//------------------------------// // VIII - Prestidigitation // Story: Where Loyalties Lie: Honor Guard // by LoyalLiar //------------------------------// VIII: Prestidigitation - - - In the early hours of true night, The Humble Vineyard was not home to many patrons. A waiter approached the one and only guest who still had yet to order. He didn't have to prompt her to state what she wanted. "A plate of spaghetti," the mare ordered. "Will that be our Spaghetti Tradizionale, or the Spaghetti Spinaci, tonight?" She rolled her eyes at the question. "The normal one, whatever that is." "Of course. And to drink?" "You still have any of that single malt stuff?" The waiter nodded stiffly. "Does ma'am prefer the Shetland or the Clydesdale?" "The stronger the better," she responded, with a cocky smile. "That'll be it." "Of course, ma'am. I'll be back in a moment to take sir's order." "Sir? What are you talking-" Going Solo's good mood evaporated in a glance at pony approaching her table. Without asking her permission, the towering stallion sat down opposite her, and offered her a stern gaze. "Good morning, Going Solo." "Shining Armor." The drug-dealer wrinkled her nose. "Do you even have any non-criminal contacts?" "Easy missions are for recruits who I don't want in danger." "There's no need to flatter me," Solo responded, as sarcastically as possible. "I take it you figured out what you wanted after last time we spoke. Where's the cute filly?" "That's none of your business, Solo. Your info did help us out, though, even if it almost got me killed." "Yeah, well at least one of us held up their end of the bargain, then." The mare adjusted her vest and glared. "Where'd you throw the thing, anyway?" "What 'thing'?" "My wagon! You told me I could go get it and head out, but when I showed up at your stupid headquarters the next morning, they said it had been commandeered for a covert operation." Shining shrugged, and then shook his head. "I don't remember approving anything like that. I'll take a look when things settle down. Right now, though, I need your help." "Fat chance of that, Shining. I don't work on credit." Shining Armor leaned forward and placed both his forelegs on the table. It was a gentle motion, but it drew out the incredible difference in the pony's sizes. "Then you can consider not being arrested as payment." "What, you're going to accuse me of treason again? I don't think that's really gonna stick. It's not going to scare me, that's for sure." Shining narrowed his eyes. "I'm not asking a lot." "I think you're not asking at all, Shining Armor. What do you actually need from me?" He glanced left and right, making sure nopony was listening. Only when satisfied did he build up the courage to speak. "I'm looking for a pony named Grizz. I think you mentioned him." Going Solo's face broke into a wicked grin, before she fell back on her haunches. "Grizz? Grizzaloo? As in the Grizzaloo?" She struggled to speak between peals of laughter. "You want me to set you up with him?" "Do I sound like I'm kidding?" the Captain responded in an entirely serious tone. It took her a moment to choke down the humor he didn't share. "Well, the way I see it, there's two reasons you could come to me for this. Maybe, you're kidding. If not, it means you sure as hay don't understand the first thing about Grizzaloo." Solo looked up from the guardspony across the table as the waiter placed down a plate of spaghetti, accompanied by an entire bottle of single-malt Clydesdale whiskey. He glanced Shining Armor's way, only to be waved away by a hoof. He left the two ponies in peace with no more than a curt nod. Shining returned his focus to the mare, who had begun to greedily consume her dinner. "I know he's a minor crime boss, and that some of my guard use him as a source when things are going bad. What else is there?" "Wllmph..." She gulped down an enormous mouthful before continuing. "Well, you're pretty far-off the mark if you think he's a boss. Grizzaloo works alone, and he's more like a vigilante than a crime boss." "A vigilante?" "Well, not the way you'd usually think. He gets his cash running basically a protection racket on good, honest merchants like me." The sarcasm wasn't lost on the captain, who nodded sternly. "Most everypony who works in the shadows answers to him, sort of. He looks down on us, and sometimes he'll force his own crazy rules on us." "Like what?" "He'll break your knees if you try to sell to kids. Don't mug anypony poor enough to live in Down Town. That sort of thing. It sounds nice, when you aren't on the receiving end." "Okay, so what does that have to do with you?" "Grizzaloo hates me, Shining Armor. He might just hate everypony altogether; I don't know. But I can't just walk up to him and say I want to talk. Or rather, I could, but I like being able to fly on my own." "I'll take care of walking up, Solo. I just need directions." Going Solo stopped, and looked around the room nervously. To her satisfaction, the restaurant was almost completely abandoned that night. Her answer still came in a whisper. "He won't see you. Look, we can go together, if you need it that bad, but you've got to make it worth my time." "If it's that much of an issue, I'll go in armored and just get the information I need the simple way." "Don't be an idiot, Shining Armor. You think he'd still be out free if he were dumb enough to get caught by a raid? No, it's gonna have to be my way. Meet me on Gravel Street in a few hours. And do something with your coat. You're a little too famous these days to be walking around unnoticed." Shining nodded and stood up. "Thanks." Going Solo answered by stretching her wings and rising to her own hooves. "Don't thank me just yet, Captain. Clydesdale scotch is expensive." Before Shining could process the statement, she shot out an open window nearby, leaving Shining to deal with the approaching waiter, and the little black tab his horn carried through the air. - - - In the glow of a small but vibrant campfire a young mare sat beside an old and broken stallion. With his every breath, she endured the curious sensation of his coat brushing against hers. She had yet to decide if the feeling was comforting. She could recall feeling the same contact from her grandfather on long nights as a young filly when her wings were just getting used to really flying. She had loved it more than anything else when he carried her high into the sky, further than her still-growing wings could carry her, and then held her in his forehooves and let her look down on the whole world without the fear of falling. Unlike her grandfather, Rainbow could not bring herself to be truly comfortable with Dead Reckoning. She'd seen beneath the thin veneer of his jokes and the cocky way he carried himself through the thick jungle. She'd seen in the corner of his eye both the cold analysis of a killer, and the stark shine of madness. It was in spite of these faults that she offered him her presence and her comfort, because she could tell that he needed them. Some part of her offering came out of pity. Some came from guilt at the way she had yelled at him, despite his own error. No small part came from her desire to remain away from the tree line, where her imagination assured her that some dragon or manticore or other beast waited to leap out and devour her at the first opportunity. Most of her decision to remain at Reckoning's side, though, found its origin at a word that had already begun to lose its meaning for her. A word that in her mind could not possibly be separated from her own destiny, or a vibrant golden necklace buried away in an impregnable vault in Canterlot. Blindly, Loyalty had torn her away from her friends and thrust her into the dense dark jungles of Zebrica, even as it forced her into the one organization that she had learned to truly hate as a child. It had taken her a long time to realize just how she felt. The night and the jungle had provided such time without resistance. As their campfire slowly became the sole light, save the pale crescent glowing overhead, Rainbow heard nothing but the chirping of crickets and the soft rustling of the wind in the leaves. There was nothing to see, and the only sensation she experienced were the same wind tickling her mane, and the slow breathing of the stallion beside her. Her first thoughts had been simple, focused on her present situation. Could she trust Dead Reckoning? Could she forgive him? The latter was answered with a simple yes, in the timid voice of Fluttershy. The former, though, was a harder issue. Asking the stallion himself would probably give the best answer. After those were finished, she imagined herself in Ponyville. No doubt Twilight had found some new book to bury herself in. With the end of summer in sight and applebuck season around the corner, Applejack would be making a stupid bet with her older brother, and then calling in her friends to help win it. Dash could almost see Big Mac's face as the enormous pony stuttered when confronted with his sister's friends asking him to do something embarrassing (or just say ten words in a row). Pinkie Pie had probably come up with a bunch of great pranks. Rainbow entertained how great it would be to freeze Ponyville Lake with her new magic while somepony wasn't looking. The look would be priceless. Rarity was probably up to some insane order again. Maybe she'd decided to make dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala. The plan had been for the six friends to return after their misadventures four years earlier, but Rainbow wasn't sure that was likely anymore. Would there even be a gala this year, after everything that had happened? Finally, Fluttershy could almost be guaranteed to be up to her usual animal care. Her life, out of all Rainbow's friends, seemed the most stable and calm. Whether that was saying much wasn't exactly clear. Then there was her number one fan. The squirt probably still hadn't figured how to get off the ground yet, though that wouldn't stop her from doing more damage than Rainbow ever did crashing into buildings all across town. Then came reflections on just what she was doing out in the Zebrican jungle, or in the Honor Guard at all. She'd broken her one promise to her grandfather. Papa would forgive her in an instant, even though they hadn't spoken in a few years. She wondered why she hadn't stopped by. The last time had been at the Young Flier's Competition, four years earlier, and that even that had been for no more than a few minutes. The minor regrets and flights of fantasy were stolen away when the mass of pony beneath her wing stirred. A slow groan escaped his mouth. The stretching of his legs was followed by a series of painful pops and snaps. His eye squinted, taking in the dark of the surrounding jungle. His wings spread for only a moment, before contacting hers. Then his head jumped to the side. He seemed angry, or at least worried, for a moment. Then a genuine smile broke across his face. "You let me sleep too long." Rainbow looked up at the moon for the twentieth time that night. It had already passed most of the way into the westernmost quarter of the sky, nearly ready to set for the night. "I guess you needed it. I'm fine." "First rule of being a guardspony, Rainbow Dash. You take care of yourself, or somepony else gets hurt. Today, somepony else is me, so get some rest." Rainbow shook her head. "I wanna talk first." Reckoning was quiet for that. His shoulders sagged, spreading heavy wrinkles across his dirt-stained shirt and his tired and brutalized face. The garment seemed to wear a scowl where he could not, or would not. "I guess I owe you that. What can I tell you?" "Well, to start with, what do I do if you, uh..." It occurred to Rainbow that 'fly off the handle' wasn't the most gentle of ways to address him. "... if you have another flashback?" "Just wait it out and keep an eye on me." He shrugged. "Honestly, I can usually take care of myself, but it doesn't hurt to have somepony there. What else?" "Am I safe?" The question came out too fast, spat out like alfalfa from the tongue of a young foal, desperate to be rid of the taste. "What?" The question, thrown out as it was, made him draw back in something bordering on offense. "Well, you kinda said you attacked the Princess... do I need to worry about you coming after me, if something happens?" He wouldn't even meet Rainbow's eyes when he answered her question. "I've only attacked another pony twice, Dash, and both times it was because they tried to keep me from going after whatever it was that my mind said was the enemy. With the Princess, it was during a meeting with the griffon ambassador. I would have killed him if she hadn't stopped me." "Oh." The simple utterance was all that Rainbow's mind could think of for an answer. "Soldier On wouldn't have sent you out here if I couldn't protect you, anyway." In retrospect, Rainbow would realize that he meant the words simply to placate her. At that very moment, though, her interpretation wrinkled her muzzle. "What's that supposed to mean? I was doing just fine against those Manticores on my own!" "Calm down, Dash. I'm not trying to say anything about you." She barely acknowledged the words. "I'm out here to save Princess Luna, not to have you babysit me!" The pause before Reckoning answered her was disheartening. Again, his eye stayed away from hers. "Dash, that's not..." "Not what they meant?" Rainbow rolled her eyes, as her anger progressed. "I know. I heard Crack and Marathon talking about it before I left. They shipped me off here because they think if I try to actually help, I'll get myself hurt or killed. It's like they don't even care about Princess Luna!" "Why are you so worried about her, Dash?" The question was honest. That fact was what most set Rainbow's face into a state of astonishment and wonder. They too were quickly swept up by the fire of her previous anger. "Because she's the Princess! Because she's dying! Why does it even matter? I'm going to help her." "Do you have a crush on her?" Rainbow was struck speechless, earning a potent chuckle from the older stallion. "No, I don't," she protested. He offered her a quirky one-eyed glance, as if accusing her of falsehood. A blush covered her face, not embarrassment at the insinuation. "Really! It's not like I spend a ton of time with her or anything, anyway!" Reckoning held up a hoof to calm the increasingly excited mare. He waited until her panting breaths slowed to speak up. "I was just teasing. What I mean is, why did you get involved? Why join the Honor Guard? Do you even know her?" "I..." Rainbow's mind caught up to her tongue. He was right, in a way. All her momentum spilled out in a moment of doubt. "No, I guess not. I really just talked to her once, a couple days ago." "And she convinced you to give up your whole life to become a guardspony then?" The fervor and the fury were back in an instant at that question. "Of course not! I'm not giving up my whole life or anything! As soon as this whole mess is over, I'm quitting." Reckoning's eyes widened. "That's a shame, Rainbow. You'd make a good guardspony with a little practice." "Yeah, well I'm not going to give up my whole life for it, so sorry. Anyway, that's what I promised Princess Celestia. I'd help save Luna, and then that's it, and I only did that because nopony else was going to!" "Nopony else? There's the whole Honor Guard for this sort of thing... even if we are running short on members these days." Rainbow shook her head. "That's what I keep getting told, but it sure doesn't seem like most of you even care about her." A dozen little clues slowly flitted together in her mind. "I hadn't really thought about it. I guess I just kinda dove in headfirst. But now that I think about it, it's like I'm the only one who actually wants to help her for the sake of helping her. She seemed so lonely." A sudden shift overtook the scout's features. His eye narrowed and his mouth turned grim, not out of anger, but guilt. Rainbow hadn't the slightest hint as to the feeling's source, and his next words only made the emotion more cryptic. "You're right, in a way. She's lucky to have you looking out for her." "Well, it's only 'til we figure this whole mess out. Then I'm done." "Fair enough." There was clearly nothing more the older pony had to say on the subject. Reckoning walked away from the fire, approaching the nearby pond. "Want me to wash your shirt while you get some sleep?" She was quiet for a moment, as her misplaced anger settled to little more than the half-lit flames of their campfire. Afterward, it took a few seconds and a pointed stare from Deadeye to realize she had been asked a question. "Huh? Oh, sure." Rainbow struggled out of the dirty shirt one button at a time. As her hooves and wings fumbled with the fabric, she raised another question. "Reckoning, why did you join the guard?" He didn't turn around to answer. Instead, Rainbow's ear only clearly heard the echoes of his voice as it bounced across the pond and back, distant and reflective. "I signed up to see the world." Rainbow cocked her head. "That's it?" "Do I need a better reason? Sure, it's not deep or surprising, but it is the truth." He gave off a little chuckle, and went back to cleaning his shirt. "Eat two of those seeds in my bag, before you forget." "Oh, yeah." Rainbow made her way over to the pile of supplies beside the fire, and dug around until she found a rough brown canvas pouch. After loosening the drawstrings, she found eight dozen almost nut-like spherical seeds spilling out. "What are these?" "Phage seeds. Think of them like weights for your magic. You'll feel lousy in the morning, but they'll make you stronger." "Hold on!" Rainbow protested. "I'm not taking any crazy magic steroids. I'd never get on the Wonderbolts!" Reckoning groaned. "They're not steroids, Dash. You'll still be working to get stronger. They'll make you work on less magic, which is harder, but when you're done, you'll be a better flier and better at magic. Just trust me on this, okay?" "...fine." Rainbow popped two of the little orbs into her mouth and bit down. They were surprisingly juicy, though their taste was reminiscent of overripe kiwis. She decided quickly that she wasn't a fan, and swallowed both seeds with a single exaggerated gulp. The taste lingered on her tongue, thick and lurid. She darted quickly to the side of the pond, ducking her muzzle into the water to clean away the taste. Once it was gone, her first thought of her surroundings was Reckoning chuckling beside her. "Yeah, I'm not much for the taste either, but if you need something to eat, there's not much better for you. That is, if you can spare your magic." Rainbow pulled her head away from the pond and looked up at Dead Reckoning. Without his shirt, his chest was exposed, and what it contained left Rainbow speechless. A spider's web of raised black and red burn scars spun over the front of his body, nearly reaching his shoulders on both sides. Briefly, her mind raced back to a memory of a bolt of lightning and a crack of thunder flying from her rear legs. "Did I do that?" Reckoning looked down at his chest, and his light laughter died away. "No, Dash. This wound is a few years old now." His wings went back to the water. "I'd rather not talk about it right now, if that's alright. Can I ask you something?" Rainbow shrugged. "Sure, I guess." "Why don't you like the guard?" The question set off a dozen little alarms in the mare's mind. Her stance curled up slightly, and her response came off defensive and reactionary. "When did I say that?" "You didn't need to." He gestured with his muzzle toward the way her feathers were peeking up on end at the bases of her wings. "You said something about 'giving up your whole life'." Having made his point, he looked at her, eye to eyes, trying to put on his gentlest face. It didn't do much for Rainbow. "Nopony ever said you had to. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." She stared down into the pond, and saw her own eyes staring back. "It's not a big deal, I guess." Her words were no more convincing to her own ears than they must have been to Reckoning's. "When I was really little, like two or three, my dad joined the guard to fight in the Dragon Wars. He said he'd be okay; promised me, even, but he never came back." She expected to hear 'I'm sorry', or some explanation of why her father had done what he did for her sake. That was what she always got when she mentioned what little story there was to share. Instead, from Dead Reckoning, she received only a long silence. She spent it staring into her own eyes, daring her long-since dried tear ducts from shedding even a single drop of water. The reflection was broken some few minutes later when she was suddenly slapped in the face with a very wet safari shirt. "Hey!" She lashed out with a hoof, but the stallion had already jumped back, or something. She shook her head, tossing the garment onto her back. and clearing her vision in a single motion. Reckoning had made his way back to the fire, chuckling to himself as he walked. "What was that for?" she demanded, angrily. "To get you to snap out of it. You don't want to hear a guardspony tell you he's sorry, and I didn't want to say it. I didn't make your dad leave, and nothing either of us can do will change it now." He twisted the garment around and tossed it over her back. The water dripped into her wings, sending welcome shivers down her damp and overheated back as he continued. "Anyway, your shirt's clean, so put it on a stick to dry by the fire, and get some sleep. We can talk about something we both like better in the morning." He returned to the fireside and began constructing a simple line to dry his own garment on. "Right," Rainbow answered with utter falsity in her voice. Then she spun her own shirt into a tight length of fabric. Dripping wet, it wasn't particularly unlike a towel, and staring away, the scout wasn't particularly unlike an inattentive colt in the flight camp locker room. She treasured the noise Reckoning had made for quite a while as she lay down to sleep. - - - Dawn rose over its mountain, illuminating truth from the fuzzy nightmares of foals and the dark sketches of shadows. Canterlot shone in a mournful way, as the average pony began to get the feeling on the wind that the world might be changing very soon. It was an uncomfortable feeling for any and all with the wisdom to sense it, tickling necks and aching trick knees like a terrible warning. A single pony's fur stood up for another reason, as he paced under the early morning light. Shining Armor didn't feel comfortable in his disguise. Even surrounded by enemies, he would have rather have had just a basic suit of gold armor than be stuck pretending to be somepony else. Off-green powder clung to his armpits and made his horn itch. His mane was tied back and colored some awful red color that he was trying not to think about. Undercover wasn't really his thing; stealth skills were hard to develop when you held a reputation as the strongest mage in the entire guard. Problems were so much easier to solve with diplomacy, reputation, and the occasional show of brute force. He idly adjusted his traveling cloak, a comfortable brown thing he had borrowed from Cadance's closet with neutral enough design not to embarrass a stallion. His focus remained on searching the aptly named Gravel Lane for his contact. Gravel Lane was the center of low Canterlot, or 'Down Town', as the upper crust referred to it. Located lower on the side of the Mountain of Dawn than the more modern districts of the city, it had once been a mining town taking advantage of the deep gem deposits under the mountain. Both the industry and the thriving town had effectively died when Celestia realized the mining would undermine the Royal Palace and send upper Canterlot tumbling down the steep mountain cliffs. Everypony knew that Down Town was the capital of Equestria's crime. It was a dark, dirty place, with plenty of dark alleyways to hide in, and shadowy corners in which to enjoy a mugging. In this particular case, everypony was dead wrong, but Shining wasn't about to take the effort to correct them. Instead of criminals, low Canterlot's citizens were simply the desperate poor struggling to eke a living out of the wealthy who lived quite literally above them. It was beyond the captain's comprehension why anypony would remain while the economy of all Equestria thrived, with opportunity for all, but again, it was not his place to change their decisions. His philosophical thoughts were torn away by the sudden sensation that somepony was attempting to sneak up on him. He felt like startling her, after her rude departure the previous night. "You aren't very subtle on hoof." He heard the sound of a mare jumping a half-inch with surprise. Knowing he'd scored a hit, he turned toward the dealer with a cold focus. "Where's this 'Grizzaloo'?" "Whoa, keep it down, uh, Cap." She shot a nervous glance around, only to be satisfied that nopony was watching. "You don't just go throwing his name around, all right?" "Fine. Now where are we headed?" "Right over there." Solo pointed to a rather non-descript tavern, and began to walk toward it. "Try not to make me look stupid, okay, Cap?" He rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Of course." The door swung open to reveal the sort of seedy bar that authors wrote bad guardspony stories about. That is to say, it was the sort of place that no self-respecting criminal would actually visit, since the guard would be on them in a second. Instead, the patrons were the sort of poor low-city ponies who just couldn't afford to go anywhere better. Nopony seemed motivated to look up at them. They weren't sure that it wouldn't cost them anything. Even in disguise, Shining still felt like he didn't belong. Amidst the low lights of hanging lamps (at least half of which were burnt out or broken), stone flooring supported wagon wheels for tables and cheap wooden chairs that had barely even been worked enough to remove the bark. The bartender was a heavyish unicorn mare, with a mane that hung down one side of her head in a series of braids. She was idly polishing a glass, though her actual attention was spent sweeping the room. She stopped only when the disguised guard captain and his guide pulled out a pair of stools and slouched down in front of her. Going Solo spoke up before the other mare had an opportunity to offer a greeting. "Wee 'Neeps, I'd like you to meet my friend Red Cap." "Yer' a huge one, aint'cha?" Her accent resembled Trottingham, if the pony speaking simply didn't care about actually being understood. The whole phrase blurred together as if only a single long word had been spoken. "Whatcha drinkin'?" Shining rarely drank, and when he did, it tended to be the fine Bitalian wines that Cadance's father continually supplied. He'd had to put a wine cellar into their new home, and they still had a backlog of Sforzando's obnoxious gifts. At a tavern, he had next to no idea what to even say. "A-" he caught his normal tone and continued, "a beer." He forced his usual speaking tone down an octave and added a little bit of grittiness for good measure. "Just a beer'? Lookin' at you, ya could drink a half a house. Ah've know' enough o' yer kin' ta know when yer needin' somethin' strongah." "No. Just a beer," he insisted. "Fine, its two sheeners." She saw Shining's brow raise, as he offered a glance at Going Solo. Wee 'Neeps sighed and rolled her eyes. "Two bits, cahlt, and open yer ears. Now, get tah tellin' me what's bringin a maccin huge bloke like yerself inta' me pub?" After processing the words, Shining glanced over to a bowl sitting on the bar. It contained a few bits, but not enough to cover the wood on the bottom. He dropped two of his own in, and offered her a smile. "I'm looking for somepony." "We actually already know where he is, 'Neeps. I'll be taking him back now." The bartender stared at his two bits in the bowl for a moment, and looked back at him. "Them's right sheeners, I'm tellin ye. Yer from uptown then? With them wee snobby lairds runnin' aboot the place? What kinda pony's one a' you topsiders lookin fer down 'ere?" Though he kept a relatively calm face, Shining's mind was racing. He hadn't expected somepony to guess that he was from the wealthier parts of Canterlot. He especially hadn't predicted the shine (or, rather, 'sheen') of his coin to give him away. The first explanation that came to mind immediately went out his mouth. "I did some work up there. Construction. Anyway, I'm looking for a pony by the name of Grizzaloo." He tried to start walking, but Shining felt the sudden ping in his stomach that something about her demeanor had changed as she stopped polishing the glass held aloft by her magic. "Yer' 'ere for Grizz, uh? Tell me then, cahlt, what kinda' buildin' work do ye' do?" "Excavation." It was the first thing that came to mind and might also have been the worst of his possible answers. Trying not to be too obvious, Going Solo nevertheless groaned. 'Neeps put the glass down, along with the rag that was attending to it, and looked him square in the eyes. "Yer one o' 'is diggers, then, I take it? If so, y'ave a right lotta sireage comin' in 'ere lookin' fer' 'im." "It's important," Solo stated emphatically. "Right, yah, I'll bet it is, if'n yer willin' ta risk pissin' 'im right off. Ya' head on back now, an' you'll find 'is office on the right o' the 'allway. Jus' try not 'ta scream too loud if 'e breaks yer knees or somethin'. I can' very well 'ave the guard shuttin' down me shop o'er him." "Right. Thanks." As almost an after-thought, he put a dozen more thirty-bit pieces in her bowl. They'd be mostly enough to cover the fine she'd face if Shining Armor and the Royal Guard had to break their way in later. The door to the back of the tavern opened and swung with an ear-rending creak. Behind it lay a long and narrow wooden hall lit by two dim overhead lamps. The whole place felt claustrophobic and constraining which did nothing for the Captain's nerves. He was reminded of the Canterlot Palace 'Gauntlet', walking forward to meet the Commander face to face for the very first time. Like the late guardspony, Shining knew of Grizzaloo only by reputation. The earth pony stallion was supposedly some sort of vigilante and small-time criminal, who really didn't care very much about the guard, so long as they didn't get in the way of 'his' justice. When Shining had inherited the post of Captain, his predecessor had warned him that life was a lot easier if Grizzaloo was allowed to go about his activities unhindered. In exchange for looking the other way for some minor drug trafficking, prostitution, and the occasional assault, the guard received a surprisingly large quantity of tip-offs on 'bigger fish' in the criminal underworld from every corner of Equestria. How this seemingly small-time criminal managed to get this information (and spill it, without losing his neck) was a mystery that Shining didn't have time to investigate. Because Grizzaloo was a shady figure, though, the upstanding guardspony in Shining Armor had never actually had a chance to meet him. It had been a very long time since Shining Armor had gone into a meeting with a criminal, trusting that the pony wouldn't stab him in the back. Despite Grizzaloo's reputation, the captain viewed him no differently. "Smooth move, Captain," Solo told him with as much sarcasm as she could drench onto the words. "I don't get what's so big of a deal about construction work." Going Solo groaned aloud. "You told her you were a hit pony." "A hit pony? What? I told her I did excavations. You know, for foundations..." His words trailed off as he realized his own implications. "Shallow graves, captain. And before we go any further, you're doing the talking with Grizzaloo. He wouldn't listen to me anyway." Judging by the silence that followed, that was all there was to say on the matter. The door to Grizzaloo's office opened without a horrifying squealing, or any other noise at all. It was perfectly oiled, as though hanging only on air, and it took only the slightest of magical effort to allow Shining Armor's passage. The inside of the room was a barely more than a broom cupboard, containing a cheap wooden desk cramped into the center of a massive pile of crates. They were stacked nearly to the height of the room's sole light source, a window high above the table on the wall opposite the door. Two of these crates, labeled for the precious inebriating beverages they contained, had been commandeered to serve as makeshift seating on the closer side of the desk. The other end had a real, if also cheap, wooden seat. In this seat was a pony a little smaller than Shining Armor. His brown coat and brown mane gave him an incredibly forgettable appearance. Making him even less notable, his cutie mark was obscured behind his desk. A rough coat was hanging over the back of his chair, but all he wore at the moment Shining entered was a yellow checkered necktie. He looked furious. "Hey, what are you doing in here, unich?" The voice that accompanied the phrase was somewhere between extreme gruffness and the sound a gravel-grinding spell would make. Shining was taken aback at the words used to address him. "Excuse me?" "You heard me, horn-tugger. You just gonna stand there like a vegetable, or are you gonna tell me what you want?" The stallion's face changed from mild displeasure to controlled rage when Going Solo followed through the narrow doorway. "Ah, Solo, my favorite mile-high clubber. Where are my bits?" Shining shook off his surprise quickly. "I'm here about-" "Shut up," Grizzaloo snapped. "I'm working here! Celestia, do you not even know the rules? There's a simple order to this. I talk first, then you go. Once we get you to, step one is you give me your name. Then, step two, I decide whether or not I snap off your-" His words were interrupted by what could only be described as the sound of a wall exploding from the main room of the tavern. Grizzaloo turned to Solo with sudden focus. "Were you followed?" "I don't think-" "Then you're wrong! Both of you, follow me." Without another word, the pony grabbed his coat, and scrambled up the pile of crates behind him. It took only a few seconds for his agile body to reach the window, which he bucked into a dozen pieces with no particular difficulty. "Do you want to get arrested?" Before they could answer, he leapt out the small hole and into the morning air. Shining offered Solo a quick glance. She nodded, and the two began to make their exit. As a pegasus, it was much easier for her to reach the exit, and he was left to awkwardly force his way up the stack of boxes. Nearly to the window, he heard a loud force collide with the door. Its wood cracked, peeling into the room from some immense force. With the reflexes of a soldier, he threw up an arcane barrier, strengthening the wood from unwanted entry. It wouldn't last more than thirty seconds, but the time was enough to get him out the window. The makeshift exit led to a narrow alleyway. Shining shot a quick glance around, taking in his surroundings. All he actually processed was Grizzaloo offering an emphatic motion with a hoof, as if pulling the other pony toward him. Shining nodded, and followed the earth pony on a short path around the corner of the building. "Where's Going Solo?" "Living up to her name," Grizzaloo explained in a hoarse whisper. "I sent her into the old mines. We'll meet her in a minute, but first I wanna see who these punks are. If it's the new guard captain, I'll break his bucking horn off and shove it so far up his-." Shining had to stop himself from giving away his cover by protesting that he wasn't behind whatever had happened. Instead, he interrupted with the beginning of a question. "So should I go to her then, or-" "You're big for a witch doctor. I hope you know how to fight." Grizzaloo placed an ear to the door of the tavern. A smile broke across his face, and then he pressed himself flat against the building's dull brickwork. It took only a moment for the door to fly open. The pony who leapt out was a burly pegasus with a short-cropped mane and a foul expression. Both his forehooves were covered by bladed steel, and a heavy black coat adorned his frame. Shining might have gone on analyzing the stallion, were it not for his obvious danger. Magic was readied, but it came too slow. A sickening snap issued from the pegasus' left wing, as Grizzaloo brought his forehooves together directly on its central joint. The stallion screamed in agony, low and desperate, from the incredible pain of his broken wing. Shining's horn let loose a burst of magic, more out pity than necessity. It knocked the suffering pony unconscious with ease. The Captain then had a moment to stare at the pony's garment, and recognize it. He had seen two the night before, meeting with the sons of the Stalliongradi Tsar. Given the ruthless anger their leader had shown in casual conversation, their presence in Down Town said bad things to Shining. "Let's go," Grizzaloo ordered. The unicorn couldn't help but catch a hint of annoyance in the other stallion's tone. Nevertheless, the two darted off into the alleyways of Down Town, dashing from shadow to shadow as Grizzaloo's trained eyes searched for the ponies in dark coats. After a dozen minutes of running and sneaking, Shining could see the entrance to the old gem mines ahead. It was only a dozen feet from the crooked side street in which they were hiding. He was ready to burst forward when Grizzaloo slammed a hoof into his chest. "It's right there," Shining protested. "Yeah, I can bucking see." The criminal gestured toward the other direction of Gravel Street, back toward where the tavern's unremarkable face was still visible in the distance. There, a group of ponies in similar black coats were surrounding a familiar unicorn mare. "They took Tiny Turnips." "Tiny Turnips?" "The bartender. She calls herself 'Wee 'Neeps' 'cause she thinks it sells drinks better. It's just as bucking stupid as anything else you witch doctors come up with, but she's a good pony. I'm not letting her get hurt." "They're not going to hurt her, Grizzaloo. They're guardsponies." "You know about the bucking Black Cloaks? You're a pile of surprises, bone-face. You're dead wrong, though. They're not like the wimpy guard we've got out here. Stalliongrad isn't a nice place. Just 'cause she's innocent doesn't mean she's safe with them." "What are we supposed to do about it? There are..." Shining gave a quick count of the cluster of ponies. "...eight of them, and just the two of us." Hoping to avoid a confrontation, he didn't add that he was probably the equivalent of three average guardsponies in a fight. It didn't help that he had no frame of comparison for the Stalliongradi soldiers. "We do something bucking stupid. Can you teleport with somepony else?" "Not from this distance." Grizzaloo laughed. "Be ready to get her when you've got an opening." Shining had heard words like those before from recruits about to try something that would inevitably get them hurt or killed. He raised a hoof to stop the criminal, only to find himself too late, as Grizzaloo walked proudly forward into plain view, directly toward the mass of Black Cloaks and his own inevitable arrest. "Hey," Grizzaloo began, before unleashing a particularly potent slur for the Stalliongradi stallions. Suffice it to say that it had curious and likely scientifically impossible implications regarding their parentage, and that it is not fit to be repeated here. Grizzaloo concluded his unique greeting with three more words. "Lookin' for somepony?" he shouted. They turned. In an almost comical fashion, the cluster of ponies gave each other a quick glance. Then, as one, seven of them set off after him. Grizzaloo wasted no time in making himself scarce down another side-street. The pony who remained with 'Neeps was a thin, almost emaciated looking unicorn. He was unarmed save his horn, which meant it would likely come to a clash of magic were Shining to confront him. Though he had no desire to deal with the Stalliongradi stallion, Shining needed Grizzaloo's information if he had any hope of saving Princess Luna and catching Masquerade. As ridiculous as the idea was, if Grizzaloo was willing to risk his life and freedom to save 'Neeps, the captain would have to help to earn his trust. Grizzaloo obviously meant for him to simply rush to her and teleport her away. The strategy would have worked well against a pegasus or an earth pony, but another unicorn was a different matter entirely. Instead, a direct confrontation was the best choice. He steeled himself with a single calming breath, squared his shoulders, and stepped out into the street. Being the large and intimidating pony that he was, it didn't take long for the Black Cloak to spot him. He shouted something in a tongue Shining couldn't understand and didn't bother to even process. The meaning was obvious. They wanted him to stop, and give himself up. Just the way the guardspony stood was enough for Shining to recognize the most common of all orders. Unfortunately for the other unicorn, the disguised captain wasn't about to concede. The rose glow of his mana spread slowly up his horn, building toward a spell. His eyes watched the other unicorn intently, hoping to learn his play. What the captain of the Royal Guard faced was no simple brawl of telekinesis, nor the fancy duels of pastries or knives thrown between feuding nobles. He and his foe were both real mages, prepared to use every ounce of their magic in ways most ponies would think impossible. There were ten-thousand petty rules to such engagements, but in the end, Shining Armor had learned that it all came down to instincts and intuition. There was little time in battle to be spent wondering what efficiency of ward to guard oneself with, or calculating the rate at which a foe was able to gather their mana. The pony who acted first, and best, would always win. Shining was that pony. He had always been that pony. In his youth, Twilight had compared the way he fought to their games of chess. Shining was always the white knight, and he always moved first. The blast of raw mana flew free of his horn. A red bolt of lightning, its purpose was to freeze the other unicorn's access to his mana, effectively ending the battle in a single blow. It collided with a sheer white shield, two feet from the other pony's face, where it rebounded and flew back upon its caster. Despite the skill of his hard-earned instincts, Shining spared himself a moment to think. There were, essentially, three skills that a unicorn wielded in battle. The first was the speed at which a unicorn could gather mana. It was Shining's weakest talent, though he was by no means weak. The Stalliongradi was evidently much faster, judging by the speed at which he had raised his ward. Most would have had to ignite their horns a full three seconds earlier to rebound the level of magic the captain had thrown. The ward in question was an embarrassment by Shining's standards, but he dared not raise his own trademark spell for fear that he would be recognized. Countering his spell would take more mana than he could raise before it struck. Fortunately, simply sidestepping it was an easy third option, if one which surprisingly often went unused in major formal duels. Shining took it with no particular note. The Black Cloak narrowed his eyes when the reflected spell missed. As the faster of the two mages, he gathered mana for another spell, and released an orb of white light. Shining didn't know the spell's name, but he could recognize a direct attack when he saw one. A hit might spell injury, or outright death. It was the sort of spell a guardspony would never wield, yet one which he found himself somehow unsurprised to find coming from one of Red Ink's subordinates. He leapt to the side again, well in advance of the attack, only to watch its trajectory change in midair, continuing toward him. The second of the three skills of a unicorn in battle went by several names. Some called it efficiency or potency. The term referred to the return that a pony got on the mana he or she spent. Ponies who had seen Shining Armor fight had a different term for the skill. They called it strength, or simply power. With little more energy than it took most ponies to lift a teacup, Shining's magic hefted a street-side wagon and swung it into the path of the oncoming spell. In a burst of energy, the wagon exploded. Splinters ripped through Shining Armor's coat. Little drops of blood left his shoulders and legs. None were deep enough to truly hurt him, but they did make a clear example of the fact that he was fighting for his own life. He rolled to the side on the rough pavement of Gravel Street as two beams of magic flew past his head. Though not Shining's equal, the other unicorn was also strong, and fighting without any sort of handicap. Shining saw his foe's horn ignite for a bigger, stronger spell. His instincts told him he had found a weakness in that action, one which lay in neither strength, nor speed. The third talent was named focus. Magic, especially magic of great or specific effects, required great attention. The greater a pony's focus, the more powerful spells they could bring to bear. Focus had another significant factor, though, which often went overlooked by the average mage. As the Stalliongradi readied his killing spell, Shining's magic seized control of the cobblestone street between them. Growth magic and raw force together turned the ground into a sheer wall of stone easily ten feet in height. Shining knew the makeshift barrier wouldn't be enough to stop an attack like the one his opponent was conjuring. It was his hope that the other pony knew this as well. In fact, Shining Armor was relying on it. The Stalliongradi played exactly as Shining expected when he blasted straight through the wall of cobblestone with an incredible light and a roaring cry of power. When the dust and the rubble settled, leaving a battered, but mostly level street, his enemy was nowhere in sight. Worried, the Black Cloak conjured more magic to his horn. Then he felt a hoof collide with his neck from behind, strong enough to put clouds in his eyes and throw his body aside. Shining Armor was still disoriented from the sudden brute-force of his own teleportation, but he had not the time to waste. He grabbed onto the other pony with simple force, and slammed him against the wall of the nearest building. His heavy black coat settled slowly over his unconscious body after he fell to the ground. In time, his wounds would heal. The guard captain took only a moment to regain his energy, before turning toward Wee 'Neeps. Though she was mostly unharmed, wearing only a few bruises on her face and shoulders, she lay unmoving. At first, Shining suspected she had been knocked unconscious, but a simple spell told him that the unicorn's magic held her still. It was a simple act to undo the arcane bindings. "Are you alright, Neeps?" The mare rose up and brushed off her apron from the dirt of the road. Though her body clearly told Shining that she was shaken by recent events, her tone was still firm, proud, and nearly incomprehensible. "I've been better, but ye' 're a class act, savin' me from 'em. How'd ye' survive tha' last blast?" "It didn't hit me. He put too much focus into the spell he was casting, and not enough into watching me. Right after I put up the wall, I teleported behind him. Too much of his focus was on his spell, so he didn't notice. I got the drop on him." "Well, tha's might clever o' ye'. Can't say I blame ye' fer puttin' 'im on th' wall like that. Sure don' 'ave much 'onor, for 'onor guard." "Honor Guard?" Shining's heart skipped a beat. "They're Stalliongradi ponies. They're not the Honor Guard." "Well, I 'ain't gonna tell ye otherwise, 'cept fer tha's wha' they said they were. They wanted Grizz, but also somepony by th' name o' Soldier On. Can' say I've 'eard tha' one a'fore. Not like 'eadeye, or Mirror Image." Shining spoke without thinking on his words. "Go home. Stay away from here for a while. Get out of Canterlot quietly, if you can." "Ye' don' 'ave ta tell me twice, Cap. Thank ye' again." With that, she galloped off into some other part of the low city, out of view of the hunting guardsponies, and the hiding criminals all around. Left alone, Shining Armor turned back to the other end of Gravel Street, where the only thing separating him from the ancient gem mines beneath the palace was the pile of rubble and dust left behind from his battle. He crested the obstacle with a single leap and charged forth into the darkness. - - - Rainbow awoke on soft, grainy dirt with an aching in her wings and a sore hollow feeling weighing down her eyelids. It was the same feeling she felt every morning without fail, exacerbated only by the cold and solid ground beneath her, and the barely-lit morning sky that surrounded her. There was only one solution. She flared her wings, and in an instant she was off. The plan didn't get very far. In fact, she didn't even get off the ground. The dull crunch of her face digging into the dirt was enough to alert Dead Reckoning that she had woken. It took the older pony a bit of chuckling to struggle out his thoughts. "Was that a nightmare, or..." "I'm fine." Rainbow groaned, pulling herself up. The sun was a fair way into the sky over the jungle, and the beautiful blue sky was calling to her. She wasn't supposed to fly up past the canopy, but that didn't mean she couldn't at least get off the ground. It was weird that she hadn't just taken off, but even the Wonderbolts had bad days. It must have just been nerves. She readied herself more slowly this time, carefully adjusting her guiding feathers to the wind and setting up her stance for a jump into the air. She thrust her wings again, more cautiously this time, and again found herself grounded. "What the hay? I can't fly!" Instead of freaking out - the rational reaction to a pegasus losing her ability to fly - Reckoning smiled knowingly. "I warned you about this last night, Dash. I told you about the phage seeds." "You said they'd use up my magic! You didn't say I wouldn't be able to fly!" Reckoning rolled at least one of his eyes. "You need magic to fly, Dash. That's how it works." "Don't talk like this is okay! You took away my flying!" Rainbow gripped her skull in both forehooves and wondered how she was going to survive. "You're acting like a foal, Rainbow." Reckoning released his wing's grip on the wooden spoon he had been using to make breakfast, and walked over toward his new partner. "It's only for a few hours, and in the end, you'll be a better flyer for it. Get over yourself and grab something to eat. We're heading out soon." The filly was having none of his calming advice. "How long do I have to wait? Is a few hours two, or, like five? I don't want to be stuck on the ground..." gulp "...forever." Reckoning's irritation finally boiled over into humor. He put a wing over his eyes as he let out an exasperated chuckle. "Can't tell you exactly. It depends on how much magic you have for the seeds to 'eat up'. When I eat phage seeds, I go without for probably eight or nine hours. You've probably got more magic than me though." "More than nine hours? That's not okay!" Two bowls of thick brown stew were served up in a pair of bowls, alongside paired ceramic canteens. The chef paid no mind to the younger mare who was actively running in circles around his workspace, kicking up dust and dirt with every pass. "I mean, that's like, a whole day. I'll go to bed, and I still won't have my magic..." "You already slept off eight of those hours, Dash. It honestly won't be long now. So, please, sit down and eat something." It was as if he had spoken some sort of magic word. Rainbow stopped mid-pace, slowly folded her wings, and walked over to the little pile of glowing charcoals that had been their campfire. "I guess I can last for an hour, if it means I'll be a better flyer." She lowered her nose to the bowl and offered its contents a tentative sniff. "Oh, this smells good." "Thank you." Reckoning let Rainbow gulp down a few bites before he spoke up again. "Don't get your hopes up for an hour, though. I'm an old stallion now, and you're still young and fit. If your lightning was anything to judge by, yesterday, you'll be closer to what the Commander takes." Rainbow waited for him to give a number. Instead, he followed words with a long pause, and then a single minor correction. "...took." Socially dense as she usually was, the stunt flier knew the sore topic when she spotted it. "Did you know him very well?" Reckoning looked up from his own meal, straight into Rainbow's magenta eyes. A hollow laugh escaped his lips. "Not as well as I should have. I didn't even know his real name. Just 'The Commander'. Then again, even Princess Celestia and Soldier On called him that. He wasn't much for words, but I'd probably be living out my last days in some retirement home, sucking down lemonades and playing bingo if it weren't for him." His distaste for retired life was almost palpable. "When he ate the seeds, it took him seventeen hours to get his magic back. It's the most I've ever heard of." "But... that's like, twice as long as you..." "Nopony has ever been as strong as the Commander. I doubt anypony ever will be. That's why he was the Commander. Why it was his job to protect Celestia. Alone." Reckoning's eye refocused, as if suddenly remembering that Rainbow was still sitting in front of him. "Until yesterday, he was the only pony I'd ever heard of who could buck lightning." Rainbow looked up from her bowl suddenly. "You mean you can't do that?" "Nopony can do that. I mean, there were stories about it, in the guard. They say Commander Hurricane could do it. You know, from the Hearth's Warming story?" "Yeah, I remember. I got to play him in the pageant." Reckoning let out a small chuckle. "Fits you well. They say he could do it; buck lightning without needing a cloud. It was just an old mare's tale, though, until the Commander. And, now, you." Reckoning smiled. "I'm glad I have somepony as strong as you around to protect me, Rainbow." "Yeah, well then maybe you shouldn't have taken away my magic." "Just finish your dinner, Dash. When we're done packing camp, we can set off. It's two hundred forty miles to Fallaner's clearing." He closed his eyes, as though the act somehow let him see a map of the dense jungles. "I'd like to at least make it across the Marenia before we camp again, but that means we'll have to make good time over the Ditch." Suddenly, his eyes popped open. "Think you can do sixty miles today, Dash? We'll catch a raft after that." Rainbow nodded. "Let's get going." - - - Shining peeked around corners, keeping his horn alight as he passed by cave after cave of half-mined gemstones. His entire world reflected with the glow of his magic, casting his off-colored face on every wall. It wasn't hard to see why Cadance still had nightmares of the place. It was like the worst kind of carnival 'fun house', only without the pretense of humor. Save the unicorn himself, nothing moved, or skittered, or even breathed. The very air in the mines was dead. He stepped past a spent mineshaft, complete with rusted tracks, and felt a sudden shift in the air. He wasn't alone. Careful not to change his pace, he continued as though his follower had gone unnoticed. The other pony drew closer, slowly and quietly, until he could nearly reach Shining's back. Only when he heard the sound hooves leaving the ground did Shining Armor turn, snatching the other pony out of the air. The stallion's body crunched as the incredible force of Shining's telekinesis trapped him against the ground. "Buck! Celestia, you could've just said something! Let me go!" "Grizzaloo?" Shining released his magic, taking a step back. "You're back already?" "Nopony can keep up with me in Down Town." He tilted his head back and spoke calmly over Shining's shoulder. "Hey, Mile-High Club, it's your friend. We're finally bucking set." Ducking out of the shadows, Going Solo swept down from overhead. "Who the hay were they? " "The Black Cloaks." Grizzaloo explained, gravelly voice soaked in sarcasm. "Stalliongrad's Secret Police. Real nice ponies, even by our standards. Plot lickers and foalnappers, every last one. Thanks, by the way, for leading them right into my bucking office." "I already told you, Grizzaloo, we weren't followed." Solo rolled her eyes. "Unless you have something else to say about it, Cap." Shining shook his head. "No. Like Grizzaloo said, they're from Stalliongrad. Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. I still need my answers." "Really?" Grizzaloo stated incredulously. "You know what, hold on." The earth pony turned his head away. Shining leaned forward to see what was the other stallion was doing with his jacket. The motion of his neck put him well within Grizzaloo's reach, a fact which the criminal exploited by slapping Shining Armor across the face with surprising strength. The guardspony was thrown to the floor of the cave. "Get your head in the game, you dumb, stubborn ass. We're trapped in the gem mines, and it's not like the Black Cloaks don't know we're in here. Unless you know some secret way to get.. out..." Grizzaloo's words trailed off into echoes and silence as he inspected the hoof he had used to strike Shining Armor. As he rose, the guardspony could see that some of the powder and dye in his coat had rubbed off, painting the normally brown hoof a sick shade of off-green. The less tasteful of the two ponies stood, almost stunned, as his eyes shifted from the color on his hoof to the painfully white spot on Shining Armor's cheek. "Uh, Grizzaloo, it's not-" Going Solo's words didn't last long. "Shut up. You." He pointed a hoof straight at Shining's chest. "If you don't want to spend the rest of your life as an earth pony, tell me who you are." Seeing no point in keeping up the charade, the guardspony ignited his horn, and a simple spell removed the rest of the color from his mane and coat. The pile of disgusting chemicals was deposited on the floor beside a particularly large gemstone, leaving behind a face that had not so long ago decorated the front page of every newspaper in Canterlot. "My name is Shining Armor, Grizzaloo. I'm the-" Grizzaloo didn't waste the opportunity to cut the bigger pony off by giving him a swift kick to the ribs. Judging by the fact that nothing cracked, Shining knew he had been given mercy, though his side still ached from the blow. "Everypony knows who you are, Captain. You'd have to be living under a rock in Zebrica not to." Grizzaloo ground a hoof into the dirt. "Well, now that we know, let's finish this like stallions." "What are you talking about?" Shining asked, utterly lost. Solo groaned, pinching the bridge of her face. "Grizzaloo, he didn't lead the Black Cloaks to you. I told him to come in disguise. He doesn't want to arrest you." Shining Armor picked up where the mare left off. "You were the last pony that Mark Down talked to before he died. I just need to know what you told him." Grizzaloo sat down on his flank, quiet for a moment. A shiver slid down Shining Armor's spine when a thin and vile grin broke across the other pony's face. "All right, Captain, let's talk business. I don't want to die, and the Black Cloaks will kill me if I try and get out of this place on my own. So here's the deal. You get me out of these mines alive, and I'll tell you what you want." Shining nodded slowly and firmly, though he had fully intended to guide both other ponies out of the mines regardless of their information. "Deal, Grizzaloo. Follow me." He lit his horn softly, and turned deeper into the mines. "Uh, Shining, that's the wrong way out," Going Solo noted. "There's a secret passage into the Palace deeper in. The Changelings used it, a few years back." Grizzaloo shook his head. "I can't just go walking around in the palace!" Shining Armor smiled, and laughed to himself. "Not looking like you do right now, no." With no further explanation, he led them around familiar passages, deeper and deeper toward the innermost shafts. Cadance had been unwilling to head back into the mines, so Twilight had shown him the way. His sister's arcane marks still persisted on the walls, clear as day to anypony who knew the spells to find them. He offered no commentary to explain the symbols as they passed, leaving Grizzaloo and Going Solo to stare at them in awe. Finally, however, the three came to a sheer cliff-face. After taking a moment to gather his mana, Shining teleported the entire group up to the top. The captain then proceeded forward, to the heavily barred door that offered the only passage into and out of the caves. He only stopped when he heard the sounds of retching. A backwards glance reminded him that his passengers had less experience with teleportation than the experienced mage. Grizzaloo got over his nausea quickly, but Solo took far more time, stepping behind a cluster of crystals to empty her stomach quite audibly. "Mares." Grizzaloo muttered, offering no explanation for the words. Shining's only surprise at the statement was that it hadn't included any cursing or racial slurs. Regardless, when the pegasus reappeared, she seemed less decidedly green, and far closer to her usual soft blonde coloration. Without a word, she nodded, and Shining turned back to the door. Though it had no keyhole or handle, its lock gave way gently and willingly to the push of his magic, allowing the three into the dark underbelly of the castle. The very first short hallway ended in a t-shaped fork, and when the group reached it, Grizzaloo took cover at its edge and carefully peeked around. "Relax." Shining told him. "This is the Honor Guard headquarters, and they're all out searching for the assassin who tried to kill Princess Luna." He neglected to mention the risk of running into more Black Cloaks, as he still hadn't figured out what 'Neeps comment on the Honor Guard could have meant. "What?" Grizzaloo peaked a brow. "You mean Masquerade's target was the Princess? You're bucking kidding me." Shining turned to him. "How did you know about Masquerade?" "You said Mark Down was your buddy, right? He kept asking about her, so I assumed she'd off'd somepony important. Didn't realize she was that high on the food chain, though." He shook his head in a mixture of mild amusement and ever-present displeasure. "Damn." "Just follow me." The hallways gave way shortly to an armory. It was long before Shining Armor found himself leaning against the racks of armor in the room, watching as Grizzaloo and Going Solo struggled to powder themselves. "This is stupid, Shining. They'll recognize us in an instant," the latter protested, as she struggled to get the tragically disgusting substance spread onto her wings. "First off, there shouldn't be any Black Cloaks in the palace. Just normal guards, who answer to me. They won't look twice at you, and even if they do, they'll listen to me. However, before we go," he turned conspicuously to Grizzaloo, "I need to know what you told Mark Down." "Well, the way I see it, we're pretty damn far from in the clear right now, Shiner. So, I guess you could say my memories still a little fuzzy." Shining stepped away from the rack, squaring himself. "Our deal was that I would get you out of the mines, which I already have. What I'm doing now is free, so I hope you're grateful, but regardless, you're going to tell me what I want to know, now." "There's a pegger up in Cloudsdale, who works a shipping warehouse. Runs some scratch on the side, but he's mostly clean. When we get out, I'll give you his name." Shining merely closed his eyes, suppressing his aggravation. "Fine." His horn ignited, bluntly applying the last spots of powder behind Going Solo's wings. He let the two ponies squeeze into their nearly-fitting gilded armor, and then gestured toward the door. "Now, follow me. And try not to say anything crude or racist to the Princess." "The Prin-" Grizzaloo was cut off when Shining Armor put a hoof over his mouth. "If you want me to get the Black Cloaks out of low Canterlot, I need to speak to her quickly. Also, I'll have to requisition one of my sister's hot-air balloons, and a spell book for walking on clouds. Now follow me, and we'll take care of everything quickly." Grizzaloo let out a snort, and shook his head. "I wasn't expecting you to be a politician." "Shut up, Grizzaloo." The trio made their way up from the armory in the basement, following Shining's perfect memory of staircases, hallways, and enormous greeting rooms, until they came to Celestia's opulent audience chamber. An enormous red carpet covered a slow slope leading up the center of an array of gold and silver basins toward a pair of thrones. One consisted of red cloth on a golden frame. The other, smaller seat was silver, with blue silk for its cushions. Before each seat, the water in the basins was intended to reflect the faces of the paired rulers. At the moment, only the slowly recovering form of Princess Celestia could be seen in reflection. The guard captain couldn't help but notice that both the spaces at the foot of the throne, where the serving Honor Guard were normally stationed, stood empty. "Captain Armor?" The Princess' voice bore a tone of surprise and confusion. "I was told you had left Canterlot after Masquerade. I'm afraid I have a rather important meeting in a few hours, but in the mean time, I hope I can help you." "Of course, Princess." Shining Armor bowed deeply, and then glanced back at his companions. Neither had followed the motion. "Recruits..." he hissed through gritted teeth, deliberately loud enough to catch Celestia's ears. "Don't get your horn in a knot..." Grizzaloo grumbled, though the criminal did fall to a knee. Solo added nothing as she followed suit. "Rise, please." Celestia told them. "Now, how goes your search?" "Well, Princess. A contact of mine had given me a target that might lead to Masquerade. In order to pursue, I'll need a hot air balloon, and a copy of the spell Twilight found for walking on clouds." Celestia's brow rose. "Cloudsdale? Well, I'm certain your sister won't mind if you take the one she left here. Record Time?" The princess' stiff and formal maneservant stepped out from beside the throne and nodded. "Fetch the third volume of Platinum's Tome, and then see that the Captain's transport is prepared. " Without a word, the unicorn walked briskly past Shining Armor and out of the room. "Princess, there is one other thing. Well, two I guess, but firstly, are you certain it's safe to be alone here? After everything that's-" Shining stopped when he felt a gentle breeze pass over his back. Only a moment later, another pony had dropped from somewhere overhead in the room, separating the captain from Going Solo. "Princess Celestia is not being alone. I am here to guard her." Shining recognized the distinct accent even without turning. Nevertheless, he stepped back, putting some much needed personal space between himself and the unwelcome commandant. "Red Ink. What are you doing here?" "Commander Red Ink, now, Captain Armor." Shining's stomach twisted as a terrible fear became true. Celestia spoke up from the far end of the room. "As we agreed, I replaced Soldier On. Red Ink was trained by Steel, and he knows a great deal about Masquerade." Shining Armor's mind raced. "Then it is true. Your Black Cloaks attacked low Canterlot." Celestia sat forward at the words, but Red Ink spoke first. "My guard is of not your concern, Armor." "It is when you cause a civil disturbance and attack an innocent tavern keeper." "Attack?" Red Ink grinned smugly, adjusting his black coat to reveal the gleaming golden breastplate beneath. Shining saw the stripes and banners of awards on his chest, and the back of his mind was furious that the stallion had the gall to honor himself so boldly. Apparently sensing the anger in the other captains' stance, Red Ink's words were stated strongly and angrily, coming across like veiled threats. "I will be having strong words with my stallions if this is true, though it is not. I think, perhaps, that you and I should speak outside." Not waiting for an answer, the burly pegasus pushed open the doors. "I am taking only moment, Princess. The Captain and I must share knowledge of the assassin. Be watchful." "Of course." The Princess bowed her head in acknowledgement. Shining, Grizzaloo, and Solo walked out into the otherwise barren palace waiting room. Pillars and a marble checkered floor defined what was otherwise a boring and empty space. Once inside, Red Ink rolled his neck, eliciting three delightful pops. "I have warn you that good pony is bad soldier, Armor." "Listen, pegger-" "Shut up, recruit," Shining snapped at Grizzaloo. "Buck you, Shining Armor. This ass went after Neeps." Grizzaloo ran forward, obviously readying himself for a mighty buck. From what Shining Armor had seen, Grizzaloo was strong, and fast, and fought dirty. He was a good fighter. Compared to Red Ink, those traits meant nothing. The pegasus placed a wing on the ground, using it as a pivot to spin his entire body. His full weight was transferred into a single kick from his rear right leg, which connected with Grizzaloo's jaw as he approached. The blow was accompanied by the crack of very literal thunder, which shook the room and put cracks in the ornate stained glass of the windows. The disguised criminal was picked up off the ground and thrown the entire length of the room by the single blow. His body smacked against the far wall, and then slid down the stone surface with a slowly squeaking crumple. "I am kind to you, crude stallion. In Stalliongrad, you would be dead for your words, let alone your action." With a smile, the new Honor Guard turned to face Shining Armor again. "Your force is lacking even discipline. The Princess and I will be replacing you soon too. You are disgrace." "I don't attack civilians in the streets. Don't try and deny it." "Why would I? No, you are too afraid to do what has to be done. That is why you are not real guard. Just police pony in big armor. Bartender is hurt, perhaps. Her wounds heal easily. In exchange, I hunt down Soldier On, and Masquerade, and others. It is good trade." "We're supposed to protect ponies!" "We protect Equestria, Captain. Not ponies in it. There is difference. Your 'Commander' taught me that." "The Commander was a great guardspony." Shining barely knew the stallion, save by reputation. The words were simply meant to challenge Ink's barbaric methods. "Yes, Captain. Great guardspony. Like me. Knew how to make necessary sacrifice." Ink shook his head. "I should be liking to know two things from you. First, what is in Cloudsdale?" Shining's response was cold and factual. "Just a name." "Masquerade is my investigation, now. Do not try keeping secrets, Captain. I will save Luna, since you cannot. I choose lesser of two evils. You deny both choices. Costs are high." The Royal Guard had to force his hooves not to shake from anger. The stallion standing before him was the very antithesis of everything he had come to believe as a guardspony, and everything he had fought to make the Royal Guard resemble. "I'll show you, Red Ink, that a guardspony can protect Equestria without using fear and intimidation. There's always a higher path." "I disagree. Perhaps we call it a challenge, then, Shining Armor? Whoever claims Masquerade or Soldier On first wins?" Shining's first instinct was to deny the ridiculous assumption. Lives were on the line. There was no time for some ridiculous competition. Even as his reprimand was processed, however, Shining had another thought. Staring him in the face was his one clear chance to do something about the pony who had no place leading the Honor Guard. "Loser resigns their command." The grin that spread over Red Ink's face was almost sickening. "Deal." Shining Armor slid a hoof heavily across the ground, as if readying himself to charge. The motion was made with such strength that it marred the otherwise pristine checkered marble of the floor. When his hoof came up, it slammed against Red Ink's, locking them in a leg-shake. In the grapple, they pressed against one another. Shining was surprised to learn that the slightly smaller pegasus was in fact stronger in his legs. They pressed for a moment, and then released one another. "I am looking forward already to new Royal Guard," Ink offered, pacing back toward the doors into the audience chamber. "Before I am forgetting, one last question. My guard have not yet returned from mission. How are you already know of my raid?" Shining turned around, walking away from the other pony. "I keep tabs. It's my job to protect Equestria against ponies like your guard." Special thanks to SatoshiKyu for pre-reading.