//------------------------------//
// Finding Balance II: Splintered Cell 
// Story: Equinox: A Tale of Harmony from behind the Elements 
// by Battle Damage 
//------------------------------//

By: SleeplessScribe

About three years ago


It wasn’t often that soldiers received a personal summons from Captain Shining Armor. The very thought of it made my knees shake, while at the same time almost forcing me to hold my head a little higher. I chose to fly from Canterlot to Haven as opposed to taking a train; it was not only faster, but also much more pleasing.

The clear, gorgeous, blue skies above Haven were a stark contrast to the grey clouds that surrounded them. You could feel the change in temperature as well once you neared the city itself. Bone-chilling winds were soon replaced by the warmth of a shining sun, and the reflections of all the shimmering buildings made them, and the ponies walking the streets, sparkle like jewels.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t here for sightseeing. I had a summons to answer, and keeping the Captain waiting was not a good idea. The sight of armor-clad guards was always strange to me, the leather and mesh I had been commissioned drastically different from the heavy plates, but it was even stranger to see that armor on the heavy, almost dog-like ponies of this land. At least two guards were positioned at every corner of Haven Fortress, the largest military base in the arctic north. As I approached them, those massive doors slowly opened, as if they had minds of their own and were expecting me.

I wasn’t even three steps into the massive fortress before I was greeted by the unicorn that had called me here. It was most likely just a result of my prior experiences with commanding officers, but his friendly greetings always caught me off guard. He probably spent at least a whole minute with his hoof out before I finally took it and shook.

“Hello, Captain.”

He gave me a quick nod accompanied by a small, soft smile. “Hello to you, Ruse. I hate to bring you here on such short notice, but a matter of the upmost importance has come up.”

Even as his mood shifted to one much more serious, I still found it near impossible to take him seriously. Shining Armor was a pony I respected more than any other, mainly for the fact that he could hold authority and still manage to be likable and upbeat.

The unicorn nudged my shoulder, jerking his head to the side. He began to speak again as I was lead down a long corridor. Sadly, it had no windows, so I couldn’t look at anything outside. “A very powerful artifact has been stolen from the castle. I’d rather let your old friend fill you in on the situation, but I don’t mind telling you that if we don’t get this back, it could spell disaster for all of Equestria.”

Now it was my turn to nod. “I understand.”

We finally stopped before a large door. Shining Armor opened it for me, but grabbed a hold of my hoof before I descended the stairs that the doorway led into. “If you succeed here, I believe you’ll be due for a promotion. Should you complete this mission with the skill you’re known for, you’ll be moving beyond the Royal Guard.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he closed the door on me before I could say anything. So much for being nice. I also began to wonder how safe this actually was; the lighting in this staircase was subpar at best, and one little slipup could very well have resulted in me snapping my neck.

Once again I was made to feel awkward by the number of armored ponies I was met with upon entering the doorway at the end of the staircase. It was as if I had entered into an old war movie, with a single, solitary ceiling light dimly illuminating a table that sported many little figures and makeshift buildings. On the other side was a stallion I hadn’t expected, but was very glad to see.

Commander Shrapnel.

He had been put in charge of the Royal Guard’s Solaire Legion, one of the three elite legions in the Guard. The last two years of my life had been spent serving under him as a scout, clawing my way through the ranks. Shrapnel and I got along well, though it came as no surprise when, even after a thorough scrutinizing, I could find no signs of emotion on that dark red face.

Looking into his eyes made me feel like that cold gaze was boring a hole in me. My superior lifted himself up, resting his hooves against the table. “Legate. I don’t intend to waste any time, so keep quiet and listen.”

All I did was nod. The stallion wrapped a scroll in the bright green grasp of his magic, unrolling it to show me a picture. It looked to me like a glass tube with two black lids and a gold glow inside, though I was sure I’d be told what exactly this was.

Of course, my instinct is rarely wrong. “This is an artifact known as the Cortex Void. What it does is on a need to know basis, so all I’m going to tell you is that it’s gone, and we need it back.”

He then motioned to the makeshift map below, circling his hoof around as wide an area of it as he could. “A radical group calling themselves ‘The Talons’ has taken over Saddle Arabia. They’re not too happy with the recent peace agreements between our two nations, and Celestia herself believes this is their doing. Luckily, the Princess placed a spell on the Void that allows her to track its location regardless of where it is. The only problem is that—”

“Is that she can’t just fly in and take it as that’s sure to damage relations.” I only realized what I had done after the fact, and I straightened myself up and gulped down the lump in my throat as I did. “Uh, sir.”

The unicorn cleared his throat and cycled between three large buildings with his hoof. “We know that the Void is kept here, here, and here, and changes locations every fifteen minutes. Based on what we’ve managed to find out through brief overflights, we’ve determined that the densest concentration of forces is, of course, along the most direct route. There are three ways in: you could try your luck going right through the front gate, there’s a sewer system beneath the city that leads right into the heart, or you can sneak around the border and go through the lightly guarded checkpoint in the back. It’s mostly markets, so you can play yourself off as a tourist.”

It only took a moment before I knew what I wanted to do. “I’m going through the market. Sewers are disgusting, and I highly doubt I’ll live very long if I just knock on the front door and ask nicely.”

Shrapnel returned his hooves to the floor, giving another nod. “Alright. Now then, onto the details. You’ll be going it alone, as usual. Being detected is not an option, so if you have to engage, do it quietly, and without killing. I know your devotion to Mother makes that a moot point, but I believe this is the first mission you’ve been sent on where lethality is not authorized. You’ll be taken as close to the city as we can get to by chariot, and they will remain there for you to return to for extraction.”

I was about to salute before he opened his mouth again. He then tossed a photograph of a sandy maned stallion with an ugly-as-hell Fu Manchu mustache on the table. “Oh, and one more thing. A pony who refers to himself as ‘The Voice’ has been reported in this same area. We believe he is at least a very influential, high-ranking official in The Talons if not the leader. However, you are not permitted to engage should you spot him. You’re not being sent in with the equipment for a capture, so keep your objective to the Void.”

Both of us rose from our seats now, and the stallion raised his head. “That’s the end of the briefing. It’s not much, but it’s all we have. Any objections, lady?”

Ugh, he did it again. Shrapnel would always end his briefings by asking me that, though I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me for being the only female in my Legion or if he was using it as a term of endearment. Either way, I didn’t like it.

“Only to you saying that. Sir.”

He just rolled his eyes, making his way towards the door. “Get used to it. I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.”

Due to my choice, I was given a saddlebag that I was told contained my usual stealth apparel. Obviously, trying to go through a checkpoint in mesh and leather wouldn’t go over well, but carrying it in something so mundane would help me pass as a tourist. Both Princess Cadence and Shining Armor met me at the front of the fortress later that evening, but neither of them said a word. It’s not like they needed to, though; their simple nods were enough.

My chariot, thankfully, was not what I typically thought of when I imagined the vehicle. Instead of being bright, flashy, and gold, it looked more like something Luna would ride in: dark, inconspicuous, and driven by her bat ponies instead of the usual white pegasi. They wasted no time taking off once I was in, either. These guards were faster than I could ever be, and they probably liked flying a lot more than I did.

I kind of wished I had more time to admire the scenery; we were at a high enough altitude for me to see quite a bit of Equestria, though it wasn’t long before the gorgeous, bountiful greens turned into a wasteland of nothing but winds and sand. Luckily for me, the city in question wasn’t all that far from the border between Saddle Arabia and Equestria.

From where I was, it looked rather small, the walls around the city forming an octagonal bastion of “safety”. My landing was well away from the walls, so I had to walk a ways to the back entrance. It was guarded by a single, unarmed and unarmored pony that let me through upon seeing my bag. The area was a great contrast to what I had imagined it, as well.

I had always thought of Saddle Arabia as an incredibly wealthy nation that prided itself on exceptional architecture. Instead, the streets of this section were divided by merchant stalls with the occasional small, indoor shop peppered between them. The checkpoint wasn’t too far away, and there were three guards posted, so instead of heading straight for it I took a look at what some of the stalls had, first.

One of them happened to be selling produce, and I was a little hungry. I bought a carrot and munched on it as I approached the checkpoint, stuffing what was left into my bag as they watched me. I guess they didn’t check my bag because they saw me stuff the carrot leaf in it, why they didn’t mattered no to me.

Once I was in, I made for the darkest, most remote corner I could and changed. Another lucky thing was that this saddlebag was dark and came with a second strap that allowed me to hold it on my back. If Shrapnel’s map was correct, I could follow along the edge of the wall and I’d be taken to the first possible building relatively quickly.

The only problem with that was the fact that there were now stone barricades and watchtowers set up at various locations. Not only that, but from my current hiding place, I spotted the reason why most of the guards were in the center.

Both sides of the city were being guarded by griffins. Right now, I was behind a short wall on the side of what I assumed to be an abandoned house’s back door. None of the guards could see me right now, which made me thankful that my outfit hid my cutie mark. Were it not for the bright green trio of pentagons on my flank, I wouldn’t have minded, but trying to stay hidden with the equivalent of LED’s on your ass was a challenge in itself, and not the kind of challenge I liked.

I couldn’t help but smile a bit, though. I’d never dealt with griffins, so getting around them was a challenge I was looking forward too. There were two guards and no towers in my line of sight, and it only took a few minutes for me to figure out their patrol patterns. One would move up the alley formed by the building I was against and the one beside it just as the other began to move down it. That meant I had to time myself so that I moved from cover to cover while they were switching.

It was times like these that I somewhat hated being a pegasus. Resisting the urge to spread my wings and just fly over all of this was terrible, but I knew it’d get me caught in an instant. Thankfully I was able to ignore my urges up until I got up behind a barricade right next to the alley. That was when I heard the sniffing.

I knew dogs had sensitive noses, but nopony ever told me lions and eagles did too. As I heard steps coming deviating from the regular path, I scanned every nook and cranny around me for something to use. Looking up, I saw a nice little distraction in the form of what looked like oil barrels. Using the carrot leaf I had, I made a pseudo-trebuchet by tossing a small stone with the leaf at the barrels. Mother was smiling on me today; the guard that caught my scent wasn’t looking my way when I tossed it, and the noise caught the attention of both.

As soon as they were a safe distance away from me, I darted across the alley. The great thing about being a pegasus was that I could use my wings to glide and pretty much silence my own steps. The next stretch was going to be much harder: three guards all circling around the perimeter formed by a fountain and the buildings around it, as well as two towers with search lights.

The good thing about this was that one of the griffins was close enough for me to get his attention without his buddies catching on. I let out a small whistle, grinning as the cat… bird… thing… turned his head. His talons clicked with every step he took against the stone roads. I grabbed hold of his neck as soon as her was close enough, pulling him around the corner and slamming my hoof against his head.

I checked just to be sure that he still had a pulse then dragged him into the corner once I confirmed that he did. When I returned to my original position, I noticed that his buddies were coming my way. This time, confrontation was unavoidable, but I already had a plan for taking them out.

It was a blow to my pride, but I had to drag the first guy out of his little hidey-hole first. As the two griffins saw him and crouched over to check on their comrade, I came down on both of them from the roof I had flown up to. Three griffins were a lot harder to drag than one, but eventually they were all huddled up in the corner together.

Now the problem was the search lights. There were barricades I could hide behind that would hide me from one, but switching between them so the other one wouldn’t spot me would be tricky. However, a few close calls, clever slides, and one… admittedly accidental summersault brought me right to the entrance of the first building my commander spoke of.

Rather than going through the door, I slipped in through the window, staying close to the ground as I made my way towards the staircase. The interior of this building was rather… plain, with nothing but a few desks against the walls furnishing this lower floor. I kept my wings out, using them to hold me up as I lifted myself onto the tips of my hooves.

There were three doors on the second floor. All of them were already opened, but just barely, leading me to believe they were probably trapped. If the Void was in this building, there was no doubt in my mind that the door it was behind wouldn’t be trapped, that or that traps were disabled to allow whoever moved it to take it away and bring it back. I really was blessed right now, as well. Each door was fairly close to the staircase, allowing me to tap on it and bolt down the stairs and listen for a response.

Just as I thought, the third door I tried housed at least one guard. Once he was back to wherever he was when I knocked, I creeped in and looked around. Whoever responded was the only pony in the room, and I immediately recognized that hideous facial hair. The Voice had his back to me, and right behind him was the Void. Getting in, snagging it, and sneaking out was relatively easy, but something caught my eye as I was about to leave.

A sheet of paper fell out of the bag he had on his side. Regardless of what was on it, it had to be important. Even if it was his shopping list, it’d give us a clue as to where we could expect to find him. Standing there debating whether or not to disobey orders was a terrible idea, and I knew that this guy could turn around and spot me at any second. At the very least, I moved out of the doorway and against the wall to give myself a little time.

I did peek into the door to make sure he hadn’t noticed the paper. Right now, I would have loved to be a unicorn instead of a pegasus; using my hooves to grab that paper would’ve made too much noise, grabbing it with my mouth would have ruined the paper, but I would’ve already had it if I had magic at my disposal.

A scowl spread across my face as I weighed the options. Suddenly and idea came to me, but I said a quick prayer to Mother before even attempting it. I still had the carrot leaf, and there was enough carrot left on it to make a decent thud when I tossed it hit the wall opposite of where I was. He played right into my hooves, walking over to check it out as I snagged the paper and half walked half glided my way out.

When I got out, it looked like the searchlights had picked up the pace, making a rhythmic escape impossible. Again, I was forced to weigh options: risk getting caught while trying to stay quiet, or use what speed I had to fly over the wall and to my chariot. The fact that I really didn’t like flying that much didn’t help my decision, but after trying to plan a route through the lights, there was no longer a choice.

There was an alley I could go down to bring myself just a little closer to the wall, but once I was as far as the dead end allowed me to go, I spread my wings and took off over the wall in front of me. What I saw nearly knocked the wind out of me.

Sand. Sand everywhere.

Turning around, I saw that the route I had taken getting in had brought me even with the entrance to the market, meaning the “dead end” was the border of the city!  I was already out, and my chariot was in sight! Had my training not told me to scream out “Yes!” after every success, I probably would have. Believe me, I wanted to, and the fact that I didn’t was probably more because it was a habit for me not to scream for anything.

Of course, nothing was ever this easy. A sharp pain shot through my upper left right leg moments before I felt another in my wing. I only got a quick look at the sharp, blood covered tip shining in the moonlight with nearly half the shaft protruding out of my wing. The mere sight made me unwilling to look at my leg as I did my best to hobble towards the chariot. As I limped, I started praying again, hoping that Mother would draw the bat ponies’ attention to me.

Another arrow dug itself into the ground right next to my neck, but there was no way the next shot would miss; hitting a mare that was bleeding and out cold on the ground was a pretty easy feat.

I awoke in a bright, white room with a nurse wrapping up my leg. Both arrows were gone, my body was numb, and my injured wing was already bandaged. My vision was still foggy, but the pink blur before me and the warmth I felt from her hoof against my forehead told me it could be nopony but my godmother.

As my vision cleared, I saw Cadence’s soft smile as she leaned down a little. “I’m proud of you, Ruse. The guards told me everything that they saw, and I can only imagine how hard that was to do.”

“You’re not the only one that’s proud.” Hearing the stallion actually praise me was almost as hard to process as hearing someone speak another language. Shrapnel held that sheet of paper I had taken in front of me, though I was still unable to make out what was on it.

“I’d like to speak with you about this once you get clearance to leave. You’d better start healing, lady.”

Just as quickly as he came in, he left, and the nurse tapped Cadence on the shoulder. At least fifteen minutes passed before my adopted parent entered the room again, her upturned brows and slightly curved mouth sending a chill up my spine. She wrapped her forelegs around me, and I could hear her sniffle.

“The impact from the arrow shatter a bone and snapped the joint between your wing and your shoulder. Ruse… there’s no way of knowing yet, but… there’s a chance you may never fly again.”

My eyes widened as I looked at the alicorn, the reality take a moment before it actually struck me. Even with her good news about the lack of damage to any bones in my leg allowing me to walk right now, I found myself unable to see past anything but that horrifying statement.

She held me for what felt like hours before I finally shook myself away. “I need to… I need to go somewhere.”

Cadence said nothing. All she did was stop me and fix my mane up into a ponytail with my favorite hair band. The pink band with the little claw pin did little to distract me, though it helped to know a foalhood gift from Cadence hadn’t been lost.

Shrapnel knew me well enough to know where I was going. Though I had no idea he was following me until he said something. “Good news, lady: We’re already in Manehattan. It’s also quite a feat for you to be walking already.”

I was shivering now. I knew it was because of what I had been told, but I recall it being kind of chilly in that clinic as well. “I can barely feel anything.”

“That’s what I mean. You’re probably still numb from the anesthetics. The fact that you’re not at least stumbling deserves a medal itself.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He rolled his eyes, picking up his pace to match mine, forcing me to speed myself up again until we were caught in an endless cycle. “Stop it, Ruse. Drop the attitude for long enough to at least hear me out.”

I mirrored the gesture, giving a small scoff. “Fine.”

“It’s good that we’re already headed to the church. Ruse, your success has earned you a promotion beyond the Guard. Everything you went through was done on purpose. This was a test, not of your skills and talents, but of your willingness to weigh risks and benefits, as well as to defy orders for a better cause.”

My eyes widened again, and I felt them starting to water. “So you’re telling me that everything that happened was staged?” Spinning around, I jammed my hoof into his chest with a scowl that could frighten a manticore. “You mean to tell me that I may never fly again because of a test? Why the fuck would you do that to me, Shrapnel? I may not be a great flyer, or even enjoy flying, but damn it, I don’t want to lose my wings forever!”

“Ruse!” The echoes of his displeasure spread through the street louder than any explosion. “That wasn’t staged. We have no idea who shot you or why. In fact, the stallion who posed as The Voice, who happens to be the ruler of Saddle Arabia, is conducting an investigation now. You’d better be thankful that the organization you’re being brought into has refused to let me keep you here, or else I’d have you court marshalled right now for your tone and language!”

My ears fell flat as he shouted, causing me to shrink back and lower my head. “I apologize, sir. You just have no idea what this is doing to my head.”

He nodded slowly, lifting my head up to meet his now softened gaze. “I know, Ruse, I know. Just try to stay calm while I tell you the details, alright?”

Lifting myself up, I gave a quick nod as we trotted down the road again. “They called themselves ‘Equinox’. It’s a team of highly trained specialists with skills far superior than most in their lines of work. Princess Celestia uses them as her back door for any kind of jobs she needs done that require absolute and extreme discretion. You’ll be pleased to know that Mother’s church is their safe haven, so when we get there, you’ll no longer be under my command.”

“So, with that being said,” for once those words brought me comfort. It was as if he was saying he’d never say goodbye when he uttered his closing phrase, “any objections, lady?”

There was only one thing I could think of as we approached the church. I turned to face my old friend and officer one last time before giving him a salute. The sting of Cadence’s words was still fresh in both my mind and my wing, but they were momentarily drowned by my own response.

“None. Don’t tell me you’re just going to let me go, though? Before I step foot in here… I need to ask you something?”

“Oh?”

I saluted again, trying not to both cry and grin as I spoke. “Any objections, sir?”