//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - The Task at Hoof 
// Story: New Neighton 
// by FlyingSaucer 
//------------------------------//

Watchful Eye lay in the corner of the armory, observing the progress of his subordinate. “You missed a spot. Three spots, actually. Also I think that’s on backwards.”

The bat pony stallion narrowed his eyes, keenly observing the actions of a second as he went about polishing a purple set of Lunar Guard barding. It was by no means the only set. Private Star Duster, the unfortunate victim, snorted in reply.

“This is demeaning sarge. It was just a song!”

Watchful Eye tutted, shaking his head. “A song? That’s not what the reprimand says. Something something ‘organizing an unauthorized musical number.”

“Oh come on, it was just Moonbeat. You were singing it too! Heck, you were in the dance line!”

“Sure, I love that song,” Watchful Eye grinned. “But I didn’t start it, you did.”

Star Duster snorted again, shaking a bit of polish off a hindhoof. “It was just a little song.”

“A little song, of course. During evening colors. With the whole company. Hay you even had Distant Voice, Far Out AND Sable Shield singing backup, together. I didn’t think that was even possible.”

“That, is the power of Moonbeat.” said Star Duster, wagging his eyebrows.

“And this...” Watchful Eye motioned to the other stallion, and the sets of barding surrounding him. “...is the power of discipline.”

“Seems more like the power of boring officers with no sense of humor.”

“It’s usually the same thing.” Watchful Eye chuckled. “But hey, think of it like this. While you are stuck here, you aren’t getting into worse trouble. A whole night may even pass where somepony isn’t shaking a hoof while screaming your name.”

“That’d be a first,” Star Duster replied, aggressively rubbing at a stubborn spot. He was nude, as all guardsponies were when out of their barding, and his aggressive attempt at spot removal was getting the polish everywhere. It caked his hooves, coated his furled, membranous wings, clung to his mane, and was smeared in places that couldn’t be described in polite company.

“Aghh, this stuff gets on everything.”

“Private, you’re a trotting disaster area,” Watchful Eye added amusedly. His clean, red-grey coat and deep reddish mane contrasted sharply with the polish-caked disaster he was observing. “I mean really, how does that even happen?”

“SARGE!”

Both ponies started, wide eyed, snapping their heads to the sudden shout. The armored head of a Lunar Guard mare had suddenly appeared in the doorway behind them, gaze locked on Watchful Eye.

“What is it, Sable Shield?” Watchful Eye’s slit pupils slowly returned to their normal size as he waited for the mare’s reply.

“The captain is as...” her voice trailed off abruptly as her eyes found the polish covered form of Star Duster on the other side of the room. “What.”

“Don’t mind him, Private. He’s just learning. Messily. You were saying something about the good captain?”

“Yes! Captain Winter is asking for you, and uh..”

Watchful Eye raised an eyebrow, waiting for the mare to continue.

“Well its not just the captain, Sarge. He has a unicorn with him. One of Twilight Guard.”

The stallion blinked, furrowing his brow in thought. What’s one of the Twilight Guard doing in the Tower of the Moon, with Winter Sky of all ponies?

He knew it was rare to see members of the other branches of the Equestrian Guard in the Tower of the Moon. Rarer yet to see one of Princess Twilight’s own guard ponies. They were few in number, and tended to keep themselves secluded in the Tower of Magic. For one to be accompanying a captain of the Lunar Guard was unusual, to the say the least.

“Very well private, thank you.”

Sable Shield saluted quickly and vanished from the doorway.

“Whats going on?” Star Duster inquired, turning to look at his sergeant.

“Private Star Duster, I trust you can finish this without a foalsitter?” Watchful Eye gave the polish caked stallion a suspicious look. He really was getting it everywhere.

“Yes Sarge.”

“Good, then do so and then hose yourself off or something. I’m going to go find out what’s going on.” The stallion rose and walked to the door. With one last look at the polish smeared disaster that was Star Duster and his less than eloquently executed lesson, he made his way into the adjoining hallway.

“Sarge.”

Sable stepped back, nodding curtly to the sergeant as he exited the armory.

“Tell me what you know, private”. Watchful Eye motioned for the mare to follow him, turning to move down the hallway. Sable Shield bounded, trotting up to her sergeant in short order. The clacking of her hooves on the polished stone floors drew the attention of one of the stallion’s ears, which followed her until she sidled up to him.

“Well... I was just hanging out in the common room playing a game with Rapid, waiting to head out to my post for the evening. Everyone else was just sort of being useless. Then some pony knocks on the door. I mean, who knocks on the door to the common room? Anyway the door opens, and in walks this Twilight Guard unicorn, armored up and everything.” Watchful Eye nodded, listening to her story.

“So then everypony freezes, looking at him. It’s totally awkward. We all just stay there like that for like, an entire minute. Then he asks where he can find Captain Winter.”

“He came looking for the captain in the common room?”

“I know right? Seems the captain wasn’t in his room, so this guard was hunting for him. Turns out he wasn’t in his room because he was on his way to the common room. He had something in his mouth so he ended up walking right into the the Twilicorn’s rump.”

Watchful Eye visibly winced. “Great first impression, that. Poor Winter Sky.”

“Nah it was pretty great actually. I think that was the first time I’ve ever seen Winter Sky blush Or show any fun emotion at all, actually. He got super serious after that though, and he and the Twilicorn went off a bit into the hallway to talk about something. A couple of minutes later Captain Winter comes into the room, and tells me to come find you.”

“Hmm.” he pondered. “That is pretty mysterious, isn’t it?” Sable Shield nodded quickly in response. The two armored ponies continued down the corridor, paying no heed to the carved flourishes or painted scenes quickly passing them on either side. The Tower of the Moon complex was extravagantly decorated by military standards, filled with statues of famous Guardsponies, rich tapestries depicting pivotal events in the history of the Lunar Guard, and was bathed in the light of the specially enchanted blue torches that lit its interior. The torches were kinder on the eyes of the night adapted bat ponies, but the particular ambiance they provided caused most ponies to consider the Moon Tower a rather spooky place. Eventually the pair came to the end of the corridor, and the two doors to be found there.

Without hesitation, Watchful Eye pushed open the left door, revealing an ornate spiral staircase that he quickly began to descend. Sable Shield trailed dutifully behind him, and the pair wound their way down, and down, and down the stairs to the barracks level. The Tower of the Moon was many things, but short wasn’t one of them.

The pair emerged onto the main level of the tower barracks complex, and hanging a left, proceeded together towards the door of their assigned stable. The barracks level, though slightly less ornate in decor than the upper tower levels, was much more spacious, and held the various stable-barracks of Equestria’s Lunar Guard. They at last came upon the door to their particular stable, and throwing it open without a thought, Watchful Eye led the two of them in.

Stepping through the doorway and into the common room of the stable, Watchful Eye quickly took in the scene. To his left, on one side of the rectangular common room and on their haunches, sat a semicircle of four Lunar Guard bat ponies. The rest of the infamous Cookie Squad, with whom Watchful Eye was all too familiar. They had quite the reputation for eccentricity, in what was already an eccentric company. They called themselves the Tough Cookies, though the captain often called them Half Baked.

The sergeant’s eyes fell on the furthest left first; a large, sturdily built stallion with a mid-grey coat known as Rapid Advance. His helmet was missing, revealing a deep teal, somewhat mussy mane. 

Beside him, to almost comical effect, sat a much smaller stallion with a darker grey coat. So small in fact was this particular stallion that he was frequently mistaken for a mare at distance. Not a particularly likely issue at present however, as the pony was completely nude. A two tone mane of Purple and violet ran down his neck, and unlike the others present, Watchful Eye could clearly see his Cutie Mark- a colorful ringed planet that appeared to be communicating with a speech bubble. Distant Voice he was named. 

Further yet to the right of Distant Voice sat a rather content looking mare wearing only a helmet, and poorly at that. A wave of mauve colored mane spilled out of the front of the ill-fitted armor piece, making the dull, lavender-grey colored coat of her face somewhat difficult to see. Far Out she was rather aptly named. 

His eyes came to the final seated pony. A young stallion of medium build, the pony sat armorless, with his helmet between his hooves. His light greyish-blue coat, and dirty, blonde mane stood out somewhat awkwardly from the rest of his squadmates. The most striking feature of this pony however were his piercing, almost glowing, blue eyes. Only Watchful Eye’s own pink orbs competed with them for sheer ocular audacity. Dawn Trotter he was called.

They were all trying, and miserably failing, to avoid staring awkwardly at the orange coated Twilight Guard unicorn seated across the room from them. If it weren’t for the table bisecting the room and keeping them relatively distant, things would be even more awkward than they already were.

“Ahem.” Watchful Eye cleared his throat.

All eyes snapped to him in an instant.

“Hi sarge!” came the chorus of replies, and Watchful Eye nodded in return. The orange unicorn let out a brief sigh of relief, and stood up. The sergeant made a point to note the rank insignia adorning the Unicorn’s barding. Lieutenant.

“Sergeant Watchful Eye, I presume?” the unicorn asked.

“Yes sir. I was summoned by the captain.” He studied the unicorn for a moment, trying to read him. Watchful Eye could get a good idea of the character of a pony after just a few seconds of introduction, or at least he thought he could. This one seemed decent enough.

As if on cue, Watchful Eye shifted his gaze away from the unicorn and to a bit of movement that had just entered his peripheral vision. Captain Winter Sky was making his way up the central passage of the stable towards the assemblage of ponies in the common room.

“Speak of the Nightmare...” he said, and every pony present snapped into a salute.

“And she doth appear.” Winter Sky strode into the common room, casting his golden eyes about it. He was armored, save for his helmet, revealing his two-toned grey mane. His gaze landed on Watchful Eye. “Or he shall, in this case. At ease, everypony.” He nodded to Watchful Eye as the assembled ponies dropped their salutes. “Hello sergeant. I see you’ve met Lieutenant High Road, of Her Majesty’s Twilight Guard.”

“Yes sir.” Watch nodded curtly. He stepped aside as Sable Shield sheepishly squeezed by him to make for a seat with her comrades. The mare knew better, and clearly had no desire to get herself stuck in the middle of an officer sandwich with Watchful Eye.

“Very good.” the captain added. “It seems something unusual is afoot. The good Lieutenant here has informed me that there is to be a very special bit of Nightwork required, and that I have been selected to lead it. I am to accompany him to learn just what it is that I will be tasked with. The one thing he has been able to tell me so far is that it is to be a very small unit affair, no more than eight ponies.”

Watchful Eye cocked his head, the metaphorical gears within plainly turning. “A captain to lead one squad?”

“I am just as confused as you in this regard, sergeant. The little I’ve heard so far would make me think it is a mission better suited to the Spectres, but I will know more soon enough. There are always reasons. Even in the Guard” Winter Sky glanced at the unicorn as he finished, nodding. “Furthermore, whoever it is that is planning this has already selected the Ponies in question. You and Cookie will be accompanying me on this. Whatever this is. Make the necessary arrangements. I will fill you in with what I can when I return.”

Five sets of slit-pupiled eyes blinked in abject confusion.


******


The two officers, having departed the stable barracks, made their way towards the exit of the Tower of the Moon. Their metal shoes clacked noisily as they trotted along, side by side. The eerie blue glow and shining stone floors of the moon tower gave way to Daylight as they exited into the main palace compound. High Road abruptly turned, heading straight for the center of the sprawling complex.

“May I ask where we are going?” Winter Sky inquired.

“The throne room,” replied the unicorn, matter-of-factly.

“...What?” Winter Sky suddenly stopped, eyes wide and fixed on High Road.

“The palace throne room,” High Road glanced side to side suspiciously, as if checking for any unwanted eavesdroppers.

“It was the Princess that summoned you captain, or so I was told. I was simply instructed to bring you to her.

“Told? By whom?” Winter Sky was staring.

“Marshal Prominence.”

Winter Sky’s ears pinned back flatly against his head as he took a step back. Fear was plainly evident on his face.

“The Marshal? The supreme commander of the entire Equestrian Royal Guard told you to bring me to the Princess? For an assignment?” The bat pony captain was on the verge of hyperventilating, but managed to hold himself together long enough for his companion to reply.

High road lifted a forehoof to his chin, nodding. “Yes, that is pretty much exactly what happened.” Quickly wheeling about, he resumed his trot towards the palace.

Winter Sky hesitated for a moment, mouthing something, before shaking his head and taking off after the retreating unicorn. The pair traveled in relative silence, save for the everpresent clacking of metal clad hooves. Eventually the the two ponies made it the doors of the main palace itself, and paused between a pair of Solar Guard pegasi. The golden armored ponies glanced at the unlikely pair, before nodding and moving to open the door.

The two officers made their way through and into the gilded marble hall of the palace foyer. Winter Sky had been here many times before, but never became accustomed to the ornate spectacle of it. Red velvet carpets spread wall to wall, broken up only by polished walkways and pillars of carven marble. Statues, busts and tapestries lined the walls in every direction. It was a waiting room for ponies far fancier than he would ever be, and he was quite alright with that.

“This way.” said High Road, and he resumed his trot. He went straight for the large, decorated door furthest from them, on the opposite side of the foyer. Passing through the door, the pair proceeded up a flight of richly decorated stairs, through yet another set of doors guarded by Solar Guard ponies, and after a few particularly confusing hallway choices, they arrived at the entrance to much larger hallway.

This hallway Winter Sky recognized, even though he had never actually seen it in person. It was long, and flanked by immense stained glass windows. Winter Sky felt a certain amount of awe as he slowly followed his companion down this sacred path, and he found his eyes drawn to each scene rendered in the massive windows.

Some kind of of serpent creature, holding the strings of ponies as if they were puppets. Discord, Winter realized.

Another scene, this time two stylized Alicorns, white and blue, circling above a crystal sea.

Six ponies, gathered around a jet black alicorn, striking it with some sort of rainbow-colored magic. The bat pony winced.

Walking, he came upon a third scene. A young lavender alicorn, eyes closed, surrounded by magic. The pony he was now traveling to see.

Nearing the end of the massive hall, Winter came upon a final window and froze. A scene he recognized. A scene every pony, any pony would recognize. Two alicorns, white and blue, horns blazing with magic, surmounted by the moon and sun in full eclipse. Falling stars surround them. Beneath, a field of blue fire.

“Captain?” High Road called.

Winter Sky shook his head and turned.

“Yes, sorry.”

The unicorn motioned him over, to a large, filigreed silver door at the very end of the hall. Atop it was a series of stars, but no other signs as to what lay on the other side. Winter Sky however, knew very well what waited for him past that door. High Road knocked three times and waited.


******


The door opened, pulled inward by a pair of Solar Guards. High Road nodded to the bat pony captain, and the pair stepped into the throne room and paused. Winter Sky’s slit-pupiled eyes went wide as he took in the sight before him: The vast, teal-tinged marble chamber that was the palace throne room. If the wide, green fields and azure hued skies together formed the heart of the nation of Equestria, then this room was it’s mind. And across the great polished floor, between the immense tapestries that clung so neatly to the pristine walls, below three great circular stained glass windows, enthroned atop a great multi-tiered stone dais sat the very force that animated this great mind- Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.

What am I doing here? Winter Sky thought, swallowing audibly.

The pair walked slowly towards the subtly grinning form of the Princess as the guards behind them moved to shut the door. Winter Sky noticed that they were not alone in the throne room however, as there was another very recognizable pony standing before the throne. The Marshal of Equestria was instantly recognizable to the captain; no other pony wore armor like that. Reaching the foot of the dais upon which the throne was set, they bowed low, dropping to the knees of their forelegs.

“Rise, please!” the Princess beamed at the pair.

“Your Highness,” both ponies responded in unison. Marshal Prominence nodded once, and with a swift return nod, High Road moved to his side, leaving the bat pony captain alone before the throne itself.

“Thank you, High Road,” the princess smiled, and the unicorn bowed low in return.

She turned her attention to the captain. “Welcome, Winter Sky!”

“T-thank you your highness,” he responded nervously, trying his best to keep his eyes forward. He remained in that position, head and tail proudly raised, eyes locked on some imaginary, less terrifying situation in the far distance. Maintaining her welcoming smile, the princess raised an eyebrow, before shooting a slightly confused glance to the gold clad form of the Marshal to her right.

Sensing the captain’s discomfort, and probable near panic, Prominence spoke. “At ease, captain.”

Winter Sky relaxed a bit, steadying his breathing. He looked up and met the eyes of the princess.

“Oh. I am sorry about that. Sometimes I am so focused on what I am going to say, I forget what I need to say. Thank you Prominence, for rescuing my poor captain.” The princess shot an amused glance at the regal unicorn.

“Of course, your highness”

“Winter Sky, I am pleased our paths have finally crossed,” said Twilight, carefully looking over the bat pony captain before her. “I knew your Grandsire. Seneschal Moonrise was a wonderful pony, and an even better Guard Commander. Princess Luna was extremely fond of him.”

Winter Sky nodded, and felt his heart sink. Was he being chosen purely for his pedigree, yet again? He wondered briefly if he should have legally changed his name to ‘Moonrise’s Descendant’, as it seemed to be the only aspect of him any pony ever really cared about, regardless of how hard he tried to distinguish himself. “Thank you, your highness, that is kind of you to say.”

“Seal the door please,” the princess nodded to the two solar guards posted at the door, and they began to shift the previously unseen latching system.

Winter Sky shifted nervously, and waited for the princess to continue.

The princess cleared her throat. “Tell me, Winter Sky, are you familiar with the story of New Neighton?”

The bat pony blinked, cocking his head.

 New Neighton, he thought, searching through his memories. The lost colony. Built on the other side of some kind of magic door, on an entirely different planet, or so the story goes. Some kind of grand magical research project started by the princess. Got pretty important, until the door just up and stopped working one day. Whole place, and everypony in it lost, without a trace. But what they hay does that have to do with me?

Collecting his thoughts, he answered the waiting princess.“Uh, yes princess, as much as any other pony. The lost colony?”

“Indeed,” Twilight answered, “So you know the story. An entirely new world, far beyond the Veil, found by our Star Scriers in the Great Observatory here in Canterlot. The first, and only extra-Celestial planet ever detected, and one with life! As you can imagine, this caused a great deal of excitement. Especially here, among those ponies to whom matters of the night sky bear a special interest. Astronomers, wizards, archivists and simple dreamers, all gathered here to discuss and debate the find. More importantly, we set about discussing what to do about the find.”

“After a great deal of spirited debate, we decided what we would do. We would set before ourselves the greatest task of magical engineering ever attempted: A door between worlds. So we set about constructing a portal, one unlike anypony, or anycreature, had seen before. One that could bridge the vast distance between our world, and this new one. We used the knowledge we gained in...” The princess stopped herself abruptly.

“Well let us just say we used a multitude of sources, and were able to construct a portal like no other. It would function only one way of course, but the plan was to send the components of a second portal through the first, and construct a matching gateway on the other side. Once we did, a magical connection would be forged between the two gates, making the whole process a great deal easier. So we did just that! Ponies went through the portal, and explored. They looked for the life we had sensed, and quickly found it!

Granted, it turned out to be a bunch of plants but still! It was incredible!” The princess was quickly becoming animated.

“Alien plants even!” She waved her forehooves in the air for emphasis. “Things we had never seen before. And the magic...”

Winter Sky felt slightly uneasy. He was starting to realize that the princess wasn’t relating a tale to him, but a memory. He had almost let himself forget that the tall, youthful looking pony before him was older than his grandmother, and was in fact a being of incredible, nearly timeless cosmic power. He forced the lump down in his throat and nodded as the Princess continued.

...”was just different. Everypony that wrote back to me said the same thing. The magic on the planet had felt different somehow. Everything about the place was different. Did magic work the same outside of our own world? Did friendship? I was determined to find the answers.”

Twilight Sparkle’s expression changed at this point, and to Winter Sky it seemed as if her mood abruptly darkened. “So we decided to build a town. A colony. The first and only pony colony on another planet.”

Winter Sky nodded. Though slightly uncomfortable in the presence of such powerful ponies, the story enthralled him.

“New Neighton they named it. And to it, some of our best and brightest found their way. By studying this strange and different place, we had hoped we may just learn something about ourselves. Friendship and magic, far across the stars”.

The Princess frowned. “So it was for twenty years. The town grew and a great many ponies came to call New Neighton home. Some came for answers, others for adventure. Until one day, it all stopped. The portal, which had worked flawlessly for 20 years, just… stopped working. No matter what we did, we couldn’t get it to open again. We waited, hoping the ponies of New Neighton could open it from their end. They never did. 3000 ponies, gone, in the blink of an eye. Eventually, we moved the dormant portal to a chamber within the mountain. We set a watch upon it, in the vain hope that someday, perhaps, they would once again make contact with us.”

Twilight sighed, and hung her head. “It has been 86 years since the portal failed. 86 years since an entire town of ponies disappeared without a trace.”

A silence came over the throne room as the princess finished, and Winter Sky looked to the ground in thought.

A sad story. Thought Winter Sky. Especially for a pony that actually saw it happen. But what does it have to do with me?

 “This is the story you are familiar with, is it not?” The Princess asked.

“Yes, your highness. Though not in such vivid detail.”

Twilight Sparkle rose from her throne, drawing in a deep breath. “Then allow me to tell you a part of the story you are not familiar with. A part no pony, save one other in this room, is familiar with.” She glanced to Marshal Prominence, who nodded in return.

“The sudden collapse of the portal was not the only thing heard from New Neighton that day. Exactly one and a half minutes before, we received one brief, final message. A signal scroll, from the town’s Solar Guard garrison. It contained a single, hastily written message: Shattered Spear.”

Winter Sky’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. “They signaled Shattered Spear?” He repeated mostly to himself, half misbelieving his own words.

The captain knew the signal. Every guardspony, Solar, Lunar, Crystal or Twilight had heard of it. It was nearly a myth. The very idea of it is enough to chill the blood of any member of the guard. Shattered Spear. Not used at any point in the living memory of the Guard, it had but one meaning: Defeat. Total, crushing, hopeless defeat. Defeat so dire that no thought should be given to attempting a rescue. We’re overrun. Leave us. Do not return. Save yourselves. Shattered Spear. Warning, sacrifice and epitaph, all in one neat, two word package.

“Somepony did at least,” Twilight added. “Quickly. Then the portal closed for good. After many failed attempts to open it, and hearing nothing more from the garrison, we came to believe that the New Neighton ponies destroyed their portal themselves. To prevent whatever was happening there from spilling through to our side. Or rather, that is what we believed... Until yesterday.”

“...What?” Winter Sky looked up, wide eyed, at the princess.

“Yesterday, just before noon, without any warning or indication, the old portal opened of its own accord.”

The bat stallion’s mouth hung agape as he attempted to process what he was being told. The princess continued.

“We closed it again,” she continued, “then re-opened it. Dozens of times now. The portal appears to be functioning normally again.” As if sensing the question forming in Winter Sky’s mind, the princess looked to Marshal Prominence, and nodded. The unicorn stepped forward.

“Not long after, we prepared a small construct, fitted with a scrying stone, and sent it through the doorway. From what little we were able to discern, the Colony itself appears to be gone. We did not see anything that would indicate a cause in the immediate vicinity of the doorway, nor anything that would appear to pose a threat. The area appears to be covered entirely by woodland of varying sparseness now.” Prominence lit his horn momentarily, pushing closed the hanging jaw of the bat pony captain before continuing.

“We have resolved to find the answer to this great riddle, captain. To discover the truth of what happened to New Neighton and it’s ponies. It is a duty we owe to their living descendents on this side of the doorway. Much can change in eighty-six years. It is possible no threat remains, or if it does, it may be far from the colony at this point. New Neighton existed in peace for twenty years. After this long, we believe we can risk a brief foray to the site with reasonable expectation of safety. A team will travel through the doorway, locate the site of the colony, and look for whatever answers may be found.”

“And that is where you come in,” Princess Twilight cut in.

Prominence nodded, and stepped back.

“I have selected you to lead this mission captain, as well as the seven ponies that will be accompanying you on it.” The princess looked to Winter Sky, closely observing his reaction.

 She chose me? And Cookie specifically? What…

Confusion was evident on the bat pony’s face as he went over this information in his head.

“Captain?” she asked.

“Yes? Err.. I mean Yes, your highness! I’m honored, your highness.”

The slightest hint of a grin traced the princess’s muzzle as she leaned forward to speak. “I know that look, Winter Sky. You have a question. By all means, I will be happy to give you the answer if I have it.”

Winter Sky nodded sheepishly, trying to form his question into non princess-offending form.

“It’s just.. I don’t understand, your highness. Why me? Why just Cookie squad? Why not Apple or Baker or Dragon? Hay, why not the Spectres?”

Twilight nodded.

“Whatever happened in New Neighton captain, happened in the middle of the day. Therefore it’s been decided to do our reconnaissance by night. This makes the Lunar Guard the obvious choice. The Spectres... as skilled as our Lunar elites are in special tasks of the aggressively martial nature, they lack the more… eclectic set of skills I felt necessary for this endeavor. It is answers we seek Winter Sky, not a confrontation with whatever may or may not be there. As for why I chose you, and the third squad of your company specifically, well..”

Twilight lit her horn, and from behind her throne, an immense stack of papers began to rise.

“These are the personnel files of the Lunar Guard. All of them.”

Winter Sky balked.

“The personnel files of the entire Lunar Guard?”

“Every one. And this...” A single sheet of paper rose on the right side of her throne. “Is a list. Specifically, a list of requirements I feel will grant this mission its highest chance of success in both its main goal and an array of secondary ones I have set myself. I cross referenced this list with the traits described in the various Lunar Guard personnel files until I found a squad which seemed to possess the best mix of these traits and talents. A complete squad was important, as from what I understand, squads operate as a cohesive unit of cohabitating ponies with somewhat stronger bonds than would be possessed by a random selection of guardsponies drawn from multiple sources”

Winter Sky nodded slowly. What.

 “Friendship is always important captain, and can prove to be a critical aspect to mission success. Trust me, I know.” The princess rapped her hoof against the tiara set upon her head for emphasis.

The captain nodded, things slowly starting to fall into place for him.

This is going to be...interesting