What does a Hero Truly Need? Vol. 1: A New Age of Heroes

by zelkova48

Chapter 32: Divide and Conquer

Princess Luna was absolutely appalled by the way that Rubick was badgering commander Dark Wing. This was in no way how a proper member of the elite royal guard should act before somepony, especially when that somepony is their equal when it came to ranks and position in the royal guard's chain of command.

She didn't even know why he was acting this way at all. Shouting all these questions at Dark Wing who clearly wasn't at fault here. Dark Wing was right when she came to her about these ponies. Something had to be done before they embarrass the prestigious position of the elite royal guards to the point where they’ll practically become the laughingstock of the proud Equestrian armed forces.  

Heck, at the moment Princess Luna didn’t even care about their recent acts of valor in protecting Canterlot from the menacing changelings. Their behavior had been undesirable since day one of their induction. Insubordination, laziness, lack of respect for their superiors, abhorrent destruction of property, and that’s not counting the fact that she had been viciously assaulted by Sven a day prior to their first proper meeting.

Even after expelling the idea that they were conspirators to the crown, she still had that lingering pang of doubt that ate away at her. Doubt that told her how Rubick, Sven, Gondar, and even Rhasta and Aiushtha are more than they appear to be. But before she can continue to ponder their existence, she had to stop this ridiculous conversation from worsening into a full blown cross examination.

“I asked you a question commander, and I expect an answer out of you!” Rubick shouted at the commander with utter vehemence. “Where were you during the changeling invasi-” he couldn’t finish as he was cut off by Luna, who scolded him with the power of the royal Canterlot voice.  

“RUBICK! CEASE THIS POINTLESS QUESTIONING AT ONCE!” Luna boomed with such force that her breathe nearly threw everypony off balance. “WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS FORM OF BEHAVIOR FOR SOMEPONY OF YOUR POSITION! AS OF NOW, THIS CONVERSATION IS OVER, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!”

The hallway where they stood became deathly silent after Princess Luna was done with her scolding of the magus. The stern expression that she wore on her face came with a piercing glower which was tightly affixed to Rubick, who in turned only tackled her glower with a glare of his own. Taking deep breathes to compose herself after nearly shattering every window that the hall had, she faced down Rubick and calmly spoke to him.

“Jester, it takes a special kind of pony to get me to raise my voice against them. For the sake of my patience, and your job security, do not be that pony,” Luna stated. “I have been patient with you and your friends, very patient. I don’t want to cause any more of a rift between us, but given our relationship as guard and princess I do expect a level of professionalism from you. Is that so much to ask?”

“If you’re looking for professionalism, talk to Gondar. He’ll give you what you want,”  Rubick bluntly retorted. “Or what about, Sven? After all, he is a knight.”

“Duly noted, jester. But in all seriousness, trying to force an answer out of your fellow guardsmen is a definite invasion of privacy,” said Luna. “Perhaps what I find that’s even more peculiar is as to why you asked the commander such a question? For what reason do you have to badger Dark Wing like this? Surely this isn’t some sort of personal vendetta, is it?”

“Far from it, your highness. I’m merely trying to confirm her location during the invasion as a fellow guardsmen, that’s all,” said Rubick. “If she really doesn’t have anything to hide, she should’ve answered by now.”

“She doesn’t have to answer if she doesn’t want to, jester,” Luna spoke with an authoritative tone of voice. “Now, will you respect her privacy or am I going to have to discipline you for acting so?”

“My lady, if I may?” said Dark Wing as she joined in the conversation “If he wants to know where I was so badly, then I’ll let him know.”

“Are you sure, Dark Wing?” Luna asked to which Dark Wing nodded in return. “If that is what you wish, then by all means, Dark Wing. Please tell us where you were during the invasion.” With another nod, Dark Wing turned to face Rubick, who had been tapping his free hoof impatiently on the marble floor awaiting his answer from her.

“During the invasion, I was stationed by the altar to make sure nothing got in, or out,” Dark Wing replied coolly without so much as a trace of nervousness in her voice. She was speaking out of complete honesty, or so she led everyone to believe. “When the attack started I led the evacuation for all the ponies to a safe position when the queen went rampant. Princess Luna can vouch for me. She was there, after all.” She finished with a smug grin on her face.

Rubick raised any eyebrow to this, it seems like Dark Wing had this all planned out. If the princess really can confirm her location at the time, then her alibi would be airtight and his suspicions could be written off as nothing more than baseless paranoia. Off the corner of his eyes, he could see Princess Luna silently nodding to Dark Wing once she was done talking.

“It’s true, and you had done a commendable job, Dark Wing,” said Luna. “Countless ponies could’ve been injured or worse hadn’t it been for you and your squad’s hasty evacuation.” She turned to Rubick. “You see, jester. Dark Wing here is like captain Shining Armor, as in they are both the very picture of a proper guardsmen. She is loyal, follows orders down to a T, understands when and when not to speak out of line, and dresses in the appropriate attire.”

“You mean like some sort of mindless drone, or perhaps similarly to the changeling drones?” retorted Rubick, drawing some perplexed looks from his peers. But none more so than the look of pure admonishment that he received from Dark Wing herself. It appears that he had said something that struck a nerve with her. The stoic and smug facade that she kept on her face shattered like a sheet of frail glass and she snapped at Rubick viciously.

“You dare have the galls to compare us to those filthy insects!” Dark Wing screamed. “We are ponies! We are above those emotional vampire!” letting out a nasty snarl near the end, it wasn’t until it was far too late that she realized what she had done. Thankfully for her she hadn’t said too much that would make her come off as antagonistic to her team or to Princess Luna. “Ahem, I’m sorry for that. I’m still a little sore about at the attack on our home”

“Understandable. A week’s time isn’t enough to heal wounds,” said Luna, turning to Rubick again. “You see, jester? This is what I am talking about. Now, I’m not taking sides here. But if you keep running your mouth off like that there will be severe consequences.”

“...Fine, fine. If it means that much to the whole of the royal guards and Equestria then I promise that I’ll clean up my act,” Rubick replied sullenly. “Just don’t expect it to happen at the drop of a hat though, your highness. Old habits die hard”

“That’s what the academy is for, jester. I’m glad to know that we can see eye to eye on the whole situation, it makes things much easier in the long run,” said Luna with a gentle smile. “Now, do you have anything else to say, particularly to Dark Wing?” she asked, hoping that he would at least be a gentlepony and apologize for agitating everyone.

“Ah, yes. I do, in fact,” said Rubick. “That’s quite a beautiful necklace you have there, Dark Wing.”  

“Umm... uh, thank you?” Dark Wing replied with an awkward grin.

“May I ask where you got it? I’m thinking of wowing a special someone with a present and I think that necklace you have might do the trick,” Rubick lied.

“Oh, this old thing?” Dark Wing placed a hoof on her necklace, allowing for it’s golden gleam to shine and dazzle. “I’m afraid it’s a custom piece. Only members of the Descendants may be able to acquire these. It’s the symbol of our devotion to the cause.”

“Well, drat. That’s too bad,” said Rubick, miming a dejected expression on his face. “I suppose I’ll have to think of something else then. Oh, well. Guess I’ll just go to bed then, it’s really late and I need my sleep. I’m sure all of you do too,” he let out a long yawn. “Well, good night everyone. See you all in the morning.”

Without so much as another word, Rubick hastily dashed towards the apartment, leaving behind a group of confused ponies in his wake. As the door was slammed shut, Princess Luna and commander Dark Wing traded a glance with each other before they both let out an exasperated sigh.

“Well, now that I’ve finally gotten to know the guy, I can say without a doubt that he is an irresponsible leech of a pony,” Dark Wing chided the magus. “Your majesty, this is what I’ve been trying to warn you about the week before. He’s a moocher whose clearly only in it for the benefits, and not out of duty.”

“If that were the case, Dark Wing, then he would’ve left long after the invasion was over,” replied Luna as she and Dark Wing began to trot back to her personal chambers. “I made a deal with him that he and his colleagues could leave anytime that they wanted to after Shining Armor and Princess Cadence’s wedding was over. As of a few days ago, the marriage has been officially accounted for and the conditions of our deal were met.”

“Hmph,” Dark Wing huffed. “Even if he does stay, I still believe that he will be a bad influence on everypony else, especially the new recruits. You know how impressionable they can be.”

“We have long term solutions for ponies like him,” Luna waved her hoof dismissively. “The drill sergeants at the academy will whip them into shape in half a years time. They’ll be the pride of the elites before you know it!”

“...But what if they were to rebel against you, your highness?” Dark Wing asked. “They are strong without a doubt. Even if we have confirmed that they aren’t assassins, they could have ulterior motives that we don’t know about. Did you do an extensive background check on them?”

“...My sister and I have had each and every of our intelligence officers try to dig up some information on them after their induction into the elite royal guards to put them in the book,” replied Luna, although her voice did carry a level of hesitancy in it.

“And? What did you find out about them?” Dark Wing asked, anxious to hear the answer.

“...We found nothing on them,” Luna stated with her head hung low. “The officers ran through a multitude of records and accounts with a fine tooth comb throughout Equestria, and even through some part of the Griffin Kingdom. Only to run into a dead end every single time,” Luna faced Dark Wing with a concerned expression on her face. ”These ponies aren't in the system, in fact, I don’t think that they should exist here at all.”

“Wait, what? Your majesty, what do you mean?” Dark Wing raised an eyebrow to the princess’s statement.

“I’m saying that Rubick, Sven, Gondar, and to a certain extent, Rhasta are like tangible ghosts,” Luna explained. “Not one speck of evidence could be found to justify their existence. No hospital records, police reports, work licenses, school progress reports, passports or even a birth certificate! There should be something but there’s nothing at all! Then there’s Aiushtha, but we decided that it would be for the better if we left that alone.”

“Yet you and Princess Celestia still opted out to keep them as elite royal guards?” Dark Wing replied with a look of apprehension on her face. “Aren’t you worried in the slightest that they might stage some sort of coup? The livelihood of your subjects could be endangered here! They literally have access to everything!”

“A coup may be too far fetched for someone like them,” Luna waved the thought off. “But if worse does come to worse we already have a contingency plan in place for them. Nearly every possibility has been worked out to a stunning degree of accuracy. We’ll stamp out any wild rebellion before it even has a chance to begin in our Equestria. If they wish to cause chaos, then they shall feel my luminous wrath!“

“I have no doubt your abilities, even in the slightest, your highness,” Dark Wing nodded along. As they kept trotting, they eventually came across Luna’s personal chambers near the opposite end of the castle. After politely bowing to the princess and exchanging some good byes, Dark Wing immediately left to return back to assigned post with haste. Her pace picked up from a trot to a canter as she rushed down the hallway.

Along the way, however, she encountered someone whom she had been expecting a visit from. A visit that came much sooner than she had expected. Coming to a complete halt, Dark Wing glanced side to side, front and back before glancing over to the shadows that danced by the drapes off a nearby window. Squinting her eyes, she could just barely make out the shape of a pegasus.

“Come on out. There’s no one here,” said Dark Wing as the shadowy figure nodded in compliance.

Stepping out from the darkness of the shadow was a red pegasus with a brown mullet for a mane and three flying musket balls as his cutie mark. It was none other than Speeding Bullet of Prince Blueblood’s and High Horse’s entourage. Ruffling his feathers and smiling a smug grin at Dark Wing, Speeding Bullet bowed graciously before moving up and nuzzling the commander who surprisingly returned his affections by nuzzling back.

“Hey there beautiful. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Speeding Bullet charmed the commander as he pulled away from her embrace.

“It hasn’t been that long, Speedy...” Dark Wing looked away as a bright red tint burned upon her cheeks. “Besides, you know you shouldn’t meet up with me when I’m on duty.”

“I know, but can’t I visit my special somepony every now and then? I just miss you, that’s all,” replied Speeding Bullet with a flick of his tail. “However, you know that I’m not here for idle chit chat and some cuddling. I’m here because you can get close to that blue abomination.”

“Ah, yes. The one who wronged High Horse. That blue abomination, Sven,” Dark Wing’s expression immediately darkened upon speaking his name. “It was a good thing that I managed to get my squad assigned to watch him, I also managed to convince the princess so that we could keep an eye on the others just in case. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to punish that fool. Just say the word and it will be done”

“That’s what I wanted to hear from my marefriend,” Speeding Bullet grinned widely. “But this needs to be a special kind of punishment,” he explained. “Try and figure out a way to make him into a honey pot for the mass media. We want the paparazzi and the newspapers to tear him to shreds, possibly to the point where he’ll be persecuted by the public and kicked out of the elite royal guard.”

“I would very much love it to see that dog loving freak kicked out,” replied Dark Wing as she grinned deviously as wide as Speeding Bullet’s own. “Expect him out on the streets soon, very soon.”

 
        Rubick rested himself upon the many shelves that lined the side of the wall of the bro-m clos-t, letting out an extremely exhausted sigh as he rubbed his temples to alleviate the raging headache that he felt hanging precarious above him. A Grand Magus he may be, master of the arcane arts, but after experiencing one too many shocks he too could be left absolutely drained. Tired, he was feeling oh so tired.

        With him inside the small room was the usual band of friends and allies that he came to know and respect.

There was Gondar who was snoozing the night away right above him on the top shelf. It appears as though all the alcohol that he drank had finally gotten to him, as evident by the loud bumbling snores he was eliciting. George XII was also sleeping soundly in the room. You could hear his restful croaks as he rolled around within the confines of Sven’s helmet.

Then there was Jackal, Sven, Rhasta, and surprisingly enough, Spike, who were all sitting together in a circle playing some sort of game that the Shadow Shaman had concocted in his off time. Apparently it involved tossing a set of Rhasta’s bones onto his frying pan like some kind of dice game, and the interlaced coins from his cape was used for the time being as betting chips. From the look of things, Spike was on a lucky streak.

As the game beneath him continued, Rubick’s mind drew back to what he observed as he entered the apartment. There were, as he counted, a number of at least six night guards posted around the room to keep watch on him. Two were by the girl’s room, three was posted specifically by the bro-m clos-t, and at least one more was fixing himself a hay sandwich by the kitchen.

Upon briskly striding right past them, he was glad to know that he didn’t see the gleam of a golden necklace. But to be constantly observed like that, absolutely frightening. Then again, whenever he was fighting on the battlegrounds there always was that impression that he was felt like he was being watched, not by the ancients but by some other powerful force. He had also hypothesized that at certain times he was being controlled by said force. However, he digresses.

“Heya, Rubick? You feeling alright?” flipping over to his side, Rubick looked around and glanced downward to see that it was little Spike who had spoken to him. Everyone else was still playing the game, but Spike had decided to call it quits while he was ahead and hopped up next to Rubick by the shelf. Dusting off a part of the shelf, he took a seat by and tried engaging in a casual conversation with him.

“Oh, I’m just peachy, Spike. I am winded though, a lot has happened tonight,” replied Rubick as he patted Spike on the head.

“I could tell, when Twilight came into the room she looked really distressed. Like something bad happened to her.”

“Some things have been said that probably would've gone unheard if Twilight and I hadn't made the first move," Rubick yawned "and Princess Luna had been scolding me after I tried interrogating the commander of the night guard." he sighed. "Honestly, they take this whole this whole guard thing way too seriously. Also, making us go through boot camp? Are they serious?"

"Yeah. I heard about the whole academy thing," replied Spike. "But that's just how things are here. If it worked for all these years, why change it? I mean, it's only six months of training for the three of you."

"Six months?" Rubick stared at the young drake with an incredulous look on his face. "That's what I was afraid to hear." he said with a grimace. "Six months of having my eardrums punctured being yelled at for nearly every single thing that you do by a big burly stallion. Terrific..."

"Why not just leave the elite royal guards?" suggested Spike. "The deals off. Cadence and Shining Armor are married now. You can just come live with me and Twilight until we find a way to send you home. We won't think of you as a burden. If anything, I could always use some more help around the library."

"I do have my reasons," said Rubick. "It's still technically my job to protect and serve. So that means my friends and I can stop the cataclysm without ponies knowing about our true origins. It's the perfect cover story. Free room and board, and a decent wage are also a few of the reasons why we're still staying in the guards. I do, however, have to visit the royal archives to study up on the legal system here"

"Huh, why would you need to do that?" Spike raised his brow.

"Twilight and I will explain everything in all in the morning. No need to worry. Besides, how come you're still up all this time? Shouldn't you be asleep by now?" asked Rubick.

“Us dragons can stay up for a really long time. Like, a really, really long time! It’s one of our natural born talents! But on the flipside, that usually meant that we also sleep for long periods of time because of it as well, which is why Twilight set up a curfew for me,” explained Spike. “Also, the girls started to talk about gossip and other girl stuff to make Twilight feel better so I thought I decided to come here to hang out with the guys for a bit before turning in.”

“I see. Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll head to bed now. And you should too. After all, a full night of sleep will help you to grow big and strong!” Rubick encouraged the little dragon. Spike practically glowed with excitement as he hopped up on his two scaly feet.

“Really!” Spike jumped. “You think so? Twilight always nags me about going to sleep early, and waking up early too. But she never told why. It must be a pony thing, or, at least that’s how I always saw it as..”

“Of course! Mothers back in my world used to go on and on about how a full night of sleep would help a young boy to grow taller. I’m sure the same principle would apply to young dragons as well,” Rubick chuckled.

Just as he finished, Spike was already sleeping away, curled up into a little ball without so much as a care in the world. Rubick just smiled as he pulled over his cloak for Spike as a blanket before tucking in the young dragon. Flickering green embers danced around his mouth as he snored in his sleep. He appeared so innocent, so young and full of aspiration. Twilight is truly blessed to have had someone like him by her side.

And to think that if the end really does come, if they fail to change Harbinger’s prophecy in any way, Spike’s life, along with everyone else will be put into jeopardy. Rubick squeezed his eyes shut, and shook away the thoughts of what could be from his mind. He wasn’t going to let it happen. They weren’t going to let it happen.

But enough about all of that. All of that thinking was causing his mind to drift away into the land of sleep. The other’s will sleep soon, he could hear their yawns alongside the clattering of bone upon metal. He prays that Bane won’t come tonight and haunt his dreams with a nightmare. With one final flicker of his eyes, his consciousness slips away, and every color he saw in the dimly lit room melded into blackness.

Morning came a lot sooner than everyone thought. The sun’s light peered through the crack below the door of the bro-m clos-t and slowly wended its way up until it was bright enough to stir even the heaviest of sleepers. A low rumbling and several pained grunts could be heard from behind the door of the bro-m clos-t before it violently swung open with a audible slam against the back of of the doorway.

Out of the shadows, two individuals shambled out into the living room with thick bags under their eyes and a raging hangover that would make even Akasha, the Queen of Pain, weep for mercy. Twas Sven and Gondar who was walking out, they recoiled slightly from having the sun assault their senses, and groaned as they proceeded to the water closet to either regurgitate everything they ate and drank last night, or to throw themselves into a bathtub full of cold water.

Among those who didn’t drink like a fish yesterday night, they were all present and felt absolutely revitalized after partying like they’d turned discord to stone again, save for one or two of the mane six who found themselves hunched over the kitchen sink waiting for something to jump out of their stomach. In comparison, however, they were in far better condition than the Rogue Knight and the Bounty Hunter could ever be at this moment in time.

Twilight and Rubick were setting beside each other on the luxurious couch, taking in how adorable Spike was as he was jumping up and down, shouting “Look! Look! I grew a whole inch taller!” and pointing at the ruler that he held in his claw as proof of his height difference. Aiushtha was sitting by the window next to Fluttershy, warming their fur and chatting with each other while Rarity rhythmically brushed her mane to the point of curly perfection.

Rhasta and Pinkie were enjoying each other company as they fixed themselves some breakfast by the counter of the kitchen. Rhasta’s meal was rather humble in appearance; a glass of milk, a few slices of bread that had been lightly slathered with jam from a berry of unknown origin, and oddly enough, a single egg sunny side up. He pondered to himself how a horse could even consume meat if they were herbivores.

Pinkie’s meal was an extravagant feast of sweet morning frosted pastries, syrup soaked pancakes, and a bowl of cavity inducing cereal complete with a tall glass of orange juice to wash it all down. As she ate with mind boggling speeds, you could hear the soft hiss of dissolving teeth enamel and the distant cheer of a dentist from who knows where humming to himself as he prepared his chair for his next patient.

Jackal was at the sink, with George just hanging by on his shoulder, holding onto both Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s hair as they awaited for their stomach contents to be ejected from their bodies. Both mare’s were about as green as a granny smith apple. They couldn’t see much as their vision was blurry and their motor control were horribly impaired. All that cider last night did them absolutely no favors.

Eventually, after a lengthy restoration period, the group found themselves huddling in the center of the living area, engaged amid an important conversation disguised as a gossip circle. Whilst being mindful of their unwanted, and very observant, guests.

Because of this, they had to speak quickly, and softly to avoid suspicion about them. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had to fake a jovial laugh every so often just to throw the night guard off their scent.

Twilight and Rubick had just finished explaining everything that they had just learned the night before about the changeling invasion from the queen herself. Reactions from everyone were variably mixed, some were downright shocked, others were just confused. To hear that the Descendants had possibly orchestrated the entire invasion to happen, just so they could pin it on the changelings, was pretty hard to take in all at once.

The mane six traded concerned glances with each other. To think something like this had sprouted up underneath their nose was surprisin- no, surprises were no longer just surprises anymore to them. Just horrible expectations with an even crueller aftermath waiting in store.

Though they could believe something like that now, they all still asked themselves the same questions Twilight and Rubick had asked already asked before. What’s their motive? For what reason does a charity organisation have to do all this?  

“But... it’s still just speculation, right?” Rarity asked. “I mean, you and Rubick only pieced this together from key words coming out of the changeling queens mouth. There is literally no basis for this accusation. It holds no water”

“Could be...” replied Twilight as she pursed her lips. “But her description of the Descendants’ own personal emblem was spot on, everything from the points to the engravings she saw could not have been mere coincidence. Not only that, she warned us to be wary of the guards that were overseeing her. For they were both members of the Descendants.”

“Aintcha over thinking this a lil too much, sugarcube?” said Applejack with a raise of her eyebrow. “Ah still say that itsa coincidence. Ya sure that queen ain’t playin ya like a darn fiddle? She looked like the schemin type to me, Ah tell ya.”

“Doubtful,” Twilight shook her head. “It was of no coincidence that members of the Descendants had been keeping tabs on the queen if they had attacked and systematically destroyed a number of changeling hives months ago. They know about her, and had been tracking her ever since she escaped to Canterlot, where they bided their time to plan out the whole invasion just to frame it on her”

“Huh, seems like an awful lot of work just to frame one changeling,” said Rainbow Dash. “What on Equestria could the Descendants be thinking, causing this whole mess? Nearly half of Canterlot got wrecked because of them!”

“Thankfully, most of the damage done to Canterlot was only limited to a handful of injured ponies and some destroyed buildings. But that isn’t important right now,” said Aiushtha as she joined in. The doe shuffled in place, wiggling her ears back and forth as she composed herself to speak. “With Gondar, Rubick, and Sven under watch from the night guard, we have to find a way to investigate without spreading ourselves thin.”

“Technically, we can leave anytime we want,” Rubick stated. “The night guard will just follow us around everywhere we go. We’ll look incredibly suspicious if we go running around searching for random clues that no one else knows about. Therefore, it would be better if we were just to reduce our movement for the time being, just to stay on the safe side.”

“It would be more efficient if we were to split into two groups then,” Twilight suggested. “Me and the girls, along with Jackal, Rhasta, and Aiushtha are the only ones who can go out without being watched. That means there will be nine of us total, so th-”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Spike cried out, interrupting Twilight. “What about me? I want to help everyone save the world too! I don’t want to just sit around and do nothing!”

“Spike, I’m sorry. But this isn’t something that should you should concern yourself with,” Twilight spoke with a worried tone laced in her voice. “I want you to stay here with the others and out of trouble. You’re far too young and the last thing that I want is for you to get hurt because of us.”

“Come on! You’ve always leave me out of you and everyone else’s adventure because of that same reason!” Spike snapped back. “I won’t do anything bad, I promise! I’ll be a great help!”

“No means no, Spike,” she stated sternly. “End of discussion”

“Now, now. Hold on here,” Rubick spoke out in Spike’s defense. “I think Spike should go with you. I believe his unique traits would be invaluable to the team if he were to help out.”

“Help out, how? He’s only a baby dragon,” Twilight bluntly retorted.

“You just have to trust him,” he simply stated. “When the time comes, he will prove himself. Just like you all have. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be where you’re at now have you not been confident in each others abilities. Wasn’t that how you defeated Nightmare moon and Discord? By believing in each other? If so, then believe in Spike.”

“I- I don’t know,” Twilight stuttered. “I know what you’re saying, but I’m sorry, this is different. Spike isn’t an element bearer, or a hero like you are. He’s barely even an adolescent! I don’t want to come off sounding like some kind of hypocrite but I can’t just blindly place my faith in him and expect for miracles to happen. It doesn’t work that way, Rubick.”

“Then why not believe in us, who believe in him?” said Rubick. “You believed in us before, so why not now? I’m sure that that is more than enough of a reassurance for you to bring Spike along with you on the investigation. When you’re backed by a hero, great things can be achieved. Wouldn’t you say so, my young student?”

Twilight was more than hesitant to respond. If Rubick and all the other heroes approved of Spike being with everyone, then there shouldn’t be a problem, right? That was where the problem lied. She’d never doubted that Spike was capable of great things, not even for a moment. But she just couldn’t live with herself if he got hurt doing something stunningly heroic, or utterly idiotic, by trying to prove himself to her.

Still, seeing the young drake stare at her pleadingly with big emerald irises did more than just guilt her into her next set of actions. Feeling the full effects of the puppy dog eyes wear on her willpower as the seconds passed by, she let out an audible groan as she finally conceded to Spike’s wishes. Much to her dismay.

“Ugh! Fine. I'll take your word for it,” she spoke out of exasperation. Spike was overjoyed to hear this, and immediately dashed over to Twilight in the blink of an eye to deliver her a pint sized bear hug that was far more forceful than it looked.

“Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Spike shouted aloud as he hugged Twilight with much more vigor than before, cutting off the circulation of air to her brain and turning the lavender mare just a bit darker towards the purple side. “I promise I won’t get in the way, and I’ll do everything to help!”

“Alright, alright. You can let go of me now...” Twilight strained from her throat. Shining her horn with a bright magenta glow, she enveloped Spike in her magical grip and carefully peeled him off of her. The little dragon grinned a sheepish grin towards her as she sighed heavily, knowing full well that things had got a bit more complicated now that Spike was on board.  Hopefully her decision to have him join them won’t come back to bite her in the rear.

“But you have to be stay with me at all times. I don’t want you out of my field of vision, out of earshot, or even out of my approximate airspace for more than half a second. Is that understood, little mister?” Spike didn’t even need to hear anymore after Twilight had agreed to let him join her. He just kept nodding his head back and forth, trying to keep the excitement building up in him from escaping and making a fool of himself in front of everyone.

"I will! You don't have to worry about a thing, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed. "Hold on. Wasn't there anything else that was going to be brought up?" he turned to Rubick. "Hey, Rubick. Didn't you say that you had to defend someone in court?" he asked.

"Really?" Fluttershy spoke up. "That's surprisingly interesting. I didn't know you were also a lawyer."

"I'm not," replied Rubick. "That's why I'm going to visit the royal archives today so that I can study up on Equestrian law. It's an incredibly big case. One that could very well influence the very course of Equestrian history as you know it. It'll be perhaps my toughest battle yet. Kind of makes me wish I was going up against Ymir in a bar brawl."

"Sounds like you're blowing this whole thing out of proportions," said Rainbow Dash. "Who are you suppose to be defending anyway?"

"I was asked by the changeling queen herself to be her defense attorney," said Rubick nonchalantly. He expected an small outburst, but was surprised to find out how mature everyone had remained. Seizing the moment, he followed through. "Her court date is two days from now, and I need to cram as much as I can before then while you're all out investigating."

"You're serious, aren't you?" replied Rainbow. "You're actually going to defend the changeling queen? The jury's gonna chew her up and spit her out! She's a lost cause."

"Technically, she's innocent until proven guilty, Rainbow Dash," Twilight joined in. "But Rainbow's point still stands, Rubick. It'll take a whole lot of work to prove her innocent in the eyes of a jury full of ponies. And if you do somehow manage to prove her innocent, how do you think the rest of Equestria is going to react when they find out you helped her get that not guilty verdict?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there," Rubick replied coolly. "For now, I'll do everything in my power to hinder the case and buy us time. Maybe I'll be able to scrounge up whatever evidence I can scavenge to strengthen my argument."

"I hope you know what you're doing," said Rainbow Dash.

"I hope so too..." said Rubick.

“Ahem, shouldn't you all get going already?” Sven bluntly started in the room as he spoke up, causing all eyes to turned to him. He was still woozy from the hangover, his face showing the strain that all of the alcohol had on him with his helmet off. Though blunt, he was right. They were wasting time when they could be off investigating the cause of the end of the world.

“Getting back to that topic, Sven. We should, but we still need to decide how to split the group up,” replied Jackal with a scratch of his head.

“How about this?” Sven started as he stood up. “You, Aiushtha, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, and Rarity form one team. While Rhasta, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, and Fluttershy form the other. George can stay here with me,” just as he finished, the little frog hopped from off of Jackal’s shoulder and onto Sven’s own where he croaked a few times before settling in with an air of content floating around him.

“Interesting, what’s your reasoning behind these specific group?” Jackal asked. “Or is your hangover just making you say all kinds of nonsense?”

“Aiushtha and Rhasta are great supports. They’ve help me, Rubick, and Gondar secure the opposition’s demise on multiple occasion,” said Sven with a small smile on his face. “So having one support on each team should help if, uh... things get a little hairy. Also, you and Spike provide something different. Your unique skills could also benefit both parties. As for the girls, well, I figured we might as well have a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony on both teams.”

“Huh, Ah never took ya to be the thinking type,” Applejack stated. “Ya always came off as the meatheaded ‘punch first, ask questions later’ type to me.”

“I’ve seen and done many things over the course of my life,” said Sven. “The battles I’ve fought, the riches I’ve gained, the glory I've achieved. You can’t do all of that and not learn a thing or two about life, battle strategies, and so on, and so on,” he took a sharp intake of breathe. “It’s the journey, not the destination that’s important.”

“Words of wisdom, too? You’re more than meets the eye, Svenny,” Pinkie praised. “Are you sure you’re all gonna okay while we’re gone?”

“What do you take us for, rookies? Bwuah ha ha ha!” Sven laughed heartily. “Worry not for us. We'll be just fine. Go on, save the world... hero.”

With that said, everyone silently said their farewells to each other and left, giving the night guards a quick nod of acknowledgement before exiting the room en masse. Sure, it looked a bit peculiar to the guards that so many were leaving so suddenly, but their orders were to keep watch of the elites. So they remained vigilant, like statuesque sentries. Constantly on the watch. They did their job well. Perhaps not as well as they thought, though.