//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: In the shadow of a city // Story: P.O.N.I.E.S: Shadow of Canterlot // by GoldenGust //------------------------------// The sound of lonely hooves filled the silence of the makeshift throne room. The white unicorn stallion looked back through at the stallions in golden armour holding open the heavy wooden door, he gave them a small, thankful nod as they shuffled back, letting the door creak to a close behind the unicorn. He glanced around the room with his amber eyes, the room was hardly fit for a princess. It was a shoddily put together, temporary home for the Moon Princess Luna, who, after a scan of the room, the eyes of the unicorn eventually rested on. She stood gracefully, facing a window overlooking Equestria, which was now tainted with the sickly smog pouring its way out of Canterlot. The view of the once great city and the towns surrounding, consumed and shrouded by fog. "Silverbullet ma'am" Silverbullet stepped forward to bow but stopped halfway as he glanced up towards Luna, taking a note of her worried expression and her fixed gaze. Luna stood like a statue, her flowing hair the only thing betraying her stiffness, even her chest hardly raised with each breath. She had seemed different; the past few years took a toll on her, the stars in her flowing mane not shining as brightly as they once did. Silverbullet let out a small, attention-grabbing cough, which stirred the princess. Luna let out a small, shaky sigh in a false attempt to compose herself as she turned herself around to face Silverbullet. "Ah, there you are. We hope your journey from Vanhoover was a pleasant one" Luna smiled down at the white unicorn. Silverbullet awkwardly stood up from his semi-bow, flicking his silver mane out of his face. He had started to analyse the princess' face subconsciously. Her eyes were heavy. Crying? Or simply tried? She’s swaying, she never did that before. Increased anxiety? Worry? Can’t blame her. Her voice is soft, almost weak. She had a more commanding voice outside. An attempt to keep appearances, maybe? Her hair isn't flowing as much as it used too. "Silver? Silver, are you OK?" Luna's softer tone broke Silver out of his examination. "Oh! Of course!" Silver offered a friendly smile to the princess, who reciprocated gracefully. "My trip was fine, long, though. I came as soon as I could." Silver followed Luna as she turned to look out the window, Silver placed himself beside her and followed her gaze to the depressing ruins of Canterlot. "Almost eight moons?" Luna looks down at silver with a smile, emphasizing the jest in her voice. "We did ask you to be discreet. You have pulled that off perfectly." Luna now rolled her cyan eyes with a small chuckle and a twitch of her wings, her jest turning sombre as her eyes fell upon that accursed city once-more. "Yes. My apologise princess" Silver smiled at Luna, trying to reignite a smile in the alicorn to no avail. "Things have been busy back home. First the war prep, now this." Silver nodded his head in the direction of the doomed city. "People are all sorts of jumpy." Silver found himself taking in a small breath and looking back up at Luna, waiting for a response. A smile? A smirk? A look? Anything? "I'm glad you could make it." Luna fulfilled Silvers wish with a soft smile and a look. "We have some work to do, I'm sure you are curious about what we have in store for you." Luna's horn burned a cobalt blue as she gently pulled down on the shoddy brass handle and opened the large glass door they were gazing out of, before trotting calmly onto the balcony overlooking a small garden with a statue of Celestia and Twilight Sparkle. Silverbullet admired the craftsmanship of the stone sculpture, now resting in its improper place, the first signs of moss growth can be seen on the hooves and horns. Luna gracefully trotted over to a table with two cushions at either side, then moved her head in a beckoning motion before taking a seat on her cushion. Silverbullet nodded back respectfully, making his way over to the free cushion and taking a seat, letting out an audible sigh as he feels the aches of a long trip that he was ignoring fade away somewhat. "Shall we get down to business? It has been a long while since you asked for me personally." Silver inquired, keeping mindful of his posture, before a look from the princess put his body at ease. This was less of a job and more of a favour between friends. Feeling the tone shift further, he slouched and leaned in with a caring expression, "What do you need, Luna?" He reformed his question in a less formal sense, which Luna seemed to appreciate. She took a breath, buying time to think about her request. "Sixty-seven ponies" Luna takes another breath, this time her voice had a soft quiver, "Sixty-seven ponies have gone missing because of that damnable fog." She grits her teeth, "Forty six have been found dead, twenty of them killed by things coming out of the fog. My guards have held the line and silenced any information getting out to the rest of Equestria, but I can tell they are spooked." Lunas hoof tapped, a signal of her anxiety shooting through her body and rushing to find ground. "Is it moving?" Silver asked, concern flooding his voice as he leaned forward. "There are these thundering crashes and blinding lights that shroud Canterlot almost every day, it seems to be pushing more fog into the air somehow." Luna trailed off, the frustration of not knowing plastered her face, and her hoof taps quickened. Silver looked past Luna at the towering fog. "What about the Pegasi guards? Have you sent any in?" Silver pondered as his eyes tracked up the impossibly high mountain of fog, wanting to see any end to it. "We sent a detachment inside a few weeks ago, none of them came back." Luna responded. She took another breath. "We are scared." the sudden but expected confession from the princess shot through SilverBullet like a jolt of lightning. "I understand, Luna, and I think I understand what you are trying to ask me." Silver offered a pleasant smile to Luna, but the Princess’s worry didn't fade. "Ponies who have been in… haven't come back out." Luna looked down at the white unicorn and put on the best smile she could muster. "But you have never failed me before. You were the only one we could think of." Her horn lit up again and, accompanied by a poof, a small hoof-held computer device appeared next to Silver. "We will be overseeing your excursion personally." "A PDA? You are spoiling me Luna" Silver attempted to brighten the mood slightly as his horn lit up, Slightly obscured by his thick, curly, silver mane. The aura was a frosty white, pulling the PDA to his face and inspecting it. "These things were all over the place in Canterlot. I missed it when I had to leave." Silver began to navigate the tabs, everything from a map to a radio was on this handy little device. "You didn't take yours with you?" Luna asked with an intrigued shock in her tone. "I couldn't. The radio dishes that they connected to never made it past Ponyville and its surrounding areas. Was no point in taking it all the way to Vanhoover" SilverBullet smiled, still focused on the PDA safely ensured in his magic. "We have set up a radio tower just outside this castle, you may have seen it on your way in? Regardless, we will use it to communicate with you." Luna explained, there was a palpable worry in her voice as she turned her head to look back at Canterlot. "We have reason to believe that those radio towers around the Ponyville and Canterlot are still operational, we have been getting-" Luna stopped for a moment, her voice getting less and less confident by the word. "Worrying transmissions, like there are ponies still living in there. Maybe ghosts from the past? Maybe we are finally losing it." Luna stated under her breath. "I'll promise to look after myself" SilverBullet offered his comforting words which garnered a sigh from the moon princess, who looked down to him. "In my line of work you have to be prepared for anything and everything. You know that." He closed his eyes for a second which made his horn glow brighter. The PDA raised slightly before vanishing. Silver let out a satisfied sigh. "Have any other things for me? You know I adore your gifts" SilverBullet let himself get comfortable for a moment. "Full debriefing?" He tilted his head. "Enter the fog, get to Ponyville, assess the situation, report back. After your report we will give you your next set of orders." Luna smiled softly "Get yourself ready. There is a carriage waiting for your arrival." She stayed seated as the smaller unicorn stood up with a respectful nod and a confident smile. "Oh! And Silver!" Lunas voice boomed as she leaned forward, it wasn't commanding but loud worry. "Yes princess?" Silver responded. Turning away from the glass door to the makeshift throne room. "Be safe, ok?" Luna's voice filled with concern. Silver chuckled, his horn lit up as he pulled a small standard issue police revolver, spinning it softly before tightening his magical grip around the small, ivory grip of the firearm. "I'll be fine." Silver let determination flood his voice as he narrowed his eyes and smiled. A satisfied and comforted smile from his princess friend was all he needed. With a spin, he slid the gun back into his saddle holster and tugged the glass door open with his magic. He opened the fabric door to a small tent. He trotted inside and looked around. It was a barracks of sorts, or at least it was at one point, now cleared out for his personal use. He walked over to a locker and a bench that was situated on the left side of the tent, on his way past he caught himself in the mirror. His fluffy and curly, unkempt mane almost concealing his horn. It was a mix of greys, from gunmetal to slate. Using a forehoof he nudged his mane, now letting his horn be completely consumed in the fluffy mess. He continued to look down his body, a dark leather saddle bag accompanied by a holster stood contrast to his white fur, the ivory grip of his police issued peashooter complementing the ensemble perfectly. He caught a glimpse of his cutie mark. A magnifying glass with a crack in the top right. It made him sigh in determination, reminding him of his job. He continued his journey to the locker. Looking down at the PDA, freshly teleported here not a moment ago, he opened the locker, pulling out a padded and armoured hoodie. It would protect him from the cold, but bullets? Not so much. At the least, however, it would give him a few more seconds of life to make peace with whatever god he could before he fell. He slid his left forehoof in, and then his right, comfortable in his outfit. He looked back inside and floated two boxes of .38 special rounds, holding about fifty a piece, into his saddle bag. He opens his small pouch of bits, a metaphorical moth landing on his nose and causing his nose to scrunch up. He had thought about getting a more powerful gun, but it seemed that upgrade would have to wait. He floated the comically low number of bits into his saddlebag along with everything else. He walked back over to the mirror, gazing into his own blazing amber eyes. Armour? Check. Gun? Check. Ammo? Check. Meds? Meds… I knew I was forgetting something, but I didn't see any in there. Did I forget to pack some? God you look like a scared colt. She put her trust in you and you are- "Sir! Are you ready to go?" A stallion called. A strong earth pony clad in golden armour. "Err, yeah! Yes, I am" SilverBullet smiled as he walked towards the fabric door of the tent, he looked back at the mirror into his own eyes and swallowed. Terrified.