A month had passed since the griffon attacked me. Knight Gaze and I weren't leaving the compound to go to any bars or clubs much more on our days off anymore, due to the recent aggressiveness of the local griffons towards Guards. I was spending nearly all of my downtime with Aurora at her place, still in secret of course. KG was spending his downtime with Nyx, the thestral he met at the bar.
It was just after breakfast, KG and I were currently on standby duty, we usually bring messages between sergeants and the commander while on standby. We were standing outside the command doors, waiting for our next orders from Sergeant Aurora, who was currently getting her orders from the Commander. “What do you think is taking so long?” I asked KG.
“He’s probably needlessly yelling at the Sergeant,” Knight grumbled.
Almost on cue, Commander Halberd came out of the building floating a travel bag behind him.
KG and I both stiffened to attention and saluted to the commander. He ignored us and headed out the gate. I looked at KG and he looked at me with the same puzzled look on his muzzle that I must have had.
Sergeant Aurora came out of the same door looking frustrated and determined. As she got closer I noticed a new First Sergeant pin on the breastplate of her armor. I was about to ask for permission to speak but she put her hoof up to quiet me. She seemed to be waiting for something.
After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, we heard the train whistle. Aurora then spoke with additional determination. “Get absolutely every damn Guard in this complex out in this yard now, even the warrant officers. I don't care if they aren't in uniform. Things are changing here as of now!” she enunciated.
KG and I looked at each other. “You take the west dorms, I’ll take the east. Go,” KG suggested and hurried off.
I flew through the nearest doors that lead into the west living quarters of the complex. I knocked at the first door I met. It opened a moment later to reveal a somewhat bleary-eyed unicorn. “The First Sergeant wants everypony in the yard now, go!” I barked quickly. Instantly awake, both of the ponies hurried out of the dorm, not even stopping to get dressed.
I did the same at every door, getting the Guards within moving. Some even decided to help by passing the message along to other Guards on the next floor. Well within twenty minutes, every Guard in the compound was lined up in the yard. KG and I took our places in the front due to being Second Class Guards.
It was something straight out of the academy's Do-Not-Do list. Half the guards in the yard were not in their armor, or at least halfway through putting it on. Several were grumbling as they woke themselves up and muttering to one another, wondering what was going on. If this wasn't such a serious moment, I would have laughed at the sight.
First Sergeant Aurora was in a huddle with the other Sergeants and the Warrant Officers. I don’t know what they were saying but I knew we were gonna find out soon.
After a moment, Aurora turned away and faced the company. She used a magical spell to amplify her voice. “The Commander has decided to take a little impromptu vacation,” she announced. “He also promoted me to First Sergeant which means I’m responsible for you useless wastes of iron and bits. Until he gets back, I have a chance to whip you sorry excuses for guards into shape and make you actually worthy of wearing that armor.” She turned back to her sergeants. “Sergeant Pepper! I want you on fitness detail. The medical team will be assisting you. Any guard that does not pass the lowest standard for a fitness test is off duty and under your hoof until they can pass. I also want you to test them on our regulations. Understood?”
Sergeant Pepper stood at attention. “Yes, ma’am!”
Aurora rose her voice more so she could be heard clearly throughout the yard. “Any guard that does not work to improve themselves, I will personally send back to the academy!” She then turned to the next Sergeant. “Sergeant Rivers, I want you overseeing citywide patrols. I want no street unprotected, but your guards are not to make relations with the griffons worse.”
Sergeant Rivers stiffened to attention. “Yes First Sergeant!”
“Sergeant Arrow!” she barked at the last sergeant, causing him to snap to attention. “You are on investigations. Robberies, assaults, anything of the sort, you're in charge.”
“Yes First Sergeant,” Arrow nodded.
First Sergeant Aurora stood in front of us all. “I want an update on progress by midday. Dismissed!!” As the crowd of guards scurried off, Aurora dropped her voice spell. She pointed at KG and I. “You two come with me.”
We quickly followed her, and up to her office. Once we were inside her office she sat down in her chair, her expression annoyed. “Close the door, Knight Gaze.”
KG did as asked. I couldn’t help but feel a little worried about her. “First Sergeant, might I ask what is going on?” I asked.
“I'm taking my chance to improve conditions here,” Aurora huffed, running a hoof across her face and brushing a strand of her frizzled mane out of her eyes. “For years, this guard force has been the laughing stock and black eye of the city guard. Ever since Commander Halberd took command here things have gotten so much worse I've been making plans to fix them. All the Guards here have gotten lazy, arrogant, and no respect for rank. I've had these plans for a long time, if things had gotten any worse I would have sent a request straight to the RBI asking them to investigate the integrity of the guard force here. Fortunately, that is not necessary.”
"You've been planning this for a while, First Sergeant,” KG commented.
She started to scrawl out something on a paper. “I have. Now down to the reason I called you in here. I want you two with Sergeant Arrow. Follow his lead, let him teach you what he knows,” she ordered without looking up.
“Yes, First Sergeant!” KG and I spoke together.
She continued to write on the paper. “Flame Strider, stay here. Knight Gaze, go report in with Sergeant Arrow, inform him I’m borrowing Flame Strider for courier duty. Dismissed.”
KG did an about-face and exited the office. I stood there waiting for her to give me my orders. Before long, her horn flickered and the door locked behind me. She put down her quill, removed her helmet putting it on her desk, and sat back in her chair.
“I am so sick of Commander Halberd,” she growled. “He took a two-month vacation! Out of the blue! Right when we’re in the middle of this mess!” She threw her hooves up in frustration. “He claimed he had vacation time saved up. I doubt it was true, but I'm gonna take this opportunity to do what I can.”
She stood up and tucked the letter she had been writing into my saddlebags. And she got very close to me, so close our breastplates were touching.
“Don't lose this,” she instructed looking me in my eyes. “Bring it to the head of the Canterlot Guard. You should be arriving in Canterlot by sundown. Stay overnight, then in the morning, go and ask if this request has been approved or not. Then come straight back to Tall Tale,”
She paused before whispering very closely in my ear. “I'll be in my apartment, waiting for you.” And with that, she kissed me on the mouth. I kissed her back for almost a full minute, briefly losing myself in the lilac scent of her shampoo and the warmth of her body.
When we separated her horn flickered again, unlocking the door. “Go on, get out of here.”
“Yes First Sergeant!” I bellowed and hurried out the door. Spreading my wings, I flew out of the Complex and into the sky toward Canterlot.
Sergeant Aurora's estimate about the flight time to Canterlot was a little off. A pegasus pulling cargo would have taken until sundown, but I was trained to fly in armor. The heavy metal plating felt almost weightless for me as I sailed through the air, miles above the ground. I got to the Canterlot Guard building by a little after three in the afternoon.
Entering the Canterlot headquarters made me realize how long I'd been gone from Canterlot. It felt almost too clean here, far too quiet. The Guards here were also in peak shape, their armor polished and in perfect condition.
I found a civilian volunteer working at a reception desk in the officer’s building. “Can I help you?” she asked me in the most bored tone I’d ever heard.
I pulled the missive out of my chest piece and set them on the counter in front of her. “Messages from Tall Tale, they need review and approval.”
“I’ll get them to the Commander. You may go now.” She waved me away with a hoof.
I bowed politely and took my leave. As I was on my way out of the officer's building toward the recreation area. I contemplated what I should do for the rest of the day. See my sister and mom, or perhaps—
My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice: “Strider!” I looked over to see a ball of white and gold armor tackle me.
After regaining my vision and breath from being tackled I recognized my assailant, who was clinging to me. “Snow? What are you doing, tackling me like that? I could have gotten hurt.”
She looked at me with that chilling glare I missed so much. “Really? Me? Hurt you?” the smaller unicorn mare stated.
I chuckled. “Okay, I see your point. But let me up, others are starting to stare at us.” I shoved her off of me.
Snow grinned up at me, practically bursting with excitement. “You want to join me and a friend for an early dinner in a couple of hours when I get off?” she asked.
I brushed some dirt off my armor with a wing. “Yeah, sure. I wanna visit my mother and sister first though.” I explained.
“Okay, okay.” She beamed and hugged me again. ”Meet me outside the city guard barracks in an hour and a half.” She didn’t wait for me to answer and she just ran off to go do her job.
I shook my head at the behavior of my friend. It was good to see that she was loosening up, but we were in armor among our peers. Funny: she was usually the one giving me the “time and place” lectures. I exited the Guard building, and took flight again, heading for my mother’s home.
I suppose I never really noticed how big my foal hood home was until now. A white house with brown trim, a good two stories, with a basement underneath. Mother bought it in the middle of her career as a singer. As I entered the house, I could hear my mother's voice from the kitchen, singing along with an old record of one of her own performances. An evil thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I grinned. Slipping off my heavy hoof guards to quiet my hoof steps, I snuck over to the kitchen.
I peered into the kitchen and I could see her dancing around the kitchen, preparing a casserole as she performed to an imaginary audience, seemingly unaware of her surroundings. She reminded me of Grandma; I guess lots of things run in the family. I silently crept up behind her and took a deep breath. “Mom!” I yelled as she started a hoof-shuffle.
“AHH!” she screamed and jumped, literally, three feet into the air. Once she landed she started battering me with her wings. “You! Are! Such! A! Brat!”
I was laughing, hiding behind my own wings as a shield. “It was too perfect! I couldn't pass it up.”
She stopped hitting me after a second or two with a giggle and hugged me. “Good to see you, sweetie.”
“You too, mom,” I smiled, hugging her back.
“Since you’re here, are you staying for dinner?” Mother asked turning back to the pot on the stove.
“I already promised someone else my presence for dinner,” I explained. “I’ll be spending the night though.”
She scoffed in mock offense. “Oh I see how it is, can’t spend time with your mother, eh?”
“Next time I’m in town, I promise I’ll be here for dinner. I’m gonna go remove my kit for the evening.” I started toward my old room.
“When you come back out here you are gonna fill me in on what’s been going on with you!” she called after me.
“Yes, mom!” I called back.
After removing my armor I filled my mother in on what was going on in Tall Tale, Knight Gaze, Aurora, everything. Well...almost everything. I left out the part about me sleeping with my NCO. She was angry when I told her about the griffon that attacked me, she was madder that I didn’t say anything in a letter.
While we were in the middle of talking, there was the sound of the front door opening and closing. “Mom, I’m home!” a familiar voice called.
“Buttercup!” I shouted. My little sister raced around the corner, took one look at me, then squealed and flung herself into my embrace.
“Strider!” she cried, hugging me tight enough to hurt. “You’re back!”
“Just for the night, little sis,” I told her, tussling her mane. “I was just telling mom what’s been up with me.”
“Wash up for dinner, sweetie,” Mother told Buttercup. “We’ll be eating soon.”
Soon after, we were sitting around the dinner table, as Mother and Buttercup ate. “It sounds like you are having a great time in Tall Tale, other than the fights.” Buttercup commented.
“Yeah, it’s not bad. I expect Baltimare to be more exciting, though.” I looked at the clock above the sink in the kitchen.
“What, you have to leave already?” Mother asked me, sounding disappointed.
I looked at Buttercup as I rose to leave. “I’m gonna leave before she pulls out the heart-crushing puppy eyes.”
Buttercup nodded with her mouth full. “Smart!”
I hugged them both. “I’ll be back later!” I called as I flew out the door and back into the city.
I headed back to the guard building to meet up with Snow. Canterlot in the evening was calmer and quieter than the day’s hustle and bustle. Most of the vendors have closed up shop, now only the restaurants, and theaters were open.
When I spotted Snow coming out of the Guard barracks she looked...shiny, like a fresh snowfall on the mountain. She wore a bright red scarf around her neck, which nicely complemented her own colors.
“Snow, you look—” I paused a moment, trying to clear my throat so that a compliment could come through. “Nice.”
She glanced over her coat. “Oh, yeah. Well, I felt like putting in some effort.” She started walking.
I shrugged and followed. “Well, you look good. So where are we going to eat?”
She hesitated for a moment. “Well, this place is a little unconventional, but they make a mean hayburger.”
“That didn't answer my question,” I reminded her.
“I know,” she stated simply.
I continued to follow her to what the elite of Canterlot describes as the “common” area. Honestly, I always found it more lively than the rest of the city.
The place Snow leads me to was called The Fat Dragon. It was a restaurant completely run and owned by griffons. The place was stained oak wood, green carpet, dark blue seats.
“Welcome!” the kind-looking griffin chirped warmly as we entered.
“Is Krein here?” Snow asked.
The young griffon nodded. “Right down there,” she pointed. “They’re already waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” Snow nodded.
“Well, that was friendly,” I commented, following. “Most of the griffons back in Tall Tale are pretty—whoa,” I suddenly gasped, staring at the two occupants of our booth.
Dragons! Two of them! And Snow was just sliding into the booth with a friendly smile like it was nothing! Snow was friends with two dragons!
“Hey, you two. This is my old partner, Flame Strider,” she started introductions. “Strider, this is Ambassador Krein and his little sister Kii.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” I said to the two once my vocal cords started working again.
“Snow speaks highly of you Strider. You are stationed in Tall Tale, yes?” Krein inquired in a pleasant voice. The golden brown and tan dragon looked at me with curiosity.
I nodded. “I am.”
He seemed to ponder his next comment. “The newspapers haven't been kind about their words concerning the enclave of Guards there.”
“I imagine not, but were hoping for that to change soon.” Questions buzzed around in my mind, all of them demanding to be asked first. “So you're an Ambassador? How'd you get that job?” I finally asked.
He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders and wings. “I half asked for it, and was half ordered to do it, I guess. Either way, I’m happy with it.”
“What’s it like walking on clouds?” Kii asked, looking at me eagerly.
I looked over at the little ashen and purple colored dragon. Her vibrant violet eyes were full of wonder. “It feels like walking on a chilled marshmallow. That's how I would describe it. Other pegasi might have different opinions on that.”
“Oh, I wish I could walk on clouds,” Kii said with wistfully. Her eyes glowed softly and her drink levitated itself into her claws. I almost squealed out loud from sheer excitement. Magic dragons!
“Well, I've heard there is a spell that allows cloud-walking,” Snow commented.
I nodded. “Enchanted amulets, too.”
“Hmm, perhaps I should invest in one of those amulets. Might come in handy,” Krein pondered tapping a claw on the table.
A griffon waitress showed up with a platter of food. “A salad, a hayburger with pepper jack cheese, two sodas, and two baskets of fish and chips. Enjoy,” the griffon smiled and walked away.
“I placed our order while you three were distracted,” Snow explained with a smile.
“Oh, well, thank you.” I picked up my food in my hooves and started eating.
“So what's going on with you that isn't related to work?” Snow asked me.
I grinned. “I managed to find my partner a marefriend within a couple of days,” I told her. “From now on, every time I go to another city, I’m going to try to find a marefriend or coltfriend for all of my partners if I can.”
Snow rolled her eyes. “That’s just like you, Strider.”
“And, I…” I hesitated for a moment. “I’ve been seeing a mare in my spare time, too.”
Snow’s muscles tensed up. “You’ve been seeing a mare? That’s nice,” she said rather quickly, suddenly seeming more interested in her food than me. “I have been seeing a stallion in my spare time as well. Traveling banker, it’s super serious.” She started stuffing her face with her salad.
I looked over at Krein who was silently watching us, he looked confused as well, as he ate. The rest of the dinner was filled with awkward small talk. I wasn't sure what was up with Snow. But I figured now wasn't the time to ask her.
I decided to change the subject. “So Ambassador. I'm curious just how many kinds of dragons there are? And for that matter is there anything that looks like a dragon, but isn't?”
Krein seemed pleased with the change in the topic. “There are quite a few different kinds of dragons, as well as Draconic creatures.” He started.
“Dragons and Drakes are the most common, but you won't see Drakes outside of the Dragonlands too often. We really just call most Drakes, 'dragons' because they are mostly Stone Dragons.” I found this very interesting. “Only time a dragon is considered a Drake is when he or she is born without wings. Now as for the Draconic creatures, that is a very interesting subject…”
I had the response letter from the Canterlot Guard Command tucked into the chest piece of my armor for safekeeping. It was still early morning, the sun just barely above the peaks of the mountains on the horizon, and I was flying back to Tall Tale. I had just passed the underside of Cloudsdale and I was coming up on the Smokey Mountains that stood between me and Tall Tale.
There was a lot of fog and cloud cover surrounding the peaks of the mountains. I cleared over the first set of peaks, discovering the valleys were filled with fog. These mountains weren't very vast. Only a few peaks and valleys across the range and were nearly always filled with high winds. The valley should have been cleared away from the morning fog by now. Something was amiss.
Suddenly, something flew right past my face, close enough to feel it cutting through the air. I ducked, then dived for cover as dozens of crossbow bolts suddenly flew out of the fog, barely missing me. I beat my wings harder and made for the final ridge of the mountain range. I was making myself harder to hit by flying in a combination of swerving and zigzag patterns. Changing direcing constantly.
I felt something punch me in the left shoulder and for a brief moment threw my flight off-balance. I glanced back to see. A crossbow bolt had struck me! I felt a small sharp poke through the armor, but luckily it hadn't truly punctured the armor. I ignored it for now and flew harder.
As quickly as I could I flew over the mountain and dove into the foliage below. I followed a winding hiking trail down toward the city. I ducked down behind a large Princess Celestia statue that was on the trail.
Finally able to take in what just happened I caught my breath. I heard wing strokes above me. I carefully peeked out from behind my cover to observe my attackers. Two griffons and a pegasus. I tried to get a good look at the pegasus. Gold coat, white mane, mangled left wing. All three of them were wearing some kind of leather mercenary armor uniform.
“I thought he said that this pegasus was slow?” the pegasus complained.
One of the griffons growled. “Well, obviously the boss got it wrong. Unicorns think they know everything. Come on, we'd better get out of here before somepony comes along.”
They separated, the griffons heading back to the mountains and the Pegasus toward the city. I finally turned my attention to the crossbow bolt in my armor. The fletching on the bolt looked familiar. With my right hoof, I carefully removed the bolt.
With the broadhead exposed, I recognized its design, which shook my cool. I was glad I spent too much time memorizing the Military Weaponry section of the manual. I put the bolt into one of my armor’s pockets and made a beeline for Tall Tale.
When I got to the Tall Tale Guard Complex, I didn't bother going through the gate. I flew over the walls and went straight to the Sergeant’s offices. There was a pair of third class unicorn guards standing at attention outside Aurora’s office, their posture perfect. It almost made me do a double-take upon seeing them; they were almost completely unfamiliar from the Guards that I had known when I came here.
“A meeting in progress, nopony is allowed in,” they stated, stepping in my way.
“This can't wait.” I pushed past them, shoving them aside with the strength of my wings and hurrying inside before they could stop me.
When I opened Aurora’s office door, all the Sergeants and Warrant Officers inside looked at me as if I was insane. I probably was.
“Guard Second Class Strider! What is the meaning of this?!” Aurora roared with a furious glare. I can't blame her for being angry. First of all, it was a room of Sergeants and Warrant Officers and I had yet to stand at attention. Secondly, I just barged in on a meeting. Another thing on the Do-Not-Do list.
I said nothing as I approached her desk, pulled the Crossbow Bolt out of my armor pocket and stabbed it into the surface of her desk. “We have a serious problem,” I stated. Everypony in the room had their eyes fixed on the bolt now embedded in the desk.
“What is this?” Aurora asked, still angry, but now slightly curious.
“That is a standard-issue Broadhead Crossbow Bolt, type fourteen. The same kind we use.” I explained.
“Where did you get this?” she asked.
“I pulled it out of my armor. It was fired from a pair of griffons and a pegasus as I was passing over the Smoky Mountains, they wore some kind of mercenary uniform.”
The room fell silent. Aurora studied the bolt for a moment, then looked up at me. “Do you have a response from Canterlot Command?” she asked.
I dug out the envelope from my armor and set it on her desk. She simultaneously removed the bolt and picked up the letter in her magic.
She levitated the bolt over to Sergeant Arrow. “Sergeant Arrow. I want you, Knight Gaze and Strider here, to take this bolt and figure out where it came from and find the ponies and griffons responsible. No screw-ups. Somepony is targeting us. I want to know who. Go get started.”
“Yes, First Sergeant!” Arrow barked, rising. “Strider, with me.”
I followed him out of the office. Once we were in his office he seemed to relax a bit. “I honestly thought she was going to kick you out of the Guard for a moment back there.”
Knight Gaze had been waiting in the office. “What did he do now?” he asked as soon as he saw me.
“I almost got myself killed, and then I almost got myself fired,” I grinned at him, trying to laugh off the past hour. Knight just stared at me with an unamused expression.
“Your partner was ambushed crossing over the Smokey Mountains, and then barged into a meeting to tell everypony,” Arrow explained, moving around his desk. “Bright side, we have a lead now. The Army is obviously missing some crossbows and bolts. We just need to figure out where they came from and work from there.”
“Sergeant Arrow, I overheard my attackers talking,” I reported. “They had a unicorn calling the shots, and providing them intel about us. I also got a look at the pegasus who shot at me.”
Knight Gaze levitated a notepad out and pen. “What’d he look like?”
“Mangled left-wing, gold coat, white mane, wearing some kind of leather uniform. That’s all I could see from the distance I was at. But I know he's in the city. Unlike the two griffons.”
Arrow, tapped his hoof to his chin. “Mangled wing. We can search for hospital records and see who matches.” He looked up at me. “But we can start all that tomorrow. Strider, you're bleeding. You should see the medic.” He pointed to my left foreleg.
I looked down and saw a slow-moving drop of blood going down the fur of my leg. I was suddenly aware of the pain on my shoulder; I hadn’t even noticed that I’d actually been hurt. “Oh, right. I should get a new armor piece to replace the damaged one too. If that is all, Sergeant?”
“Dismissed, both of you,” he waved us off.
KG and I took our leave. “I’m going to go out for a while,” Knight reported.
“Going to see Nyx again?” I teased.
“No!” Knight protested. I raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. “...yes,” he admitted, blushing.
“You have fun,” I called after him as we separated.
“Screw you, Strider,” Knight scoffed as he walked off, but I definitely saw him half-smiling as he walked away.
Aurora was on her couch glaring at me. I stood by the apartment door waiting for her to say something, staring coolly back at her.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” she finally snapped.
“Emotionally compromised, I had been shot,” I replied flatly. I shifted my bandaged shoulder: Despite a pain suppression spell cast on me by the medics, it was still stiff and slightly sore from the impact of the bolt itself. And I went to go sit beside her.
She crossed her forelegs over her chest and turned herself so she wasn't looking at me. “Your excuse is that you weren't thinking clearly?” she asked not letting her voice waver from angry.
I tried wrapping my forehooves around her waist. “Well, how would you react to being shot?” I retorted. I kissed her on the back of her neck. I knew from previous nights that this calmed her down.
She resisted enjoying the kisses to her sweet spot as she thought. “Probably the same way. Okay, fine!” She leaned against me and her head ended up in my forelegs. “You're not in trouble. Not much at least. But it had better not happen again!”
“Honestly, it won't happen again,” I reassured her, as I looked down at the incredibly sexy mare in my hooves.
“Good.” She puckered her lips hinting she wanted a kiss, I obliged. I had to admit that I liked kissing Aurora. But as nice as kissing her was and a nice as the sex was, I felt something missing. I just couldn't put my hoof on it.
We stopped making out for a moment. “So when does my punishment start?
She glanced at her kitchen. “You can finish making dinner first.”
“Yes, First Sergeant,” I said playfully as I pushed her upright so I could go finish making dinner.
“Oh, just laugh it up. You know, the Warrant Officers wanted me to send you back to the academy. I told them that it probably wasn't necessary.” She gave a soft chuckle, but it was obvious that she was still upset over my little breach of protocol earlier.
Dinner tonight was spaghetti with Alfredo sauce. Easy enough to make. “Do you want a glass of wine?” I asked.
“Yes, of course,” Aurora replied. “You’re lucky your annoyingly charming. It’s the only reason I put up with you.”
I brought her a glass of wine. “Oh, I'm sure that's not the ONLY reason,” I said giving her a knowing but playful wink.
Aurora blushed and smiled as she took her wine. “Well. THAT is certainly a big bonus to putting up with you.” she returned the wink playfully.
“I thought so,” I muttered.
I went back to cooking. But as I was stirring the spaghetti, my mind wondered too about how a bunch of criminals got a hold of military weapons. They had to have someone on the inside. I had a bad feeling about the whole ordeal.