It had only been about a week since Peach Pit brought Shining Armor to the massive repository of information hiding within the base's lower levels. The tour of the underground archives had been relatively brief as the sleepy-eyed unicorn stallion hadn't allowed the curious colt to see much of what the place had to offer. Much of the information in certain areas had been off-limits to those not in what Peach Pit called Frigid Gale's 'inner circle'.
Curious though he was, Shining Armor knew better than to pry. Beyond that, he'd wanted to get down to business as soon as possible anyway. He still wasn't entirely sure why he was being taught light magic at all, but if it brought him one step closer to his own ultimate goal of finding his sister then he wasn't going to complain.
With that in mind, the colt took to Peach Pit's rather hooves-off lessons with zeal. Most of his time was spent poring over both ancient and modern tomes and texts regarding the fundamentals of light magic. His studies, for the most part, had gone fairly quickly—the subject matter coming rather easily to Shining.
It wasn't like the colt had no knowledge of light magic. He'd taken a page out of his sister's book every now and then while he was training to get into the Royal Guard's training program. The slow-spoken unicorn that was supposed to be his teacher had only really spoken up to give some advice here and there whenever he noticed Shining Armor stumbling with a particular topic.
He mostly left Shining Armor to his own devices, but that was okay with the colt as he preferred not to have somepony standing over his shoulder all the time anyway. Despite his laissez-faire attitude regarding Shining's studies, Peach Pit did make sure to force the colt to take some time for himself.
This was perfectly fine with Shining Armor, as he hadn't had the same patience or mental fortitude his sister had when it came to studying for hours on end each and every day. Most of the time his breaks consisted of wandering the upper levels of the bunker—specifically, anywhere he was allowed to go. He made it a point to get to know as many of the resistance members as he could in the amount of time that he had.
Of course, not everyone was eager to make his acquaintance. In fact, a great many of the creatures going about their business hadn't appreciated Shining's presence at all. Listening in on some of the conversations around and about him, Shining Armor discovered many of the resistance members still had no idea why he was even here.
Shining himself only knew that Frigid Gale wanted to use him to find Twilight. If she had any plans for him beyond that, he didn't know them. That she had allowed him to learn light magic spoke to some kind of ulterior motive, but he didn't know what that could possibly be. He'd learned a while back that asking around wouldn't get him anywhere either.
Still, that wasn't to say that no one was receptive to his attempts to make acquaintances if not friends. Peach Pit had been a friendly sort and he'd started to get along well with Fell Wind before she was sent off to who-knows-where. Surprisingly enough, he'd even somehow gotten that bitter old griffon Astrid to warm up to him somewhat.
Even with that in mind, he hadn't gotten anyone to open up to him about Frigid Gale's plans for him or his sister. He hadn't expected to in all honesty, but it was still disheartening nonetheless. Giving up on getting any answers, he decided to devote himself wholly to his studies instead. Engrossed as he was in his studies, he'd failed to notice the strange and sudden shift in the atmosphere of the entire base.
It was one even after several hours of pouring over tomes and notes that he finally realized something was off. Even then, he hadn't picked up on it until he was out of the Archives and halfway to his provided bedroom. Lost in his thoughts, he'd nearly been bowled over by a burly unicorn hurrying his way down the torch-lit corridor. The stallion, who was pulling a large wooden crate alongside himself in his telekinetic grip, merely grunted a curt "Move it, brat!" as Shining tried to scramble out of his way.
Shining Armor turned to apologize, but the stallion was already turning a corner before the words could escape his lips. Now fully cognizant of his surroundings, Shining looked around to find that he and the stallion were far from the only ones wandering about. Several ponies, griffons, and the occasional diamond dog moved past the colt on their way to one destination or another.
On the surface, the hustle and bustle wasn't anything too out of the ordinary, but as he watched, Shining noticed the urgency in their steps. Their expressions were grim and many carried some manner of cargo with them. A veil of dread settled over the colt and with a sinking feeling in his gut, he decided to change course. He continued down the hall, heedless of the annoyed creatures trying to make their way around his relatively small frame.
If Shining Armor had learned anything in his time at the rebel base, it was that most of the base's residents wouldn't give him the time of day—not even to answer a simple question. Given the general mood of the place, Shining felt he would've been hard pressed to even get someone to glance in his direction. With that in mind, he didn't bother to stop to ask anyone about what was going on and instead made a beeline straight for his new destination.
Shining wasn't sure where Frigid Gale was, but he figured it was better to assume she was busy. She'd told him to assume as much herself. She also mentioned that there was another creature he could talk to if he had any important questions or if there was an emergency and she wasn't around. The creature in question just so happened to walk out of her office right as the colt was making his way to the door.
"Astrid!" Shining called out. He slowed his hurried gait to a stop as he reached the wizened old griffon. The old hen paused as she stepped out of her office. Her eyes widened in surprise for a split second as she spotted the concerned colt outside her door, but the expression was gone in an instant, replace with her usual no-nonsense expression as she spoke. "Ah, Shining Armor, impeccable timing. Please, come with me."
With that, the griffon walked right past the now flummoxed colt and kept going. Shining watched her go for a second before scurrying after her. "W-Wait!" he cried, "Astrid, what's going on? What's got everybody all worked up like this? Did something happen?" He caught up to the griffon and was able to get a better look at the base's archivist and record keeper.
To Shining Armor, Astrid had always looked tired and worn down by life's trials. That was to be expected given that, in addition to her normal duties, the old griffon also acted as a sort of second-incommand whenever Frigid Gale wasn't around to keep or give orders. Shining had leanred that Astrid was one of the first few creatures to join Gale when she formed her rebel group and the rigid old hen had gained a lot of trust and respect over the years. It was never made an official role, but many in the base—even Frigid Gale herself on occasion—deferred to Astrid on several matters within the base.
It was clearly a lot of responsibility, but even as old as she was, Astrid always seemed on top of things and never once complained. Now though? Now she looked downright haggard, like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in months. She was doing her best to hide it under her professional veneer—and was doing a good job of it to be fair—but even beyond the clear mental exhaustion, Astrid looked... shaken. Her face was drawn and pale, her eyes slightly distant, and her beak was set in a grim scowl.
It looked like she'd just seen something truly terrifying, but she didn't let it show in her voice. When she spoke, her tone was clipped and stern but not entirely unpleasant. "I'm afraid so," she replied to Shining after a moment. "I've recently received word from... a higher authority that we've been compromised." Shining didn't miss the hesitation in her words and narrowed his eyes at the old hen. "A higher authority? You're... not talking about Frigid Gale." It wasn't a question. If Astrid was referring to the thestral then she would have just called her by name.
The fact that she didn't...
Well, Shining had no idea what that meant, but it was clear that Gale wasn't who she was talking about. It also felt to Shining like something was off and the combination of Astrid's following silence and haunted expression only served to increase that suspicion. When she finally did speak, her voice sent a chill down the colt's spine. Her words were quiet but the tremble in the griffon's tone spoke volumes.
"...No. No, I am not."
Troubled silence grew between the two as Shining waited for the griffon to elaborate, but she didn't. Instead, she just shook her head and pushed on with the main issue. "In any case, we've been outed. We don't know how or who was responsible, but the Royal Guard has received marching orders to raid our base and wipe out the rebellion," Astrid turned to Shining Armor, her expression grim, "word is, they're to leave no creature alive."
Shining stumbled slightly at the news, his eyes going wide and his face growing pale. "Wait, the Princess actually ordered an exop?" the colt cried in alarm and horrified disbelief. He'd read about extermination operations before, but they were rarely if ever implemented in the field. There hadn't been a need for them in a very, very long time—centuries as far as he knew. But then again, what did he know, really?
Apparently, Celestia had carried out just such an operation on her own not all that long ago if Frigid Gale was to be believed. Shining Armor still wasn't sure he did believe Frigid Gale's tale—not entirely. That said, he'd managed to to overhear a few accounts of some truly awful events caused by the Princess both directly and indirectly since he'd been given somewhat free reign to roam the underground bunker.
He wanted to believe that all the claims about Celestia were untrue, but in truth, he was beginning to have his own doubts. This new development wasn't helping what faith he had left in the millenias old ruler of Equestria. "It's always been standard procedure to detain those who surrender for further questioning," the colt pressed, "are you telling me the Princess isn't even going to consider taking prisoners in for questioning? And what about Frigid Gale? I'm assuming she knows. What's she doing about all of this?"
"Evidently, that courtesy is not afforded to likes of us insurgents," Astrid replied with a bitter smile. The smile fell quickly as she continued, "Frigid Gale is doing what she can to buy us some time to prepare for the worst. It seems the Guard is at least a few days march from Ponyville so we still have time to shore up our defenses for the coming battle."
"Battle?" Shining's heart skipped a beat, but he hid his sudden spike of fear behind a concerned frown. "You're not going to run? Like you said, you have time. Why not escape? Live to fight another day and all that? You have other bases you can fall back to, right?" Astrid didn't break her stride or look down at Shining, but she did let a rare genuine smile cross her face for just a moment as she answered. "We won't make our final stand here, no, but neither can our other hideouts contain all of the members we have stationed here.
"The plan thus far is to have as large a group as we can spare take what they can, burn the rest, split up, and make their way to other hidden camps around the kingdom," Astrid explained. "The rest of us will stay here and keep the Guard busy for as long as we can." she shook her head and let out a weary sigh, "It's not a perfect plan and things are likely to go wrong, but it's the best we can do with the amount of time afforded to us. Even with the few days that we have, there's a lot we must do and if all does go to plan, it'll only be by the tip of our beaks."
"And what about Frigid Gale?" Shining paused, "...What about me? Where do I fit in all of this? I can't fight the Royal Guard with you all. I wouldn't even want to, not after..." The colt trailed off. Not after what you all let happen to my family, he thought but didn't say aloud. He'd come to know a few of the creatures in the rebellion and he even liked some of them, but at the end of the day, they were still responsible for his parent's death and Twilight's disappearance—indirectly or no.
Shining had already chosen to set aside his pain and the anger he felt toward Frigid Gale for her role in the tragedy that befell him and his sister. He wanted to be above the urge to lash out emotionally, and finding out Twilight was still alive had gone a long way in helping him cope, but at the same time, it wasn't like that pain and anger had gone away. When it came right down to it, Shining wasn't sure he could bring himself to stand with the rebels if they chose to fight against the Princess and her Royal Guard—not even if Frigid Gale was right and the Princess was a monster.
I just want to see Twily again, to find and protect her. That's all that matters to me.
If the rebels could help him do that, he'd work with them. That's what he'd told himself at least, but now things were growing complicated. Now they were exposed and found themselves about to face the might of the EUP. With that in mind, what would the colt do? What could he do? Even if the Guard had been given an exop to carry out, he was pretty sure they wouldn't kill him, right? After all, he was still a colt, even if only barely, and on top of that, he was one of the two missing foals whose parents were murdered.
The Royal Guard was sure to know this fact, and Shining could use that to his advantage if he had to. He could pass himself off as a hostage—somepony the rebels captured as leverage. That wouldn't have been too far from the truth anyway. The thought eased his mind a bit, making him a little less concerned for his own safety. That still left the question of what the rebels planned to do with him though. And in fact... "Where are we even going right now, anyway?"
"It isn't our intention have you take up arms or speak on our behalf or anything of the sort," the griffon answered, seeing the worry on the colt's face, "the fact that you wound up in this place was a terrible mistake to begin with, so rest assured, we will do our best to make sure you make it out of here along with the rest of those who plan to escape." Her expression softened slightly, "It may not seem like it, but Frigid Gale does feel terrible about what happened to you and yours. If you believe nothing else, believe that she would have wanted you away from all of this madness first and foremost."
Shining frowned at that.
"But what about all her plans?" he asked skeptically, "I know she was scheming to use me and my sister for something. What happens to all of that if I go and where does that leave her plans involving Twilight?" To Shining's surprise, the normally dour griffon chuckled in genuine amusement. At the same time, the colt could make out a hint of something close to—but not quite—sadness in her pale grey eyes.
"Allow me to answer that by answering your original question about Frigid Gale. It was her plan to return to the base as soon as she was able." Astrid explained. Her eyes flashed with a stony sort of determination, "It took some doing and while I wasn't able to speak with her directly, I managed to convince her otherwise." That caught Shining by surprise and he couldn't help but ask why. If their main base of operations was under threat of assualt, isn't that where she needed to be? At this, Astrid's face grew unreadable.
"The reasons I've convinced her to keep her distance is simple. If she fights with us and falls in battle, then the rebellion falls with her. We may survive for a time, but ultimately, she is the one that pushes us forward." She paused a moment, then cast a side glance toward Shining Armor, "More important, however, is the fact that she has finally managed to track down your sister and may soon be in a position to pursue her as we speak."
Shining came to an abrupt stop, his heart racing and his hooves going cold. Astrid stopped as well and for a long moment, all the colt could do was stare at the stoic hen. He searched her eyes, looking for some sign of falsehood, but there was none to be found. He opened his mouth, then closed it, swallowed, and tried again. "Are you serious? She really found her? She found Twily?" A thousand thoughts slammed into his mind and as he tried to gather them all, Astrid gave a single slow nod of affirmation.
"The evidence isn't one hundred percent concrete," the griffon conceded, "but she's fairly certain it's her. What's more, it seems she's bound for the capital along with a few traveling companions." Shining was about to ask one of the many burning questions at the tip of his tongue, but the last comment made his brows furrow in bemusement. "...Traveling companions?" he asked.
"Apparently, your sister found somepony to take care of her after she vanished from Canterlot," Astrid replied, "We don't know much about those she travels with, but it seems one of ours may have infiltrated their group and Frigid Gale claims to know the stallion that likely took her in. According to her, the stallion in question is a good sort so there should be no need to worry overmuch."
A tension that Shining hadn't known was building in his chest suddenly eased, but only slightly. He hoped Frigid Gale was telling the truth and that Twilight was okay, but until he saw the evidence for himself, there was always room for doubt. More importantly, she was heading to Canterlot which—if what Shining had heard about the capital lately was true—was a very bad idea. The place had become a veritable madhouse. The citizens were in an uproar and rumors said there'd even been a few riots and protests.
The city was letting ponies in, but nopony was allowed to leave and everypony who entered was being screened by the Royal Guard. Not only that, but patrols within and around the city had been stepped up to a frankly ludicrous degree. Marital law had essentially been declared in all but name. Just thinking about Twilight wandering into that mess made Shining shudder. That aside, there was also the matter of what Frigid Gale intended to do if she did catch up to his sister. He still didn't know what her plan was or if it would hurt Twilight.
"What does Frigid Gale plan to do with Twilight?" Shining decided to ask, "I agreed to help you all because she told me I'd get to see my sister again. I assumed she meant I would see her alive and healthy. Was that true? Is that still true?" He watched Astrid's face carefully as waited for an answer. Even if they did intend her harm, Shining knew deep down there wasn't much he could about it in his position. Still, he tried not to let that worry show as he stood there before Astrid.
"Frigid Gale's intentions are not mine to reveal, Shining Armor," Astrid sighed, "and I assure you that she did mean to reunite you with your sister eventually. Unfortunately, with how events have played out, that will be much more difficult to accomplish." Shining's hackles began to rise and he opened his mouth to tear into the beleaguered hen, but Astrid raised a claw to forestall his rage. "Now, now, young colt, I said it would be more difficult, not impossible." At her words, Shining closed his mouth, but his glower didn't relent.
"And how exactly do you plan to help me get in touch with Twilight?" he challenged, "what could you possibly do when there's still so many unknowns about the situation?" Shining grimaced at the knowing smile that came over Astrid's face. When she next spoke, it was with the air of somepony who knew far more than they were letting on. "Well, Mister Armor, that is the crux of why I was coming to seek you out and why you're timing was so fortuitous." Shining's displeased grimace turned to a confused frown.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, then a thought occurred to him, "And come to think of it, you never answered my question about where we were going." Astrid wanted to laugh at his suspicious look, but held herself in check returned her focus to the path ahead. They'd nearly reached their destination—a large steel door at the end of a corridor that lay at the lowest floor of the bunker. It was the only room on the floor and had become the most important location in the base.
"You and I are headed to the Workshop, Mister Armor. I believe it's time you met with the good Doctor."