The steady click-clack of steel shoes on marble floors echoed down the empty hallway. Staff had been dismissed for the evening, and the Guard shifts were due for a change as dusk turned to night. One world was giving way to an another.
If there was any beauty in that transition, be it in the practiced rhythm of the guard or the brilliant hues of the evening sky, Captain Shining Star was ignorant of it, lost in thought as she lugged a rather heavy grenade launcher down the corridor.
Her mind was spinning, and unfortunately, had nowhere to go. The same facts. The same figures. Reasonings continued to bend and twist on themselves. And she didn’t know what happened to Princess Twilight Sparkle. But in all honesty, it was the confusion that kept panic at bay.
Why panic though? Twilight taking an unannounced leave of absence was nothing new to the Castle, nor its staff. But to have Rarity, a mare that scarcely left her floor of the Crystal Palace… to say nothing of leaving the Capital City of the Crystal Empire... gone at the same time?
Have the two of them figured us out? The sudden thought caused Shining Star to hesitate, and her steps fell out of sync with her Lieutenants.
She made it perfectly clear to Rarity that searching for the Royal Sisters was an unwise decision. A brief pang of regret caused a twitch, as the memory of her last meeting with the Crystal Empress somehow pushed against a critical section of the arcane bindings that held her disguise in place.
Shining Star grimaced and took a deep breath. She could feel a headache coming on. Carefully, she shored up support on her bindings. She’d have to investigate that later. For now, there are other problems to deal with.
Luna had described the situation as if Rarity had been taken against her will. What if it’s the Edict again…
“Ma’am, you’re wandering again,” spoke up Aurora, as the pink unicorn brushed against the Captain, and steered her towards the right hall.
Shining Star felt her cheeks burn and gruffly cleared her throat. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I was distracted about all... this.”
“This? The Princess leaving again?”
She nodded. “Something feels… off. Run that initial report by me again?”
A sheet of paper with ‘CLASSIFIED’ stamped over the text floated up from Aurora’s saddlebags, held in orange magic. “A magic scan was performed, indicating a high-level teleportation spell, but it was too old and either decayed or obfuscated…” The lieutenant looked up from her paper, and added the implication that wasn’t written down, "As the princess is wont to do... to determine the location.”
“Too expected,” dismissed Shining Star as the group turned a corner, her grenade launcher dragging on the ground for a moment as it bobbled back and forth behind her in her magic field. “Anything of interest?”
“Well,” said Aurora, as she looked at the report. “There was a large puddle of water in the Throne Room around noon when the cleaning staff went in. Several of Princess Twilight’s morning papers were scattered across the floor as well.”
“Tell me about the papers.”
“Just the usual morning, political stuff; a newspaper, and a letter from Twilight’s former student, Seeker Loose Leaf, reporting from the Sun Temple in Zebrabwe. I believe Captain Heartstrings was arranging dispatches to investiga—”
“That pompous, self-centered, littl—,” Shining Star checked herself and blinked at the anger in her voice. That wasn’t her... She stopped near a window and her lieutenants followed suit.
Taking a deep breath, then slowly let it out, the Sun Goddess Celestia checked the bindings on her ‘Shining Star’ disguise once more. A few of them were bent, but a few of the others were pulsating. Odd, my bindings are overreacting. She let her magic flow into the bindings, like a sailor making sure of her knots on a ship at speed. More sure of herself, she dismayed at the ‘bent’ ones that would need proper magical maintenance. Which would mean bringing the bindings down. I wonder if Lulu is having difficulty with her own bindings.
“Captain?”
Shining Star looked back, her smile back in place. “Sorry, it would seem that I’m not myself today. I should be grateful that the good Captain is so kind to help.”
Cornelius shook his head. “It’s no secret that you two don’t get along. Him pushing for your job probably doesn’t help either.”
“Yes, well, I’ll deal with that later,” said Shining Star as she motioned the two to continue walking. “We need to be the ones dealing with this, not him or the regular Guard.”
“Uhh, Ma’am?” said Cornelius as he trotted a little fast to catch up with her. His voice lowered to a whisper as he leaned in. “So… are you suggesting that something happened to the Princess? Like… something bad?
Shining Star gave him a soft grin, and mentally kicking herself for worrying the stallion. “Oh, I’m just an old worrywart. She’s probably fine. She’s an alicorn for Sun’s sake! A Goddess of Magic! You can’t just throw a tarp over her, hit her over the back of the head and be done with it. She probably stepped out for some fresh air. Maybe she has a marefriend or coltfriend she’s just… shy about!”
Aurora let out a small but sharp gasp, any telltale sign of emotion on her face was gone when Shining Star’s eyes darted in her direction.
Cornelius shared a look and a shrug with Shining Star, before asking the awkward question. “Ma’am, are we talking about the same Princess? Princess Twilight? That Princess? With a special somepony?”
She frowned in return. “Twilight is not that bad at dating, just a little… Okay, yes she’s that bad at dating.”
Cornelius shivered. “Do you remember the last one? The old goat who said he had been betrothed to Princess Twilight when he was born, as a political marriage between nations?
Shining Star pointed at the lethal ordinance floating inches above her head “Why do you think I’m lugging this guy around?”
Her cheeks slightly reddened, Aurora batted at it as it bumped against her mane. “Twilight’s not into goats.” she giggled.
Another dart of the eyes from Shining Star. Another stone faced response from Aurora.
“I-is there something going on between the two of you that I don’t quite understand?” ” asked Cornelius.
“Maybe…” replied Shining Star with her hawk-like eyes leveled on the un-moving and unreadable expression on Aurora’s face. The Captain rolled her eyes and the three of them started down the hallway once more. “We’ve gotten off track. Princess. Missing. Who saw her last?”
“Aside from the cooks who Princess Twilight visited in the kitchens, and the guards in front of the Throne Room…” Aurora trailed off as she read the report further. “That would be Princess Cadance. Per the report, she was, umm, upset with Princess Twilight for some reason, and left looking rather happy. But we haven’t talked to her about anything yet.”
Shining Star merely hummed in response. She could guess that Cadance’s discussion with Twilight probably echoed her own; about running off without notifying someone, maybe going so far as to pursue the Royal Sisters and leaving Cadance with the responsibilities of the Crown. But why leave again? It just didn't make any sense, and Rarity being gone at the same time?
“Sergeant Cornelius, does any of this seem… odd to you?” asked Shining Star.
“Plenty, ma’am,” he responded still eyeing the stone-faced Aurora, then trotting ahead to walk next to his Captain. “But nothing completely unexpected. As we’ve previously noted, Princess Twilight has been known to do this. Why?”
“I just can’t shake that something feels… off. More so than usual.”
Cornelius frowned. “Permission to speak freely, Ma’am?”
“Granted”
“I think you know more about Princess Twilight’s disappearance than you’re telling us.”
Shining Star bit her lip and nodded. Luna, forgive me. She had promised Luna not to breathe a word about it, but there was no use now. If she was going to get anywhere with this, then her Guards needed to run with all the information they had. She lead her Lieutenants over to a nearby alcove and looked around for any potential eavesdroppers before sitting down on a pillow. The occasional Night Guard or Royal Guard would pass for shift change, or a staff member running late for going home. But none of the ponies paid much heed to the Arcane Guards, maybe a nod in passing greeting, but nothing more.
The Captain lowered her voice to a quiet whisper. “I received word from… a very reliable, and very confidential source in the Crystal Empire that the Empress is missing too. Disappeared this morning.”
Aurora blinked a few times. “What? Ma’am, this can’t be a coincidence.”
“Agreed,” said Shining Star. “The Empress and the Crystal Heart are tied to her ponies, so she can’t stay away from them for long. And as previously noted, Twilight isn’t the sort of pony to go missing without notifying somepony. I believe they have both been taken for some purpose.”
“Do you have any suspects?” asked Cornelius, a small red notebook appeared next to him.
“Could it be the Empress?” suggested Aurora, attempting to hide, but ultimately failing at concealing the disdain in her voice. “They have been on... poor terms lately.”
“I doubt it,” replied the Captain. “Rarity needs a certain amount of… flamboyance to her actions. I have some suspicions, but nothing solid.”
Cornelius nodded and leaned back. “We should involve the other Guard Divisions as well.”
“No, this needs to stay within the Arcane Guard,” said Shining Star.
Cornelius frowned. “Are you sure, ma’am? The other Guard Divisions would provide support and additional resources.”
“Yes, and extra eyes and ears,” replied Shining Star. “For the past year, I’ve been conducting an investigation into an organization I believe was behind the theft of the poison pill bill presented to the Empress. I’ve cleared the Arcane Guard of potential spies, but not the other units yet.”
“So the other units might have spies that could be responsible for the disappearance of Twilight,” stated Aurora. “I hope we’ll inform Princess Cadance of this as well?”
Shining Star nodded. “I’ll inform Princess Cadance. We need the public to believe that Twilight left on her own, again. We need to avoid panic and be discreet until we have a better idea of who is behind this.”
“Where do we start?” asked Aurora.
“Information,” suggested Cornelius. “Right now, all we have are suspicions and theories, no solid proof. Ma’am, with permission, I’d like to take command of Arcane Reconnaissance, Tactics, and Investigational Services unit and investigate a few places of interest.”
Shining Star nodded. “We’ll have to attack this on multiple fronts. Cornelius is right, we need more information here. But we also need to turn our eyes t—”
“There you are!” came a rich, melodic voice.
Shining Star flinched, but turned around with a smile on her face. “Captain Heartstrings, it’s good to see you again. How was your trip to Vanhoover?”
The unicorn stallion offered her a warm smile, but it held the certain smugness of finding somepony doing something wrong. Unlike the Guards he commanded, he did not wear any armor, instead opting to wear a simple black turtleneck, and a jacket that displayed the insignia of his office as Captain of the Royal Guard. Next to him was a tan pegasus with a toned mane of black and grey. She was in the trademark gold armor, her saddlebags overflowing with binders and papers, even a few folders were tucked under her wings.
“The garrison leader needed a little brush up on the new border protocols with the Crystal Empire, but all in all, very well,” replied Captain Heartstrings as he held a hoof out for Shining Star to take, which she did with a very well practiced smile.
“Ahh, and may I introduce to you my new assistant, Ms Sandy Gale,” he said, gesturing at the pegasus. “Ms Gale, Captain Shining Star, and her Lieutenants, Cornelius Hob, and Aurora Light, of the Arcane Guards.”
“P-pleased to meet you, ma’am’s and sir,” she said with a salute. “I’ve heard much about you.”
“Ms Gale has just told me of a thrilling tale you’ve had over in Manehattan last week. Seemed very exciting.”
“Quite,” said Shining Star. “It’s not everyday that a city mayor is arrested for smuggling stolen magical items across international lines.”
Heartstrings chuckled. “Well, yes. I do wish I was informed first though, perhaps my Guards could hav—”
“The Arcane Guard has jurisdiction over the illegal transportation and sale of any items with magical properties, artificial or natural, by any Equestrian Government Agents” interrupted Shining Star. “We handled it well enough.”
“Like you did with Princess Twilight?” tsked Heartstrings. “You know for having such a precious pet, it’s curious how often you lose track of her. Shameful matter that is. Maybe she needs a collar with a bell?”
Cornelius snorted, causing Aurora’s hoof to impact the back of his head again, and Shining Star to shoot them both a glare that could turn them into stone. “Yes, well,” she said, turning her attention back to her rival captain. “Trying to keep a goddess contained and following rules can be a difficult job.”
“Perhaps if you are feeling… inadequate in your duties to keep Princess Twilight Sparkle safe, then we need to bring that up at the next Captain’s meeting, or with Princess Cadance,” suggested Heartstrings. “I’m sure an easier assignment could be arranged.”
“There is little need, Captain, but thank you for your concern,” said Shining Star as she came to a halt. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to address my Lieutenants over this recent… lapse in travel protocol.”
A frown crossed Heartstrings face, but he nodded. “Very well, though I urge you to be quick about it. Princess Cadance is in… one of those “break-everything” moods, and insisted upon your presence immediately.”
“I’m on my way, thank you, Captain Heartstrings,” said Shining Star with a smile. She waited until the Captain and his aid had disappeared before turning around to address her guards. “Okay, you two. We have things to do, and very little time to do it. Cornelius?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“We’re going to put your detective skills to use,” said Shining Star. “Take command of the ARTIS team, and after you are done, start on suspects. Make a list, start with anyone that would benefit from the Princess and the Empress missing.”
Cornelius nodded and disappeared in a flash.
Shining Star led Aurora off at a trot. “Aurora, I have a different task in mind for you.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“While I’m meeting with Princess Cadence, I need you to go to the Vault under the Castle and check the seals on the artifacts down there,” said Shining Star.
“B-by myself?”
Shining Star looked over at the grown mare with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, is that a problem?”
“Oh, no, no, no spiders at all, Captain!” Aurora gave a nervous chuckle. “Problems. No problems at all, spiders. Captain. Captain Spiders.”
Shining Star fought the urge to roll her eyes. Sweet Light, I forgot she had issues with the dark. “It’s okay, Aurora. I can have Cornelius do that instead. He’ll be going that direction with the ARTIS team anyways.”
“I… yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”
Shining Star smiled. “We all have our weaknesses, Lieutenant. Even I.”
“Yes, but a Guard that is afraid of the dark?”
“You can work on that later. For now, go catch up with Cornelius and give him his new orders, and have him report back to you. Once ARTIS is in full gear, grab some Arcane Guards and meet me at the train station. We’re taking the redeye to Ponyville.”
“Ponyville?” asked Aurora, her muzzle scrunched up in confusion. “Why? Shouldn’t we focus on Canterlot? On the Princess?”
“We must worry about Equestria now,” said Shining Star. The doors to the Throne Room appeared as they turned the next corner, but she held a hoof up to stop Aurora. The Grand Foyer before the double doors were covered in guards dressed in an array of armors. Most prominently was the golden armor of the Royal Guard. But in between, them were pockets of her all-unicorn Arcane Guard, dressed in their own trademark silver armor and violet robes.
She turned to Aurora and placed a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “Trust me, Lieutenant. I am concerned about the Princess, but she can take care of herself. This nation can not. If we are facing war. Then we must get a hold of the one stallion that can diffuse it, and bring him to Canterlot.”
“Who?”
“A member of Rarity’s Inner Circle that can testify to the Empire’s innocence,” replied Shining Star. “Snowflake Onyx. Commander of the Imperial Crystal Guard.”
The lieutenant nodded, but kept walking with Shining Star and matching her pace. The Captain of the Arcane Guard stopped. Aurora stopped as well.
“Something you want to get off your chest?”
“Captain, may I ask a question?”
“Speak freely, Lieutenant.”
Aurora nodded her head, silent for a moment as she considered everything going on around her. “With Twilight gone… and R-” she lowered her voice, and looked around, before continuing with a flitter to her voice “and Rarity gone… Do you think this could… Do you think they’re a thing? Because… Twilight and I are kinda a thi—”
Shining Star slammed her eyes shut, stomped her hooves, and shouted “SWEET BUTTERY BISCUITS, IF I OPEN MY EYES AND THERE IS STILL A MARE STANDING NEXT TO ME NOT DOING THE THING I ORDERED HER TO DO I WILL RELIEVE HER OF HER BADGE AND HER HORN AND WHATEVER ELSE I CAN GRAB WITH TWO HOOVES.’
“You know, I think you and I are both having the exact same kind of bad day.”
Shining Stars opened her eyes. Aurora was long gone, but just ahead of her, leaning against the open throne room door jam was one tired looking Princess Cadence.
* * *
Onyx took a deep breath of crisp morning air. It had the good hearty smell of green grass, fresh dirt, and clean air. There was something freeing about it all, but what that something was he just couldn’t quite place it though. He took a sip of coffee from his thermos and -for a split second- closed his eyes to let the moment take him away.
It was a beautiful morning.
The birds were chirping in the air, there was no breeze to speak of, and the warmth of the sun on his black crystal coat warmed him like… hot oatmeal poured on his back… He frowned and tore out the page in his memoir journal.
“Atten-shun!”
The chorus of hooves clacking together caused Commander Onyx to crack a smile. He loved that sound, the precision, the discipline, the unity it echoed felt so... enriching. It had given him a purpose in his life when he had none. It was something more than just a brotherhood, it was a family.
He set his thermos down and stood up. Today was going to be a long, and hard day, but he felt confident in their tasks, and in his troops. The weather was supposed to be good today; a little bit of cloud cover in the afternoon to mask the harshness of the late summer sun, and a cool evening later on with a late night rainstorm. Perfect for what they’d be doing.
For before him lay the vast orchards and fields of Sweet Apple Acres.
It was the legacy of Applejack, who planted the seeds of honesty, determination, and hard work that inspired generations of Apples to continue her work on the farm. In the centuries that had passed, Sweet Apple Acres had grown from a single homestead of a family of four, into a small, budding, busy township of nearly a hundred and fifty ponies. To sustain such growth, it had to absorbed nearby farms, fields, and plots of land, throughout the years.
Not only had this expanded the acreage for apples, but had introduced new products into the family line; like carrots from the old Carrot Farm, and honey from old Burt’s Place. Whoever Burt was, he was long dead. But hey, that’s life. It’s like a… a…
He tore another page out of his journal.
However, the family hadn’t stopped there. Apple Family Holdings was now a major player in the international farming community, and Sweet Apple Acres was just their flagship product, if you will. Other claims stretched all over Equestria, and even a few orchards in the Crystal Empire. They had become a powerhouse, a deciding player in Equestria’s agricultural economy, and in the political ring.
But you’d never suspected such things from where he was sitting. Everything was so peaceful it was nearly jarring to the guard commander. From his vantage point on the hill, he could see ponies already well into their work day on the farm. Many were tending to the various orchards and fields, tending to their crops’ needs. Others worked around the barns and warehouses, loading some of the harvest crop into wagons to be distributed, or unloading needed supplies for the farm. All of them were unaware of the force that was building in the hills above them.
Honestly, Onyx never thought it would have come to this. To have something like this happen on today of all days was like a…. Bad dream or a… “No, that’s not right.”
A third page was torn from his journal.
“Ladies and Gentlecolts,” Onyx called out to his troops, as he turned around to face them. “Today, we do this one by the books. Your squad leaders have been given the assignments for the day. Remember we work together as one, as a tea—”
“Mr. Onyx! Mr. Onyx!”
The Commander blinked a few times and looked down at his hooves where a little filly sat, bouncing slightly. “Umm, yes, Blossom?”
“I, umm… I need to go use the potty,” she whispered loudly.
“Ohh, umm,” Onyx glanced around the small clearing, before pointing over to a building near a tree. “I think there is an outhouse over there, you may go use it.”
“Thank you!” called back the little filly as she scampered away.
Onyx nodded and looked back to his ‘troops’, the Ponyville Branch of the Cutiemark Crusaders. All of them were dressed in a similar manner; color-coded vests and saddle bags. But some wore hats and boots, while others carried shovels, rakes, and other tools. The branch even had its senior members out, those that had already gained their cutiemark, but stayed with the Crusaders to help or learn other life skills.
“Any other questions, or can I co—”
“When’s snack time?” cried out a colt.
“Three in the afternoon,” responded Onyx. “Lunchtime is at noon and will be provided. You all have emergency snack rations in your saddlebags in case you get hungry between now and th—”
“What if we already ate ours!”
“Well,” began Onyx. “I—”
“Chaser won’t stop touching me!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Fog is eating my snacks!”
“Petals is doing that weird thing with her face again!”
“Do you need a new diary for your meme-war? You keep tearing out pages.”
“Similes are hard!” He barked in his own defense.
“What’s a silly-me?”
Onyx watched as his former, well-organized company of assorted Crusaders collapsed into madness. Fillies and colts screamed and pushed each other, there was one or two that started to cry. The older ponies tried to stop it, really, they did a commendable job. He took a sip of his coffee and wrote about what he had for breakfast.
The thunk of a shovel landing next to him was enough to knock him out of his brainstorming writing. The Crusader’s arguing had escalated quickly, one of the older colts was busy trying to keep a couple of colts away from each other, and some filly now had just launched herself onto his back and started yelling at another filly.
And now lines were being drawn in the dirt. Literal lines.
It quickly became clear that things were not going to calm down on their own, he placed a hoof in his mouth and gave out a loud, shrill whistle, and everything came to a standstill.
“Back in groups,” he said quietly. Onyx waited as the fillies and colts shuffled around to get back into their positions before continuing, none wanting to make eye contact. He sighed and worked his way down their rows, straightening vests and saddlebags, making sure no one was injured.
“Look, we all talked about this after that food trolley race incident yesterday. What are we going to do today?”
“Behave,” came the collective reply.
Onyx nodded. “And why is that?”
“Because good fillies and colts are respectful, honest, and kind.”
Onyx nodded again. “Excellent, and what else did we learn from yesterday?”
“Starting a rebellion, riots, or any other form of revolution is not going to earn you a cutiemark.”
“Except for Pier!” shouted one filly. Attention turned to a blond pegasus colt, who gave a nervous smile, his flank bore a newly received cutiemark of a tricolore cockade.
“Except for Pier,” agreed Onyx, mumbling slightly. “Still trying to figure that one out. Gotta keep an eye on that one.”
“Now, as I was saying,” he continued. “Everypony belongs to a team, and each team has a leader. The leaders are the older ponies and have golden pins on their vests. They’re here to help you, but also keep you safe. They have the assignments for everypony, where you’ll be today, and what is going to happen. Lunch will ring at noon, and we’ll all meet at the main barn, and talk about what we’re doing and learning, understood?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Onyx!”
“Good!” he said with a grin. “Before we get started, are there any questions?”
“Mr. Onyx!”
Onyx looked down at his hooves again, finding another filly uncomfortably close to him. He couldn’t help but wonder if all fillies were some sort of ninja. “Yes, uhh… Bubbles, is it?”
The filly nodded. “Can we do that one fun game with the flags again?”
“Capture the flag?” clarified Onyx, earning a very eager nod and a chorus of whispers of excitement from the Crusaders. “If everypony behaves like they promised, then yes. We’ll do a game after dinner tonight. And, if everypony is super good, then I’ll include a story about our super great-grandma, Apple Bloom and her friends and the Spirit of Chaos.”
There was a warcry of ‘hurray!’ and the mass of giggling Crusaders descended down into the farm below. The farm ponies looked up, smiled and waved to them.
It was all happy smiles and laughter as far as Onyx could see. He regarded the scene for a little while longer, before slipping on his own saddlebags and moving to a wagon, loaded with buckets, shears, and other tools he might need for his own work.
Onyx didn’t want to admit it, but Lady Sapphire had been right about needing a vacation, time away from work and from... other distractions. Nearly a week ago he had come here from the Crystal Empire to find his roots with the only family he had left. The Apples in Ponyville.
“Going out to the south forty again?”
Onyx turned around, a grin spreading across his face as Pearmain Apple came trotting over. “Yeah, it’s quiet, you know? Nice, secluded, gives a stallion some time to think. To be distracted from everything.”
The two stallions could not look more opposite from each other, unless one turned out to be a griffin. Onyx was black coated with a touch of grey in his mane, a crystal pony of average height and size with a military cut mane. Pearmain on the other hoof, was from a long line of Apples, being traced back clear to Big Macintosh himself, and had his ancestor’s impressive size and bulk. He even had a similar shade of the famous Apple’s red coat. His mane had a slight pink hue to it and was usually in some sort of curly mess, but a large brim straw hat kept it mostly under control.
Pearmain chuckled, and knocked a hoof against Onyx’s saddlebags. The distinct ‘tink’ of glass on glass answered back. “And a bit of something else too, it seems.”
Onyx shot a glare and opened his mouth to protest, but Pearmain continued on before he could get a word out. “Ain’t what I’m here about, don’t worry. I just wanted to say thanks for helping out with the Crusaders. I didn’t mean to shove them all on you, nor you doing all of this work.”
“It’s not a problem. I'm not here for a free pass. I just…" Onyx paused, bitter memories of the Crystal Empire flashed in his mind. “I needed to get away for a bit.”
Pearmain nodded. “Yeah, everypony needs space every now and again, dwell on life and such. The south forty is a perfect place for that. Family legend says that Applejack use to go back there for the same reason too.”
“Yeah, that’s what one of the Seed twins told me,” replied Onyx, a mischievous grin took place on his face. “Think her ghost is around there?”
Pearmain matched his grin. “I’ve heard rumors of that. They say a lonely ghost, an orange coat mare that walks the orchard, looking for her lost hat.”
“Thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Shoot yes, Snowy. I’ll go get some lanterns for tonight!” Pearmain couldn’t help but laugh as he saw Onyx’s frown at the mention of his nickname. “Ohh come off it, you geezer. It ain’t my fault your parents named you ‘Snowflake’.”
“I was born with white in my coat,” he mumbled. “And grew out of it.”
“Well, sorta,” said Pearmain, looking closer at Onyx’s crystal coat. “I swear the sun hits you just right and you can see all sorts of wavy white in there.”
“Okay, okay,” said Onyx, putting his memoir journal back in his sack. “Look, I need to get going here if I want to put some decent work in today.”
“Yeah, but hay, I was hoping you could come help me with something first,” replied Pearmain. “You can say no if you want, you’re a guest.”
Onyx hesitated, but shrugged and followed after Pearmain.
“Look, Snowy -I ain’t never going to stop calling you that, so stop fussing-, you’ve been a great help around here, seriously,” said Pearmain. “The orchards, fields, and that dam repair. Shoot, look at the way you’ve helped out with the Crusaders this year. Any chance I could persuade you to make a more permanent move down here?”
Onyx let out a snort. “No, sorry Pear. My Heart is in the Empire.”
Pearmaine nodded. “Well, you’ve done good. What about next year?”
“We’ll have to see,” replied Onyx with a shrug. “This was a… special need. If it hadn’t been for another pony, Lady Sapphire, I don’t think I could have gotten this off. I’m surprised the Crusaders even listen to me.”
“Because ya fascinate them,” explained Pearmain. “Shoot, my boys can’t stop talking about how cool it is to have a military pony in the family. And the girls, well, they can’t get over this sparkly crystal coat of yours!”
Onyx chuckled. “Well, you got a fine family here, Pear. You’ve done very well. Patriarch of the Apples and all.”
“Nah, I just got lucky,” said the Apple patriarch. “What about your boys? I’m surprised they didn’t come up.”
“Well, since the... since the divorce last year, I haven’t seen much of them,” Onyx said with a frown. “The courts rightfully gave Violet Rose custody of the boys since I was so busy and living at work. Sold the house, and they moved to Bedrock. I get them every other weekend, and we rotate major holidays. Things are more stable since the Empress let me have one of the Palace suites. Granite is taking it well, he’s too young to really understand it all, but Coal Dust is… struggling with it still.”
Pearmain nodded. “Sounds rough there, buddy. But you’re a good stallion, Snowy. He’ll come around. When he realizes you worked so hard to provide for them, and that’s what kept you so much.”
“Yeah,” said Onyx, his ears drooping a bit. His Empress had been a rock in his life during an unsteady time. But when she began to waver, to disappear further and further from the public, from Lady Sapphire, and even himself… He started doubting everything he had done at that point. Even tried to write to Violet Rose a few times. But it all became too much, and finally, decided to take a vacation away from it all. He shook his head to clear his mind. He didn’t need this right now, couldn’t go into this right now. “But, uhh, anyways. Thanks for letting me crash in the old lake house, unannounced like that.”
“Shoot, ya don’t have to mention it,” said Pearmain as the friendly giant gently punched Onyx in the shoulder, causing the other to stumble a few feet away. “You’re family, regardless of coat color or nationality.”
“Still, it’s appreciated,” he said. “With everything going on right now between the Empire and Equestria, I was worried I’d even be able to cross the border.”
Pearmain snorted. “Lot’s of angry feelings going on these days. Too many ponies not thinking with their hearts or their minds. To much ‘other’ around here, you know? Not a whole lot of harmony going around anymore. Which, uhh, I wanted to ask you. Has anypony been giving you any trouble around here?”
“No, no, no. Everypony has been great. Kind, and polite,” replied Onyx. “Sometimes I get a look or two, especially from those that come over from Ponyville, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Pearmain sighed. “Don’t mind them. Folks around here, they just ain’t use to seeing you sparkly crystal ponies. Well, cept for old Pyrite, but well, he don’t talk much.”
Onyx’s ears snapped to attention as he looked over at his cousin. “Pyrite? As in, Lord Iron Pyrite of the Seven Hills?”
“Names right. Didn't know he had a title,” said Pearmain as he adjusted his hat to block out the sun. “Know him?”
Onyx shook his head. “Only by reputation, I’m afraid. I was still new in the guard when he… left the Empire.”
“Huh,” replied Pearmain. “Yeah, he’s a surveyor. Comes down to the Water Cooler every so often. Get a few licks of salt in him, and he tells a bit about how he use to be some sort of bigwig up in the Empire. Don’t talk much about it, though. Don’t really talk about anything either, I suppose. Quiet guy. He’s one of them, uhh, what do you call them. Cracked Lungs?”
“Broken Hearts,” corrected Onyx with a frown. “They’re... exiled crystal ponies. Named from the feeling of being cut off from the Crystal Heart, and forbidden to return to the Empire. From what I’ve heard, they usually gather in Northern Equestria, like Vanhoover though. So for Pyrite to be this far south...”
“It’s mighty unusual then,” said Pearmain, as he stopped to pluck a piece of straw and chew on it. “Old Pyrite seems as harmless as a fly. What the hay did he ever do?”
Oynx’s frown deepened. “I don’t know. I was just a new Guard by then, fresh out of the academy. I do remember he was a bit of a joke among the Palace staff, some sort of conspiracy nut.”
Pearmain shook his head. “Damn shame then. He’s a good pony. I’ll have to invite him to the next family reunion, get him to feel welcome then.”
“That’d be a good thing,” said Onyx. “Does he live close?”
“Not exactly,” said Pearmain as they entered into the small township that made up the heart of Sweet Apple Acres. “He lives somewhere west of Ponyville, in the old ‘Doodle’ homestead, I think. Delivered some apples out to him last season.”
Onyx acknowledged the information with a nod as they passed a large bronze statue of Applejack, rearing up on her hind legs with a fierce smile and a wide-brimmed hat. Wondering for a moment what the proud cowpony would say if she was here.
Onyx nodded. “So what do you need help with? Plowing? Bucking the apple trees? Raising a barn?”
“Nah, I got something much more up your alley,” replied Pearmain with a grin as they approached the Apple homestead. The old home had sheltered generations of Apples, supposedly even going beyond Big Mac and Fluttershy. But Onyx’s attention was on the wagon stocked with crates and barrels sitting outside. “Honey Bits is going into Ponyville today and see to the store. I need a good strapping young stallion such as yourself to help her out down there.”
“Okay,” said Onyx as Pearmain guided him to the harness and began to hitch him up. “Shouldn’t take too long, then I can get back to the south forty and get some words down on paper.”
“That’s the spirit” smiled Pearmain. “Go on, look atcha. You showed up here a nervous wreck, and now you look down right relaxed. That’s farm life for ya, take it from me.”
Onyx smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but his cousin cut him off as he locked his crystal cousin in the wagon’s harness.“Go out and enjoy the town. See some of the sights. Like the Museum of Harmony, or the Golden Oaks Library, old Sugar Cube Corner! New Sugar Cube Corner! Heck, even the Carousel Boutique if it fancies you. But get out there, and relax.”
“Ah, that Apple charm.” called a voice from a house by the roadside. “Telling you to relax while strapping you into an over-laden cart. Happened to me, you know? Not the cart thing mind you. You hear a soft voice in a Manehatten Bar, that gentle draw, and BAM. Next thing you know, you find yourself married, pregnant, and living on a farm.”
Onyx smiled and gave a curt nod. “Ma’am.”
“Mr Onyx,” replied Honey Bits, as she gently eased herself down the porch steps. Honey Bits was heavily pregnant, and had to use her burnt yellow wings to stabilize herself as she descended. “I heard that you were escorting me into town, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What a gentlepony,” said Honey Bits, a little smile forming before looking at her husband with disapproval. “Pearmain, shame on you for slacking your husbandly duties onto your cousin, especially when your wife is so burdened.”
“And yet, here you stand, so full of purpose and poise. The apple of my eye. ”
“I’m on to your ways, my darling charmer,” she said, playfully smacking Pearmain in the face with her black tail.
Darling. Onyx felt his right eye twitch a little.
“Shame we aren’t going to the Blue-Ribbon Charity Auction this year,” continued Honey Bits. “The Silverwoods are lovely this time of year, and it is always a pleasure to see Jewel.”
“It’s a good little gathering,” Pearmain nodded.
“Well, next year, I suppose,” said Honey Bits. “I suppose then the Commander and I will head into town then. Are you still coming in for lunch this afternoon?”
“Ah’m hoping so,” replied Pearmain with a grin. “I’ve got to get back up to the river though. Those beavers are back at it, and we’re at risk at flooding the lower fields again.”
“Again? I thought you talked them out of their little dam last year.”
“So did I. Maybe my charm is wearing off.”
“Perish the thought, Pear,” she said as she gave him a quick nuzzle.
“Yes, dear,” said Pearmain as he began to trot away.
Onyx only huffed in response, but felt another pony bump up against him.
“Come on, Commander,” said Honey Bits. “Let’s go show you around Ponyville.”
* * *
Captain Shining Star trotted down the ramp of the train car with a smile on her face, and ignored the stares and gawkings of any of the local ponies. The train station was mostly empty, save for a few ponies either on their way to work somewhere along the rail, or heading out of town. The train ride to Ponyville had thankfully been empty, and the Arcane Guard were able to secure a few cars to themselves.
She walked over to the far edge of the platform and looked out into the small community in the valley below. The small cottages with their gardens, clusters of shops and stores, with the general marketplace already in full swing by the look of the gathering crowd. Ponyville had grown very nicely over the couple hundred years. Town Hall stood tall over all of it, it’s clock had stopped working nearly two hundred and thirty years ago due to some freaky lightning storm. Celestia suspected some sort of shenanigan in time travel, but Luna refused to say, always going wide-eyed at the topic.
Shining Star could just barely make out the massive top of the Golden Oaks Library. She let out a sigh. It seemed like only yesterday she had sent Twilight there to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Festival, but it also seemed like a lifetime ago.
“Maybe when this is all over,” she thought to herself. “Maybe I’ll spend a few lifetimes as a librarian? A simple life might be a better change of pace.”
The Captain turned around and watched as a small detachment of the Arcane Guard filed out of the car.
“Ladies and Gentlecolts, gather around, please,” she said as she walked forward and sat down on the platform. Her ponies looked at each other, hesitating only for a moment until they came and gathered around their Captain. “We’re going to review our mission parameters and assignments. I want everypony to be on the same page for this."
A few questioning glances, but not a single pony objected. “As we explained on the train, this is a highly classified mission. For the sake of confidentiality, we will refer to our primary objectives as PT and O.”
“PT’s disappearance is more complicated than previously assumed. For now, we are maintaining the cover that PT independently left Canterlot on her own. In reality, we’re here to solve a much bigger problem.”
She opened a pouch within her armor and pulled out a map of Ponyville. “In Ponyville is a stallion, O. O is a ‘visitor’ from a ‘neighboring country’,” she said with magically enhanced air-quotes. “We believe the ‘neighboring country’ and its Empress, are not connected to PT's disappearance. However, other ponies may not see it that way and may push the fragile tension we already have into a full-blown war."
We are to secure O, ‘invite’ him to Canterlot for cake and questions. Any questions?”
A mare raised her hoof. “Is O Princess Twilight?”
Shining Star looked dumbfounded at the mare “Why would ‘O’ be Princess Twilight?”
The mare shrugged “I dunno, I thought she could, like, transmogrophy herself into other races and genders and stuff.”
A stallion farther down the line butted in “Wait, then who’s PT?”
Shining Star spoke slowly through gritted teeth “It. Is. A. Secret.”
Cornelius leaned over to the stallion and whispered in his ear. And the stallion’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I’m picking up what you’re putting down. You got it ‘Captain’.” He said to Shining Star with some air quotes of his own and a wink.
“Are there any other questions, or can we get through today without me getting court-martialed for ‘accidental’ magic discharge resulting in injury? Anypony? Good, Lieutenant Aurora will have your assignments.”
“We’re going to split into two five-pony teams, and scout likely areas,” said Aurora, moving to stand shoulder to shoulder with Shining Star as the attention shifted to her.
“Advance notice was given to local officials about our presence. Team One will go to Sweet Apple Acres, where we know he is staying, and begin investigating. Team Two will recon the Ponyville Market. Remaining ponies will be with myself and the Captain.
Once the Commander is located, notify via purple flare.”
“Remember, he is a foreign official and any perceived hostile actions could cause an international incident,” said Shining Star. “Be careful, and courteous and we’ll all be back in Canterlot before the day is out.”
This time there were a few murmurs, which caused Shining Star to frown as she noticed a few cameras around the necks of her guards. “Fine, we’ll all go to the Museum of Harmony and the library gift shop before we leave. Job first, tours later!”
“Sir yes Sir!” Exclaimed the Guards as they filed out into the station proper and the surrounding village.
“Aurora, what about the return train?” asked Shining Star as she lead her own team out of the train station. “Do we have the Arcane Guard cars this time?”
“Yes, ma’am. It should arrive in the afternoon,” stated Aurora. “The Mayor and Police Chief probably want a quick update as well. Not every day the Arcane Guard and it’s Captain come to town.”
“Of course they do,” she replied as she set her eyes on Old Sugarcube Corner. “But we have more pressing matters at this time.”