The Mission
Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard led his highly skilled team deeper into the tunnel that would lead them into the Crystal Caverns beneath Canterlot.
They were a small team, comprised of himself and three of the most dependable and professional ponies in the Royal guard. They were a solid team, having been through some of the hardest and toughest ordeals Equestria could throw at them. Together they had braved manticores, timber-wolves, bandits, and drill sergeants. They had forged a bond so strong and so durable that nothing could break it apart. Together, they were unstoppable, unbeatable. And no amount of time, distance, or growing up could ever change that. As soon as they slipped on that armor and departed on a mission, they immediately went professional. There was no distractions, no side trips, no...
"Sooo, are we there yet?"
Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard suppressed a groan as he turned to glare at the foolish young pegasus that had managed to get herself aboard this mission.
Shining Armor marched stiffly through the hallways of the Canterlot Palace. He knew that Princess Celestia's reasoning was sound. He knew that as a guard under her command, even if he was the Captain, or especially because he was the Captain, he had no place to question her. Orders were orders and he would follow them. That didn't mean he had to like it, though.
One of the palace guards saluted him as he marched past.
Shining Armor returned the salute automatically even as he moved down the hall. It was good for morale to acknowledge everypony. Even when the last thing you wanted to do was engage in small talk. It was a good thing nopony seemed to be interested in chatting today.
He could hear the hoofsteps of his team behind him. When Princess Celestia had restricted the number of ponies he could take with him, he knew which ponies he wanted immediately. He chose the ponies he had worked with many times before. A team that went back all the way to the academy. Lieutenants Cherry Fizzy, Bronzewing and Silver Shield.
Some ponies might have been surprised to hear that he only filled three of his five slots. Especially since he wanted more. Those ponies didn't know him very well. If you can only have a small team then it was better to have a smaller team you worked well with than just a few more ponies. And the ones that did know him, weren't surprised at all by the ponies he choose.
"Hey, wait up! Shining Armor!"
Shining Armor suppressed a groan as he heard his name being called. 'This better be good...' he thought to himself as he stopped and turned in the direction of the summons. His face was carefully blank, because the other option would probably scare whoever it was away. 'Which may not be a bad thing...'
"Yo, Shining!" A young pegasus stopped in front of him, a young earth pony right behind her.
Shining Armor recognized them as two of Twilight's friends from Ponyville, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
Under the stern glare of Shining Armor and the hooves of Cherry Fizzy and Silver Shield, Rainbow Dash at least had the grace to look sheepish.
"I reckon that means we should be quiet." Applejack whispered, only to find herself muffled by Bronzewing.
Shining Armor quickly drew a hoof across his throat in the universal sign for silence. (And/or threats of imminent death.)
Both of the mares mouthed 'sorry' (or at least that was what he thought they mouthed, it was hard to tell beneath all the hooves.)
They hunched down and went through the universal motions of a promise of silence, moving their hooves in front of their muzzle in sync and then flinging imaginary keys over their shoulders.
Satisfied that they would keep their muzzles shut, Shining Armor nodded to his team. They all removed their various improvised limb gags and saluted, before falling back into formation. Shining Armor in the front, followed closely by Bronzewing, Applejack, Cherry Fizzy, Rainbow Dash and Silver Shield in the rear to provide cover.
Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard led his highly skilled team and his two tagalongs deeper into the tunnel. He only hoped they wouldn't fail.
Discord floated through the halls of his, that is to say, his and Twilight's underground palace. He hummed a jaunty little tune as he floated from room to room, looking for his queen-to-be. As he danced down the halls, he was unable to contain himself to merely humming.
So he did what any self-respecting citizen (Yes, he really can be a respectable citizen at times. Solely for the purpose of mixing things up, of course.) would do. He burst into song and started a musical number. (Don't give me that look. Have you seen how many musical numbers happen in Equestria?)
Morning in our palace shimmers!
Morning in our palace shines!
And I know for absolute certain!
That everything will turn out just fine!
He flung open the doors to the throne-room with a flourish as he entered the next stanza.
There's the throne-room
Where we will rule together!
He pulled the tiara he had made for Twilight out of his pocket and looked at in pride. He held it in front of him as he spun around the room.
Here's the tiara
That I will give to her!
"There, perfect!" Discord said as he gave the gem a final polish before tucking it away for the big surprise.
My Twilight Sparkle
Will be my partner for real!
Could my plans go wrong?
I don't think that they will!
He jumped onto his throne and danced an impromptu jig. Laughing with glee, he leaped off and twirled through the air before making a perfect landing on the tip of his hoof.
Then he pranced out of the throne-room to continue his search. Still singing, because he was simply unable to keep his newfound happiness to himself.
Morning in our palace shimmers!
Morning in our palace shines!
And I know for absolute certain!
That everything is certainly...
Shining Armor held up a hoof to stop his team as he scanned the tunnels before him.
'There', he thought as he spied it again.
He quietly moved forward. (Made significantly easier without heavy metal hoof guards clanging against the crystal floors.) Since this was supposed to be a recon mission heavy on stealth, they had left the standard armor back at base. Instead, they wore lighter suits of a tough fabric material.
As he stealthily moved forward, he released the light spell on his horn. Behind him, Silver Shield quickly followed suit, and they all moved forward in darkness.
Even without their magic lights, they were able to tell as the crystal around them gradually transformed from cavern to castle. (Their first clue was the smoothness of the crystal floor, replacing the loose crystal gravel that threatened to give them away every time some foolish pony kicked it.)
How he managed to let himself be convinced to allow two ponies with no military experience whatsoever to join his operation, Shining had no idea.
'Maybe I really am losing my mind?', Shining Armor wondered.
But his self-examination of his sanity would have to wait.
In front of him, he could just make out the ghostly wisp of a figure. Silently motioning for Silver Shield to wait with Applejack and Rainbow Dash, he led Cherry Fizzy and Bronzewing closer to the figure.
Together, they followed it deeper into the caverns, not close enough to get caught, but hopefully close enough to get some information. But just as he was starting to be able to make it out, the figure vanished.
Shining Armor froze, Cherry Fizzy and Bronzewing quickly following suit behind him. Something didn't feel right about this situation.
He wavered for a moment between trying to find where the ghostly specter went, 'There was no sign of teleportation which meant it couldn't have gotten far...', or going back to where he had left the girls with Silver.
'I needed to find Twilight, but...'
No.
He couldn't risk losing two civilians in the crystal caverns. Twilight would never forgive him if he lost her friends. Nor would he forgive himself. Even with Silver Shield under orders to evacuate with them at the first sign of trouble.
He motioned to Cherry Fizzy and Bronzewing to head back. Time to regroup.
As he turned to follow them, he kept his eyes roaming.
'Just because a target seems to have vanished, doesn't mean it has.'
One of the most important pieces of advice he got: 'The hunter can easily become the hunted.'
A few pebbles rolled down the side of one of the walls. Easily dismissed in a cave... His eyes widened as he realized his mistake. 'But not in a castle...!'
He threw himself towards Cherry Fizzy and Bronzewing, knocking them both to the ground and quickly forming a shield around them. And not a second too soon. The shield was just wide enough to cover them as the ceiling caved in, burying them alive as all of his instincts screamed trap.
Silver Shield scanned the area around them, keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary. (Not that he had a whole lot of experience in crystal caves, but he figured he'd be able to tell if something wasn't right)
His hooves itched to be with Captain Armor and the team, but he had given his word to protect the two tag-a-longs.
He could understand why Shining Armor had wanted them to stay back while he, Fizzy and Bronze followed the strange ghost-like thing. These two weren't the most sneaky mares in Equestria.
'How in Equestria do they manage to be noisy standing still?!' Silver Shield thought to himself as he suppressed a groan at how loud two untrained mares could be despite trying to be silent.
It wasn't that they were doing anything wrong, per say. It was just that they simply weren't trained in the art of being silent, motionless, and alert at the same time. They kept turning their heads to look at something, or breathing too loud, or their manes would brush against the crystal walls... (There's a reason guards had short manes, and it wasn't just for regulation.)
But at least they've stopped whispering...
'How in Equestria did they manage to convince Captain to let them come?' (He was there and he still couldn't believe it!)
"You're going to go rescue Twilight, right?", Rainbow Dash demanded as she braked in midair in front of them.
Shining Armor opened his mouth to respond, only to interrupted by Applejack.
"And we figured y'all would need help doin' it!"
"You heard Princess Celestia. This isn't a rescue mission. We're just going to make sure she's there, alright?" Shining Armor said as he walked forward.
"But if for some reason, Twilight just happened to need rescuing at the exact moment we showed up, we'd totally get to rescue her, right?!" Rainbow Dash asked, cutting in front of him and blocking his path.
"You're not going to 'get to rescue her', because you're not coming, Rainbow Dash." Shining Armor said firmly. "Neither of you." He added, seeing Applejack's mouth open.
"What?!", Rainbow demanded.
"Why not...?", Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Neither of you are trained for a rescue mission. The risk of detection, not to mention capture, would just be too high." He held up a hoof to stop the mares' protests. "Besides, you heard Princess Celestia. She said a small team."
Applejack stepped forward until she was nose to nose to Shining Armor, "She said, 'No more than five ponies.' And I may not be 'trained', but by my math, you only have three."
Shining Armor leaned forward until their eyes were merely inches apart. "And by my math, adding two extra ponies who don't know a thing about..."
"Hey!", Rainbow Dash interrupted, flying between them. "We may not know a lot about how you Royal Guards work, but we know Twilight! And Twilight would never leave her friends stuck in some lousy crystal prison! She didn't leave Cadance! And we certainly aren't going to leave her!"
Silver Shield exchanged glances with Bronzewing and Cherry Fizzy before looking at Captain Armor.
"So either take us with you, or we're just going to follow you anyway and get probably get into even more trouble!"
Shining Armor looked to Applejack.
"Eeyupe."
Shining Armor stared at the two mares for a long time, before nodding. "Alright, fine. You can be on the team but stay close to Silver Shield and..."
'Wait, what?!' Silver Shield thought as Cherry Fizzy and Bronzewing gave him sympathetic glances.
And just like that, he's on babysitting duty for two mares who had no business being on a covert mission, while Captain Armor followed something with Cherry Fizzy and Bronzewing.
"What was that?"
Silver Shield was pulled out of his thoughts by his two charges whispering. (Again!) He turned to glare at them, (He wasn't as good at it as Shining Armor, but he could hold his own) but he stopped as he heard a low rumbling in the caves.
His ears perked as he waved a hoof at whichever mare had broken the silence.
The rumbling grew louder.
It sounded almost like a...
"Cave in!" Silver Shield quickly threw up a shield above the two mares.
"Move!" He barked as he pushed them towards the entrance. He was under strict orders to evacuate if there was any trouble, and even if he hadn't been, there was no way he was going to explain to the captain how he let his baby sister's best friends get squished like bugs in a cave in.
But even as they ran, he couldn't help but feel like there was something off about this whole situation... (and not just the part about two untrained mares on a covert operation they had no business being part of.)
Shining Armor grunted under the strain of holding up who knows how many pounds of crystal against his shield. He could hear Bronzewing and Cherry Fizzy's stifled groans as they dragged themselves out from underneath him. Shining Armor lowered his head and arched his back to give them enough room to wriggle out. (Well, as much room as was possible under the restricted space of his magical, and rapidly getting heavier, cover.)
"Everypony okay?" He asked, opening an eye to check on his team.
"Fine..."
"All here..."
"Then hold tight." Shining Armor said as his horn flared and his shield started extending, pushing the rubble off of them. After a few moments, he had pushed off enough of the chunks of crystal that he could release his shield without more than a few stones falling on them.
As soon as the edges of his shield had faded from his grip, he straightened up and looked around the corridor.
Cherry Fizzy and Bronzewing quickly took up positions beside him. They too had sensed something off about that cave-in.
'And right after we had split up. That's just too convenient to be a coincidence...'
This was unlike any cave-in Silver had ever experienced (not that he had experienced a lot of crystal cave-ins, but he'd been in plenty of circumstances where he had to dodge falling objects, and he knew for certain that unless they were thrown, things usually fell down!)
Shards of crystal shot out from the walls, making him scramble to tilt his shield to protect the two mares. Unfortunately, that left him wide open, but he was pretty good at dodging. And he had his padded stealth armor on. (It wasn't as sturdy as his standard armor, being made out of a lighter material, with padding instead of metal plates, but it did help)
Besides, his charges' safety was more important.
The floor shook and ferocious wind blew through the tunnel. The noise was deafening. (All in all, it easily qualified for a spot on Silver Shield's Worst Missions Ever list)
"There." Shining Armor said softly, spotting the same figure that had lured them away from the others. He lit his horn in preparation for battle, only to freeze as it came closer.
"Oh no..."
"Aww, buck..."
In front of them was a spectral vision of Twilight Sparkle. It looked almost like those telegraphic holograms that haunted houses used to create spooky effects. But that wasn't the horrifying part. This vision didn't look like the Twilight Sparkle they all remembered. It had a sinister aura to it.
It smiled at them as it lifted a hoof. Around it crystal statues seemed to come right out of the cavern walls. And they didn't look friendly.
Beside him, Shining Armor could hear Bronzewing swearing again, but his attention was focused on his si..., 'No!', Shining sternly corrected himself, on the thing impersonating his sister.
"Welcome to my castle..."
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7335253 how do I say this calmly more!!
7373525 I'm so glad you like my story!
And don't worry, more is coming!
MeadowRose
Thanks for reading!
7373561
He would choose the ponies he had worked with many times before.
OR
He chose the ponies he had worked with many times before.
His instincts look and sound like this
7375028 Thank you for pointing that out. I very much appreciate your help! Thanks for reading and look for the next chapter soon!
7373900
Yay! I'm glad you like it!
7375033
7376298
I know, right? That was honestly the first thing to pop into my head!
7376291
Yep. Out of curiosity though, which one was the one that you meant?
7376921 chose.
I would like to read a story where the two untrained civilians who stick their nose in official business get thrown into the jail for endangering the welfare of a professional team by trying to tag along. You know like in most situations like that