Dark Tidings

by moguera

False Trails

Chapter 2: False Trails

The door slammed open as the robust earth pony bucked it hard. Shining Armor, followed by two of his most accomplished unicorns burst in, horns at the ready to restrain the suspect. Blazemane and two other pegasi had set up an aerial cordon in case he tried to escape.

The suspect wasn't home. Shining let out a sigh as he released the gathered magical energy he had been preparing for his spell. There was no point to it now. Spark Lightning had clearly seen this coming and had vacated his room earlier. It annoyed Shining to see all this hard work go to waste.

It hadn't taken long to connect the descriptions given by the guard from the Night Court's offices to the former Captain Lightning of the Northern Army. He had apparently come to Canterlot to speak to the Archduchess Nobility, who governed the province his troops were stationed in, about one of the measures being put to vote at Court. One of the guards positioned at the Canterlot Station stated that he had seen Duke Greengrass come to meet Lightning at the station, although what transpired afterwards could only be guessed at. After the vote had taken place, the Archduchess, who had apparently been dissatisfied with the results had introduced charges against Captain Lightning and had him court-marshaled before the week was out. She had bucked several standard procedures out the window in the process, but that hardly mattered. Spark Lightning's career as a soldier was over and he had been dishonorably discharged.

Now, at least, they had a motive; revenge. Whatever had transpired between Lightning and Greengrass, it was apparent that Lightning blamed the Duke for the loss of his career. So the former captain had gone to the Duke's office, seeking...what? That had Shining Armor at a loss. Had he been searching for some sordid secret he could use to ruin the Duke's reputation? But he had only been searching the outter office, where the Duke's secretary worked, not the inner sanctum, where Duke Greengrass's secrets probably resided, if the duke was foolish enough to keep such sensitive information at his office in any case.

Shining's horn flared and he cast a different spell. This one created a shield that enveloped the room, locking it into stasis and preserving it for further investigation. As his magic washed out over the space, the stallion felt a strange creeping coldness that sent shivers down his spine. Something was wrong here.

"Secure the apartment and make sure nothing is touched when the investigators arrive," said the captain, turning to face his subordinates who remained arrayed in the doorway. The two unicorns and one earth pony saluted smartly and took up their stations in the doorway and in the room itself. Shining was about to leave when something on the table caught his eye. Trotting over, he realized that he was looking at a set of ledgers, which had probably been stolen from Greengrass's suite. Somepony, probably Spark Lighting had been going through them and had apparently marked certain names. The marked names stood out compared to the rest of the ledger. Quickly, Shining pulled a quill and a sheet of parchment from his saddlebag and set to work recording the names. Once he had them, he realized what he was looking at, a hit list. He wasn't certain of the reasoning, but he strongly suspected that Lightning had something unpleasant planned for these ponies.

Finishing the list, Shining Armor turned and rushed out past his guards and out onto the street, where he signaled for Lieutenant Blazemane to descend. The young stallion landed in front of his captain, saluting.

"Sir!"

"Have the air corps of the guard scour the city as thoroughly as possible. Find Spark Lightning, but do not engage him." Shining flinched as he thought about the damage that had been done to the two guards earlier. The strength necessary to accomplish that could not have been a pony's. While Lightning had a reputation as a competent soldier, he was certainly no super-stallion.

Getting his mind back on the task, he continued his instructions. "Once you find him, report his location immediately and do not let him out of your sight, no matter what." Pulling out the list he had made, Shining hoofed it over to Blazemane, who frowned as he read it. "Find these ponies. Spark Lightning singled out their names in the materials he stole from Greengrass's office. Get teams on them and take them into protective custody."

Blazemane saluted again and took to the air to issue his orders to the pegasus division of the Night Guard. Meanwhile, Shining turned and headed down the road, heading towards Canterlot's market district. He had a specialist to consult.

It took less time than usual for Shining Armor to make his way down the market streets. Midday was approaching and many of the shoppers and outdoor merchants were beginning to head inside. The captain was secretly glad as he trotted down the street. Having fewer ponies around made it less likely that he would be recognized. Even with the glamours applied to his mane, tail and cutie mark, Shining was well aware that he was no master of disguise. Perhaps somepony like Trixie Lulamoon would be able to transform herself into a completely different pony (although Trixie obviously favored invisibility enchantments over disguises), but Shining Armor's magic was geared more towards combat and defensive enchantments. Subtle work like veils and glamours was a bit outside his purview, which made it all the better that the time of day meant that the crowds were thinning.

There were still some merchants waiting at their stalls, shouting their offers and describing their wares. Behind them, on either side of the street, more firmly established stores lined the way, most now full with shoppers heading in to take shelter from the sun above. But these were not what interested Shining Armor.

Instead, he turned onto a side street. Down this way were shops that sold more exotic and eclectic wares, things difficult to come by in Equestria and services that many ponies did not like to take advantage publicly. The street was narrower, but as immaculately clean as any that could be found in Canterlot. The buildings were well maintained and the displays and signs were in mostly perfect condition. Only the much lighter hoof-traffic on this street gave any indication that it was off the beaten path for most citizens.

Looking up, Shining spotted the sign he had been seeking. Shadowlight Alternative Medicine and Therapy. Shining hesitated for a moment on the doorstep before taking a deep breath and stepping inside. As he stepped through the door, Shining Armor inhaled deeply, filling his nose with a familiar floral scent. Little by little, the tension suffusing his body began to ebb away as the scent of hydrangea washed over him.

The outer room of the establishment was painted a dark blue color that vaguely reminded Shining of the color of Princess Luna's coat, although the paint was a shade lighter than that. A few seats lined the wall on either side of the room. There were no windows in the room, save for the ones set into the door. The only light came from a single lamp hanging from the ceiling, almost as an afterthought, which, given the nature of the owner, it very well could have been.

At the back of the room was a small desk with a few writing implements scattered across it. On one corner sat a single small diffuser consisting of a shallow dish suspended over a small candle, the small pool of liquid in the dish being the source of the scent that drifted ever so gently throughout the room.

A forest green earth pony was seated behind the desk. As Shining shut the door behind himself, the breeze ruffled the other stallion's unkempt mane, which was an even darker shade of green than his coat. Lifting his head, the earth pony smiled brightly at Shining Armor, his nose sniffing slightly as he trained his muzzle on the captain.

"Shining!" exclaimed the establishment's proprietor as he got up from behind the desk and trotted out to greet his visitor, "This is unexpected. I haven't seen you since that business with that foalnapper...what was his name? What brings you here today?" As he stepped out into the open, Shining got a good view of the other pony's cutie mark, an unusual symbol. It was a circle that had been divided into two coma-shaped halves, one black and one white. In the wider section of each of the coma shapes, a single small dot off the opposite color could be seen. Shining remembered that it was supposed to be an important symbol from some far-east nation, but could never recall what it meant.

Shining might have been a little upset that the other pony had recognized him immediately. But a simple visual glamour would not be of any use to a pony like Shadowlight, who had gone blind from a very young age. With a sigh, Shining opened his mouth to respond.

"Never mind," said Shadowlight quickly, cutting Shining off before he could speak, "You're clearly distressed. Why don't we head into the back and get you taken care of."

"I'm not here for that," protested Shining lamely. In the end, Shadowlight would have his way, whether Shining Armor wanted him to or not.

"Nonsense, I can smell your anxiety from across the room. You've seen some unpleasant things and you clearly have more than enough on your plate already. Now come."

Shining was alway perplexed at how easily Shadowlight could read him. Half the time, he wondered if the unassuming earth pony was secretly some sort of telepath. Resigning himself to his fate, Shining followed the other stallion through the door at the back of the room. Passing through, he found himself in a smaller, simple room that looked like a cross between a doctor's examination room and a massage parlor. The walls were a lighter shade of blue than the waiting room. On one side was a simple padded table. Next to it was a stand with several minuscule needles embedded in it. Across the room was another small desk, which was stocked with a variety of bottles arranged next to a sink and another small diffuser.

"Lay down please," instructed Shadowlight as he trotted to the desk and began selecting a combination of oils that he poured into the diffuser's dish before lighting the candle underneath. In a space of a few moments the soothing scent would fill the room, taking even more of an edge off of Shining Armor's tension than the flowery perfume at the front had.

Shining did as he was bid and stretched out on his stomach on the table, making himself comfortable. With his ears, heard Shadowlight trot up next to him. A moment later, a tiny sensation was the only indication that a needle had been inserted into the skin at the base of his neck. Shining could feel a slight pulling sensation as Shadowlight carefully manipulated the needle. A wave of pleasurable sensations rippled out through his body, causing the Unicorn's tensing muscles to ease. The slight headache, building just behind Shining's horn, was also beginning to fade.

"So then, what is causing the noble Captain of the Royal Guard such distress this time?" asked Shadowlight before closing his teeth around another needle and slipping it into another section of Shining's body.

"There was a break-in at the palace."

"Worrying, but not the true source of your anxiety." A third needle was inserted. Shining Armor let out another breath as he settled down, relaxing even further than he thought was possible.

"Good," said Shadowlight, his voice nearly a whisper, "Now give me all the details you can."

"Come now, don't sulk." Shadowlight took up a pitcher of water in his teeth and poured a glass for Shining Armor, who grudgingly took hold of it with his magic and sipped slowly.

"You interrogated me," muttered the irritated unicorn, "Again."

"It's simply a method used to enhance the clarity of recall and ensure veracity. That it works just as well against Princess Luna's prisoners, like that Parley fellow, is merely a testament to the technique's versatility." Shadowlight settled into a seat across from Shining's in the empty waiting room. "Besides, it was also therapeutic. You haven't been getting enough rest lately. You've clearly lost quite a few nights' sleep worrying about that sister of yours. If I can take care of two problems at once, so much the better. Besides, getting worked up is a bad idea right now. You need to rest for a few hours after your treatment to reap the full benefits."

"But the investigation..."

"Will continue without you. You didn't get this far by foolishly trying to do everything yourself, now did you? Your orders are sound and your men capable. Let them do their jobs so that you can do yours."

Shining let out another sigh as he nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, Shadowlight was right. He usually was. "So then, what do you make of this?"

Shadowlight poured a cup of water for himself as he mulled over his answer. "Much of the situation is as it seems to be. Spark Lightning, a former captain of the Northern Equestrian Army, was manipulated in a scheme by Duke Greengrass to get Captain Lightning to influence Archduchess Nobility's vote in a direction favorable to Greengrass's ambitions. When Nobility realizes that she and the captain have been played for fools, she punishes Lightning by arranging to have him removed from the military entirely. His career and his future ruined, Lightning blames Greengrass and takes action, looking for a way to get back at the duke."

"Could you maybe tell me something I couldn't figure out for myself?" asked Shining, raising an irritable eyebrow.

"There are two details that stand out to me," answered Shadowlight, "First, there is Lightning's over-the-top strength that he used to put two of your men in the hospital. It seems more than a little difficult to believe that a pegasus, however well-trained, could overpower two equally well-trained (if not better) earth ponies. From what you described, it sounds as though our friend has gained some new and unique power.

"Which brings us to the second detail that stands out to me. When you spoke of setting up the preservation wards in Lightning's room, you mentioned contact with some unsettling feeling."

"I completely forgot about that!" exclaimed Shining, nearly dropping his glass, "And I don't remember telling you about it?"

Shadowlight sighed and shook his head, chuckling softly. "And that is what the technique is for, Shining. It was a minor feeling when it occurred, so you overlooked it, for the most part. Because it seemed to hold so little significance, you dismissed and perhaps thought you had simply imagined it. In a normal conversation, you would have glossed over that little detail easily. But the entire purpose of my efforts was to delve fully into you recollection and draw out even the smallest and most easily overlooked details and impressions."

An indignant snort burst from the unicorn's nose. "So what about it then?"

"What you encountered may have been the residual effects of what granted our friend, the former captain, such fantastic strength. Not having encountered it for myself, I have to wonder what it could be described as. Perhaps it is something that is not even of pony origin."

"Not of pony origin..." Shining echoed. Something about that notion made his skin crawl. "If it wasn't something a pony could do, then what? Griffins? Zebras?"

"I couldn't say," admitted Shadowlight, "Unless I got to experience this strange, foreign power for myself, I couldn't begin to tell you where it came from. Your impression was too fleeting to get a proper appreciation for its nature, so we shall simply have to see if we can find some traces of this strange magic on Lightning himself."

"So if you can meet Lightning, you might be able to identify the power affecting him?"

"Perhaps. Do you intend to bring him here after all is said and done?"

"Actually," said Shining, "I want to enlist your help in capturing him."

Shadowlight frowned. "You know I don't do that without orders."

"You're going to have to make an exception just this once," replied Shining Armor, "This stallion is dangerous and I don't want to risk any more of my men capturing him if I can avoid it."

Were his eyes ever open, Shadowlight would have glared. "You are going to owe me for this."

"What do you want?" asked Shining Armor.

"I want to schedule an appointment for Greengrass. If I'm going to clean up his mess, I want to at least share my opinion with the good duke."

Comments

[RainbowDoubleDash]

A minor point: In the Lunaverse, the Equestrian flag is different in Luna's Equestria as opposed to Celestia's:

i41.tinypic.com/a0ihau.png

[Crisis]

Shadowlight has a Yin-yang cutie mark and knows acupuncture? Cool!