"I know what exactly needs to be done, and I've just gotten the authorization from the briefing with Princess Celestia. We are initiating Operation Just Cause!"
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It was now later in the morning, and this time the Lieutenant Captains in the meeting room were Stratocumulus and Fidelitas, Shining Armor having earned a well-deserved rest after finishing securing the secret lab discovered under the heavy machinery building in Canterlot Castle. Once that task was complete, Captain of the Guard Gibraltar went into a flurry of activity, seeing himself in a race against time to stop further lives from being lost to an unauthorized, demented "holy war" lead by Lieutenant Troilus.
Neither Prince Blueblood, who was supposed to be the figurehead leader of the unauthorized "Hornpoint" campaign, nor Lieutenant Troilus, the actual military leader of the campaign, had shown up in Canterlot, and Gibraltar was convinced neither of them were now in the city. He quickly went into a meeting with Princess Celestia, detailing to the sun princess the finding of the secret underground lab and receiving confirmation of Prince Blueblood's flight from the city following his humiliation at the previous night's Grand Galloping Gala.
"As part of the operation, I am stripping Lieutenant Troilus and all those cooperating with him in this illegal operation of their commission to serve in the E.U.P. Guard." Captain Gibraltar begins rapid-fire to Stratocumulus and Fidelitas. "From this moment forward, they are to be treated as traitors and criminals, and are to be brought back to Canterlot after arrest! I don't know what we're supposed to do about Blueblood because of the royal privilege, but we'll worry about that once he's brought back to Canterlot..."
"Excuse me, sir, but who's going to be in charge of the operation?" Fidelitas asks once Gibraltar reaches a pause in his speech.
"Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor will be in charge of the operation. I'm going to take some ponies from his shift and some from yours for this operation, Fidelitas. Including the two Lieutenants directly under his command. Some ponies are going to have to pull double-shifts, but I think we can make this work short term at least." Gibraltar answers.
Stratocumulus and Fidelitas exchange looks, then Fidelitas speaks again: "Sir, with all due respect the controversy over the board of inquiry makes me doubt the appropriateness of having Shining Armor lead the operation. Have Princess Celestia put me in charge instead, sir, I have fighting experience from the E.I.A. raid!"
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Captain Gibraltar pauses for a moment, his face thoughtful as if trying to figure out how to phrase his response. When he finally speaks, it is in slow, deliberate words: "However true your assessment may be, Fidelitas, Princess Celestia made it very clear to me that she will accept nopony else except Shining Armor in charge of this operation. She has firmly made her decision, and I must abide by it. Besides, I am convinced the gossip rags and newspapers now want to do nothing else but spew hatred and disharmony, and I am done trying to pander to their sensibilities. The whole lot can go to Tartarus for all I care."
Stratocumulus and Fidelitas again exchange glances, the former giving a half-wince as he does so. Both of them knew that not even pretending to care about the opinions of the vain and conceited ponies in charge of the magazines and newspapers that circulated throughout Canterlot, particularly among the upper classes, was bound to boomerang back into future trouble. True, there were periods in the past where Celestia had outright ignored their opinions with no future ill effects on the kingdom, but this time both Stratocumulus and Fidelitas sensed that Equestria would not be so lucky. However, it would not be until the breadth and effectiveness of the Changeling infiltration was exposed much later that they would realize how right they were at the time.
When Captain Gibraltar saw there was no more verbal objection, he continued on: "Fidelitas, I will have Lieutenant Biro prepare new assignments to replace those of your command going on the operation. Stratocumulus, you will be informed once the operation assignments have been given out which morning shift ponies will have to pull doubles. And, once again, I will have Lieutenant Vesper of the batponies temporarily taking command of the night shift. We must move quickly, as there are lives on the line and the locations of both Prince Blueblood and Troilus' renegades are currently not known. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." both Stratocumulus and Fidelitas reply simultaneously.
"Good. I want you two to both stay here for the moment, Lieutenant Biro will be around to hand out the new orders and assignments." Captain Gibraltar affirms, turning to leave the meeting room as he does so.
When the door slams behind the Captain of the Guard, Lieutenant Captains Stratocumulus and Fidelitas are left alone in the room, quietly stewing in their own fears and uncertainties about the future. Both were afraid to speak their minds about what they feared would come from "Operation Just Cause", but an as-yet-unknown menace would eventually prove their fears well founded...