail!" He put the elegant one away and began reading the other. 

Twilight used this time to write the letter with a fountain pen.ot was the closest thing she could find to her quill. 

"Perfect! Now to the next!" He said as he changed letters. "Awesome!" 

"What are those letters for?" Asked Rarity.

"They are confirmations, one is from the Storm Brothers and the other from Metal Riffs. Curious that both were sent at the same time, and also that the Commissioner failed to respond." His voice lost some cheer."

"Is that bad?" 

"It could mean anything, from him being busy to being replaced. I really can't tell." 

"By replaced you mean what exactly."

"Either he has been replaced by another Commissioner or by a changeling, I really hope it's the former. Otherwise we will be walking into a death pit." 

"So how do you know if your friend has been replaced?" 

"No idea from here, we'll just have to hope for the best. Are you done Twilight?"

Fortunately, she was. She handed the parchment to him, and he sent it amidst a tongue of blue flame.

"So what do we do now that the chores are complete?" Asked the Librarian.

"Quite simple really, we relax! Watch movies, read books, anything you want."

And so the rest of the day was spent doing nothing of importance.

When night came along, Shield had trouble sleeping. His dreams began getting more corrupted than before. At this rate, he noted, I'll be sent to the Mental Ward!
> A City in Equestria 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A City in Equestria

After the long journey, it was comforting for Shield to arrive to the train station in his hometown. With its glass roof, the water was harmless.

"Shield! Long time no see!" Said the immigration officer, his electric green hair tousled by a  blue cap.

"Mountain! How are you? How's the family?"responded the knight.

"Excellent! Thanks for remembering! Hey, Fire Storm was here earlier. He said he would meet you back in your house." 

"What about Thunder?"

"You know where he is."

"Shieldie!" Said a stranger with jet black hair and a diadem with two large round ears.

"Sound Check! Wazzup!"

"Who are the cuties?"

"Sound, these are Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, they are envoys from Princess Celestial herself. Miladies, this is Sound Check. He is a DJ known by another name: Deadmouse"

"That's deadmau5 the 5 represents the s."

"You are friends with a DJ, why is that? I remember you telling me you were a sarcastic, cynical scoundrel." Asked Rarity.

"He may be an asshole to anything with a pedigree, but to anyone born and or raised here he is incredibly friendly." Responded Sound.

"Also, DJs are information traders. If anything happens, be it good or bad, they will find out about it. And so they will inform us if there is anything we need to know." Responded Shield.

"That's right! Once I heard about this hydra breeder in Baltimare through my friend Wooden Toaster and I reported it to him, cuz you know, he's a Grey and shit. Two weeks later I got an invitation to become an auxiliary informant."

"Really? I thought all your missions were handled by the head of our government."

"I already told you, we are a para-government organization. We don't follow their orders, but they do get us contracts. Sometimes someone else will contact us directly, hoping to form a private contract. The DJs sometimes help us get those contracts. And they also tell us when someone is causing too much trouble."  Responded the knight.

There was a crack of thunder, and a silver chariot appeared in the rainy sky. Gliding through the glass it was obvious who was riding it. The chariot was pulled by four pegasi with draconic wings, while mounted by a guard with pale blue skin and midnight leather armor with a sword on their hips.

With the sound of trumpets Princess Luna descended from her transport. She was wearing her regular attire, her midnight blue dress was always stunning. 

Everyone in the train station immediately kneeled. 

"Rise my loyal subjects." She said in her Royal voice.

All except Shield obeyed.

"Why do you refuse my order? You of all people have the greatest obligation to follow my commands."  She said in a calm voice.

"Your Highness, I did not expect your arrival so soon. I imagined it would be tomorrow." He answered as he stood up.

"I came because I need to examine your headquarters, which lacks detail but uses three quarters of your salary." A shiver ran through him.

"As you wish your highness. Follow me, and don't worry about your luggage. It will be in your rooms once we have finished  the tour." He started walking toward one of the sets of glass doors. Sound Check immediately followed, and the guards followed their princess, leaving behind their flying transport. 

The doors led to a large concrete garage. Thousands of vehicles were parked, from small motorcycles to buses. Shield approached a minibus with a black paint-job. The doors swung open and inside was a chubby man with a white beard. 

"Hey Shield, were off to?" Said the driver.

"Take us to our base." Responded Shield.

"Alright, wait, we're takin' everyone? Even the soldiers?"

"Of course! Let us show these people the Vanhoover hospitality!"

"Okay, all aboard is comin' aboard!" 

The inside of the bus was very well kept, with the smell of  vanilla very present in the air. As everyone settled themselves, the bus roared to life and began moving. The tour through the cobblestone streets was smooth. They passed through the main square, a beautiful plaza full of gardens, trees and limestone buildings. They arrived to a large glass-and-ivory tower. On the entrance a man was waiting for them.

The inside was a common office building, with a five meter tall roof. 

"Welcome to FireFax Tower! In here are several reliefs for the various human ills. First five floors focus primarily on the physical illnesses, such as pedicure, manicure, spas, acupuncture, steam therapy, heck, you name it. Next ten floors are the hospital floors, with all sorts of medics. The last ten are the Grey's Headquarters and Barracks, Vanhoover branch, we live there and have all consultations for missions, both public and private."

"How can I help you Shield?" Asked the receptionist.

"Could you please call Pound and tell him to bring my guests' luggage please!"

"Sure thing! So, how did the mission go?"

"Great, except that Moon Dancer gave me wrong info as usual, is she still stuck up in the library?"

"You know her so well I would recommend getting married with her."

"You know that's impossible. Hey is Iron Cross here? I really need to talk to him."

"Sure, he still hasn't checked out, but you might want to talk to Stella first."

"Okay. Lets go!" 

Shield walked all the way to the elevators, where he flashed his badge. The doors opened.

"Are you coming?" He asked.

The elevator was big enough to carry everyone. A couple of floors later they emerged to a marble white room. The entire floor made it up. 

"Welcome to my humble adobe, this is the public room, next one is the gym, next two are training rooms, after that there is the two-floor library, the rest are barracks. Any questions?"

"Yes, I have one." Said the princess.

"What is it?"

"Do you expect me to believe that this tower uses nearly three hundred thousand bits a year?"

"It does!"

"This place pays for itself and is tax-free. I you believe that would fool me you are gravely mistaken. I want to know where your resources are going and I want to know them NOW!"

Shield sighed. "I invest my money in the retirement fund in case I die, that way my hard work can be used by Hawk."

"And coincidentally your uncle is investing in the exact same fund?" 

Shield looked surprised. "How deep have you been digging?"

"Deep enough to know that your retirement fund uses a million bits a year. Don't you think it's a little too much? Also I want to know why you have a gas station in the outskirts with underground digging permits."

"I guess I can't beat you. I will show you everything, but first I must consult my doctor about my medicine."

"Very well, and I would very much like to meet your doctor."

"Then follow me." He went back to the elevator. This time only Twilight and Luna followed.

"What is it Rarity?" Asked Twilight.

"Listen Twilight, as fun as meeting a doctor sounds, I would very much prefer to go to a spa right now. You have no idea as to how exhausting this little venture has been. I even feel like wrinkles forming up in my forehead. And I may have noticed a white hair somewhere."

"No prob. Go to the third floor and ask for Hot Rocks and tell her that I sent you." Responded Shield.

"Oh. Well, I thank you for the offer very much."

"Let's go!" And the elevator descended.

The floor was divided in various consulting rooms, and there was a general secretary standing behind a spruce desk.

"Hello Stella, how are doing today?" Said Shield.

The secretary was a pink haired lady, with a large bang falling in front of her left eye. She turned her head.

"Oh hey man. Iron Cross is in Operation Room 5 if you want to talk to him."

"Thanks. Um we need to enter in order to talk to the doctor."

"But she just said that he is in an operating room! We cannot enter in the middle of a surgery!" Said Luna.

Shield narrowed his eyes: "Watch me." And he went inside.

The women followed, and started hearing laughter. The scene inside the room was far too shocking to be true.

The room was beyond standard, with Sci-Fi looking equipment all over the place. A man with a white lab coat, stained with blood, was handling some sort of beating object. The man being operated was a large bald man with a red shirt and a large cavity. One of the machines was shooting a red beam towards this man's chest, and the beam occasionally spawned red crosses.

"And ven ze patient voke up, one of her kidneys vas missing und ze doktor vos never heard from again!" Said the man in the lab coat with a thick Germaneigh accent as he bursts out laughing. The patient laughed too, his voice not constricted despite that his chest was torn open. 

"Anyway, zats how I became Ib'Xian's most vanted!" He said, suddenly a dove exploded from from the cavity.

"Triangles no! Get away!" He looked at the bear man. "Birds."

"Hello Iron Cross! And hello Iron Curtain! How's it going?" Asked Shield, taking them by surprise.

The doctor turned and greeted his friend, neglecting his patient.

"Oh! I see you've brought company! Hello miladies, I am Doctor Iron Cross." He extended his blood-stained hand. Needless to say, neither one agreed.

"Very vell, so vot brings you here Shield?"

"I need my shot as soon as possible, this one wore off faster and I'm already at stage one."

"Oh zat is bad news, you see, your medicine isn't ready yet."

"What are you talking about? It's almost end of month! I need that shot ASAP!"

"Sorry little friend, but we got delayed looking for Kingsfoil. We had to take from little baby goblins." Said Curtain, his accent marked him from the Hooviet Union.

"Fine, how long until you are done?"

"Actually, I am done." Said the doctor as he pressed the heart into its place and increased the intensity on the beam. Now brighter than before, it closed his body without leaving a trace.

"You just said you didn't have the medicine."

"Oh, zat vill be ready by ze end of das week."

"So where are you done?"

"On Curtain's checkup."

"Then come along, we are going to Ebony."

The doctor took a good look at Luna and said: "Entschuldigung your Highness!" He dropped to one knee.

"You may rise medic." He obeyed. He got within whispering distance of his friend and spoke: "Are ve going mit her?"

"I got no choice, she's my new boss, dad quit two days ago."

"Zis ist keine gut."

"She's seen the finances and she knows, so we have to go there. No more secrets."

"Very vell, it vos a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise mein freund."

They left the floor and headed for the lobby. Waiting for them was a tall man with electric ginger hair adorned with yellow streaks across and red roots.

"So this is what happens when you go to fetch your friend's scryphone." He said. He withdrew a small gadget from his pocket. It was a silver rectangle, with a crystal screen. He tossed it to Shield, who caught it midair.

"Sorry man, but I left it charging."

"Yeah, that's what you always say. Why is Princess Luna with you?"

"Because she is our new boss. That's why."

"Oh, what happened to your dad?"

"Mr. Heart retired, hoping to be able to live the rest of his days in peace and quiet with his wife." Answered the Princess.

"Very well milady, allow me to introduce myself, I am..."

"Fire Storm, Grey Warden and from the line of the noble Storm family. You are now a Regulator." 

"And why do I deserve this honor?"

"You have proven yourself worthy with your deeds."   

Fire ignore the last comment and followed his friend out the building. 

"Aren't we going to wait for Rarity?" Asked Twilight.

"By the time she's done with the first stage we will have returned from Manehattan." Said Shield.

Without complaining the bus was loaded again. 

The travel to the gas station was about thirty minutes long, although to Twilight it didn't seem like much. Mostly because it hadn't stopped raining.

The building was of typical design, with a giant boulder directly behind it. Inside at the counter a teen with crimson hair was busy playing with his phone. It wasn't a scryphone, but a regular non magic portable phone.

"I would like two cherry sodas and nine Sparkles please." Said the regulator. 

The boy just looked at him and said: "You know where to get them."

Shield walked to the nearest refrigerator painted in red and an 'out of order', opened the door and withdrew his badge. 

From Twilight's view not much could be seen, but she guessed by the beeping sounds that there was more machinery behind. Proving her theory was that the clerk had stopped playing with his phone and lowered all blinds in the building. In should have been dark had it not been for the lights above. 

Luna's guard went for their swords, afraid that this was an ambush. But relaxed when they noticed the refrigerators opening up. 

"These are drop elevators, with the capacity of five each. Twilight, you are with me, the rest can figure it out." Said the ice-eyed man. The librarian followed, hoping that this would somehow help her task. Luna and her Guard took an elevator, and Shield's friends took another one. He elevator was quite roomy, although it was more of a metal box with a mirror.

The doors closed and the elevators descended. The store went back to business, leaving no trace that people had disappeared. 

"What is Ebony?" She asked.

"It's a code name. Ivory is the FireFax tower."

Twilight set her distance, holding onto the rail. She didn't know what to expect, but was surprised when the metal box opened. 

The room in front of her was at least a kilometer high and incredibly farther. The cave was coved in pearl white square panels. 

"Pretty amazing huh." Said Shield. Before he could talk more he received a painful slap to his right check, and then slapped on his other one. Luna had been responsible. For this.

"What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself this very instant!" She demanded.

"Milady, I welcome you to Torchwood Fortress, home of the Dawn Guard!" 

"How dare you keep an installation this large from our knowledge! This is a Grey facility!"

"And that is where you are wrong princess. Torchwood isn't actually yours, it's mine. I privately started this, for the good of Equestria."

"Why keep this in the dark Shield?" 

"Follow me, and sorry for what you are about to see."

They walked to a one of the rooms with a label which read: Fire Room. The door was steel. And inside the name was justified.

It was a firing range, with several plastic monsters covered in bullseye. There were several people clad in white uniforms and holding green weapons.  When the door opened all turned around to face the door and immediately saluted with their left hand, while holding their object on their right.

Their next action was to notice the woman clad in dark blue. With this they immediately dropped to one knee and shouted: "All hail the Queen of the Night!" 

Speechless for at least a minute, she managed to regain herself before slapping Shield twice.

"What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself before I have my guards execute you this very instant!" 

"First of all, ouch! Second, these are the Torchwood Stormtroopers and they are here to help us retaliate!"

"You mean to tell me you have trained soldiers to use firearms? Do you have any idea of how many agreements, treaties and other political documents you are defiling? What was the point of Protocol Stalliongrad if you still did this stuff?"

"And that's not even half of it." Whispered Fire Storm to Twilight.

"Quite simple, training takes years, and we have to be ready at a moment's notice. Do not worry, they are all extremely loyal men and excellent shots. TAKE AIM!" And as one all soldiers turned around.

"FIRE!"

The roar was unanimous, but there was no smoke, instead bolts of red magic erupted.

Closer inspection of the targets revealed that these were marksmen, as they managed to hit  vital parts of every monster.

"I do not care if your soldiers are good or not, my concern lies on the fact that you have actually trained people. As a meter of fact, them being accurate makes me wonder how long you have formed this Torchwood."

"About four years, as soon as I returned from my travels. But you are missing the point. These Stormtroopers are the only thing standing between the Changelings and us." 

"Then why bother making your stupid protocols if you will still ignore it."

"Because the protocols were made to legalize my actions. Had there been no authorization I wouldn't have revealed them, but since we are at level 1 there is no better opportunity to do so. On another topic, where are the elements of Harmony?"

"They are in Ponyville." Interrupted Twilight.

"I meant the jewels, not the people." Retorted Shield.

"Those are locked in a special vault in Canterlot protected by several spells. We had planned to return them to their owners." Answered Luna.

"Good to know, don't move them, this will only make it easier to neutralize them."

One of the soldiers broke ranks, he had a pockmarked face and a bicolor hair: left was sky blue and right was electric blue. "Sir, Arc Reactor was requesting your presence sir!"

"Thanks Blues, you may return to your training. And bring Apple, Bridle and Carrot to the Conference room." He resumed his firing position, but none of them fired, they just waited like statues. Shield gave another order to fire, and there was a roar across the room. He later instructed them to continue at their own will.

They walked for a while, until they arrived to a room labeled: Engineering.

Inside this door was a facility much larger than the previous one, and it was because here there were all sorts of machines. From white turrets to heavy armor, there were also several vehicles that Twilight failed to recognize.

In one of the workbenches was a man with really short brown hair. He was wearing a sky blue shirt, and when he turned around he hadn't buttoned the first three.

"Well hello Mr. Shield, how was your last trip? I noticed you left the phone I made for you." Said the man.

"Sorry about that Arc, I seemed to have misplaced it. What was so important that you needed to see me?" 

"I was told hat we have escalated to Defcon three."

"Sadly enough yes, do you have phase one ready?"

"Yeah it's by the back with the Phase 2 prototypes."

"Load them unto the Harbinger now."

"But that'll take at least two days!"

"Then start now! We don't have much time!"

"Where are we going? And why the Harbinger? It's still a prototype."

"Manehattan, I have received from a trustworthy source that there will be an attack in the first of June."

"And Princess Luna gave you authorization to break every rule?"

"I did not k ow of this Arc Reactor, although I am surprised to see you here, as a Grey Mech-Wright I expected more from you."

"A What?" Asked Twilight Fire Storm grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back gently. 

"What do you know abut the Greys?" He asked with great curiosity.

Twilight told him what little she knew. His face was suddenly filled with disappointment.

"Typical of Shield, he never talks to anyone who works for royalty. Follow me this will need proper explanation..." He trailed off. "You came here with a friend right?"

"Um yes."

"Then now is not the time, I prefer to give this explanation to both of you. Do you want to get out of here?"

"But where would we go?"

"Back to FireFax, most of what they will discuss today is technicalities. And I received a letter from the other princess, telling me to help you in your second task. It won't be easy, but we can't talk here." 

The librarian felt a pang of worry. This probably meant that Celestia didn't believe that she could handle this.

"So care to tell me what made you bring our new boss to the one facility where you know she could kill you if she as much as muttered the order?" Raised Arc

"Princess, would you like to take he tour? Little Pip here would love to show you around, isn't that right sweetheart?" A short girl clad in a charcoal grey jumpsuit with brown hair popped up. 

"Of course sir! This way princess and guards, there is much to show!" Reluctantly, the princess obeyed.

Once they were gone Arc looked sternly at Shield. Without another word, Fire took Twilight out of the facility before things got worse.

"I want to know what drove you to bring royalty here after we clearly dictated that this would be a private and secret organization. You said that only if hell itself materialized here would you consider unleashing it!" 

"Things change! Do you have any idea how bad I feel about this?"

"Sure! You are the golden boy! Nothing can hope to bring you down! But what about us? The poor bastards that blindly followed you when you promised us this would never be used!"

"Trust me, if the following dangers could be defeated via a defense using the Canterlot Guard then I would be leading them. But our enemy is strong, their weaponry is too advanced for pikes. If we are to succeed, Equestria will need Torchwood."

"Why does it feel like you are rushing this? You aren't even consulting things, something that was a staple habit of yours. What could be at stake that makes you take such rash and downright fucking idiotic. Have you even considered that you could be leading us into a trap that might not only get us killed, but also plunge Equestria into its first war?"

Shield was very surprised at this. It had never occurred to him. Sure the visions were real, but what if someone was counting on his rash actions to trigger a war? What if there was no avoiding this, like if it was scripted in fate. He couldn't think if there was anything that would somehow invoke someone's rage.

"So what would you do if you were in my situation?"

"I would do the thing you are known for: calling in meetings. Without a brainstorm session we won't be able to think of alternatives." 

"There's no time for that. A brainstorm lasts at least three days, and we don't have enough time."

"What kind of danger is s great that you are wiling to trash the traditions put by your ancestors?"

"Changeling."

"Changelings have been defeated before, they did so in the Royal wedding!"

"How did you know about that?"

"I got an invitation, that's why I disappeared for a week."

"And you never bothered telling me?"

"I thought you had an invitation but as usual, chose to ignore it."

"I would never have missed an old friend's wedding!"

"Why are you such a masochist? What part of she's not into you don't you want to understand?"

"What if I don't care if she likes me? What if I just want to protect her for old times sake?"

"Then you are being stupid, why risk your life for one person with thousands?"

"We both know why she is important." 

"Your theories are not important, although she is an angel, so that counts for something."

"Off topic question: why the fuck are you interested in rules if I hired you for the opposite reason."

"Because this time you put my ass on the line without telling me."

"Look, once this is over we can go back to hiding."

"No we can't, if our theory concerning the Precious family is correct, they will fear that you will replace the Guard along with their servants. They will strike hard and a rebellion worst than His."

"Nothing will beat that one."

"Enough arguing for today I have a unique present for you. But first tell me, when will you train your new girlfriend?"

"You mean Twilight Sparkle?"

"Duh, who else?"

"She'll start her training tomorrow."

"Not a moment's rest then."

"We're kicking the hornet's nest, there is no time for rest."

"I hope that if we burn, it's just Torchwood."

"Me too. Now, follow me, I'm going to speak with Apple, Bridle and Carrot." Shield thanked the stars that Luna arrived at the moment his conversation ended.

He went to the conference room, where twenty four uniformed men and women were seated.

"Ladies, gentlemen, I have called upon this meeting for one reason. I am sure that you have heard the bad news, but in case you didn't, we have ascended to Defcon 3. I won't sugarcoat it, this is going to be dangerous. But I am confident that you can and will triumph. Questions?"

A woman with yellow hair raised her hand.

"What is it Dust?"

"How do we know that the threat is genuine?"

"It just is. I can't give any details, but we are facing changelings, so get ready to ship off on the last day of May."

"Where are we going?"

"To Manehattan."

"Will the police give us backup?"

"I have sent instructions to evacuate the city, but they haven't responded yet."

"So we're going rogue?"

"Something like that, lets just hope that we won't be fighting them also. Dismissed."

He picked up his trench coat and a holster belt.

They left the building, once outside Shield offered Luna a ride back to HQ, but she declined.

"I must return to Canterlot immediately, I must inform the families of what has happened here." 

"What? No no no no, you can't do that, if the families catch wind of this they'll go berserk!" said Shield.

"I have no choice, as a Princess I must warn them of what will come! I need to tell them that you have produced firearms and war machines."

"You'll only inspire panic!"

"What am I supposed to do, sit back and wait for the complaints? They have every single right to know that you have been secretly preparing for war."

A sudden cocking sound was heard and Luna turned around. 

She was facing a very cut-down version of the rifles she had seen in Shield's base. It looked more like a pistol.

Her guards immediately reacted, drawing their swords. They were at least ten meters apart, but they could still lunge.

"Do you really think your toys are going to stop me? I hope you can kill me and four guards and still explain to your friends why you turned a traitor." She I'd with confidence

"Who said anything about killing?" And he pulled the trigger. Luna reacted by deflecting it with her arm, and her guards by striking. One of them slashed vertically, aiming for Shield's unarmed hand, but was surprised when he revealed another pistol. The pommel had a hand guard running toward the clip. The rogue reacted by swinging his right hand and smashing the thin sword. To his right another guard attacked. He dispatched both of them by firing a single crimson bullet from both pistols.

The next two charged, urging their escort to get to safety. She obeyed, but never really had a chance. Her guards didn't last long, as they were immediately gunned down. Knowing that running would certify her death she raced for a sword and charged. 

Shield deflected her flurries with ease, almost as if he was toying with her.

"What do you gain by slaughtering my guards?"

"I didn't kill them, they are merely unconscious." He replied as he pulled the trigger and shot her stomach. It took him five more shots to fully knock her out.

"I hope you are happy, but remember, your treason will not go unnoticed. I am expected in Canterlot in three hours. Tomorrow your home will be flooded with guards and Shadowbolts. Eventually they will find me and they will arrest you. My sister will turn Equestria upside down just to find me." Said Luna with staggered breaths.

"I know, but she won't find you. I don't need to kill you. I just need to stop you. You see, some families are getting restless. If they were to know about this, they would revolt quickly, implying that you have been covering up for me. They are already armed, that's why I had to beat Silver Platter to a pulp." As he finished his sentence the princess's breathing calmed down, signaling that she was now fully unconcious.

He grabbed his scryphone and dialed the base. He used only the audio option, preferring to not have to reveal himself. "Arc, I need a cleanup team here in the gas station, take them to the detention area and keep it quiet. I need to return home, pronto." 

His ride back home with Sound Check, Iron Cross and Iron Curtain was rather relaxing. He wondered why Fire had run off with Twilight.

.oOo.

Fire's car was a black hatchback. His explanation was that he really didn't like driving, and a small vehicle allowed him to focus at all times. Their drive was mostly silent, since Twilight didn't want to make him mad.

"Don't worry about angering me, that is an impossible task."

"Very well, I want to know why Princess Celestia gave you instructions to help me. Doesn't she trust me?"

Fire laughed softly. "No, of course not, in fact she believed that you could do it all on your own. But she insisted thatI help you because Shield is too rough around the edges on order to function correctly outside his job."

"Yeah. What is it with him and royalty?"

"Oh, you must have heard of various incidents. There was this one time he interrupted a Grand Galloping Gala just because they were wasting money! He also gets into all sorts of trouble, mostly justifying his bullying saying that it will turn those softies into worthy leaders. Truth is Shield was born with a lot of pressure. And especially after his, incident, he has been even more on edge."

"Wow. Do you know anything about the four years he disappeared?"

"Of course I do, I was with him the whole time!"

"Really?" Asked Twilight with delight. For the first time she found someone with the ability to show her the taboo.

"Yeah, but it is a really tough experience and I don't feel too comfortable talking about it."

And so her hopes were destroyed once more.

"Sorry, but that really is a touchy subject, maybe later. Oh thank Celestia we are here." He said as he pulled into the parking lot.

Ass they were getting off, a silver car pulled right next to them. Emerging from it was Shield and company, all laughing at some joke they must have said before.

"How did you get here so fast?" Asked Fire.

"We drive faster than you." Retorted Sound.

"Yes, so it seems."

"Stop fighting, I want to get to the Spa ASAP. My back is killing me!" Said Shield.

Without waiting for anyone he entered the elevator and disappeared. 

.oOo.

Rarity was just finishing her steam session when she started hearing commotion outside. Intrigued she took off her  eye-covering cucumbers and opened the door. At the entrance of the Zen Garden was Shield Heart talking to Hot Rock, one of the lovely owners.

"So it will be the usual Shy?"

"Not this time. I need something stronger, that mission was harder on the back than before."

"Oh Celestia, please tell me this isn't like that time you had two tumors on your back."

"I doubt it. I'm just really stressed that's all." 

"Well then, step right in! We were done with your friend Rarity anyways. She is a very cultured woman. You should totally consider dating her."

Rarity was surprised by this, she tried picturing her dating him. After a few minutes she concluded that it would be her grave.

"You know me girls, I can't do that stuff. It's just not my style." Replied the knight.

He stepped into the changing room, where after a few minutes he emerged wearing nothing than a black, skintight body-glove and a crimson bathrobe.

"Rarity! Your time's up!" Said Hot.

Making sure she looked as beautiful as usual, the seamstress emerged from her steam box with glamour. Her eyes became fixed upon that cold hearted man. 

"Hello miss Rarity, I hope you enjoyed the service of these two fine young women." He said.

"Of course I did. These two women are extremely talented. Although I have to wonder why are you dressed like that." She replied 

"This is my spa outfit."

"I can guess what the robe is for, but why are you wearing a skintight suit?"

"Because it's comfortable and I don't like being naked."

"Very well, I hope you enjoy your time here as much as I did. Ta ta!" She said as she disappeared into the dressing room.

Hot guided Shield to the massage table, and began working. 

"Good God! What the hell is wrong with your back? I just found like eight knots?"

"I told you, it's been hard. Ooh yeah, that's the spot. That one's called Cadence. Ooh and that one Luna, and that mmpfh! Rarity, and that's Twilight. Ooouch! That one is Shining. Ah! That is Celestia. And those last three have no names yet." Said Shield as each knot was unmade under the skillful hands. 

"What can you tell me about Rarity?"

"Well, I can tell she is extremely cultured. She mostly stuck to fashion, but when we changed the subject she followed it without problem. We first changed it to how you met. Usually your recommendations are poor girls who have seen too much misery. I was surprised when she started talking about a royal mission to reform you."

"Well, chuckle in the irony if you want. It I assure you that I don't need reforming. I am the model citizen, all right, I am hardly the ideal man but I'm not bad. Or am I? Ouch!"

"I'm not going to answer that. Being good or bad depends mostly on you, so I can't decide wether you need help or not. But as the friend and psychologist that I am I would strongly suggest you take whatever help you can get. Maybe someone who can teach you manners."

"I am well mannered!"

"Yeah, that's why you started a fight with bullets! I can feel the holes." 

"Ooooouch! Dammit, that really hurt!"

"You should have healed these before coming with me."

"I did!" 

"Then you did a really lousy job.  Next time try  going with a real doctor, or at least with Iron."

"What are you talking about? Iron is a great doctor!"

"Who doesn't have a medical license. I don't feel very comfortable with a psycho treating you. It feels wrong, like you could drop dead any second of the day because of some shit going wrong."

"I've told you a thousand times, he is ridiculously reliable. Remember that time I got stung by an albino scorpion? Had it not been for him and his knowledge of poisons I would be decomposing on a grave."

"Yeah, but he knew the antidote because he has fucked up so many times it's a surprise he's still alive."

"I don't care if he messed up, he knows how to fix things."

"Fine, have it your way. Now get your lazy ass up and into the sauna, I still have to do some facial cleaning."

"You watched your language near Rarity right?"

"Fuck yeah! What do you take me for?"

"A sailor mouthed Spa owner, I should start calling you Sailor Moon."

"Shut up bastard!"

"Sailor Moon, could you help me up?"

With a punch to the side ribs she throws him out of the cot, and he lands with pain on his injured shoulder.

As he recovered, he limped to the spruce box filled with steam.

Inside he fell asleep, he was finally feeling the exhaustion get the better of him. His dreams were nightmares as usual, but at least Sheogorath had disappeared from his vision. Five minutes later he woke up covered in sweat, and to his horror Sheo was with him. The elder was wearing only a towel, exposing a hideous chest. The left pectoral was Caucasian skin, but the right one was dark skinned. His stomach was chitin-like and his back was full of white fur.

"Well hello Shield! I missed you so much!" He said.

"Hi." Responded Shield with a grunt.

"Oh, is the man grumpy?"

"Of course not! What makes you think that?"

"You can hold unto your sarcasm, I don't need it. Anything I can help you with?"

"Unless you can make my problems disappear, no."

"If I disappeared your problems where would the fun go? No, this is something you know you can accomplish, and if you do this you can stick it in everyone's eyes. They will see that you were right. Equestria needs Torchwood."

"Who are you? Really. Because that whole I am Sheogorath act is no longer working on me."

"It doesn't mater what my name is. Call me Loki if that's so important to you."

"But what's your real name?"

"Oh, I never use my real name. In fact, I can't seem to recall what my name is!"

"Yeah an I'm a new born baby. I don't believe you for a second."

Loki started losing gravity, for he started to float around. Snapping his fingers he changed into his red and purple clothes. 

"Hot! I think I'm done!" Said Shield. 

"No you're not! You still Need five more minutes!"

"Fine!" He yelled. A second later Fire Storm entered wearing only a towel around his waist. His body was scarred heavily in the front, with a long stitch starting from his belly button al the way to his left shoulder.

"Where's Princess Luna?" Asked his friend.   

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me, I asked: Where is the princess?"

"Oh, our new boss, she's on her way  back to Canterlot."

Loki reappeared, looking very smug.

"I don't think he believes you." Said the Master of Mischief.

"It's the truth Fire! What makes you think that I'm lying?" Said Shield to his friend

"For starters, her luggage is still here! Alongside with her chariot and her pegasi." Responded his flaming friend.

"Yeah, totally forgot about those." Said Shield under his breath.

"What did you do to her? I want the truth NOW!" 

"It's nothing, I just shot her and her four guards." He said casually.

"Just attacked her and her guards! Are you insane? Do you have any idea of the amount of trouble you just put us in? Dammit what were you thinking of?"

"She threatened with telling the nobles, what was I supposed to do?"

"Let her tell them!"

"Not when the Precious are getting ready for war!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Silver Platter buying nine mills and shooting me in Canterlot!"

Fire immediately dropped his head and pressed his hands unto his eyes. "Things can't get any better, can they?"

"No, there's no rest for the wicked."

"This isn't going to sit well. I know that you did the right thing, but couldn't you have told her about this?"

"Under what proof? I told you because you always believed in me and you've seen what they are capable of doing."

"Yeah, about that, I want to see the guns myself."

"Are you doubting me?" Scoffed Shield.

"Well, yes, you took too much for granted!"

"Fine! Lets go to my room and I'll show you." 

Shield got up, exited the sauna box and changed his clothes. Fire did the same, and disappeared quickly. A minute later he was accompanied by Twilight and Rarity, looking very fresh.

"If you insist, follow me to my apartment, your luggage is already there." He headed for the elevator and called it. It was a very awkward moment, Twilight had hundreds of questions, but she felt that right now was not the right moment. She wanted to talk to Fire, who appeared to be kinder than Shield for a large stretch.

When the doors opened they were released into a very large living room. There were several cushions scattered around the place. The room was minimalistic, with little to no decoration. Everything hat was there had a function.

A small bell rang, and a lilac cocker spaniel burst from underneath a pillow. She had a long streak of pink in a mass of purple and was wearing a golden necklace with a tag that read: Zoe.

Shield dropped to one knee and started petting it. "How's my little girl? Of course you're good, of course, of course of course!" He said with a fake voice.  The dog was completely restless, moving about every possible second. 

A sharp whistle ran through the floor, and Zoe rushed away from Shield, dashing toward a woman with midnight blue hair streaked with light blue and silver. She was wearing a white shirt and a black skirt reaching up to her knees. Her feet were wearing black flats, and her legs had black nylon stockings.

She approached Shield, always putting one foot directly in front of the other.

"Hey Moon, how's it going?" He asked with a grin. She smiled back, although it looked faked. An instant later her hand dashed toward his face, slapping his right cheek.

"What was that For?" Asked Shield as he nursed his cheek.

"That was for taking Hawk away, you should have bloody well have known he was in exam week! Actually, I'm pretty sure you did that on purpose you cheeky bastard!" She then slapped him in the left cheek. "And that's for taking Saphira while she's having a fit!" Her accent marked her as coming from Trottingham. She attacked once more, but was immediately blocked by Shield's right hand.

"Not this time!" He said. She countered with a swift knee to his man purse.

Shield let out a scream of agony while holding his crotch.

"And that was for incinerating twenty five Diamond Dogs!" She said as her face burned with anger.

"That wasn't my... Fault." He said amidst gasps.

"You know it bloody well is, if you take that volatile drake while she's on therapy it becomes your problem.!" 

"How did you find out?"

"It's simple, they told me while you were off playing tourist with the princess." Shute turned to Twilight and Rarity and immediately smiled.

"Well hello! I'm Moon Dancer, and you are Twilight Sparkle if I'm not mistaken. I remember inviting you to my party, fortunately, you didn't come, that was a nightmare." She said with joy. "But I am afraid I can't remember your name." 

"I'm Rarity, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Said the seamstress.

"Of course! Rarity! How could I have forgotten you? I remember the dossier!"

"That's nice honey, but we need to get going, there's stuff to do..."said the Knight.

"Honey?" Asked a confused Twilight.

"Yeah, this woman here is my wife." He said in a tone that hinted sarcasm.

"You are married, you the scoundrel?" Asked Rarity.

"Of course not, who would ever be in love with him? I'm the one who acts as a mother to her brother and that drake." Responded Moon.

"So she comes with the nagging of a wife but without any of the benefits." He replied. This earned him a swift strike at his right cheek. 

"So what are you doing here Shield, shouldn't you be with Luna?"

"No, she left for Canterlot, saying something about a meeting with those nobles."

"So why are you here?"

"Because this is my house?" He said with a mocking tone.

"I meant, why are you not somewhere else? Like the pub, with Thunder, or with your friends at the gas station, or murdering the local wildlife."

"Kill one  out of control monsters and you'll never hear the end of it."

"That monster was a gryphon, and it went out of control because you kept pestering it!"

"Damn, for the last time, I'm sorry I kept poking it with a pointy stick!"

"That pointy stick was you're sword! And let's not forget the time you played toreador in Baltimare!" 

"I'm out! Fire, come and see the evidence." Said Shield while dashing to a door with a sign that read: enter at own risk.

Inside this room was Shield's office, with this being the second floor, the floor below it was where he took consultations and jobs. This floor was more of a dojo, with several punching bags, sparring equipment and several bulls-eyes lined up.

Shield was somewhat of in a rush, as he showed Fire the pistols that had damaged him, including the beautiful hand gun he took from Silver. Twilight, Rarity and Moon just watched as he removed them from black suitcases labeled: evidence.

"So that's the problem. If the Precious are managing to get weapons I wonder what would happen with the rest of the families." Said Fire with a dark tone.

"This is just the tip of it, smuggling weapons isn't easy, so no sane smuggler would dare smuggle just five guns, they're used to bulks, it's the only way to make it worth the risk of getting caught." Said Shield

"But that makes no sense! Why should it be easier to smuggle large amounts of illegal products rather than just small amounts?" Asked Twilight

"I said it was more profitable. Some containers can be left unchecked if they have the right paperwork attached or are immune to our screening, but we always check everyone, no exceptions. If we catch someone it's the thousand year dungeon for them, but it's the same sentence in case they import enough to arm all of Equestria."

"So you mean that every single Precious could be part of this?" 

"Totally. Those bastards have been discussing the needs for a revolution."

"And do you believe they are responsible for the attacks by he changelings?" Asked Rarity.

"Maybe, I don't think they hired the changelings, but I'm sure they lowered their guard on purpose."

"That's nonsense talk! Why would a Royal family seek to overthrow Celestia" asked Twilight. This was getting out of hand. Importing firearms was something, but accusing a Family of treason was completely different. "And what makes you think this was imported for malevolent reasons?"

"Have you ever seen one of these in action?"

"No." 

Shield cocked one of them, pointed at a flesh-colored training dummy and unleashed a storm of bullets. Unlike the guns in Torchwood, these were far louder and left a trail of smoke. The dummy exploded, spilling red jam everywhere.

Both women let out a scream.

"Now tell me that is for peaceful solutions." He said coldly. "I have addled your minds enough for today, please go to your rooms, tomorrow we will return to Torchwood to train you. Last thing I want is two deadweights who don't have basic training." 

Moon Dancer ushered them off, guiding them to the female dormitory. Like the Canterlot barracks, they were composed mainly of bunk beds. But they were left in one of the private rooms. 

"I must apologize for his behavior, but Shield just wants to help you." Said Moon Dancer.

"Why does everyone apologize in his name?" Asked Rarity. 

"Because he fails to see when he behaves like an idiot, which is usually always. Although I have to ask: what are you two doing here? I doubt you wanted to get dragged along with this."

"Of course we didn't want to be here. All I wanted was to decorate Princess Cadence's room, but Princess Celestia had something completely different in mind." 

"Really? Let me take a wild guess, she wants you to help Shield become friendlier."

"In some sense, yes, she wanted us to turn his inanity down just a bit."

"Ha! That's new. Finally the Princess notices that her top servant has mental issues! I wonder what disaster she heard of."

"So the princess has never sent anyone on this task before?"

"Never, and he's had this condition in critical for a long time. I'm surprised she never noticed before."

"I'm sure she noticed, but never found someone who could do it." 

"No, I bet she knew. It's impossible to not know that your most efficient servant has a severe case of the wierdies."

"Why do you call him a servant. He has told us that the Greys were considered out of the government."

"Yeah, but philosophically we have always been for Equestria. We are separate for legal reasons. If the nobles could use half of the damage he does as an excuse for anything, he would be so dead by now."

"Really, I don't suppose you could tell us something." Said Rarity tentatively.

"Not today. You really should rest, because that training is not going to be easy, trust me, I've been through that hell various times. But Shield is right, whatever the problem is, if you can't defend yourselves then you are only endangering the rest of us."

"But..."

"Good night, tomorrow I will wake you up at eight o'clock. I'll have a good breakfast going too!"