//------------------------------// // Fourteen // Story: Civil War // by TheKing2001 //------------------------------// Aria I trotted down the hall of the castle into the barracks and sighed. “No luck?” Lemon Zest asked curiously as she sat on her top bunk with Indigo as the two played cards. I silently shook my head I tossed my helmet and Berry Blast caught it in a purple aura. “You’ll find her eventually,” Sugarcoat shrugged as we all looked at her. She was resting on her bed with her hooves behind her head. She had been released from the hospital a few days after I came back. “Why do you care so much anyway?” Blitz asked curiously as she laid down a card. “No reason,” I shrugged and sat down on my bunk. At first, it was to arrest her but now I want to find her for an entirely different reason. One that only Luna, Discord and I know about. “Uh huh,” Sunny Flare said with a neutral expression. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you dearie. What’s really going on?” “I can’t tell you,” I admitted and pulled my blanket up over me. “Orders.” Everyone looked at each other as I stayed quiet. Glimmer Shine cleared her throat and I looked at her. “Like the secret kind?” She asked curiously as I nodded slowly. “How secret are we talking here?” Sour Sweet asked with a raised eyebrow. “Like I will spend the rest of my life in jail for telling you secret.” An tense silence fell over the other Guards as they all processed my words with stunned and worried expressions. “We forget this conversation ever happened,” Glimmer Shine said instantly. “Nopony says a word to anypony, got it?” Everypony nodded as Spitfire trotted in with a grey pegasus with a light grey mane and a light blue bow and arrow cutie mark. A light blue earth pony with a periwinkle mane and a cutie mark of two interlocked horseshoes, one gold and the other silver was by her side with a pillow and blanket rolled up on their backs. “Hey captain,” Indigo tossed a lazy salute her way as Indigo continued doing wing ups. “Hello. Meet Silverspeed and Shoeshine. I’ll leave them in your care Aria. Good night,” Spitfire spun around and trotted out before sticking her head back in. “Oh the Wonderbolts and myself are heading back to Cloudsdale. We were temporarily here to help get you all shaped up. This is goodbye for now. As my sister would say, may we meet again.” “May we meet again,” I bowed my head slightly as Spitfire nodded and disappeared from view and we listened to her fading hoofsteps. We all shifted our gaze to the two new arrivals. Shoeshine maintained eye contact while Silverspeed trotted to one of the empty bunks and flapped her wings to the top bunk. I had wondered why we had two new bunks. “So,” I said casually and swung my hooves onto the floor as I sat up in a position that Lyra prefers. “You are the two that Spitfire hired.” “Yeah,” Shoeshine said as she finally moved to her bunk and bucked her pillow and blanket on it. “So you’re the one calling the shots of this little gang.” “I wouldn’t call it a gang,” Glimmer Shine said coldly as she glared at her. “Show some respect.” “Easy girl,” Shoeshine chuckled and held up her hooves. “I’m just joking, don’t worry. Somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Glimmer Shine made a scoffing sound and rolled over in her bed. I glanced to the door and flicked my ear as the sound of trotting hooves got closer. Starlight entered the room and looked around before her eyes fell on me and Shoeshine. “You,” Starlight glared at Shoeshine as we all watched curiously. Shoeshine eyes widened a bit as she cowered on the ground. “P-please don’t hurt me!” Shoeshine begged with a look of fear on her face. “Not again at least.” “Again?” I echoed and raised an eyebrow. Starlight narrowed her eyes as she pulled Shoeshine with her magic. “I won’t if you come apologize to Trixie for your behavior. You disappeared before I could make you like I did the others. Now come with me. Oh and they found that pony you wanted Aria. She’s in an abandoned house on the edge of town. You can go get her tomorrow morning.” I gave a grin as I nodded, watching Shoeshine get dragged along out into the hall. I pushed the crowd of ponies that had gathered to watch us arrest the unicorn. Apparently it had became public knowledge and half the town was here. I adjusted my helmet as I approached the fence with the rest of my team behind me. “So how do we wanna do this?” Indigo asked as she leaned against her spear lazily. “Indigo, take Silverspeed, Blitz and Glimmer Shine to the top of the house in case she tries to flee from that way. Sour Sweet, take Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest and Wallflower around back if she tries to leave that way. Shoeshine, Sugarcoat, Sunbeam you two are with me,” I directed as they all nodded and went to the assigned spots. “Alright Shoeshine, I want you to buck the door down.” “Yes ma’am,” Shoeshine said quietly as she spun around and stretched her back legs. “When the door is down, we go in,” I whispered as the other three nodded. Sugarcoat shifted her saddlebags that contained a magical inhibitor and hoof cuffs with a smug grin. “Do it.” Shoeshine bucked the door and it shattered as I entered the rundown house. I pointed a hoof upstairs as I trotted up them into a bedroom as the sounds of the other four tearing the downstairs apart echoed. I paused and flicked an ear as a door was burst down and a pink unicorn pushed me onto my back. We glared at each other as she pressed a hoof against my throat. “Sunbeam! Sugarcoat!” I shouted as the two galloped up the stairs and a yellow laser knocked the unicorn off me. She backed away and ran down the stairs. “After her!” We ran down the stairs as Wallflower surprisingly chased after her into the outdoors as Indigo and Glimmer Shine tackled her. “Don’t move!” Indigo growled as she slammed the mares head into the dirt. The others came from the back and held her hooves down as Sugarcoat levitated the magic inhibitor and shoved it onto her horn. Shoeshine pressed her hoof against the mares back as she struggled. “Get the hoof cuffs,” I grumbled as I held one of her legs out as the crowd gasped. I completely forgot they were here. Blitz and Sour shoved her hooves into the shackles and yanked her up. “Walk,” Sour Sweet muttered as she gave her a shove. “Me and you are going to have a fun conversation,” I smirked as I started walking her to the castle. She gulped nervously as I smirked wider. I love my job.