“I’m sure it’s nothing, Cadance. Probably just somepony with an overactive imagination. But if it’s not, I’m not taking any chances. Remember what happened to the last Princess of the Crystal Empire.”
—Shining Armor, justifying the assembling of the Guard
Vinyl stood perfectly still. Vinyl felt her mane begin to itch as she stared at all the hostile faces glaring back at her and Octavia. She barely risked swallowing, because half of the guards looked like they would impale her the first chance they got. She knew she had a bit of a reputation as a troublemaker, but she had no idea it had reached all the way out here. Worse, she couldn’t think of anything she had done that could warrant such an…overwhelming response. Usually just a few local authorities showed up and told her to go home or keep the noise down. She had never had an entire army come after her.
“Heh. And I don’t even know what I did,” she joked nervously. She nudged Octavia, but the mare remained perfectly still.
“Vinyl!” A familiar voice called. The Unicorn wasn’t certain if she should be glad or terrified at the sound of it. The guards directly parted and a stallion in purple armor came forward.
“Uh…hey, Shining Armor,” Vinyl said. She would have waved, but she was pretty sure that some of the archers were tightening their draws. “Um…nice to see you, I think.”
Shining Armor stopped at the front of the crowd and stood up straight. His armor gleamed and blinded Vinyl momentarily, reminding her that her glasses were broken. “Are you okay?”
Vinyl blinked several times and struggled not to raise her hoof to shield her eyes. “Um…you’re a little bright, but otherwise, I’m good.”
“Then get over here. Now.” The tone in the Prince’s voice left no room for debate. “Tell your…companion, to stay there.”
“Octy?” Vinyl whispered as she looked over at the cellist. Her hood was still drawn over her head and the shadow seemed to be even deeper, revealing nothing but the gleam of purple from her eyes.
“Go, Vinyl,” Octavia whispered with a nod of her head.
Vinyl slowly walked away from Octavia and toward Shining Armor. When she reached the Prince, she stopped in front of him and smiled, unsure of what she was supposed to do next.
“You’re sure you’re fine?” Shining Armor asked, the stern look on his face vanishing for a moment as he looked over the Unicorn.
“Yeah,” Vinyl replied. “Look, Shining, whatever this is about, I’m sure we can talk it over. I didn’t mean to break…well, whatever ancient Crystal Empire tradition I broke. I’ll do whatever I have to to make up for it, so how about you call off the firing squad?”
Shining Armor blinked and cocked his head to the side. “Excuse me?”
Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “You’re messing with me, right?” She waved her hoof to indicate the guards. “Are you telling me I’m just imagining all of them?”
“They have nothing to do with you,” Shining Armor said.
Vinyl was about to say that of course they did, but as she looked around, she noticed that not a single guard was looking at her. All of their attention was still focused squarely on Octavia. Baffled, the Unicorn looked back at the cellist and saw that she was still standing perfectly still.
“Octavia?” Vinyl asked, stumped. “Okay, now I know you’re joking.”
“Octavia?” Shining Armor repeated, looking up at Octavia as well.
“You can’t expect me to believe that little goody four-shoes here did something wrong,” Vinyl said. “I don’t think she’s broken a rule in her entire life. And I know I would have heard about something she did in order to get this much attention.”
“Take off your hood,” Shining Armor shouted, but Vinyl could tell that the edge was gone from his voice.
Octavia slowly raised one hoof and carefully pulled her hood back and Vinyl’s breath caught in her throat.
The Earth pony was a complete mess. Her mane was tangled and her coat was scuffed. Her eyes looked worn and heavy, and Vinyl was almost certain she had been crying. What in Equestria had she been up to? Vinyl almost ran to her, but Shining Armor placed a hoof on her shoulder to stop her.
A collective gasp rippled through the guards, but they all seemed to relax. The archers lowered their bows and the tips of spears were pointed skyward. They were still on edge, but now it seemed to come from nervousness and embarrassment rather than fear.
Shining Armor closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “Thank Celestia,” he whispered. Then he turned to the guards. “Return to your posts. Everything’s under control.”
“Yessir!” one of the nearby guards said. He saluted, and then they all started to depart. Many of them gave Octavia lingering looks and Vinyl had the urge to remind them that the cellist was off the market, but then bitterly remembered that she and Octavia weren’t exactly together anymore.
After the last of the guards had left, Vinyl spoke. “So you want to tell me what the hay that was all about?”
Shining Armor laughed nervously and looked at Octavia. “Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. We were getting reports that—”
“It is nothing,” Octavia said as she walked up and put herself between Vinyl and Shining Armor. “I understand the confusion, Your Highness.”
“Well I don’t!” Vinyl protested. She tried to move forward, but Octavia swished her tail and slapped Vinyl back.
“I would like to speak to Princess Cadance, Prince,” Octavia continued, completely ignoring Vinyl’s attempt to join the conversation.
Shining Armor looked between Octavia and Vinyl and nodded. “I think that would be best. If you’ll both follow me.”
Vinyl was about to open her mouth to protest again, but Shining Armor and Octavia were already on the move. The Unicorn grumbled to herself and fell in behind them. She remained silent for the entire trip, hoping that one of them would say something to her, but she had no such luck.
In a few minutes, Vinyl found herself standing in front of Princess Cadance’s castle. She craned her neck back and let out a low whistle as she stared up at the massive crystal building. “Nice pad.”
“Yeah,” Shining Armor said, acknowledging Vinyl for the first time since the trio had left the bar. “But climbing up all those stairs is a real pain sometimes.”
“Oh.” Vinyl’s ears fell as she saw the castle in a whole new light. It was tall. Really tall. And Princess Cadance no doubt lived somewhere toward the top.
“Guards have to run it in under three minutes every year in order to keep their posts,” Shining Armor said. “It’s a great workout.”
“I’ll bet,” Vinyl grumbled.
Ten minutes later, Vinyl collapsed on some of the softest plush carpet she had ever felt. They had reached the main floor of the castle and now she was snuggling the red carpet in full view of the Prince, Octavia, and two guards.
“Honestly, Vinyl,” Octavia whispered, but Vinyl was pretty sure she saw a hint of a smile tugging at the Earth pony’s lips. “The Princess is directly behind those doors. What if she were to walk out and see you…kissing her carpet?”
“But it’s so soft, Octy!” Vinyl said. She rubbed the red fabric against her cheek and sighed. Most of this was her being truly exhausted from the climb, but a small part of her was milking the display in hopes of seeing another smile.
“Hate to break it to you, Vinyl, but I don’t think you’re cut out to be a guard,” Shining Armor said with a laugh.
“Psh!” Vinyl waved her hoof. “I could have told you that.” She picked herself up off the carpet and brushed herself off. She reached for her glasses, but was reminded yet again that they had broke back when this adventure had first started. “So, we going to see your wife now?”
“Yeah. Let me just—”
“No,” Octavia said quickly.
“Uh, Octy?” Vinyl said as she and Shining Armor looked at each other. “Just in case you forgot, you’re the one who wanted to speak with Princess Cadance.”
“I have not forgotten,” Octavia said as she turned away from Vinyl and Shining Armor. “But if you recall, I said I wish to speak with the Princess.”
Vinyl’s mouth fell open as she stared at Octavia’s backside. “Come on, Octy. Don’t be like that. I…I promise I’ll behave. I mean, you know I can do it. I’ve been to some of your fancy parties and—”
“No, Vinyl,” Octavia said without turning around.
“Please?”
“I do not want you there,” Octavia said, her voice frosty. “Shining Armor, will you be kind enough to show Vinyl around? I…may be a while.”
“Uh…sure?” Shining Armor said as he looked between Octavia and Vinyl. “Um…let me bring you to Cadance. Vinyl, you, uh…” the Prince took one more look at Vinyl “you wait here.”
“Yeah,” Vinyl whispered, sitting down on the carpet. “No problem.” She watched Shining Armor and Octavia—who didn’t even spare a look back—open the giant doors to the throne room and she briefly caught a glimpse of Princess Cadance before the doors closed again, locking her out of both the room and Octavia’s life.
Again.
Vinyl didn’t get a chance to sink into depression though. No sooner had the doors closed and the edge of dark thoughts began to crawl into her mind, than the doors opened again. Shining Armor walked out of the throne room, and when Vinyl stretched her neck to look around him, she thought she saw Octavia looking back at her, but then the doors closed again.
“Ready for the tour?” Shining Armor asked with a smile.
“Did she say anything?” Vinyl asked. She remained planted on the carpet.
“She asked me to show you around, remember?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Vinyl shot back, a bit fiercer than she had meant to. “And you know it.”
Shining Armor stared at her for a long moment, his blue eyes blinking a few times before he spoke. “No, she didn’t say anything while I was there. Now come on.” He jerked his head to the side and started walking, and Vinyl got up and began to follow.
The two ponies walked in silence down the hallway, passing several rooms and descending a flight of stairs before Shining Armor broke the silence.
“I figured you wouldn’t want to talk with the guards around,” he said as the walked out onto a balcony. The entire Crystal Empire was in view and Vinyl couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. “So…what was that all about? I mean, I know couples fight, but that was…intense. Even for Octavia.”
Vinyl walked up to the edge of the balcony and placed her forelegs on the railing and rested her chin on them. “I screwed up. Big time.”
“So I gathered.”
“It wasn’t my fault!” Vinyl protested, whipping her head up to glare at Shining Armor, but her anger fizzled instantly. “I mean, yeah, it was, but…I didn’t mean for it to happen. And I’m trying to fix it.”
“Whoa there, D.J.,” Shining Armor said, placing a hoof on Vinyl’s shoulder. “Start at the beginning.”
Vinyl took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. It wasn’t hard. The event had played out in her mind constantly for the past several days. “Well, you see, Octy got invited to a private gig at Canterlot Castle. For the Princesses! I mean, do you know how big a deal that is?”
“Heh.” Shining Armor grinned. “You don’t say.”
“So, I decided to throw her a party. We were staying at her parents’ mansion, so she didn’t want anything too big or wild but, well…” Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck and looked down at the city below her. If she had just listened to Octavia, then none of this would have happened.
“You’re you,” Shining Armor said with a smirk. “You don’t do quiet.”
“Yeah…” Vinyl said. “Before I knew it, it seemed liked half of Canterlot was there. Octy gave me the look at first, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.”
“And her parents?”
“They were…out of town,” Vinyl said as her cheeks blushed. “It’s part of the reason we had the party at their house.”
“I’m guessing you trashed the place,” Shining Armor said.
“Hey!” Vinyl said. “I cleaned it up. All of it. After everypony left, I made Octavia go to bed and I cleaned the entire house. That’s when…it happened.”
“What?”
“I caught a thief. Well, not caught, but I saw him. He was in the one room that Octavia had forbidden anypony from going in to. I confronted him—”
“That was risky,” Shining Armor said.
“I’m a Unicorn,” Vinyl protested. “I thought I could handle it.”
“And it’s that type of attitude that lets other ponies get the drop on Unicorns so often,” Shining Armor countered.
Vinyl hung her head. “I’ve never seen a Pegasus move that fast. I mean, Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts are fast in racing and stuff, but this guy…it was like he was the wind. He dodged all my spells and before I knew it, I was on my back and he was dashing out of the room. I chased after him, but he got away.”
“Did you see what he looked like?” Shining Armor asked. “Any details?”
“I caught up to him in the living room,” Vinyl replied. “I told him to stop, and he turned to look at him in the doorway. All I saw was that he had a short, blue mane and a dark brown coat. I didn’t get a glimpse at his cutie mark or anything.”
“And that’s why Octavia’s mad at you? Because someone broke into her parents’ home?”
Vinyl’s ears fell. “Well, not exactly. He…didn’t break in. When I saw his face, I recognized him. I’d let him in myself because it was a party. And to make matters worse, he stole the Melody heirloom bow. So I, uh, decided to get it back. You know, so she’d stop being mad at me.”
There was more. Vinyl had fully expected Octavia to be cross with her over the bow, but that hadn’t been what had broken their relationship. It was what had happened afterward, when Octavia’s parents had come home. Vinyl had been about to rush in and apologize profusely, but then she had overheard what they and their daughter had been talking about.
That was what had broken not only Vinyl’s relationship, but Vinyl herself.
She had been about to reveal that part to Shining Armor, but the stallion spoke first and the urge to talk left her.
“So…based on that, you ended up here? I gotta say, that’s some impressive detective work, Vinyl.”
“What? No, I went to Hollow Shades first.” Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck and shuddered at the memory of the town. “It…didn’t go exactly like I thought it would. But I got a lead that said the thief had come here.”
Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “What kind of lead?”
“Some local gang leader told me.”
Shining Armor raised his other eyebrow. “Do you really think you can trust the word of a pony like that?”
Vinyl stomped her hoof. “I had no choice! I have to get this bow back if I’m going to get Octavia back! And even if she won’t take me back, I can’t have her hating me! I…I just can’t.” Vinyl wiped her eyes, surprised to find that they were wet, and swallowed her pain. “Besides, it turned out to be right. The barkeep I was talking to before your army showed up told me that a Pegasus matching that description was here. He joined some sort of expedition heading north a few days ago.”
Vinyl wasn’t the best at reading ponies. She knew that. Octavia often told her that she didn’t just lack subtly and tact; she didn’t even have the terms in her dictionary. A pony could slip a lot of things past her because of that, but even she caught the sudden stiffness in Shining Armor’s shoulders.
“North, you said?” he asked, and Vinyl knew. Being around Octavia for so many wonderful years, she had picked up on a few tells that most ponies had.
“You know something,” she said. “Spit it out.”
“I know about the expedition you’re talking about,” Shining Armor replied, tugging at the collar of his armor. “They left two days ago. I take it you intend to follow them?”
“Yeah,” Vinyl replied. “But that doesn’t answer my question. You know something.”
Shining Armor took a deep breath and closed his blue eyes. For a long time he was silent, but finally he let out a sigh and opened his eyes. “I suppose since you’re going, you should probably know. Ponies are always heading up expeditions into the surrounding snowstorm. They go looking for lost treasures of the Crystal Empire, or just go exploring the snowstorm in hopes of finding adventure. It’s pretty dangerous, which is why we always send two guards out with every trip, but this trip felt…different.”
“Different how?”
“Most ponies have this excited air about them, but the one that put this expedition together didn’t. He was…cold. Haunted, really. Like something out there was eating at him. He also seemed to be disgusted by anypony that talked to him.”
Vinyl shrugged. “So he’s probably a bit anti-social. Ponies sometimes think that about Octy before they get to know her.”
“No, Vinyl,” Shining Armor said, his eyes darkening. “There was something seriously wrong with this guy. We almost forbid the expedition, but the money he was offering caused a stir. If we had, he would have just slipped out with the ponies that wanted to go and then we wouldn’t have been able to send the escorts. At least this way, we can keep tabs on him.”
“So what’s the problem?” Vinyl asked. “You’ve got guards with him, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“We should have heard back by now. These expeditions don’t usually last for more than a day. Two at most. The snowstorm is just too intense for anypony but the hardest adventurers. I gave the guards strict instructions to turn the party back if they hadn’t found anything by the first day, and if they had, to at least send one of them back. But there’s been no word.”
Vinyl swallowed as the dread built up in her stomach. She was going into that same storm. She had already brushed elbows with death once, and now she was about to do it again.
She shook the fear away with a shake of her head. “I hope you’re not telling me this to try and stop me from going. If he froze to death out there, it just means I don’t have to chase him anymore.”
“I’m telling you this so that you know what you’re getting into,” Shining Armor countered, his voice sterner than Vinyl had ever heard it. “There’s something else going on here, Vinyl. Why would a thief steal the bow and keep it? Why wouldn’t he try to pawn it off? Come to think, how do you even know if he still has the bow? What if he sold it already?”
Vinyl opened her mouth to respond, but she couldn’t. That was a very good point. The thief hadn’t struck her as a music-appreciating pony, so he very well could have sold it already. What if this whole thing was just a waste of time and the bow was already in the hooves, claws, talons, or whatever of something else?
“And why did he join this expedition?” Shining Armor added. “If I stole something like that, I would have tried to stay out of sight, not join up with a bunch of other ponies. Especially of guards were involved.”
Vinyl shook her head and gritted her teeth. All of Shining Armor’s points were starting to eat away at her resolve, and she couldn’t have that. “Look, it doesn’t matter!” she said. “I don’t care if he went to the gates of Tartarus. I’m not giving up until I either have that bow back, or I’m dead. And even then, I’d haunt him until he returned it! And if he sold it, I’ll get the info of the buyer out of him, even if I have to beat it out of him. And then, I’ll track down the buyer. And then I’ll…I’ll…”
Vinyl didn’t realize she was shaking until she felt Shining Armor’s hoof touch her shoulder. She looked up, expecting to see him glaring down at her, or perhaps with a look trying to talk her out of her foolishness, but instead all he did was smile.
“You love Octavia, right?”
Vinyl wiped her eyes, again cursing the fact that her glasses were broken. “Yes. So I have to go.”
“Not like that, you’re not,” Shining Armor said as he turned Vinyl around and the two of them began to walk back into the castle. “You’ll freeze in a few hours. And if I’m right, you’re going to need more than warm clothes.”
“What else would I need?”
“We’re heading to the armory.”
* * *
Vinyl stood in the middle of the armory. Dozens of suits of armor neatly lined the room, each one polished to a blinding shine. Most were steel blue, almost grey, but there were a few that were golden like the guards back in Canterlot. They all rested on stands, and each one had a helmet with that strange mohawk running across the top of it. Octavia probably new the proper name for it.
“Which one’s mine?” she asked as she slowly drifted toward a set that had caught her eye. She was about to touch it with her hoof, her red eyes transfixed with the gleaming metal, but Shining Armor chuckled.
“You’re kidding, right?” he said as he looked at her.
“What?” Vinyl asked as she turned back to him, her face falling. “I think I’d look good in armor.”
“Aside from the fact that you haven’t passed the tests and earned the right to wear it and the guards would probably peel you out of it the moment they saw you,” Shining Armor said with a sympathetic smile, “you’re going to be walking in snow and ice. And snow.”
“You said snow twice.”
“There’s a lot of snow out there.” Shining Armor pointed toward the wall as he spoke. “So tell me, what do you think happens to a pony who isn’t trained to wear full armor when she just walks around town in it?”
“Um…she gets whistled at?” Vinyl offered with a smile and a flick of her tail.
“She gets tired,” Shining Armor countered. “Full armor weighs a lot, Vinyl. Now, what do you think that extra weight does to an untrained pony in full armor in snow?”
“Makes her even more tired!” Vinyl shouted as she raised her hoof in triumph. “Oh.”
“Not only that, but the extra weight would make her sink further into the snow, and depending on where she walked, she might sink beneath the snow and get lost in the blizzard.” Shining Armor walked up to Vinyl and drew himself up to his full height. He easily towered over Vinyl by at least a head. “Now, how do you think that mare’s marefriend would feel if she got lost in the blizzard like that?”
Vinyl hung her head and lowered her ears. There was a time she knew the answer to that question instantly. Now though, she wasn’t so sure. “I…guess she’s be upset.”
Shining Armor’s eyes flickered for a moment. “Right…” he said. “Anyway, you’re not getting armor. But, I can give you some winter gear.”
“Psh,” Vinyl said as her attitude came back. “Is that why you brought me down here? Like I need a scarf from the armory of the Crystal Empire. I live in Manehattan, Shining. I know how to handle the cold.”
“Not this cold,” Shining Armor said darkly. “With Cadance on the throne, the immediate area around the Crystal Empire is safe, but you saw the storm raging at our boarders, right? Do you honestly think a little scarf is going to keep you warm enough in that for any length of time?”
Vinyl swallowed as she remembered the maelstrom that surrounded the Crystal Empire. She shook her head.
“Right. So, take this.” Shining Armor opened a closet and pulled out a thick white cloak. He levitated it over to Vinyl and dropped it. The DJ expected the cloak to be light, but as it collapsed on her she nearly fell to the ground. She shook it off and it sank to the floor with a muffled thud. Shining Armor expected her to travel in this?
“If you think that’s bad, just imagine what it would be like if I had given you armor,” the stallion said with a smirk. He quickly pulled out four boots lined with fur and a scarf the same shade of white as the cloak and gave them all to Vinyl.
“Uh…” Vinyl said as she struggled to put the boots on her hooves. “I was always taught that you want to wear bright clothes in the snow, in case you get lost.”
“And what if you’re trying to hide from somepony?” Shining Armor asked. “Or something?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vinyl asked as she finally managed to get the first boot on. She was quickly impressed with how comfortable it was. It felt like her hoof was wrapped in a cloud, so she quickly put the other three on.
“Much of the Empire is still uncharted,” Shining Armor said as he pulled out another set of winter gear and then closed the closet. “There are things out there that we don’t know about, I’m sure. Twily—er, I mean, Princess Twilight recently went out with another pony to explore a strange cave, and what they found was something that we’ve never seen before. They barely managed to survive.”
Again, Vinyl found herself swallowing and wondering if she should just abandon her little quest. She could live with Octavia hating her, right?
No…
“And that’s also why I’m giving you this.”
Shining Armor opened a case and lifted out a sword with his magic. The scabbard was grey, with a golden cross-weave along it. Three striking blue gems, two near the top and one at the bottom, twinkled in the light. The crossguard was designed with same golden motif, only it was woven to look like a mask, with the guard looking like two oversized decorations on the mask. Two smaller blue gems made the eyes. Vinyl couldn’t help but think of one of Zecora’s masks when she looked at it.
The hilt was plain, as most made by ponies were since they couldn’t actually hold them. It had a simple dragon design etched into each side, but it lacked the decorative styling of the scabbard or crossguard.
“Are…are you sure?” Vinyl asked as she stared at the weapon. “That looks…important.”
“Heh.” Shining Armor pulled the blade out of its scabbard and Vinyl got chills on her spine from the sound. Shink. “It’s nothing special, if that’s what you’re worried about. Just an extra blade we have.”
“Oh.” Vinyl’s spirits fell a little. She had already started to come up with epic stories in her mind of what the sword had done to earn such an extravagant design, but apparently it was customary for the Crystal Empire to add flare to everything.
“But,” Shining Armor added as he put the blade back in its sheath, “it does have plus two sharpness.”
“Nerd,” Vinyl said with a grin. She took the sword and its belt with her own magic and tied it around her waist. The moment she did, she felt it bite into her side and she winced. Shining Amror laughed and made a small adjustment so that the blade was parallel to her body instead of hanging down, and Vinyl felt much more comfortable.
“Now you look like a real Crystal Empire Adventurer,” Shining Armor said as Vinyl slipped into her hooded cloak. It was a bit warm, but she had to admit that she felt awesome in it. She puffed her chest out and struck a pose and Shining Armor laughed. “All hail Vinyl Scratch, conqueror of the wubs!”
“Yes!” Vinyl said as she grabbed the hilt of her new sword and pulled it out with her magic. She raised the blade above her head and stood there proudly for a moment, completely forgetting the sorrow that had been eating her for days. Then she looked down and saw that Shining Armor had set the second set of wear gear on the floor near his hooves. “So, is that set for you?”
“No, that’s for her,” Shining Armor said. He nodded and Vinyl turned around.
“Octy!” the white Unicorn said in surprise. She almost dropped her sword, but managed to keep her magic locked around it as she stumbled backward. “Um…how…how long were you standing there?”
“Not long,” Octavia said as she stared at Vinyl. Her hood was down, but she was still dressed in the same cloak she had been wearing since Hollow Shades. “Your Highness.”
“Octavia,” Shining Armor said as he bowed in return. “I figured you wouldn’t let Vinyl go out alone, so I got you a set of gear too.”
“No, I cannot let the conqueror of wubs face danger alone,” Octavia replied with a faint smile as her eyes flicked to Vinyl. Vinyl’s cheeks burned and she looked at the floor. “Thank you, Shining Armor.”
“You want a sword too, Octy?” Vinyl asked as she showed hers to the Earth pony. “I got mine, with plus two sharpness.”
Octavia looked down at the blade, up at Shining Armor, then at Vinyl, and then finally rolled her eyes. “No. I prefer to settle things without violence. I am certain you will protect me if it comes to it though.”
“O-Of course,” Vinyl stammered as Octavia blinked twice. “You’ll be safe with me.”
“Good.” Octavia walked forward and quickly changed into the same winter gear that Vinyl was wearing. She gave her old cloak to Shining Armor, who hung it up on the wall for her, and then she pulled the hood of her new white garb over her head. “We should be going now. The guard is waiting for us.”
“Guard?” Vinyl asked as she, Octavia, and Shining Armor all left the armory.
“As it happens, we were about to send out a scout to see if he could fine any trace of the expedition,” Shining Armor explained. He looked up at Octavia. “I take it Cadance suggested that you go with him?”
Octavia looked back over her shoulder, her face once again shrouded in shadow from the hood, and Vinyl saw the amethyst eyes focus on her. “Yes, after I explained the…situation.”
Vinyl was about to say something, but Shining Armor slapped her on the back. “That’s perfect. Saves me the trouble. What? You didn’t think I was going to send you two out there without a guide, did you?”