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The Good and the Bad

Okay, here's the next chapter. I apologize for the irregular updates. Between work, getting ready for college, and setting up my new laptop, things have been a little crazy here. I hope that the content in this chapter makes up for it.

As always, I ask that you please comment to notify me of error, and just t tell me what you think. These comments help me to become a better writer, and give me a feel for what you all like.

The thought that I could very well be the son of the enemy was one that plagued me the rest of the week. Luckily though, I had Quicksilver to keep my mind occupied for most of that time. She had an unbelievable knowledge of the military’s history, and she recounted some of the most important battles in Equestria’s history. She also asked me questions. They were always fairly simple, as if she was trying to avoid something I wouldn’t remember, but I was glad she made the effort. I learned any things from her, including that the Royal Guard was most often handpicked from the 1st Corps, and cases such as Shining Armor’s were extremely rare.

As my time with her ended, I found myself wishing it wouldn’t. She had a genuinely interesting personality, she was unbelievably smart, and she was pretty even with all the armor on. It was my last day in the Infirmary, and I had just been discharged when I decided that we should continue our talks.

“Quicksilver…I was thinking that we could keep up with meeting each other. I mean…I’d like to talk with you more...I really enjoy listening to you…” I stumbled over my words embarrassingly. My eyes widened as I realized that what I had said sounded pretty bad. “OH I mean-“ I tried to explain, but she interrupted me with a smile.

“I know what you mean. I’d love to continue our conversations. The other ponies in the Corps aren’t exactly great at keeping a conversation going. How about we meet every day at 5pm in this spot? It’s not far from where I know you are staying.” Everything she said was welcome, because it meant I didn’t have to make a fool out of myself talking again. I knew I had to respond, so I made it a simple one.

“That sounds like a plan.”

“Well, now we should get you to the Princesses. They wanted to see you as soon as you recovered.” I looked at her with an eyebrow raised and she laughed. “Don’t give me that look. I don’t know why they want to see you. I’m just following orders.”

“Okay than…I guess we should get there.” It wasn’t a very long walk to the throne room. When we reached the doors, the guardsponies, one each of the Dawn Guard and Dusk Guard, in front of them blocked our way.

“What is the meaning of this? Celestia and Luna requested to see Pathfinder!” Quicksilver was clearly unhappy with the pair of guards. They exchanged glances with each other, and then one of them spoke.

“Pathfinder…We’d like to thank you, on behalf of all the Royal Guard. You, in your daring actions this week, performed our job where we had failed. For that you will always have our gratitude.” The pair of them nodded, and then opened the doors for us into the chamber. I was a little stunned as I entered the room. They clearly respected me for my actions, but I felt as if getting my flank handed to me didn’t really merit this respect. I had only done what any other pony would have done in my situation. As I walked into the room, I didn’t notice all the ponies gathered on either side of the large red carpet in the center of the room.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed Quicksilver break away from my side and head to take her place in the front row on the right. I realized that I was right in front of the thrones, and I dropped into a respectful bow.

“Rise Pathfinder,” Celestia requested of me. I did as ordered and I stood at the top of the steps of the dais. I couldn’t ascertain anything from her voice, so I looked around the room for the Elements. The entire group of them was smiling, even Fluttershy had a small smile. So, I hoped that the reasons behind being called here were good. “Your actions during the meeting with Chief Blood Warrior very well may have saved the lives of Luna, Cadence, and myself. For that, there is no way in which we can thank you enough. We will try our best though, and as such, you have been awarded with the Lunar Cross. It is the highest honor bestowed upon citizens of Equestria.” I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe that this was happening. I was being awarded a medal for getting my flank handed to me. I was too dumbstruck to speak as she magically placed the medal around my neck. The entire audience applauded me once she had given me the medal.

That was when the horns sounded. At first, I thought they were a part of the ceremony, but I was wrong. A Pegasus with his armor slightly askew rand through the doors and stopped in front of the Princesses of Equestria.

“Lupine have been spotted! They are just outside of Ponyville!” The crowd suddenly buzzed at the news. How could they have reached this far into the heart of Equestria? Had no one been watching for them? I pondered this as the poor messenger caught his breath.

“How is this possible? I thought we had strict surveillance set up to ensure this very thing would not happen!” The worry in Celestia’s voice did not go unnoticed by the crowd, as they too took on a tone of worry to their conversation.

“We do not know. They slipped past all our defenses, and now they make camp on the plains outside of Ponyville.” Suddenly, there was another loud blast of trumpets and in came another overworked looking Pegasus.

“They are here to see the Princesses. They fly the Equestrian colors!” That just made things a whole lot more interesting, and the buzz in the room became twice as loud.

“As Captain of your Guard, I must advise against meeting with them. This has to be a trap to get a hold of you. The Lupine don’t surrender.” Shining Armor’s voice was filled with desperate hope that Celestia would listen to him. Those hopes were dashed when she next spoke..

“I thank you for your counsel Captain Armor, but the rules of diplomacy must be followed. I will meet with them. Ready the chariots.” Celestia was obviously interested in these wolves that infiltrated this far into her kingdom only to fly a flag of truce, and I had to say I couldn’t blame her. I wanted to know just how they had managed it, and why they would give up so close to their obvious target. I was torn from these thoughts as Celestia spoke to the audience. “Everypony, please return to your homes. You shall be safe if you remain in Canterlot.” With that the entire gathering dispersed. It was amazing the loyalty she commanded in her subjects.

“I want you and the Elements to accompany Luna and I. We will have both the Dawn and Dusk guard with us, but your presence can only assure us more safety.” The way she spoke made it clear this wasn’t negotiable, and I preferred it over staying here and doing nothing. I was, however, worried that something would happen.

“We are prepared to leave on your command Princess.” Shining Armor had returned, and I waited until Celestia addressed him before I walked over to him.

“I agree with you. I don’t believe this can be anything good. You can count on me if we end up having to protect the Princesses.” The Captain of the Royal Guard looked at me for a few moments before answering.
“I’m glad to have an extra pair of eyes and some muscle in case things turn ugly.” I took his compliment with pride. I remembered then that he had wanted to talk to me about something the first day he visited me with the others in the Infirmary.

“You said you wanted to talk to me about something?” I made the question sound as if I was just reminding him, and he nodded.

“Yes, but I think it may have to wait a little while. I feel that this meeting could change a lot, or it could change very little. Either way, it must wait.” I couldn’t help but feel that there was something else that held him back from discussing his topic with me, but I didn’t press him further. I simply nodded before he walked up to lead the group to the chariots.

My breath was taken away when we entered an area of the castle I had not been to before. We walked into a large hangar embedded into the side of the mountain that Canterlot jutted from. It was full of all sorts of devices of war being prepared for use. Standing on a cleared runway in the middle were six chariots. Three of them were bright, shining gold, with graceful, benevolent curves. They each had four Pegasi of the Dawn Guard ready to take off. The remaining three chariots were sleek, angular, and colored a deep purple. Their angles gave them a look not unlike that of a bird of prey. These three were to be pulled by two Pegasi of the Dusk Guard each.

“Twilight, I’d like you and Shining to ride with me. The rest of the Elements should split up, one to each chariot.” Her orders were followed immediately, and that left me standing in the middle of the floor all alone. Suddenly, Celestia walked to me, and said, “Do not think I have forgotten about you, my little pony. You are to ride with Luna, as she tells me that she would enjoy your company.” I was surprised that Luna had requested that I ride in her chariot, but at the same time it made sense. I was hers to command after all. I followed her direction, and I climbed into the chariot with the Princess of the Moon. On her other side was Fluttershy.

“We shall speak once we are underway.” Luna seemed extremely calm about meeting the Lupine, but that could easily have been a façade. Any ponies who lead others had to remain calm in the face of danger, otherwise their subordinates would panic. Fluttershy, as usual, remained quiet. After several moments of waiting, a voice boomed through the hangar.

“Takeoff is clear. Day and Night are go!” The chariots quickly took to the air on command, and we left the hangar surprisingly fast. Once out of the mountain, we were surrounded on all sides by the Dusk and Dawn Guard. They had appeared out of nowhere, and encircled the six chariots. They had clearly rehearsed this many times before, and their precision was amazing. It amazed me so much so that I forgot flying made me sick, at least for a while.

“Now we may talk.” Princess Luna turned to me as we flew through the sky at speeds no Earth pony was meant to travel. “I want you to separate from our group when we land. Station yourself to the side of our meeting, and keep a close eye on the Alpha of this pack, as well as some of his more prominent subordinates.” Her command surprised me. I had been told to remove myself from the group, even though Celestia had brought me along to stay with the pair of them. I decided that it didn’t put me too far out of reach, and it gave Luna a scout in case anything was attempted.

“As you order Princess.” My response was simple, but unneeded. She knew I would follow her every command. After a while, my airsickness started to appear. Thankfully, right as it came, we landed in a small field dotted with foliage. I had to admit that the camp the Lupine had looked a little small. There couldn’t be very many of them, and if this was an attempt to attack the Princesses, than it would be a short lived one.

Once we had landed, the guards harnessed to the chariots quickly unattached themselves and formed ranks with the others. I looked to Luna and she nodded, so I jumped down and walked around behind the chariot. It took me a short while, but after several minutes of maneuvering I was in a concealed position under a bush, able to watch and study the Lupine without being interrupted.

Celestia and Luna stepped forward, Celestia leading the way. Captain Shining Armor stood on Celestia’s right, and the guards stood close enough to perform their duty if need be. Next, a large wolf strode towards the royals. He was attended by two other Lupine that stood behind and to either side of him.

This leader struck me as familiar, but I couldn’t tell why. As I looked at him, I noticed he had a large scar that ran from his left ear to the tip of his muzzle. This was a veteran, somepony who had seen and done his fair share of terrible things. He walked with a powerful stride and he had a sense of command about him. He could easily order any of his wolves to do something, and I would stake my life on the fact that they wouldn’t hesitate to do it.

I also noticed that they did indeed fly the Equestrian banner. This struck me as odd, because I had been under the impression that all Lupine were for the Rebellion. Suddenly, the leading wolf bowed, and those who followed him quickly joined. There couldn’t be more than 70 of them, but that was enough to cause significant havoc if left unchecked. There were many guards, but I didn’t think they could stand to this many Lupine. The lead wolf then stood again and his pack followed suit.

“Thank you for gracing us with your presence Princesses. We have been looking forward to speaking with you for a few days now.” His voice now struck me as familiar as well. It had the unmistakable air of command, but there was a hint of uncertainty in the tone. It was as if he was relatively new to being first in command. Celestia nodded to the show and then spoke.

“We do not come here lightly. The Lupine have seceded from Equestria and declared themselves the New Lunar Republic. You being here is an act of war. State your name, and your business here. If they are not answers that please me, you will not like they consequences.” The seriousness in her tone was clear. This wolf had better not screw up, or his soldiers would pay for it. I could sense the slight nervousness of the leader, but that was quickly brushed away and replaced by the confidence of somepony that knows he is in the right.

“My name is Nuda Asgina, or, in this language, Crazy Ghost. I am the Alpha of this little pack.” The name hit me like a ton of bricks. This was the wolf that had fought beside me in my dream, the wolf I felt I’d known my entire life. I broke out of this thought as I heard him speak again. “As for why we are here, I’ll get to that in a moment. First though, I’d like to clear one thing up.” I wondered where he was going with this, as he was clearly wasting an opportunity to save his wolves. “We don’t like being spied upon when we come to you in peace.”

I didn’t even have to think about it to realize he was talking about me.

A deep, ominous growl from behind came right on cue.

Buck my life.

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