Jackal walked down the tunnels of the Appleloosa colony. He was a dark grey stallion with at least two dozen long scars running across his body, his face included. The only spot on his body that was untouched was his cutie mark, which was the image of five claws ripping through his flank, as if a wild animal were trying to escape. His mane, which was purple with black stripes, was cut short so that nopony could grab it with their teeth during a fight. Something he learned at the cost of his left ear, which was missing.
As he walked, he noticed many of the local bat ponies averting their gaze away from him. Some of the younger ones cried out in fear and ran away. This reaction brought a small smile to Jackal’s face. He liked their reactions, because they needed to see what the Equestrians did to him. They needed to see, to burn it into their memories that the ponies, who loved their sun princess, could never be trusted.
His only regret being he hadn’t killed any of them. Lone Wolf wouldn’t allow it, since it would cause more ponies to actively hunt them down. Like it mattered! Either way, they would be seen as something less than a pony, so why not act like it.
As he turned a corner that he had been told led to the Flight Master of this colony, he stopped when he noticed something odd. He had to be imagining thing, because he thought he saw a bat pony wearing pink armor enter the room at the end of the hall. The room that lead to the Flight Master.
Narrowing his eyes at the door, the stallion quickened his pace. ‘Something is wrong,’ Jackal thought. ‘No bat pony wears armor like that. No bat pony wears armor period. It could be an Equestrian trick of some kind!’ Without announcing his presence, he charged into the room, ready to kill the intruder (or intruders).
Imagine his surprise to see only two ponies in the room, neither one wearing any armor.
“You must be Jackal,” said an elder looking mare wrapped in blankets that Jackal assumed was Weeping Willow. “From Lone Wolf’s colony.”
“It seems Lone Wolf doesn’t teach manners,” said the only other stallion in the room. Jackal watched him as he walked over to stand next to his Flight Master.
“I thought I saw-” began Jackal, looking around. His good ear twitched as he thought he heard a noise that sounded like a gasp, followed by a whimper. Slowly, his head turned in the direction he had heard the noise, which was by one of the walls that held paintings on it. The stallion strained his eyes, trying to find the source, yet there was nopony to be found.
Jackal was about to say something, however he stopped himself. If there had been any Equestrians in here, he would have seen them by now. Or, the other two ponies that were in the room would have said something.
‘Maybe I’m just imagining things,’ thought Jackal, turning his head to face Weeping Willow. ‘I am in the desert and I did hear once that heat can play tricks on the mind. That would explain why I thought I saw a bat pony wear pink armor of all things.’
Jackal cleared his throat. “Forgive me,” he said calmly. “My name is Jackal, and I am from the former Hayberg colony.”
“Former?” asked Weeping Willow with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes,” said Jackal with a sigh. “Three member of our colony decided to leave and chase a foolish dream of becoming members of the Royal Guard. I have no idea why Lone Wolf allowed them to go, forcing us to abandon our colony for security reasons. Me, I would have ripped their throats out.”
“So, you are here to inform us of the new location of your colony,” illuminated Darkwing, who did his best to ignore the last part. It unnerved him to hear a bat pony threaten to kill a member of his own colony, yet talk about it as if he were discussing the weather. “Isn’t that the duty of your Flight Master?”
“True,” admitted Jackal with a nod. “However, Lone Wolf is busy with a pet project of his. Personally, I think it’s a waste of time, but I’m not a Flight Master. This brings us to the second reason I’m here. Lone Wolf is requesting any additional resources you have, so he can complete his little project faster. In particular, he is hoping you could send us stones as well as tools.”
“I will consider it,” said Weeping Willow. “But I must ask, what is this pet project of his?”
“I am sorry to say that I have been asked not to say anything on that subject,” mentioned Jackal. “The only thing I am able to tell you is that when it is finished, Lone Wolf will issue the call for a Gathering, so that all Flight Masters can see it.”
With that, Jackal walked over to Weeping Willow and whispered the new location of his colony in her ear, before turning around to leave. However, he paused to the sound of the fire crackling. He turned his head to look at it with some confusion on his face. ‘She’s wrapped in blankets, plus there is a fire,’ he thought. ‘But, the fire is too low to provide any real warmth. It’s almost as if…’
Jackal looked up at Darkwing and stared at him for a moment. Darkwing stared back at him, before his gaze momentarily drifted over to the side of the room, and then back to him. Jackal let out a snort and then left the room.
For the next few minutes, nopony neither moved nor said a word. Both Weeping Willow and Darkwing stared at the entrance to the room, as if they were expecting Jackal to burst through it at any moment. After what seemed like an eternity, Darkwing moved towards the entrance and looked out.
“All clear,” he announced as he pulled his head back into the room. As soon as he said this, Princess Cadence lifted the invisibility field off of her and her party. Both Dusk and Thunderclap looked like they were trying to hide behind their princess, while looking very pale. Ruby, on the other hoof, was standing next to Cadence. She was shaking a bit, but never seemed to leave the pink alicorn’s side.
“So, that’s Jackal,” indicated Cadence, letting out a relieved sigh. “I never knew there were ponies out there like him.”
“I’ve known a few,” informed Darkwing as he walked over to a corner to get some water. “Most of us just want to get away and move on from what the Equestrians have done to us. But, there are a few that won’t let go. They let their hate consume them, until they become bent on getting even, no matter what the cost. And, it never ends well for either side.”
As Darkwing finished saying this, he had poured three cups of water. Careful not to spill a drop, he placed them on his back and brought them over to Cadence, Midnight, and Ruby, earning annoyed looks from the other two bat stallions in the room.
“I never knew about this,” stated Cadence as she sipped her drink. Then, she slowly turned to look at Weeping Willow. “Ah, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s a Gathering?”
“It’s nothing special,” answered Weeping Willow instantly, stirring the fire. “A Gathering is a meeting of all the Flight Masters. They are very rare, the last one we had happened a hundred years ago. When it happens, the Flight Masters all get together to talk about a problem that the Caller, the one who called for the Gathering, needs help with. If I recall correctly, the last one was about one pony’s colony being overpopulated, and asking if any of the others would mind taking in a few more bat ponies.”
Cadence gave a nod before she took another sip of her drink, thinking about all she had learned. Lone Wolf was up to something, something he wanted to share with all the other bat ponies. The Princess of Love thought about what she should do with this new information, and came to one conclusion.
“I would like to speak to Lone Wolf,” she pleaded.
This declaration got several responses. Ruby did a spit take of epic proportions, while her fellow guards felt their jaws hit the ground. Darkwing’s irises and pupils dwindled as he looked over at Weeping Willow, who also seemed shocked.
“W-why would you want to see him?” asked Ruby.
“Because, he is planning something,” explained Cadence. “And whatever it is, it’s big. Big enough to keep him at his new location, while having another deliver the news to the other Flight Masters. If it’s something bad, then it could damage relations farther between bat ponies and the rest of Equestria. I need to talk him out of it.”
“But, what if it’s not something bad?” asked Dusk, Thunderclap and Ruby nodding in agreement. “We know Wolf. Sure, he has no love for Equestria, but he would never do anything that would put us in danger!”
“And if you go, you will be putting yourself and your foal in danger,” added Willow. “While I trust you for all you have done to help us and the buffalo, I cannot protect you from Lone Wolf. Should anything go wrong, you will be at his mercy.”
“I know,” said Cadence as she looked over at Midnight, and gave the filly a small smile. “But, I know this is something I must do. If Lone Wolf does have good intentions, then maybe I can help him and foster some good will. Provide the materials he needs, or something, to show him and the rest of the colonies that we can be trusted. And, from what I have heard about Wolf, he wouldn’t hurt a bat pony filly.”
“Still,” began Willow.
“I’ll go with her,” said Darkwing suddenly, causing everypony in the room to glanced at him in surprise.
“You will?” asked Willow with a raised eyebrow.
Darkwing let out a sigh. “It’s just like Princess Cadence said,” explained Darkwing. “If Lone Wolf is planning on doing something dangerous, then it might come back to bite us, all of us, in the flanks. It might even hurt the buffalo, since they have stood up for us! And, if it isn’t up to something, maybe they can get something like the deal we are getting. I’ll go, so that if things do take a wrong turn, then maybe I can help smooth things over.”
For a while, nopony said anything. Weeping Willow looked down at the dying flames as she pondered the best course of action. Not just for her colony, but for all bat ponies and their allies. For a while, she mentally weighted out the pros and cons of her going to see Wolf. It would be risky, regardless of the decision.
“Very well,” responded Willow after a few minutes. “I have a feeling that, even if I said no, you would still try to see Lone Wolf. At least this way, you will have some extra protection.”
-x-
Shadow suddenly found breathing very difficult as he stared at Twilight’s body on the ground. He knew that he should go to her and make sure she was alive, but for some reason, his hooves refused to move. He stood transfixed, staring in disbelief at the seemingly lifeless body that was the love of his life.
Behind him came a sudden noise that caused Shadow to turn his head away from the ghastly sight before him. It was Land Share, who has emptying the contents of his stomach. Shadow couldn’t blame him. He felt like doing the same himself, but was keeping it down as best he could.
With the moment broken, Shadow raced over to Twilight’s side and began to check her vitals. The stallion felt a small amount of warmth reappear within him when he realized that Twilight wasn’t dead. Her pulse was weak, and she had lost a lot of blood, but she was still alive. And, that was the most important part right now. He moved a hoof up to his ear where his communicator was, when…
“What is going on here?” came the voice of Princess Luna from down the hall. Slowly, Shadow turned his head toward the doorway, hearing her steps approached closer and closer. He didn’t have time to let out a curse as he heard his beloved princess finally appearing in the doorway, while being flanked by two of her guards.
Luna’s eyes widened in horror at the sight she beheld of Twilight’s fallen body. Color drained from her coat at what she saw before her.
“Twilight,” whispered the moon princess, racing over to Twilight’s body. “No, no, NO!”
“SUMMON A MEDICAL TEAM HERE, NOW!” yelled Luna. The volume was so loud that the walls seemed to shake. Her two guards, who were standing in front of her, were flung backwards.
Shadow was the first to recover. “This is Captain Shadow Blade requesting a medical team to Assistant Director Twilight Sparkle’s room. This is not a drill! Code Red! If you need to, lock-on my communicator and track me. I repeat, this is a Code Red!”
With that done, he turned to look at the two guard ponies who were just now getting up. “You two, I want this Dome on lockdown. Nopony leaves until I say so. Also, I want the rest of the Guard to be mobilized and ready for anything.”
The two guards saluted and raced to carry out their orders.
While they did this, Luna walked over towards Twilight’s body and began to look it over. Her eyes narrowed on the apple peeler, which was dangerously close to her heart. Part of her wanted to pull it out, but knew that would be a big mistake. Doing so could cause Twilight to bleed out even faster. It had been a long time since she had felt this helpless, this useless.
Less than two minutes later, Healing Touch arrived on the scene, along with four other medical ponies. One of them was pushing an emergency pod, while the other three had saddlebags full of various medical equipment used to treat a large variety of conditions.
Healing Touch went right to work, ignoring the princess, and moved right towards Twilight’s body. She whipped out a scanning tool and waved it over the wound. Once she did this several times, she looked at the readings she got, before turning her head to glance at the other three.
“Clever mare,” whispered Healing Touch, before she turned to look at the other medical ponies. “She’s still alive, but in critical condition. Get her into the emergency medical pod and take her directly to the operating room.” Moving quickly, the four ponies moved the pod closer to Twilight. Once it was in place, one of them activated the pod, which caused it to open and lift Twilight inside of it before it closed.
Princess Luna watched as two of the medical ponies began to push the healing pod out of the room. As they did that, the remaining two were checking up on Land Share, who still looked very green. They helped the elder stallion stand and led him off towards the medical wing for treatment.
“Will she be alright?” asked Shadow. If it had been any other wound, he would have been more confident in the Republic’s healing technology. But, the apple peeler looked dangerously close to Twilight’s heart, a place where nanites were programmed not to go. Yes, they could repair Twilight’s quickly, but in order to do so, they would have to shut down her heart to do so. If this happened, it would cause severe damage to the brain, resulting in a sort of reset. In short, the Twilight he loved would be gone forever.
Healing Touch didn’t respond right away. She looked over at Shadow and then at Princess Luna. She then closed her eyes before giving them an answer.
“I can’t be certain,” she admitted. “The damage was pretty bad. According to my scans, the apple peeler pierced the side of her heart, causing internal bleeding as well as stopping the blood flow. Luckily, Twilight acted fast enough to use her magic to plug up the damaged areas, as well as another to keep her heart beating, despite the damages, before she lost consciousness.
“I’m going get her into surgery as quickly as I can, but since we can’t use nanomachines to fix the damage, it will be difficult. However, Assistant Director Sparkle is a strong mare, so I am hopeful. I will, of course, keep you both up to date on her situation. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
With that, the medical mare gave her princess a quick bow before she left, leaving only Luna and Shadow in the room. For what seemed like the longest time, neither of them spoke. Both had their heads lowered, facing the doorway. Finally, Shadow broke the silence.
“It’s all my fault if she dies,” claimed Shadow suddenly, drawing Luna’s attention towards him. “With everything that has happened since the Sunset Shimmer incident, I should have had at least one guard watching Twilight. She’s been working so hard, trying to do so much. But, instead-”
“There was no way anypony could have predicted this,” interrupted Luna gently.
“But, I’m the Captain of the Guard,” declared Shadow as he stood up. “My fiancé was almost killed while I was nearby!”
“I know how you feel,” said Luna sympathetically, standing up and moved in front of Shadow. Then, she used her hoof to lift his face, so that he could look her in the eye. “But, like me, there is only so much you can foresee. There is only so much you can do. I am sure that Twilight would not blame you for what has happened. So, please, don’t go blaming yourself when nopony else is blaming you.”
“I,” began Shadow, but stopped himself as he thought about what Luna had just said, and realized she was right. He knew that Twilight trusted him with her life. That, if he had known that Twilight’s life was in danger, he would have been there in a flash. Right now, he couldn’t let his own doubts and fears distract him. He had to be strong for Twilight, as well as Scootaloo.
Scootaloo. She didn’t know what was going on right now. He would have to tell her, and soon.
He would have to reassure her that Twilight would be fine. Because, it was going to be alright. Healing Touch was going to heal Twilight. Everything was going to be alright!
“I understand, Princess,” stated Shadow Blade after a moment.
Luna nodded. “Very good. Now, to the matter at hoof. Right now, we need to figure out who has done this terrible deed.”
“Right,” confirmed Shadow Blade with a nod. “I recognized the weapon. After Private Doughnut checked their belongings, he wrote up detailed report of what they brought up. Applejack had brought up some apple peelers that match the description of the one used on Twilight.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “You believe Applejack is responsible?”
Shadow hesitated for a moment. “That’s what it looks like,” he finally said. “But, I’m having a hard time finding a motive. I mean, Twilight defended her and her friends. She was with them during the Sunset Shimmer incident.
“And, if she were planning something like this, it just seems too stupid to use a weapon that can so easily be traced back to her, while being trapped in a place that neither she nor her friends can escape from. Also, I have spent some time with her, and she just doesn’t seem like the type. It…looks like more like some kind of set-up than anything else.”
“I agree,” responded Luna, nodding approvingly at her Captain. She then noticed Shadow tapping his chin. “Have you thought of something?”
“Well, maybe,” supposed Shadow. “It could be possible that Applejack was order to do something like this. Maybe by Celestia?”
Luna snorted. “Impossible,” exclaimed Luna as she waved a hoof dismissingly. She knew all too well that Celestia needed Twilight far too much to help deal with Discord, to ever put her in harm’s way. Also, she would have to be the world’s biggest fool to send her all the other Element Bearers, just to order one of them to murder her student.
If Luna really, really stretched her imagination, the best she could come up with was that Celestia hoped that the Element of Magic would choice another bearer when Twilight died. But, that was pushing it, since there were so many things being left to chance. Like, for example, having no real guarantee that the next Bearer would be in Equestria, or if there was another pony that had the potential to be a Bearer.
Then, there was the fact that Luna still had the other Bearers. What was Celestia planning to do if Luna decided to kill them? Hope that the Elements would pick new Bearers as well? What if nopony was worthy enough to become one by the time Discord appeared? Luna knew her sister liked to make gambles, but even Celestia wouldn’t take those odds!
Shadow Blade, however, raised a questioning eyebrow.
“My sister would never order the death of anypony,” explained Luna. “When I wanted to kill Sombra for enslaving his own subjects, Celestia decided to turn him into a shadow and seal him in ice instead. When I found out about what Sunset Shimmer had done, I was ready to order her death on the spot. Celestia, on the other hoof, preached about mercy and beg me to find another route, despite not knowing the history of the mare in question. Even Discord, who turned Equestria into a madhouse for his own twisted amusement, was spared when I wanted to bring a sledgehammer to his stone head.
“These are just a few examples of many in which she refused to stain her hooves with blood. No, Shadow, it would take a world shattering event for my sister to even consider killing another.”
“Very well,” yielded Shadow Blade. “But, just to be on the safe side, I shall have several guards posted outside the Equestrians’ room.”
“Excellent,” replied Luna with a nod of approval. “But, make sure that they are informed that the Equestrians are to be protected as well. Given what happened in Dome Two and Three, I fear that when this gets out, there will be ponies demanding their blood.”
Luna’s face then hardened. “There is a reason we study history, so that we can try to avoid making the same mistakes. That is why the Hoofshire incident is taught to every filly and colt in the Republic. Blind hatred towards bat ponies, as well as those that loved my nights over Celestia’s days, eventually led to mob violence that caused the deaths of several families. I refuse to allow that kind of behavior to happen here in the Republic!”
Shadow then looked at the door leading to the operating room, and then let out a long sigh. “Well, I better get to work on this investigation,” he declared. Luna, however, shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I will contact the LBI and have them begin a full investigation into the matter.” Shadow opened his mouth to object, but Luna cut him off. “You are far too emotionally connected to this case, to be allowed to lead in the investigation. What is needed right now is a clear head.”
Luna’s face then softened a bit. “Besides, I think it would be better for everypony here if you remained here. Scootaloo is still recovering, and I am sure that it would mean the moon to Twilight, if she knew you were by her side during all of this.”
“I…I understand,” relented Shadow slowly. “I just wish I could do more.”
“If that is the case, then perhaps you can help me figure out who would want to harm Twilight, and then frame the Equestrians,” suggested Luna.
“That will be a long list,” remarked Shadow with a sigh. “My first guess would have been Sunset Shimmer, but we can eliminate her as a suspect, since she has been banished with Living Death. Senator April Showers is furious at the Equestrians for what happened to her Dome, and also mad at Twilight for defending them. I’m also sure that everypony from Dome Three, including Land Share, feels the same way, since they all lost their homes. They are all staying in the castle right now and anyone of them could have done this. Then, there is Senator Gigawatt. He had been the one most against our ‘relations’ with the Equestrians since this whole thing began.”
“He did want to us to use Operation Umbrella against them,” admitted Luna. “Very well; I will order the LBI to start with the three Senators, and then work their way down. I will also have them check surveillance footages to see if the criminal slipped up and allowed him- or herself to be caught on film. Once we have evidence, we shall hold trial.”
-x-
“This is a waste of time,” grumbled Gigawatt as he sat on a cushion behind a steel table. On the other side of the table sat a white earth pony mare in a black suit, wearing sun glasses. The room the two were in was completely bare of anything else. The only way in or out was the door that was behind the mare.
Gigawatt watched as she sat down several items in front of him. A blank pad of paper, a pen, and several folders which he knew contained information about him. He looked at the sloppy way she placed them on the table, and snorted. ‘Great,’ he thought in annoyance, ‘A rookie.’ Even the way she was sitting, stiff and rigid, was a dead giveaway to him that this mare had either done very few interviews in the past, or this was her first.
“Then, let’s get this over with as soon as possible,” said the white mare, whose name was Secret File. Gigawatt sighed and gestured for her to proceed. “Alight then, I’d first like you to state your name and your last three occupations.”
Gigawatt snorted once again, something he now realized he was going to be doing a lot during this interrogation. She was asking basic information that anypony could get their hooves on. Still, he answered her. “Gigawatt, currently Senator of Dome Seven. Before that, I was in charge of the LBI. And, before that, I was an agent like yourself.”
“Very good,” responded Secret Files with a nod. “That matches what we have on file. Now, I suppose you know why you’re here?”
“I am aware,” acknowledged Gigawatt. “If I didn’t, then I would be demanding my release. However, I don’t see why I am a suspect. From what I heard, the evidence points to those mares from the planet. Shouldn’t you be investigating them first?”
“Princess Luna has reason to believe that what happened to Twilight was a set-up,” replied Secret, making a quick note. “I believe the reason is that they have a weak motive.”
Gigawatt snorted. “I beg to differ,” he countered as he leaned over the table. “They’re terrorists, plain and simple. They come here, destroy our food, eject our water, and spread as much fear as they can, so we will submit to anything Celestia wants. We should have killed them when we caught them the first time, but Twilight and Stock had to open their big mouths, allowing them another chance to cause trouble!”
“That is…one theory,” said Secret, making another note. “Now, let’s get to the heart of the matter, shall we. You have been against the Republic having any dealings with Equestria since this whole thing began.”
Gigawatt rolled his eyes. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“And, you weren’t happy when they weren’t killed on sight like you wanted,” continued Secret.
“Yes,” confirmed Gigawatt. “As were several others.”
“And, you were upset that Twilight Sparkle defended them,” continued Secret.
“…I will admit that I wasn’t happy about it,” said Gigawatt.
Secret pulled up one of the files. “A few hours before Twilight was found stabbed, it was reported that you were yelling in her room. Can you tell me more about that?”
Gigawatt shifted slightly in his seat. “It wasn’t anything important,” he commented.
“You had a fight with Twilight, and later, she got stabbed,” stated Secret. “I think that it might be important. Now, we are going to sit here until you tell me what happened. And you know better than to lie to a LBI agent. Director Sealed Document is with Senator Land Share, along with a portable truth light. Once he is done there, he will come here and use it on you. If you have been concealing information from us that is in connection to this case, then your punishment will be severe.”
‘As if I have anything to worry about a truth light,’ thought Gigawatt.
“Fine,” conceded Gigawatt. “I went to see Twilight to convince her that those Equestrians were not worth defending. That she shouldn’t be defending them after what they did to Senator Land Share. I demanded to know why she would, but she refused. That’s when it became more heated.”
“I see,” said Secret as she took a note. “Go on.”
“Nothing more to talk about,” said Gigawatt. “We just yelled back and forth for a while. I accused her of not having the Republic’s best interests at heart, and she said I was being too brutal. I tried to make her an offer, but she refused. That’s when I left.”
“What was-” began Secret, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. As she turned around, said door opened to reveal a brown stallion in a similar black suit. He walked right over to Secret and whispered in her ear. Secret then nodded before turning her attention to Gigawatt. “Looks like surveillance found something.”
-x-
Shining Armor sat in the waiting room with his head down, tears falling from his eyes. He had been like this since he had heard about what had happened to his little sister, which had been about an hour or so ago.
The news had been hard to take. He had promised his parents that he would take care of Twilight, make sure she would be safe. He had failed. Now, she was in surgery, and there wasn’t a single thing he could do to help. He could protect an entire Dome from a meteor strike, but he couldn’t do a thing to save his little sister.
The door opened catching the stallion’s eyes. The first to walk in was Shadow Blade, followed by Princess Luna. Normally, Shining would have bowed, but right now he just didn’t have the strength.
“How are you holding up?” asked Luna gently.
“I…I’m scared,” admitted Shining.
Shadow nodded grimly. “We all are,” he said. “All we can do is trust the doctors and Twilight’s stubbornness.”
A small smile appeared of Shining’s face. “Yeah,” he said slowly.
It was then the both stallions noticed that Luna’s horn was beginning to glow. Her magic then began to swirl around them, until it formed into a dome like structure. At first, it was transparent, but the more it swirled around, the more difficult it became to see through. Both of them knew what their princess had done, she had created a space where nopony else could see or overhear them, even with their most advanced technology.
“Princess, what is going on?” asked Shadow once Luna’s spell was complete. Shining stood up from his seat and moved so that he was standing next to his future brother-in-law. Both could see that, judging by the expression on her face, that Luna was having second thought about something. She then shook her head and her expression became more determined.
“There is something that I need to tell you both,” she proclaimed. “Something that I should have told you both earlier. Shadow, you suggested that Applejack had been ordered to kill Twilight under Celestia’s orders. I told you that it was impossible. However, I didn’t give you a full explanation. What I’m about to tell you, I tell you not because you are both captains, but because you are the only two I feel I can trust with this information.”
Taking a deep breath, Princess Luna began to tell them everything. At first, it was stuff they already knew, like her defeating Discord with the help of Celestia. However, soon they were hearing about the Elements of Harmony, and the role they played in Discord’s defeat. About how friendship was important in bringing them together. About how Twilight was now one of the bearers!
As Luna talked, Shining Armor’s expression continued to darken. He gritted his teeth as he did his best not to yell at his princess. He looked over at Shadow and saw that his eyes had narrowed, while his wings tightened against his body. By the time she was done, Shining could hold it in no longer.
“You used her,” roared Shining Armor, pointing an angry hoof at her while his horn lit up. “You used her like a pawn, a bucking chess piece. H-how could you do that to her?!” Shadow, meanwhile, had not said a word, but was bearing his fangs at Princess Luna while he moved into a pouncing position.
Shining kept his gaze on Princess Luna. He expected to see rage, angry at the way he was speaking to her. But, what he saw surprised him. She looked shocked at first, followed by a hurt expression.
“Do you remember when you first came to live at this castle?” asked Luna in a tone that sounded like she was barely keeping her emotions in check. “I do. The three of you had such nightmares. No matter how many times I came into your dreams, they wouldn’t go away, until I allow you to sleep in the same bed as me.
“Then, there was the Founders Landing picnic we had a few years later. Twilight had wanted to try her hoof at cooking and spent an entire day trying her best. When we all sat down to eat, you both looked at the burnt muffins and slightly liquidly daffodil sandwiches she had made for us. I thought the two of you would refuse to eat it, but one look at Twilight’s big eye expression and you both took it like stallions.
“I remember when you, Shadow Blade, wanted to ask Twilight on her first date. You had tried to get her favorite flowers, but they were far too expensive and you were too proud to ask me for the bits. Instead, you got her a book, ‘Native Flowers of Equestria’. Naturally she loved it and I still see her reading it from time to time, a smile always on her face.
“Then, there was the time you, Shining Armor, decided to join the Shield Corps. You joined around the same time Shadow Blade did, and no matter how much I tried to persuade you not to, you remained firm in your decision to keep the same tragedy that befell your parents to happen again.
“I remember all these things, as you do. So, if you really feel that I see all of you as pieces on a chess board,” Luna started as she walked over to Shining Armor. Once she was close enough, she moved his head gently with her hoof, so that his horn was right above her heart. “I ask you, if you truly believe that, then strike me down.”
Shining gulped as his magic faded. He blinked, now unsure on what to do, with his anger beginning to fade. Part of his mind was reminding himself of how much the princess loved them like her own children. But…
“I have a question,” uttered Shadow, speaking for the first time. “Did Twilight know about this?”
Luna nodded. “She did,” she answered. “I told her myself and she demanded to know why I never told her. Once I explained that I wasn’t sure if the link was permanent, and that I wanted her to live a normal life, she calmed down.”
Shining nodded his head as Shadow took a deep breath, both calming down. If Twilight knew about it and was okay with it, then there was no reason they shouldn’t be okay with it either.
“Princess, I-I sorry for the way I behaved,” apologized Shining.
Luna waved it off, “It is nothing,” she said. Then, her face grew serious. “However, we must now discuss more dire matters.”
“Agreed,” responded Shadow. “Based on what you told us, it makes it even less likely that Celestia would order Applejack to murder Twilight.”
“Unless some other pony ordered her to,” suggested Shining Armor. “Did Applejack know about the Elements?”
Luna shook her head. “My sister wanted to keep all of this a secret from them, including Twilight,” she explained. “I, however, felt it better to inform Twilight, rather than keep her in the dark.”
“I see,” stated Shining. “Then, it might be possible that some other pony ordered Applejack, or even blackmailed her into killing Twilight. It is possible that it could have been a noble, who was unhappy with the alliance, and wanted to make sure that failed. That is, if she truly was responsible for harming her.”
“But, the alliance had already failed,” Shadow pointed out. “Princess Luna herself said that even if Equestria gave us the food and water, the alliance was over.”
“I’m just saying,” began Shining Armor.
“Enough!” commanded Luna loudly, cutting off Shining Armor. “Now is not the time to argue. I told you both about the Elements, as well as Twilights connection to them, so that you could both understand my reasoning for not believing that Celestia was behind this. I want you both to keep your ears and eyes open for anything unusual. And, if things are looking at their worst, I will need both my shield and my sword by my side.”
“Yes, Princess,” gently shouted the two captains while they saluted her. Nodding, Luna lowered the dome of magic, revealing that Lightning Dust was standing outside of it. However, there was no look of amusement or joy on her face like there normally was. Instead, it was grim.
“Princess Luna,” she announced at once. “The LBI has found something.”