"Princess Luna," the commander saluted. "You requested my presence?"
"Ah, Silverbright. Please come in." Luna spoke with warmth, greeting a friend as much as an officer. "We have much to discuss regarding your new role as commander of Our guard."
"Of course, and I thank you for the opportunity, Your Highness." Silverbright's drawled formality gave no hint of the same warmth, but Luna knew service was just how the commander expressed how much she cared. "In fact, I already have ideas on how to improve our effectiveness."
"Ah, do tell."
"Under Commander Steelheart, the Guard's combat effectiveness rose, but at the cost of allowing our information networks to fall into complete disarray," Silverbright said with such a matter-of-fact tone that it nearly hid the insult toward her predecessor. "I intend to put together a team whose primary task is to rebuild these to a higher standard than they've ever been before. They will act with an increased degree of autonomy as necessary for their mission, their roles kept on a need-to-know basis."
"We see. And how are they to complete such a lofty task?"
"Better you not know, Your Highness. Should we make a mistake, it will be important for you to maintain deniability. And there are those who might detect a lie."
"This... isn't strictly legal, is it?" A hint of trepidation entered Luna's voice, concerned over what Silverbright might be willing to do for her.
"Deniability, Your Highness," the commander responded flatly, stoic face betraying not a hint of what she intended.
Luna considered a moment. How much would she be willing to do to get a leg up on her sister. The answer suddenly seemed obvious: anything. "Very well. In that case, We trust in your judgement. Though we have not ordered you to do anything."
"Thank you, Your Highness. Equestria will be made safer by this. I promise." And with that, Silverbright snapped another salute, then left the princess to her stewing thoughts.
Captain Starside seethed, reading over the suspension letter from Commander Silverbright as he trotted through the halls of Blackwatch. He'd seen it coming, but he still didn't want to believe it. Silverbright had always naively believed that there could be peace under Celestia, but he knew the truth. Unlike the rest, he had seen the Solar Guard at Canter's Motte. He'd seen the way they slashed and burned their way through that old fortress without a care for who was a rebel and who was just caught in the crossfire.
Of course, he'd been but a foal at the time, but when his mother was taken from one of the outlying villages and forced to "attend to the rebels' needs," he was brought right along with. It didn't matter that she was just a slave, a plaything for the rebels, her story still ended with a sun-emblazoned spear lodged in her throat.
Oh, they were all too quick to claim it was just an accident—things got confusing in the chaos of battle, after all—but he'd seen how they dismissed him, how they let a fresh recruit by the name of Dovekin get away with murder. That was why he was always hyper aware of who was hostile and who was just in hostile territory, and why he would pay any price to bring down the Solars no matter what restrictions Silverbright placed on him.
As for whether or not Celestia and the Solar Guard really were at fault for Princess Luna’s disappearance, he didn’t know for sure. He suspected they were, as it fit with what he knew of them, but it didn’t ultimately matter. He would spread whatever stories he needed to in order to get the others on his side. And if they thought him paranoid now, they wouldn't be laughing once Celestia moved against them more openly. After all, it was only a matter of time before she tried to disband the Lunar Guard.
Starside came to an abrupt halt. The mess hall lay directly before him, where a black-coated unicorn with violet eyes was whispering about some gossip or other with several of their compatriots. Starside hadn't even known that Lieutenant Nightly was back—and given that he still wore the lightweight black plate and kettle helm of their combat uniform, his return was unlikely to have been more than an hour gone. His arrival was of no real consequence to Starside though. The important bit was that this gave him an idea.
Among those gathered before Nightly was one Guard Officer Deep Dark. Now, Deep Dark was not known for any wit or cunning, a trade-off for all the muscles they said, but that didn't seem to make him any less popular. He could always find his way into a new social group, largely on account of how easily fascinated he was by nearly any topic of conversation. He was also a hopeless gossip, perfect for Starside’s budding plan.
"Lieutenant Nightly," Starside began, "don't you have a report to give to the commander?"
Nightly turned from with the group with a smile. "She's in a meeting, and I would oh so hate to intrude..." he glanced to the letter clenched in Starside's hoof, "...Captain."
Starside bristled. The letter could have been anything, but he was suddenly sure that Nightly knew exactly what it was for. Luckily, it would be inappropriate for Nightly to reveal he knew without an official announcement having been made, and thus Starside retained an ounce of authority one moment longer.
"Nevertheless," Starside said, "I think it best you wait by her door. I'm sure she'll want to hear from you as soon as she's done."
Nightly snapped a salute, the ghost of a smile still on his lips. "Of course, sir. I wouldn't dream of keeping her waiting."
With him gone, Starside turned to the gathered officers, eyeing Deep Dark in particular. "Now, given that you're off-duty, why don't I get you all some ale? On me. You lot can tell me all about your day, and I can share a few new things I've learned..."
Moonspeaker Tlaocani trudged down the lonely dirt trail, her weary bones aching from the long journey from Blackwatch toward her home in the thestral province of Tzinacatlia. She would have taken a ship, but upon looking into the mists she'd seen a vision of this very trail. This was where she needed to be, regardless of how frail she'd become in recent years.
It was near midnight, a cool and gentle wind rustling the leaves of nearby trees was the only sound beyond the occasional hoot of an owl. It was the perfect environment for a thestral such as her, though her traveling companion—a pegasus of the Lunar Guard—could only barely make out the trail. Even then, the dutiful young stallion never once complained.
Guard Officer Crescent Wind had been sent by Commander Silverbright to notify her of the events at Castle Everfree and thereafter escort her the rest of the way to Tzinacatlia, and thus far Tlaocani had appreciated the company. It was too bad he had ulterior motives. Silverbright no doubt wanted to see if the thestrals could be counted on as allies should a conflict break out, and this “escort” was a perfect excuse to both ingratiate the Lunar Guard in the eyes of Tzinacatlia and discreetly probe their intentions.
Luckily, the political maneuverings of Commander Silverbright happened to work in Tlaocani's favor. They each had the shared goals of maintaining stability and serving Princess Luna. Though there were many in both Tzinacatlia and Blackwatch that would seek to subvert those goals. Agents of the Nightmare still hid amongst the good citizens of the night, and even more would take advantage of any perceived weakness to further their own selfish desires. If only the magic of the Moonspeakers—the images shown in moonlight scattered through mist—would tell her who these renegades were.
The expanse of clouds overhead passed by the moon, allowing its light to shine down upon the winding forest path. It also allowed Tlaocani to make out Luna's image against the face of said moon. A grave reminder of her failure to warn the Lunar Guard in time, and of the consequences of that failure still yet to come.
Tlaocani would not allow herself to dwell on such things though. There was little sense in it, and she was nothing if not a sensible mare. Though she feared the world was fast running out of sensible ponies. The mists indicated that even her own allies might soon find themselves with no reasonable choices left. They would march to their own destruction if she allowed it. Luckily, she was a firm believer in the principles of hope and faith in times of disharmony, and so she still believed that the most important things could and would be preserved.
Under the moon's light, Crescent Wind could finally see with some clarity. He seemed relieved, only to halt in alarm a few moments later. "Do you smell that?"
"Son," Tlaocani said, "I think you'll find I smell very little in my old age. What is it?"
"Smoke." The young pegasus gave her a serious look. "Ma'am, I'll have to ask you to wait here a moment. I'll fly up and take a look around."
"Please do." Tlaocani watched him take to the air, then stepped off the road and sat down to wait. If she was to be stopped, she could at least get a moment's rest in. She probably needed more than a moment, but that would have to wait. Tzinacatlia wouldn't.
Several minutes passed before Crescent Wind swooped back down upon the same spot he left. He did a double take when he realized Tlaocani was absent, then spotted her off to the side and trotted over. "Ma'am, I’m afraid there’s trouble. Looks like a mining camp’s built into the cliffs nearby, but several of the buildings are on fire. There's even two groups of ponies down there: earth ponies and thestrals. I couldn’t see them too well, but it looked like the thestrals were in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Tlaocani asked warily. “Do you mean to say they were under attack?”
“It’s possible.” Crescent Wind nodded. “Either way, the two of us won’t be of much help. If we continue along the path we should pass by them just fine.”
“No,” Tlaocani said firmly. “If ponies are in danger, we must help. We’re going to this camp.”
“Ma’am,” Crescent Wing began with alarm, “pardon my saying so, but you can’t be serious! If the two of us go in there without backup, the only thing we’ll do is put ourselves in danger!”
“And why should we tremble at such danger? Are you afraid, Guard Officer?”
“No, but Commander Silverbright ordered me to escort you to Tzinacatlia, and that’s what I intend to do.”
“Well then,” Tlaocani gave a mischievous smirk, “I think I’m going to take a detour to this camp you’ve found. You may escort me if you wish, or you may drub me over the head and drag me to Tzinacatlia. Your choice.”
“I… frick, okay, let’s go.”
“I thought as much.”
The journey was short, owing to them both having wings, but they still touched down at the edge of the burning camp and approached on hoof. Tlaocani thought that wiser, lest they be taken for attackers and ended up attacked themselves.
As they got closer, it became apparent that whatever was happening was almost over. Several small houses, a couple of supply sheds, and what appeared to be a makeshift tavern were all in ruins with the flames beginning to die down. There were even the remains of a much larger building—probably a storage area for whatever they were mining—that had naught left but ash and blackened debris. It seemed that must have caught fire first, or else it would still be aflame along with the rest.
A thick haze of smoke reduced visibility, but Tlaocani could still make out the shapes of at least two dozen ponies near the middle of the camp. Huddled in the center of them were a group of thestrals, cowering in fear. The earth ponies around them looked fearful too, but also angry.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Tlaocani yelled as she approached, receiving shocked and wary looks in return. “Well? I’ll have somepony explain this mess you’ve all gotten yourselves into.”
One of the earth ponies turned from the group, a torch still clutched in his forehoof. "I suggest you stay out of this, bat," he said coarsely before noticing Crescent Wind. "And everypony knows the Lunar Guard is on its way out. You have no authority here."
"We'll disagree on that, but what of the sheriff?" Tlaocani scanned through the assembled ponies, all of whom gazed back at her with either interest, fear, or—in the case of the Thestrals—hope. "Strange, I don't see him. Do you no longer recognize local law either?"
The pony smiled, a dangerous glint to his eyes. "The Sheriff knows nothing of what we do. He said so himself. Besides, these scum were mining on our lands, using an old shaft our forefathers dug. They had no right. We warned them of what would happen, but they refused to listen.” He glared back at them, disgust and hatred tinging his voice. “And then we found out the iron was being sent to Tzinacatlia for weapons. So you see, bat, we are merely defending our land. Nopony can fault that, can they?"
Tlaocani's thoughts raced. Could they have been so stupid? She stepped past the stallion, earning herself an angry grunt in the process. “Is it true? Were you stealing their ore for weapons?”
None of the thestrals dared meet her stare, opting instead to duck and make themselves even smaller before the assembled ponies.
“Answer me!” Tlaocani boomed. She had as little patience with those who wasted her time as she did with thieves.
A young mare in the group finally looked up. “It… it is…” she bowed her head, recognizing Tlaocani's gossamer shawl, “Moonspeaker.”
“Why?” Tlaocani begged. “We’re in enough trouble as is. Are you trying to start a war!”
“It’s already started,” the pony mumbled as she struggled to maintain eye contact. “The peace between day and night is over. We have to defend ourselves.”
“Finally,” the earth pony who’d taken the lead said, “something the bat and I agree on.”
Tlaocani practically growled. “You,” she pointed to the stallion, “burn this place to the ground if you like, but I’m taking these ponies back home to Tzinacatlia. The justice of the mob has had its time.”
“As long as they walk free, justice hasn’t even begun,” the stallion shot back. “Those bats aren’t going anywhere. Not yet. You can take back whatever's left when we're done.”
A loud crackle caused a stir in the crowd, the sound of Crescent Wind igniting his moonlit blade drawing all attention to him. "It sounds to me like you just threatened murder," he said, the twisted yellow energy of the blade casting strange shadows across his face. "Now whether you recognize our authority or not, Equestrian law still does. I suggest you let them go before this escalates beyond all of us."
The earth pony in charge stared at Crescent Wind in defiance for only a moment. When his eyes hit that glowing blade, it was like all the hot air had been drawn out of him. "Eh, fine. Take the stinkin' creatures. They'll steal that blade and leave you for dead before you can blink twice anyhow."
Crescent Wind didn't dignify that with an answer; he only turned to Tlaocani and nodded. For her part, Tlaocani quickly gathered the frightened thestrals before the earth ponies could think twice about whether or not they could really take on a member of the Lunar Guard. It would be best to be gone swiftly, lest their good fortune in avoiding further violence turn sour.
As the group made for the nearby path, the ever-bold stallion had just enough courage to shout, "Remember who your true friends should be, Lunar Guard! Pegasi and earth ponies have stood together since the three tribes! Don't abandon that for mere bats!"
To that, Crescent Wind shouted back, "Commander Silverbright's an earth pony! I think I'll stand with her just fine!"
And with that, they were off into the peace of night. There were more mouths to feed than before and progress toward Tzinacatlia would be make slower, but neither of those troubled Tlaocani. She was more worried about what the leadership in Tzinacatlia might be doing.
Stealing iron from the surrounding provinces was more than bold, it was reckless. Though necessary for advanced weapons, given the poor quality of iron deposits within those jungles, the thestrals never needed to worry of invasion before. The terrain was too hostile for any serious attack. That they went this route anyway indicated they were desperate, and worse, outright paranoid. The loss of Princess Luna had shaken thestral society down to its heart and soul.
Then there was the troubling idea that the timeline didn't quite fit. Luna only disappeared recently. For this to have so quickly been established, it must have been planned even before—which meant it had been happening right under Tlaocani's nose. Just what was going on in Tzinacatlia? Were the perpetrators guided by madness or darkest reason? And where was it all going? Tlaocani would soon find out.