Operation Shield

by GJT_Productions

Matters of Trust

"You seem rather distracted, Lieutenant Captain. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, in fact Your Highness something is wrong. The end-of-day report by the Captain will explain it."

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Upon hearing this, Princess Luna decided to forgo her usual routine of waiting until after the moon raising to read the Captain's end-of-day report and decided to take a look at it right then and there. The more she read of the report of Aten's "shenanigan", along with seeing a copy of the illegal poster, the more her indignation rose. Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor also could feel something else in the air - the same kind of charged atmosphere one might normally associate with an impending thunderstorm. As Luna's powers over the storm and electricity were beginning to return, Shining made a mental note for her to be careful not to short out the delicate electronic equipment in her room by accident.

"Outrageous!" Princess Luna finally exclaims, tossing down the report with a "thump" on her bedroom suite floor, her expression mirroring Shining Armor's own indignant anger. "The lot of them are acting like rebellious little foals! We ought to punish them all most severely!"

"Be that as it may, Your Highness," Shining begins, "I am certain it is not as simple as you make it out to be."

"We already know that." Luna answers in a matter-of-fact tone. "Our sister has already whispered in our ear that one of the offenders knows something of our past he should never have found out. What that is we dare not say out loud, not even to one we trust as much as you. But it is the reason our sister has allowed him to run amok in the way he has."

"But surely you could do something she can't?" Shining tentatively offers.

"No, no we cannot. The mistake of a thousand years ago ensures that fact." Luna replies with a sad headshake. "It would have to be the Element Bearers to deal with it should the secret be exposed."

Luna is not surprised at Shining's subsequent skeptical look, so she drops into a somber tone as she continues on: "We understand you may not think it would require the stowed-away Elements and their new bearers, but you must trust us when we say this is not something an alicorn can deal with, either alone or working with others. Whatever reasons Celestia has for not saying what exactly this is in public I must use as well, for her sake."

Those words don't exactly satisfy Shining Armor's curiosity, but he has to accept them nonetheless. His acceptance has a resigned tone in the voice, which Luna accepts as she understands that her sister's secrets must be kept as much as she could manage.

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"Good. Come now, we are behind schedule for the raising of the moon." Luna states to change the subject.

"Of course, Your Majesty." Shining replies, putting aside the angry emotions for the moment. He walks over to the closed doors to the suite's balcony, unbolting the doors with his magic and letting the sweet smells from the gardens of Canterlot waft into the royal suite. As Luna approaches, he then steps aside and lets her step out onto the balcony first, then comes up beside her as she stops, both of them taking in sniffs of the crisp twilight air.

The sky is already mostly dark, Celestia having already set the sun and its last rays fading fast. Shining Armor steps forward and swings around, laying down sideways in front of Luna and bowing his head down. Luna sets her forehooves on his back and begins her work. This moon raising tradition developed shortly after Shining Armor took command of the night shift - as Luna then still had a great deal of trouble with the moon raising due to her weakened state, having something to stand on and push against with her forehooves made the whole process easier. Now, with her powers beginning to recover, it was a comfort to her, akin to one human squeezing the hand of another in reassurance.

Shining turns his head left to watch the magnificence (it never became mundane, even after seeing it a good number of times now) of the moon rising into the sky at the command of Luna's magic. Luna's forehooves coming off his back is his cue to stand up again, and he moves to Luna's right to momentarily admire the gleaming beauty of the rocky orb that was Luna's responsibility once again.

He then turns left to look at Luna, and the princess of the night returns the look. The shy elegance Shining immediately discovered upon seeing for Luna the first time is still the predominant emotion in her look, but the increase of confidence as her powers start returning causes glimmers of gratitude and joy to peak through.

"Your Highness, I must ask, do you think I really could cover all of Canterlot with a shield?" the Lieutenant Captain asks as insecurity flashes across his face.

"Yes. We... I believe you can." Luna replies, and the dropping of the "royal we" rivets Shining's attention to the next words. "I believe you can because the magic of friendship flourishes within you. In your sister, it is now but a little seedling, needing time and care to come to full bloom. But in you, it has already grown into a mighty tree, one that will not fall or be uprooted even in the greatest of storms. The magic is not just in the Elements. It is in her, and it is in you as a brother of her blood. And I believe that magic will triumph over all trials placed in its path. I myself am living evidence of that. I have faith in you, Lieutenant Captain and brother of Twilight Sparkle. And I believe that, with all my heart."

Shining blinks back at the gently smiling Luna, and now it is his turn to give grateful eyes in the quiet of the new night...

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MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE IN CANTERLOT...

"Well done, Agent 8. The challenge is set, and the Wonderbolt Captain's influence over events in Canterlot will soon be neutralized."

"Thank you, Agent Snake!"

"Our goals are almost accomplished. In the long run it will not matter whether the Lieutenant Captain succeeds or fails his challenge, because the divides are now set. The Wonderbolt Captain will soon become the perfect tool for the purposes of reviving the chaotic one, and we have you to thank, Agent 8."

"And I will take her place, as you promised?"

"Yes, but not immediately. The faction of Wonderbolts you lead must be recruited into our ranks before there is any attempt to replace her. That is what we are doing right now."

"But will they all agree to join on, Agent Snake?"

"Don't worry about that. They've all been made offers they dare not refuse. You can be assured of five Agents standing beside you in the Wonderbolt ranks."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Once the group is formed, you will operate under the designation 'WA', with your fellow Wonderbolts being 'WB' through 'WF'. I expect, Agent, that you keep this group coordinated and acting as a cohesive whole at all times. It is the only way the Wonderbolt Captain shall remain impotent."

"Yes sir, I understand sir."

"Good. Summon the fellow Wonderbolts in your faction. The recruitment shall begin now."

Agent Snake stops his walk to let Agent 8, aka Misty Fly, proceed ahead. Under his disguise, Snake makes an evil grin. In reality, the promise he made to Misty Fly was a hollow one, since he intended to set up the downfall of the Wonderbolts - if Misty Fly ended up with anything, it would be the splintered, disgraced ruins of that organization. In his mind, it was all part of the plan to sow chaos and resurrect the chaotic one...