Straw raised an eyebrow as he entered Cromach's office and saw the griffon in the middle of packing a bunch of documents into a large bag. It was three days after the semi-successful raid on the Vigil headquarters, and the somber atmosphere still lingered heavily around the mansion.
"Wrong time, sir?" he asked carefully.
"Hmm? No, I'm just getting ready to go back to Canterlot. What do you need?" Cromach didn't even look up from his business.
"Oh right, week's up. Speaking of which, how is our training going to continue when baron Hoof is... gone and you're back in Canterlot? Is Blaze going to practice with us?"
"I suppose Shadowstep's group will arrange something to suit both you and the guard recruits. It's likely you'll just have to do your physical exercises on your own, and take what you can from the shortened lessons with the changelings."
"That's why I'm here, sir. Am I allowed to find a part-time job, considering my sort-of-a-prisoner status? I mean, I'm happy I get what I need for free, but I'd like to see a bit more of Manehattan before... well, in case something goes wrong."
Crom sighed and gave Straw a weary smile unbecoming somepony of his age and good looks.
"I think we can put the Nightmare thing on hold until we sort out the bigger issues," he chuckled to himself, "I can't believe I'm actually saying that. Well, I think you making few bits on the side isn't a problem as long as it doesn't interfere with your training. You'll have to find something outside of the Order business, though, or take somepony else's shifts. Our guard patrols are full, and the police department can't offer to spend more money to support us."
"Thank you," Straw nodded, "The statue hunting was getting boring."
"Got all of them?" Crom winked at the hippogriff knowingly.
"Only a few. As far as I know nopony has ever found Blaze's statue."
Cromach rummaged in his large bag.
"You mean this one?" he pulled out a fully-coloured small statuette. Its mane and tail were made of delicate gold and platinum strands, the coat was ornate bronze even made to resemble fur, and there were two tiny sapphires serving as eyes. Unlike other real statues, this was a work of a jeweller rather than a stonemason, "Blaze was really unhappy we blew most of the 'leisure' budget on this, but Darky and I insisted."
"The details are amazing," Straw looked at the small thing from all angles, "Was it really that expensive, though? There can't be that much raw material in it to overshadow the big statues and work put into them."
"Heh, that's observant of you. No, the real value is the magic inside it. Turn it upside down and back."
Despite it not looking fragile at all, Straw picked the statue up with extreme care and spun it around in his talons. The bronze gleamed, the light cast on it from the window glinted, and the entire statue darkened, coat turning obsidian black, mane and tail going dark blue, and the eye color changing to pink. The statue now depicted Mistake, the magic teacher. Straw wasn't sure what the exact nature of their relationship was, but had been suspecting they were the same pony... somehow. What he wanted to know more, though, was the message on the bottom.
A chll ran up his spine.
"Time, company, life. Don't be afraid to give your everything to protect those you want to, and never regret having done so," Straw mumbled.
"He died multiple times, never knowing if what he did would be enough to save those around him, never knowing whether the ones whom he saved would even know what he did. That's why it irks me too much when somepony sees him only as an irritable or gloomy shut-in."
"Sorry, sir."
"Well," Cromach took the statue from Straw's talons and packed it back into his bag, "You were a special case. Not everypony gets the 'he has to be executed' treatment from minute one."
"I can't hold it against him. Now that I've seen what he has to deal with on a regular basis, I know he was just afraid... and he still is of what might become of me. With baron Hoof gone, I know what he meant by telling me you were just normal ponies, or griffons, or changelings, you know what I mean, tired and overrun."
"I was a soldier, Straw. Not for long and not in any major engagement, but still. I know how fleeting life is, and it's still hard, even if we weren't always on the best of terms with Heavy. Well, I'll have a lot to think about when sitting back in my Canterlot office now. I should have been there two days ago already, but the raid and all the mess around the burial held me up," he looked around the office, scratching his head, "I think I've got all of the really important stuff. Was there anything else you wanted?"
"No, sir. Good luck in Canterlot," Straw saluted.
"See you in a week, Straw."
The next two days weren't about as boring as they could be for Straw. Cromach hadn't been lying when he said the squad were on their own now. Cross, Shadowstep, Antares, and Starlight had their hooves, or other transformed appendages, full with doing the paperwork as well as all of the recruit training. The good part was that, a bit morbidly, with Heavy Hoof's passing, Straw could take over some of the simpler tasks concerning accounting he'd done temporarily when Connie destroyed Blaze's office.
So, now he finally had some bits. Well, he would have some when he got paid at the end of the week, but the excitement was there already.
The door to 'his' temporary office opened without knocking, making it quite clear who the incoming unicorn was.
"Hey, Strawberry, up for a night in the town?" Leo hollered, but the enthusiasm in his voice was way too forced.
"Gotta read through these contracts first," Straw lay down his pen, "and bring the finished ones to mister Cross' office. It should take about half an hour, give or take."
"Oh... yeah, sure. I'll be in our room until then."
Straw was simple, and even that was quickly becoming less and less true, but not stupid.
"What's wrong, Leo?"
"Meh..."
"Come on, my door is always open since, you know, you act as if there wasn't any anyway."
The mantra of a terrible boss worked its charm once again and Leo sighed. It was pretty obvious the reason for wanting to go out tonight wasn't just to appreciate the intellectual and cultured conversation Straw could offer.
"I asked Fortune out."
"How did it go?" Straw asked. In retrospect, quite stupidly.
"She agreed and now we're gonna have adult kisses and a ton of weird satyr fillies or whatever the doubtlessly adorable little crimes against nature are called," Leo rolled his eyes, scowling, "How do you think it went?!"
"I'm sorry."
"I return to my previous statement - meh," Leo shrugged, "I had to try. Who can say if either of us will be here tomorrow, so I at least had to try despite knowing that without my family's money I'm not really anypony worth mentioning."
"Come on, she didn't say that, did she?"
"Well, no, she said she wasn't looking for anypony at the moment, but I know what she meant. Given that I unwisely asked her out in the armory, doing maintenance to all her guns and gadgets, I didn't push the issue."
She had told Straw the same thing, but now he knew it was only because she'd been living in a fantasy about her and Cromach. With that quite clearly off the table, she...
...what?
Straw didn't know, but there was only one word on his mind - stupid. Perhaps the death of a friend had hit him harder than he could understand, perhaps he was just mad at Fortune considering Leo the same spoiled brat he'd been when they first met. He just knew paperwork had to wait, at least few more minutes.
"What are you-?" Leo jumped at the hippogriff's sudden springing to action.
"Go have a quick shower and splash something that smells nice all over yourself!" Straw barked.
"You can't be serious!" Leo facehoofed.
"GO!" Straw repeated.
He didn't have a plan, he just stormed out of the office, leaving Leo standing there, completely stunned.
The armory wasn't inside the mansion, but in a separate one-story building by the outer wall near the training grounds so the recruits wouldn't have to go far for practice equipment.
Fortune, currently busy with something involving a screwdriver and several tubular cases around her, twitched as the door flew open and a grey, heavily-breathing hippogriff locked his eyes with hers.
"Oh for crying out loud!" she put the screwdriver on a workbench next to her, "Don't tell me the idiot blabbed-"
The intruder stopped in front of Fortune and firmly looked up.
"Why?" Straw asked simply.
"Why is the corporation tax rate in Stalliongrad over fifteen percent? No idea, I'm not a politician."
"FORTUNE!"
"Straw."
"DISCORD!" a fanfare came from nowhere, and quickly faded away.
Both participants looked around suspiciously.
"Why did you refuse-"
"Let me just stop you right there," Fortune waved her hand dismissively, "This is not your business in the slightest."
"Then just help me satisfy my curiosity. You said you weren't looking for anypony, which would be understandable if it was true and not, for instance, you drooling over sir Cromach and refusing to give anypony else a chance."
"STRAW! None. Of. Your. Business. Which part of that don't you understand?"
"The part where you hurt my friend," he said simply, "Not much, granted, but for no reason whatsoever, when your 'explanation' was clearly just an excuse for something you didn't even have the guts to say in front of him. I'm pretty sure that if a random good-looking white griffon, not naming names here, would have asked you then the entire 'not on the market' thing wouldn't even cross your mind."
"Stop projecting your stupid situation on other ponies!"
"I'm not doing anything like that."
"Yeah, right. You can't get anypony, so you just want to put me and Leo together to make yourself feel better."
"That's nonsense. Not that I wouldn't want to get to know some nice mare, but in my situation I might accidentally eat her, get her involved in this, or something worse. Do you really want to compare it to yourself?"
"Well..." Fortune hesitated, but shook her head quickly, "That doesn't matter. No matter what you say, I'm not going out with Leo, got it?"
"Why?" Straw repeated the point again, "Just tell me that, honestly, and I won't bother you again. I promise."
"By Celestia's holy sunbutt, you know him! How can you, of all ponies, be taking his side? He's an annoying, spoiled crybaby who bullies those around him if he doesn't get what he wants. Who would bother with him?"
"I see..." Straw looked at the floor and shook his head.
"Good, now will you please get out? I've got things to do."
"Have you talked to him after he beat me up in the bar? I don't mean in action, just face to face, as ponies."
"Not a lot, thank you. I prefer to keep our relationship on a business basis."
"So you're not even giving him a chance. I'm not talking about few happy years, a family, or anything, just a single date."
"I've just told you that-"
"You... you, who got really personal with Connie only because either of you got a good idea and she, as a chosen leader, didn't pick yours."
"Mine was clearly better!"
"Not from the perspective of anypony other than you! Can't you understand? Connie is trying her best to work with you, and you don't budge an inch! You still see Leo as the same pony you protected me from in Canterlot without even bothering to do the smallest thing to see if it's really true. You're pushing everypony away when you have to work with them, and what for? You don't have anypony else."
"Get out..."
"YOU are the problem and you can change it!"
"GET OUT!"
"Not until you give Leo a chance. And since we're at it, apologize to Connie. I'm pretty sure she won't be as stubborn as you, and apologize herself."
The cold fury in Fortune's face reached its peak. She picked one of the tubes lying next to her up, grabbed one end in her hand, and twisted.
"You have five seconds before we blow up. Get the hay out! I'm not dealing with this nonsense anymore, one way or the other. You can get out, or stay here. It's not like I care anymore. My friends are dead, so is baron Hoof. You are not them... I don't care about you."
"You're crazy..."
"Good, now piss off!"
"No," Straw didn't hesitate, "You're not like this. Leo isn't just a bully blessed with noble status. Connie isn't a heartless machine who only obeys orders. I'm not an idiot. You're hurt but you care, otherwise you wouldn't have bothered with helping me when we first met."
"Shut up!"
"You're not the hardened soldier you make yourself to be. You've seen too much, but you're a young girl like me."
"Uh, what?" Fortune's face betrayed genuine puzzlement.
"I meant-"
*POOF!*
Everything went pink.
The recruits standing guard at the main gate, as well as sargeant Cross currently sitting at the changeling camp and writing something into a large notebook, were just slightly shocked at the sight of a pink mushroom cloud rising over the armory. Strangely enough, none of them bothered checking it out.
The synchronized coughing inside gradually died down and turned to wheezing and gasping for breathable air. The usually pale-skinned, brown-furred satyr was now completely bright pink, same as the previously grey hippogriff, but where Straw's face portrayed a victorious grin, Fortune looked at him with so much annoyance that it couldn't be safely measured without special equipment.
"Soooooo...?" Straw tried not to laugh, mostly because the pink dust lingering in the air around would probably choke him.
"I was supposed to dismantle the special flares from the raid," Fortune grumbled, walking towards the unexpectedly unbroken window and opening it, "As you, and presumably half of Manehattan, can see now there was really no problem with us being INSIDE a building."
"Sooooooo...?" Straw nudged Fortune.
"Shut up and tell me where the idiot is!"
Straw didn't ponder the impossibility of Fortune's order.
"The common showers, I think. The one in our room is out of order and we haven't had the time to have it looked at yet."
"Come with me!"
With the unstoppability of an iceberg, the pink satyr marched to the mansion, a smaller pink cloud following her.
"One date, that's all he gets! Just to shut your damn face."
"No being nasty for no reason," Straw said firmly.
In the common room, by the entrance to the stallion showers, Fortune dropped all her clothes and underwear, completely ignoring everypony, and stormed inside.
"LEO GOLDHORN!" she yelled, embarrassing, and undoubtedly shocking them more than faulty wiring, every reddening stallion inside.
"Eeerm, yes?" the victim peeked out from behind a pillar, and, blushing profusely, covered his eyes.
"Look at me, you damn unicorn!" she stomped right to him, stopped only by her toned abs touching his muzzle, "This is what you get! Meet me at the mansion entrance in an hour! Don't be late!"
Not giving a single look to the stunned stallions standing around with mouths agape, eyes bulged, and their little stallions at half mast, she left as forcefully as she entered. The last thing she said when passing Straw at the entrance was:
"Happy?"
Being slightly smaller than Leo, Straw gathered himself and said firmly to Fortune's abdomen where skin of her torso met the fur of her lower body.
"Very. Thank you."
At last he realized he was trembling all over.
As he washed himself, turning the puddles around him into pink pools, Leo carefully coughed nearby, looking at him.
"What do I do now?"
"Be yourself."
"She hates me!"
"She hates the you from over a month ago. Nopony can hate you you, the you who practices privately with sir Cromach every evening, the you who chose to be his team's shield instead of trying to grab the glory of defeating an enemy himself. You know... the pony you are working hard to be."
"You know, you really have a habit of sticking your nose into other ponies' business."
"So I've heard. Aren't you glad that's the case?"
Leo snickered.
"Thanks for the chance."
"Don't blow it."
"Maybe something else will get blown ton-"
"Gentlecolt!"
"Just kidding!"
Followed by the muffled laughter of every stallion witnessing the spectacle, Leo rushed out. Straw could finally focus on not looking like a neon sign.
"Hope it works out for you, Leo. I hope one day something works out for me as well."
As the hot water flowed over him, he wondered about what he'd just done. He believed in Leo, being the most involved witness of his recent change. He liked Fortune, not her ability to be really nasty when she wanted to, but her desire to protect others, something she tried to suppress in fear of the death of her close ones repeating.
He smiled. That was what Leo and Fortune shared the most.
As for him, the shaking was slowly leaving his body. He would have never done something like that before, but...
...it was Heavy Hoof's death, Cross' desperate and yet happy expression when Void called Heavy's soul back for their last evening together, Cromach's bitter smile as he gave the eulogy at the burial and revealed he and the baron weren't always on the best of terms, Blaze, still seemingly in shock, not believing all that had really happened, the princesses, commander Darkness, and many others including recruits from both Order and Canterlot. The final push was seeing how carefully Cromach sheltered the statuette of Blaze.
He knew now. In comparison to what they faced, the knowledge that they could be gone next time they met a dangerous enemy, a little bit of apprehension, fear of making an ass of themselves was nothing.
Mere four hours later, with Straw reading a book in his room, the door quietly opened. He just peeked over the top of the page.
Leo was slightly drunk, a goofy smile plastered on his face.
"I bet you can't keep up the act for long. I'll strip your 'slightly enjoyable company' mask next time," Leo proclaimed, smile growing wider and wider, "That's what she told me about five minutes ago."
Straw breathed out veeeery slowly.
"Thanks, Strawberry," Leo continued, eyes misting over.
"It was just a first step," Straw commented timidly.
"It was more than I deserved."
"What, a spoiled unicorn noble and a mentally unstable hybrid of a pony and some unknown creature? I think it's a match made in heaven."
It wasn't enough to burn away the shadow of the recent loss, nor the threat of the Vigils, but it was something to help both of them sleep that night.
The amount of paperwork was neverending but manageable, and Straw found himself longing for some free time. Still, he was nothing if not hard-working, so he persevered until a firm knocking on the door of the office he still refused to think of as his interrupted his focus.
"Come in!"
The visitor was Contradiction, slightly surprised at seeing the hippogriff buried in documents.
"Blaze sent a recruit to ask if we wanted another squad training session against him, I said it would help. It's in two hours."
It wasn't a command, just a simple statement. Straw was a squad member, and as such he still answered to Connie. After all, his request for a job had been under the condition of not conflicting with his training.
"Oh, sure. Should I help get any equipment ready?"
"I think we can manage," Connie smiled, "Just be there on time and stretched already. I would really like to see something better than a massacre like last time."
"Oh Celestia, is it going to be another 'death match'?"
"As far as I know, no. Still, putting a scratch on him without having everypony knocked out or something would be enough a victory."
"I'll try my best."
"I'll be working on some sort of a plan, I believe it will help us more than any heroic feats."
"I'll finish these requision forms and get ready. Good luck with the plan. Have you tried asking Fortune for help? She might offer you a different perspective on things."
"Heh, your little 'everypony is extra buddy-buddy now' project? I might... consult my plan with her. After all, I don't want to wake up one day with a coltfriend I barely know and looking like a gay hooker."
Straw facehoofed, making sure to enjoy the pain. It was still much less than the incoming rumors which had to be circulating about him among the recruits.
"For the record, it was Fortune's fault... mostly."
"Been there, done that already," Connie grinned to herself, shutting Straw up as he remembered her little tale, "Not too much fun, but if you can find me a nice griffon..."
She winked at Straw meaningfully.
"Sorry about Walter."
"Yeah... but hey, thanks to him I can finally look at a guy again without wanting to cut his throat, although, as Fortune so crudely delivered, he might have left a bit more of a mark than I would like others knowing. I'm not going to let it go to waste. Soooo, do you think the natural disaster on two legs will be at least marginally sufferable about us working together after your 'pep talk'?"
"I don't know, really. I wasn't really thinking, it just felt all so stupid, these little squabbles, so unimportant. Honestly, though, I think the two of you can make it work. Both of you are really smart and can see things Leo and I can't. I just hope you can think of a good plan before you beat each other to death."
"Beat her to death... hmmm," Connie drifted off to a nice dreamland where cheerful rivers of satyr blood flowed for a second, "Just kidding! I'll try 'cooperating' with her one more time."
When she left, Straw sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to think of anything other than the coming practice. The paperwork would just have to wait.
"Yep, that's my boss, well, one of them," he mumbled, standing up and cracking his neck, "Better get my blood flowing before Blaze wrecks us."
It was little too early for lunch, but the recruits currently on 'potato duty', as they called the cafeteria service, recognized him as one of the special operatives, the pink division, and made quite the meal for him from the morning leftovers. All he had to endure was their incessant whispering and snickering.
Of course, after every meal there had to be an active rest, so he decided on a long flight above Manehattan. He shook his head as he caught himself looking behind him to see if there was anypony following him. No suspicious black dot in the distance.
He blinked, spun around quickly, and rubbed his eyes.
For the tiniest moment there had been something.
"Just nerves," Straw nodded his head when nothing suspicious followed, and smiled sadly, "She was sort of cute when not going for my neck."
With about half an hour to spare, he grabbed his guard-issue sword and gave it some practice swings until the rest of the squad arrived. He'd gotten better, that much was obvious. Beatdown after beatdown tends to do that to a pony, but the ease with which he moved on his hind legs and deflected all of the imaginary enemy's blows surprised even him. It seemed he was in a contemplative mood, just like last few days.
Contradiction told them the plan. It was a simple distract-and-flank maneuver where Connie and Straw were the frontline, Leo wasn't supposed to draw attention to himself unless some anypony else came under an unmanageable attack, and Fortune provided either smokescreen in case Blaze didn't move, or covering fire in case he did. Any more planning was impossible because they had no idea how much power Blaze would decide to unleash at them.
Straw realized how little that might matter as soon as Blaze stumbled out of the mansion. From their expressions it was pretty clear that, aside from the burial, no one else from the group had seen the alicorn since the incident. He looked barely able to walk, eyes sunken, more spots of shed fur in his coat, and ethereal wings nearly invisible. In short, he was an utter mess.
"Sir, with all due respect, you look terrible," Connie stepped up when Blaze approached.
"Don't think compliments will make me go easy on you," Blaze snorted, a twitch of his mouth betraying the tiniest of smiles, "We'd be here a long time if we waited for me to look better."
"No, seriously, you can barely stand," Fortune pushed past Connie and kneeled in front of him, "If you were my pet I'd have to put you out of your misery."
"Yes, I'm pretty sure that paying for a vet would be a waste for me," Blaze pushed her away, "But calm down, all of you, I'm just a little tired. Void's visit was pretty taxing for me, but I should still manage to be a decent challenge."
"Sorry, sir," said Connie, "I thought baron Hoof's passing-"
"Left me wasting most of the Order's budget on hard liquor?" Blaze finished her sentence.
Everypony took a step back. They knew the rumors.
"Errrm," Connie hung her head and muttered quietly, "Yes."
"Well, Chokey and Crom were here until I calmed down a little," Blaze took a deep breath and raised a hoof, "HOWEVER, I am now forced to defend my honor, you scoundrels!"
"What? Wait!" Connie was telekinetically yanked upwards into the air.
"The enemy rarely waits for you to be ready," Blaze's horn glowed, and Straw immediately knew they had underestimated the alicorn severely, "Now do your thing before I start shooting you randomly into Manehattan. Oops, too late!"
With a small boom, Connie got launched into the air. Arena of imaginary death or not, if she landed she would be badly hurt no matter what.
"Leave her to me!" Leo yelled, and had to dodge a ball of fire aimed at him.
Staying true to the original plan of deception, Straw faced Blaze in a one-on-one combat. Sword met gauntlets of black ice covering Blaze's front legs, which quickly met Straw's face and sent him to the ground.
Having conjured a barrier in shape of a water slide, Leo directed Connie's fall behind Blaze while Fortune occupied him by shooting him ineffectively over and over in the chest with her rifle, trying to outmatch a blackfrost shield appearing in the place of each hit.
Blaze might have expected a strike or a measured aggression from Connie after her descent.
What he definitely wasn't expecting was to Connie curl up in a ball while on the slide and hit him with the full force in the back. Straw barely had the time to dodge out of the way of the mass of grey and bronze limbs.
Blaze looked up at a sword, a barrel of a shotgun, and a golden barrier shaped like a spike.
"Okay, I guess I ran straight into that one. Up for a round t... w... o...?" he drifted off, eyes widening. His fake struggle to get up turned erratic, and he looked far past all of them, "No... nononono! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
An explosion of pure force scattered the squad members around while the alicorn jumped up, still muttering to himself over and over: "No no no no no."
The amount of power drawn into him scorched he ground nearby and baked the winter mud into glass.
"What's wro-"
In an eye-burning flash of light, he left only a fading fiery trail in the sky heading west.
"Did we win?" Connie, still dazed from being thrown far too much in far too little time, asked after several seconds.
"Eeeeeeh, I don't know, but I don't like this," Leo said somberly, eyes still on the sky, "Canterlot is that way."
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
The next morning Straw stumbled out of the bed, promising slow and painful death to whoever was on the other side of the door of his and Leo's room. It wasn't that the one knocking was loud and unstoppable. It wasn't even the fact that they had interrupted a particularly interesting dream about satyr anatomy. It was the sound itself, as if the knocker's hoof was made of pure cast iron.
Also, it being not even six o'clock didn't help either.
"So LOUD..." groaned Leo.
Straw opened and his expression that only a large cup of coffee could cure immediately turned to raw panic.
"Sargeant Cross?" he quickly wiped his sweaty mane off his face and, with the precognition an average oracle would kill for, asked, "What went horribly wrong this time?"
The batpony/changeling levitated a white envelope sealed with a broken purple seal, a royal seal.
"The royal messenger came on the overnight train. Princess Twilight Sparkle needs you in Canterlot as quickly as your transportation allows it."
"Ehm, me?" Straw fidgeted nervously, one horrifying scenario involving the princesses knowing about the Nightmare inside him after another rushing through his head.
"Read it."
Straw pulled out a short and strange letter.
To any Order of the Silver Sun official,
I have a good reason to believe that today's events are connected to your institution. Send anypony capable of dealing with unusual magic, the unicorn you described as Blinding Light is involved and currently trapped in a stasis spell inside the castle.
This is a royal order to be executed immediately.
Princess Twilight Sparkle
After Straw read it aloud so that Leo could hear it, Cross took it away from him.
"Evidence. Now, with all the paperwork and recruit training, none of my unit can leave this place. It wouldn't do us any good if we helped the princess at the cost of not fulfilling our obligations to those who pay us money. Blaze is nowhere to be found, and Cromach is in Canterlot already, which is what worries me the most. He is supposed to handle all the business between the Order and Canterlot, which means he is out of touch for some reason. With that, Shadowstep and I have decided that it would be prudent to have your group go to Canterlot and see what's up. Contradiction and Fortune are at the armory, procuring any necessary equipment."
"Yes, sir!" Straw and Leo saluted.
"One last thing. It isn't public knowledge that Blaze and the princesses didn't always see eye to eye on all things, especially with him being the expert on divine threats and having to ignore law on occasion. Him missing might mean that your audience with the princess might not be on the warmest of terms, so be extremely careful about the whole thing. The princesses do not know about you being Nightmare's host, Straw, and them finding out might shake our position even more, so keep a low profile."
"What is the worst that can really happen?" Leo asked skeptically, "After all, it's Canterlot."
"Blaze, Cromach, and Choking Darkness are dead. The princesses are under Blinding Light's control, and the entire thing is a trap set up to destroy Shadowstep's squad. That's the worst case scenario we're working with."
"Okaaaay, and how likely is that to happen?" Leo was clearly working through the information.
"Not much, but... being careful has never hurt anypony."
"Alright, sir!" Straw took a deep breath and looked firmly at Cross, "What are we supposed to do in case waste hits the windmill?"
"Get a clear message back here about what's really going on. It doesn't matter how, us changelings can easily recognize a fake messenger. As for dealing with the situation itself... just trust one another. You know what Blinding Light and Vigils can do better than anypony outside of the Order, better than my unit as well."
"And what if he's really just a prisoner there and Blaze's disappearance yesterday was completely unrelated?"
"Do everything in your power to prevent him from getting out, including defying royal orders."
Leo and Straw just stood there.
High treason.
"Anything else?" Cross asked.
"No, sir."
The Hoof of Fate didn't talk much on the express train to Canterlot, the possible seriousness of their deployment weighing heavily on their minds. They weren't worried about the chances of the apocayptic scenario to occur, because those actually weren't THAT high. It was more than likely they were coming only to testify against Blinding in the princess' court. Granted, that didn't explain why it was princess Twilight who had sent the message, or why neither Cromach nor Blaze were enough to settle that issue themselves, but it helped them not shake in fear the whole way.
Not that it stopped them from forming an escape plan, you know, just in case. Connie let Fortune handle that one because she had little idea about the layout of the city, much less the castle itself, and rested, listening to the others talking about breaking windows and escaping through the toilets.
"Celestia almighty!" she jumped up suddenly, opening her bag, "I completely forgot about this!"
She triumphantly pulled out a roll of toilet paper.
"The bathrooms are at the end of the car," Straw tried to be helpful, "but I think they're stocked."
Connie's withering look went completely over his head.
"The diary, you dimwit!"
"Ooooooh!" came from three mouths simultaneously, betraying Straw wasn't the only one left for dead on that train of though, "So, any new entries?"
"Hmmm hmmmm," Connie examined it, "too bad the spell didn't copy the old ones, we might have gotten something out of them. AH, here is one!"
She cleared her throat and started reading aloud:
"I have failed, and the murderer's minions stopped me from enacting justice. The Watcher has not forsaken me, though, and said that the murderer draws strength from those close to him. We have managed to get rid of the mudpony filth and the disgusting lovesucker pet already, but those are not the truly important ones. One of the remaining two I know - the damn vampony posing as a member of our princess' society - she should be easy to deal with, she's cunning but weak. The other one the Watcher showed me in the past in my visions - the white catbird - might be an issue. On top of being a soldier, he is protected by great power inside him. Heh, I must really be getting old if this worries me. The Watcher is spinning a plan to revive the Vigil into a much greater strength while I go get my revenge. He has given me all the necessary tools - my strength back, the amulet channeling his power. Now it is up to me to prove myself worthy so that my family can finally rest in peace."
"Cromach," Fortune bit her lip.
"Commader Darkness," sighed Straw at the same time.
"Does it really say he has the power to kill two high-profile civil servants right under the noses of the alicorn sisters?" Leo asked flatly.
"He might have done so already and caused a lot of damage. Perhaps that's why princess Sparkle sent the letter?" Fortune took a guess, trying not to think about one dead griffon.
Silence interrupted only by the thumping of the train spread through the coupe.
"You know, it's not good for morale to think about the worst possible outcome all the time," Connie forced a smile, and a small oblong levitated out of her bag, "How about a round of cards? To make it take your mind off things, how about we play for money?"
"I haven't really played anything of this sort before," Straw admitted.
"Maybe one or two rounds, I can barely remember the rules," Fortune shrugged.
"Pff, servants used to play this to amuse themselves," Leo snorted, "but it should help pass time. One bit stakes maximum? I have to admit I'm not too familiar with games for common folk."
"Eeerm," Straw started.
"I'll cover yours, just try not to bankrupt me."
"Good," Connie's smile turned incredibly shifty, "I'll recap the rules for you."
When it was clear that even Straw, being the only one who hadn't played anything of that sort before, understood, they began.
Fortune had lied about her experience.
Fortune had lied a lot.
Fortune was about seventy bits richer when the train reached the Canterlot station.
"What?" she asked innocently when Connie, twenty bits lighter, glared at her, "How do you think we passed time at the repair shop when there was nothing to work on? Not my fault you wanted to take all the dummies' money and got baited."
A squad of Royal Guards was waiting for them on the platform, gathering around as soon as one of them spotted Fortune.
"Princess Sparkle is waiting for you at the Crystal Empire embassy."
"Whoa, why not the castle?" asked Connie.
The guard shifted uncomfortably while walking.
"The castle... is currently off limits. The princess will tell you all the details. I really don't know much about it aside from nopony being allowed to even go near it."
Cross' depressing scenario running through their heads, the Hoof of Fate had no choice but to follow the guards.
As they neared a building unique to Canterlot, a large, white manor decorated with angular crystals reflecting afternoon light into localized rainbows, Straw assumed they were reaching the place. What grabbed his attention the most were two life-sized statues of guards made of pure, dimly reflective crystal by the manor entrance. He quickly examined one, poking its mane.
"Wooooow! How did they make the mane gleamy and flowy? It's awesome!" Straw turned back to the others whose expressions were unreadable.
"Thank you, sir," the statue said, "It's crystal berry mane gel."
The second statue snickered loudly at Straw's 'AAAAH!' and taking up in the air.
"He's never seen a crystal pony close and personal before," Connie explained, covering her muzzle.
"Don't worry, ma'am. We get that a lot," the Crystal Guard smiled at Straw still hovering above him, "You can come down now, we don't bite."
Threatening to burst into flames out of sheer embarrassment, Straw landed.
"S-s-sorry, sir!" he saluted.
"No harm done," the guard returned the salute.
Spurred by a polite cough of the Royal Guard leading them, Connie's group entered the embassy. Straw's eyes wanted to leave his body and go for a guided tour of the building, because every surface sparkled in a different way, creating illusions of corridors and pillars in the empty air, crystal ponies were everywhere, and the entire place tickled Straw's desire to see something new.
New princess for one.
The purple alicorn strode to the embassy lobby down one of the spiral staircases on the side of the large room and, without a second of doubt, aimed towards the group.
"You're the Order members, right? You all look familiar."
"Yes, your Highness," Contradiction bowed, "We arrived as soon as we got your message. What's going on?"
"Follow me to the castle, I'll explain things on the way. Something happened yesterday, and I believe your Order is involved in some way."
They left the embassy immediately, much to Straw's disappointment.
"What way?" Fortune asked carefully, secretly reaching for a pistol hosltered on her waist.
"Some way. Sadly, I don't know anything else. Yesterday, in the hours of early afternoon, I felt an unprecedented massive pulse of force come from the castle. I was in the Crystal Empire embassy at the time, taking care of some documents for my brother. When I arrived back at the castle, things were... strange. You will see when we get there. First of all, I have to warn you to not go anywhere unless I tell you to, otherwise you'll end up like the guards and presumably the princesses."
They all felt it as they entered the familiar castle grounds, the main gate being guarded by an uncharacteristically large squad of Royal Guards. The air was still, there was no traffic in the skies above, and, most of all, the castle was completely silent.
"The phenomenon reaches about two and a half meters outside the castle walls, so before we go in I'll have to cast a spell which will allow us to get inside."
"What phenomenon, your Highness? I mean no disrespect by that, but you haven't told us anything yet," Connie said flatly.
"Didn't I say it in the letter? A large-scale stasis spell spanning the entire castle is preventing anypony from moving out or in. I used a lot of scrying magic to find the source, and the point of origin seems to be outside of princess Luna's suite. The ponies in the area are princess Luna, Nightguard commander Choking Darkness standing guard by her door, ambassador Cromach, and one unicorn matching your description of Blinding Light. Unfortunately, without getting there myself I can't do much more than guess what's going on."
"Aren't you the alicorn of Magic?" Fortune asked, "I mean, if YOU have no idea about what's really there, how can we help?"
"I explained it incorrectly. The stasis isn't caused and maintained by magic. It is raw and unrefined divine power. You see, magic can achieve more complex effects, delayed ones, conditions, long-term changes and such. Divine power is mostly unexplained, because the study of alicorns has never been... pursued too deeply, but from what I've gathered since my ascension divine power works more like a wish, which means all it takes is willpower, not knowledge. The entire situation feels as if somepony wished for... something to not be happening so strongly that their divinity answered. The alicorns relying mostly on their natural power I know about are princess Celestia, Void, and Blaze. Considering who is near the epicenter of the 'effect', I assume Blaze did this and disappeared somewhere. Why or where is completely beyond me. I can only guess that Blinding got inside the castle somehow, was going to do something, Blaze knew about it and wasn't able to prevent it, so he stopped time in order to... get more time to think."
Twilight scowled to herself at the lack of accuracy in her explanation.
"This might be a dumb idea but," Leo raised a hoof, "since we don't know anything, why don't we leave the stasis be and wait for Blaze to come up with something? I mean, he was somehow able to sense danger from Manehattan, get here in time, and stop everything before Blinding could do what he wanted to do. I can't even imagine how much power that had to take, but perhaps he's just resting now."
Twilight shook her head sadly.
"We can't do that. Most of the really important documents and high-ranked city officials are in the castle, as well as some important ambassadors. Letting this go on even for few more days might spark an international incident, possibly a war if somepony thinks we're holding their citizens hostage."
"Can't you, I don't know, explain things to the other countries? Perhaps they'd understand." Straw clutched at, ehm, straws.
"I wish that was the case, I really do," Twilight sighed, "but politics doesn't work like that. Quite often I long for the days where it was just me and my friends against some ancient evil. Unfortunately, I now have Equestria to think about while deciding anything, and Equestria needs its princesses and government. We need to stop the stasis and deal with Blinding Light as well as we can. That's one reason we need to act fast. The other one is that, from what little I could gather, the stasis is shoddy."
"What do you mean?" asked Connie.
"I, with my limited knowledge about divine power, believe the stasis is fading quickly. The scale is far too large, the time for preparation must have been too short, and the spellcaster inexperienced. This is a desperate, not thought through attempt at stopping something. With that in mind, I'd much rather deal with Blinding Light on our terms rather than have the stasis break randomly, allowing him to do what he wants and disappear."
"I have to admit we don't have the best track record against Vigil members, much less their leader," Connie said.
"That makes all of us," Twilight shrugged, "It's still better than the guards or anypony I can gather in such a short time."
High treason.
Straw pondered refusing, but Twilight's explanation didn't leave many holes for him to poke.
"Fine, what do you need us to do?" Connie was faster, "Get in a circle around Blinding and smack him over the head as soon as time starts flowing again?"
"It's not that simple. We can't get inside the stasis, the guards who tried got stuck like the ones already there. My magic is strong enough to travel inside... probably, but I can't risk getting stuck there as well. I need a way to get more power, preferrably divine, to make myself safe when entering the castle. What I say now is a secret you're not telling anypony, understand? The kind of lifetime-in-jail secret, right?"
"Yes, your Highness!" Connie saluted, showing she was ready for business.
"Good. There's a secret entrance to the castle through the vault. I can give you a temporary way to enter. Once there, you are to find and retrieve an artefact called the Alicorn Amulet. It looks like a necklace adorned with a red and black alicorn head and spread wings. Under no circumstances you are to use it, this is vital! When you're back here, I should be able to combine raw alicorn power and my magic prowess to create a spell allowing us to travel through the stasis to the point of origin and then break it."
"Isn't the vault under the spell as well?"
"The vault is protected by combined power of both royal sisters. The only time it was breached was when Discord himself stole the Elements of Harmony from there. It SHOULD be untouched, just like the underground entrance. If it isn't we'll know as soon as we enter the sewers."
"I thought you weren't coming."
"Not to the vault itself. I'll have to reveal the hidden entrance to you, though. If one of you gets stuck there then we'll know the stasis is stronger than I thought and I'll have to think of another plan. Do you need anything to help you on the way?"
"Is the secret entrance guarded by some strange and dangerous monsters who eat everything aside from alicorns?"
"No, although you'll have to take a short path through the Canterlot mountain. The route you'll be taking was originally designed to allow the nobles to hide in safe rooms inside the mountain. When the mining operations down there stopped the safe places were lost, and now only the sewer exit remains."
"What do you mean by 'lost'?"
"Eeeehm... the history books aren't clear about why the mining operations were stopped."
"Okay, what ate the miners?" Fortune snickered.
Nopony else found the humor in that.
"Well, don't worry about that. You'll be passing through the mountain for only a short while. If you don't stray from the reconstructed hallways you'll be fine."
"That wasn't really an answer," commented Leo.
"Answer or not," Connie stepped in again, "we're here to help. I think our equipment will suffice, so lead the way, your Highness."
Not too surprisingly, the entrance to the secret tunnel was on the opposite side of Canterlot, and masked by an illusion spell neither Connie nor Leo even felt. Straw, on the other talon, saw through it immediately, but stayed quiet, not wanting to reveal anything weird about himself. Nightmare's presence apparently had its advantages.
Of course, you worthless creature!
The heavy, steel door opened on well-oiled hinges. Princess Twilight gave Connie a wand shaped like a unicorn horn.
"There will be a hole in the middle of the door leading to the vault itself. Insert it inside and it should open. When you're done, meet me back at the Crystal Empire embassy."
"Yes, your Highness," Connie turned to the rest of the group, "Alright, guys, the goal is clear - find the Alicorn Amulet, grab whomever we can to help us stop Blinding Light, and finish this Vigil thing once and for all."