It was soft and fluffy. A heart-melting warmth enveloped Twilights body, and a sweet, familiar smell filled her nose. She peaked an eye open, only to shut them a split second after as the light filling the room made them sting. It wasn't too bad, but it still did hurt, and she pushed her head further down into the fluff she was resting in, which produced a small groan. At first, she ignored it, but when the realization that pillows don't groan hit her, she quickly popped her eyes open, despite the stinging she knew would follow.
The first thing she saw was a dark blue fur which transitioned into silver. Her eyes slowly followed the fur up until it became a muzzle. Silvers muzzle. He was sound asleep, much to Twilights relief, and she found that she was tangled up in his paws. In a flash, the memories of the night before came flooding back to her, and she remember her drunken mistake.
...Wait. Was it a mistake? Twilight honestly couldn't tell. Although she could remember the actual events clearly, she couldn't remember what was going through her mind at the time. But what she did know was that she enjoyed her sleep quite a lot. Perhaps her good nights rest was due to her new sleeping partner, and if it was, then was it really a mistake? She knew she didn't actually do anything with him, and he didn't seem to know, or at least mind, she was there. So in the end, could anything she had done really been wrong?
Silver shifted and groaned once more and Twilight froze like a statue, waiting for Silver to settle before moving to get up. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she was certain Silver could feel it as well. Luckily for her though, he didn't. After he stopped moving, Twilight slowly and carefully slipped out from under his arms and off of the couch. Upon getting up, she realized how warm he was as she felt like she had just stepped out of her house and into the snow without any clothes on. She felt a little sad she had to leave him, but she really didn't want him to wake up and she still be there. She looked at him one last time, remembering the moment she knew would probably never happen again, then turned and went to the kitchen to cook breakfast. Thanks to her unusual wake up, she was more awake than she would've been if she'd slept in her bed.
As she began cooking, Twilight was running numerous different scenarios in her head relating to the different was her previous night and morning could have gone. She could have just thrown a blanket over Silver and gone to bed, woke up and started cooking like she had before.
She could have kept sleeping and then be woken up by Silver getting up, leading to an extremely awkward conversation.
She could have even bucked him and started a relationship.
But she didn't. Instead, she just slipped away and made breakfast. Twilight hung her head and sighed at what could have been. The only one she didn't mind avoiding was the awkward conversation.
“Something wrong?” Silver asked from the doorway of the kitchen, startling the mare and causing her to jumped a little. His voice was low and still half asleep. It was what Rarity called, “The Sexy Sleepy Voice,” and now Twilight knew why. His half-woken state made Twilight wish she had bucked him.
“Oh! Um, nothing! Just a little tired it all!” Twilight stammered out. She was trying her best to not look at Silver, afraid that he might some how miraculously figure out what happened.
“I'm sure some breakfast will help with that, but none for me though. I need to get to...*yawn*...Canterlot soon. I want to talk to Celestia about that book.” Silver leaned down and stretched, letting out a small whine that caused Twilight to squeal in her head.
“Oh, okay. Do you mind if I come too? I would like to learn about it as well,” she said, doing her best to maintain her composure. Silvers ears perked up and he brought himself back to his paws.
“Well, the book wasn't the only thing I was going to talk to her about. I was going to ask about those guards she wanted me to train too, so you might end up having to tag along to some other places as well.”
“That's fine. I don't really have much to do today anyway.”
Silver simply shrugged, “Alright then. We'll leave in an hour, so meet me at the station. I need to go check on a few things first.”
Twilight nodded and went back to her cooking. She wanted to ask what Silver was going to go do, but figured she would seem a bit nosy if she did.
After Silver left, Twilight ate her breakfast and showered before cleaning up the plates and mugs from last nights dinner. She had fallen asleep before she remembered to pick them up and set them in the sink. Since she still had some time, she washed up the dishes. By the time she was finished, it was time to leave. She trotted out of the door and flew to the station to where she found Silver patiently waiting. It didn't take long for the train to arrive, and the trip to Canterlot was only 30 minutes, so the two would arrive fairly quickly.
Of course, there was a complication. The complication be that the ponies weren't to seeing a winged wolf in the streets and on a train. Silver paid them no mind, but Twilight still felt awkward even if he didn't. The ponies kept staring at the two, whispering indistinctly. If it was this bad on the train, then she couldn't imagine what it will be like when they reach Canterlot, which isn't exactly known for it's acceptance of the unorthodox.
When the train pulled in to the station, Twilight hesitated to get up out of the box. She knew how the ponies of Canterlot would react, and wanted to avoid an outbreak of panic.
“I'll meet you at the castle,” Silver said as he stood up out of the seat, breaking Twilight out of her worrisome thoughts.
“Huh?”
“I said, I'll meet you at the castle. I trust you know how to find your way there on your own. I don't want to walk through the streets of this place, so I figure I should just evaporate and fly into the building.”
Twilight felt a wave of relief wash over her as she realized she had forgotten all about his ability. After Silver disappeared in a wisp of wind, Twilight trotted off the train and through the city to the castle. She stopped by the guard post at the front gate and asked them to tell Celestia she was there, since she couldn't have Spike deliver a message before arriving like she normally would. After unlocking the gate, Twilight made her way into the castle grounds and walked through the front doors. She figured Celestia would be in her study, where she normally spent her time when she wasn't in a meeting. Twilight trotted up the stairs to the second floor to where the study was located, the way to the room was clearly ingrained in to her mind as she could remember all of the times Celestia had brought her up for private lessons.
Twilight approached the large wooden double doors and lifted a hoof to knock. She tapped three times and waited before she heard a voice tell her to enter.
“Come in,” Celestia called through the door, and Twilight pushed one of handles to open. She peaked only her head in at first, looking to find where Celestia was before entering. The room large and the ceiling stretched quite high. There were bookshelves reaching all the way to the top of the room, and some plush furniture to rest on while reading, as well as a writing station. Celestia was behind the desk with a large stack of books and papers next to her.
“Sorry to drop by so suddenly, but I didn't have any other way of reaching you. Silver said he need to speak with you and I just kinda tagged along,” Twilight said, only her head and front body coming through he door.
Celestia gestured a hoof for Twilight to come in, “It's quite alright Twilight, I do enjoy the company. Luna sleeps all day and the delegates and officials can get a little boring, so little surprises like this that make my day better. Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?” Twilight went over to her previous mentor and was wrapped in a hug by her wings. She fondly recalled the memories they shared in that room, and all the lessons she had learned from the ancient alicorn.
“Well, like I said, it was Silver that wanted to talk with you. I just tagged along,” Twilight explained, breaking away from Celestias embrace.
“Well, I wonder where out little wolf friend has gone,” Celestia inquired. Just after speaking, she felt something drag up her back slowly and tickling between her wings, causing her to let out a quivering moan.
“Umm... Celestia? Is everything okay?” Twilight asked, confused by the unexpected expression. She knew she was cuddly, but she didn't think it warranted something like that.
“Oh, I think she's fine,” Silver said, as he stepped out from behind her, “I'd been wondering what your sexy voice was like.”
“Silver, if you wanted to discuss those kinds of things, you could have just left Twilight in Ponyville,” Celestia scolded while trying to fight back a bit of blush, “I'd much rather answer those kinds of things in private.”
“Oh don't worry, I intend to learn much more about you, but I afraid those lessons will have to come at a later time. I wanted to talk to you about the guards you wanted me to train.” Silver stepped in front of the desk next to Twilight, who looked at him with a bewildered face. At first, it was because he was able to make Celestia moan like that, but now it was because he was flirting with her ex-teacher. While she didn't fully understand what exactly they were talking about, she did have a pretty good idea, and she didn't like where it was going. It wasn't that she was jealous, but that it was Celestia, and Twilight wasn't used to seeing her act in such a way.
“Oh yes, the guards,” Celestia said as she shuffled some papers on her desk before pulling out some folders that were pilled underneath, “I've hand picked a few that I think would do quite well. Their some of my best.”
She floated the five folders over to Silver, who spread them out of the table. One by one, he picked them up and flipped through them, quickly scanning the stats inside. Twilight looked over his should and did the same. Three of them were pegasi, one was an earth pony and the other was a unicorn.
“Wow, these are some top notch soldiers,” Twilight said as she read, “There all captains like my brother, and they all have an excellent background. Top of their classes at the best academies, recognition from multiple other squads and guards, highly decorated and have had several successful missions. Silver, with guys like this, the training should be a breeze.”
“Hmm...” Silver thought as he stared at the folders. He looked over to the clock, reading 10:00 in the morning, then looked back at the folders, “Are they training right now?”
“Yes,” Celestia said with a proud smile, “They insist on keeping their skills sharp.”
“Let me see them.”
Celestia got up from her spot and went to the window, “Over there,” she said, pointing a hoof to a field in the neighboring land outside of the wall surrounding the palace. It was quite a ways away, but Silver could make out a group of ponies doing exercises and drills.
“I'll need a closer look,” Silver said as he opened the window. He jumped out and spread his wings, quickly moving across the sky to the field next door, landing just a few yards from the group. A few moments later, Celestia and Twilight landed behind him, causing the guards to stop what they were doing and bow.
“As you were,” Celestia said, and the ponies went back to their exercises. Two of the pegasi took off to the sky, flying through tightly knitted hoops and curves, while the third was on the ground sparring with the earth pony. The unicorn was firing magic bolts at targets set up a couple hundred yards away.
Silver closely inspected the guards, watching their every move. The pegasi in the sky were phenomenal, each turn and cut perfectly executed and timed. The sparring earth pony and pegasus were very skilled as well; the pegasus using her speed to dodge and parry all of the earth ponies blows, but the earth pony had inconceivable strength. The unicorn had a wide range of spells, and to match them, he had impeccable accuracy, hitting every one of the targets 400 yards away with ease. They truly were some of Equestria's finest.
“I can't use them,” Silver said as he turned away, “They're useless to me.”
Those words brought everything to a screeching halt. Celestia and Twilight dropped their jaws, and the guards turned to Silver and cast him a ghastly glare.
“Silver, what do you mean they're useless? They're the best guards I've ever seen!” Twilight exclaimed as she worried for her friends safety.
“Silver, please do explain. How are they not good enough?” Celestia asked.
“I never said they weren't good enough, and all I said was that they were useless to me. They are, with out a doubt, the finest soldiers in the Royal Guard, but that's the issue. They're too good. If I tried to introduce a new form of training and style, it would only mess up their skills. They've become too engrossed in the Equestrian combat style. So, I can't do anything with them.”
The glares of the guards seemed to disappear, but their eyes still harbored ill feeling toward the wolf, not that he seemed to care though.
“So, do you need untrained soldiers?” Celestia asked. She could understand what he was trying to say, but it didn't fully click with her. She knew that Silvers judgment was accurate, though her understanding was mostly due to his status in his homelands military.
“No. Here, why don't you let me pick who I can train. That way, it's less work for the both of us. You don't have too keep looking, and I won't have to make do with what you come up with.”
Celestia didn't like it, mostly because of the way he said it, but she reluctantly agreed. She was already swimming in paper work due to her neglect while she was looking over soldiers profiles, so she didn't want to add more by doing the exact same thing again.
“Very well, but on one condition. You must first introduce me to the ones you pick.”
“Deal. Now, I have one more matter to attend to while I'm in Canterlot. Tell me, where is that little sister of yours?”
“Luna?” Celestia asked, cocking her head, “She's sleeping, like she always is when it's day time. She's usually only awake at night. Why? What do you need her for?”
“I was at your old castle in the Everfree Forest yesterday, and I found something that belongs to her.”
“What was it?”
“Now, Tia. You should know better than to go asking about your sisters personal items.”
Celestia wanted to respond, but knew Silver had a point. Luna would be quite upset if she found Celestia poking around in her personal affairs, even if she was her sister.
She sighed and hung her head, “Fine. I won't ask. She usually gets up at sunset. I'll tell her you were looking for her.”
“Don't bother. I'll just stop by a little later and see her. But in the mean time, I need to go to Manehatten.”
“Manehatten? Why are you going there?” Twilight asked, breaking her silence.
“If you tag along, you'll see.”
Twilight wasn't sure if she should, but she figured since she didn't have anything else to do, she would. She also didn't want to stick around and get in Celestias way while she was trying to do her paper work.
“Fine,” Twilight sighed.
“Cool. We'll be back after sunset,” Silver said to Celestia, “Come on Twilight.”
Silver spread his wings and took to the sky once more, keeping a slow pace for Twilight to keep up. Slow as it may have been though, they were still flying at a decent pace, and soon found Canterlot Castle in the distance behind them.
It didn't take long for Twilight to break the silent flight. She flew up next to him and spoke,
“Silver, I couldn't help but notice that you called Celestia 'Tia'.”
“Yes?”
“Well, it's just that, the only pony I've ever heard call her that is Luna, so I figure you would have to be pretty close to call her by that name.”
“Well, you're doing pretty good so far.”
“And going based off the way you two were talking with each other, I can't help but wonder, were you and Celestia, um... together, in the past?”
Silver came to halt and turned to look at the lavender alicorn next to him. His face was nothing but pure confusion, but that didn't last long before he practically fell out of the sky laughing.
“HAHAA! TOGETHER!!! AHAHA!!” Silver was barely able to keep himself from plummeting to the ground while he was trying to keep his gut from bursting. Twilight, while shocked at his sudden outburst, was quite upset as she felt he was laughing at her. After another minute or two of boisterous laughter, Silver finally managed to collect himself and explained,
“Ahaha....ahhh. No Twilight. Celestia and I have never had that kind of relationship. I'll admit, she's beautiful, but our flirting was just play, nothing more. As for my familiarity with her, that's because while Luna was gone, she visited Houndland a number of times, and while there, we got to know each other,” Silver wiped a tear away from his eye with a claw and resumed his normal flight speed, Twilight flying next to him.
“So all of that from the castle was just the way you two normally talk?”
“Pretty much. Celestia doesn't get a chance to just talk normally with ponies since they all act so formal around her, even you. I didn't bother with acting like that so I guess she took a liking to the fact that she could talk to me as a friend and not a citizen or subject.”
“It's weird. I never would have imagined Celestia had a side like that to her. I mean, I knew she liked a good prank or party every once in a while, but never something like that. ”
“Twilight, she might be a millenniums old alicorn, but she's still a mare. She has her playful and flirtatious side, she just never shows it. Never knew why though, she's a knock out beauty with the biggest flank I've ever seen, so I'm sure she could have some tricks.”
“Silver!”
“Oh, come on! I know I'm not the only one who thinks that!”
“You can think it, just don't say it!”
“See, this is why I can call her Tia, and you can't. I can't tell you how many times I've made a comment about her butt and she just laughed at it.”
Twilight was beginning to feel flustered. She felt like she was talking to some colt in high school. She turned her head away and put on her best pout face.
“Oh come on, don't get mad,” Silver cooed, “for what it's worth, I think your flank is pretty cute too.”
Twilight's ears perked up, before falling back down with embarrassment. She lowered her head and spoke softly,
“I hate you some times, you know that.”
“Yeah, every pony does.”
Twilight dropped her speed a little and flew behind Silver instead of beside.
“There he goes again with the flirting. I can't tell if he likes me or if he's just having fun like he does with Celestia. And what they hay is up with that any ways? Hitting on two mares at the same time? What's wrong with him?”
“What's wrong with me?... Why am I getting so upset over it? Silver already said he and Celestia are just good friends. But still...I don't know why I'm angry. It's not like he's made a commitment to me, but I still...”
“We're here,” Silver said as he stopped on a cloud. Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and landed next to him. They were still high up in the sky, looking out over the city. Silver stepped to the edge of the cloud and squinted while he scoured and scanned the streets.
“What are you looking for?” Twilight asked as she stepped next to him She could barely make out the taxis on the ground, much less any individual pony.
Silver didn't look away but still answered, “The slums. It's where I'm gonna find my recruits.”
“Recruits?”
“Yeah, for the training.”
“Wait, I thought you were just going to pick different soldiers. Ones with less experience than the ones Celestia picked out.”
“Nope. Even if I did do that, the training would still only mess them up. What I need is some pony with raw ability but no defined style. That way, I can teach them to apply what they've learned into a proper form. Like taking a ball of clay and molding it into the shape you want.”
“If that's what you're looking for then why are we here? I think you would be better off looking at new recruits in the academy rather than looking at the slums of Manehatten.”
“The prior training wasn't the only issue I had with the soldiers. It was also where they came from.”
“What do you mean?”
“They all came from snob hill,” Silver said with a roll of his eyes, “The richest of the rich and they all got accepted into the best places because of their families money and status. Of course, they really are the best ponies in the Royal Guard, but the ponies I'm going to train are going to be much different; they're going to be the best in Equestria. And for that, I need a different kind of pony, one that knows what it means to have to survive on your own, to struggle through the filth and claw your way to the top. Not one who had the way paved out for them on a road made of gold.”
Twilight went silent. She didn't like this side of Silver. In fact, she could even say she hated it.
“You can be mad all you want, but that's not going to change anything. You saw those files too. You know the only way to get to those kinds of places is to have prestige and wealth.”
“That's not true!” Twilight shouted, causing Silver to pull his eyes away from the city and to the wrathful mare beside him, “You don't anything about Equestria or the requirements it takes to become the level those guards were at. My brother struggled and fought as hard as he could until he made captain, and guess what?! He didn't come from some wealthy family! He didn't have it the easy way! So when you say that about them, you're insulting my brother too, and I won't have that! Do you understand!?” Twilight had stepped closer to Silver until her muzzle was just inches away from his, forcing him to lean back.
Silver was shocked. No, not just shocked, but scared too. As well as guilty. He stared down the huffing mare and as the tears began to form in her eyes, he realized his mistaken words.
“Oh...Twilight, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that,” He said as gently as he could, “Look, I know your brother isn't like that, Blackwing has told me all about him in letters, and I didn't mean to offend. I shouldn't have spoken like that. It-it was wrong of me...” Silver dropped his ears and looked away in shame.
It was silent for a minute. One of the longest minutes Silver had ever experienced. But then, much to his surprise, he felt a small thud against his chest. When he looked down, his muzzle was met with a nose full of purple mane.
“Twilight?”
“Dammit Silver...” she mumbled. She honestly didn't mean to get so upset, it just kind of caught her off guard. Her brother had a difficult time climbing through the ranks, so when ponies begin to doubt or discredit him, she takes it a little personally.
Twilight turned her head up to look at Silver, “I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry...”
Silver wrapped both his wings and his paws around her, hugging her tightly, and for the second time that day, Twilight swam in Silvers warm fur, “Don't worry about it. You were right to be mad,” he said before pulling back, much to Twilights dismay, “Now come on, I know where we're headed.”
Silver took the lead once more, flying to the east side of the city. Twilight quickly took notice of the change in scenery as the neighborhood they were flying into had a noticeably different feel to it compared to the rest of the city. The streets below were filled with a constant tension that could be felt even in the sky, even though the streets themselves were empty.
Silver landed on a roof of the tallest building he could find, and then once again went to the edge to and scanned the streets.
“What are you looking for now?” Twilight asked.
“A sign, like a flag or something.”
“A sign? For what?”
“For the pony who runs this district.”
It took her moment to realize it, but she eventually caught on to what Silver was saying.
“A gang?! He's going to train a gang member to be a soldier?!”
“...Silver, do you really think it would be wise to train some pony like that? I mean, gangs are dangerous. I don't think they're safe enough to trust.”
“I'm not training the gang members, but I do need them for something.”
“Well, that's a relief...kinda.”
“What for?”
“You'll see...ah there!” Silver pointed a claw at an alley way in between a few buildings up the street. Twilight couldn't see it, but Silver saw a graffiti tag on a wall of broken sword with a crown hanging off the handle.
“The Fallen Kings, or something like that. Not a bad name, but I don't think they know the story behind it.”
Twilight simply looked to Silver with confusion, his rambling going over her head and making very little sense.
“And now to find my recruits.” Silver said as he jumped off from the roof and over to the neighboring one, then did the same thing again and again, slowing making his way down the street as he paused every few building to look down below once more. Twilight followed behind, but instead of jumping, she just hovered behind.
Silver continued to roof jump for a long time, at least for two hours, until he finally came to a stop.
“Hmm.. this place seems promising,” he said as he looked to the building across the street. It was made from brick, much like the majority of the buildings in Manehatten, and three stories tall. It was old and beat up, but still standing firmly, with the windows all boarded up. There was a little yellow piece of paper on the front door, most likely a condemned note. From what Twilight could tell, it used to be an apartment building.
“Wait here, and don't leave the roof. No matter what,” Silver turned and said before dropping off the edge and gliding down the the other side of the street.
He approached the front door of the building and, instead of knocking, turned and kicked the door in, causing it to fling inside. Twilight could here shouts from the ponies inside following moments after the door came in, and could see shadows of ponies moving around from the entry way. Silver stepped inside and the shouting grew louder, but once he passed the threshold of the door, Twilight could no longer see what he was doing.
Silver calmly walked through the hallway. A door to his right flung open and a large, bulky stallion stepped out. He lifted a hoof to hit Silver, but before he could even swing, Silver flicked out his wing and knocked the stallion through the wall and continued to walk.
From around the corner at the end of the hall way, three more ponies stepped out. One was a pegasus with a metal bat, and the other two were unicorns, one floating a hammer and the other a knife. The unicorn with the knife was the first to attack. He charged at Silver, who simply side stepped and kicked him through a door. Next, the other unicorn and pegasus attacked simultaneously, but Silver bolted forward with his wings out and clothes-lined them both, rendering them unconscious. He made the turn around the corner and went up the flight of stairs that followed them to reach the third floor.
It was here that the main brunt of the ragtag army appeared. Fifteen or so of them stepped out of the doors in the hall, each baring some kind of nasty looking weapon, protecting the door at the end of the hall. They couldn't do much though, as Silver disappeared in a flash, appearing behind them and bringing after him a powerful gust that knocked them aside. Once again, he kicked in the door, sending it flying. The room that was previously hidden now exposed a dimly lit room, with seven ponies hiding in it's shadows. Although he couldn't see their eyes, he could feel the deadly glares piercing his soul...and he laughed.
“That's good....this is just what I need,” he said to himself, “Listen up! I'm doing a bit of recruiting for a little project I'm putting together. If you want to become stronger than any other pony in this country, then come to the old complex on the corner of 4th and Smith later this evening. I'll be on the roof waiting for you. And if you don't think I can teach you anything, then just ask yourself how I got here with out a scratch on me. The choice is yours.”
Before Silver could turn and walk away, there was movement in the room. A knife was brought out and hurled at Silver, only to miss and fly down the hall as he evaporated.
The shouting died down, and Twilight began to feel anxious. Was it a good silence, or a bad one?
“Alright, time to go,” Silver said as he walked up behind her.
“Silver! How did you—oh, right, evaporation.”
Silver flew into the sky and Twilight followed again.
“Silver, what was that? Why did you go in there and pick a fight? You could've been killed!”
“Twilight, if ponies like that could kill me, I'd have died a long time ago.”
“But still, what was that? Why did you even think about approaching that place?”
“Because, it was the one place that wasn't tagged by the Fallen Kings.” Twilight cocked her head, and Silver sighed before pointing out to the buildings.
“See, the tags stop after a certain number of streets, and since there aren't any other tags in this area. It means that something, other than a rival gang, was able to keep them from taking over. That 'something' was the group ponies I just talked to.”
“That was talking? I'd hate to see what you're definition of fighting is then.”
“It was the only way to get them to listen. Out here, you have to make a splash if you want respect and attention. Other wise, you'll just end up ignored...or a victim.”
Twilight didn't get it. It wasn't the world she was raised in, so she didn't expect to ever full understand what Silver was saying, but she figured that if Silver knew what he was talking about then it would be best not to question it.
“Well, now where are we going?”
“To the Fallen Kings hide out.”
“Wait! What!? We're going from one gang base to another? Why?!”
“Because, that's the spot I told those ponies to meet me at.”
“But aren't those two groups fighting?! Won't bringing them there start a war?”
“No, it'll put an end to one. Twilight, in case you haven't noticed, these streets are pretty empty, and it's still only late afternoon. No pony is out here because they don't want to be caught in the cross fire between these two groups. They've been fighting for a while, so something like the other ponies showing up at the front step of the Fallen Kings home wouldn't be too surprising.”
Twilight was astounded. She wasn't sure if it was bravery, genius or just stupidity, but Silver was unbelievably calm about this entire ordeal. Which was pretty much the opposite of herself, as she was seriously contemplating just running home and hiding under her blanket. She had just been placed in the middle of a war between to gangs and just tagged along with the wolf who just pitted them against each other. Again, either brave, genius or stupid.
The two reached their destination after a bit of a long flight. They had to take a longer way to avoid being seen by Fallen King members wondering around. They weren't able to land on the roof, as one member was sitting on top of it, but they did manage to pull a cloud to hover over it.
The sun was still up, but going off of it's placement and the color of the sky, Silver guessed sunset would be coming soon, meaning the show would start soon as well. It took about an hour and a half, but eventually, Silver spotted a group of five ponies walking towards the building. Something about their gait told him that they were the ponies in the room he had barged into. It tool a little longer for the member on the roof to notice them, but after he did, he ran for the door and shot down the stairs. Silver could hear him shouting and reporting what he'd seen, and from the tone in his voice, he was terrified.
It intrigued Silver. Now why would this guy, who has an entire base filled with probably 40 or so ponies, be so scared of just five others? Of course, he already knew the answer. He had experienced that same moment many times himself, just not as the one who was scared.
The ponies marching toward the strong hold were monsters.
Beasts of the most vicious breed and seething a blood-lust that could freeze the devil dead in his tracks.
Beasts like him.
“And so the show begins...”
As the ponies grew closer to the complex, they began to understand just what they were headed into. An argument broke out, and three of the ponies ended up running, much to Silvers disappointment. But when he stopped and looked closer, he found that the two remaining ponies were the real threat the Fallen Kings were so scared of. Without them, the other three came off as harmless, or at least, cowardly. This only excited Silver even more. Just these two ponies are capable of making an entire gang shake in their boots. Silver couldn't wait to meet them.
The two ponies entered the complex. The shouting grew louder, and fighting could be heard even on top of the cloud. Twilight couldn't bear it, so she covered her ears with her hooves and buried her face into the nearest object. That object being Silvers back.
The fighting continued for ten minutes, and Twilight never looked up. For a moment, Silver thought she might have fallen asleep, but then she let out a quiver telling him otherwise. Eventually though, the door to the roof burst open and a pony came flying out, his face bruised and bloodied by a hoof. Then two mares stepped through the half hanging door, one a unicorn, levitating two re-bar, and the other a pegasus. They looked around for their host, but didn't seem to find him.
“Yoo-hoo!” Silver called as he waved a hoof over the cloud. The two mares looked up and found the wolf they had been looking for.
“Why dontcha come down!? I'd love to get to know you a little better!” the pegasus mare called out. Her voice reminded him of Rainbow Dash, though a little more feminine.
“Why don't you come up?! You got wings, don't you?!”
“Smart ass,” she muttered before taking off, and boy was she fast! It only took her a fraction of a second to close the 100 yard gap between the roof of the building and the cloud. Not that it mattered though, as the moment she reach the cloud, Silver smacked her back down to the roof with his wing.
“AH! FUCK!” she cried as she slammed into the roofing.
Silver turned to the hiding mare in his back, “Stay here. Don't come down until I tell you,” he said before flying down to the roof.
As he landed, the pegasus got back to her hooves and turned to Silver. She kicked the dirt below her and blew out a puff of air through her nostrils, then charged once more. She jumped and swung at Silver, who leaned to the side and dodged before spinning around on his front paws and kicking her in the stomach with his back legs. She flew back and smashed into the wall of the doorway, shattering the bricks. Silver could hear her coughing as she laid in the bricks.
Silver turned to the unicorn, “Would you like a try?” The mare calmly shook her head.
“Huh, pussy...” the pegasus said as she rolled off the pile of bricks. The unicorn shot her a nasty glare, to which the pegasus just rolled her eyes at.
“Are you done now?” Silver asked.
“Guess so. Doesn't feel like I'm gonna win any time soon, so I might as well just stop.” The pegasus spoke from the ground with out getting up and stared at the sky. Now that the excitement had settled down, Silver could finally get a good look at his new recruits.
The pegasus on the ground had a light, tan coat and a slightly lighter mane and tail with blonde streaks. Her tail was a medium length, and her mane was long and flat, with the bangs held to the side by a clip. Her cutie mark was a large crack in a piece of land.
The unicorn had a coal black coat, and a jet black mane and tail with a single deep blue streak running through the mane. Her tail was long and almost touch the ground, and her mane was long as well and put into a single braid that draped on her left shoulder. A lock of her hair dangled in front of her eyes. Her cutie mark was a black gem, almost invisible thanks to her coat.
“So what are your names?”
“Rupture, but most just call me Ruppy.” The pegasus said.
“My name is Onyx.” the unicorn said after, speaking her first words. She had a silky smooth voice, but it sounded cold and empty, like she lacked emotion.
“Nice to meet cha'. Name's Silver Wind. Sorry about this whole thing, but I wanted to test you to see how strong you were. Congrats', you both passed! Now, are you still interested in what I have to offer?”
Ruppy sat up and spoke, “I didn't beat my way through a building just have tea and cookies. Now tell me, can you really make me the strongest in Equestria.” Her emerald eyes held a fierce determination, one that reminded Silver of himself when he was still on the streets.
“I can,” Silver boldly stated, and Ruppy cracked a wide grin,
“Then count me in,” she turned to the unicorn beside her, “What about you? You down?”
Onyx nodded in reply.
“Good, now I want you to meet some pony before you leave, so you can get an idea of what you're life is gonna be like,” Silver said before waving a paw up to the cloud. Twilight peaked her head over the edge then flew down, landing softly next to Silver.
“Um.. Hi there,” she said shyly.
Ruppy laughed, “Well, shit. I knew you were hiding some pony up there, but I didn't think it was a fuckin' princess.”
Onyx simply bowed her head in respect.
“I'll be training you to protect Princess Twilight Sparkle, and maybe even the other three princesses as well. If you still want out, you're welcome to leave.”
“Hell no,” Ruppy said with a grin, “I only have one question, do I get paid?”
“Yes, Princess Celestia has agreed to pay you with the salary of a captain,” Twilight said.
“Then it's fine by me.”
Silver turned to Onyx once more, who again simply nodded. A mare of few words, this one.
“Great, now go pack your crap. You'll be meeting me in Canterlot Castle in three days.”
And with that, Silver found his new recruits. But there was still one last matter he had to attend to before he could call it a day.
Luna....