It had been almost a week since the attempt on Cadance’s life. Nearly that long since the Doctor had put him on bed rest and a medicine regime to promote his recovery. A good deal longer since the last time he’d run drills or announced a surprise equipment inspection for his guards. He shuddered to think what their armor must look like after a week of exposure to the elements without their commander riding them to keep their gear in peak condition.
No, instead of attending to his responsibilities, he was laying in his bed, staring at the clock hanging on the wall opposite. He'd spent the last hour watching the second-hand ticking by, counting the number of times it had reset the minute count in coordination with the rolling of the Ambassador, a grand total of seven so far. Idlily, he wondered what Cadance was up to this evening. He hadn’t seen her or heard from her in days, and if not for the fact that he knew from the lack of alarms that there had been no emergency since he’d been put on bedrest, he’d be feeling a tad bit worried right now. He'd already read everything she’d left for him twice over, and had been looking forward to impressing her with his knowledge on recent history of the Empire when she returned. For whatever reason, she hadn’t visited him since that first night, which left him feeling slightly disappointed and very, very bored.
We’re only a day or two out from Roam. Maybe she’s overseeing final preparations?
Regardless of her reasons, his forced solitude, combined with his medication had left him drowsy and irritable most of the time. Thus far he’d avoided taking it out on his few guests, who’d mostly consisted of the nurses who came to check on him daily, and Barrel Roll, who’d drop in for a minute when he wasn’t busy. Even so, he would have enjoyed some more frequent visitors.
A knock at the door broke the monotony of the ticking clock and ended his reverie. Checking that his room wasn’t completely destroyed, he sat up and scooched back against the wall behind him. “Enter.”
The door swung inward and he was surprised to see both Barrel Roll and Sergeant Stone Wall standing in the hallway. Both had saddlebags on, though Barrel's leaned significantly more to one side. Without missing a beat, Barrel Roll pushed past the Sergeant and into the stateroom.
“Shiny! I was just dropping in for a visit, and look who I bumped into!” He strode over and almost flopped into the desk chair beside Shining’s bed, then took out a paper bag that was full of... something and tossed it onto the desk.
From the door, Stone Wall saluted his wounded commander. “Permission to enter, sir?”
“Granted. Leave the formalities at the door, Stone. No point in being the only one uncomfortable.”
Stone Wall nodded and stepped inside, closing the door behind himself. Barrel Roll spun in the chair to face the bed. “So, how are you feeling today?”
“Better. The Doctor says I can start walking around tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” Barrel Roll quipped cheerfully as he placed the paper bag in the desk. “You’ll start to get soft quick, being lazy all day.”
Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, is that what this is?”
“Shiny, you get to stay in bed all day until somepony brings you a meal, then when you’ve eaten you lay down and sleep. It’s practically a free vacation!”
“Except for the part where I was shot.”
“Well, did they bill you for that? Like I said, practically free.”
Stone Wall let out a little cough, drawing their attention. “It's good you’re feeling better, Lieutenant. Now, if you don’t mind, I came here to give you a report on everything we learned from the assassins remains.”
“Of course.” Shining Armor shot Barrel Roll a look that warned him not to act up, then turned to face Stone Wall. “Please, continue.”
Stone Wall took out a binder and presented it to his commander, his face neutral. “This is everything we know, and quite a few things we don’t know but suspect strongly. Unfortunately, interrogation was not an option, but we did make some interesting observations about the gear they were carrying. In particular, we found field kits containing medical equipment similar to what is used for collecting blood samples by our medical staff.”
Shining Armor's eyebrows furrowed. “Blood samples?”
“Yes sir, though we aren’t certain that was their intended use. We don’t know it was intended for use at all, it could be that it was just a part of the medical kit that they had procured.”
Shining didn’t have to look at Barrel Roll to know that they were both thinking the same thing.
“Do we know how they got on board the Ambassador?”
“I can answer that,” Barrel Roll’s expression became uncharacteristically somber. “We found a couple of bodies from the Night Watch in one of the storage rooms in the stern. They’d been strangled with rope or cord.”
Shining Armor grimaced. That was an ugly way to die. “What about the rest of the watch? Aren’t there six per shift?”
“The other four are MIA, presumed dead. Probably tossed overboard.”
Damn. “I’m sorry.”
Barrel Roll gave him a slight nod. “At least we got the bastards who did it.”
“Most of them,” Stone Wall interjected. “We think there was likely a fourth conspirator who acted as a lookout and fled when you foiled the attack.”
“And we never discovered where they came from?”
“I’m afraid not, sir. For all we know, they were hiding in a cloud bank for days, waiting for us to pass by. We sent out search parties, but they never found anything.”
Shining Armor flipped open the binder and skimmed though it. Most of it was just a recollection of his fight with the assassins, minus the way he’d killed the final attacker. Justified as it may have been, he didn’t think the higher ups would look too kindly on how he’d handled the situation. Fortunately, the interviewer who'd taken his account of the fight didn’t pressure him for details.
He turned the last page, then looked up at Stone Wall and frowned. There was something he’d been expecting to see that hadn’t been the report at all. “What can you tell me about their weapons?”
Stonewall glanced over at Barrel Roll, who nodded. He took a step closer to the bed. “The crossbow, bolts, and wingblades are of griffon design, no surprises there.” He leaned in closer to Shining Armor and Barrel Roll. “The daggers however, are made from Haematite,” he said in a low voice.
A shiver ran down Shining Armor’s spine. Haematite, or Cold Iron as it was more commonly known, was a rare mineral that was found in scattered pockets throughout the world, and had the unusual property of being highly resistant to magic in all its forms. It had long been banned in Equestira and not available on the wider market. Officially, this was the result of its scarcity and high demand in industrial sectors where magical contamination needed to be kept to a minimum. In reality, it was mostly used in the creation of the anti-magic vaults beneath Fort Ox, where dangerous magical artifacts were kept away from the public eye. This served a double purpose, as Cold Iron was one of the only natural materials that bypassed the supernatural toughness inherent to Alicorns, rendering them almost as vulnerable as anyone else to weapons crafted from it. As such, it was a closely kept secret from all but a few within the government and military itself.
A secret that only someone close to the Princesses could have known.
The implications were almost too radical to consider. Shining Armor had always thought of Canterlot as a safe place where he could focus on his duties and training. Protecting Cadance from threats within the palace itself had never been part of his calculations.
“So, not only did they know who was on board and where we were going, but they had everything they needed to kill Cadance.”
“It would seem so, sir.”
“This keeps getter better,” Shining Armor mumbled. How in Tartarus did they get their claws on some Cold Iron? There haven’t been any new veins discovered in Equestira in years. “You said the rest of their equipment was standard?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Any explosives?”
“None that we discovered.”
Shining Armor closed the binder and looked at Barrel Roll. “What do you think? Same party?”
Barrel Roll nodded. “Probably.”
Stone Wall looked between the two lieutenants. “Party?”
“We suspect that the pirates that we encountered a few weeks ago were not operating on their own volition,” Barrel Roll stated. “Our intelligence is still gathering the details, but we believe that they were hired to attack the Ambassador once we were beyond the assistance of Equestria.” Stone Wall stared at him for a few seconds, then his eyes narrowed and he nodded.
“That does make sense. It's not normal pirate behavior to target such a heavily armed ship as the Ambassador. They should have turned and run as soon as they saw us.” His normally unflappable expression morphed into a deep frown. “Although it is concerning that that have been targeted multiple times during our voyage. That would imply a level of knowledge of our location that could only be provided-”
“If they were getting it from somepony on the ship,” Shining Armor finished. “We’re keeping this quiet for now. If we let slip that there’s a spy aboard the Ambassador, the crew would tear themselves apart.”
“And you want me to help you investigate.”
“Actually, we’d prefer if you sat on your ass and didn’t help at all,” Barrel Roll said flippantly, “make it a fun challenge for us.”
Stone Wall turned his gaze on Barrel Roll, his feelings once again hidden the usual visage.
“Hard to imagine anything getting past an officer of your caliber. Sir.”
Barrel Roll, taken aback by the audacity of the statement, stared at him for a few seconds, then threw his head back and laughed. “So, it is possible to get under your skin! And here I thought you were completely dead inside!”
“Only mostly, sir.”
“That’s enough, Sergeant,” Shining Armor interjected. “When I said you could ditch the formalities, I didn’t mean you could disrespect the Lieutenant.”
“Aw, come on, Shiny, it's just a little banter between friends.” Behind Barrel Roll said playfully. Behind him and out of his view, Stone Wall stiffened, almost coming to a full attention stance.
“Be that is it may, Barrel, the Sergeant doesn’t know you or your... style of humor like I do. Tone it down a little, before I have to recommend citations for you both.”
“Awe, you’re no fun...”
“Before I leave, sir, there is a matter I needed to speak with you about.” Stone Wall was deliberately not looking at Barrel Roll now. “In private.”
Shining Armor nodded. “Barrel, do you mind stepping out for a few minutes?” he gave his oldest friend his trademark ‘don’t push it’ look as he asked, hoping Barrel Roll would take the hint.
Thankfully, Barrel Roll could read the room. “I’ll just wait outside,” he said as he stood out of the chair. Walking to the door, he turned back to Shining. “Oh, before I forget, I brought you some burritos from the kitchen. Don’t let them get too cold.”
“Thanks, Barrel.”
Barrel Roll nodded once and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Stone Wall relaxed slightly. “Thank you, sir.”
“I meant what I said, Stone Wall. I know the Lieutenant can be... abrasive, but you still need to respect the chain of command.”
“I understand sir. On that matter, I have something for you to look at.” Stone Wall opened the other side of his saddle bags and took out another binder and set it on the desk. “This is a copy of a Letter of Reprimand for Corporal Storm Front on the grounds of Disrespecting a Princess. I already filled out the paperwork, you just need to sign it.”
Shining Armor took the folder gingerly. “A reprimand? What happened?” Stone Wall stiffened at the question, his mannerisms falling back into the formal tones he used with a superior.
“Sir, the first night Princess Cadance visited your stateroom, Corporal Storm Front was on guard rotation outside. The day after, during morning mess, she was heard speculating openly about the nature of the Princess’s visit, claiming to have heard noises indicating unbecoming behavior of you both.” He nodded to the paperwork in Shining’s hoof. “As Acting Commander of the bodyguard, I took the liberty of writing the reprimand, under the assumption that there was no merit to the gossip.”
Shining Armor stared at Stone Wall with a baffled expression.
“... She claimed that Cadance and... excuse me, Princess Cadance and I are in a relationship?”
“More that you had relations, if you catch my meaning, sir.”
Shining Armor frowned at the papers in front of him. An infraction of this nature would have likely resulted in a transfer back in Canterlot. As it happened, they were heading into a potentially volatile political situation. As the commanding officer, while he could remove the troops under his command from duty, he had no authority to place them there, and with the limited pool of potential replacements available to him, it was entirely possible that no one would be considered suitable, leaving him down a soldier until they returned home or received reinforcements.
“Has the Princess been made aware of this incident?”
Stone Wall’s expression hardened. “Not officially, but I know that she heard about it and expressed concern. She did not, however, submit a request that the Corporal be reassigned.”
Well, that settles it. If Cadance had been so bothered by Strom Front’s comments that she didn’t want her around, she would have made it abundantly clear how she felt. “I’m going to withhold signing it for now, though I reserve the right to reverse that decision if she doesn’t get her act together.”
Stone Wall nodded. “I will inform the Corporal of your decision. I am certain she will not do it again.”
That makes one of us. “Make sure she knows what will happen if she does.”
Stone Wall saluted his commander. “Will do. By your leave, sir.”
“Thanks for coming by, Sergeant.”
With that, Stone wall turned and left, closing the door securely behind him. Shining Armor watched the door, half expecting it to open again. When it didn’t, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and slumped back into his bed. The rumors started by Strom was an ill-timed complication. While there was nothing between them, he couldn’t ignore the fact that soldiers would be watching Cadance and him like a foal watched the ice cream colt rolling down the street. It explained why she hadn’t visited him for a second lesson since he was discharged by the doctors.
Great. Now, I have to defend Cadance’s reputation too. This is the last thing I need right now.
He thought back to the first night after he had been released, racking his brain for anything that Storm could have misinterpreted as “inappropriate conduct” between Cadance and him. All he could recall was that Cadance had been in a good mood and very receptive to his jokes and teasing. Beyond being rather giggly, though, he didn’t think anything untoward had happened that evening.
His thoughts were interrupted by a low growl from his stomach. He'd been so focused on the conversation he hadn’t realized that he hadn’t eaten since that morning. Reaching out with his magic, he grabbed the paper bag off the desk and opened it to reveal it was stuffed with individually wrapped burritos.
The door opened, and a grinning Barrel Roll stepped inside. “You gonna finish that?” he teased.
Shining mock shielded the bag from his friend. “These are mine. Get your own.”
“Lucky me, I have a great friend who’s always willing to share.”
Shining Armor rolled his eyes, then tossed a couple of the burritos to Barrel. “That’s it. I'm eating the rest.” He ripped the wrapping off one of the burritos and bit half of it off, chewing slowly as he parsed out its ingredients.
Barrel Roll took his time unwrapping his snack. “Did I ever tell you that I brought the O&O books? I thought we might put together a group while we were deployed. How would you feel about that?”
“Can’t talk. Food.”
“Alright, then, I’ll do the talking. Sheesh.” Barrel Roll's lips formed a sly smile as he watched his friend unwrap a second burrito. He waited for Shining to take a bite, then leaned forward in the chair. “So, I heard you banged Cadance,” he said casually.
Shining Armor’s eyes bulged as the burrito he was shallowing suddenly refused to complete its passage. He pounded on his chest to asset in its journey. “Not...true...” he coughed.
Barrel Roll extended a wing and slapped Shining Armor on the back, clearing his windpipe. “Listen, if you’re going to die of embarrassment, at least tell me the story first.”
“It's not true,” Shining restated. “One of the bodyguards was telling stories about us, I never touched her-”
“Easy, Shiny, I know you two aren’t sleeping together,” Barrel Roll chuckled. “You should have seen the look on your face, though. Priceless.”
Shining Armor's face flushed, and he scowled at Barrel Roll. “It's not funny, Barrel. It's actually a pretty big deal.”
“Cadance didn’t think so when I told her.”
Shining Armor’s jaw dropped. “You told her?”
“Well, yeah,” Barrel Roll shrugged, “Better she hears it from me then through the grapevine, right? At least I can spin it into a joke or something. I didn’t want her to think you were the one who started the rumor.”
Shining Armor paused as he heard Barrel’s point. He'd never even considered that Cadance could be angry at him instead of Storm Front. If the story had evolved into him bragging about getting a Princess in the sack before she had finally heard about it...
“I see your point,” he said grudgingly, “and you said Cadance didn’t make a big deal out of it?”
“Not really, she just said that you didn’t have ‘that kind of friendship.’ Then I said if she was interested in that kind of friendship, I’m still single.”
“You didn’t!”
“Of course I did! You had a marefriend, so maybe you didn’t notice, but Cadance is hot.” He wagged his eyebrows at Shining, “Anyways, that set off Cadance’s attendant. Started yelling about ‘Respect for Royalty’ or something, I tuned her out after a while.”
Shining Armor facehoofed. . He’d only ever seen the mare that shadowed Cadance on rare occasions back in Canterlot and even more infrequently since coming aboard the Ambassador, but even from their brief interactions, he’d picked up on her attitude of “Don’t mess with the Princess”.
He slowly peeled his limb away, eyeing Barrel Roll like he'd just kicked a hornets nest with Shining standing next to him. “Just so you know,” he said, “if you turn up dead in mysterious circumstances, I’m going to tell everyone that it’s your own damn fault.”
“Good to know you’ve got my back, buddy.”
“Anytime.”
There was a period of relative silence as both lieutenants ate their food. As he sat chewing, a question began to gnaw at Shining Armor. He wasn’t sure as to the reason, though. It’s probably nothing. Its none of my business anyways. It's not like it matters, what-
“What did she say?” The words rolled off his tongue almost before he realized it.
Barrel Roll cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
Shining Armor froze, not wanting to repeat his question. Still, he’d said the words, he might as well find out. “What did Cadance say when you.... you know, propositioned her?”
“Oh, that. She just rolled her eyes. It was just a joke, Shiny. You made jokes like that with Picture all the time.”
“Right, right. It'd just be weird if... you know...”
“If we hooked up?”
“Yeah.”
“I mean, I guess. Does it matter?”
“No.”
Barrel Roll gave his friend a bemused look, then shrugged and went back eating his burrito. Internally, Shining Armor let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure why it had mattered at all to him. In fact, there had been a time when he would have thought it pretty cool to see his friends get together, though even he had to admit that the two would have been a terrible match. At some point, though, that had changed, and now he found himself satisfied that Cadance had thoroughly rebuffed Barrel. Guess I was bound to start feeling protective of more than just her physical person at some point.
They finished the rest of their meal as quietly as two soldiers can, which is to say not very, then gathered up the trash and placed it into the paper bag Barrel had brought the burritos in.
“Got a minute to talk about those O&O books you brought?” Shining asked.
Barrel Roll shrugged. “Not really. I have some paperwork that I need to take care of, but we 'll have plenty of time to talk about it after we get to Roam.”
“Let’s plan on that, then. “
With that, Barrel Roll took his leave, stopping to collect trash from around the room for his friend before heading back to his own stateroom. As the latch on the door locked, Shining Armor snuggled into his mattress and closed his eyes. His friend's words about eating and sleeping came back to him, and he scoffed lightly at the humor of the situation. How dare he correctly point out my sleeping habits, he thought to himself with a yawn. I'll show him, I’ll come up with some creative practice exercises for the guard before I go to sleep...
The magelights that lit up the corners of his room flashed a few times, then winked out entirely as the source of their power began to snore lightly in his bed.