//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: Bad Future Crusaders 
// by TonicPlotter 
//------------------------------//

        Night had fallen in Canterlot.
        As the dark of the night laid its cool blanket over the land, the normally bustling city had grown quiet and still. When the sun began to set, the populace of ponies closed their businesses and quit work for the day, and headed for hearth and home and to the families that awaited them within. The only ones left on the streets were the Royal Guards as they made their rounds and patrolled the streets, reminding those indoors of their leader’s grip over the land. A city-wide curfew was in effect from sundown to sunrise in Canterlot, effective for anypony that was not employed by Equestria’s government. On the now abandoned street, the door to the Royal Equestrian Air Force’s office opened and let the light from within spill into the darkened city.
        “Ugh. We missed curfew.” Said the pale yellow pegasus with the blue mane.
        “Yep.” Said the pale blue pegasus with the brown mane, rolling his eyes as he spoke. “Got your ID?”
        The two pegasi walked out into the street, both lamenting that they had to work late and didn’t get home before curfew. They hadn’t even changed out of their gray flight suits, hoping the time they would save not fighting their way out of their unit’s issued drab uniforms would be enough to get home before sunset, but it was a futile gesture. They both knew they would be halted and forced to show their identification to every guard that spotted them.
        “Why do they insist on carding us?!” Said the yellow pegasus. “We’re in bloody uniform! They know who we are!”
        The other chuckled and patted his friend on the shoulder. “They have their reasons, Pinstripe. Apparently a couple of those Rainbolt clowns got their hooves on some of our uniforms a ways back and wreaked some serious havoc.”
        Pinstripe pulled his goggles down around his neck. “Seriously, Sandback?”
        “I don’t know the details. You remember Windswept? She told me about it.”
        “Who?”
        “Right, right, you replaced her, I think.” Said Sandback, who then patted his stomach. “Hey, you hungry? Let’s grab a bite.”
        “Where?! Everything’s closed!”
        Sandback pulled his goggles off and hung them from the small loop on his chest. “Not Lacey’s. She lives on the second floor of the place and keeps it open late for us and the guards.”
        “Blast it, Sandback!” Yelled a clearly irritated Pinstripe.
        “Yep.” Chuckled Sandback. “Lacey’s daughter is in our sister squadron.” His chuckles erupted into laughter. “We even get a discount!”
        “Why am I just learning this now?!”
        Sandback scoffed and swatted Pinstripe’s goggles. “Because you’re the rookie?”
        “I’ve been in this unit for a year now!”
        “Like I said. Rookie.”
        Pinstripe forced a mocking laugh. “Eat it, Sandback.”
        “Speaking of eating, are we doing this? C’mon, I’m hungry.”
        “Lead the way, jerk.”
        The two pegasi let the door close, shrouding the streets in darkness once more. They took to the sky and flew south toward a hot meal and out of sight, and the streets were silent once more. Then, from amongst a pile of trash in an alleyway, came movement.
        “So much for stealing a uniform.” Muttered Silver Soon, as she brushed a wet scrap of paper from her shoulder. “Won’t do me much good if the guards are checking everypony regardless.”
        Silver Spoon had held herself motionless in an inequine shape and kneeled in the shadows, letting her green hoodie and gray vest render her invisible against the trash that had been strewn against the side of a building and listened to the two pegasi talk. Her plan was simple: rough up an airpony as he left their headquarters and, thanks to the darkness hiding her lack of wings, pose as one of the R.E.A.F. and walk nonchalantly past any guards and to her destination. She knew the best way to enter a place where one didn’t belong was not to be unseen, but unnoticed. As long as she looked and acted like she belonged there, nopony would pay her any mind.
        “Good thing you have a big mouth, Pinstripe.” She said cruelly. “You probably just save both of our lives with that yap of yours.”
        Plan A was ruined, but she thought little of it. Instead she’d simply slip in and out without being seen at all, which she was more than prepared to do. Other than mugging a Canterlot snob of her dress and giving herself a makeover, she had slept all morning to get ready for tonight. After trying—
        And enjoying—
        —the recommended diner, she had spent her afternoon gadding about the streets in her stolen dress and carefully watching guards do their daily rounds. Even now at night, despite their dutiful effort, they were poor sentries at best who obviously enforced curfew through presence and intimidation rather than actual seek and arrest. The unicorn guards were the main force; they walked the streets casting beams of white light from their horns to illuminate wherever they aimed it, which also announced to the world where they were making them easy to avoid. Using that light also kept their eyes from adjusting to the dark; they’d never see anything in their peripheral vision. The pegasi guards were busy flying overhead, but everything from awnings to carts and even narrow alleys would keep them from seeing her at the speed they were moving. The only real threats were the earth pony guards: For the most part they were stationary sentries but some roved the streets. They would have an easy time spotting her under only the light of the stars and were at ground level where they could easily slip up on her if she didn’t watch her back.
        She sprinted across the street and ducked behind a souvenir stand, flattening against the wall to stay out of sight. She had timed this guard’s patrol; he took almost two full minutes to walk his route, and with perfect timing she saw a crisp beam of light turn the corner and heard his armor clink past. Silver Spoon waited until he was a ways ahead of her on the street and followed him with slow, relaxed movements which would be difficult to see or hear in the dark, skirting the buildings to stay out of sight from the pegasi above. The guards all had timed routes that rarely intersected; Silver Spoon knew if she followed this guard she ran no real risk of being seen, and his route would take her right past the sewer entrance she needed to reach.
        The guard stopped ahead of her, waved his searchlight left and right in a half-hearted manner, and turned left down the street. Silver Spoon forced herself to wonder if the guards inside the palace were this lackluster; she had to keep her mind off other thoughts as she slipped down this street. Halfway to her destination, she couldn’t help but stop in front of a familiar building. Once, in another time, when she had been a different pony, this had been her home. It now obviously belonged to another family: she could hear faint but pleasant chatter coming from the illuminated windows, accompanied by the rather jolly giggling of a young filly. Lost in the moment a downpour of memories flooded through her mind. Constant criticisms from her unpleasable father and endless whining from her gasbag of a mother echoed through her head like taunting laughter from the shadows and an angry grimace appeared on her face. In one instant she forgot where she was and lost control, and an angry feral growl came from deep within her chest.
        “Who’s there?!”
        —And she was diving out of the way. Instinct took over and hurled her body to her belly, guiding her into a roll under a clothed table outside a coffee shop. Less than a heartbeat later a blade of light slashed through the darkness and illuminated the very spot where she stood, wobbling as the guard she had been tailing kept it as steady as possible while he ran to investigate. Silver Spoon quietly thanked the powers that be that she had been tailing a unicorn; an earth pony or pegasus would have spotted her leaping under the table for sure. Her relief was short-lived and she cursed herself silently for being so stupid while watching the dancing silhouette of the guard against the tablecloth where she sought refuge.
        Wrong place wrong time. Pull your head out of your rear and shape up.
        Silver Spoon had been caught red-hooved on the job before. She had been surrounded by sentries, beaten to within an inch of her life, but always managed to escape, albeit scathed, but still in one piece. This scenario was different, and if she could she would give herself a beating for dropping her guard for such a stupid reason. She had no doubt she could beat two, probably even three guards in a straight fight, but not without causing a ruckus. She’d have reinforcements on her tail and would have no choice but to turn and run. Normally even that wouldn’t be an issue, except this was no normal job. She was sneaking into the palace of The Queen. The same Queen who was willing to turn on her mentor, her friends, and even her own family just to sit her butt down on the throne. Silver Spoon had made quite a reputation for herself over the past few years, and if she was spotted trying to sneak into the palace they would recognize her for sure. Even if she got away, she would be marked and her life would be forfeit.
        It’s not worth it. It’s not too late to just take off.
        Silver Spoon felt like she had a revelation, as she sat there and watched the guard’s silhouette follow him back to his patrol route. She took a brief moment to make sure the coast was clear, darted after him silently, and ducked down the alley where she would gain access to the sewers. For the first time since she agreed to steal the crown, she truly questioned what she was about to do. She was about to steal a symbol of the country itself from a royal family that had nursed itself on the blood of two entire kingdoms. From a queen that had fought Princess Luna one on one, and won, and from a princess that was well known to be a chip off the old block despite being adopted.
        And you’re about to make an enemy of both of them. Tell the freak you aren’t doing it and go home.
        As quickly as her revelation had come, her nightmares returned to her as well. Ponyville residents strewn about, dead and dying, on that night all those years ago. Young, old, male, female, it didn’t matter. She had walked through a gallery of murder that night, and it had taught her exactly how cheap life truly was. You could spend your life slaving away and working hard to make an honest bit like those who lived in Ponyville, you could spend your life being a hedonistic ass with your inheritance like her parents, or you could shoot for the moon and spend your life doing and taking whatever caught your fancy and killing anypony that tried to stop you. No matter how you toiled away your existence, your time would come when it was meant to and there was nothing anypony could do about it.
        With that thought she smiled. She somehow felt at peace with that thought in a way she could never explain, not even to herself. The feeling wrapped around her like true love’s embrace and she happily lifted the ponyhole cover and jumped into the sewers below.
        Splash!
        Silver Spoon shuddered inwardly as she sank just past her shoulders in the cool, murky water that flowed lazily through the confined sewers. Her landing had kicked up a musty stench that, despite knowing it wasn’t sewage, made her gag regardless. She forced herself to remember that it was just a storm drain and all she was walking through was runoff from the streets, and began a slow trek in the direction she had been told about. Moving through water silently, though simple enough and well worth it to avoid the guards, was a painstaking effort because of how slow she had to move to keep from splashing. If the guards heard her traipsing through the sewers, she would be trapped and have no choice but to surrender. Not an option.
        “…wanna ask her out.”
        “The Inspector?! Are you kidding me?”
        Silver Spoon stopped and peered up through a storm to find two guards either on break or slacking off, and chatting pleasantly. 
        “Yeah.” Said the one guard, who watched his friend’s reaction for a moment before continuing. “What?”
        “Well… She’s… you know, big.”
        “So?”
        “You two!” said a third guard, a pegasus, as he landed in front of them.
        “Starlight! What’s wrong?”
        “We’ve got trouble.” Said Starlight. “A pegasus and a unicorn were spotted in breach of curfew. The Captain wants additional roving patrols in sweep formation, and twice the sentries at the Palace Exterior. We’ve been reposted to Point Six.”
        Silver Spoon had to fight the urge to laugh out loud; she might as well have won the lottery with this turn of events. The guards could waste their time fortifying and searching the exterior for those two morons while she slipped easily into the unguarded Palace Interior and stole the crown. And perhaps a bonus for herself, if the opportunity presented itself.
        And I get the loot while those two take the blame.
        Escaping afterward could be tricky with the extra guards, but nothing was stopping Silver Spoon from hiding out in the sewers and waiting after she made the grab. The crown would be noticed missing, the guards would start a hunt for the pegasus and unicorn assuming they already hadn’t captured them, and Silver Spoon could practically dance out of the city in broad daylight dressed in stolen clothes. The freak in rags could wait the extra day or two; after all it was the Princess’ crown.
        “Is it really that serious?” Said one of the guards.
        “Serious enough that the Captain himself is on his way to head the search. Word is, it might be them.”
        Silver Spoon felt a rare rivet of fear anchor itself in her stomach, not from the way the guard said ‘them’ but at the thought of their captain spotting and recognizing her. She had heard more than a few unsettling rumors about this ‘Captain Rumble’ alongside the usual horror stories told in dark alleys about the Queen and Princess. Unsettling enough that if even half of them were true, she’d rather face an entire phalanx of guards than even come face to face with him.
        Screw waiting. Get in, get out.
        She moved on, vaguely aware of the fading sounds of hooves and flapping wings as the guards above scrambled to their posts. Her progress was slow, but steady, and eventually she came to the place she had been told about. In front of her where the passage split off left and right was an otherwise unassuming spot on the wall where the brick had collapsed to reveal the dirt behind it. Just as she had been told the dirt dug away easily and revealed a tunnel behind it, just wide enough for her to fit through. She shuddered at the thought of crawling through it, but without any hesitation she bent low and pulled herself through the narrow passage.