//------------------------------// // Chapter 36 Movements in the Shadow // Story: True Black // by Leonofsweden //------------------------------// True Black Chapter 36 Movements in the Shadow **** 17 of August The sun was slowly setting over North Bay. Nonetheless, the streets were still bustling with activity, vendors in the commercial district shouting out their wares while commoner and noble pony alike made their way from store to store. The nobles walked in the middle of the street where it was cleanest, while the commoners were pushed out towards the edges where it was more muddy. This, unsurprisingly, was because of everything in the gutters flowing down towards the harbor outlets. Which is why there was more than one raised eyebrow, at least amongst the nobles, when they saw a smaller-than-average purple unicorn of most certainly questionable breeding. She walked boldly down the center of the street with a mostly black Gryphon female clad in leather armor accompanying her, the two talking animatedly between themselves. Raven and Twilight had decided to take a long route home, walking slowly but happily, both feeling giddy and relieved after escaping that close call with the Gryphon wing. Although the close call was different for the two females, Raven had feared she was about to be taken away from Zig Zag, while Twilight’s fears had been about what would have happened if she had massacred the Gryphon wing. Thanks to Raven's main way of coping with fear and nervousness was to laugh and joke about it. She had slowly brought both herself and Twilight out of the brooding moods. This was much to Twilight’s relief. She had a feeling that if she had been left to her own devices, she would've ended up back on that secluded bench before too long, all the way in the back of the Silver Seas estate, endlessly thinking about what she could have done differently. As time went by, Raven had opened up more and more to Twilight. While they walked through the city, Raven ended up telling Twilight about her years at the claws of the Gryphon bandits that stole her from her home when she was just a little hatchling. In return, Twilight started to confide some stories from her own childhood: mostly about how she struggled to survive all alone on the cold streets of Stalliongrad. “It almost sounds like it was a lucky break for you, being caught for stealing a book from Nightmare Moon,” Raven said with something akin to a smirk on her face. “Maybe. For a while it was actually… I can't even describe just how good it was, Raven.” Twilight’s whole expression darkened. “But I should have known… nothing so good lasts forever.” “What happened?” Raven wondered. Twilight’s only answer was to turn away, looking out towards the harbor and the glittering sea beyond. Raven was quick to understand it was a bad subject. “It's okay, you don't have to tell me; I can see it's a sore topic,” She said in an effort to smooth over the question. “Thanks… it's nothing I really want to talk about,” Twilight replied with a careful smile. “No problem. If you ever change your mind, I'd be happy to listen,” Raven stated and bumped Twilight on the shoulder with her talon. When Twilight looked up at Raven again, she gave the female Gryphon a once more genuine smile. “Excuse me my l- lady… No wait, ma'am? Or is it Sir?” A nervous voice stuttered just in front of Twilight and Raven. Twilight and Raven looked forward but found nopony. Looking down, they discovered a small earth pony colt. He had a gray coat and black mane and tail, but what stood out most about him was the fact that he was wearing a silvery silken vest, proclaiming him to be a servant of the Silver Seas main family. “Oh, you can call me Twilight,” She said reassuringly while smiling down at the little anxious colt. “What is your name?” “Ehh… my name?” The colt answered timidly, seemingly surprised at even being asked such a question. “Qu… Quick Find,” He stammered nervously, rubbing his back legs together. “Lady Silver Spark and Lady Silva Flash request that you and Lady Raven return as quickly as possible, there was an incident at the Estate. Zig Zag is unharmed, but your presence is still wanted.” “What!?” Raven shouted, stepping forward and glaring down at a cowering Quick Find. “What happened?” “Raven! You're scaring him; he is just the messenger for nightmare’s sake!” Twilight rebutted harshly, pulling the enraged Gryphoness away from the colt with her telekinesis. “Now calm down so we can head back and find out what's going on.” “Thank you for delivering the message, Quick Find,” Twilight said, smiling down at the colt as she levitated a few coins to him. “Now let's move, Raven.” After a few moments of complete bafflement at receiving any sort of reward from the rumored vicious and bloodthirsty warrior mage, Quick Find sprinted up alongside her. “Let me show you the way my lady!” He said happily as he scampered up in front of her. “I know all the shortcuts in North Bay! Almost anyway!” “No offense pony, but we don't have time for that!” The gruff voice of Raven spoke up from behind them, “You better keep your lunch down Twilight!” As both Twilight and Quick Find looks behind them, they saw Raven coming at them, wings spread wide. Catching Twilight around her midsection Raven started pumping her powerful wings. Lifting both of them up into the air, Quick Find could hear Twilight shriek loudly as they took off towards the Silver Seas estate with all the speed Raven could muster. **** The Pegasus skipped from roof to roof as he followed the little earth pony colt. He had been tailing Twilight Sparkle and Raven through the city from the moment he was informed they had left the Silver Seas estate earlier during the day. It had not taken him long to pick up the trail, then follow them from a distance as he observed and tried to learn what he could about this mare who had killed his only true friend. If it wasn't for the fact that he was still uncertain of to what he wanted to do about this Twilight Sparkle, Shadow Flight would most like have either killed her himself, ruined any possibility of the future she wanted, or put a price on her and let others do his dirty work. Then the Gryphon wing had challenged her and Raven, and the display of power he had been shown was staggering to say the least. Shadow had immediately scratched the option of challenging her directly; the only chance he would’ve ever have in a fight would’ve been to take her completely unawares. Besides, killing had never really been his forte, that was more his wife’s line of work, and she wasn’t in town at the moment. He was a master thief, smuggler and information broker. Therefore taking on such a high caliber target, as he now suspected Twilight Sparkle to be, would most likely end up with him making a mistake and getting himself killed instead. All the same, his biggest hindrance was that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with her. He was furious that she had killed Iron Helm and some of the innocent mares during the massacre of the Officers Club. Still, she had destroyed it, ripping that cancer out of the city by its roots, which had been his and Iron Helm’s own goal in the end. Not only that, but his friend had stated on more than one occasion that he would actually give his life to make sure that place died. So in some regard, Iron Helm had gotten his wish. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Shadow Flight looked down at the street at the colt that had striking similarities to himself. Honestly, they could easily be mistaken for father and son, having the same gray coat, his being a bit lighter, together with a black mane and tail. With a frown, Shadow Flight realized he could no longer see his quarry. Spreading his wings, he shot off along the rooftops, his black hood and cloak flapping in the wind. As he came down a particularly alley with a very bad reputation, Shadow Flight could see the little colt happily trotting along. Oh crap! Why in the Empress’s name would he go in there? Shadow Flight thought while he scurried to catch up. Does he know what he is doing or… In that moment, Shadow Flight saw two figures enter the alley behind the little colt. No… he’s in over his head. Shadow Flight groaned to himself. **** Quick Find trotted through the alleyway, looking nervously around himself. If he was right, then this should be a good shortcut back to the estate. He hadn't tried it before though, so he wasn't certain. However, only a few steps in, he began to suspect this had been a mistake. He stopped and intended to make a quick retreat back the way he'd come, only to find his way blocked by two unsavory-looking ponies. Having no other option Quick Find resumed trotting forward, trying to keep some distance between him and his followers. As the little gray colt reached the halfway point, three more ponies rose up from the shadows in front of him, blocking off any escape route Quick Find could see. They quickly gathered around the scared-looking colt, his back against one of the alleyways walls, as the leader of the group stepped forward and glared down at him. "Well, if it isn't a snooty little belly crawler from up on high," the grisly-looking earth pony said to the amused snickers from her followers. "Are you lost little colt? Last I heard, belly crawlers don't belong here, unless they pay for using our alleyways, that is." "What?" Quick Find replied before making the mistake of continuing. "But I work for Duke Silver Sails; all of North Bay belongs to him." The whole group, except the leader, burst out laughing uproariously. The brown earth pony leader leaned in and put her right hoof next to Quick Find's head as she looked sternly into the colt’s eyes. "Really? Not sure if you’ve noticed, but do you see the Duke's self-important plot around here?" the earth pony hissed down at the now-cowering Quick Find. "That little silk vest you have there might give you free run in the nicer parts of the city, but don't think it is some kind of free pass around here." "Ya!" a male voice bellowed. "Pay up hoof-licker!" another female added. "So, what do you say colt? The easy way or the broken spine way?" the lead mare asked, a false smile promising nothing but trouble adorned her muzzle. "Ho... How much?" Quick Find asked nervously. "How much he asks," the leader said with a chuckle that the whole group joins in on. "That's cute..." she used her hoof to raise Quick Find's cheek and then gave the scared and very surprised colt a little nuzzle. Abruptly, the mares overly friendly demeanor flipped. She leaned in, putting her whole weight down on the colts head, pinning him hard against the unyielding stone surface of the alleyways wall, causing him to cry out in pain and fright. "You can get stripped down to your coat and we might let you keep your mane and tail if we feel generous!" "I might hold off on that if I were you..." a new voice Quick Find had never heard before said conversationally from above him. Apparently, no one else recognized it either, because as its owner dropped down, the gang members all jumped back in surprise. "Who the hell are you?" the mare leader spat at the gray Pegasus stallion, after which she suddenly seemed to recognize him. "Wait, I know you. The big boss wants to find you." At hearing this, Shadow's left eyebrow rose in a silent question. "Killer Blow is starting up something new, and he knows you’re on the level from back in the Officer's Club. He wants to speak with you about a possible position," the mare said with a wide grin. Hearing this, Shadow Flight could feel his insides turn to ice. No... The Officers Club can't start again! Not with what Iron Helm gave up to stop it last time! I won't allow it! Shadow though while keeping his face neutral, not showing any of the horror he felt at the news. "Sounds like I need to see your boss. Where can I find him?" Shadow asked with what he hoped looked like a carefree smile. "Good, he will be pleased to hear it. Now, is the kid with you?" the mare asked, looking back towards Quick Find. With narrowed eyes, Shadow looked at Quick Find, willing him to understand the importance of him playing along right now by staying quiet. "No, but he's important for a task I'm working on. So keeping him in one piece would work well to get me in the right mood for that meeting with your boss." then he smiled wickedly at the brown mare. "And I’ll give you some free advice on why you should leave him be." With that, Shadow draped a wing over the back of the surprised mare and led her in amongst her friends, making sure to wink back at the colt. Quick Find tried to overhear what this Shadow was telling these street muggers, but to little success. After a surprised exclamation and some very perturbed grumblings, Shadow Flight brought the brown mare back, and she was looking at Quick Find with more than a little apprehension. She glanced at Shadow, who motioned for her to continue, before once again meeting the colt’s eyes. “So yeah… No hard feelings kid, just… don't come back here again, you hear!” The mare said sharply before nodding to the rest of the gang as they headed off to wait for another prey with less consequences attached to it. With a swift motion, Shadow Flight swept Quick Find up onto his back and before the little colt knew what was happening, they took off into the sky. “Ahhhhhhhh!” The surprised youth shrieked; now understanding fully why Lady Twilight had done so earlier. “Wow…” Shadow muttered while he glanced back at his panicky passenger, “Quite a set of lungs you got there…” “Ahhhhhhh!” Quick Find continued. “Yeah… That's going to get old real quick,” Shadow Flight muttered while looking for a safe place to land. With a few adjustments to their course, Shadow Flight landed on a slated roof. As he looked back towards the kid, he saw that the colt was not situated on his back anymore. Looking around himself, he discovered Quick Find practically glued to a chimney not far from where they had landed. “How did you get over there so quickly?” Shadow Flight wondered, rather impressed. “I… I needed to find something to hold onto,” Quick Find answered with a shudder. “I… I really don't like heights.” “Yeah?” Shadow Flight said with a chuckle. “I kind of noticed.” Quick Find lowered his head in what looked like shame, to which Shadow Flight tittered reproachfully. “No, none of that moping. Most earth ponies don't like heights. It's nothing for you to feel bad about, so stop,” The gray stallion said while he walked over the rickety roof with, to Quick Find’s annoyance, the grace and agility native to the Pegasi. “O… Ok… Okay,” Quick Find stuttered, but did look a little better for hearing that. “Thank you for saving me; I think I might have been in real trouble back there if you hadn't arrived when you did.” “Don't mention it, but don't think I did it for free either.” At hearing Shadow Flight say this, Quick Find tensed up noticeably. He looked from the Pegasus over towards the edge of the roof and then back again with fearful eyes. “Hmm… You got good risk analysis; you understood pretty quickly that you made a mistake when you went into that back alley. Now here, you understand what the most dangerous thing for you is as well,” Shadow Flight said in almost a lecturing manner. “You'll do well once you have learned how to move about these parts of the city. But until then, I believe you will need my services, or at least my name as a deterrent. But as I said, it isn’t free.” “Well, eh… I… don't really have any money,” Quick Find said dejectedly, once again looking towards the edge of the roof with worry. “Money?” Shadow Flight gave a little snicker. “No my boy, you have something far more valuable than that.” “I do?” The gray colt asked, looking surprised. “Information,” Shadow Flight answered, dead serious. “I'll make sure ponies around here know to stay away from you. Of course it's not a one-hundred percent safety guarantee. You'll still need to keep your head up, but it's a lot better than nothing. So when I come see you in the future, you will tell me what I want to know or find it out if you don't.” “Wait… you want me to spy for you?” Quick Find wondered a bit apprehensively. “Quick on the uptake too; I like you more and more kid,” Shadow Flight said with a friendly expression. “You don't need to worry about the spying either; most of what I want to know would be made public knowledge a few days later anyhow. It would just pay to know it earlier is all.” “Most of it?” Quick Find stated dubiously. “Yes, most of it,” Shadow Flight affirmed, not elaborating anymore on that subject. Quick Find looked around again, realizing he really didn't have much choice at the moment. “What do you want to know?” He wondered still clinging to the smoking chimney. “Everything,” Shadow Flight answered with a grin. “I want to know everything; because no matter what, one thing is always true… knowledge is power.” **** Raven came to a skidding halt on the Silver Seas twins balcony, Twilight unceremoniously flying off her back and coming to a rough stop as she slid into the far end of the marble edifice. Without even pausing to see if her passenger was okay, Raven threw the balcony doors opened, rushing in to find Zig Zag sitting quietly, relaxing with a cup of tea in front of him. Across the table, Lady Silver Spark had frozen where she sat, teacup halfway to her mouth as she stared back at Raven with wide eyes. “ZZ! Are you okay! What happened?!” Raven yelled worriedly as she stormed up to her colt friend and started to look him over to see if he was hurt in any way. “He's quite okay Raven; there was no permanent damage from the duel,” Lady Silver Spark informed before taking her interrupted sip of tea. “DUEL!” Raven yelled snapping her predatory eyes onto Silver Spark. At that precise moment, two Silver Seas Pegasus guards shot in through the open balcony doors, tackling Raven to the ground. “I said halt intruder!” One of the Pegasus guards yelled in fury, pulling his sword and aiming it at Raven’s throat. “Stand down!” Lady Silver Spark ordered sharply. “What?” The guards looked up in confusion, only now realizing they were in the bedroom of two of their masters. “Excuse us mistress,” They both said, bowing their heads. “We will remove this unseemly intruder from your presence immediately my lady.” “I would like to see you try gelding!” Raven hissed. “What! I'm not-” a tapping with a knife against the guard’s inner thigh made him pale quite considerably. “None of you three will do any such thing! Firstly, Raven is our guest, and you will release her this instant,” Lady Silver Spark ordered now even more sharply. “And Raven, you will not castrate any of our family employees.” “You're lucky…” Raven snorted as she removed her knife from a very relieved Pegasus guard. “Of course my lady, excuse our intrusion,” The two guards said respectfully, while they pulled back from a still-fuming Raven. “Then are we to understand her accomplice-” “Excuse me…” A somewhat annoyed voice sounded from the opening out onto the balcony. “I assume these belong to you two.” Above Twilight’s head, three more Pegasus guards were hanging suspended in her telekinesis, all three looking more than a little embarrassed as they floated there helplessly. “Why, yes Magus Twilight,” Silver Spark said with a bit of awe. “You… You can just put them down anywhere.” With that being said, Twilight levitated the three guards over to their two compatriots and dumped them on the floor in a clatter of swords and armor. Collecting herself, Silver Spark waved the guards off, dismissing them from her presence. With more than a few grumbles, the guards filed out into the hallway, closing the door behind them. “And that's why I said we should enter through the main gate!” Twilight grumbled rather crossly as she walked up and took a seat at the table. “Well we didn't have time!” Raven squawked as she got up on all four again. “ZZ could have been hurt, or worse!” “What was that noise, oh… you are all back. How lovely,” Lady Silver Flash said with a smile as she exited the in-suite bathroom. “There was a little misunderstanding with the guards; Raven seems to have taken a shortcut in getting here this evening,” Silver Spark informed. “Well what did you expect?!” Raven said angrily as she lays down, curling herself protectively half way around Zig Zag on his cushion. “You call us back, saying ZZ is injured-” “No, what Quick Find said was, and I quote, ‘Lady Silver Spark and Lady Silver Flash request that you and Lady Raven return as quickly as possible, there was an incident at the Estate. Zig Zag is unharmed, but your presence is still wanted.’ ” Twilight stared back at Raven, who couldn't meet her gaze now, looking away with a frown. From below the wing that was now covering his back, Zig Zag look up at Raven with a smug little expression. “Yeah, yeah… laugh it up ZZ. If you don't get that smug look off your face, I won't preen your mane for a week,” Raven said looking smug. “Yeah, right… You’re the one asking to get her wings preened all the time,” Zig Zag shot back. “As interesting as this all is to know, can we stop with the, who's preening who, talk,” Twilight said looking a bit uncomfortable. “Oh, it's young love,” Silver Spark berated Twilight. “Assuredly. Let them be; this is actually getting interesting,” Silver Flash continued while looking at Zig Zag and Raven in rapt attention. Zig Zag and Raven, now aware that they were the center of attention, awkwardly cleared their throats. Raven then looked down at Zig Zag. “So what was this duel about? Was some Gryphon male trying to claim me again?” Raven wondered in annoyance. “No, not this time,” Zig Zag answered while shaking his head. “It was Silver Cutter; he was really angry with me for some reason.” “Ah…” Silver Flash said looking a bit sheepish. “That might have been us. You see… brother thought you were getting too close to us, that there was some sort of interest between us and you, and we didn't really straighten out those misunderstandings.” “What!” Both Raven and Zig Zag exclaimed. Twilight only groaned as she shook her head. “Let me guess,” The purple mare cut in, looking sternly at the Silver twins. “You two thought it would be fun to watch your brother and Zig Zag fight, only for it all to get out of hoof. Am I right?” “Yes. We have to admit, we thought it would be entertaining. But we did not realize brother would do what he did,” Silver Spark said apologetically looking over towards Zig Zag. “We thought it would be like any of the other duels he has participated in. However, it did not turn out like that at all, especially not after he lost the fight.” At hearing this, Twilight became quite surprised, looking at the young colt with wide eyes. Raven however, only ruffled his scruffy blue mane with a talon, grinning widely. “I should've known you'd beat his pompous ass,” Raven said happily as she hugged Zig Zag to herself. “Then what was the incident you were talking about earlier?” Twilight wondered. “And why is Zig Zag bruised around his throat if he was the winner of the duel?” “Because I was stupid and acted careless,” Zig Zag berated himself. “I behaved like I used to do at Crown Peak when fighting the Gryphon Warriors in practice. After the match, I turned around and walked away, thinking that would be the end.” “Wait…” Twilight said comprehension dawning. “Lord Silver Cutter attacked you after the duel was over?” “Yes. Our brother acted very cowardly. He's paying dearly for it now,” Silver Flash informed bitterly. “He has become quite the laughing stock when this debacle became common knowledge. That big praetorian, Bender, saw the whole thing. He informed his fellows, who immediately informed Nightmare Moon. She was furious and informed our parents that their hospitality was somewhat lacking. We believe he's receiving quite a telling off right at this moment.” “A telling off?” Twilight asked with a frown. “He should be facing charges of assault.” “Well I never made any charges against him,” Zig Zag said with a smirk. “He wanted to break my bones, thinking it would frighten me. I went for something far more precious to him; his pride and honor. Besides, I'm a commoner, he's a noble… nothing would've come of me accusing him of anything anyway. Still, though I didn't plan for this all to happen, it worked out quite well in the end. Cutter won't be able to lay a hoof on me from now on. Everyone, including my dad, Nightmare Moon and his own parents will be watching him.” The whole room fell silent again, the Silver twins looking at the two-tone blue colt with a new sense of respect. They had not foreseen that he, a low-born, had been playing along in the game they thought themselves so good at. The trap Zig Zag had sprung on their brother was quite simply brilliant. Especially now, when they became aware of the fact that he had somewhat planned for it to happen. Twilight, on the other hoof, looked at Zig Zag with renewed interest. There was far more to Zig Zag then she had initially guessed. Now finding herself more curious and interested, she resolved to start getting to know him and Raven better, both of them having surprised her positively a few times now. There was also something she thought she could teach Zig Zag that would help quite a lot in the future. “Zig Zag, would it be all right for you if we had a practice fight tomorrow after breakfast? There is something I might be able to teach you, and it will definitely help you against unicorns in the future if my theory proves correct,” Twilight said with a friendly smile. “Yes of course, I'd be happy to,” Zig Zag answered happily before looking back at Raven. “As long as you show Raven as well.” “Of course I will show Raven as well. It's an idea I have thought about for a while. It's all really simple, having to do with the telekinetic hold dynamic of unicorn magic. If you counter the concentration ratio and exponentially subtract against added elements to…” Twilight trailed off as she looked up to see two very non-comprehending expressions on Zig Zag and Raven, although the two Silver twins seemed to be quite interested in what she was saying. “I'll just show you all tomorrow…” “Yeah, that sounds better.” Raven deadpanned before her stomach suddenly growled. “Are you hungry Raven?” Zig Zag immediately asked with concern. “A little. We haven't eaten anything since breakfast after al,” Raven said as a bit of an afterthought. “Well, do you want to go hunt then?” Zig Zag wondered, sounding quite at ease with the idea, which surprised both Twilight and the twins. “We haven't hunted since we came to North Bay, and I doubt they will have any real meat on the table for you tonight either.” “You're probably right, and the ponies here don't really put in an effort to prepare the fish they do have for me and Lobo. I think we both ate it because we were just too hungry not to,” Raven answered with a frown. “Perhaps your dad would like to join us? He didn't look too pleased with the food last night either.” “That's a great idea!” Zig Zag said and bounced up on his little hooves in excitement. “Let's go find him right now! This will be really fun!” “Why don't you two just go down to the harbor district?” Silver Flash offered, “There are a few Gryphon run taverns that prepare food for the Gryphon sailors. None of the sailors ever buy anything fish related prepared by a pony. Not too surprising considering a pony cook never taste tests any of the fish they prepare.” Twilight, Zig Zag and Raven all stared at Silver Flash with rather blank expressions. Seeing the perplexed looks they were giving her, Silver Flash leaned back a bit apprehensively. “What?” She asked. “Did you seriously just suggest Zig Zag take Raven, a Gryphon female, to a den of most likely violent and drunken Gryphon sailor males?” Twilight asked in a deadpan. “U-um…” Lady Silver Flash’s cheeks turned a bit red when she realized what the likely outcome of that scenario would be. “No, that is… That might not be such a good idea on second thought.” “You think?” Raven asked more than a bit annoyed. “Zig Zag and I would have to kill three or four males every time we visited. Even then, they most likely wouldn't get the point of leaving us alone. I'd rather not draw too much attention to myself; it's never good for a female Gryphon in the long run.” “I think that's a bit exaggerated Raven, but it would most definitely not be a good idea. Especially not after what has already happened today.” Twilight said thoughtfully, missing how Raven started waving her claw for Twilight to stop talking. “Wait, what? What happened today?” Zig Zag asked looking up at Raven a bit worriedly. “A wing leader tried to claim Raven as his own female, obviously against her will.” Twilight continued, still completely oblivious to Raven's reluctance at the subject. “No need to worry though; they're in the dungeons, and I don't think Nightmare Moon will be too pleased when she hears about this.” “I wish they could just leave us alone,” Raven said without much hope of that actually happening. “This happens often?” Silver Spark wondered from where she sat, levitating her teacup to take a sip. “You have no idea…” Raven answered with a grown. “We have heard a little bit about such practices amongst the Gryphons from our brother and father. It seems quite barbaric, if you ask me,” Silver Flash commented with a frown. “Not that the forced marriages of most nobles are any better,” Silver Spark rebuked her sister. “We are starting to get to the end of our rope when it comes to delaying just that.” “You don't know how lucky you are…” Silver Flash continued as she gazed over towards Zig Zag and Raven, who still had her wing draped over Zig Zag’s back. “Being able to be with some pony you really have feelings for.” “How lucky they are?” Twilight said rather sharply. “Do not talk about what you know nothing about. Nothing in most commoners’ lives ever go the way they want. The only thing they might have, and that's far from being a given, is the choice of who they want to be with. Most things in your lives, however, have gone precisely according to your wishes. The only thing you do not have control over is who you marry,” She said with a bit of a scowl. “I hardly think there was a single mare or stallion in The Officer's Club who wouldn't have given their horn, wings or even their hooves to be in the position you two have been in all your lives.” Looking quite shocked at the response from Twilight, both the young noble mares rubbed there forelegs together apprehensively, not really being able to meet the eyes of any of the three, so-called, commoners in the room. Twilight, although being elevated because of her position beside Nightmare Moon, was still strictly speaking just a slave, albeit a very well-treated one. Lobo, Zig Zag and Raven were only better protected within the Lunar Republic by the diplomatic status Nightmare Moon has proclaimed over Lobo, extending to Zig Zag through adoption and to Raven by means of eventual marriage to Zig Zag. They had all been granted the protection afforded under Lunar Republic law, cementing Raven's right not to be claimed by any Gryphon males not of her choosing. But if one really gets down to it, the legality of it all was probably quite flimsy at best. “Okay then…” Zig Zag said as he stood up and headed for the door. “Ready to go Raven?” “You bet,” Raven said with a smile as she followed. “See you tomorrow Twilight.” Twilight waved her hoof at them as they disappeared out the door. When it closed she looked over to the twins. Both of them looked back at her with interest. “I don't know what you two have planned for them, but it's obvious you're interested in them as more than just company,” Twilight said as she looked sternly at the young noble mares. Both Lady Silver Flash and Lady Silver Spark tensed up a bit under Twilight’s scrutiny. They looked at each other and then gave a sigh. “Okay you're right. We want them to be our personal guards, that's why we didn't intervene when our brother challenged Zig Zag. We thought that if he gave a good show, which he definitely did, father wouldn't be too much against Zig Zag and Raven guarding us when we leave the estate,” Silver Flash said earnestly while Silver Spark nodded her agreement. “Every servant and every guard is ultimately owned by our father, so we can never do anything without it getting back to him, unless we sneak out on our own. This has caused a few problems for us lately, but we still don't want to use any of father’s guards, they are… quite invasive and never let us talk to any pony. Unless they're on a very short list of suitable company, at least according to our father,” Silver Spark explained with a frown. Twilight sat in thought before finally giving a small huff. “I understand what you're getting out of it now,” Twilight answered as she looked up at the two sisters. “But remember, they are both still very young, despite how mature they may act. Don’t lead them into a situation they cannot handle. You will have to protect them as well in a way; moving amongst nobles, even young ones, is not something they know how to do. If I hear they get into trouble because of this little arrangement you're trying to make, I will not be happy.” “We understand Magus Twilight,” Silver Spark said before Silver Flash continued. “We just want to get out from under our father’s hoof for a little while; we won't be having them doing anything crazy: just protect us at a few parties and a couple get-togethers at the most.” Twilight gave an affirmative nod and stood up. “Then I'll see you both tomorrow, Lady Silver Spark, Lady Silver Flash,” Twilight said and gave them both a small but respectful tilt of her head. “And a pleasant evening to you to Magus Twilight,” Both the sisters chorused. With that Twilight headed out to find her master, leaving the two nobles alone to talk amongst themselves. **** Thanks to Cyanhyde for the Pre-read/Edit Thanks to Mikemeiers for the Pre-read/Edit