//------------------------------//
// ARTICLE 2 Part XIII 
// Story: ARTICLE 2 
// by Muppetz 
//------------------------------//

	






ARTICLE 2





Part XIII





By: Muppetz








Aegis paced outside the facility, his armor left back in the office. To the eyes of the city he was just another moving pony, idling about his business. He felt horribly exposed without his metal cocoon. His uniform white coat now back to its original dusty brown. The electric blue mane now back to his soft grey. He wasn’t sure if he felt better or worse for the loss of his armor. Seeing his natural colors helped lend some perspective. He was still a pony under the metal plates. But the other hoof, the uniform was his entire life. He couldn’t help but feel like half himself without it. 
A cream colored unicorn sporting an orange safety vest came abreast of the Commander. Seeing his colleges and brethren without their uniforms was an unusual experience. Although necessary, it was rather awkward. “We’re ready to move, sir,” The cream colored unicorn murmured.
“Load em’ up. Let’s get this done,” he ordered, sending the unicorn off to bark the orders at the rest of the un-armored guards.
To the casual observer, they were nothing more than an average team of moving ponies, hired to ship heavy cargo for well-to-do clients. The true nature of the chore was much more gruesome. 
Ten large rectangular unmarked wooden boxes floated from the open doors of the facility. Under the shimmering magical influence of several unicorn guards, they were gently placed in the moving wagons. 
He probably could have delegated this to one of his officers, but he so rarely got to go into the field with his men he was rather insistent on personally attending the matter. Was it imperative he head the movement himself? Probably not. But he had been in command for nearly twenty years. He could get himself an interesting detail every now and then. It beat the paperwork that awaited him in his office.
A forest green earth pony climbed into one of the wagons, casting a cautious glance at the commander. Aegis nodded, and the stallion nodded in return, pounding the side of the wooden vehicle twice. The wagon lurched forward as the pegasi buffeted the air with powerful strokes. 
Soon the entire train of moving company wagons was off. They knew their destination. Deep within the bowels of the ancient castle, The Crematorium. 
Aegis sighed, and began the long walk back. He refused to get in the wagon with those things. He wasn’t above admitting they spooked him just a bit. 
The plodding sound of hoof falls on cobblestone filled his ears, as he joined the traffic of ponies going about their day, none of whom would ever really know what they had all just witnessed. He sighed again, trying to clear his head.
A fat raindrop landed squarely on the stallion’s nose, followed by another, and another. Soon the skies broke open, drenching the air with sheets of summer rain.
“At least the weather is nice,” he smiled to himself as he set course back to the castle. 


~~~~~




“Say it,” Luna demanded.
“No,” Shane folded his arms resolutely. 
“Fluttershy!” Luna shouted toward the door.
“Waitwaitwaiteh ah ah ah nah ah no,” he began to chatter, waving his hands in a deescalating fashion. 
“Say it, then,” she ordered, suppressing a small grin. Fluttershy was nowhere near the tower. Luckily he didn’t seem willing to call her bluff. 
He sighed, shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry I accused you of rape,” he mumbled. 
“…and?” Luna awaited.
He gritted his teeth in frustration. “Rape is not an appropriate subject for joking no matter how funny I think it is,” he repeated Luna’s demands. 
Luna nodded, satisfied. “Now. I have some work to finish.”
“What kind of work?” he prodded.
“Paperwork,” she droned none too happy with it herself.
“Princess paperwork?” he tacked on, grinning.
Luna sighed, “Yes, Major. Princess paperwork.”
 Shane chuckled in a fashion that Luna would have sworn challenged the border of a giggle. Celestia had long since left them to their squabbling. She had to get back to her courts and meetings. Luna had yet to mention the letter to her. It could be done later. She had some time to spare. 
It was raining now. The pitter-patter of droplets on the glass doors was soft and rhythmic. Luna plopped herself back in front of her desk, horn softly glowing. She dipped her quill once again and set back to glazing over legal forms before signing off on them. 
Shane idled around Luna’s room while she worked. He poked at a large globe by Luna’s bookshelf. It was quiteunique. It mapped, not the land, but the night sky. After ensuring it did not open into a mini-bar, he made himself busy by spinning it for several moments. 
A brief time passed before the human became bored again. He wandered over to the princess, entertaining himself by leaning over her shoulder and watching her work in an exceedingly distracting fashion. She allowed him to watch for a moment, knowing he would more than likely soon become bored again and wander off. Which he did, more quickly than she expected. He leaned on the edge of her desk and watched the rain through the glass, impatiently waiting for her to finish her work. 
He picked up a tiny black notebook from Luna’s desk, thumbing the pages disinterestedly, only to find it blank and placing it back where he found it. 
He sighed loudly, letting it be plainly known that he wasn’t happy with being ignored. “So what’s on the agenda here?” he asked clearly having enough of the silence. 
“I’ll play with you later, Shane. I have to finish this first.”
“No. I mean long term. Game plan.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of specifics,” she said as she continued scratching the quill against the parchment. “I imagine Celestia will want to begin orchestrating your formal public reveal.”
“Do I have a vote in that?” he asked. Luna wondered if it was apprehension in his voice or that was just her imagination. 
“Yes, and no,” she answered frankly. “Our citizens have a right to know what’s happening around them. Your arrival is a momentous milestone in our history. More so than you may truly understand,” she tacked on giving his a sideways glance. “You, intentionally or not, have rewritten the way we understand the world around us. Rather drastically as well.”
“Good?”
“It is neither good nor bad. It merely is. I shan’t lie to you, human. I can think of no more than a few who will be less than thrilled to see you. Great changes are rarely bereft their share of conflict. Some ponies will not be ready to hear the truths that your existence denotes.” Luna turned, looking at the human. “How do you think most humans would take the news were our positions reversed?”
“Not well,” he admitted. 
“Then you understand our difficulty.” She turned back to her papers.
Shane’s brow furrowed at the prospect of being thrust into the spotlight. Luna preempted the question. “We shan’t be throwing you to the wolves, Major. Nopony will force anything on you….but your cooperation will take that much more of the heat off of Celestia and I, if you understand my meaning.”
He nodded. Luna wasn’t sure if he actually understood or was merely nodding reflexively.
“I would worry overly much about it now. We have much to do before such thing come to pass. I am certain Celestia will want to learn more about you before we go and announce you’re here. It would be rather awkward making such an announcement and then be unable to answer any of the obvious follow up questions. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I suppose it would,” he murmured, his mind clearly elsewhere. 

There was another knock on the door. Luna called for them to enter, pretending she hadn’t seen the human’s hand slip down to rest on the grip of his handgun. 
Aegis poked his head in. Checking up on them as he promised he would. 
“Hello, Commander,” Luna smiled at the stallion.
Shane’s eyebrow perked as the title left Luna’s mouth. 
“Good afternoon, Princess.” Aegis bowed. “I merely wished to inform you that the humans have been moved to the lower chambers, we are just waiting on the final order before we begin the cremation.” 
“Proceed, Commander,” Luna ordered. 
Shane leaned toward Luna somewhat hesitantly. “…Uhm…You don’t think it’s at all possible for me to…uh…go...to that, do you?”
Luna regarded Shane with sympathetic eyes. “I don’t think it would be wise, Major,” The human almost did a good job of hiding his disappointment behind a quick mask. “I’m sorry, Shane. But we’ve attracted a lot of attention today as it is.”
He nodded in understanding.
Aegis listened to the exchange with an odd face.
 Luna was right, though. It would require them to traverse through several heavily populated areas of the castle. It was not a smart idea. Duty often left desire in want. 
Shane nodded again, as if convincing himself it was for the best. It was clear he wished otherwise but he wasn’t about to protest.
Celestia appeared in the doorway moments later, visibly relieved to be through with politics for the day. Aegis rushed to bow after the admittedly stealthy alicorn had come up behind him. 
Shane threw on a ghost of a smile. “Look who decided to show up.” Despite the slight teasing he actually sounded rather happy to see Celestia. 
“Hello, sister,” Luna greeted warmly.
“Good afternoon everypony,” Celestia said with a tired sigh and a soft smile.
Luna waiting for the human to correct Celestia’s greeting, but he never did.  “How did it go?” Luna asked Celestia interestedly.
“Not terribly. Dull if nothing else. I had more than a fair share of questions about our little light show this morning.”
“What did you tell them?” Luna asked grinning.
“Oh you know how such things can skew after so many millennia. They just need the occasional recalibration.” She winked
Luna grinned, happy with the excuse. “I do so hate to bring more to the plate, sister. But it seems another issue has reared its ugly head.”
Celestia paused, giving Luna her attention. “What’s wrong?”
“I received a letter from Magneus this morning,” she said weightily. 
Celestia became very still, suddenly very interested. “What about?” 
“I’ll give you three guesses,” Luna sighed, nodding toward Shane. Celestia grew silent, contemplative.
“You don’t think-”
“No. I don’t think he knows,” Luna cut her off. “I have an idea. But I’d like to discuss it with you first.” Luna didn’t have to say it. It was clear, that she had no intention of discussing in present company. 
A small awkward silence ruled for a brief second.
“Well,” Shane grinned. “I can take a hint.” He stood from where he leaned against Luna’s desk. “I need to go get some sleep anyway. I’ll leave you to it.” He pulled on his new desert blouse and grabbed his cover and effects. “Night, ladies.”
“It’s daytime,” Luna noted casually.
“No one cares,” he replied, mimicking her tone. He stepped toward the door, cocking an eyebrow at Aegis. “Wanna walk me home, sir?” He said with an amused grin.
Aegis smirked back at the pseudo formality but nodded toward the hallway. “I rate a sir from you now?” he noted as they left started down the corridor. 
“Yeah. I never was great with the navy’s chain, but I’m pretty sure you outrank me.”
“…what?”
The door shut under Luna’s magical influence, leaving the two alicorns to their chat. 
Celestia blew an astral strand of mane from here eyes. “Alright, Luna, what is the problem now?” She spoke tiredly, feeling foolish for thinking that they may have enjoyed a brief respite from trouble. 
Luna merely levitated the missive to her sister, allowing the solar alicorn to read it for herself. 


~~~~~


The door shut behind the human and the armored stallion. “It’s probably different for you guys,” Shane continued as they walked. “I just thought I’d be nice and extend the courtesy. Is it a special billet or your actual rank?”
“Both, actually.” Aegis noted. 
“Oh-five?”
“Normally yes, but the but the station of Guard commander is actually an Oh-Seven billet,” the stallion clarified.
The human whistled softly before saying something under his breath. 
 Aegis just shook his head and began to walk down the corridor, pausing only when he realized despite the sound of boots on marble, the human was not following. 
Shane was walking in place outside the princesses’ bedchamber door, his footfalls become slightly less heavy with each step until they sounded faint and far off. 
Shane then just gave the Commander a grin and a thumbs up as he pressed his ear to the oak door. 
“…What are you doing?” Aegis asked, smiling at the human’s attempted eavesdropping.
“Tactical information acquisition,” he whispered. “Now shut up. I’m trying to hear.” 
“You’re  trying to spy on the princesses?”
“They’re hiding something. That’s not nice.” He adjusted his head against the door, struggling to make sense of the faint murmurs from the other side.
“You keep plenty of secrets,” Aegis pointed out, wondering how long it would take for the human to realize the room was sound proofed. 
“I never once claimed to be nice,”
“You’re not going to hear anything.”
Shane nodded as if confirming something. “Yup…Mmm hmm. Mmm hmm.”
“There’s no way you can actually hear through that. It’s been soundproof-”
The doors both swung inward leaving Shane frozen in his very compromising position. Aegis smacked a hoof to his forehead as the human was caught red handed attempting to spy on the alicorns. 
Shane slowly turned his head to the Princesses who were silently scrutinizing his position with cocked eyebrows and expectant visages. 
He righted himself, coughing awkwardly into his fist, before nodding exaggeratedly. “Yep,” he tapped the door with a knuckle. “…Oak. That’s a …fine door buildin’ material there.” He nodded again. “WELP! I should get going. You two…just …keep doing what you doing.” He turned and walked back to his armored escort. “Goodnight, girls.”
“It’s still daytime,” Luna noted once again.
“And I still don’t care!” He shouted back down the hallway. 

“Interesting,” Luna murmured. Once the human and Aegis were well beyond hearing range. Luna shut the door to her chamber door, turning back to her sister. 
“I hope you’ve thought this through, Luna. Once we send this we won’t be able to take it back.” Celestia’s words were cautious and worried, very uncharacteristic for the white alicorn. 
“It will happen sooner or later whether we wish it to or not,” Luna said sternly. “It is better we dictate the tempo of events lest somepony else do it for us. If we take the initiative the odds will fall, however slightly, in our favor. The risk is great but stagnation will only serve us ill.”
Celestia sighed. “...Very well.”
Luna levitated the neatly folded parchment to her sister. 
Celestia’s horn flashed brilliant gold, like the sun, before the scroll vanished in a globule of green fire. The sparkling gray smoke sped for the open window and into the rainy sky faster than any natural breeze could carry it. 

~~~~~




Finally back to its cell, Aegis stopped at the door stepping aside to let the human back into its appropriated dwelling. He allowed a breath of pent up apprehension dissipate. This was the first time the human had not been under direct alicorn supervision. Nothing went wrong. The walk had been quiet and uneventful. 
Shane dumped his old clothes and diddy bag on the floor, unceremoniously kicking the mess underneath the cot and out of the way. He turned and plopped himself down on the canvas bedding, absentmindedly pulling out a pack of cigarettes before thinking better of it and stuffing them back into a pocket. 
Aegis watched the human for a few short seconds before speaking. “You’ll be alright for the rest of the day?” 
Shane ran a hand over his head taking a deep breath. “...Yeah. I think I’ll survive,” he murmured. 
Aegis nodded, turning to leave.
“...Wait,” the human said softly. 
Aegis turned back, curious. The human was looking at his boots, clearly uncomfortable.
“...Listen. I know you don’t owe me anything,” Shane said slowly. “And I probably got no right askin’ this of you.” Shane paused. “But I need you to do something for me.” 
Aegis lifted an eyebrow at the human, giving the creature his undivided attention. . 




~~~~~




His hooves were sore, but he wasn’t about to move. His watch would be over in a few hours. He wasn’t upset. The past few weeks had been more exciting than almost the entirety of his career. He was guarding a real life, no joke ALIEN. The first contact with an extra terrestrial in Equestrian history and HE was a part of it. It was exciting, like some wild story book. You couldn’t make this stuff up. 
The step of armored hooves broke Auburn Sky from his thoughts. He snapped upright, as the guard commander exited the alien’s cell. Aegis didn’t acknowledge the young royal guard, nor the identical stallion opposite the door. The commander trotted briskly down the hallway, looking deeply concerned with something. Auburn imagined a conversation with an alien would indeed give one a lot to think about. 
The commander had left the cell door open. The princess made it clear during their last briefing that the alien was not a prisoner, but she had also made it clear that it was rather fighty, and not overly fond of strange ponies. Auburn wasn’t on duty when the princess sent a young doctor down to try and stitch the human’s lacerated forelegs. But apparently she ended up fleeing the cell less than a minute later. Nopony ever found out why.
A smarter pony would take the obvious signs to avoid the creature. But the mystery of it was only fueling Auburn’s curiosity. He heard it...him speak before, it sounded like he spoke fluent Equestrian.
His list of questions seemed endless. But he knew he couldn’t just walk in and ask it. They were told specifically not to approach the thing. Just keep ponies away, and if he tried to leave, gently encourage him to turn back and stay in the cell. Even if he refused they weren’t supposed to physically touch the alien. The princess made that explicitly clear. If he became agitated they were merely to isolate and contain it, until one of the alicorns could intervene and detain it. They were only to use physical force against the creature under life or death circumstances. 
Needless to say the rule irked more than a few royal guards. Just what was this thing capable of that was so terrible not even her majesty’s elite were able to handle. Granted it was big, and the bizzare black metal clubs it carried around looked rather nasty. But there was only one of him. And from what the briefing said he couldn’t even do magic. 
Auburn let the questions ping around in his head for a bit. Letting the clock tick away the remaining hours of his shift. He could hear the alien rummaging around in his cell, doing whatever it is alien monsters do to pass the time. 
The rummaging stopped. Auburn listened carefully, wandering what the alien was up to. He heard what sounded like the fluttering of pages in a magazine, before the creature let out a long, appreciative whistle. 
Auburn craned his eye to his partner, Plate Mail. The identical armored stallion’s eyebrow cocked from under his golden helm. 
A flash of movement caused the two to freeze. 
The alien had stuck his head and shoulders out the door frame. The two stood perfectly still as the alien came uncomfortably close. He would swing his head back and forth like a wolf sniffing the air as he inspected the two guards posted outside his door.
Auburn did his best not swallow nervously. To his credit he didn’t even flinch, even when the alien swung his head over to stare through the eye slots of Auburn’s helm. 
“Hey,” the alien finally said in perfect Equestrian.
Auburn blinked, registering what had just happened.
The alien paused, after the lack of noticeable response. “You guys speak english?” 
“Y-Yessir,” Auburn eventually confirmed not exactly sure what he meant by english.
“Good.” it grinned mischievously. “You wanna see something cool?” 

~~~~~




Twilight let one amethyst eye flutter open. She could hear the patter of raindrops against the window pane. Not surprising. Who knows when the last time the pegasi gave Canterlot a decent soak? From the sound of those thunderclouds, not in a good long while. 
She favored herself with a languished stretch, arching her back like a cat and savoring the texture of her downy sheets. The sun hadn’t set yet, although you would barely know it through the pitch black storm clouds. Twilight had slept almost the entire day. She made a mental note to ensure the sleeping pattern not become habitual. 
She let a long throaty yawn to escape before she settled in front of the well stocked vanity mirror in her room where she proceed to brush the tangles and knots from her long lavender hair. 
Her morning ablutions complete, scant though they may be compared to Rarity’s, she ventured out into the hallway. She was eager to jump back into her research. She trotted along happily humming to herself.
Twilight poked her head in Rainbow Dash’s room. The snoring emanating from the bundle of sheets was more than sufficient to tell the unicorn that Dash would not be accompanying her this evening. 
She sighed and retreated back into the hallway, quickly checking on the rest of her friends. Rarity was likewise asleep, but Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack were nowhere to be found. 
The lack of coordination bothered Twilight slightly. They really needed to get on a consistent schedule. Their current, almost constantly, scattered status pretty much negated their usefulness as the elements of harmony. 
She shook it off, deciding that she was merely being overly cautious. Still the thought warranted some further contemplation. She mentally filed it away for later. 
Several hallways and passages later she happened upon a familiar orange pony in a familiar brown Stetson. 
“Hey Applejack,” Twilight beamed, happy to see a friend in the waking world. 
“Howdy, Twilight! I was just lookin’ fer you,” AJ smiled warmly. “Ya’ll ain’t seen Fluttershy ‘round here by any chance have ya?” 
“Sorry, I haven’t seen her since yesterday.” 
“I’m getting a mite worried about that girl,” Applejack shook her head. “I think she’s lettin’ this human thing get to her head.” AJ shook her head. “I just wish the big lug would let her off the hook.”
“I wish it were that simple, AJ,” Twilight mused sadly. “I’ll try and talk to him again, but I don’t think this is the kind of thing an apology fixes. It’s gonna take time.”
“I know,” AJ relented, “I just hate seeing her so broken up. Besides, remember last time some critters gave Shy the cold shoulder?” Applejack smirked.
“Wow,” Twilight chuckled. “There’s a scary thought.” 
They laughed at the memory as they walked along, absentmindedly making their way to the library so Twilight could drop off the textbooks she borrowed a few days earlier. The elderly mare at the desk of the library made a small red stamp on the card inside the book’s binding, furthering Twilight’s spotless return record. She was very proud.
Twilight’s horn glowed purple as the two mares prepared to step outside and into the dizzying downpour. A faint disc of purple appeared a few inches above their heads. Applejack smiled when she noticed the raindrops sliding off the side of the the sides, leaving the two perfectly dry. 
“Handy little trick you got there,” Applejack noted with a teasing smile.
“Mmhm,” Twilight beamed proudly as they made their way toward the imposing black dungeon. It was the most likely hiding spot for the human during daylight hours. 
The guards opened the onyx doors for the two and they stepped inside, just in time for a peal of lightning to light the world for brief moment. The guttural rumble of thunder came only a second later, powerful enough to be felt deep in their chests as it shook the sky and earth.
The onyx doors shut behind them, sealing them away from the elements. After thanking the two armored guards, they set down the familiar corridor toward the maximum security cell that acted as Shane’s living space.  
It felt strange. Twilight couldn’t place the feeling. Nothing appeared out of place. The hallways were empty and, minus the storm, everything was relatively quiet. Something was wrong. She just couldn’t place it. She looked toward Applejack. The orange mare was peering about curiously but did not seem otherwise concerned. Twilight decided not to broach the subject. She was probably just being paranoid.  
“What did ya need here again?” AJ asked.
“I was hoping Shane would let me write down some of the stuff he told us for my research.” She pulled a little fresh notebook form her bag. “I really just wanted some more raw data before I bother starting any serious analyses. It won’t take long. In and out. I promise.”
They turned the final corner. Shane’s massive steel door hung ajar. Twilight stopped, she finally realized what was different, why the silence was so out of place. She touched Applejack on the shoulder, halting the earth pony.
“What’s wrong, Sugarcube?” 
“…Where are all the guards?” 
Applejack started to reply only to have the words die in her mouth. Twilight could almost see the realization washing over her. No guards stood outside the cell. They had not passed a single patrol. The only guards they saw were the two at the front door.
“One way ta find out,” Applejack took the first step toward the open cell door. Twilight followed closely. 
The subtle sound of voices carried from the cell, piquing their curiosity. Getting closer she recognized one. It was the human’s voice. “Alright, shut up, shut up. Check this out, you’ll like this one,” he announced to whoever else was in the room. “This is the centerfold.”
Now she was just confused. The two mares poked their heads through the threshold, their jaws dropping slightly at the scene. There must have been ten armored guards packed into the cell, all of whom were crammed behind the human trying to get a better look at the flashy looking magazine the human was holding out in front of him. This was absolutely unprecedented behavior. The human had never even shown any hint of a semblance of interest in social interaction with her species. Yet here he was out of the blue surrounded by ponies he didn’t even know! Twilight couldn’t help but feel slightly snubbed. 
“Ready?” Shane asked through the unlit cigarette in his teeth. 
The mass of armored stallions muttered their impatient affirmative. 
Shane let the sheet slip down, the centerfold unfurling into its three sectioned pages. Every head in the room cocked to the right to admire the centerfold in earnest. 
Several sets of eyes grew very wide, and there were more than a few appreciative ‘ooohs’. One stallion let out a whistle. Another seemed to finally find his voice. “I’m not even sure what I’m looking at…but I like it.” 
Shane chuckled, “Well, you’re a dude, and some things are universal.” 
“What are you doing?!” Twilight finally spoke, causing the mass of guards to shoot apart like they had been caught stealing cookies. Applejack attempted to conceal her chuckling. 
“Uh oh,” Shane smiled, “Alright, everybody out. Party’s over.” He gave long sweeping gestures as if to cast the guards from the room, letting the magazine flutter along. There were a few grumbles but the guards all filed out, returning to their various posts. 
Twilight picked up the magazine from the cot, not entirely sure she wanted to see what had all the stallions so worked up. She looked at the slightly wrinkled centerfold. She paused confused. “…what is this?”
“That is an Audi R8 v10. Pretty idn’t it?” He smiled proudly. His smile slowly faded when he saw Twilight’s still confused face. “…It’s a car….You know…car.” She still wasn’t getting the message. “You drive them around…to get places. It’s like…a carriage…only less gay...because it goes zero to sixty in like four seconds.”
Applejack joined Twilight inspecting the picture. “Wow, it’s fancy, whatever it is.”
Twilight had no choice but to agree. The machine was jet black with gleaming chrome accents. The lines were sleek and stylish. The tinted glass reflected light like polished basalt mirrors. It was an impressive looking machine. She spun through a few more pages. Finding more and more of the complicated vehicles in all manner of shape size and color. 
“Okay, well…alright then. Sorry,” she stammered levitating the magazine back to the human. 
“Why, what did you think it was?” Shane laughed. 




~~~~~







You don’t have to do anything. Aegis thought to himself staring a hole in his desk. The princess had made her wishes clear. He had little to no choice but to see them carried out, even if he disagreed. ...Then again it was the very same princess who had made it clear she wished him to use his better judgment if he saw fit. Could this be a test? He quickly dismissed the idea. The time of tests and games were long past. There were no safety nets anymore. He tried to distract himself with busywork, knowing very well that the window to act would eventually close and make the decision for him. 
He scribbled on the parchment, listening to the large clock in the corner of his office slowly tick away the seconds.
He swore under his breath, standing up and throwing the quill back in its stopper. His mind repeated the potential consequences of his actions over and over, but above it all he could only hear one thing. Its hallowed request.

He was about to go do something very stupid. He pulled open the drawer at the bottom of his desk. The soft click of metal rising from the motion. The princesses may trust that thing. But he did not, so he would be taking as few risks as possible. 
Aegis pulled the metal bands from the drawer, leaving his office before his common sense made him change his mind.  
The old war horse trudged through the howling rain. The sun had yet to set. It even made fleeting attempts to pierce the midnight black thunderheads. The sheets of rain still poured relentlessly. The stallion pulled his cloak closer around himself. Throwing back his hood so the two door guards could identify him and open the large onyx doors. 
He plodded down the corridors. Rain still dripped from his form as he walked the dim torch-lit passageway. He rounded the final turn. The door was already open. 
He stood in the opening. The human was alone. Good. He was sitting there, scribbling in a little black notebook. It didn’t take long for him to notice the Commander. He stopped writing. Looking at the stallion with a flinty curious glare, he waited patiently for the commander to speak or attack, appearing equally prepared for either eventuality. 
A peal of thunder seemed to accentuate the mood of uneasiness between the two. 
“Follow me,” the stallion beckoned. 
A glimmer of recognition entered the humans eyes as he stood. 
“One condition,” Aegis stipulated. Causing the human to cock an eyebrow curiously. 
Aegis threw a set of gleaming silver shackles at the feet of the human. 



~~~~~




Celestia finished the last bit of her rose petal salad. It was a favorite of hers. She indulged herself every now and then. The rain was still hammering at the city, from the looks of it, it would continue through most of the night. Perhaps even into the morning. 
The setting sun meant that soon she would be able to release Shane for the night. With Luna on the throne she actually found herself looking forward to the distraction of human-sitting. She had to admit, he had an interesting character. He was a puzzle piece that did not belong to her set. The more time she spent with him the more she gleaned about his own. She would be lying if she said that her academic and philosophical sides weren’t quite enjoying the case study as well. After all, for as troublesome as it was, she was enjoying a position that most scholars and philosophers couldn’t have conjured of  in their dizziest daydreams. She still had much to learn about the human. And with that letter almost certainly on the griffon’s desk by now, she would have to learn quickly. 
She strolled leisurely to the dungeon, Shane’s would-be apartment. Horn aglow, she maintained a small protective spell as the elements howled against her magical barrier, leaving her perfectly dry and her feathers un-rustled. She entered the doors to the large black edifice, nodding thankfully to the bowing guards. 
Luna would be raising the moon momentarily which should give her ample time to find out what…
She stopped. Part of her was thoroughly sick of these types of things. Her brow furrowed as she stood in the open doorway to Shane’s cell. Shane’s…empty cell. 
“I should never have stopped locking him up.”


~~~~~







The rhythmic beat of armored hooves could be heard even over the furious din of rain and wind. Shane had no difficulty keeping pace with the stallions at his sides. His long stride made up for his bipedal predilection. He didn’t seem to mind the rain. In fact he seemed rather amused by the entire situation. He occasionally gazed down, fondly contemplating  the steel braces locking his wrists together.
He followed the Commander. Paying little attention to his armored escorts. His boots falling almost softly on the pathway compared to the click of hooves on stone. 
They walked toward the back half of the castle. It was late. The average pony would be home by now. Unfortunately the rain had caused several to linger. It was not a pleasant situation but Aegis was not about to go back on his word now. 
An unexpected noise drew his attention. Shane was chuckling at something. The commander followed the humans gaze to a window in the rear wall of the castle.
There may have been a flash of movement. It was difficult to tell through the storm. “What was it?” Aegis shouted though the rain. 
The soaked human merely grinned and shook his head. Continuing to walk though the howling storm 


~~~~~




Star Shimmer rested her chin on the pane of one of the large castle windows. She didn’t like the rain. She never did. Her father loved it, but he was a pegasus. He was supposed to like it. She on the other hoof had never cared for the stuff. It made everything mushy and humid and miserable. ‘Although’, she conceded to herself as she admired the cathedral of thunderheads. ‘I suppose nopony can say it isn’t pretty in its own way.’
An arc of lightning streaked across the sky, lighting the dark world for an instant. The glint of gold drawing her eyes to something she missed before. 
There was a small formation guards making their way across the courtyard. ‘What are they up to in the middle of this?’.
Another flash of lightning revealed the answer. Her heart began to beat at the sight. “What the hell is that?” she whispered to herself. It was tall, almost twice the size of anypony she had ever met. It two forelegs were bound in shiny steel braces like a prisoner. It stalked forward on two long legs following inside the center of guards. “Sweet, Celestia,” she breathed. 
As if it heard her his head turned to see the unicorn looking back out at him. Her blood froze. Could it see her? Should she move? Her pupils shrank as the thing curled back his lips, revealing a set of teeth that no herbivore would have any business having. He was smiling at her. The smooth rise and fall of his shoulders implying a kind of depraved amusement. 
Her brain finally managed to get the message to her legs as she ducked out of sight. Her heart was hammering inside her chest. There was something very wrong going on in this castle. There was no denying it now. The past few weeks had been strange enough. She hadn’t been the only one that noticed either. Guard shifts were erratic. The princesses were acting strangely. The entire hospital wing was closed. Now this? What was that thing?! Was it a prisoner? It was certainly no pony. Nor was it any creature she had ever seen, and when you work at the castle you tend to see quite a few. Prisoners don’t ...smile like that. She reasoned. Why was it here? 
It was time for some answers.


~~~~~







Celestia rarely came to this part of the castle. It was dark, and dreary. She hadn’t been down here in ages. She could already feel the oppressive heat through her fur. If it were not for the testimony of the door guard she might have no idea where they had gone.
Her destination came into view. Aegis stood outside the old iron door, along with six other guards. She was in the right place. 
“Princess,” Aegis bowed, not appearing overly surprised by her sudden appearance. 
“I will deal with you later, Commander.” The words were cold. She stepped past the stallion and pressed a golden hoof against the seemingly ancient iron door. The noise it made when she pushed was like a desperate cry for oil from the throats of a thousand rusty hinges. 
She stepped inside the near pitch black room. The heat nearly choking the air from her lungs. There were several small reinforced windows inside several blast doors along the one wall. Through each window a roaring inferno could be seen, providing the only light in the blackness. 
The crematorium. 
She could wager a guess or two about who the unfortunate souls were inside the ovens. Which would also explain the lone human sitting on the floor along the far wall. He pressed his back against the wall, resting his arms over his knees. A slender cigarette sat between his fingers. His head rested against the dark stone as he watched the flames with a steely expression. He didn’t even turn to look at Celestia. 
The princess sighed, slowly walking over to where the human sat. She seated herself next to him, barely close enough for their shoulders to brush as they sat and watched the orange tongues of fire lick at the small rectangular windows. 
Neither one said anything. It wasn’t necessary. She hoped just the simple act of being there said all she needed to. Minutes passed as she idly wondered how he could stand to smoke in the already hot thick room.
It was Shane that eventually decided to speak first. It was soft, but loud enough for Celestia to make out. “I wish I could say I was used to it by now,” he took a hefty drag on the cigarette. “Then again part of me’s kinda glad I’m not.” 
Celestia understood, probably better than anypony. Unfortunately there was little she could do to ease the human’s grief. There were no shortcuts to be had here. It was merely a fact of life. “You were close to them?” Celestia asked quietly. 
He took awhile to respond. “You could say that,” he whispered back, still staring at the flames. “We were a family. A twisted, broken, fucked up parody of a family. But still family.” He crossed his arms over his knees, shaking his head, frustrated. “I…I wish I had the words to explain it… But it’s just something you know. We didn’t even get along half the time. But it’s still there. It’s something you only understand if you’ve been there.” Celestia carefully listened to the human try and communicate his feelings. His shoulder slumped as his head sagged. Clearly feeling as though he failed to convey his point. “They were my brothers…” he finally whispered. “And I’ve had to bury far too many of them.” Shane stuck what was left of the cigarette in his lips, burning the stick down to the filter. The human snorted.  “Boohoo, right?” he added icily. He stuck the smoldering stub under the heel of his boot, grinding it into oblivion. 
It took a considerable amount of resolve to force back the lump in Celestia’s throat. The human’s confession hit closer to home than she was willing to admit. She didn’t let any tears fall. They wouldn’t help either of them. She didn’t say she was sorry. He would have felt only contempt for her pity. She just leaned over slightly. The soft pressure of her shoulder against his letting him know she was there. She worried that he might not appreciate the contact. He was rather touchy after all. 
Her worries vanished when she felt the human actually lean back into Celestia. It was an unexpected gesture, though not entirely unwelcome. She could not ease the pain. But she would try. If that meant simply being the company to his misery, then that is what she would do. 
They sat a bit longer, both content to watch the inferno through the glass until Celestia finally thought to speak. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to swing ‘American soil’. But I’ll make sure we find them a good place to rest.” She spoke with an almost hint of tease, nudging him with her wing, hoping she wasn’t overstepping her bounds. 
Shane scoffed, grinning painfully, at the unexpected remark. “Make it a place with a view,” he demanded, mimicking her teasing tone. 
“I think I can arrange something,” she smiled back.  She finally stood. Turning back to the still seated human. “Come along, Major. It’s best not to burden the dead with our troubles. You’ll have to suffer though us, for the time being.” She smiled sweetly, offering her hoof to the human. 
Shane regarded the proffered hoof with a sad grin. “Well...seeing as you’re all I got left...” He reached up grabbing hold of Celestia’s golden shod hoof and allowing her to help him to his feet. 
Celestia left through the old iron portal. Shane looked one last time at the row of blazing furnaces. He blinked a few times before grasping the iron handle and pulling the door shut with a grinding boom. 


~~~~~




A quill scratched against yellowing parchment. It was his own feather. An old primary, re-purposed into a writing instrument. A far reaching tradition, but he still adamantly insisted they wrote better than any store bought quills. 
He placed it back in its stopper, flexing his claw sorely. His talons stretched, although well taken care of, the copious amounts of writing was one of the most unsavory aspects of his job. But someone had to do it, and Magneus was not to type of griffon to shirk his duty because of a mere claw cramp. 
A faint shimmer caught his attention. A thin haze of smoke was slowly worked its way in between the shutters of his office window. He brightened considerably. It appeared Princess Luna finally managed to respond to his letter. He did so love her night sky. He often had to make sure not to bother her with his questions overly much whenever he managed to sneak a word or two in with her at the occasional summit or political function. Although she never seemed to mind fielding them, bless her heart. 
He couldn’t wait to see what she sent him about this fabled meteorite. Maybe she would even send him a sample. The national museum would be thrilled. 
The smoke swirled before materializing with a pop into a single solitary scroll.
Disappointment colored the griffon’s emotions as he reached for the small letter. Maybe there never was a meteor. He shouldn’t have gotten so excited over a rumor. He sliced the ribbon with a talon before unfurling the scroll. Princess Luna’s writing was not exactly the easiest to read. Not that it was messy, quite the opposite in fact. It tended to be very elegant and ornate. Perhaps a bit too much so. It was a bit…archaic. Still, Magneus managed without too much difficulty.

Prime Minister,
It was a pleasure to hear from you. I am glad to see you still have not let your duties prevent you from enjoying the occasional hobby. 
I’m sure you will be happy to know that the rumors you heard were indeed correct. I am impressed they managed to spread so quickly. We do in fact have the ‘meteorite’ in our possession at this time. It has proven quite educational. 
I would of course be more than happy to share my notes with you, however if I may be so bold as to offer you one better. It would be my great pleasure to invite you to Canterlot so that you may view the object yourself. I can assure you it is something you would find very enlightening. 
For your consideration, of course, Prime Minister. 
Your friend, Princess Luna.