"I'm sure you have lots of questions," Syntax spoke to Rainbow Dash kindly. "Rose, remove the collar."
"S-Sir?" the mare stumbled. "A-Are... are you sure?"
"Please do what I ask."
"Uhh... umm. Yes, sir." Rose apprehensively removed the collar from around Rainbow Dash's neck, putting the device back in her saddlebags. Feeling free, Rainbow stretched out her neck, and took several deep breaths.
"Thank you, you are all dismissed. You've done a good job. Now, go home, see your families." Each Nightingale was glad to heed Syntax's words, trotting off in separate directions towards their homes. This only left Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo, who had hopped onto her back, and Syntax. "Could you follow me please, Miss Dash."
Seeing no other option since her wings were still bound, Rainbow complied, hesitantly. Even with Scootaloo reassuring her about the stallion's integrity, she still didn't trust him. Part of her wanted to trust him, if only a little. After all, if he had been taking care of Scootaloo like she said he had been, then he couldn't be that bad.
Syntax calmly walked down a stone path, heading away from the castle. Rainbow was expecting them to head inside, not head the other direction. The mare trotted up to his side, then matched his pace.
"Before I answer your questions, I have one to ask you."
"Didn't Scootaloo already tell you about me?"
"It is not about you yourself, Miss Dash. It's about me, well, the Nightingales as a whole, really. Tell me, what does Princess Celestia think of us?"
"Uh, I don't know. When she talked to us about what we would be doing up here, she didn't tell us too much about you guys, not even your names. She just called you guys rebels."
Syntax sighed. "Princess Celestia doesn't know who we are... Doesn't surprise me, King Centauri tries to keep knowledge of us to a minimum, pretending we don't exist. So tell me then, what do the Glaciens think of us?"
"They say you murder ponies, that you burn villages, attack convoys, stuff like that. You... you don't. Do you?"
"Oh, heavens no! I assure you, Miss Dash, that it is the other way around. It is the Glaciens that are committing those atrocities. I've been to Equestria, believe it or not, and we are much like your people." Syntax's path strayed from the road, catching Rainbow off guard. She quickly adjusted herself and followed the other pegasus. The Nightingale stopped outside of one of the houses next to a street. The three pegasi looked in through the windows, over a hedge, to see inside.
There, a family of four: a unicorn stallion, an earth pony mare, an earth pony colt and a unicorn filly. Two parents, and their two children. They sat on a carpet, in front of a cozy, lit fireplace. The mother and father were cuddled next to each other with warm smiles, watching their two foals run around in circles, playing with one another. Rainbow could feel her own smile growing just by looking at the peaceful scene.
"We're far from what we're portrayed," Syntax spoke softly, trotting away from the window. Rainbow chased after the stallion. "Most of us are normal, everyday ponies. Shop keepers, barbers, farmers, merchants, doctors, nursers, lawyers, guards, fireponies, craftsmen, artisans, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. We've all made a choice. A choice to do something greater. A choice to make Glacies a better place, a place that it was intended to be when the Nightingales first stopped Boreas. Very few of us are even related to the original Nightingales. When Boreas was stopped, and nothing changed, we were the ones who were blamed and cast away from the rest of the Glaciens. Most of the families died off centuries ago, but a few remain, like my own.
"Everypony you see here has chosen to be here, to defy the oppressive government, to rise up, to fight back, to protect and save the others who can't. They risk their lives, so others won't have to. Look around, Miss Dash, these are the same kinds of ponies you'd see in your home of Ponyville."
Rainbow Dash followed the pegasus' advice, looking around her at the ponies who were milling about on the streets and sidewalks. The difference between Palmyra and Aquila was respectively the same between day and night; between warm and freezing; between soft grass and scratchy sand.
The residents of Palmyra had bright, colorful coats, dazzling manes, and radiants eyes. Had Rarity been here to see it, she would have fainted on the spot. More noticeable than their physical appearance, their buoying emotions, apparent warm hearts and kind spirits, was their cutie marks. They all had cutie marks! Even most of the foals had them! Hoofballs, musical notes, half painted canvases, stars and constellations, clouds, scooters, lightning bolts, flowers, trees, fruits of all sorts and kinds, insects, mammals, birds, candies, confectionaries, other foods, chalk boards, everything one could imagine as something being somepony's special talent.
All of the homes and buildings were in excellent condition. Hedges, flowers, bushes, small trees and other plants decorated the lawns of the homes. Families gathered on the porches to intermingle with one another, enjoying their presence. There seemed to be no signs of crime or disruption anywhere throughout the city. Everything seemed to be in perfect harmony. Even the cats, who played with the mice and vise versa. Nothing was out of place as perfect clouds floated overhead, and birds flew by in perfect V formations. It was a veritable Utopia.
"You may not take things at face value, but I assure you that this is our true nature. Not the nature that the Glaciens depict us with."
"I..." Rainbow was stumbling around for words. Finding Palmyra and meeting the Nightingales up close, it wasn't anything like what she had been expecting it to be. "I had no idea..."
"Yeah," Scootaloo commented, "this place is pretty awesome! All of the other foals are really nice and friendly. They even helped me try to get my cutie mark!"
"Yes, it is a pretty amazing place." the pegasus stallion added on. "I'm lucky to have been born and raised here, like every other in my family, stretching all the way back to the original Nightingales. These are just the most active and devoted of the group, too. There are hundreds more lying in secret in towns all throughout the nation, recruiting new members and spying on Glacien activities."
"Too bad it wont be like this for ever..." The cyan mare could feel Scootaloo cross her hooves and lay her head on them, pouting to herself.
"What?" questioned a confused Rainbow Dash, "Why?"
Syntax let out a tired sigh. "We're losing this war, as much as I hate to admit it. The Glaciens may be stupid but they're not completely stupid. It's called the Palmyran Forest for a reason, not that hard to figure out what's here. All they have to do is send out patrols in all directions and eventually they'll come across something. We've been sending out our own patrols to intercept theirs but... there's not enough of us..."
The trio of ponies stopped at the edge of a small park. Fillies and colts alike mingled on the playground equipment while their parents watched from their nearby picnics. Syntax watched them with a tired regard. "It's only a matter of time..." he whispered with a heavy heart. "Especially with you here. That crystal you wear, it can be tracked through the Conduit. The Glaciens know where Palmyra is now. I've already ordered the evacuations to begin once the caravans arrive."
"Where will you go?" Scootaloo asked.
"Everywhere. Like we usually do. We'll spread out and blend in, and wait."
"You mentioned something called a 'Conduit'," Rainbow recalled, "what's that?"
"A good question, that's what that is." Syntax turned and headed down the road once more. With Rainbow caught back up to his side, he continued. "The Conduit is the crystal that we used to imprison Boreas with two thousand years ago. It's what has to be placed in the statue in order to awaken him on the anniversary. The Conduit controls all of the 'Shards of Ice' which are Sapphire Crystals that broke off from the original Conduit and were spread throughout Glacies. One of those shards makes up your crown, and the crown of every other royal.
"That migraine you got when it was put on you was Boreas establishing a connection with you. The ceremony where you 'officially' became a princess connected you to the rest of the crystals, and in turn, to Boreas himself. Tell me, Miss Dash, have you been hearing voices in your head lately?" Rainbow nodded. "Something along the lines of 'free me'?"
"Yeah," Dash replied. "How do you know?"
"You're not the first the Glaciens have done something like this to. Queen Centauri was once a normal pony, too. She was even trying to help us out when she met the pony who is now the King. He tricked her, and now she's one of them."
"That's terrible!"
"That's Glacies. Every thing has led up to now. Two thousand years of fighting and struggles, and it's all coming to an end."
"When is the anniversary, anyway?"
"Heart's Warming. Two days from now. Two more days and we can finally stop being defensive. We can finally leave Palmyra and take down this wretched regime."
"Well, if it counts for anything Syntax, I'm convinced you're the good guys."
"I just hope your friend comes to the same realization..."
"How could you have done this?" Archer demanded with a hostile tone. "We were best friends, all of those years fighting side-by-side and this is what it comes to?!"
"Things change over time, this was inevitable!" Stryker shouted back across the lobby. "I made mistakes, and nothing can change them now. All we can do is end it!"
"You can still be saved! There's never a point of no return! Help me, and maybe we can resolve this cliché!"
"This is a trope, not a cliché," Stryker's voice was suddenly much softer.
"Are you sure?" Archer asked, matching his tone.
"Pretty sure. Well, I mean fairly sure."
"So we're in agreements, then?"
"I guess, why not."
"So be it. Now die!" the anger from before was back in his voice, along with the volume.
The two ponies charged at one another, with all of the fury and hatred they could gather pushing them along. Archer started at the bay windows of the Sapphire Suite, while Stryker began at the dual silver doors. Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy stood by the fireplace in horror as the two stallions teared towards one another. They were too stunned by the fight between the two ex-friends that none of them could stop what was unfolding. Years of pent up frustration and anger barreled to a collision of epic proportions, the outcome of which had the potential to destroy most of the room.
Several stressful moments passed, and finally the time of reckoning arrived. Stryker and Archer met with each other head on. Both stallions closed their eyes, gritting their teeth, tensing up their muscles in preparation for the opening, and potentially final blow of their duel. Fluttershy covered her eyes with her hooves, cowering in terror. Rarity swayed as if she were about to faint. Pinkie Pie nervously trotted in place. Twilight and Applejack were leading towards the two ponies in eager anticipation.
Stryker skidded to a halt, stopping in the place that Archer had once been. He was panting, trying to catch his breath from the sprint. A pressure on the front of the chest had confirmed he had been hit, but was he able to hit his target? The little distance that was between the two ponies left no room for error in that aspect.
The unicorn turned around. There, in the center of the floor, laid his old friend, limp and emotionless. Stryker took great solace ask he trotted up to the white stallion. Archer remained still, laying with half-shut eyes and a shallow breath. Looking up at the unicorn above him, a slight smile crossed his lips.
"Heh," the earth pony snorted, "you win again... I guess..."
Stryker stopped above the stallion, looking down at him with resignation. "I always win, remember? I thought you would have learned that long ago."
"Never really took 'no' for an answer all that well. So, this is how it ends, huh?"
"Eeyup. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Archer sighed. "I'm not."
Stryker raised a hoof, strategically placing it over Archer's head. He knew that this was something he would likely forever lament as he brought his hoof higher up, ready for the final strike. The unicorn brought his hoof down with all his might...
...only to stop a few inches above the stallion's head.
"Stryker wins!" Pinkie cheered, firing off party cannons and releasing balloons, streamers, and confetti into the air. Fluttershy peaked out from between her hooves, checking to see if what Pinkie had cried was true. Realizing it was, and that everything was okay, she took a relaxed stance by her friends. Rarity wiped away a bead of sweat from her brow, breathing a sigh of relief.
Applejack threw down her iconic stetson, stomping in rage, yelling something along the lines of "Consarnit!"
Twilight leapt into the air, using her wings to help her gain height. When she landed again, she turned towards the farm mare with a cocky smile. "Pay up!" she demanded, holding out a hoof.
The orange pony picked up her stetson, grudgingly she trotted over to her saddlebags to grab a small bag of bits. On her way back, she was mumbling several lines of incoherent profanities. "Here ya go," she sighed, placing the bits in Twilight's hoof.
"Thank you," the alicorn replied, teleporting her winnings to her own saddlebag.
Archer grabbed onto Stryker's hoof, accepted the assistance back up. "That was a good joust," the earth pony said, whipping the dust off of his makeshift pillow-armor.
"Had you stayed on your hooves, you would have won," Stryker admitted, pointing to the indentation on the pillow that was strapped to his chest. It was the spot that the rubber tip of Archer's improvised lance had connected. "For once."
The white pony looked around at the shatter remnants of his lance, then at the intact form of Stryker's. The unicorn had made contact, but his lance had glanced off of one of Archer's side armor, but still had enough force to knock him down. His lance broke, so he got one point; but Stryker managed to knock him down, even though his lance didn't break, so he got three points. Stryker was telling the truth. Had he maintained balance, he would have won against the stallion.
"So close this time..." Archer muttered with a shallow voice.
"You've been getting better."
The two ponies trotted over to the awaiting mares. Since they were all detained in the Sapphire Suites until further notice, boredom was quick to reign supreme. After Stryker's confession as to his whereabouts to Twilight, they set on the next task of figuring out what they were going to do; a series of contingency plans. Early in the morning, Archer had stumbled out of his room, complaining of a headache, wondering what had happened. Stryker explained to him that they were ambushed by a pair of Glacien guards and they only barely managed to escape. All the while, Spike had gone out by instruction of Twilight to see what he could find, with some directions given to him by Stryker, and wouldn't be back until mid afternoon.
After that, the next priority on the groups list concerned what exactly they were going to do while they waited for... something. Pinkie had been the won to provide the winning suggestion: Games. The next phase consisted of trying to figure out what they were going to play in the first place. Stryker had suggested a chess tournament, but nopony, save for Twilight, seemed keen on the idea, especially Archer. Pinkie Pie spewed out some of the most ridiculous and abstract ideas for games that any of them had ever heard.
However, she eventually landed on one that caught most ponies' ears. Jousting. More specifically, pillow jousting. It took some explaining, but eventually Archer got in on the idea, and immediately challenged Stryker to a jousting match, sure that this would be the game he finally defeated his long time friend at.
Applejack had created the lances out of the broken bed posts from Rainbow's room, tipping them with rubber stops from the underside of nearby chairs. Rarity used some of the excess pillows that she found laying around and used them to fashion some make shift armor for the ponies. Twilight set the rules as standard jousting rules, and that Stryker was unable to use any magic of any kind to assist him, or interfere with Archer. Fluttershy watched from the sides with quiet joy, and direct the betting that was going on between Applejack and Twilight.
"So what now?" Stryker asked, trotted up to the group of mares, taking his makeshift armor off. "Another game?"
"I'd rather look for Phantom and Rainbow," said Archer.
"It's a pretty safe bet that they're no where in the castle," Twilight reasoned. "It's entirely possible that the Glaciens have guards out looking for them, and us should we decide to leave. I'd rather not create an international incident by disobeying their orders, and further straining the already delicate relations between our two nations."
"Well we can't just abandon them," Applejack spoke up, "Rainbow wouldn't abandon us."
"Neither would Phantom," Stryker chimed in.
"As much as I'd rather not get dirty," Rarity spoke, rising to her hooves, "I completely agree with you. We shouldn't leave our friends behind."
"Ah'm in," agreed Applejack.
"Me too!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
All eyes turned on Fluttershy, awaiting the quiet mare's response. "Oh! Umm, uh, yes. I-I-I'll go..."
"It's settled then!" Twilight announced, floating over her saddlebags and placing them on her back. "We're going to go find our friends." Securing them, she trotted towards the Sapphire Suite doors. Her friends, including Stryker and Archer happily followed her, knowing full well what could happen should they be caught snooping about in a foreign country like they are.
But just before she got to the doors and had a chance to open them with her magic, something stopped her. It was a sensation that tugged at the back of her neck. One that she just couldn't put a name too, even though she had felt it before on several different occasions.
On cue, there was a loud crashing noise that reverberated throughout the room. Everypony stopped, turning to see what was the cause of the noise. A large whole now called the elegant ceiling its home. Dust floated down to where a pile of stone and debris now laid on the tinted marble floor.
"What was that?" Stryker asked, hesitantly drifting towards it.
"No idea..." replied Archer, half shocked by the suddenness of what-ever caused the ruckus.
"Oh, oh, oh!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down towards the mass of stone. "I'l find out for you guys!"
Ignoring the warnings from her friends, and any common sense that might have been trying to talk her out of it in her own head, the pink mare continued to skip towards the site. The mare seemed to be humming to herself some song that only she knew the name of.
When she reached the pile of ruble, she bent down and stared at it with a happy regard. Her eyes quickly traveled over the pile, taking in every single detail of it. After a moment of searching, she removed one stone, as gasped.
"Found him!" Pinkie Pie cried, bouncing yet again into the air.
"F-Found w-who?" Fluttershy cowered behind her mane.
The pile of ruble quivered, with several of the smaller pieces tumbling down the sides. Large pieces at the top exploded off to the sides like the mountain top of an erupting volcano, punched open by a black tipped midnight blue leg. Groaning in pain, Phantom Knight pulled himself out of the pile of shattered stone. The dazed looked in his eyes alone told the condition he was in. Everypony nearby rushed to his side, but one in particular was hesitant, maintaining a decent distance away from the forming group.
"That really, really hurt." Phantom stumbled his way off of the pile, with the assistance of Applejack. Trying to ignore his searing headache, which wasn't being helped by the ponies bombarding him with questions in regard to his current state of being. The pegasus blinked heavily several times, looking around his environment and regaining his bearings. His eyes landed on the still semi-blurry form of one tan unicorn in particular standing in the back of the group, away from everypony else.
Stryker saw his gaze, taking several steps back.
"You..." Phantom growled, wings flared, moving towards the retreating unicorn. Nopony had been expecting the harshness in the pegasus' voice as the gaped at the unfolding scene. It was like the beginning of the joust all over again, but this time it was real.
"H-Hey, there, um... boss," Stryker fiddled around for words, trying to stall Phantom and figure out the origins of his attitude. The thought of him being a Changeling about to strike crossed his mind, but the real Phantom wouldn't be all that kind to having a spell used on him. "Where... where have you been? We've been looking all over for you and Rainbow Dash. Uh, where is she, by the way?"
"Palmyra!" Phantom's shout practically shook the windows as he put emphasis on each syllable.
Nopony could see it, but Stryker's heart dropped, and his skin paled. He could feel his jaw slowly opening, but couldn't bring himself to hide it as much as he tried.
"Are... are y-you sure?" the unicorn stammered, finally backing himself against the wall with no where to go. I should just teleport and get out of here... his mind reasoned with himself. Maybe he'll help you, he has shown doubts on who to believe is the real enemy... his subconscious reminded his conscious.
"Yes! Yes, I am sure. Warm temperatures? Farm and grass fields? Cherry Blossom forest? And Nightingales? Yeah, Stryk, I'm pretty sure I know where I was!"
"Easy now..." Applejack tried to calm from her position off to the side. "Maybe we could take it down a few notches here..."
"I-I agree," Stryker said. "I mean, you found Palmyra, right? Mission accomplished? This mean we can head home now?"
"Not until you explain to me," Phantom barked, growing even more hostile, "who Syntax is."
"Name doesn't ring any bel—"
Phantom lunged forward, using his wings to propel himself faster. Stryker cut himself off mid-sentence to gain an extra bit of focus for the defensive barrier he put up between him and the raging pegasus. However, just before the two stallions could physically clash, Twilight used her magic to separate the two; grabbing onto Phantom's cloak and dragging him back, while holding Stryker in the air away from the wall.
"Liar!" Phantom accused when the alicorn positioned the two in the center of the room.
"Now," said Twilight, "we're all going to calm down, and take this one step at a time like reasonable ponies. We are not going to try to rip each other's throats out, understood?" Both stallions nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Good. Now, Phantom, care to tell us what happened?"
"Stryker's the one who's been lying to us, he should have to expl—"
"We will get to him. But I want you to explain yourself first."
Phantom sighed. "Fine. Rainbow left the coronation, and I flew after her. We both eventually got to the Palmyran Forest and got caught in a storm so we had to land and look for shelter. There was this cave that we found, which had Scootaloo in it. Once the storm died down in the morning, we were planning to leave and come back, but a Nightingale patrol was standing outside.
"I tackled one of them in the hopes of allowing Rainbow to escape with Scootaloo, but I got knocked out by some spell. When I woke up, I was in the middle of Palmyra, surrounded by Nightingales, and being ordered by this pony named Syntax to rescue their leader, or else he'll keep Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo there. What I want to know, is how he," Phantom motioned the to levitating unicorn beside him, "is known by name by the second in command of the Nightingales!"
"Care to explain your side of the story, Stryker?" Twilight asked the tan stallion.
"I guess the cat's out of the bag, so to speak," Stryker said solemnly. "Could you make sure that you hold onto him, please?" Twilight nodded. "Thank you. Yes, I know who Syntax is. As unoriginal as it sounds, he's my brother. Remember how I told you I grew up in that forest? And how my siblings and I would run around and play games? Well, we were growing up in Palmyra. For generations my family has been born and raised there, ever since the defeat of Boreas."
"So you're one of them Nightingales, then?" asked Applejack.
"Yes. My family is one of the last descendants of the original Nightingales. Most of the Nightingales nowadays are ponies who believe in our ideals and fight for us. My family in particular was tasked with the defense of Palmyra. So yes, I know who Syntax is. Yes, I know where Palmyra is. Yes, I have been lying to you the entire time, and I'm sorry."
"But why?" Phantom wanted to know, along with everypony else. "You knew I had doubts about who was truly the bad guys, why didn't you just tell me so we could work it out? So much could have been avoided."
"I couldn't risk it. I'm sorry but I just couldn't risk the Glaciens finding out, as much as I trust you."
"Why come to us in the first place? Why didn't you stay with the Nightingales?"
"You're implying that I stopped being a Nightingale. Truth is, I still am one. For years now we've known we were losing this war with the Glaciens, and we needed help. We had called to Princess Celestia on multiple occasions, asking, even begging for help. We tried to send ponies to meet with her in person, but they were always stopped at the borders by the Glaciens. At one point we even went to the Griffons for help, but they merely laughed and shooed us away. Eventually my father came up with an idea, but only one Nightingale could go.
"Boreas' statue doesn't just act as a prison. It still contains a large portion of his magical energy. The same goes for what's known as the 'Shards of Ice', pieces of the original Conduit that was used to imprison him. Not many remain, and most of those make up the royal jewels like the one on Rainbow Dash's crown. They amplify the magical energy produced by a unicorn along with allowing them to cast spells the once didn't have the skill for. Eventually we managed to gather a few Shards of Ice, enough to make happen what my father had envisioned.
"I volunteered, and stood by as the elders wielded the shards, and applied their magic to Boreas' statue. When the spell was cast, I was teleported a great distance, further than possible by that of conventional means. All the way from Palmyra to Canterlot. Per my father's instructions, I was to enlist in the Glacien Royal Guards, become the best I could, get close to many as high-level officials and the Princess as I could, then reveal to the Princess the truth about everything in the hopes that she could see our plight and help us. It was a long shot, that in the end only sort-of worked.
"But now it means nothing. Hearth's Warming is in two days, and the Glaciens have the Conduit, and surely know where Palmyra is by now. We've lost."
The silver doors swung open, and a little purple head poked inside. "I'm back, everypony," Spike called, walking inside. He stopped in place once he registered the scene before him: Two stallions being held in the air next to each other by Twilight, one looking royally ticked, and the other on the verge of tears. A mix of emotions ran through everypony else, but they barely even registered Spike entering the room. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, Spike," Twilight said, turning her attention to the drake who was now fully entering the room and walking up to her side. "Just having a little discussion. What'd you find out?"
Spike's gaze drifted from Phantom and Stryker, the former of whom refused to look at the latter, and Twilight, then back and forth between the two. "Uhh... well I found a room with a map, and it looks like they know where this Palmyra place is and are moving towards it."
"How long until they get there?"
"Looks like tomorrow night."
"Phantom," Stryker said softly. "I know you probably don't trust me anymore, and that you probably hate me. But you have to believe me. We need to stop the Glaciens from reaching Boreas. We need to find the Conduit!"
"We need to save Rainbow Dash," Phantom replied sternly.
"What do you mean 'save' Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked. "She's... she's not in trouble... is she?"
"Syntax is holding her in Palmyra along with Scootaloo. If I don't find and free the Nightingale leader from the Glaciens, then we won't see them."
"He wouldn't hurt anypony if it could be avoided," said Stryker. "I doubt any harm will come to them."
"But the Glaciens are on their way there," Archer spoke. "That whole place will turn into a battlefield."
"I guarantee that it's already being evacuated of civilians."
"Civilians?" Rarity asked. "There's civilians there?"
"They are civilians, Miss Rarity. Civilians that believe in our cause, and can see past the lies of the Glaciens." Stryker turned to look at Phantom. "Will you help us, or not?"
"Can you let us down, now?" Phantom asked Twilight. The alicorn gave him a suspicious look before complying, releasing her magical hold on the two stallions. Stryker fell a few feet, landing on the ground with a 'thump' but still on all hooves. Phantom used his wings to slow his decent. The pegasus walked past the unicorn, making his way towards the suite's bay window. "We'll see. I have to plan how I'm going to free your leader. There isn't much time; her execution is tomorrow.
"Her dungeon is probably heavily guarded... so I'll strike when they bring her out."
"Okay. How can I help?" Stryker offered his assistance, trotting up beside the midnight blue pony, sure to keep a leg's length distance away.
"Stay here with the Elements. Make sure none of hem leave, they'll have plausible deniability that way."
"You don't trust me... do you."
Phantom sighed. "For the first time in my life, I don't know where to put my loyalty and trust." The pegasus turned around, trotting towards his room. A plan was already forming in his mind as to how he would do it, but it wouldn't be easy, nor smart. A lot was to be organized if this was going to work, especially without any help. He wanted to have help, but the Elements of Harmony were not soldiers - Princess Celestia wasn't here to tell him otherwise - and he wasn't sure if he could trust Stryker or not. Archer could have been helpful, but Phantom knew that the moment he acted on his plans, the Glaciens would come for them.
So, he was going it alone. If he were to fail, only he would fall, and the other's could reorganize themselves. In the end, all that mattered to him at that moment was saving Rainbow Dash, again.