Shades Of The Past

by Bluecatcinema

Soldiers And Thieves

Fletcher's words struck a chord with Shine. Something about this 'Western Shade' gave him a bad feeling.

"You really think he could be this much trouble?" He asked.

"I am afraid so, sir." Fletcher nodded with a frown. "I had been hearing rumors about a huge horde of bandits skulking around the desert. I didn't think much of it, given that bandits don't move around in such a huge group, let alone all follow one stallion. But after seeing how powerful and skilled this Western Shade is, I'm starting to think that we might have a big problem on our hooves.

"...Thank you for bringing this to our attention." Celestia declared. "Now, I'm sure you and the Lieutenant need some time to rest and recover."

"You got that right." Caboose groaned, as he was able to bring himself to his hooves, "I had been crawling on my knees through the plains, through gorges, and onto a boat at one boat all week."

"You do know you didn't have to crawl all that time." Fletcher pointed out.

"Well, if I didn't, it would have ruined the dramatic tension at the end of the last chapter." Caboose countered. "You may not want to keep the drama going in this story, but I do."

"Well, one can't fault you for wanting to be different." Elite shrugged.

" And... who are you again?" Caboose frowned, "And why do you keep butting into our conversations?"

"Hold up, Caboose..." Fletcher held up a hoof, as he then glanced at Elite. Suddenly, his eyes widened as recognition and shock overcome his face. "Oh my Faust..."

"What?" Caboose asked, "Do you know this old dude?"

"Caboose..." Fletcher turned to Caboose. "This is Elite Price Everest..."

"...Who?" Caboose frowned in confusion.

"Seriously, Caboose?" Fletcher grunted in frustration. "All these years in the Royal Guard, and you do not know..." He gestured to Elite, "The director of the Royal Guard and the Royal Defense Legion, the head of Equestria's two leading militant forces. He is responsible for how the Royal Guard and the RDL is run today!"

"...So... he's very important." Caboose cringed.

"Yes. Very much so." Fletcher nodded.

"Always nice to meet a fan." Elite smiled. "Yes, I am that very same Elite Everest. A pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"Oy... nice to meet you too." Caboose gulped, realizing how he was acting towards the stallion as he shook his hoof. "Sorry about me being a jerk and callin' you 'old dude', sir..."

"That's quite alright, Lieutenant." Elite chuckled. "You two have obviously had a bad couple of days, and trust me, i had been called much worse in my time." He then inclined his head towards the door, "Come. Walk with me."

The three of them exited the throne room together.

"So, what brings you here, sir?" Fletcher asked. "It's not everyday that the head of the RDL and the Royal Guards to come up to Canterlot... this isn't some sort of surprise inspection, is it?"

"I hope not." Caboose cringed. "I haven't had a chance to clear out my locker. The stuff in there is not to everypony's taste..."

"It's nothing like that, I assure you." Elite soothed with a smile. "I am here because the position of General for the RDL has been recently opened, and I am looking for the right pony for the job."

"Well, you've come to the right place." Caboose smirked. "We're all pretty awesome around here."

"So I've heard." Elite chuckled.

"A General..." Fletcher said in hushed tones. "Such a position would be an unbelievable honor. Of course, there would be a significant increase in salary to boot. Not that something like matters to me, of course..."

"And you'd get to wear these funny clothes." Caboose added.

"Oh, yes, and from what I've heard from others back at HQ, either of you two could be an excellent contender for the position." Elite declared.

"Are you sure, sir?" Caboose frowned. "I mean... we did let that Shade feller take off with a carriage full of money..."

"We didn't let him, Lieutenant." Fletcher growled. "We put up a good fight, remember? Or at least, I did..."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Elite assured, "We all have our off days. And as you two said, they were quite formidable, and no one was killed. All that can be forgiven."

"Thank you, sir." Fletcher smiled, relieved.

"I will only be judging from this point onwards though, so I expect you two to try and keep up your professionalism, okay?" Elite declared.

"You can count on us, sir." Caboose smirked.

"Without a doubt." Fletcher smiled.

"Glad to hear it." Elite nodded. "To become a General is a very tasking and arduous trial, but with such a vaunted position comes great respect and honor. I will hold a series of trials for all members of the Royal Guard, beginning in a couple of days time."

"We'll be there, sir." Fletcher smiled.

"Yeah, count me in." Caboose grinned.

"Excellent." Elite smiled. "I daresay one of you will soon prove yourselves worthy of the position. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have much to get ready, and you need to rest. I want every Guard in tip-top shape for the trials."

"Of course, sir." Fletcher nodded, as he and Caboose saluted.

"Until then." Elite returned the salute.

"Wow... General of the whole buckin' army." Caboose smiled. "I gotta say, coming from a life of crime, that sounds like a dream come true.

"You have no idea..." Fletcher beamed. "This could solve an upcoming problem of mine quite nicely..."

The next day, Shine poured over the records detailing the recent heists in the desert. The more he read, the more he didn't like what he saw. It seemed the mysterious Western Shade indeed had a grudge against the royals and the nobles; Half the reports mentioned him ranting about how 'oppressive' and 'domineering' they were, as well as how they get ahead by 'stepping on others' throats' and that the common ponies needed to 'throw off the yoke of their tyranny'. Shine was reminded of another stallion who held on to such a philosophy, and with such vigor. Something he couldn't explain urged him to investigate, to try and locate the Western Shade himself.

The following day, he decided to act on that urge.

"Prepare the Royal Carriage." He told a Pegasus Guard. "I'm taking a little trip."

"And where exactly will you be going?" Celestia asked.

"A little town called Prairieville." Shine revealed. "I've done some checking into the heists made by Western Shade and his gang. They all center around that town."

"Then why not send the Guards?" Celestia suggested.

"You saw what they did to Caboose and Fletcher's group. I doubt it would be much help." Shine frowned, "Besides, they're going to be busy with Elite's tests."

"Yet you want to go after him yourself? Why?" Celestia grimaced.

"I... can't explain it." Shine sighed. "I just have this... feeling. I need to find this guy myself."

"All by yourself?" Celestia frowned. "I think not. I don't want you doing something crazy... or stupid."

"You think I can't take care of this by myself?" Shine frowned.

"Of course not." Celestia countered with a glare. "But all the same, a little back-up won't help. And I know just the stallions..."

To Shine's surprise, Gothic and Blueblood soon joined him at the carriage, Celestia and Miracle right beside them.

"You guys are my back-up?" Shine asked.

"Aunt Celestia thought you could use my superior tracking prowess." Blueblood smirked.

"It'll be like old times." Gothic grinned.

"Sure, why not?" Shine shrugged. "Thanks, cherryblossom."

"Just be careful out there." Celestia urged. "And come back soon."

"I will, don't worry." Shine nodded.

The two shared a loving embrace, their marital strife forgotten for the moment.

"Bring me back a souvenir?" Miracle asked.

"We'll see." Shine chuckled.

"I still don't get why you're doing this." Miracle sighed.

"Neither do I." Shine admitted. "It just feels like the thing to do."

"Hurricane said the same thing that time she tried to eat a dozen chilli peppers in a minute." Miracle smiled wryly. "Didn't work out so well for her..."

"Have some faith in your father, Miracle." Celestia declared. "I'm sure he has a good reason for doing this..." She stifled a grimace, as she gazed at Shine. "Even if he himself doesn't know it."

"Okay, time to go." Shine told his companions.

"Right behind you." Gothic smiled.

"Ah, the hot, dry desert climate." Blueblood sighed. "I can only pray I brought enough moisturiser..."

The trio climbed into the carriage, and were carried off toward their destination.

Meanwhile, the Royal Guard had gathered outside the barracks, awaiting Elite Everest's arrival.

"I can barely believe this is happening." Fletcher told Caboose. "A chance to be a member of the RDL. If I got that position, it would be like a dream come true."

"You really want this job, do you?" Caboose asked.

"Oh, more than anything." Fletcher declared, "Back at the Norhayan Military Academy, I always wanted to be a part of the Royal Defense Legion, serving and protecting the country I love. To stand against our enemies, and defend the innocent."

"Say no more, pal." Caboose smiled. "Tell you what... after all this, if it comes down to just me and you... I will see to it that Elite gives you the job."

"Really, Caboose?" Fletcher asked, a bit touched. "I can't possibly ask you to give up such a position for me."

"Hey, for a friend like you, I'd sacrifice anything." Caboose smiled.

"You really would, wouldn't you?" Fletcher smiled. "Thanks, Caboose."

"No problem." Caboose grinned. "I promise, if it's a choice between us, I'll make sure Elite doesn't have one. Just like Slot, that time he had to clean out the attic for swearing in front of mom when we were kids..."

"Oh, I wouldn't be making promises that I can't keep, Napoleon."

Caboose and Fletcher frowned as they are approached by a dark blue Earth Pony with a dirty blonde mane, sea green eyes, and his cutie mark of a Guardspony silhouette saluting. He seemed to be older than both Caboose and Fletcher, his face boasting several age lines, and several gray hairs in his mane.

"Hello, Call." Caboose frowned.

Call Duty was one of the eldest Royal Guards, having served as far back as when Shining Armor was still the Captain, and was one of the Royal Guard's finest... however, he always had this attitude problem, and constantly showed animosity towards the younger guards, especially Caboose because of his mafia roots, and towards Fletcher, due to the Captain being much younger than him.

"What makes you think you'll get that far with the Captain?" Call Duty scowled. "The RDL isn't some fancy college that you can weasel your way into, like you did into the Royal Guard. The RDL is a place where colts go to become stallions, and is a place for only REAL soldiers, not petty crooks who got lucky."

"Easy there, Lieutenant." Fletcher grunted, having to deal with his snark often. "Caboose may have not gotten in by normal means, but I like to think that Caboose has a pretty good shot at this position, even more than some ponies."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Call shot back. "I am going to be the one to get that spot. And I am not going to let some mafia wierdo or your baby-face get in my way. And I am sure not going to let this chump beat me."

He was glaring at a light green Unicorn with blue eyes, a brown mane, and a dull-looking sword Cutie Mark.

Hey, I-I'm not a chump." Dull Blade said weakly. "I'm a Royal Guard, just like you."

"Oh, please. I heard about how during that attack with those bandits, you threw a punch that didn't even phase one of the smaller ones - and then tripped up on a rock. You're practically a disgrace to the uniform." Call scoffed.

"I... I'm not a disgrace." Dull Blade stuttered.

"Leave the kid alone, doodie." Caboose jeered. "I'm still your superior officer, remember?"

"It's Duty. DU-TY." Call snarled. "And you won't be for long..."

Just then, Elite walked over to them. The Guards all stood at attention.

"Now then." Elite declared. "As you've no doubt heard by now, there is a position open in the RDL for a new General. Such a position comes with prestige, respect, and yes, a hefty paycheck."

Some of the Guards grinned at the last part of the sentence.

"However, that is not why you should be attempting to gain the position." Elite frowned. "A true soldier does not seek glory, or money. A true solider is loyal, brave and selfless. A true soldier risks everything for his comrades and his country. Even his life. The position of General is reserved only for one that not only shows all of these qualities, but go far and beyond what is expected of them... like so..."

Elite pulled out a grenade as he said this. He pulled the pin, and threw at the Guards' hooves.

"What the buck?!" Call yelped.

"Grenade!" One Guard screamed.

"He's nuts!" Another Guard cried.

"Look out!" Fletcher instinctively pushed his fellow Guards back. "Everypony move!"

"Get back!" Caboose leapt onto the grenade, holding it close.

"Caboose!" Fletcher gasped.

"Tell my wife ands kids I love them!" Caboose cried. "And my brothers too! And tell the Mayor of Ponyville he still owes me money!" He then hugged the grenade tighter. "Goodbye, cruel world!"

Caboose let out one last cry and wait for the end to come... but it didn't. Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Caboose frowned, as he then sat up and held up the grenade. "Why no boom?"

Elite started applauding.

"Well done, Lieutenant." He smiled.

"It was a dud." Fletcher realised.

"Exactly." Elite nodded. "I wanted to see how you'd all deal with such a situation. Captain, you showed a cool head under pressure, urging your squad to get clear of the blast zone." He turned to Caboose. "But Lieutenant, in trying to take the brunt of it, you showed an uncanny level of courage. Not to mention an entertaining act of noble sacrifice."

"Please." Call muttered under his breath, a bit miffed at being shown up. "The only thing he has an uncanny level of is stupidity..."

"Oh, uh... thanks." Caboose smiled as he stood up, the dud in his hoof. "You want this back?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Elite took back the grenade, slipping the pin back in. "That, my friends, was just the first test. There are many more to come. They will both test your physical and your mental limits. A true General must possess a great amount of strength and intelligence to get far in this world. I have no doubt that the perfect candidate will emerge by the end of these tests.."

"Yeah, as in 'me'." Call smirked.

"We will start with the physical tests." Elite declared. "If you'll follow me, I have built an obstacle course that I'm sure will test your limits."

The Guards followed Elite, who lead them to a very daunting course, comprised of water pits, rope swings, a set of rotating bars for them to get past, carriage wheels for them to hope through, and even crossbows loaded with dummy bolts, triggered by movement. It made their regular obstacle course look like a walk in the park.

"That's some course." Fletcher declared.

"Is it an obstacle course, or a death course?" Caboose joked.

"You will each take turns running the obstacle course." Elite declared. "I will not only time you, but gauge your skill and reaction time. Who would like to go first?"

"That'd be me." Call stepped forward. "Call Duty, sir. It's an honor."

"I'm sure it is." Elite said dryly, taking out a stopwatch. "In your own time."

Call raced into the course, nimbly avoiding the obstacles, leaping over the water, climbing the walls, and easily making his way through the rotating bars and crossbow bolts.

"Not bad." Elite mused. "That's quite a time to beat."

"Thank you, sir." Call grinned.

"And beat it we shall." Caboose smirked.

Meanwhile Shine, Gothic and Blueblood, landed outside Prairieville, and, donning some frontier clothes to disguise themselves, entered the town. Shine wore a long brown jacket to disguise his wings, Blueblood a stetson (which Shine had actually gotten him one birthday) to hide his horn, a matching shirt and black leather vest around his midsection. Gothic used a sombrero to hide his own horn, while also wearing a dark blue waistcoat.

"So this is Prairieville." Shine mused. "Nice place. Reminds me of Dodge Junction."

"I still don't get why you're willing to head all the way out here." Gothic frowned.

"And for some lowlife bandit, of all things." Blueblood scoffed.

"I told you, I just have this feeling about him." Shine repeated.

"Are you sure it isn't something else?" Gothic asked.

"Like what?" Shine retorted.

"Well, not to get personal, but I've noticed you and Aunt Celestia having... disagreements of late." Blueblood noted.

"This has nothing to do with that!" Shine growled. "No matter what problems we may or may not have at the moment, I would never abandon Celestia!"

"Easy, pal." Gothic told him.

"Look, this is a completely unrelated matter, okay?" Shine sighed. "At least, I think it is..."

"How exactly can we trust the opinions of somepony who doesn't even know his own reasons?" Blueblood frowned.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea to have you guys come with me." Shine pointed out. "It was Celestia's. She apparently doesn't trust me to do this myself..."

"Maybe we should forget about that for now, and focus on why we're here." Gothic suggested.

"Please, do." Blueblood urged. "The sooner we get to the bottom this Western Shade fellow, the sooner we can leave."

"Okay, you're right." Shine nodded. "We have a job to do."

"And how will we do that again?" Gothic asked.

"It's time to start asking around." Shine declared. "One of these fine townsfolk has got to know something about Western Shade."

The trio split up, asking every citizen they could find. Unfortunately, they had little luck.

"I'm sorry, sir." The owner of the local general store shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know much about that varmint and his gang of hoodlums."

"The Western Shade?" A mare gasped. "That horrible stallion! I haven't seen him, thank Faust..."

"Even if I did know something, I'd prefer not to get involved." An older stallion declared. "I'd hate to get him angry at me..."

By noon, the royal trio still hadn't gotten any information.

"Okay, slight roadblock." Gothic declared. "Most of these guys either don't know anything, or do know something, but are too scared to tell."

"Wonderful." Blueblood frowned. "I hope you have a plan B in mind, Shine."

"Well..." Shine frowned. As he looked around, hoping something would come to him, he spotted a Pegasus that matched one of the descriptions Fletcher had given of the Western Shade's minions. "There!"

"There?" Gothic frowned.

"That Pegasus fits one of the descriptions Fletcher gave of those thieves." Shine declared. "If we're lucky, he might lead us right to the boss."

"Thank heavens for dumb luck." Blueblood smirked.

"Okay, follow my lead." Shine urged.

They quietly followed after the Pegasus as he walked through town. After a while, he met up with some more of the Western Shade's minions; the large pony, the triplets, the rope-wielding Unicorn, and the Chineighse stallion.

"About time, Flying Daggers." The Unicorn scowled, using his magic to tie and untie knots in his rope. "Where have you been?"

"Just stopped off at the blacksmith to sharpen my knives." Flying Daggers declared.

"Let's head out." The Chineighse stallion declared. "The boss won't like it if we're late."

"No kiddin', Hi-yah Chop-suey." The large stallion nodded dumbly.

"That's not my name, Girth Gut." The Chineighse stallion growled.

"Who cares?" The Unicorn scowled. "Let's go!"

"Right behind you, Knots." Flying Daggers nodded.

"C'mon, Spin!" One of the triplets told another.

"You got it, Jump." The other smiled. "Come on, Twist."

"Coming, Spin!" The third one nodded.

"This is perfect." Shine whispered. "All we have to do is follow them, and they'll lead us right to their hideout!"

"But what happens when we do get there?" Gothic asked. "You have thought that far ahead, right?"

"Of course." Shine nodded. "I'm going to give this Western Shade a good talking to.

"Brilliant." Blueblood said sarcastically. "What's next, giving him a timeout?"

"Let's just go." Shine retorted. "Before we lose them."

The royal trio followed the thieves out of town.

Back in Canterlot, the Royal Guard had completed their individual runs through the obstacle course. While Fletcher and Caboose had done as well as- if not better - then Call. But some of the others weren't nearly as lucky. Poor Dull Blade had actually been knocked out by one of the spinning poles, while others had been stymied by some of the other obstacles.

"Well, that was quite a showing." Elite declared, standing before the Guards (some of whom were bruised and exhausted). "I believe I got an adequate showing of your physical prowess for the moment."

"What physical prowess?" Dull Blade sighed, cradling his bruised face. "I totally choked..."

"Now, now, don't be so hard on yourself." Elite consoled the young Guard. "Physical ability is only one part of the equation. You can't always muscle your way out of a problem." He turned to the rest of the Guards. "After lunch, we'll move on to the mental tests."

The Guards began to file out of the courtyard.

"If this little trial was any indication of what's to come, this'll be easier than I thought." Call smirked.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Call." Fletcher declared. "This is only the beginning, after all."

"Yeah, and we did pretty good ourselves." Caboose pointed out.

"Just you wait." Call sneered. "That job is mine..."

As the afternoon rolled around, Elite instituted one-on-one hypothetical situations with the Guard members, posing trials of strategy or tactics to them. At Fletcher's offering, he held the questions in the Captain's office. Naturally, Fletcher was first.

"Captain Ulysses, let's say your troops are under attack." Elite posited. "The enemy numbers are greater, and they have pinned by some caverns. What do you think would be the best strategy?"

"I would have my troops lead the enemy forces into the cave." Fletcher declared. "The caverns would force the opposing troops into a bottleneck, allowing my troops to take them in fewer numbers, thereby negating their advantage."

"Hmm, clever." Elite mused. "Thank, Captain."

Next came Caboose.

"Lieutenant, your squadron had been suffering defeats and mission failures left and right, and it seems like the outlook of the war you're fighting is very bleak. Morale is at an all-time low, and you have one more battle that will make or break the entire war..." Elite set the premise. "How would you go about rebuilding their morale and assuring them that you are going into your last battle with all you've got..."

"Hmm, that is a toughie..." Caboose pondered. "But I guess I would do for them what I usually do for my fellow mobsters back in Bitaly..."

"Which is?" Elite raised a brow.

"I'd give the troops a rousing song of heroism." Caboose smiled.

"A song?" Elite frowned. In all his time he gave that question, he'd never heard that response.

"Oh, yeah." Caboose nodded. "Nothing like a good song to raise some spirits... observe."

Suddenly, the room went black... when suddenly, a stage was lit up as two Royal Guards stood upon it, hooves on chests as they began singing...

"Equestria..." The two Royal Guards declared, as a guitar strummed. "Equestria..."

Suddenly, Caboose drops in, as colored flames spurt out behind them.

"Equestria!" Caboose sang, as then three other Royal Guards chorused in with him. "Buck yeah!" The guards backed out, as Caboose pumped his hooves. "Comin' again to save the motherbuckin' day, yeah!"

Caboose then pulled out a crossbow, cocking it.

"Equestria!" Caboose sang, as the same three other Royal Guards chorused with him, again "Buck yeah!"

"Freedom is the only way, yeah!" One of the guards from the beginning sang.

A Royal Guard, oddly dressed up in a crude shadow pony outfit, was rolled in, tied up, as then Caboose walks towards and lean in menacingly.

"Evil-doers, your game is through, because you have to answer to..." Caboose sang as he then pushes the dressed up guard off the stage, as a small explosion occurs, "Equestria!" The three same guards joined him. "Buck yeah!"

He then took center stage, as he slapped his flank.

"So lick my flank and suck on my-" Caboose was about to get onto his hind legs, before Elite cut him off.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Elite said awkwardly. "That was... very patriotic. I would love to hear the rest of it, but I have to get to the other soldiers..." He then gave a smile. "But I really dig the song though."

"Thank you, sir." Caboose smirked, as he then turned to the other guards, who were joining him on stage, including the one dressed up as the shadow pony. "Take five, guys. I think we nailed it."

Suddenly, Slot came in with a guitar.

"Hey, bro, I'm ready for my guitar solo!" Slot declared.

"Ooh, sorry, bro, Elite had to move on to other things." Caboose cringed.

"Faust, dammit! I missed out on a three way massage with Vinyl and Octavia for this?!" Slot snarled as he slammed his guitar on the floor and storm off.

Call entered seconds after.

"How in Equestria did you put all that together in such a short amount of time?" He asked Caboose. "You can't have known what answer you would be asked, so how-"

"Call it a talent." Caboose smirked. "Try an' top that, doodie..."

Call snarled as he took the seat by Elite.

"Okay, Sergeant Call Duty." Elite declared. "The enemy stronghold is heavily fortified. A direct assault would be hopeless. What would you do to overcome this?"

"Ooh, a hard one." Call grinned. "First off, I'd have a small group attack the front, drawing the enemy's attention. And while they're keeping the enemy occupied, I'd lead another group in through the back way, and take out the ones inside, before they even know what's happening. Then, once the enemies are worn out from bringing down the first group, I'd lead my group to finish them off."

"Hmm, I see." Elite nodded. "Thank you, Duty."

Call smirked at Fletcher and Caboose as he sauntered outside.

"Don't be surprised if I came away with a new title." He jeered. "General Duty. Has a nice ring to it."

"Whatever, General doodie..." Caboose growled, "Man, that guy has a big eggo."

"Ego, Caboose." Fletcher corrected, "And relax. We'll see who comes out on top..."

Meanwhile, the Princes were still following the thieves as they went out into the desert. They reached a small rocky peak, where the thieves stopped. The Princes hid behind a small cliff face.

"What are they doing out here?" Shine wondered.

"I think we're about to find out." Gothic mused.

"Open... salami!" Girth called. Nothing happened.

"What is he doing?" Blueblood whispered.

"Uh... open... seesaw?" Girth frowned. "Open chef salad? Open sassafras?"

"Ugh, how many times do we have to go through this?" Flying Daggers groaned. "It's 'Open Sesame', you idiot!"

At that moment, the cliff wall slid apart, revealing a tunnel to the inside.

"Whoa." Gothic gaped.

"Oh, yeah..." Girth nodded in a derpy tone.

"Try and remember this time!" Daggers snarled.

The thieves entered the passageway, with the wall sliding back into place seconds later.

"This is it." Shine smiled. "The secret hideout of the Western Shade's gang. They led us right to it!"

"Okay... now what?" Blueblood asked.

"Now we get in there, and have a little talk with this 'Western Shade'." Shine grinned.

They walked over to the wall.

"Open Sesame." Shine declared.

The wall slid aside once more.

"Here we go." Gothic declared.

As they entered the cavern, they found a winding path leading to a light source. Heading towards the light, they heard raised voices.

"All I'm saying is that attacking carriages and wagons is small potatoes!" One voice yelled. "We aren't bringing in enough to get by for all fifty of us! We need bigger scores! With our numbers, we could ransack entire towns!"

"And how many innocent bystanders would get hurt in the process?" Another voice retorted.

The royal trio reached the source of the light; another cavern, lit by candles. Inside, Scirocco and the Western Shade (still in his poncho) was revealed to be the ones arguing, while all the other thieves watch them.

"Here we go again with that soft-hearted nonsense of yours." Scirocco snarled. "Ever since you took over, you've been telling the rest of us to 'go easy' on our targets."

"We're thieves, not murderers." The Western Shade retorted. "If we start incurring casualties, it'll draw all sorts of attention to us. As long as the authorities think we're just simple thieves, they'll refrain from sending in the big guns. The last thing we need is something like the RDL knocking at our cliff face and taking us dead or alive!"

"I say let them come." Scirocco sneered. "Unlike you, I have faith that we can handle anything they throw at us."

"Faith... or arrogance?" The Western Shade shot back. "You've never been much of a thinker, Scirocco."

"I'm so glad we didn't miss this." Knots smirked.

"Yes." The Chineighse stallion nodded. "Scirocco is really ticked."

"Well, maybe your problem is that you think too much!" Scirocco snarled.

"Don't forget, under my leadership, we've had more more successes than ever." The Western Shade pointed out. "Even if the spoils are small, it all adds up in the end. Besides, you don't see the others complaining, do you?"

The other thieves were... divided on the issue. Some nodded in agreement, others frowned, unsure.

"He does have a point." Knots admitted.

"So do my knives." Daggers declared. "Doesn't mean I'd take orders from them."

"We don't get as much fun these days, though." Girth pointed out.

"But the gold!" Jump declared.

"And the gems!" Spin added.

"And various other sparkly things!" Twist grinned.

"But my combat skills are starting to dull these days..." The Chineighse pony admitted,

"Maybe you're just too much of a coward to aim higher." Scirocco sneered at the Western Shade.

"You're one to talk of cowardice." The Western Shade snorted. "You would kill a defenseless stallion for your own amusement."

"If you hadn't stopped me, I would." Scirocco scowled.

"Well, excuse me for taking no pleasure in pointless bloodshed." The Western Shade glared at him. "But the fact remains that I am in charge here. If you don't like my methods, you can leave. The door is right there. Simple as that."

The Western Shade turned away from Scirocco.

"I think there's a third option..." Scirocco growled, raising his hoof blades.

Just as Scirocco was about to strike, Shine, overcome by another strange, unexplained urge, suddenly rushed over and stopped him.

"Hold it right there!" He tackled Scirocco.

"Ugh!" Scirocco groaned, falling to the ground, "Why you little-"

"What the-?" The Western Shade turned around. "Who are you?"

Suddenly, Shine ripped off his disguise, revealing himself.

"I am Prince Shine Paladin!" Shine declared. "And I'd like a word with you, Western Shade of the Fifty Thieves!"

"A royal?" Jump gasped.

"Here?" Spin yelped.

"They've found us!" Twist cried. "Run!"

The thieves panicked, scattering in all directions.

"I'm not running." Scirocco scowled. "I want a piece of this meddling-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Scirocco found himself carried off by a dozen of his fellow thieves.

"Get off of me, you cowards!" He yelled fruitlessly as he was pushed away.

In all the commotion, Shine kept his eyes on the Western Shade, who immediately turned tail and ran. Shine darted right after him. As he ran, he turned to Gothic and Blueblood, silently urging them to get to safety.

"Let's go." Gothic urged.

"What about Shine?" Blueblood asked.

"Trust me, he can take care of himself." Gothic smiled.

Shine chased after the Western Shade.

"Stop!" He called. "I want to talk to you!"

"I have no intention of listening to the nonsense of a royal tyrant like you!" The Western Shade shot back.

"Fine. We'll do this the hard way." Shine leapt into the air, using his wings to divebomb his target.

The pair tumbled into a side cavern.

"You shouldn't have done that." The Western Shade snarled, as he pushed Shine away. "Now you've made me mad!"

The Western Shade pulled a sword out from a hidden scabbard in his poncho.

"Yahh!" He yelled.

"Whoa!" Shine dodged the swinging blade. Spotting a nearby sword on the floor, Shine grabbed it, and began locking blades with the Western Shade.

"Not bad... for a privileged Prince." The Western Shade scowled.

"Hey, I wasn't always royalty." Shine smirked. "I grew up a common pony, just like you."

"Yet, you gave it all up to become part of the problem plaguing Equestria." The Western Shade scoffed. "How pathetic."

"At least I'm not a two-Bit crook like you." Shine scowled. "Robbing innocent folk, just to line your own pockets."

"Don't you dare think you know me!" The Western Shade swung again. "You don't know anything!"

"I know my way around a sword, at least." Shine smirked, as he deflected the attack.

"Let's see how long that works for you." The Western Shade sneered.

Shine and the Western Shade continued their battle.

"Hah!" The Western Shade swung at Shine's leg.

"Nice try!" Shine blocked it. "My turn!"

Shine slashed at the Western Shade's side, but his opponent moved like lightning, dodging it.

"I hope that's not your best shot." The Western Shade jeered.

"Oh, I'm just getting started." Shine grinned, as their clash continued

To the surprise of both, they possessed equal skill and might, with neither able to gain an advantage over the other. Before long, fatigue started to set in.

"You're better than I thought you were." The Western Shade remarked, panting slightly.

"And it looks like you're living up to your rep." Shine admitted, breathing hard. "But you won't win."

"Typical royal arrogance." The Western Shade spat.

"What do you know about royals?" Shine asked.

"I know enough." The Western Shade declared. "That wife of yours, for instant, in one of the most insufferably pious, overly demanding, holier-than-thou control freaks around!"

"You really think that?" Shine asked.

"I notice you're not denying it." The Western Shade pointed out.

"Well, uh..." Shine mumbled. After their recent disagreements, he found himself reluctant to defend Celestia. "I'm not here to talk about my wife! I'm here to talk to you!"

"I prefer to let my sword do the talking!" The Western Shade lunged at him.

"If that's the way you want it..." Shine made to defend himself.

As they continued to fight, Shine cut the front of his opponent's poncho, something silvery glinting behind it.

"Gah!" The Western Shade growled, as he gazed at his poncho, and glaring at Shine. "You owe me a new poncho..."

"It was a tacky thing, anyway." Shine shot back.

"Why does everypony keep saying that?" The Western Shade groaned.

"Because it's true." Shine declared. "You may as well as draped a bedsheet over yourself."

"Oh, that's it!" The Western Shade yelled. "No more mister nice guy!"

The Western Shade lashed out with greater fervor. Shine found himself struggling to keep up at first, before regathering his resolve, and matching his foe once again.

"Guess the dreaded Western Shade isn't that tough after all!" He jeered.

"This isn't over yet!" The Western Shade spat.

The silvery object under the Western Shade's poncho, swayed as he moved, hanging from a string of some king. On the next swing of Shine's sword, the blade caught the item and with a tug, dislodged it from the Western Shade's neck, causing it to fall at Shine's hooves.

"What's this?" Shine picked it up.

"Hey, that's mine!" The Western Shade, losing all composure, charged blindly at Shine.

Shine knocked the Western Shade's sword out of his hoof.

"Damn you..." The Western Shade snarled, holding up his hooves.

"What's so important about..." Shine began, holding his opponent at swordpoint, only to trail off as he took a closer look at the metal object.

It was a silver heart-shaped locket, strikingly similar to his own. Overcome with curiosity, he opened it. Inside was a photo of a mare he didn't recognise standing alongside a stallion he knew all too well: Black Knight Paladin.

"What... what is this?" Shine gaped, mystified. "Why do you have this picture? Why is Black Knight Paladin in it?"

"You know him?" The Western Shade frowned.

"I was about to ask you the same question." Shine replied, holding up the open locket. "Who are these two to you?"

"...Those are my parents." The Western Shade scowled.

"Parents?!" Shine froze in shock. "...Who are you?"

"You really wanna know?" The Western Shade removed his hat, poncho and face wrappings.

As soon as his outfit hit the ground, Shine was dumbfounded.

Underneath was a red-coated Pegasus stallion of about Shine's age. But the way he looked, it was as if he was looking in a mirror. The stallion had a black mane, styled similar to his, albeit shorter, and his wings were as big as his was before his ascension to immortality. However, he could see a lot of Black in him, as his face bore a resemblance to a younger Black Knight, and brilliant golden eyes. His Cutie Mark was of a pony-shaped shadow with spread wings and red eyes.

"My name... is Shade Paladin."

Comments

[Vakama95096]

Black has a son?! Wow, this kinda rocks my world

[danick]

Aha I knew it!!!

[Grekoy]

OML this is huge!

[moonlit scribe]

Okay. I will stay tuned for more.

[Rakoon1]

I knew something had happened between him and that mare who saved him!

[00RaiserGundam]

Did you base Caboose's grenade scene off of the first Captain America movie?