//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 - Die Wacht am Nacht // Story: Further Tales From Day Court // by Blade Star //------------------------------// Officially, there is no such organisation as SMILE. That’s the Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria. It has never existed, and any suggestion of there being such an organisation has always been dismissed by the government and the princesses as preposterous rumour. There are no records of such an organisation; no employees, no infrastructure, not a single shred of evidence to even suggest the group might be real. Well, that’s because they’re very good at their job. SMILE does indeed exist, and in the last few years has been quite busy. It’s the closest thing Equestria has to an intelligence service such as Five, Six, or Cheltenham. Created in secret by royal decree, the organisation works to defend Equestria from all types on enemies, foreign and domestic. They’re primarily focused on dangerous creatures and ensure they don’t become a threat to citizens. Their most recent escapade involved a bugbear that was terrorising Ponyville a few years ago. Beyond that, the organisation works also as a sort of men in black type group; dealing with unknown phenomena. When Doc Hooves, as he calls himself now, inadvertently brought one ponified Captain Jack Harkness to Equestria, both were quickly recruited into their ranks. They are the watchdogs as it were. Twilight and her friends deal with direct threats. SMILE deals with them before they have a chance to, and you’ll never know they were there. I was brought in on the organisation’s existence quite by accident. Even with my senior position, I was not privy to SMILE’s existence. It was only when Cranky and Matilda got married, and that same bugbear rocked up, that I discovered one of my neighbours was herself an agent of the mysterious organisation. Bon Bon was nothing but a cover identity for Agent Sweetie Drops. The mare went on to play a small part in stopping the beastie. As a result, the following day, I found myself brought before Celestia and sworn to secrecy, pledging on pain of death that I would not breathe a word of what I knew. The upside of that though, was that I was able to, on occasion, assist SMILE in their operations. You’ll remember earlier, when Thorax was first admitted to the Crystal Empire (God that seems like such a long time ago), that I considered using him as a way to draw out his older brother, the head of the changeling military, and for SMILE to get involved in your classic black bag operation. Still, it was a rare thing that I ever came into contact with them. I certainly didn’t get any reports from them. I even heard rumours that the group had been disbanded, given how they seemed to have filled up all of Tartarus with all manner of dangerous creatures of late. That however, was about to change, and I would soon find myself pulled into a world few even know about, never mind get to see. It all started late one evening. It had been something of a long day. The last case had run on far longer that Celestia or I were expecting ,to the point that Luna was waiting outside the throne room, tapping her hoof as she waited in irritation. It wasn’t even that interesting a case, just your nice run of the mill criminal number. I’d finally finished up and had headed back to my office. I decided to do the report tonight, and take the later train home, so that I could at least start tomorrow fresh. Walking into my office, I found the lights had been turned off. With the fading light, I’d left them on when I went down to the throne room. If my office has one design flaw, it’s that the light is suited for ponies. So walking in in the dark means I have to grope around on the wall to find the switch. Abandoning the idea, I resolved to just use the lamp on my desk. After all, I wouldn’t be here too long, and there was just enough moonlight coming through the windows to see by. I’d just sat down at my desk when the door to my office suddenly closed with a thud. I was on my feet in an instant. Flipping the shade of my desk lamp so that illuminated the rest of the room. “Easy there, Mr. Owen,” a voice said reassuringly. “If I’d wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have made it through the door.” Standing there, having apparently concealed himself in the recess behind the door, was a stallion approaching middle age, with a faded grey mane. This was Furlong, the head of SMILE as far as I understood. He was certainly the most senior figure I’d come across, being responsible for dozens of agents embedded all over Equestria. “What do you want, Furlong?” I asked crossly. As much as SMILE might serve a purpose, that didn’t mean I liked them. Given my former occupation, I’ve never entirely trusted the security services or spies in general. Furlong and his boys operated without oversight. For the good of Equestria, of course. Everything they did was covered under DORA; the Defence of the Realm Act, and it effectively gave them a blank cheque. Fifth Freedom as one American put it. While I knew of their existence and their purpose, that didn’t mean I was ever privy to their plans. And I don’t much like that. Furlong however, remained impassive, only giving me a small smile. What he said next through surprised me. “I need your help,” he replied. That was unusual. SMILE has plenty of agents out there aside from Bon Bon. Hell, I happen to know that they’ve even, indirectly, worked with Twilight and her friends, albeit without the latter knowing SMILE was involved. They have plenty of ponies better qualified than me. So what was Furlong here then? “Me? Why?” I asked, now more curious. Furlong now turned serious. “I won’t beat around the bush,” he said in that Trottingham accent of his. “There’s a threat to the princesses.” That got my attention. Had they found out about ‘Grogar’? “Their decision to abdicate and turn the throne over to Twilight Sparkle is not sitting well with everypony.” That was nothing new. While it was a very small minority, some ponies weren’t happy with the idea of the two sisters stepping down, either because they thought Twilight wasn’t a suitable replacement or, in the case of the more paranoid, because they believed the princesses were being forced out somehow. It was a load of hogwash, but was still something of a concern. As the date of the coronation drew nearer, I was having to deal with more and more petitions to legally block the transition of power. “That’s no secret,” I replied. “The Royal Guard has looked into all the ponies who’ve made threats, and they’ve all come up as non-credible.” “It’s not just that,” Furlong went on. “There’s a big target out there; something in the shadows. We’re seeing a serious shift in things. The bond between the three tribes is being harmed by it. I’m sure you’ve noticed that too.” He was right. It was subtle, but I had of late, noticed an odd change in Canterlot society. You see, each of the three tribes has their part to play. Earth ponies farm, pegasi control the weather, and unicorns use their magic for knowledge and defence. Each one works in harmony together, in balance; a relationship that goes all the way back to the first Hearth’s Warming Eve, which saw the Windigoes banished and let the new nation flourish. Recently though, there’d been some tension, particularly here in Canterlot. It’s like each tribe was slowly beginning to become distrustful of the others. And for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. “In any case,” Furlong surmised. “We need to identify and contain this threat, whatever it may be.” “You still haven’t told me how this involves me, Furlong,” I replied. “We believe that there is a plot within the ranks of the Royal Guard,” he said bluntly. “Specifically, the Lunar Guard section.” “Bullshit,” I shot back. “Their loyalty and devotion to their princess is beyond question.” “Exactly,” Furlong replied. “And that devotion is threatening to spill over into something dangerous in order to preserve Princess Luna’s place as Princess of the Night. One of our embedded agents has reported that a group of high ranking officers are plotting something to try and stop the change in management.” “So deal with it,” I countered. “Tell the princesses and the senior leadership in the Guard.” “It’s not that simple. We don’t know how high up this goes,” furlong warned. “To make accusations now might just cause the conspirators to go dormant. Our man got too close to their operation, and he was transferred out to the Badlands by somepony in authority. We believe this is the pony behind the plot. We want you to identify him and his confederates.” I glared across the desk at him. “I’m a legal advisor. I don’t work for spooks like you. Find somepony else.” “You’re the only pony...” Furlong caught himself. “The only human, in a position to get close enough to all this. Inserting another agent would take months of work; time we don’t have.” I considered his argument. He was right, as much as I hated to admit it. Assuming he was correct, and there was indeed some sort of plot or coup in the works, then we did need to stop it sooner rather than later. At the same time though, this would be yet another secret I’d be keeping from my friends. A man can only keep so many secrets, and my knowledge about Grogar was putting me at my limit. More to the point, I never entirely trusted SMILE or Furlong. They claimed to always put Equestria first, and did all they could to protect ponies and the country. But then again, they did this by very un-Equestrian methods. Still, if there was a threat to the princesses. I would be a poor friend and a poor subject, if I didn’t try to stop it. “Fine,” I said. “But when this is over, we go by the book. If there are any traitors, they will be dealt with. I won’t have them disappeared off to Tartarus.” Furlong nodded. “I can accept that,” he said. “You’ll find me staying at the Equestrian Imperial Hotel in the city. Room 899. When you have a lead, come find me there.” With that, he prepared to leave, presumably by the same way he got in. I guess Shining’s security measures weren’t entirely perfect. I decided to take one last parting shot at Furlong. “You look pretty good for a dead pony by the way, Furlong.” He smiled at that, and as he left, proved he was still one step ahead of me. “For God and Ulster, Mr. Owen,” he said. And with that, he left, leaving me startled and wondering just how he found out about my days in the UVF. So I had myself a new job. I found myself suddenly pulled into the word’s second oldest profession, which is just as honourable as the first. But if there was indeed some sort of plot within the Lunar Guard, then it needed to be exposed. It just plain sucked though that I couldn’t yet bring it to Luna or Celestia’s attention. Still, if all went well, I could present them with a fait accompli, warning them of the potential threat and presenting the conspirators. Still, finding out about any of this would be no easy task. I’m quite close with a few guys in the Lunar Guard, both officers and enlisted men, so I decided that that would be a good place to start. Whenever I got the chance, I’d have a friendly chat with them ,as I often do when I find myself wandering around the castle. In the course of that, I’d dangle a line for them. I’d make some passing comment about how the transition made me uneasy and see how they reacted. For the most part, I got nothing. It wasn’t until I was talking with a young corporal named Moon Beam that I got a lead. “I just find it a little quick, that’s all,” I was saying to him as we chatted in the empty corridor. I was on my way back to my office when I’d run into him, posted outside the library. “I’m sure one day Princess Twilight will make a fine leader. But now she’s little more than a filly.” “I know what you mean, sir,” Moon Beam agreed. “I’ve been in the guard a lot of years, and I never thought the princesses would consider stepping down like this. If it was something they’d raised a while ago, okay, sure. But the way they just sprang it on everypony. Hay, if it wasn’t for Sombra returning, they would have done it already, with barely a week’s notice. It just makes no sense.” “And as I recall, it was just Princess Celestia who said they were stepping down. It was almost like Princess Luna wasn’t even involved,” I pressed carefully. “That’s made more than a few ponies suspicious,” Moon beam agreed with a nod. “Only trouble is, any kind of questioning, or suggesting a postponement puts you at risk of getting done for spreading dissension.” “You think something’s off though,” I persisted. Moon Beam nodded. “Something stinks,” he replied. “I remember being on duty when that changeling interloper was pretending to be the princess. This feels just like that, only we can’t do anything to expose it.” “We?” I asked. Moon Beam looked around for a moment and gestured for me to come closer. He whispered in my ear. “There’s a lot of us in the Lunar Guard who feel the same way. Several of the senior officers are trying to come up with a plan to expose whatever is going on. I trust you, Mr. Owen, and we could use your help.” How so?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “You’re close with both of the princesses,” he explained. “Luna forbid, but if it becomes necessary to make a move, you would be in a great position to help, being at their side so often.” “You’re talking mutiny, Moon Beam!” I warned, making sure to avoid looking too eager. “To protect the princesses and Equestria,” he replied. “This isn’t right! The diarchy must be preserved!” “So what, you plan to disobey the princesses to protect them?” “Assuming they are the princesses,” he answered. “We’re guards, it’s our duty to protect them, from themselves if need be.” Inside, I was appalled at what I was hearing. I’d always thought Moon Beam to be a good lad, with the potential to be an officer some day. But to hear that he, and several others were actually planning some sort of coup….I wanted to punch his lights out. Still, I had a job. I had my opening and took the plunge. “Alright,” I said carefully. “I’ll do what I can to help.” Moon Beam smiled and nodded. “Good,” he said. “There’s going to be a meeting tonight in the Officers’ Mess. Come along and we’ll bring you up to speed.” And so, that evening, I found myself in the Officers’ Mess. This was where the officers of the guard spent their free time and had their meals. It also made for a convenient meeting place. I ran into Moon Beam there, who lead me inside. There were six other guards there; two private, a corporal, a sergeant and two lieutenants, all dressed in the dark blue armour of the Lunar Guard. Moon Beam introduced me to the head honcho; a Lieutenant Noctus. He outlined the situation as it stood. “First of all, I want to thank you all for attending this meeting. You’re putting your careers and your freedom on the line. And we all know that the rest of the Guard is already getting suspicious if that Corporal Sparrow is anything to go by.” I assumed that was SMILE’s agent. “We were lucky I was able to get him transferred out before he could blab anything. If he does talk, it can be dismissed as him being bitter about getting transferred out of the castle. “Now, to business. We must prevent the abdication of Princess Luna, and ensure that Twilight Sparkle does not ascend to the throne. While she is a fine pony, she is not fit to rule this kingdom, much less be a steward of the night. That role falls to our princess, and her alone. I know this is dark business, but we are not doing anything wrong here. We are protecting Equestria, as we were trained to. This transition of power is already affecting Equestria as a whole; the three tribes are growing distrustful and suspicious. If the young princess becomes sole ruler, we may face a breakup of the realm.” Jesus! There was some small amount of truth to what Noctus was saying. Twilight was untested, and there was indeed growing strife within the realm. But acting against the princesses like this could push us into a full blown civil war the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the Lunar Rebellion. I needed to know just what the hell they were planning so SMILE could put a stop to it. “So what’s the shot?” I asked plainly. Noctus smiled. “Simple,” he replied. “In the event that things get as far as a coronation, we will, while acting as the security force for the event, arrest both Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, and place Princess Luna on the throne.” Well, that was optimistic. “And you think, what, ponies are just going to go along with that? Hell, what about the rest of the guard. No disrespect to you chaps, but the eight of us aren’t exactly an army.” “We’ll have the element of surprise,” Noctus assured. “And if all goes well, we won’t need to fight. Our action should spur others, who are just as uncomfortable with this change, to action. It will force the princesses to re-evaluate their decision. From there, we can come to a negotiated settlement.” Okay, that was more than optimistic, that was wing and a prayer level of hopeful. But there was just a tiny chance it might work, or at the very least cause chaos. Ponies do have this trait of playing follow the leader after all. In any case, it represented a credible threat, and I needed to inform Furlong about this, as well as the princesses. The one saving grace is that this all seemed to be confined to a small number of guards, and didn’t go up the chain of command. Still, Night Song would have some explaining to do. From there, we got down to brass tacks. Noctus outlined the plan for the day in detail, which was only a fortnight away at this point. They would be assigned to Luna’s protection detail. Noctus as the two lieutenants would take out their counterparts in Celestia’s detail, while the others would secure the room and keep everypony else under control. I meanwhile, was to restrain both the princesses. Like I said, the plan was very optimistic. In a fair fight between me and Tia, it would end with me as a smoking pile of ash. Still, it gave me more than enough to make a report. Whether SMILE was involved or not, I was sick and tired of keeping secrets and playing my cards close to my chest. Screw Furlong and his ‘we don’t know how high up this goes’. It was plain as day that this only went as far as seven over zealous muppets. Celestia and Luna needed to know. Then we could deal with things the right was; open and transparent, as opposed to the way SMILE liked to do things. I’d fill Furlong in later when all was said and done. Maybe next time he’d think twice about keeping his princesses in the loop. As it was night now, Luna was on the throne. In all honesty, as it was her guards that had decided to go off the reservation, it seemed only proper that she be the one to deal with them. Still, I figured Tia ought to know as well. It was late, but not yet late enough for her to be in bed. So, heading up to her rooms, I went to deliver my grim warning. Flashing my ID to the two sentries on duty, I was let into her section of the castle. From there, I found myself at the door to her personal apartment. Knocking on the door, I waited for a response. A moment later, Celestia appeared. She looked a little tired. It felt odd to see her like this, out of her usual regalia and with her billowing mane done up in a ponytail. It made her seem more normal, just another mare trying to catch forty winks. “Roger?” she asked, still a little bleary eyed as she blinked owlishly at me. “Sorry to bother you so late, Tia,” I said apologetically. “But there’s a bit of a problem, and I figured you ought to at least hear about it.” Celestia now seemed more alert and she straightened herself up. “What is it?” she ask. I explained Furlong’s recent visit, and the disturbing find I’d made meeting up with Noctus and his pals. “I feared something like this might happen,” she admitted. “I knew there had been some mutterings amongst my own guard, but the thestrals in particular are something of a law unto themselves, as you well know.” “I’m going to head up and report this to Luna as well. From there we’ll go and speak with Night Song and do our best to nip this problem in the bud,” I explained. “Good,” she said. “Meanwhile I’ll go and speak with Flash Magnus and have him turn out the guard.” Activating her magic, she floated her regalia over and a moment later, I was looking at Princess Celestia again. The two of us split up. Celestia went to get things moving with the guard, while I went to go and tell Luna what was going on. Or at least, I would have. I hadn’t taken five steps around the corner, out of sight and hearing range, when I suddenly felt a sharp blow clout me on the back of the head. My legs instantly went to jelly and I fell to the ground stunned, with my ears ringing. My vision swam for a few moments, and then I blacked out. I think the phrase I’m looking for rhymes with clucking bell. I don’t know how long I was out for. What I do know is that when I came to, I had a splitting headache. My vision was blurry for a few moments as I slowly came to, but I was quickly cognisant of a few points. Firstly, I’d been sapped on the head, two, I was currently unable to move my arms or legs, and three, Noctus was staring me in the face, with a smug expression. Well done, Roger. You’ve gone and gotten yourself captured. Brilliant! Noctus, along with his lackeys, were standing in front of me. I soon realised that I was the same officers mess where we’d all met up before. Only now, as I said, I was tied to a chair, and not going anywhere. “Tell me, do you think I’m an idiot, Mr. Owen?” Noctus asked curiously. “Or did you honestly expect me to trust you implicitly after one meeting?” Still not fully back with it, I tried being funny. “Well, based on that plan of yours you pitched, I did figure you probably weren’t the full shilling,” I replied. That earned me a punch in the stomach that knocked the wind out of me. Didn’t stop me from wise cracking though. “Now, now, temper!” I said condescendingly. I tested the ropes holding me fast. The knots were pretty tight, but there was some give. “What do you want with me anyway?” “You went to talk with Princess Celestia,” Noctus replied bluntly. “I want to know what about.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Sorry, attorney-client privilege,” I said with a grin. Again, that got me another punch, this time to my face. Spitting, I tasted blood. Hooves really do pack a wallop you know. “Tell me what you discussed. What does she know?” Noctus repeated. It was fairly obvious what he was driving at, He wanted to know if I’d told Celestia exactly who was involved. And like an idiot, I hadn’t. But he didn’t need to know that. If he did...well, were our roles reversed, I’d kill him to cover my tracks. “She knows enough,” I replied, evading the question. “And so does Luna. Tell me, what do you think your princess will do to you when she learns how you betrayed her trust.” Noctus’ eyes went wide in fury. “I will never betray her!” he snarled. “I do this to protect her!” Time to play mind games. “You’ve already betrayed her, Noctus!” I shot back. “You’re a traitor, an honourless traitor who by rights should be taken out and shot!” That got me another punch. Noctus now got up close and personal with me, the two of us found ourselves locked in a staring contest as he grabbed my head with both hooves. “Tell me what you did!” he roared. “You’re screwed, Noctus!” I replied with a grin, ignoring the pain as best I could. “They know what you’re planning, and any minute they’re going to burst in here to take you down!” The other conspirators now started looking around nervously. There was only one way in and out of here, through one door. And as far as they knew, they were now exposed. But then again, when a cat is cornered, it will scratch even the fiercest dog. Noctus backed off, now calmer than before. “They can try,” he replied. “But then I always have my fallback option.” Eh? Noctus, his now turning more cunning, explained. “Aren’t you curious why we were so eager to recruit you?” he asked. “You told me; I’m close to the princesses.” Noctus smiled now. “True,” he replied. “But you also had something we need; a bargaining chip. I believe you planned to make use of it during the attack by the Storm King. A way to force the enemy’s surrender without a fight.” Oh no. He couldn’t be serious! “I know in a locked cupboard, you have what your species call a nuclear bomb, which is capable of vapourising this entire city. If the princesses do not meet our demands, then we will destroy Canterlot.” Noctus now moved to search my jacket pockets. Tied up as I was, I could do little to stop him as he floated the keys out in front of me. “I hope you don’t mind me borrowing this,” he said coldly. I glared at him. There was little else I could do. I just wanted to know how he knew about the bomb in the first place. He was right, I do indeed have a nuke in my office. It was previously to be turned over to SMILE, but after a conversation with Celestia and Luna, it was decided I should keep it, in a locked cabinet in my office. Furthermore, all knowledge of the damned thing was supposed to be suppressed. Bones in particular had voiced concerns about letting the Equestrians have access to that kind of technology. It was supposed to go through a deactivation process next month to make it safe, but at the moment, it was still live. And now those moon worshipping fruit loops had access to it. Noctus and his boys then left me, alive for now. Nopony knew where I was, and at any rate, by the time they did find out where I was or what was going on, it would be too late. Still, that didn’t stop me from trying, and with some work, I was able to start loosening my bonds. It was about another twenty minutes before I managed to undo the ropes and get out again. I’d been knocked about, but I was in pretty decent shape all things considered. In any case, I’d inadvertently kicked the hornets nest. Discovered as he was, Noctus was now putting his maniacal plan into motion. We were staring down the barrel of a genuine military coup. Still, as I found my way back to one of the main thoroughfares of the castle, things seemed more or less okay. For one thing, there were no alarms going off, and pandemonium didn’t seem to have broken out. I figured my best bet was to head for the throne room and meet up with Celestia and Luna. If Tia had turned out the guard, she must have gone to warn her sister too when I didn’t resurface. Or at least, I would have done if I didn’t run into one of the guard posts on my way there. Reaching into my jacket pocked, I prepared to show my ID and get myself waved through as I normally did. Before I had a chance though, all three guards, which were made up of two thestrals and a unicorn, readied their spears. “Halt! Surrender!” the corporal in charge ordered sharply. Eh? “Easy!” I said, raising my hands for a moment. “I’m friend not foe.” I now however, found myself launched into a world of issues. “It’s over, Mr. Owen,” the young guard said. “Lieutenant Noctus told us everything. You’re under arrest for conspiracy. Come quietly now.” Oh son of a…! I tried to talk my way out. “If I say Noctus is the traitor, not me, and that I’m on my way to warn Princess Luna about an imminent coup attempt, I don’t suppose you’d let me go?” The guards were unimpressed. “Turn around. Face the wall,” the corporal instructed. Well, only one thing for it. I could apologise later. Initially, I complied with their request, trying to lull them a bit. Then, as one of them moved to cuff me, I took a swing at him. Taking him by surprise, I caught him clean on the jaw and sent him sprawling. Of course, that prompted his two mates to join in, and both quickly leapt at me, going for my arms to restrain me. But being bipedal, I had something of an advantage, since Royal Guard training is mainly focussed on quadrupeds, their fighting style reflects this. Still, at the end of the day, I’m just gone sixty at this point, and was really pushing my luck. While I’d stunned the unicorn and put him out of the fight, he’d be back on his feet before too long. On reflection, I really should have just legged it. I was fast running out of strength to keep fighting, and I was just about to haul down my colours, when there were three short, sharp magical blasts. Each guard suddenly fell down unconscious. Surprised, I looked around. And there was Furlong, looking mildly amused. “Much obliged, Furlong,” I said. “You can’t do the simplest thing right, can you?” he remarked dryly. Fair, to be honest. “I asked you to find the conspirators and report back, not try to take them down yourself. Now they’ve accelerated their plans, whatever they may be.” As quickly as I could, I explained Noctus’ plan. Instead of looking terrified at the prospect of all of Canterlot being blown to smithereens, and the surrounding valley being contaminated with fallout and uninhabitable for decades, he seemed to be mildly amused. “Well then, I think we ought to do as you were planning, and go see the princesses about this. Although I think you’ll have to play prisoner until we get there.” And so, with some effort on our parts, we managed to get to the throne room to see Luna. Celestia was there too. As promised, she had woken Flash Magnus and turned out the guard. The word was out that there were mutineers about, only they didn’t know who. Luckily, Noctus identifying me as a traitor was enough for Celestia to clock him as a bad lad. By the time we arrived, the situation was, more or less, under control. Well, sort of. Noctus and his fellow traitors were holed up in my office with the bomb, and had barricaded themselves inside. The Royal Guard had sealed all the exits and were under orders to stop anything coming out. The only problem was that they were now threatening to detonate. So, you know, minor problem. “I’m open to suggestions,” Celestia said as she finished summarising the situation. “ We need to neutralise the six guards and prevent them from using that weapon.” “You don’t believe they actually would do such a thing, do you sister?” Luna asked in alarm. “Your guards are loyal to a fault, Luna,” she replied. “They will do whatever it take to ‘protect’ you.” “Plus, it seems fairly obvious that Noctus at the very least isn’t quite right in the head,” I added. “As to getting them out...well, we dare not risk a direct assault, and waiting them out puts us in just as much danger. I think the best option is to try and talk them down before we look to resort to more drastic measures. At the very least, the city should be evacuated, and a shelter in place alert sent to Ponyville and the surrounding towns.” “Actually,” Furlong spoke up. “I’d advise against that last part. Making a statement about this could very well start a panic, or worse, others might take it as their cue. I’d counsel keeping this quiet for the moment. If all goes well, it can be written off as a training exercise.” “Furlong! There’s thousands of ponies in Canterlot!” I exclaimed. “Far better to keep them where they are and unaware. For the moment, the threat is contained.” At that moment, we were interrupted by one of the guards coming to report on the situation. “Princesses,” he said. “The traitor wants an audience with Princess Luna. He says he will speak with nopony but her.” “Not a good idea,” I warned. I was about to go on, when Luna cut me off. “On the contrary, Mr. Owen,. It is an excellent idea. Sister, I believe I’ve often said to you how we should take a more active role in the defence of the realm.” Ah yes. Sometimes, having been friends with these two for so long, I forget that they’re alicorns of phenomenal power not that far from being goddesses. Still, there was the small matter of the nuclear weapon in there. I didn’t really know jack about that thing, other than it probably wasn’t a good idea to blast it with magic. “What about the bomb though?” I pointed out. “One stray blast of magic and we’ll all be standing outside the pearly gates.” “Doubtful,” Furlong replied. “Considering that it can’t go off.” Eh? “Say what?” I said dumbly. Furlong smiled at me with an air of fatherly patience. “Mr Owen, when you requested we transfer the device to your custody, did you really think SMILE would leave it intact?” You’ve got to be kidding me! So, as it turned out. Noctus had no bargaining chip. The bomb, contrary to popular belief, was already disarmed, with all the blasting caps removed. There was no way it would ever go up, since there was nothing to start the reaction. With that knowledge in hand, Luna and a group of her guards went to indulge in some baton therapy, and Noctus and his confederates were soon detained and placed in the castle dungeons. What follows next was nowhere near as exciting, so I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version. Obviously, Noctus and the others were promptly informed that their services in the Royal Guard were no longer required. Attempted coups do really tend to do a number on your future career prospects. They were all charged with high treason and sent to prison at a military prison down south near Dodge Junction. All of them were also on SMILE’s watch list for life. There was also something of a witch hunt shortly afterwards. As Furlong had said, they wanted to be certain that there were no other potentially hostile elements still in the guard. My participation, while it exposed Noctus and his group, did leave the possibility that we’d scared other like minded ponies into hiding. However, after thorough investigation, it was ultimately concluded that the rest of the guard were on the up and up. As loyal as they were, the vast majority accepted the princesses’ decision to step down. After all, if you remember the oath Thorax took when he became a citizen, which is similar to the attestation for a member of the Royal Guard, they swore to obey not only the princesses, but all their rightful heirs and successors. In any case, the whole matter died down and was dealt with. I didn’t see Furlong again, and have heard nothing about SMILE since, apart from occasional rumours. All that remained now was to wait for the day of Twilight’s coronation. And while most ponies were anxious to see what would happen next, I was concerned for entirely different reasons, as Discord’s mad plan was about to come unstuck in the worst way possible.