//------------------------------//
// Reporting In 
// Story: Dark Matter 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 11: Reporting In

The tension running through the hallway was almost a tangible substance as Shade Steel stared at Perlin Bluestreak.  This had to be the worst-case scenario for her.  Not only had she been discovered, she'd been discovered by Baron Elderflower's most dangerous hired killer, a pony who had fought evenly with Shining Armor.  If it came down to a fight, Shade doubted she'd be able to escape.  While she counted herself at her most deadly in close quarters, she was currently unarmed and Perlin was likely deadlier than she was to begin with.  Either she'd be killed right here or Perlin would report her to the Baron and everything Shade had spent the past two days working on, risking her life in the process, would come undone.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked Perlin in a cold, no-nonsense tone.  Shade could hear the barely restrained anger simmering just below the surface as he spoke.  From the way he kept himself protectively between Coco and her, she wondered if Perlin had feelings for the young mare.
Shade clamped her mouth shut, pressing her lips into a thin line as she pondered her options.  If she doubled back, she'd only end up back at the stairwell and then it would simply be a matter or not as to whether she could flee through the manor faster than Perlin could pursue.  She shifted her weight, making ready to turn and bolt-
Perlin's wing flashed, moving faster than she could see.  Something lanced out away from him, flashing past Shade's face in a silvery blur before whipping back into his wing.  A second later, Shade felt a line of pain along her cheek and she incredulously raised a hoof.  Pulling it away, she found a trickle of blood.  She felt cold all of a sudden and Shade realized that running was not an option either.
"Now then, do I have to repeat my question or will you require another demonstration?" asked Perlin.
With a sigh, Shade realized that she had no hope of escape.  However, the last thing she wanted to do was start giving Elderflower's employees information.  Granted, the information she had wouldn't really undermine Shining Armor in any way.  But the last thing Shade wanted to do was give any information to the enemy.
Then something occurred to her.  Perlin had her at his mercy.  However, what he should have done was raise the alarm, shouted, done anything that would catch the attention of somepony else.  Behind the doors could be any number of servants, waiting to be awoken by a loud shout.  Once that was done, Elderflower and the rest of his mercenaries could take custody of Shade and interrogate her properly.
Instead, Perlin was speaking softly, as though he specifically didn't want to disturb anypony or give away the fact that he'd found an intruder.  In a way...it almost seemed as though he was actually helping her.
"My name is Shade Steel," said Shade softly, hoping that she could trust her gut on this one, "I'm here on behalf of Shining Armor to find the ponies responsible for the abduction of his sister and the theft of the Elements of Harmony."
"I see..." said Perlin, talking over the sound of Coco Pommel's surprised gasp, "I thought it was something like that."
Shade blinked and canted her head to the side.  "You did?"
"Yes," said Perlin, "I trust your mission was fruitful.  I thought I'd noticed somepony following us down to the barracks."
Shade licked her lips nervously.  "Yes...it was."
"Good," said Perlin, his expression still stony, but slightly softer now, "Then I will show you out."
Shade's jaw dropped as she stared at the young stallion.  Behind Perlin, Coco was looking at him with a similarly shocked expression.
"Wha-what do you mean?" asked Shade.
"Exactly what I said," said Perlin, turning around and gesturing for Shade to follow him, "We should hurry.  I don't want this to end badly because somepony up here decided they need to use the bathroom or something."
As he turned around, he leaned his head over to Coco and whispered something in her ear.  Coco gave him a nervous, uncertain look then moved to walk past both Perlin and Shade, cringing slightly as she walked past the older mare.  Shade watched Coco out of the corner of her eye as Coco went to one of the rooms and went inside.
"She won't be reporting this, if that's what you're worried about," said Perlin, "She may have more freedom to move about the mansion, but she's as much a prisoner as Twilight Sparkle is."
Shade kept her mouth shut as she watched Perlin, wondering what exactly he was planning.  Part of her suspected that he might still kill her.  But, at this point, there was nothing to lose by playing along.  She could only hope he was being sincere.  Perlin began leading her down the hallway.  Stopping at one of the doors, he pushed it open to reveal another stairway leading upwards.
"That one goes to the roof," he said, "There are at least two sentries on the north and south ends during the night.  I recommend descending to about the third floor's level before flying out.  Make for the the buildings beyond the wall and drop down to the streets as soon as you can.  That will give you the best chance to get away without being spotted."
"Thank you," said Shade, "But why are you helping me escape?"
Perlin smirked at her.  "As it stands, my assignment is nearly finished and my employer has said that there is no real need to keep up appearances any longer."
"Your employer...?"  Now Shade was confused.  Perlin was supposed to be working for Baron Elderflower.  There was no way he could be serving the Baron's interests by helping her escape the mansion, was he?
"It's nothing you need worry about," said Perlin with a chuckle, "Suffice to say that I have no need to hinder your mission."
Shade swallowed hard, hoping that she could trust the young stallion's words.  After all, for all she knew, he could simply be directing her to a rooftop ambush.  However, it was all or nothing.  Either Perlin was being honest about helping her or he was setting her up to take a fall.  It didn't change what Shade had to do.  Despite that, she continued to move cautiously as she made her way up the stairs, opening the door to the roof as silently as she could casting her eyes about for any sign of the sentries.  They were exactly where Perlin had said they would be.  There weren't a lot of places for ponies to hide on the rooftop, so Shade felt fairly safe when she didn't see any other ponies.
Being sure to be absolutely quiet as she closed the door behind her, Shade made her way to the edge of the roof between the two sentries, who were busy scanning the skies for any signs of interlopers attempting to come in above.  Following Perlin's advice, she stepped off the roof and allowed herself to drop two stories before she spread her wings and leveled out; well above the gazes of the guards patrolling the grounds and below the gaze of the guards scanning the skies above.  As soon as she was past the wall, she dipped down and darted down into an alleyway that ran between two buildings, just across the road from Elderflower's estate.  Touching down, Shade took one last chance to glance over her shoulder, checking to see if anypony had noticed her presence and raised the alarm.  However, Elderflower's estate remained as silent and peaceful as it had been when she'd first arrived.
Shade didn't allow herself to relax.  She set off at a trot, wandering at random through the streets and alleys, just in case somepony was actually following behind her.  Only when she was absolutely certain that nopony was on her tail and that she was a safe distance away from the mansion did she take to the air and begin winging her way back to the Royal Palace.



Coco looked up as the door opened and Perlin stepped into her room.  "P-Perlin...what-?"
"Shh," said Perlin, putting a hoof to his lips, cutting Coco off.  He glanced around the room for a moment before closing his eyes and letting out a breath.  For a moment, he stood their silently, seeming to listen to something.  "We should be safe," he said.
"What were you doing?"
"Trying to see if I could sense any listening spells," said Perlin, "I noticed that Elderflower had them placed in Twilight Sparkle's room.  I was worried that he might have placed them in your room as well."
"A-are you sure there aren't any?" asked Coco, beginning to sweat at the idea of Elderflower, or somepony working for him, listening to everything she said and did, "What about the rest of the manor?"
"I could sense the spells in Twilight Sparkle's room easily enough," said Perlin, "It's rather simple if you know what to look for.  I was trained to fight unicorns, so it's something that I was thoroughly drilled in."
"Oh..." said Coco, her ears going back at the reminder of Perlin's history.  Granted, he was now using what he'd gained from that history to protect her, but that didn't make it any less unnerving.  "Wha-what about that m-mare?"
"She left," replied Perlin simply, "With any luck, she will be back at the Palace shortly and somepony will come to rescue the two of you."
"Why did you help her?" asked Coco.
"Because we're nearly finished here," said Perlin, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile, "When all this is over, you won't have to worry about Elderflower ever again."
"I-I won't?"  Despite the fact that Perlin's words were encouraging, they filled Coco with a sense of foreboding, an ominous feeling.  There was something in the finality of Perlin's tone that filled Coco's heart with dread.  "P-Perlin...what are you talking about?"
"The less you know, the safer you will be," said Perlin.  Stepping in close to her, Perlin leaned against Coco and pressed his neck up against hers, letting his chin rest over her withers.  Coco was a bit hesitant at first, but she ultimately returned the gesture.
"I'm sorry," said Perlin, his voice almost a whisper, "My selfishness ended up causing you so much trouble and pain.  Please bear with it a little longer.  I promise that you won't have to live in fear after this."
"Perlin...?"  Coco felt a shiver go through her body.  This was wrong.  Something was very wrong.
Perlin began pulling away from her.  As he did, he gently drew his muzzle across her neck, nuzzling his way up to her cheek before ending nose to nose with her.  Slowly,  Perlin backed away from her, an apologetic smile on his face.
Coco looked at him, her worry growing.  The sense of wrongness was intensifying with each affectionate gesture.  This wasn't right.  Perlin's words were gentle, encouraging, and filled with care and concern for her.  But, for some reason, she had the ominous feeling that, in his own way, Perlin was saying goodbye to her.
"I need to go," said Perlin, taking another step back and turning to take his leave.
"Wait!"  Coco lunged forward and threw her arms around Perlin's shoulders, drawing him up short.
Perlin froze, his wings rustling underneath his cloak at the unexpected contact.  "Be careful!  I could have-"
"Please," said Coco, still clinging tightly to Perlin, "I don't know what it is you're going to do, but...I don't want you going somewhere I can't follow.  I know you mean well, but...I'm afraid...You need to come back.  Please don't run away from me."
"I..."  Perlin swallowed hard.  "I'm not sure what it is I plan to do.  But...I may end up doing something that you won't be able to forgive me for."
"Then don't do it," said Coco, pressing her face into his neck, "If you know something is wrong, then you should know better than to do it.  That's something a grown pony does Perlin.  Remember, you need to be an adult now."
For a moment, Perlin said nothing.  He seemed to be thinking about what she said.  "It may not be right, but it remains something I need to do anyway," he said.  He began to pull away.
Before he could pull away completely, Coco pulled hard in the opposite direction, yanking Perlin back towards her and turning him around so they were face to face once again.  Before Perlin could say or do anything, Coco leaned in and pressed her lips to his.  The kiss was quick and chaste.  They pulled away, staring at each other, Coco as astonished by her own boldness as Perlin was.  Their cheeks burned as they stared at each other.
"Y-you still have a lot of growing up to do," said Coco, her eyes tearing up as she tried her hardest to keep the smile on her face, "Think of that as a promise for when you do."  Leaning in again, she moved her lips up to Perlin's ear.  "So come back to me."
"I...I..."  Perlin looked as though he desperately wanted to say yes, to agree to her terms.  However, in a sharp, jerking movement, he pulled out of her arms and darted back out the door, shutting it behind him.
Left alone in the room, Coco whimpered and pressed a hoof to her chest.  Meanwhile, outside the room, Perlin walked down the hall at a hurried pace.  However, before he'd reached the stairs back down, he froze.  His right hoof, the one that he'd held over the Elements of Harmony, was beginning to throb faintly.



Shining Armor was jolted awake by the sound of somepony pounding on his door.  It took him a moment as he blinked groggily.  Beside him in bed, he felt Cadance stir as she too was roused by the frantic pounding.
"Honey...what is it?" asked Cadance, rolling over.
Gritting his teeth, Shining glared at the door, which was shaking from the force of the knocks.  "Go back to sleep, dear," he said, "I'll find out and, so help me, if it isn't important, there's going to be an opening in the ranks, once I finish with the court-martial."  With a low growl, he forced himself out of bed and onto his hooves.  It was bad enough that he was already having trouble sleeping, what with his sister foalnapped, the Palace raided, and the Elements stolen.  Now ponies had to come and pound on his door at all hours of the night.
Grabbing the knob with his magic, Shining yanked it open, standing back so that he didn't catch a face full of hoof when the door was out of the way.  The Guard on the other side immediately dropped his hoof and stood at attention, saluting sharply as he met Shining's glare with only the mildest of flinches.
"This had better be good," rumbled Shining.
"Sir!  Shade Steel has returned with her report.  She said to tell you that she found them."
A feeling like an electric shock jolted through Shining's body, knocking all thought of sleep away.  "Where is she?" he asked.
"She's waiting in your office, sir."
"Thank you for your prompt report," said Shining, "You're dismissed.  Get some rest."
"Yes sir!"  The Guard turned and set off down the hall as Shining closed the door again.
"What was it?" asked Cadance as he came back towards the bed.
"Shade Steel's back," said Shining, a small smile on his face, "It seems she's succeeded."
Now it was Cadance's turn to jump as she jerked out from under her sheets.  "Really!"
Shining nodded.  "Go get Arkenstone.  I'm going to head to my office and take Shade's report."
Cadance nodded and untangled herself from the sheets as Shining's horn flashed, silvery armor coalescing into being around his body.
"You should use a comb," said Cadance, noting her husband's bad case of bedmane.
"That can wait," said Shining, "This is no time to worry about appearances."
Cadance sighed and nodded.  She would have liked to spend a little time to make herself presentable too.  But fetching Arkenstone and kickstarting the process of getting Twilight and the Elements back came first.



"So...it was Elderflower," said Arkenstone, cupping his chin with one hoof as they finished listening to Shade Steel's report, "It almost seems wrong, somehow."
"I can confirm it," said Shade, "I heard the Baron with my own ears.  I would have tried to follow him to get an exact fix on the Elements' location, but I didn't want to risk being discovered."
"You've done more than enough," said Shining, a smile on his face, the first one he'd worn while looking at Shade, "This means the world to me.  Thank you."
"I owe you, all of you, that much at least," said Shade, a slight smile on her own face.
"Still, it doesn't feel quite right," said Arkenstone, "I'm amazed that a pony like Elderflower would do something so overt.  Taking the trouble to come speak with Twilight in Ponyville was also outside my expectations.  But I didn't peg him to be a pony to resort to something so...violent."
"Maybe you forced his hoof already," suggested Shining.
"But still, from what you heard, his plans seem ludicrous," said Cadance, "Trying to outfit ponies of his own choosing with the Elements and believing it will work simply because they are unicorns...it's ridiculous.  The Elements of Harmony just don't work that way."
"Of course they don't," snorted Arkenstone, "But Elderflower and those like him don't believe that.  In their own way, they aren't all that different from the members of the Cult Solar in that they refuse to believe that which they find to be inconvenient."  He didn't seem to notice Shade's pained flinch at his words.
"If it weren't for the fact that this guy needs to pay for all the suffering he's caused and the ponies who've died as a consequence of his orders, I'd almost let him keep the Elements just so we can see his whole plan go up in smoke when he tries to use them," muttered Shining Armor, "It's gonna take some time.  The rest of the Royal Guard is still a few days out and we'll have to make sure all the prisoners are secure before we move..."
"That won't be necessary," said Arkenstone, turning around and heading for the door, "I will take care of this matter tomorrow morning."
Both Shining and Cadance stared at him.  Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have hesitated to simply let Arkenstone go and do his thing.  As formidable as the Banehammers were and whatever ponies Elderflower might have had on his guard, Shining and Cadance pitied the ponies who might try to get between Arkenstone and Twilight.  However...
"You're still recovering from your injuries, aren't you?" asked Shining, "Are you sure you're up for this?"
To Shining's surprise, Arkenstone turned his head slightly, angling an ear back towards him.  "Fortunately, I happen to have the assistance of two rather trustworthy ponies.  However, they will require a good night's sleep, which is why I'm waiting for the morning."  After that, the blind stallion took his leave.
Shining blinked and shot a confused look at Cadance, who lifted a hoof to her mouth and giggled coyly.  "You know something I don't?" he asked.
"I think the three of them will be just fine," said Cadance, "Call it a mare's intuition."
"Um...what am I missing here?" asked Shade, blinking as she watched the couple.
"Arkenstone brought a pair of young helpers from Ponyville with him," explained Cadance.
"Wait!  Do you mean Dawn?" asked Shade.
Shining shook his head.  "Dawn's still recovering in Ponyville.  He fought another one of your fellow cultists, Terra Heart."
Shade's back legs collapsed and she dropped down onto her haunches, her wings hanging limply down her sides as she gaped at Shining.  "The Cardinal!  Dawn Lightwing fought the Cardinal...and lived?"
"Barely," said Shining, "According to Arkenstone, it was a near thing."
"B-but...if he's still alive then...that must mean that the Cardinal lost.  Did Dawn Lightwing w-win?"
Shining shook his head.  "No.  Dawn ended up losing.  Arkenstone was the one who defeated the Cardinal."
Shade's entire body began to shake violently as she looked over her shoulder at the door the blind stallion had exited through.  After she had been defeated by Dawn in Ponyville, Arkenstone had confronted her at the Guard station where she'd been confined.  At the time, she hadn't known the truth about his identity and had even entertained the idea of subduing him so that she could escape to go after Dawn again.  However, she'd barely had time to conceive the notion before Arkenstone had hit her with a blow of pure killing intent, striking Shade down with the image of her own violent death if she tried to make her idea a reality.  At that time, she'd been made aware of the vast gulf between her and the Knight of the Celestial Order.
On the other hoof, Shade had never actually seen, much less met, Terra Heart, the Cardinal of the Order of Celestial Light.  However, as the pony second only to the Supreme Pontiff himself, Terra had been an almost mythical figure within the Order, with stories of his feats and prowess rivaling the tales of the Knights that Shade had listened to as a foal.  He'd been thought of as an invincible paragon of Celestia's will.  Shade had never imagined such a pony being defeated.
And yet, Arkenstone had beaten Terra.  The realization shocked Shade to the core.  Ever since her capture and punishment, she had learned the truth of the Cult Solar's culture of deceit.  However, she'd still believed that the Cardinal was an exceedingly powerful pony.
"I-is he...is the Car-...Terra Heart dead then?" asked Shade.
"No," said Shining, "We have him in custody.  But Arkenstone came very close to killing him.  He only stopped when Celestia intervened personally."
"I...I see..." said Shade, looking down at the floor.
"It's late," said Cadance, giving Shade a small smile, "You've done an excellent job and we will speak with the Princesses about commuting your sentence.  Go and rest.  You've earned it."
"Th-thank you," said Shade, dipping her head before taking her leave.
After the door closed behind Shade, Cadance glanced at her husband.  "Now what?"
"Well...I guess I should send a letter to Spike letting Twilight's friends know we've found her," said Shining, taking up paper and quill, "Poor guy won't thank us for waking him up at this hour, but I think he'd like to know right away."
"I guess none of us are getting any sleep tonight," said Cadance, staring out the window and watching the moon as it meandered across the sky.
"Misery loves company," said Shining wryly, his quill already flying across the page.



In the caverns below Canterlot, Perlin Bluestreak looked around at the numerous crystal formations jutting out of walls, hanging from above, and growing from below.  They glittered with countless colors, reflecting and refracting any ambient light and throwing it about in a vibrant display that dazzled the eyes.  Despite this, they didn't compare to the harsh strobing of the colored lights used in nightclubs across Equestria.  Instead, crystals' luminance was gentle and comforting.  Perlin could understand Celestia's desire to keep thee caverns intact, rather than having them stripped of their natural decorations to sate the greed of various nobles and entrepreneurs.
Still, even though Celestia and those who served her wished to protect the caverns, they didn't know the caverns' full extent, not yet.  Mapping the Crystal Caverns was a tedious, lengthy process that had to be carried out with a great deal of caution.  Every year, more of the caverns were discovered, from tiny passageways almost too small to admit a pony leading to massive caverns, to flooded chambers whose underwater tunnels might yet lead to other, even more spectacular sections of the cave.  Finding all these places was neither easy nor safe and a pony who was unfortunate enough to lose her way might wander the rest of her natural life and never find the way out.
And all that was without the ghost stories.  The caverns had only been rediscovered recently, thanks to the changeling invasion.  However, stories were already circulating.  Archives had been searched, records scoured, and many a tome of forgotten lore pondered over(1), revealing what little historical accounts remained of the caverns, including many of the legends that surrounded them.  Stories abounded about ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and other monsters of even more horrific description.  Some ponies even theorized that an offshoot of the legendary Yahoos that supposedly dwelt amongst the peaks of the Himalneighan mountains might be found in these caves.  There were tales of caverns that changed their shape and orientation after ponies went through them so that they never had the same way in or out, theories that the caverns themselves were an extension of some alien intelligence, and the inevitable tales of the caves being inhabited by some supernatural equine of unnaturally tall and thin proportions fitted out with a rather dapper suit and a face of varying descriptions (when it had a face at all).
Perlin had heard many of these stories.  They certainly made for interesting reading.  However, he'd never actually believed any of them.  But, looking around at the natural majesty and mystery of the caves around him, he could easily imagine how such legends could come into being.  The shimmering crystals and all the effects they created excited the mind and made the heart race.  Perlin liked it down here.  Granted, he liked the open skies better.  But the Crystal Caverns were a very nice place to visit.
"I see you've made it."  Up ahead, a familiar stallion stepped out from behind one of the many crystal formations.  Wight Shade smiled as Perlin approached.
"Of course," said Perlin, "I apologize for the delay.  I had some business to take care of before I left the Lord Baron's manor."
"Oh?" Wight raised a curious eyebrow.
Perlin chuckled.  "Just as you said, he wasn't nearly as clever as he thought he was about covering his tracks.  It would seem that the information of Twilight Sparkle and the Elements' whereabouts will be in the hooves of the Royal Guard, if it isn't already."
"I thought as much," said Wight, "though a good bit sooner than I'd thought."
"Is that a problem?" asked Perlin as Wight began to lead them deeper into the network of caves.
"No," said Wight, "But, once again, I am reminded that ponies can be easily underestimated, even when they aren't formidable elites, like you or the Knights."
"What comes next then?" asked Perlin.
"We shall simply allow things to play out as they stand," replied Wight, "Elderflower and those who aided him have served their purpose.  If, by some miraculous happenstance, the Royal Guard and Sir Arkenstone somehow fail to put a permanent end to the Lord Baron's ambitions, then it shall fall to us to clear the board."
"If that is the case, then there is something we probably should see to," said Perlin.  He spoke quietly to Wight, who listened before nodding.
"Yes...perhaps we should intervene in that case.  As pointless as it would be in the grand scheme of things, leaving such issues unattended would hamper my plans somewhat."  He sighed.  "As much as I would like to see things play out, I think we might have to step in."
"Then how shall we proceed?" asked Perlin.
"It wouldn't do for us to do anything until Sir Arkenstone has made his move," said Wight, "But I think we can act soon."
The two of them proceeded further still into the caves and were soon lost amongst the glittering and glimmering lights.



"I see," said Celestia before yawning widely, "Thank you for coming to tell me."
Cadance nodded slowly.  "Are you sure it's all right to let Arkenstone handle this?  His body isn't in the best shape right now."
Slowly, the older alicorn shook her head.  "I don't think that anything I might say would dissuade him from his course.  Sadly, we simply do not have enough ponies in Canterlot yet to mount a proper strike.  Arkenstone is right.  Time is of the essence here."
"Then...maybe you should go as well," suggested Cadance, "If Twilight Sparkle was kidnapped against her will and the same pony behind such an act brazenly attacked the Royal Palace and stole the Elements of Harmony, then you should be taking direct action."
To Cadance's surprise, Celestia actually smirked at her.  "I could," she said, "But in this case, I don't believe I need to."  She held up a hoof, forestalling Cadance's response.  "This isn't like the situation with the Cult Solar, where I was too worried about overstepping my bounds to act until things had already advanced much farther than they should have."  She shook her head.  "That was truly a terrible case of negligence on my part.  In this case, I do not need to act because I know things will go well, even if I don't intervene."
"What do you mean?" asked Cadance.
Celestia giggled.  "You don't honestly believe that Twilight has been a passive captive all this time, do you?  Don't you remember a gift that your husband gave her, courtesy of Arkenstone?"
Cadance's eyes widened as she realized what Celestia was referring to.  "Oh!  The ring!"
Nodding, Celestia looked out the window, her eyes roaming across Canterlot's rooftops.  "Baron Elderflower's plan was coming undone from the moment of its very inception, yet he foolishly believes that nothing is wrong.  However, he shall fail, and the ponies that will bring an end to his ambitions will be the very ponies he sees as being beneath him.  First he shall suffer the complete and utter humiliation of being bested by those he considers inferior.  Then I shall descend upon him with the weight of the law and give him the punishment he truly deserves, him and those who aided him.  He will rot in a cell for the rest of his natural life, with the knowledge of who defeated him eating away at his mind.  That shall be his real punishment."
Cadance shivered, reminded that, when she wanted to be, Celestia could be viciously vindictive under the right circumstances.
"Besides," said Celestia, gesturing to a stack of papers resting on her desk, "It's not as though I've been sitting idle here.  When the rest of the Royal Guard returns, we shall be engaging in another sweep, this time of Canterlot."
"Is that...?"  Cadance eyed the stack of papers nervously.
Celestia nodded.  "Blueblood, Fancy Pants, and the ponies they've managed to sway have not stood idle either.  With this information, we will be able to abolish the Noble Court once and for all and their farce shall be at an end.  Once this is over, my little ponies won't have to worry about the machinations of those deluded idiots who somehow believe that a coincidence of birth makes them inherently superior to others."  She sighed.  "And that project of mine will finally be completed."
Cadance nodded.  She would be quite glad to know that ponies would no longer be subjected to the mysterious games and power plays of the Noble Court.  For centuries, Celestia had worked slowly and carefully at stripping them of their power and influence without them realizing.  Now, Elderflower's ambition to return the Noble Court to its original levels of power and influence would instead be its downfall.
"If that's all, then I think you can return to your husband," said Celestia, "You should both get some sleep.  It would seem that tomorrow is bound to be a busy day."
"Yes," agreed Cadance, "Goodnight, auntie."
"Goodnight," replied Celestia, watching as Cadance left.  As the door closed behind Cadance, Celestia let the smile drop from her face, adopting a stern, worried expression as she turned to look out the window once more.  And, with the nobles finally out of the way, I can focus on something much more important.
Morning Star was still out there after all.  His plan wasn't yet complete.  Celestia felt certain that, whatever he was planning to set into motion, the final piece of Morning Star's plan would be found here in Canterlot.  The time had come to set aside distractions like the Noble Court...permanently.



Morning(2) had come and, with it, Arkenstone had roused Scootaloo and Rumble into wakefulness.  He'd told the two of them to report to the dining room for breakfast, where he would explain the situation, along with their plan of action.  Apparently he and Shining Armor had learned where Twilight Sparkle and Coco Pommel were being kept.  It was now time to rescue them and bring them home.
In her room, Scootaloo stared down at the ribbon draped over her hooves.  Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and thought back to that night a couple months ago, when she'd faced down Perlin Bluestreak.  She remembered the look of fear and worry in Dawn's face and his anger over how reckless she had been.  She remembered returning the strip of stolen fabric to Rarity and Coco and the look of relief on their faces.  More importantly, Scootaloo remembered a vague feeling, a sense of accomplishment, something she hadn't noticed at the time.  But now, she realized that, in a sense, that simple act of kindness and reassurance had been even more important than managing to hold her own briefly against Perlin Bluestreak.
That's what Mom was talking about, she thought, What Dawn's been doing all this time...fighting for others.  I shouldn't be fighting for myself, but for Coco, Twilight, Arkenstone, and even Dawn.  Opening her eyes, she looked down at the ribbon again and smiled before taking the strip of fabric and wrapping it around her neck like a scarf, so that its ends trailed up and rested over the base of her wings.  Looking up at the clock, she realized that her time was nearly up.  Taking a deep breath, she centered herself once more.  Let's do this.
Meanwhile, in the room next door, Rumble was busy winding the cord of his meteor hammer around his foreleg.  Since he had received Cadance's blessing, he'd felt as though he'd grown a bit more accustomed to the presence of the real weapon.  He hadn't gotten the chance to practice with it since then, but the steel weight of the weapon now felt as though it belonged by his side.  All told, Rumble felt much more at ease than he had a day or so prior.
His ears perked upright at the sound of somepony knocking at the door.  Opening it, Rumble blinked in surprise as he found himself facing none other than Princess Cadance.
"Hi," she said, beaming down at the colt, "May I come in?"
"Um...sure," agreed Rumble, blinking as he looked up at her.
Cadance levitated a small box off of her back and lowered it down to Rumble, who took it in his hooves.  "It was a bit of a rush order that I placed with one of the Palace tailors.  Fortunately, she's a friend of mine, so she managed to get it done before this morning.  Take a look."
Rumble pulled the lid off the box.  His eyes widened as he stared unabashedly at what was contained within.  It was a pale-green shirt of light silk, with white embroideries along the collar and at the ends of the sleeves.  The color aside, it was nearly identical in appearance to the one Storm Front had worn almost constantly.  "It's amazing," he said.
"I haven't had a chance to meet your teacher, but I did see his picture from the files that Shining Armor had," explained Cadance, "Luckily, the tailor was able to replicate the design in your size."
"Thank you so much," said Rumble.  Carefully, so as not to dislodge his weapon, he slipped into the shirt and, with the aid of his feathers, tied the front closed.  Taking a moment, he examined himself in the mirror.
"It really looks quite handsome on you," observed Cadance with an amused titter, "I think that Sweetie Belle will be very impressed the next time she sees you."
Rumble's cheeks turned pink, but he smiled nonetheless.  "Thank you," he said warmly.
"You're welcome," said Cadance.  Bending, down, she planted a kiss on Rumble's forehead.  "Good luck."
With a nod, Rumble departed and Cadance watched him go down the hall, smiling fondly.  "Be safe...all of you," she whispered under her breath.



Scootaloo stared at the bowl in front of her.  It was filled with oatmeal that smelled of cinnamon and maple.  Off to one side rested a spinach and asparagus omelet, already decorated with ketchup in a criss-crossing pattern.  There was no question that breakfast looked appetizing.  However, at the same time, Scootaloo's stomach was churning so badly that she wasn't sure she could keep anything down.  Across the table from her, Rumble was in similar straits.
"You both need to eat," said Arkenstone, "It's important to keep up your strength."  Practicing what he preached, he was already digging into his own breakfast with a gusto.
"I-I'm not sure I can," said Scootaloo, her voice quivering with nerves.
"If you can't eat, then you won't be of any help to me once the fighting starts," said Arkenstone sternly, "Then you're probably better off here."
Whipping her head around, Scootaloo glared at him.  Arkenstone shrugged indifferently.  "There is no shame in admitting that you aren't ready to fight.  I would much rather you did that than have you accompany me and get yourself hurt or killed."
"Harsh as always," said Shining as he and Cadance trotted into the dining room.  Passing by Scootaloo, Shining leaned over and whispered into her ear.  "Try the tea.  It should help."
Scootaloo nodded and reached for the cup of tea by her plate.  Using her feathers, she lifted it to her lips and took a tentative sip.  To her surprise, the flavor of the tea was complemented by the sharp bite of ginger.  As she swallowed down the mouthful, Scootaloo was surprised to find that her stomach was beginning to settle.  Feeling a bit better, Scootaloo began to eat her own breakfast.  Across from her, Rumble watched what she did before mimicking her actions and finally managing to eat his own breakfast.
They ate in silence.  As the time for their departure drew nearer, Scootaloo felt her nerves drawing tighter.  She felt as though she might jump at the slightest provocation.  Rumble looked a bit calmer, the but the tremors running up and down his legs betrayed his own nerves.  Without a word, Arkenstone once again led them through the Palace, this time taking them out through a servants' entrance where the accumulated garbage of the ponies who lived and worked there was taken out.
Both Scootaloo and Rumble wrinkled their noses as the stench hit them.  Even the fact that it was technically royal garbage didn't seem to change the fact that garbage stank, no matter where it came from.  Despite the fact that his acute sense of smell probably made the scent of garbage all the worse to him, Arkenstone didn't so much as twitch as the three of them carefully sidestepped mounds of trash bags and other receptacles to make their way to the streets of Canterlot.
Their path took them down alleyways and past old storefronts.  Then they entered into a section of Canterlot that seemed quite different.  Imposing walls lined the streets.  Behind the walls or through the wrought iron gates they occasionally passed, Scootaloo and Rumble could see the visages of elaborate mansions, bright-green lawns, and vibrantly-colored gardens.  The mansions seemed to be living beings in their own right, each one looking as though it was consciously striving to outdo its neighbor in the grandiosity of its decoration.  Through one gate, they could see hedges trimmed into the shapes of ponies and other creatures in remarkably lifelike poses.  The yard next door was decorated with statues of white marble with ivy artistically climbing and wrapping around them.
The streets themselves were relatively empty.  Unlike those in the more public sections of Canterlot, which were often full of all manner of ponies going about their business, hardly anypony seemed to use these streets.  Scootaloo supposed that the richest and most distinguished nobles probably wanted to keep their streets free and clear of commoners, which left her a bit surprised that nopony had bothered them yet.
Finally, they stopped at a particular gate, which offered them a view of yet another manor and its ostentatious yard.  Scootaloo blinked as she looked in, noticing that the decorations were more subdued in this particular yard.  Instead of statues or pony-shrubs, it sported low flowerbeds.  Looking around, she noticed none of the guards that, according to Shade Steel's report, had been roaming about through the night.
"Where are all the guards?" asked Rumble, giving voice to the same question Scootaloo had in her head.
"During the night, they need to be very thorough," said Arkenstone, "But during the day, it would be suspicious to have so many ponies patrolling the grounds.  It would be much too obvious to observers that Elderflower has something he doesn't want other ponies seeing.  No doubt the area is still being watched, but the guards will be able to see things from the windows much more easily during the day."
"Oh," said Scootaloo, "Okay...how are we doing this then?  How are we getting in there?"
A dangerous-looking smile spread across Arkenstone's face.  "Through the front door."
His tail lashed through the air.  Both Scootaloo and Rumble caught glimpses of tiny objects scattering around before they vanished from sight.  Then, with a faint whistling noise, lines seemed to magically appear on the gate in front of them.  With a clank, those lines became points of separation and the gates quickly fell to pieces with the clanging of iron against the marble driveway that led up to the front of the manor.  Arkenstone strode through the entrance as naturally as though he belonged there, his first step slamming down with enough force to crack the stone beneath it and sending a rumbling tremor surging through the ground that made the manor's windows rattle audibly, even from this distance.  Scootaloo and Rumble followed behind, casting their eyes about nervously, looking for the first signs of trouble.
"Come," said Arkenstone, "It's time for us to enjoy the Baron's hospitality."