To Be Bold!

by Whirl Wind

Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Implementation

“Today we are in session to confirm Darwin Alponge to high senator. All those opposed should raise their right hoof in opposition.” one of the senators said into a microphone.

“Courage, what’s your status?” Bold asked over a radio.

Courage put a hoof to his ear and looked away from the senate as they continued to speak. “Green. No sign of Star Scribe.” he whispered.

“Windy, anything outside?” Bold asked as he turned around. He looked out of a one way window that overlooked the senate.

“Negative, although it is hard to see through the crowd with this cloud cover.” Windy replied with a hint of frustration.

“Just keep your eyes peeled. Jim, status of the west wing?” Bold asked as his eyes scanned the room below him.

“Clear, there is no sign of him.” Jim replied as he stood behind two other police officers.

“Good, everypony stay in positions until I give the word.” Bold said with a sigh.

“Issue thirty six ‘B’. Better conditions for servants in low income homes. These things are causing disease due to neglect or abandonment. Senator Gabriel has elected to speak about a possible solution.” the head senator stated.

A yellow mare stood up and walked to the microphone at the podium. “The solution I am proposing is for an initiative to have all servants in low income houses to be euthanized.” she said plainly.

“WHAT DID SHE SAY?!” Windy’s voice crackled over the radio.

All three of them held a hoof up to their ear in pain. “Windy, keep your head on straight and stay focused on the job at hoof!” Bold said angrily.

“But Bold…!”

“No buts! We will take care of the servants after Star Scribe is taken care…” Bold started before he was interrupted by the lights going out. “Report, what is going on?!”

“Lights just went out all over the building! We are…” Courage started before a single spotlight turned on.

Star Scribe stood under that light and he was walking up the aisle between the seats. “You have a lot to answer for…” he said as he walked up to the podium in the middle of the room. “You treat the other species like they are tools… objects… things… Each of you is guilty of a horrible crime that deserves a most severe punishment.”

“Officers, remove this insane pony and get the power back on.” one of the senators demanded.

“Hold your positions!” Jim shouted as he burst through the doors.

Bold teleported himself down to the senate floor in front of Star Scribe. “Star Scribe, by the authority of the Equestrian government you are under arrest. Come quietly and we will not have to resort to taking you by force.”

“Officers, arrest these ponies now!” the head senator yelled.

Jim looked at the officers and shook his head. “Senators, remain calm and slowly follow me.” Courage whispered as he peeked up from the side of the senate seats. Slowly he started to lead them out one by one.

Star Scribe looked at Bold with a frown. “Do not try to stop me, this place deserves to burn in righteous fire and you know it!” he yelled angrily.

“Will you come with me, or will this get violent?!” Bold asked again.

Star Scribe responded in kind by throwing a chair at Bold with his magic. Bold pulled out his staves and smashed the chair to pieces. “Fool! You cannot stand up to my power!” Star Scribe yelled as he threw chair after chair. Bold smashed every single one of them and started to run forward. He tackled Star Scribe to the ground but was thrown off when Star Scribe sent out a wave of magical energy to repulse Bold.

Jim ordered his officers to evacuate the others from the building and stood his ground at the door in case Star Scribe tried to escape. Courage had successfully evacuated the senate while Bold kept Star Scribe distracted in combat. Bold threw Star Scribe into the senate stands and prepared himself for Star Scribe’s next attack. Star Scribe looked around and noticed that the senate was gone. “No! NOOOOOO!” he yelled as the entire senate stand exploded. Jim leaped in from of Bold and put up a barrier to block the jagged pieces of debris that was flying towards them. Jim fell to his knees as the barrier dropped and he was panting heavily.

“Stop him Bold! Before he tries something more destructive!” Jim shouted.

“Bold, he’s put up a barrier outside! I can’t get in!” Windy shouted over the radio.

Bold moved Jim behind cover before looking at what used to be the senate stand. Everything was quiet except for the crackles of fire burning as pieces of chair and desk burnt slowly. Star Scribe stood in the middle of the debris in an exhausted heap. “You have… no idea… what you have done… You can’t understand what it is like the live here!” he yelled as he flung a burning desk at Bold. Bold caught it and threw it away with a grunt.

“Surrender now! We will not hurt you!” Bold demanded as he recovered from the previous explosion.

Star Scribe started to walk towards Bold with a knife withdrawn. Bold prepared himself for anything but he didn’t see what happened next coming. Star Scribe cut his hoof and quickly started to draw a rune on the floor. Bold threw a staff at him and it hit him square in the horn causing it to crack. Star Scribe let out a cry of pain before letting out a laugh. “You are too late!” he shouted as the rune started to glow. It’s glow filled the room and there was a familiar sensation of being pulled into the rune. Suddenly the sound of howling wind and the chill of absolute cold shook their bones.

Bold grabbed Jim and Courage ran over to help them. Star Scribe was nowhere to be seen. “What happened?!” Jim asked over the howling wind.

Bold used a spell and a map formed in the snow. A red dot indicated their position. “We are near the Crystal Empire! If we move northeast from here we can get assistance from Princess Cadance!” he shouted as he lifted Jim onto his back.

Courage easily lifted Jim from Bold’s back on onto his own. “Let’s get moving then!” he shouted as they started to walk through the rubble of the senate building that was teleported with them. Bold walked them through the snow and as it started to let up they were covered and frozen to the soul.

“There it is, the Crystal Empire.” Bold said with a smile as the snow completely stopped. A couple of the guard patrolling the boarder spotted them and ran over to assist. “Guards, my name is Bold Character and I am a member of the special task force known as the Dusk Team. My friends and I need to see Princess Cadance immediately.”

The guards gave them a salute and started to lead them into the Empire. “Will you need any further assistance other than seeing the princess?” one of the guards asked as they walked through the city.

“Some hot chocolate please. My friends are not from here and I want them to see that they are treated with the utmost respect and hospitality.” Bold said sincerely.

“Yes sir. We will see to it.” the other guard said.

They entered the castle and walked to the throne room. Princess Cadance was sitting in her throne and Shining Armor was standing next to her. “Bold! You’re back! Princess Celestia will be so pleased! Is that him?” Princess Cadance asked gleefully.

Bold looked back to Jim and shook his head. “No your highness. These are two of my friends and partners. This is Courage and the stallion on his back, needing plenty of rest, is Jim.”

Princess Cadance nodded. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire. We will make sure your stay is a pleasant one.”

“A luxurious one.” Bold said to the guards. “Courage, follow these guards to our quarters and make sure Jim gets plenty of rest.” he said softly to Courage.

Courage fell to the ground, unconscious from all the beauty that he had witnessed as they walked. The guards assisted them and carried them to their quarters. “I take it they are not from around here.” Princess Cadance asked with a giggle.

“No your highness. Courage has lived the life of a servant and it has made him a bit… timid. But he proved his worth when Star Scribe attacked us. He is a worthy team mate... Please make sure that everything is done for him and that he doesn’t have to lift a hoof while he is here.” Bold requested as he bowed before her.

Shining Armor walked over to Bold and lifted him to his hooves. “No need to stand on ceremony right now Bold. We are the only three in here.” he said kindly.

“Thank you Shining… I… I don’t think I deserve it… I… I failed you all…” Bold said sadly.

“Star Scribe got away then… Where was he last seen?” Princess Cadance asked.

“Five miles southwest of here… He teleported an entire section of a building here with us…” Bold explained.

“Bold, we know you did your best. Take a break for a day while we pick up Star Scribe’s tracks.” Shining Armor said kindly.

“I can’t… I have to go back to get Windy…” Bold said as he pulled out a packet of his blood. “I’m going to have to stain your floor for a day…”

“Don’t worry, we understand. Do you want one of us to go with you?” Princess Cadance asked.

“Shining, I could use some backup in case anything goes wrong.” Bold said with a smile.

Shining Armor nodded and stood next to Bold. “I’d be honored.” he said with a grin.

Bold activated the rune and said, “I’ll make sure he gets back in one piece.” Then they vanished. They reappeared outside of the capital building and the sound of sirens rang in their ears. Bold looked around and it seemed like the capital building had collapsed in on itself and fires had broken out inside the wreckage. “Follow me.” he said as he lead Shining armor through the crowd. He found Cassidy in front of the crowd of spectators. “Cassidy!” he shouted over the crowd.

“You! Get over here and tell me what happened!” Cassidy said as she yanked him over the barriers. Shining Armor levitated the barrier and walked under it and followed the two of them as they got away from the noisy crowd. They entered a small room that did not collapse. “Now tell me, what happened?! Where is Jim?!” she asked worriedly.

Bold sighed. “Jim is fine, he is in my world being tended to.” he said sincerely. “Star Scribe did this. Our plan went well and we forced him back to my world. There we will be able to locate him easily and take him into custody.”

“And who is that?! He… wow… he’s huge…” Cassidy said in an impressed tone.

“This is Prince Armor. He and his wife rule over the crystal empire, but right now he is my backup. Where is Windy? The pegasi of our team.” Bold said in a tone of concern.

“She is back at HQ being debriefed. So, you are royalty huh? Sorry if I don’t bow or anything but today just isn’t the day for that.” Cassidy said as she pushed past them. She walked to the door and paused. “Bold… this could have been much worse. Thank you for saving everypony’s life.” she said before leaving.

“Sounds like this went better than expected.” Shining Armor said with a smile.

Bold scoffed and shook his head. “Look around you Shining… A broken build… a criminal still on the loose…”

“And a bunch of ponies that are still alive, thanks to you. Sometimes it is not about meeting the final goal, but just taking a few steps in the right direction.” Shining replied sincerely.

Bold sighed and walked to the door. “Come on, let’s go get Windy and get out of here” he said as they left the room.

Bold lead them to the police’s headquarters and walked inside. They went to the debriefing section, but Windy was nowhere to be found. “Listen, I was told by captain Cassidy that she was being debriefed. Now either you tell me where I can find her or you will find yourself out that window.” he said angrily.

The stallion behind the desk gulped and dug through his files. “Here it is… Windy Wisp… Pegasi… sent to interrogation room one…” he said as he read the file.

“Interrogation… you have three seconds to tell me where that is. One…” Bold started to count.

“In the sub-basement!” the stallion shouted fearfully.

Bold and Shining immediately ran to the elevator and Bold smashed the sub-basement button. The elevator began to descend and Bold started to pace. “Don’t worry Bold, she’ll be fine…” Shining said reassuringly.

The doors opened and Bold ran to the first interrogation room and slammed the door open. Windy was tied to a chair, bleeding and unconscious, and a unicorn was looking at Bold with a bit of anger and fear. “What is the meaning of this?! I am in the middle of an interrogation!” he shouted angrily.

Bold used his magic to throw the unicorn against the wall and pinned him there, choking him. “What did you do to her?! She has cuts all over her! Her hooves are burned!” he shouted angrily as the unicorn gagged.

“She’s… just… a pegasi…” the unicorn wheezed.

Bold tightened the grip on the unicorn’s throat and yelled in anger. “Bold, stop! Let him go!” Shining shouted as he tried to pull Bold away. Bold didn’t budge, his eyes were bloodshot with rage and his grip tightened even more. Then suddenly he threw the unicorn out of the door and untied Windy.

“Windy, Windy can you hear me? How did this happen…? How did they get you like this…?” Bold asked as he began to cry. Shining Armor looked at him and frowned before tending to the unicorn in the hall, who had several broken bones. Bold was covered in Windy’s blood and he held her gently and pulled her out of the chair and onto the floor. He used her blood to draw the rune to take them home. “Shining, get in here! We need to get Windy to the hospital!” he shouted sadly.

Shining re-entered the room and stood next to Bold. “You didn’t have to do that.” he said softly.

“Don’t start with me; if it was your wife in this chair you would have killed him.” Bold said as he activated the rune and teleported them directly to the throne room in the Crystal Empire. “Guards, we need assistance! Get a stretcher!” he shouted when they arrived. A couple of crystal guards walked in with a stretcher and quickly placed Windy on it and carried her to the infirmary and Bold followed her.

“Bold, after you are done with Windy I want to see you in my office.” Shining Armor said sternly.

“Yes sir.” Bold said before they rounded the corner. When they reached the infirmary Dr. Ray was there waiting for them.

“Bold, what the hay happened to her?!” Dr. Ray asked in shock as he got to work on Windy’s wounds.

“An interrogator. He… he was ruthless…” Bold said softly as Dr. Ray started to use his magic to clean up her blood stained coat.

“Is that your blood? Do I need to work on you next?” Dr. Ray asked.

“It’s all hers…” Bold said sadly as he sat down on one of the beds. “What’s the damage…?”

“She has multiple rope burns, multiple deep cuts and two hemorrhages. How did they capture her like that in the first place?”

“I don’t know… I found her this way...”

“Well, I have taken care of the damage but she will be down for a week.” Dr. Ray said as he sealed the last cut.

Bold stood up and walked over to her and held her hoof. “Windy… are you awake?”

Windy’s eyes fluttered open slowly. “Bold… where am I?” she asked weakly.

“You are in the Crystal Empire. We are back…”

“St-Star Scribe?”

“He escaped… but he is stuck here now. His horn is cracked so he can’t use his magic. Windy, how did they capture you like that?”

“I… I was taken in for a debrief… the two stallions I had tied up were at the desk… the rerouted me to interrogation… I tried to escape but… they used something that paralyzed me… it felt like I was zapped with lightning… it filled my body… then they dragged me down to that room and… and…” Windy explained as she started to cry.

Bold rubbed her hoof gently. “Shhh… it’s okay now… you are home… Just relax. I have to go talk to Shining Armor.” he said as he stood up.

Windy continued to cry as their hooves separated. “Bold… I’m sorry…” she whispered as he left.

Bold left the infirmary with tears in his eyes. He exhaled and sobbed a bit as he walked towards Shining Armor’s office. He recomposed himself outside of the door before he knocked. “Enter.” Shining Armor’s voice sounded from the other side.

Bold sighed, opened the door and entered the room. “Bold Character, reporting as requested…” he said softly as he closed the door and walked in front of the desk.

Shining Armor looked at him with cold eyes. “How is Windy?” he asked in a neutral tone.

Bold looked at the floor and a couple of tears dripped from his face. “She… she will be fine sir…” he said, expecting some sort of punishment to come next for what he did to the interrogator.

Shining Armor stood up and walked around the desk. Bold flinched and started to shake as he saw Shining Armor’s hooves in front of him. Shining Armor put a hoof on Bold’s chin and lifted his face so they were looking eye to eye. “I see… report to Princess Cadance in the throne room.” he said softly. “Dismissed.”

Bold gave him a salute before leaving his office and heading towards the throne room. When he arrived the throne room was empty, other than one guard at the door. “Where is Princess Cadance?” Bold asked quietly.

“In her quarter’s sir.” the guard responded stoically.

Bold gave the guard a salute and the guard returned the gesture. Bold then proceeded to walk to Princess Cadance’s quarters. When he arrived he gently knocked on the door like he did with Shining Armor’s office. “Come in.” Princess Cadance said happily. He opened the door and kept his head low as he walked into the room. “Bold, come in, come in. Have a seat.” she said gently.

Bold walked over to a cushion and sat on it softly. “Reporting as ordered your highness.” he said softly. Princess Cadance sat down behind him and started to brush his mane. This threw Bold off a bit, as he was not expecting to be groomed by the princess. “Princess, what are you doing?”

“I’m brushing your mane, it’s a mess.” she replied happily.

“I… you… okay… thank you…” Bold said in a confused tone. They remained silent for a little while as Cadance moved the brush through his mane slowly. “Princess… what is love…?” he asked suddenly.

Princess Cadance sighed softly. “Love is the most complicated of all emotions. It is the most dangerous one as well. It can change you into something terrible if you are in the wrong situation.” she said as she continued to crush his mane.

Bold sniffled a bit. “It can… make you… want to kill?” he asked sadly.

Princess Cadance stopped brushing his mane and set the brush down softly. She sat beside him and wrapped a wing over his back gently. “Yes…” she whispered. “What did you do Bold?”

“I… I didn’t… I mean…” he stammered sadly. “She was hurt… so much blood… and the interrogator… I’ll never forget the smile… on his face… I was SO ANGRY… I just… just…” He couldn’t say more. He just broke down, fell to the ground and started to cry.

Princess Cadance picked him up and hugged him tightly as he cried. “Shhh, shhhh… it’s okay… it’s okay…”

“I mangled him! I made sure of it! I didn’t… I didn’t want to kill him… I just… I was just too angry… I don’t know if I killed him… I don’t want to know… I don’t want to know…” he cried as he sobbed into her shoulder. Princess Cadance started to rub his back gently and hum a calming tune. After a while Bold spoke up again. “I’m sorry…”

“No, I’m sorry… I’m sorry you had to experience that kind of pain and anger… You two are on temporary leave for two months…”

Bold pushed away from her gently. “You… can’t do that… We are so close to catching Star Scribe! If he gets away he can regain his strength and then destroy that other land! I can’t let my emotions get in the way of doing my job!”

“It’s not negotiable. We can find Star Scribe from here; you have done your duty.” Princess Cadance insisted.

Bold stood up and turned around to face her. “Then I resign my commission. We will find him on our own.” he said stubbornly.

“The hell you will!” Sunny said as he landed on her balcony. He walked over to Bold and looked at him with a look of disappointment. “Don’t speak to your superiors like that, especially when they are trying to help you!” he scolded. “Now, I want you to report to the infirmary and keep our wounded troop company!”

Bold glared at Sunny with his one eye before giving him a salute and leaving the room. Sunny sighed once he was gone and looked at Princess Cadance. “I’m sorry for my sudden intrusion your highness, but I have some important news.”

Princess Cadance was looking at the door with a sad expression and didn’t hear what Sunny had said. “You shouldn’t be too hard on Bold… I know how he is feeling…” she said softly.

“Still, his parents and I have taught him to treat superiors with respect especially royalty.” Sunny explained. “What do you mean you know how he feels?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot about the time I spent worrying about Shining Armor when he was encased in Sombra’s shadow crystals.” she said with a smirk.

Sunny nodded. “I remember all too well. I was there when it happened… I was created when it happened. I’ll… I’ll apologize later…” he said quietly.

“So, the news?”

“Right! The news! Star Scribe’s tracks have been picked up by my scouts. We are following them with great intent and we should catch up to him within days.”

“Very good Sunny. Now I have a task for you.” Princess Cadance said with a smile.

****

Bold entered the infirmary and saw Windy sitting up in her bed. “Bold, you one eyed stallion! Get over here and give me a hug!” she said with a wide grin.

“Uh Dr. Ray, how much pain magic did you use on her?” Bold asked as he walked over and gave Windy a hug.

Dr. Ray chuckled. “Okay, so I was reading a report while I was using it and it got out of hoof. Sue me.” he said jokingly.

Windy laughed loudly and ruffled Bold’s mane. “So mister Cyclops, what is going on huh? When are we going to go back to hunting Star Scribe?” she asked with a slight slur.

“We aren’t… we have been relieved of duty for two month.” Bold said sadly.

Windy scoffed. “Ah, whaaaaat? That’s… that’s not faaaaair!” she whined sadly.

Bold couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “I know it’s not but… it was an order from Princess Cadance… we are going home.”

“Well what about Jim and Courage? Are they home too?” she asked as she hugged Bold again.

Bold smiled and returned her hug. “No, they are here with us.” he said happily.

“What?! No way! That is awesome! Let’s go see them!” she said excitedly as she tried to get up.

Bold held her down lightly. “No, you are way too out of it.” he said with a chuckle.

“Tshk, ah, what? Nah… I’m fine really.” she said in protest.

“No you aren’t. I can prove it. Say, she sells sea shells by the sea shore.”

“She shells she shells by the she shore.” Windy replied quickly. “She I am totally fine…”

Bold chuckled a bit more and sat down in a chair next to the bed. “No, you aren’t. That wasn’t even close.” he said with a chuckle as he rubbed her hoof.

Windy grabbed him and pulled him close to her face. “Hey… hey… you should… you should do something for me…” she whispered softly.

“What?” Bold asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You should get me a strawberry banana shake… I have been craving one for so long…” she whispered.

“Why didn’t you just ask Dr. Ray for one?” he asked curiously.

“Psh, he’s old… it would take him forever. But I am sure you can get it really fast… bring back two straws…” she said with a wink.

Dr. Ray chuckled and Bold blushed. “Right… I’ll be right back.” Bold said as he stood up and turned walk out of the room.

Windy smacked his flank and said. “Remember, two straws.” she said with a wink.

Dr. Ray was all out laughing now and Bold was blushing as he left the room. He walked towards the mess hall when he heard shouting up ahead. “I told you, I am a captain of my local police force and I demand to talk to one of your leaders!” the voice shouted as a couple of guards stood in front of a door.

“Sir, our orders are to keep you two here. If the prince or princess wishes to speak to you then they will come here.” one of the guards stated.

Bold walked up to the door and saw Jim with an angry look on his face. “Attention!” he shouted to the guards. The guards immediately froze up and turned to salute Bold. “What is going on here?!”

“Sir, just keeping the guests in their quarter’s sir!” one of them said stoically.

“And you have done your job well! Now then, allow the guests to accompany me to the mess hall!” Bold ordered.

“But sir, our orders are…”

“I know what your orders are! But I am sure that they are allowed to leave their quarters to eat! Now, your new orders are to allow them to come with me!”

The guards both gave Bold a salute. “Yes sir!”

“Jim, Courage, come with me. I’ll make sure you get a good meal.” Bold said with a smile.

Jim walked out of the room and Courage followed soon after. After they got out of earshot of the guards Jim finally spoke up. “Thanks Bold. I was getting cabin fever… and a bit hungry too.” he said with a nervous chuckle.

“It’s no problem at all. How are you two doing?” Bold asked with a smile.

“Well, I am a bit nervous to tell the truth. It’s not every day you get taken to a place where everything is different. Courage hasn’t said a word since we got here so I had to ask the guards what had happened.” Jim explained.

Bold turned his head and looked at Courage with a concerned expression. “Are you okay Courage?” he asked worriedly. Courage didn’t say anything; he just kept his eyes on the ground. Bold stopped them and turned to Courage. “Courage, please tell me what is wrong.” he said in a caring tone.

Courage looked up to Bold and couldn’t help but stare at his eye patch. “How did that happen to your eye? I never asked that before…” he said softly.

Bold chuckled a bit. “This is Star Scribe’s work. Don’t worry about it. Now, what is wrong?”

Courage sighed softly. “I just don’t want to wake up…” he said quietly.

“Wake up? What do you mean?” Bold asked curiously.

Courage looked around and chuckled a bit. “From this amazing dream…” he said as he gestured around. Jim scoffed and walked over to Courage and poked his shoulder with his horn. “OW! What did you do… hey wait… that hurt! This isn’t a dream! This isn’t a dream!” Courage yelled happily.

Bold laughed a bit and started walking towards the mess hall again. “If you think that pain is a good way to confirm this isn’t a dream, wait until you taste the food.” he said as they started to move along again.

They arrived at the mess hall and found it to be empty, other than the cooks in the visible kitchen. Bold walked over to the head chef with a smile. “Hello there. Is there any way we could get something to eat?” he asked kindly.

“Yes of course! My cooks and I are ready to serve! What can I get you gentlecolts?” the head chef asked.

“I’ll have a strawberry banana smoothie and a crystal berry salad please. What do you two want?” Bold asked with a smile.

“Well… I’m not sure what there is to eat…” Courage said as he got closer to the head chef. “Are all the ponies here crystal like?” he asked as he poked the head chef.

Bold pulled Courage back a little bit. “Sorry about that. These two are from another country that is so far away that they have no clue what it is like here.” he explained.

The chef’s eyes beamed with joy. “Then I shall make them a meal they will never forget!” he said as he clapped his hooves together. “We will have your meal taken to your quarters. But you can have your smoothie now.” A cook came over with a tray that had the smoothie on it with a straw.

“Could I get another straw? And can you have the food sent to the infirmary with an extra salad please?” Bold asked politely.

“Yes, yes that is no problem.” the chef said as he grabbed Bold another straw. “Enjoy, and tell whoever you are bringing this smoothie to that I give them my best and hope they get well soon.”

“Thank you, very much.” Bold said as he levitated the straw into the smoothie. “Let’s head back to the infirmary.”

“Thank you very much for preparing our meals for us. I know how it is to be a servant.” Courage said kindly.

The chef turned back around to view the three. “Servant? No no, you misunderstand! Cooking is my passion, my life! I love cooking for the prince and princess and her guests and she pays me well for my work, for all our work.” he said happily.

Courage was severely confused. “I… I’m sorry that I implied otherwise. As Bold said, I do not understand how things work here fully.” he said apologetically.

“Oh not at all sir! Now, you go and enjoy your friends company and my chefs and I will get your food prepared!” the chef said happily as he got to work.

Courage turned to join his friends with a confused look on his face. “Let’s go to the infirmary. I… Let’s go.” he said as he gave them a smile.

Bold started to lead them to the infirmary at a brisk trot. “Something bother you Courage?” he asked in a concerned tone.

“No, something made me… happy? At least I think this is happiness, pure happiness. To hear the joy in that earth pony’s voice about what he did for a living. A living… he did that not only because he loved to do it, but because it is his job! He has a job! HA HA! Amazing!” Courage said with glee and he bounced along happily.

Bold and Jim let out a soft chuckle. “I’m glad you are happy Courage. You can stay here if you want… build a new life for yourself here.” Bold said with a smile as they reached the infirmary.

Windy was reclined in the bed and she looked much better. “Hey there guys! Oh it’s good to see you all made it here alright!” she said happily.

Courage and Jim rushed to her side and they both gave her a light hug. “Now now, don’t go swarming around her. She has a shake to enjoy with her little coltfriend here.” Dr. Ray said as he shooed them away.

“I really wish everyone would stop referring to me as ‘her little coltfriend’.” Bold said as he shook his head gently. He walked over to Windy and levitated the smoothie to her.

Windy giggled a bit and took it with her hooves. “Actually, the smoothie is for me. I just like having two straws.” she said as she moved the straws next to each other and took a sip. “Oh wow! This is great!” She took a large gulp of her smoothie and squeed.

The others chuckled as she drank her smoothie with joy. Bold sat down next to her and nuzzled her neck gently. “I am so glad that you are getting better.” he said softly.

Windy giggled a bit and pushed his head away. “Stop it. I’m trying to drink my smoothie. We’ll have a lot of time for that now that we have been put on leave.” she said in a slightly annoyed tone. “What did you say to get us taken off of this assignment anyway?”

“It’s not what I said… It’s what I did.” Bold said softly.

“Well what did you do? Must have been pretty bad to get us thrown off.” Windy said with a slight giggle.

Bold looked at Jim and sighed. “I mangled an interrogator in the other land…” Bold said softly.

“You did what?!” Windy and Jim said at the same time. Courage on the other hoof, was laughing.

They all turned to Courage and he stopped laughing. “Sorry, it’s just that the interrogator getting mangled seems a bit ironic.” he said with a blush.

“And well deserved… he had Windy sliced up like a carrot… I just… lost control when I saw her like that.” Bold explained.

“Awww, that’s so sweet Bold.” Windy said with a smile.

“I can’t believe you would do that Bold! After everything we have been through!” Jim said angrily.

“Jim, she was being tortured for no good reason! The only reason he had was that she was a pegasus! Expendable! Worthless in his eyes! Do you want to know what I saw?! I saw my marefriend being tortured! If it was somepony you cared about, you might have reacted the same way!” Bold said in a slightly angry tone.

Jim scoffed and started to pace. “You know you won’t be able to go back now right? Not unless you want to be thrown into prison for the rest of your life. Not that it would matter, you would probably just be able to teleport out or destroy the bars or whatever you wanted because of your damn magic…” he said softly.

“Me and my damn magic stopped Star Scribe from disintegrating your entire corrupt government! I’d say they owe us for saving their lives!” Bold was red with anger as he spoke. “After all I have done for you and your land! I put my life and her life on the line for you! I never should have! Maybe if your council had been killed then your land would have become peaceful! Maybe the skies would be cleared by the pegasi you enslave! Maybe the ground will be made fertile by the earth ponies that you ENSLAVE!” Bold’s horn started to glow and spark and a breeze started to flow through the room. “If we had never come then your land would burn! Perhaps it is what it deserves! No wonder Princess Celestia decided to abandon you!”

“Bold! Stop! You are taking it too far!” Windy shouted as Jim and the others looked at Bold with sheer terror.

Bold stamped a hoof on the ground, causing it to crack. He looked down at the ground and clenched his eyes shut. Everything began to settle down and Bold’s horn stopped sparking. “Damn Bold, I never seen you get so angry.” Sunny said as he walked into the room. “Glad to see it is possible though, wouldn’t want you to hold all that anger in.”

Bold scoffed and sat back down next to Windy. “Who are you?” Jim asked as he regained his composure.

“The name’s Sunny Plains. I lead and train the Dawn and Dusk teams and I am Bold’s commanding officer. And you are?” Sunny asked curiously.

“Jim Stanten. Captain of the police force in Catagar Province.” Jim said with a nod.

“Law enforcement eh? Bold was right to pick you to team up with. And you, what is your name?” Sunny asked as he gestured to Courage.

“Courage sir…” Courage said softly.

“Hmm, a bit shy… but you have a strong body and a strong heart. A pleasure to meet you.” Sunny said happily. “Now then, I have a few questions for you two before I leave for your world with Shining Armor. Firstly, what kind of opposition can I expect with me being a pegasi?”

“To tell you the truth, I’m not sure anymore. Just expect to be treated like a lesser being.” Jim explained.

“What do you mean you aren’t sure?” Sunny asked.

“I mean, after Courage saved the lives of our council I am sure they will be in the process of changing a few things…” Jim explained. “If they aren’t, then they need to have their heads examined.”

“Right, well I’ll leave that up to your leaders. As a unicorn, Shining Armor is much larger than a common unicorn. Will that hinder him at all?” Sunny asked.

“No, in fact it will probably help him. Larger unicorns are often treated as nobles even if they aren’t. I suspect if you tell the council that he is a prince from this land then I am sure they will take everything he has to say very seriously. They wouldn’t want to incite a conflict between our world and yours. Especially considering the vast power your unicorns hold.” Jim said with a slight tone of worry as he looked at Bold.

Sunny looked at Bold as well. “Yes, quite a bit of power. Well I thank you for your answers. I just need to know one more thing. Who am I taking with me?”

“Just me.” Jim said. “Bold, Windy, Courage, thank you for your help. Don’t worry about Robert; I’ll be sure he returns with Sunny and your prince.”

“Thank you Jim, good luck.” Windy said kindly.

Bold stood up and walked over to Jim and held out his hoof for a hoof shake. “Yes, good luck Jim. I’m sorry about the problems that I have caused.” he said apologetically.

“You solved more problems than you caused friend. It was an honor working with you.” Jim said sincerely as he shook Bold’s hoof. He then walked over to Jim and smiled. “Make sure you enjoy your freedom Courage. I am sure you will make the most of it.” he said happily.

Courage smiled and nodded. “Thank you Jim. Good luck.”

“Yes well, let’s get going. Shining Armor is waiting.” Sunny said as he walked to the door. Jim nodded and followed him out of the room.

“Bye Jim!” Windy shouted happily. “So Courage, what are your plans anyway? What do you want to do?”

“I haven’t decided yet… work is all I know really. Know anywhere I can work?” Courage asked with a soft smile.

“I know an apple orchard that could use the help of a strong stallion such as yourself. Windy, what say you to going back to Ponyville?” Bold asked with a smile.

“Going back to Ponyville huh? I think that would be okay but… I don’t have a place to stay.” Windy said with a blush.

“Of course you have a place to stay, my place. That goes for you too Courage.” Bold said happily. “Come on, we have two months leave! Let’s have some fun with it!”

Windy couldn’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm. “Dr. Ray, am I well enough to travel?”

“Dear, you are well enough to take strolls around the park if you wanted to. Just keep strolls through the park as the most that you do. Don’t do too much.” Dr. Ray said insistently.

Courage was backing up slowly. “W-wait… how will we be getting there? We aren’t going to fly or anything are we?” he asked worriedly.

“No no no, we will take the train. You don’t have any problems with that do you?” Bold asked in a concerned tone.

“No, I am just afraid of heights…” Courage said softly.

“That’s okay buddy, we won’ be going anywhere high. Windy, let’s get your things together.” Bold said with a smile.