I woke up to three loud bangs coming from the door across the room. Part of me wished I could just stay quiet and try to sleep again, but I had a feeling as to who was outside that door.
“Come in.” It was hard enough for me to say that much.
The door smoothly opened to reveal a royal gaurdspony on the other side; one I recognized straight away. He spoke up before me.
“Captain Armor.” He said while saluting.
“Lieutenant Dagger; at ease.” I didn’t even have the energy to match his salute.
“Did the Changelings attack again? You look like Tartarus.”
I put all the energy I had at my disposal into glaring at his smirking face. He knew damn well I had barely slept since returning from my honeymoon. Although, if the bags under his eyes were any indication, he’d been matching my insomnia quite well.
“Oh don’t give me that look. You should be happy to see me; I made coffee.” My lieutenant took his time walking over to my desk. I moved a few papers off to the side as he levitated the tray from his back and set it down in front of me. The aroma coming from in front of me helped to wake me a bit, but I barely had the energy to bring the cup to my mouth.
Once I finished off my drink, I turned my attention back to the unicorn standing in front of me. “I really hope you’ve come to do more than wake me up.” I cast a glance at his saddlebags which he promptly opened to reveal some papers.
“Of course Captain. We’ve just gotten our new reports from our scouts.” He cleared his throat before reading off the updates. “Northern scouts report no sightings of Changelings and have uncovered no information that would lead to such. Western Scouts report a small settlement that was unmarked on any maps. Upon further inspection, the settlement was a small farming community containing roughly 150 ponies of various races and genders. They recommend updating our maps and posting a small squad to watch them temporarily.”
Both my eyebrows were raised from this “That’s strange; this village isn't on any of our maps?”
“It seems so. Although, the coordinates the scout gave me point to an area pretty far out of the way. It’s possible they might just be trying to avoid the hassle of larger communities.”
“Possibly; inform the western guard to add that town to their patrol routes for now. We’ll figure out how to properly deal with them once this Changeling mess is settles down. Now please continue.”
“The eastern scouts sighted a small squad of Changelings, approximately six total, flying east at roughly thirteen-hundred hours. The troops attempted to pursue but they soon lost sight of them after flying into a forest. The southern scouts encountered a separate group at roughly fifteen-hundred hours. The enemy numbered ten in total and the scouts engaged. Six of the enemies were killed with the remaining retreating soon after the battle began. Two of our soldiers were injured in the battle.” He set the reports down as he finished, but I set them aside to review later.
I leaned back in my chair; mulling over the information. “What do you make of this Lieutenant?” I had my own theory, but it’s good to confirm it before acting.
“Most of the information we’ve been receiving this week seems to point towards the south. It’s possible that they may be based somewhere in that direction. Alternatively, the might simply be regrouping somewhere near our southern borders; preparing their next actions.”
“I agree, but I don’t think we can do too much until we get-“ A knock interrupted the rest of my sentence. “-Until we get more information.” I cleared my throat before calling for the pony on at the door to enter. I figured it would be another of my subordinates with more information, but I was pleasantly surprised by who it was instead. “Hello dear, what brings you around.”
My lovely wife gave a smile that could melt the ice caps before beginning. “Do I need a reason to bother you? You haven’t taken a break since we got back from our honeymoon. I know how important this is, believe me, but you need to at least sleep for a bit.”
“I know dear; but we’re just starting to get a few leads as to where they ran off to. And if we can just get our hands on a drone or two, their queen might not be too far behind.” I looked up to see my wife now just in front of me. I was about to give in and leave my work in the hands of my Lieutenant, until an earth pony guard nearly broke my door off of its hinges. All eyes instantly turned to see what the commotion was.
The guard gave a swift salute before starting. “Captain Armor, I’m sorry for the intrusion but it’s urgent that you follow me right away. Sir Wind Bender is awaiting your presence at the front gates claiming that he has information on the location of a Changeling. He requested you specifically.”
My mind began racing; trying to process the sudden influx of news. My chair flung back hard enough to knock several items of the shelf behind me. “Wind Bender?! He’s been missing since the wedding. Did he say anything else?” The guard, Lieutenant Dagger, Cadance, and I began trotting towards the gate.
“No Sir. Just that he knew the location of a Changeling and he would wait outside the gate for you to arrive.”
“Outside the gate?” Just how urgent was this? “Very well; Cadance, please go inform Princess Celestia of this. Tell her that, if need be, I will be leaving Canterlot to follow up on this information and will be leaving my Lieutenant in my place.”
She looked at me shakily for a second before nodding. “Okay dear, but don’t do anything reckless. And if this leads turns out to be good; make sure you come back with it. I’d like to finally start getting some answers.” She nuzzled my neck for a moment before trotting off to the throne room. Luckily, the day was almost over so most of the court will have left by now.
I turned back to the two soldiers waiting for me. “Let’s continue.” I said sprinting past them. They kept pace with me and it took just a few minutes for us to arrive at the front gate. It normally wouldn’t be a troubling run, but the coffee from earlier was starting to wear off. Still we were here, and a trusted friend was waiting for me.
We walked through the gates and, just like the guard had said, he was waiting. I looked over him and he looked no worse for wear, despite disappearing for a week. His caramel coat looked like he hadn’t bathed in days. His short grey main and tail made him look as though he’d been up for days. And notable bags hung under his bright green eyes. All in all, he looked the same as most other times I’d seen him.
“Wind Bender, it’s good to see you. The guard’s been in an uproar trying to locate you.” It really did put me in a good mood to see him. He and I had been friends for most of my service and seeing him unharmed put at least one of my worries to rest.
He gave a polite bow before beginning. “Shining, it’s good to see you as well. I’m sorry for disappearing, but the Changeling attack shifted my priorities a bit.” He stared at me passively for a moment; his expressions were always difficult to read. “I assume you’re aware of my situation.”
My mind, thankfully, moved back on track. It was great to see him, but he was here for business. “I believe so. I was told you know the location of a Changeling.”
His faced dropped slightly and the air around him seemed to stir a bit. “I believe some of what I said might have gotten lost Shining Armor. My exact words were: ‘A changeling is waiting at the front gates and wishes to negotiate a deal.” He exhaled harshly at the end of his sentence.
My mind was reeling from this, trying to rationalize his words. The word slowed a bit and I understood, very clearly, what his implications were. My horn went alight and I hastily cast a barrier around the stallion in front of me. “Imposter! Reveal yourself now!” My emotions pulled a complete one-eighty and I was so full of rage that I wanted to crush the spell around him, but I thankfully restrained myself from such actions.
He didn’t appear surprised at all, despite his new circumstances. He cleared his throat sharply before speaking up again. “Captain Armor; please calm yourself. It’ll be difficult for you to remain unbiased if you’re contemplating my destruction. And, as for me being an imposter; that is, unfortunately, not the case. I am the same Wind Bender that acted as your first assignment twelve years ago. The same old stallion that would discuss tactics of warfare and teach you the histories of those who border us.”
My mind was in panic mode after this. If Lieutenant Dagger hadn’t taken control of the situation, we very well could’ve been there until the sun rose the next morning.
“If you are a Changeling, as you would have us believe, then please revert to your natural form.” I was thankful that he remained calm. I was already on edge and another of our officers in that situation would only serve to disrupt the soldiers around us.
His face broke into a frown at this request. “Very well; if that is what it will take for this conversation to continue, I’ll change. But please, keep control of yourselves. I find violence appalling when committed without reason.” He closed his eyes and funneled magic into his horn. Green flames surrounded him and just a moment later; a Changeling drone was staring back at us.