//------------------------------// // Mission 1: Prisoner of War // Story: Captain of the Royal guards // by LunarLover //------------------------------// Hello, first a quick recap Shining Armour and a group of other soldiers have been posted to Baltimare for their first mission, after a clash with bandits Shining is demoted down to Barracks duty where he meets a new friend Silverheart, after months of getting to know each other a fire in the city causes most of the guards to help put it out, Shining and Silverheart head to the fire after false information is given that the commanding officer is injured only for a mysterious stallion to enter the fort and destroy the remaining soldiers as well as take search for something of value, when Shining returns he gets attacked by a knight but gets saved at the last second my Silverheart only for her to knock him out and bury the knight under rubble. "Wake up private!" Shining Armour bolted straight up at the familiar command, He turned his head around and he gave an instinctive salute along with mumbled lines of apology. "Sorry ma am" Shining opened his eyes to realize his current bedding was not his usual bedding. Feeling the intense throbbing pain in his temple he rubbed it vigorously trying to make sense of his current predicament. "Hello Shining Armour, seriously I didn't expect that sort of reaction." giggled the shadowed pony in the darkest corner of the room. Shining looked around to examine his new confined location, a single hardwood door leading into the room and a small window on the roof, the only thing separating Shining from the newcomer was a black iron gate comically placed in the middle of the large room from the cage on his right to the cage to his left. In the prison cell on his left and right, he could see no other prisoner in the dim room. "Who are you and why am I here?" Asked Shining as he threw the dirty makeshift blanket off his body, his armor was expectedly missing as well as his sword. "Well to answer the first question, I am not your ma'am and is in fact a stallion." Said the darkened figure as he rose to give Shining a better look. "And you are here as part of a social experiment." Shining got on his feet only to be worn down by thick chains that hung around his neck like a noose. "And what kind of experiment would that be?" The dimmed figure stood inches away from the bars to look Shining in the eye. Shining quickly took note of his features before his thoughts were interrupted by the answer to his question. "Simple" said his captor lightly "the experiment is to see if Celestia will be willing to sacrifice her reputation for a city." Shining mulled over those words trying to make sense of the situation. "If your beef is with Princess Celestia, then why capture me?" The pony's smile grew larger at the question and answered. "Yes, I was hoping you would ask, well let's just say you are an incentive for Celestia to do as I say." He paused to allow Shining to take this new information in. "Oh! And of course, she doesn't know that I plan on destroying the city anyway, so you don't play a very big role in the overall plan for..." The strange pony paused to find the right words "rehabilitating the city." The pony smiled and tilted his head before backing away into the darkness. "But for now, you are my prisoner and I am the only person with the key, so ta ta" He waved to Shining as he exited the room. "Wait, I'm not done talking yet." Shining darted forward attempting to stop the only person with information only for the chains to rein him back, Shining gritted his teeth before starting to wrestle with the chains desperately to free himself. Cursing at his weakness he forced what energy he could to summon magic before a small ring around his horn sent shocks of pain riveting through his body. Collapsing to the floor Shining gasped for air while his captor simple looked on in curiosity. "You have some spark in you I can see." Said the enigmatic captor as he turned to leave Shining to himself, "Something I would like to change during your time here." With that, the deranged pony slammed the door shut and allowed the echos to mask the shouts of a unicorn soldier trying with all his strength to break free... --------------------------------------- Shining awoke the next chill of the wind blew through his small window, it was dark but he didn't care, after testing the strength of the chains that held out against his thrashes and tugs for well over an hour, his body had given in to the strain and he passed out, the sun had almost vanished over the horizon and Shining knew a long night was ahead. Alright focus Shining Shining Armour calmed his breath and sat down onto the floor to think. The military training back home had trained him for capture, torture as well as self suicide if it was ever needed, he brushed suicide away and focused on capture. "A brown chestnut colour with a strange yellow mane, his legs look as strong as a soldier but his mane isn't well kept and neither is his coat, has no scars except blisters and chips around his hooves and he eats cherries from the smell of his breath." Shining thought to himself. He could start to feel the night breeze settle in but chose to ignore it. "Nothing is useful" Shining swept that aside and moved onto other facts. "He hasn't revealed where I am, but he did reveal a little of his plan." Shining put his hooves to his temple to try and recall what the pony had said. "If Celestia will be willing to sacrifice her reputation for a city" Shining replayed the words over and over in his head, unable to find any link whatsoever Shining felt frustration and desperation build up in his heart. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Quickly turning around to meet his visitor he immediately felt a tinge of disgust in his mouth. He stared at the newcomer with thoughts of anger and hatred filling his head in his head, his leaf green coat visitor without a word, left a tray of food before turning to leave. "So how much of your life story was real Silverheart?" The silhouette stopped in the doorway. "Or was all of it just to get me to feel sorry for you?" She paused for a second before Shining could see the door closing, causing the room to be plagued with darkness once more. Quickly fishing for the tray he ate whatever was edible and refocused his goal. I will not give up. he chanted in his head I will not die in this hell hole I promised someone that much Shining felt for the first time, felt sadness and despair welling in his heart as he stared out into the night sky hoping his comrades were in better shape. --------------------------------------------------------- A few hours earlier "Put your bloody backs into it." Screamed the commanding officer at his well wearied privates as they dragged rubble after rubble away from the destroyed fort. The commanding officer ran his hoof through his hair in frustration, it was not a good day, after a confusing day fighting the large fire in Baltimare they came back to the fort only to find nine soldiers missing in action and the entire thing brought to the ground, he shook his head in annoyance as he briskly trotted down to the digging site. "Move out of the way." He barked as he pushed past his soldiers and towards the large pile of unmovable rock. "I'm getting too old for this." he muttered as he focused his magic onto the pile, feeling the strain of lifting so much weight in his mind, beads of sweat began to roll down his head as lifted half of it into the air before allowing tonnes of rock and rubble to tumble loudly down the hill as all of the soldiers for the first time felt proud to have him as their leader. Feeling light headed he felt his soldiers catch him before he collapsed to the ground. "I'm alright, I'm alright dammit, just get back to digging." He brushed off the help and went back to a tent to retire. "Sir!" Came the call not ten minutes after he reached the new temporary campsite. He stuck his head out only to bump directly into a private that looked like he badly needed to go to the toilet. "We found something sir, or rather someone." Immediately the officer rushed back to the fort as fast as his hooves could carry him. From a distance he could make out a large crowd around the medic tent, forcing his way through he shoved his men out of the way until he was face to face with the only survivor of the accident. "Ah officer, it's good to see you." Came the immediate sarcastic reply as the knight unhinged his armour plate and called for a cup of water. The officer a thousand thoughts went through the mind of the commanding officer as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Who the hell are you?" The Knight rolled his eyes before pulling out a single blue ball, a wave of ohs went around the crowd before the officer pushed them back to work. "Alright alright nothing to see here, get back to finding those missing soldiers." "You won't find them officer." The knight stretched his back before taking off his greaves. "Why would that be?" Questioned the officer, the Knight massaged his hind legs before speaking. "Because we are dealing with a unicorn that turned all six of them into dust." "Dust?" "Dust." The officer pondered the new information as the Knight rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Look sir" he started with condescending look on his face " he vaporized six soldiers without breaking a sweat, then your friend Shining Armour turns up with his assistant to blow the fort sky high and bury me under it." The officer rubbed his chin in confusion. "Assistant?" "The mare." "who?" "The light green one with the dark green mane and a grey stripe through it, that was leftover from the previous squad! That one." The officer scratched his head in confusion. "And you say Shining as well?" The knight took a deep breath in to control what ounce of patience he had left, he knew that working with officers were tiresome but he had bigger problems to solve, "yes, the white one with the blue mane, the idiot who went bandit raiding, yes Shining Armour, now are we going to play twenty questions or try and find where those two traitors went?" Immediately the officer clamped his lips out of fear he might say something stupid. "Now I need you to find those two, I called for more guards to join in, they won't be anywhere in the city so try the surrounding areas, I will personally write to Princess Celestia to warn her that her suspicions were right." The Knight stood up and began to walk out of the tent. "P...Princess Celestia? More guards?" Stumbled the officer as he hurriedly rushed out of the tent after the unequipped knight. "This is a little extreme for two soldiers is it not? Why no-" His words were cut off by a fierce gaze that seemed to burn into his retinas. "Why exactly officer, do you think I am doing here?" Before the pale faced officer could reply to the rhetorical question an even fiercer stare cut him off. "I am here not to babysit twenty-seven rookie soldiers to do their job, I was sent here on notice that a threat against Equestria was made and thus I need to know that I have someone to count on that isn't completely incompetent, now either you help me or I add an extra word into the next post assignment you get." The officer saluted weakly before turning back to his troops. "B..but sir, how many soldiers do we need to find two turncoats?" "You know I hear that the Badlands isn't as bad as they say, after the getting over the smell yo-." Before he could carry on the officer had already vanished. "I thought so." The knight carried on his path towards the city deep in thought. Oh Princess, what did you get yourself into now? -------------------------------------- A few hours later into the night Shining awoke when the final chill of the night rose up his spine, immediately the discomfort of sleeping in the harsh cold night consumed his fatigue causing him to rise instantly to his feet, rubbing his temple in frustration, Shining peered out into the window in an attempt to gather the time. In the distance he could see Celestia's moon in the sky with the sun nowhere in sight, the moons pseudo heat from the glow it gave off did little to warm Shining, grumbling in annoyance at his current predicament a cold chill quickly turned his thoughts to more pressing matters, pressing matters like the two glowing yellow orbs in the cage beside him and why they seemed to be blinking. "Hello? Shining called into the darkness, the orbs simply stared on quietly it's stare unwavering as Shining felt it's gaze trail all over his body, immediately the cold air seemed like a summer breeze to the icy stare that seem to penetrate his very soul. "Hello?" Shining called again hoping for an answer, after what felt like an eternity, the eyes turned its gaze to the window and carried on it's ghostly silence. Not talkative I guessShining thought to himself as he burrowed in the warmest part of the cell and drifted off into an uneasy slumber. ----------------- "Hello!" Instantly Shining Armour leaped from his stupor on instinct, realizing once again he had been duped Shining immediately turned his back from his captor and threw off his makeshift blanket. "Aww does the trapped soldier not want to talk?" mocked his captor as Shining busied himself with tidying his cell. "Really, the only thing that you worry about is making your bed." The pony rolled his eyes as Shining ignored him and turned his back to the prison bars, looking out the window he heard the scraping of chair legs on concrete and the pony sitting down heavily watching him from behind. "Why so distant?" Questioned Shining Armour's captor. "It's not like you have anything better to do right?" Shining heard him shuffle closer to the bars. "I mean really, I get bored from doing near to nothing and you got nothing to lose." Shining spun around and relaxed his shoulders, realizing that this pony wasn't going to leave him alone he figured he might as well gather information. Time to get something useful. "Why would I want to talk to you anyway?" Shining started to formulate a plan in his head. "After all, I don't even know your name." The pony brooded over the new counter proposal, deciding nothing could go wrong he smiled back at Shining. "Well then, my name is Madblood the Enchanter!" Dramatized 'Madblood' as he waved his hooves into the air. Shining rolled his eyes at the theatrics. "Yeah and I am Captain of the Royal Guard." 'Madblood pouted at the doubt Shining Armour was having over his name but quickly bounced back to his cheerful self. "Well I gave myself that name when i decided Equestria needed a hero, I can't go around with a name li-" He clasped his hooves over his mouth before realizing what he was about to say. raising an eyebrow he sat back down on his backward chair position and stared intrigued at Shining. "Nice try Shining, but really even of you did learn of my name then, what would you do with it?" Shining quickly flashed ideas through his head to keep dominance of the situation. Remember, to win a captor you need him to, sympathize with you or make him believe that he has the power of control, manipulate his wants and desires to get what you want. "Shining? What you thinking about?" 'Madblood' said distracting Shining Armour from his thoughts. "Oh just thinking of a game." Shining paused for a second to allow 'Madblood' to think. "And what game would that be?" "Oh how about twenty questions?" Shining asked, secretly hoping his luck will be with him. "But you know, whatever, play don't play, I preferred it if you left me alone." He lay back onto the floor hoping that 'Madblood' would take the bait. 'Madblood' once more consulted his inner being for an answer. He wants to play a game? "Well what can we play for?" "Alright alright, how about I try to guess your name with twenty questions." Shining smiled on the inside, 'Madblood was deep in thought trying to make sense of the situation, after a few seconds of sitting in silence, Madblood peered up with a smile on his face. "But what do I need to guess from you?" 'Madblood' said as he sat back comfortably on his chair. A flurry of thoughts ran through his head, Shinining had hoped he would accept and not give a counter-proposal, losing his momentum of control he quickly going through ideas that would be hard to guess in his mind. "I mean somepony close to me." He said staring at 'Madblood' to see if he accepted. "So a marefriend back at home?" "Well that's for you to find out" 'Madblood' went back into his thinking state once more. "So you accept or what? Because I am getting tired of waiting." Shining once more went back onto the floor and shut his eyes. "Fine" Shining opened one eye "So 'fine' that we aren't playing or 'fine' that we are?" "Yes yes we are playing, and it's not like you're going anywhere anyway." Sitting down 'Madblood' peered at Shining through the bars. "So I guess somepony close to you and you guess my real name." 'Madblood' said to Shining who merely nodded. "And the winner?" "You get information." "Information?" Shining realized things were going his way, smiling at how curious his warden was he answered. "I know every battle technique and strategy there is to know about the army, you win and I tell you, I win and I go free." "Done" came the immediate reply. quickly bumping hooves they sat down once more. "So shall we begin?" 'Madblood' questioned. "Yes" Shining paused for a second. "And that is question one." 'Madblood' smiled devilishly at his new opponent. "So that's how you want to play it" his smile grew twice as large. "so be it then" ' Hey guys, so it has been forever, I plan to write a new story with better writing and such but I felt like I should finish this one up, my next story will probably not feature Shining but instead will have someone more awesome...So yeah