//------------------------------// // Turn the Tables // Story: Do you believe in Ghosts? // by Material Defender //------------------------------// “They’re holding back their forces? Why?” Harvey asked. A large cluster of griffon troop formations sat firmly entrenched around Aerocem on the war map, with only smaller elements acting as perimeter guard on the outskirts of the region. There were no units positioned to strike at the pass that the Equestrians held. “No doubt that they’re finally getting a bit unnerved by having their generals knocked off without so much as a clue,” Shining Armor said. “But aside from what we’ve learned from what we received from Aerocem, intelligence on this project that the griffons are working on is meager at best.” “Yes, that’s been repeated many times already... what I’m curious about is why you’ve called me here to discuss this in the middle of the night.” “Had to be done,” Shining replied. “My sister is here, and she’s gotten wind that there’s a ‘very interesting thing’ to be found here in the castle. Knowing the Princess, I wouldn’t be surprised she was the one who let it slip.” “Who, Celestia?” Harvey asked. “Why would she do that?” “Most likely as some sort of game. My sister’s really big on learning as many things as she possibly can, and with you still in the process of compiling your book, she’d probably end up wringing you for every drop of knowledge you’re worth.” Shining narrowed his eyes at the intelligence report before him and shifted around some more pieces on the map using magic. “Still no change. I guess the riots are getting to them now.” “That doesn’t explain why the Princess is doing this, though...” Harvey shook his head, yawning and taking the time to rub his tired eyes. “Just how stubborn can your sister be, anyway? I mean, she’s going on a wild search in the middle of the night, when a sensible man—or pony—would be sleeping.” “Well, she’s not exactly that sensible of a pony when she puts her mind to something,” he said, taking a sip from his steaming cup of tea. “Though I think it would be worth finding out what sort of interesting tidbit that the Princess told my sister that instigated her whole hunt for you.” “Does she even know that it’s me, specifically? As in, a person that has treasure troves of knowledge of a world she’s never even heard about?” Harvey inquired, recalling the sudden series of knocks on his door in the depths of the night. The guard at the door had been more than tense regarding the prodigal student’s arrival, and had told him to relocate immediately. “You, as a human? Probably not. She’s probably thinking that Celestia’s hidden a new book around the castle somewhere for her to find. They used to do it a lot back when Twilight stayed here at the castle, or so I’ve been told. And Twilight hasn’t been asking around for clues about any new guests at the castle, so I guess that means that you’re safe, for the most part.” “Ugh, fantastic. Will I be spending my days down here until she leaves?” “To play it safe? That’s your best bet. I can have your things brought down here if you need to,” Shining said. Hoofsteps echoed quickly down the stairwell and he looked up to find Princess Luna entering the Sanctum of Night. “Oh, greetings, Princess Luna. What brings you here at this time of night?” “Hello, Captain Armor,” Luna said. “I have come here to discuss with you the details of this... Eclipse project. I believe it requires more resources to be devoted to it aside from having you alone sift through the data and report them to me.” Upon seeing the disgruntled Harvey sitting across the table from Shining, she gave a respectful nod to him. “And greetings, Doctor Harvey... I had intended for a guard to fetch you so that we could speak, but it seems that it has already been done.” “Care to hazard a guess as to why?” Harvey said with a tired chuckle. “Oh, yes. Twilight Sparkle has been combing the castle grounds since this afternoon looking for a ‘new repository of knowledge’, or my sister has said.” Luna shook her head, recalling the look of glee on Twilight’s face when the words were uttered. “I have had a detection barrier placed upon your room. It would be disastrous if Twilight should enter to see your uncompleted work sitting on the center table just waiting for her to read. With the barrier, she will most likely ignore it and search elsewhere for her prize... like, say, the Royal Archives.” “That’s good, if it means I can return to my bed soon,” he half-heartedly responded. “So, aside from this whole Eclipse thing going on with the griffons... what’s got you so on edge, Your Highness?” “My sister, for one,” Luna tersely replied. “She thinks that there is no cause for alarm, and has told me that it is simply Strongbeak trying to extend his influence over the griffon Institute of Magic in some feeble attempt to add yet another tool to his schemes. I believe otherwise, and that he will attempt to effect a secondary route into our lands somehow, in an attempt to strike at us in some extension of the project’s goals after the minor concern of alicorn enchantments was brought to our attention...” Luna trotted over and sat down on one of the empty floor cushions at the war map table, pausing long enough for a shifting in of more of her Night Guard from their return. Another pile of reports were dumped on the table at the end of the room, much to Shining’s voiced exasperation. The captain merely deferred the task of reading and compiling the information on the reports to the skeleton crew of assistants still present in the room. “It’s possible that this whole project could be one giant hoax, Your Highness,” Shining said. “But I do have to agree with you on how this whole thing might be some trump card that they’re hiding... and that they need you both to make it work.” “It’s nice to see someone agree with me, for once,” Luna said. “You are the only one in the entirety of the officers present in Celestia’s war council that has even thought about siding with me. They all believe that since the griffons have fallen back and the loyalists are steadily gaining influence in the Empire’s holdings that we can simply stand back and let the problem resolve itself.” She moped and dropped her head onto the table, abandoning all semblance of royal manner as she groaned aloud. “And my past reputation still stains the weight with which my opinion is taken...” “Well, what we have is spotty at best,” Harvey said. “It could just be possible that we simply don’t have any solid cause to act on it. I can see why your sister doesn’t want to dedicate extra resources to something that might not even be anything serious to deal with.” “I know,” Luna deadpanned. “And your response is the kind of answer that I always receive. I am... disheartened by our subjects’ lack of vigilance during these times of war. The enemy cannot always be expected to do what we might think that they will do, and although I have never met or spoken with Strongbeak, the way his military campaign is being run makes me feel... uneasy. He clearly has a goal in mind, and no amount of civil unrest or lost battles will change that.” “Speaking from experience, Princess?” Shining asked. Luna huffed, blowing a tuft of her mane away from her face. “You are correct. During my reign as Nightmare Moon in the olden days, my drive for ambition never wavered. I desired a complete unification of Equestria underneath my rule, and I made sure that no obstacle could stand in my way of that goal. It would not be too far to assume that Strongbeak thinks the same way, and that he already has a plan in motion to achieve what his military could not.” “Are they going to try to kill you somehow?” Harvey said, right as a Night Guard appeared next to him to place a cup of tea before him, a much-needed rejuvenator. “Thank you. They have all of this project supposedly slated to take you down, but... how are they going to do that? You’re here in Canterlot, protected within the castle.” “I don’t know,” Luna said. “And that is what unsettles me. I have heard mention that Strongbeak is using airships, a product of their engineering. I do not know just how capable this new craft is, or whether or not it can traverse the high winds of the mountains between our territories. Even more so, if they are capable of carrying large amounts of troops, they can easily take down any pegasi air patrol anywhere between the passes. I have asked my sister to triple the guard on the routes, but alas... she did not listen, and my Night Guard are already fully allocated to the intelligence gathering tasks so crucial to our war effort.” “I can see if there’s anything that can be done about it, Princess,” Shining offered. “Maybe with a second opinion, she’ll be more willing to acquiesce to your suggestion. It can’t hurt if our troops are simply spending their current time just holding the line, and I’m sure the settlements close to the mountain ranges will appreciate the extra oversight.” “Thank you, Captain Shining,” she said, picking herself back up and beckoning for another cup of tea to be brought for her. “See to it that you do... it would be terrible for us should my suspicions prove correct. Has there been anything new pertaining to the Ghosts?” “There has, Your Highness.” Shining produced a small pile of reports for her to read. “They’ve eliminated Castshot within the city of Kruvem, and are moving to take down Red Talon next... though from what I’ve read about where he’s quartered at, it’ll be one tough nut to crack.” “Ah, yes, the General of the Infantry,” she said. “I have heard that he is a beast, even among griffons, unparalleled in his brutality and emphasis on combat... most of our worst casualties from our battles were from his group. Even if most of his forces are on the field, I assume that he still has a garrison of his best as his side. He is not paranoid, but he is no fool. He will expect trouble, and when he finds it, he will bring down all his force upon it.” “Agreed,” Shining said. “General Scarclaw even stated in a personal report to us that he’s not to be taken lightly, and he’s already let the Ghosts know of that. Fortress Helmguard is where he’s headquartered at, and the entire thing is impenetrable... not surprising, considering that Red Talon himself was behind its design and construction.” “So what do they intend to do?” Luna asked. Her tea soon arrived and she soon found herself relishing in a late night drink. “I doubt that if the entire fortress is locked down from air to ground that they’ll have any chance of sneaking in... unless there is something more to humans that I have not been told about yet...” “No such thing, Your Highness,” Harvey said, eyeing the new crossbow slung across the back of the Night Guards on duty in the room, prototypes that still needed to go through further testing. “What you see is what you get... if we could teleport, I can assure you that they would abuse that ability to hell and back. Would make things a lot more easier if they could.” “Uh, actually...” Shining interrupted. “They intend on launching an all-out assault on the fortress much like they did with Kruvem.” “Are they mad?” Luna immediately responded. “It is madness to assault a heavily-defended fortress head on!” “At this point, I don’t think they have much of a choice,” Shining said. “Though they could just move onto another target, but they won’t have the power of the loyalists to help them with travel and lodgings. Their influence is still restricted to the eastern and southern regions of the Empire, so they’ll probably have to stick it out with them.” “How strong are their numbers? You are sure that they intend to do this?” Luna inquired, recalling her own equally suicidal tactics used during the battles that ensued between her armies and Celestia’s. How foalish she had been, so blinded by vengeance that she threw away the lives of her most devoted to obtain what she now knew was a cursed throne, taken by spilling the blood of innocents... “I have done this before, and you must send them a letter on my behalf to urge them against it!” “It doesn’t look like they intend to do anything else,” Shining said, eyes still on the report in front of him. “They assault the fortress at... at the next dawn!” “Is there still time to get a message to them?” Shining shook his head. “Possibly, but we’ll need to pull every route in record time to do it, and even then, it’s going to take hours, at the minimum. There’s a very good possibility that they’ll have launched their attack long before we can get anything to them.” “Damn,” she cursed. “Then we will have to hope for the best. Scarclaw must have something up his sleeve if he intends to throw them all against the walls like raging ocean waves on the coast. Why not simply move to other townships and work to gain support for themselves instead?” “To a griffon, it’s simply too valuable a target, Your Highness. I sense that Scarclaw intends to remove Red Talon as a means to break their morale... he’s big, strong, intimidating, and inspires his griffons in the midst of battle. The values he exhibits are a spitting image of what Strongbeak is trying to instill into his troops, and Red Talon is the linchpin keeping that image together. Eliminating him would be a huge blow to their war effort. Might even bring some more to their side, actually.” “I see you’ve done your homework,” Harvey joked. “Reading up on the current military leaders is something that we’re all required to do, doc,” he said. “I can see why it comes in handy when you end up going to war with your neighbors...” “Well, if he intends to throw the Ghosts into the fray... then maybe they have a chance,” Harvey noted, eyeing the giant clumping of griffon units sitting right atop of Helmguard. “Corporal Raymond’s—Scope, the coldest of the group—rifle, the one I’m sure everyone heard him test-fire before they left for griffon lands, was designed to be fatal even when wearing armor. If they manage to lure him into a position where they have a clean shot, they can end him without much trouble.” “Then it will be their surest bet,” Luna said, finishing off the last of her cooling tea before continuing. “A prolonged battle within that fortress will spell death for all the loyalists involved. There is a good chance that even the Ghosts may also be in danger if the attack should end up faltering at any point.” “It’s a battle that’ll go down in the books, that’s for sure,” Harvey said, taking the time to ingest his tea. Eyebrows were raised throughout the group when the sound of faint magical popping could be faintly heard on the castle grounds above them. “Twilight is quite persistent,” Luna pointed out in jest. “Perhaps I should deter her from continuing her search here...” Luna rose and left the cup on the table for another one of her servants to switfly appear and remove it. “Have a pleasant night, you two.” “Hmm, maybe it’s... here?! Oh, dang it...!” Twilight pulled her head out of another well-tended bush in a line of shrubbery in the Canterlot Royal Gardens. The sound of hooves clopping against cobblestone promptly caught her attention, and she found herself face-to-face with Princess Luna. “Oh! Hello, Princess Luna! You wouldn’t happen to know where a repository of knowledge might be kept around here, would you?” “For one, I would imagine that it is not being kept within the confines of the gardens, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. “Perhaps you should take your search elsewhere?” “Oh, of course! I was just... kind of hoping that it would be here...” she mumbled. “And why is that?” Luna asked. “Because... well... Princess Celestia said that she took extra care to hide it somewhere really unassuming. So I imagined that it might be here in the gardens, because she probably thought that I wouldn’t look here!” Luna merely blinked, letting the statement fade away into awkwardness until she began to giggle. “Dearest Twilight, I would imagine that my sister would be nowhere near as cruel as that. Have you tried looking within the Star Swirl the Bearded section of the Royal Archives?” “I already did!” Twilight said, shaking her head in frustration. “There was nothing there... and I should know! I triple-checked the contents of all the shelves in there, and had it compared against the records that the librarian had on hoof! There hasn’t been a single new entry in there since ten years ago, official or otherwise!” “I wonder what clues my sister has teased you with?” Luna walked past her, using her magic to return the bush’s contours back into its original unfettered state. “Surely she meant you to actually find this repository of yours and not... send you off on a busy task while she attends to the needs of the war?” “What? But why...” Twilight said lowly. “She wouldn’t do that... we were supposed to have time for each other today... I’ve been so busy, and now with this war making everypony so nervous, I thought she would appreciate having the chance to just wind down, if only for a little while...” “This isn’t the first time my sister has done such a thing, Twilight. You must realize that she means no harm in what she does: she only has the best interests of all of her subjects at heart... and that includes you. I would assume that she still intends to spend time with you after she is finished sorting out her matters.” Luna nuzzled the crestfallen mare, nudging her lightly with her wing back towards the lit castle doors, guards standing on duty outside. Twilight groaned, but only for a moment; perhaps Luna was correct, and Celestia would see to spending time with her the next day. “Thank you, Princess. I’ll just... go get some rest. I feel really tired now for some reason...” “I agree... you’ve spent hours into the night searching. But do not take my words too seriously, Twilight, for it was merely simple conjecture. I am sure that my sister has left a gift for you somewhere in the castle.” As they walked up the steps and entered back into the quiet halls within, Luna leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “Perhaps it is hidden somewhere more... familiar to you?” “There’s no way she would... actually, I think you might have a point,” Twilight said. “Yes, there’s still a few places I haven’t looked through, but I think I’ll... I’ll...” She yawned and began to trot slowly down the carpeted way. “I’ll do it tomorrow... good night, Princess.” “Good night, Twilight,” Luna replied. Perhaps a late night stroll in the gardens would be nice, but she heard the din of shuffling armor behind her and turned around. She was greeted with two unmoving faces of her Night Guard standing directly behind her. At first, she’d taken offense to the fact that they might have been clearly staring at her royal hindquarters, but restrained her outrage and collected her inner calm, turning her shock into a relaxed curiosity. “Greetings, Your Highness,” one of them said. “Greetings...” she echoed. “For what reason do you stand before me?” “That would be me, sorry,” a voice called out. “Doctor Harvey?” Luna asked, looking around the hall. Aside from herself and the two guards, there was no one else, and the occasional pedestal with accompanying decorative flower pot were nowhere near large enough to hide the human. “Where are you?” “Right here,” he said, standing up behind the two guards. “I was on my way back to my room when you and your friend there just barged through having your little conversation.” “Oh, I... did not realize you were present in the halls,” she said apologetically. “If Twilight had seen you...” “I’m sure she’s quite the talker,” he said. “But given that you’ve already sent her on her way, I don’t think there’s much else to worry about, is there?” Luna looked over her shoulder: not a single sight of the unicorn anywhere to be seen, and the hall was empty all the way down to the end. “Wasn’t she just...?” Luna said. “Nope, she teleported,” Harvey said. “Pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. Just a magical flash of magic and she’s gone! And now I can’t see straight! Okay, I’m going to just... close my eyes for a moment...” In a flash, the guards quickly split apart and caught the falling doctor with their wings, with a single wayward hoof stopping his glasses from falling off. “Don’t worry, ma’am, we’ll take him back to his room,” one said. They trudged past her, dragging the sleeping body of Harvey with them as they pulled a left on their way to the living quarters. Luna could hear the faint sound of snoring as she smiled to herself, before another guard, this time one of Celestia’s flew in from behind her and landed, throwing her a salute. “Good evening, Princess,” he said. “Princess Celestia wishes to speak to you immediately.” This night just never ended, did it? “Do you really have a gift for Twilight?” Luna immediately asked as soon as she had passed through the doors into Celestia’s quarters. “Please tell me you do.” “Of course I left her a gift, Luna,” she said, her voice laden with hurt at Luna’s accusatory tone. “Do you think I would simply lead my faithful student astray despite my current affairs? I would not be so harsh as to ignore my loved ones in favor of duties of the crown.” “You’ve done it before...” Luna said quietly. Celestia realized her meaning, moving to comfort her before Luna cut her off. “So, you wished to see me?” Celestia watched her carefully, taking in Luna’s expression before cautiously moving on. “Yes... I... I did want to see you. I wanted to speak to you about the affairs in the Empire, and your... proposed solutions.” “Have you reconsidered your choice?” “No, but I am willing to consider other methods. Please, sit,” Celestia said, gesturing to the free cushion beside her, both of them situated comfortably in front of the roaring fireplace. Luna obliged, settling herself in across from her sister and waiting for her to speak. “I apologize for the conduct of several of my officers during our meeting today.” “It was nothing that I have not already heard, sister,” Luna said flatly. “I already know that my opinion is not welcome among most of the Guard. Shining Armor and few others are the exception, but I find that their voices of reason are rapidly drowned out by those who seek to air my past misgivings at every opportunity they can. It makes me feel like they’d shout it off of a mountain, if they didn’t remember just exactly who it was they were slandering.” “Please, Luna, you must forgive them,” Celestia pleaded. “These are trying times and moods are... frayed. I am sure that they do not mean any harm in what they say, but they just want a... a...” “It is fine, Celestia. You can say it.” “...a scapegoat. An outlet for their frustrations, when the only true threat is so far away from Canterlot.” Celestia sighed deeply, shaking her head sadly. “I suppose it was a risk I had to take when I brought you back from your banishment. Your reputation precedes you in every mention I hear of you among our subjects.” “It is fine,” Luna repeated. “Let us move on to other topics of discussion. I do not wish to talk about this one. You were discussing my solutions...?” “Yes,” Celestia said, clearing her throat before continuing. “Well, I have taken what you said into account and... I believe it may be prudent to at least allocate some extra patrols to the regions you were concerned about.” “And?” Luna said, expecting a catch to the offer. “Only when we aren’t expecting an attack,” she said. “And given the recent reports from the scouts just outside of the passes, the griffons intend to return to the battlefield soon, that window will be short-lived.” Luna sighed. The nuances of war meant more than just focusing on the next battle to come, and it irritated her. Were her sister’s subjects rubbing off on her? “I understand, but surely you have greater concern for the homefront than the battlefield, correct?” “I do, Luna, but with our forces already outmatched by the griffons’, we need every available hoof, horn, and wing ready to repel any possible incursions.” Celestia looked away, staring thoughtfully into the flickering flames. “I only wish I still had the armies I had back in those days...” “Such is the price of peace,” Luna said. “When greater evils are vanquished, it leaves no drive for the betterment of our defense. Then when yet another situation arises that demands that we truly need an army, we will be ready for it. But instead we have... what? Royal guards who haven’t seen anything on this scale since I was banished, leading an even greater army of... militiaponies, drawn from the ranks of civilians.” “I recall at one time, you would be adamantly urging me to press the attack,” Celestia said, recalling an older image of a once-impulsive princess. “Has your mode of thought changed, Luna?” “It may or may not,” Luna simply replied. “I am merely adapting my tendencies to match the current culture and situation. Since our focus is simply defense, we must push that agenda—aggressively. We need to make it so that the mere notion of crossing our borders would make the griffons turn tail and flee, not to simply wait for this turn of tables to shift its favor against us yet again.” “But...” Celestia said, lowering her head towards Luna. Such methods had long since been phased out of her own military, and it amused her to see Luna still clinging onto a piece of the old world with her. “But...” Luna said, sighing. “Again, the situation cannot allow it. At one time, the combined might of our Celestial Army could easily defeat any foe on the face of Equis, and every creature that breathed knew it. Reputation, numbers—yet more strategies that we cannot rely upon, and we certainly cannot fake them...” “So you are fine with my arrangement, then?” Celestia interrupted. Her smile faltered when Luna simply stared at the ground before her, and the lack of an answer put her on edge. She hadn’t had the time to truly test Luna again since her return, and the Princess of the Night had been known to grow more than just cantankerous when things didn’t go her way. In all honesty, the lack of outbursts on Luna’s behalf was more than surprising. “It is adequate, for now. Perhaps I am merely just overreacting...” Luna said. She was cut short when the doors to Celestia’s quarters bursted open, leaving a haggard guard standing in its wake and catching both princesses in surprise at the sudden arrival. “Your Majesties!” he cried, stepping forward as his ruffled wings hung at his sides. His helmet was nowhere to be seen, and his regulation-trimmed mane only accompanied the dirt stained across his face. “I bring you news!” “What kind of news?” Celestia asked, only for the guard to hold up a hoof as he gasped for air. “There’s...” He gasped loudly yet again, clutching his chest. Celestia recognized his armor’s insignia: he was part of the Royal Guard contingent stationed at the pass just near Aerocem. “They’ve begun their attack again, and we’re... I don’t know how they were able to recover so quickly, but... we only barely managed to hold the line. I was given the order to return to Canterlot as soon as possible to notify our superiors and Your Majesties. There wasn’t any time to write out a proper message.” “You have made good time, stalwart guard,” Celestia said, immediately pulling out a roll of paper, a quill, and an inkwell from the nearby office table across from her bed. A night attack from the griffons at this point in time was unexpected. “I dislike having to put you to another task so soon, but could you please find and give this letter to a Night Guard? And notify them that it is for the eyes of the intelligence analysts. They will know where to take it.” “Right away, ma’am.” The guard smartly took the letter and tucked it in beneath his armor, then saluted and flew off towards the castle. Celestia left the comfort of her cushion, moving to peek outside the door before closing it. “Does this mean that...?” Luna began. “Yes, Luna,” Celestia said. “I am afraid that I must rescind my previous plans. Strongbeak’s influence is... maddening, if he can see fit to control dissent and wage war simultaneously.” “You underestimate the far-reaching grasp of a tyrant, sister,” Luna said. “When one takes hold of every citizen’s life, it becomes easy to treat them like puppets, more so when you have fanatical followers willing to do your bidding to keep the unruly in line. Such was how I led my followers during the Nightmare Age, and it is how I assume Strongbeak leads now.” “I’m very sorry, Luna. If we had the ponypower, I would put a dozen patrols to cover every route next to the mountain face...” Luna vacated her seat and trotted past her sister, exiting outside and watching the iridescent bodies in the night sky. “I understand, sister,” Luna said quietly. “There is no way that we could have anticipated their counterattack so soon... but I will leave you to your tasks now. No doubt that the council will convene yet again to discuss what has just transpired. Good night, Celestia.” Luna turned away and descended the stairs as Celestia began to voice her reply, only to stay mute as she simply watched her sister disappear down the stairwell. Conflicting thoughts flowed through her mind as she attempted to follow a course of action, fighting back that eerie feeling of trailing down a very similar path once before. She swallowed hard, returning to her cushion and closing her quarters’ doors with magic. The only thing she waited for was the imminent gathering of the council, but that moment never came. She only hoped she didn’t make another mistake. “Princess?” Shining asked, looking up from his report. “What brings you back so soon?” “I wish for a letter to be sent to the Ghosts immediately,” Luna ordered. “We’ve just come under attack again.” “What? Already?” He shuffled through his past reports, digging through them for the smallest scrap of information alluding to an attack. “But there’s... I thought they were busy dealing with the riots!” “It turns out that these riots may not be as substantial as we once thought,” Luna said. “Perhaps this Eclipse project is a means to hold control over the griffons, not as a way to strike us.” She handed her sealed letter, bearing the sigil of the Equestrian Crown, to the nearest Night Guard. “Quickly. You must deliver this letter to the loyalists as soon as possible. Tell them that all other deliveries are second to this one. Waste no time.” “Of course, Your Highness,” the guard said, obeying her orders and whisking the scroll away. “What do you have in mind for them, Princess?” Shining asked. “And there was a letter that came through here a while ago from Princess Celestia...” “If they truly intend to go through with this asinine attack, then they will at least fare better with means to protect themselves,” Luna said, ignoring the contents of her sister’s letter. “It is all I can do for them at this point. Have you seen Captain Blacksword?” “Blacksword?” Shining repeated, still able to recall the Night Guard despite only having met him once. “No, I haven’t... he retired back to his quarters several hours ago.” “Tell him I want what little of my soldiers on guard duty to return to Canterlot, and to reassign them to patrol on the northwestern borders. If he needs any authorization or paperwork signed, tell him to send it to me. I want as many of them keeping an eye on our exposed routes of approach as soon as possible, and I do not trust my sister’s Royal Guard to be capable of doing it. No offense to you, of course, Sir Armor.” “None taken,” he said. “I’ll let him know the first moment I see him.” “And get yourself some rest,” Luna said, noticing the slight sway in his sitting stance and the bags under his eyes. “You’ve done enough for tonight.” “To be honest, it only feels like I’ve only started...” “Promise me you will.” He nodded. “I... I promise, Your Majesty. Just have to finish up this batch of reports and then I’ll head off to sleep.” “Good. I would hate for your wife to see how you look right now.” With a multitude of plans gathering strength in her mind, she left the Sanctum of Night to return to her quarters. In a way, she felt relieved that she didn’t have to participate in the affairs of the war council anymore, but could act on her own. Equestria would need to do more than just hold the line to win this battle, and for Luna, it meant defending her subjects, her sister, and herself from whatever lies beyond the darkness of shadow, where battles could not be fought. It was one of the first steps of many she had in mind to making the griffons work for their prize; the other was to leverage this underhanded game that she played as much in her favor... and that meant supplying the Ghosts with any advantage she could. Though she could not offer much to enhance their impressive arsenal, within the scroll she sent to them contained special goods... medallions, ancient ones still imbued with the pure energy of alicorn magic itself. The effects were nowhere near as morbid as what she imbued upon her most zealous of followers in the Nightmare Age, but shields in a battle of contemporary equipment was a huge boon indeed. She only hoped that they wouldn’t rely upon them too much during the assault...