Subject 17: Protective Gentlecolts
As the night came forth, I decided to hit up one of the nearby golf course to practice my putting. I played a few rounds with Corkscrew before he decided to turn in.
“That was fun, boss. Well, I’m off to bed! Can’t wait to hit that water slide tomorrow morning. This place not having foals allowed in this place is like heaven!”
I made use of the special magnetic horseshoes they provided so non-magical ponies could swing the clubs with their hooves. I putted the ball through a windmill and landed it. “Not bad. And go on, Cork. You’ve done enough. This has been rather...relaxing.”
“Alrrighty! See ya boss!”
And he flew off, back to the hotel room.
I stayed behind at the well-lit course for a while longer. I didn’t feel tired at all. My head was finally clear and as a result, I had loads of energy. Or was it due to what I ate earlier? No matter. I would continue my little game until I felt something through the earth.
“Huh?”
Two signatures. Both unicorns. Strange. But I suppose ponies were out and about at this time. I wouldn’t judge. Except they were both honing in on my position. Not with malicious intent to attack, though. Still, I kept my guard up.
“Ahem…is someone out there?”
A white unicorn with a blue mane emerged from the path that led to the golf course. Followed by an orange one with a reddish mane. The first was a bit more familiar than the second...ah! Cadence’s husband Shining Armor. Both looked rather upset to see me. Or rather, the orange unicorn gave the white unicorn a concerned look while Shining glared at me.
“Is your name Pale Vestige,” the Empire prince asked, “and would you happen to be from Manehattan?”
“Maybe.” I simply went back to playing my round of golf, and trotted to the next hole. This one had a tiny train that circled around a moat to block the ball. “Who’s asking?”
“Uh, Shining...maybe we should--”
“Stand back Sunburst, I’ll handle this,” he followed me. Though I knew it wasn’t with the intent of spectating my amazing golf skills. “You wouldn’t have happened to speak with the ruler of the Crystal Empire and her daughter would you?”
I placed the ball down, and prepared to line up my shot. I kept the guise of being disinterested up to get a feel for the way he spoke. “Maybe. Why? Are you related to them somehow?”
“Enough games,” he turned aggressive. I could sense it. He used his magic to grab my club and toss it aside. How rude. I was this close to beating the train on the course. “That was my wife and kid you spoke to. Something about letting that insane nutcase Cozy Glow go. But I’m onto you. You’re the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse.”
“Are you taking the piss?” I raised an eyebrow. I wanted to smack the teeth out of whoever said such a thing. “I’m doing my job.”
“And I’m doing my job as the leader of the Empire and a father. I don’t want someone like you speaking to and manipulating my family.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I did a double take and tilted my head out of confusion. “What...why would you think that?”
“Sunburst, show it to him.”
The orange unicorn summoned a newspaper with his magic and levitated it over to me, “Do you recognize anything from the front page?”
I grabbed it, and started to read.
The Dreaded Blood Viper At It Again’
“The term used to describe something sinister among the local gangs has picked up steam recently. Everyone should hurry home by 8PM to avoid whatever dangers may arise at night.”
Impossible! How could they even put my old alias in the paper? I haven’t lived there in years! “Listen...you have to believe me. I have nothing to do with what’s going on over there. Not anymore. Someone is likely using my name in an effort to slander me.”
“And you wanting to set Cozy Glow free is no less chaotic?” the Empire prince questioned me with a stern glare. It was like he was ready to fight me, “She was a plague on this world and has no right to exist. Just like that idiot Sombra. I don’t want my kid growing up in a world where crazy tyrants like them are given a free pass. Or worse--a world where my sister can’t relax because some crazy busybody thought it would be a good idea to let loose some crazed psycho!” he suddenly leaned in close to me, “You may have covered wars, but I’ve fought them. Don’t test me, understand? Your position is easily replaceable.”
Sunburst would jump in. “Easy there, buddy. Let me handle this. Ahem…” he pushed the angry stallion behind him, and addressed me next, “Starlight contacted me about your situation. While I don’t think you’re insane, I’m sorry to say that I just don’t trust you or your judgement to present a case such as this.”
“I see,” I leaned against one of the nearby trees, “and just what makes you say that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You may be competent, but the mere fact that you’ve experienced a situation comparable to Cozy compromises your judgement,” he adjusted his glasses, “I don’t mean to offend but...just who are you? Why are you doing this? We don’t know anything about you or your motives, and because of that, we don’t think you should present a case to Twilight yet.”
I mentally groaned. These two were so grounded in their overprotective ways that they couldn’t see the forest through the trees. One was a more conservative father while the other seemed like an intellectual. Not bad. “I see...and you believe this little old sheet of gossip print instead of taking it right from the horse’s mouth?” I tossed the newspaper back to his hooves.
“We did more than that. We actually took it upon ourselves to go interview ponies living in Manehattan personally,” he levitated a tape recorder, “You’ll do well to listen to what they have to say.”
He pushed play and multiple voice tracks started to play from the device.
‘Blood Viper? Doesn’t that have to do with some deadly poison substance?’
‘That name? Yeh, I grew up in school with someone using that name. Heard he’s stalking around places to punch people’s lights out.’
‘He’s a shameless flirt who tried to hit on me after I said no several times. Someone so reckless has no right to hang around.’
Those situations sounded familiar, but I wasn’t involved directly. I wonder…
That’s when Shining chose to join back in with an explanation, “We also surveyed the files of the schools in the area. As it turns out, only one had a colt with that nickname. And it turned out to be you,” he pointed at me, “and yet, it seems that--according to our witness accounts, you’ve resumed your habits of stirring up trouble.”
“While what you’re doing isn’t deemed illegal,” Sunburst added, “It presents a major conflict of interest that complicates your intentions whether you like it or not. Unless you can prove that you truly aren’t involved, then I’m going to have to warn you not to go against Twilight with this case.”
I chuckled, “And if I refuse?”
“Then we’re going to expose you for who you really are, Mr. Defective,” Shining commented in a slightly arrogant tone to mock my profession. “So I suggest you leave my sister alone with your ideas of bringing back some crazed lady who nearly destroyed the world.”
“She wasn’t ‘some crazed lady’,” I shot back, “she was a child who lacked guidance, and suffered for it. If that was Flurry Heart, what would you have done, sir?”
Once again, he saw fit to lean into my face with intent to intimidate me, “Don’t you dare utter the name of my child, you fool. She would never turn out that way. And if she somehow did, we’d have stopped her before it got to that,” he backed away. “And I know you asked my wife the same thing. But the truth is, she doesn’t trust you. So you’d do well to stay away from her from now on, got it?”
Sunburst rolled his eyes. I could see that he was slightly annoyed at the way the Empire prince handled the situation. “Listen...what he’s saying is that it’d be highly risky to try and present a case like this without a clean background. And it seems yours is...just too full of holes for us to reasonably let you. Starlight wanted me to let you know whenever I came across you since she’s always busy nowadays. But whether you like it or not, the Blood Viper name is extremely suspicious, and you are connected to it.”
Typical. Always mindful of those who didn’t share the same beliefs. But I suppose it couldn’t be helped. If my background was as dirty as they claimed, then it would be suicide to attempt for me to approach the princess now. I’d look downright suspicious and be thrown into a dungeon, thus ruining the chances of Cozy Glow ever getting a chance at life. I would need to be tactical, and avoid further contact with those individuals.
Not to mention the Empire prince himself here. This could result in an international incident if I played the wrong card. “Alright. I promise I won’t speak to your wife or daughter, sir.”
“Good. As long as you respect that barrier, then you won’t be hearing from me, and you’ll get to keep your job. Let’s go, Sunburst,” he started on his way.
With a nod, the orange stallion would take his leave. “Don’t be crazy, sir...have a nice evening.” I heard the two mumble a bit as they left, “Was that sufficient?”
“Nope. I’m not letting him leave my sight.”
Luna-dammit. This is not what I wanted. However, given Babs and her plea for me to return to my home city, this would be a nice twofold objective that I could accomplish. I simply must avoid Flurry from this point onward. Oh well. Last thing I wanted was a major conflict I couldn’t take hold of to shake down yet. Did he really have the authority to take away my badge? If so, what the buck.
But I had the ace up my sleeve. For now, I’d simply return to my game of golf and attempt to enjoy the rest of my vacation. Tomorrow was our last day here, I wouldn’t waste it on another annoyance.
And so we had fun. Corkscrew and I would spend the first part of the day enjoying the pools and slides. It was a thrill let me tell ya. We spent hours with feeble attempts to race each other. It was like we were the two foolish colts we grew up together as.
Quick would take me out to the archery range. The skill she had to draw a bow with her teeth was astounding. Beyond that, she scored nearly perfect on every shot? Me? I missed the center entirely. I did land a few though. Now, had it been a pencil throwing contest, I would’ve blown her out so hard.
We even took a nature hike with the former alicorn lords. Came into contact with some friendly woodland creatures, too. Although Cork had a harder time due to the fact that he was scared of porcupines. ‘Needled demons,’ he called them. Yet Quick and I didn’t have a problem with them. Probably had to do with our special abilities as earth ponies that let us interact with animals more easily.
Lastly, we shared a meal at the lakeside cafe where they served haycakes fried in fish oil. It was awkward at first, but I came to love the taste over time. The coconut to drink out of was a nice touch also.
It was a lovely time. I could nearly forgo all of my feelings toward work and truly relax for once. We all had fun. Even though I did have to endure some burns at first. But that night, for the first time in forever, I actually felt content. Like I could simply be myself and enjoy who I was. As a result, I slept soundly for the first time in ages.
But unfortunately, it had to be interrupted by something. Or rather, someone.
I was in a dream, but it wasn’t a standard one. It got hijacked fairly quickly.
“Aw come on!”
I found myself standing on a bunch of warm clouds this time. I looked around. They were endless. A literal sea of clouds as far as the eye could gather. Strange.
All the sudden, a certain alicorn of fire would be thrown into the dream. “Ah!”
“Apologize for your overly aggressive actions!”
That must’ve been Luna. Apparently she wanted the alicorn to repent for what she did to my lungs. But I wondered something. “Is this you Celestia?”
She stood, “No. Tia is asleep right now. But I was plucked from her subconscious and thrown in here to apologize for nearly suffocating you to death.” She cricked her neck, and grit her teeth. Was this really that difficult? “I...am...s-sorry...I made a...mistake…” she coughed.
“Are you okay?”
“Shush! I’m apologizing,” she cleared her throat and continued, “...I was wrong to force myself onto you in such a way, and...I was wrong. You clearly have a good understanding of my situation...for a mortal.”
I shrugged, and disregarded the sentiment. “It’s fine. But only you can understand yourself better than anypony. I just hope you can move on and reconcile with Tia--er, yourself. You know what I mean.” As I said before, I wasn’t a therapist or anything. I couldn’t solve everypony’s problems. All I could do was uncover hidden details and make use of them as evidence for my cases. Help others to help themselves, basically.
She looked embarrassed. As if she wanted to ask something else. “...Yeah, sure...no problem.”
I was fed up with this. So I chose to get it over with. I walked up and gave the fiery alicorn a hug.
“...What are you…?” she mumbled in disbelief as if she had never been embraced before.
“When you wake up, try and do this with your sister. Then any other friends you make. Just do it, you’ll feel a whole lot better.” I did this in a vain hope that she would be able to find somepony else to vent her frustrations out on.
“...I will try. But if it doesn’t work, I’m blaming you.”
I laughed and held onto her a bit longer. “Feel free. I don’t know everything. I’m not perfect, and I can admit it.”
I could feel her magic tense up when I said that. All I could do was hope that she’d work on improving herself. Beyond that, it was something I couldn’t control.
The next morning, it would be time to head home. I felt a slight burning sensation within my body, but I ignored it as I limped out of bed. It went away rather quickly, and my sleep was very sound. We went back home, all properly rested and relaxed, and ready to work yet again.
As soon as we entered our office, I saw a stack of the Manehattan newspapers on my desk. The very same ones with the fake alias I used long ago. “Hm…”
“What’s all this, boss?” Corkscrew asked.
“A set of papers, heh, obviously,” Quick Draw answered.
I took a look myself, and knew that someone had been aware of my situation. But who would leave these here? Hm. I felt the presence of my two comrades next to me, their eyes scanned the paper in unison.
Cork looked at me, “...Boss?”
For a moment, I felt a hint of Quick’s sympathetic aura as well. “...Well now. Looks like I’m going to head back home for a bit. But I’m going to need some help. Say, where’s Neon?”
THUD!
The blue bat stallion fell from the ceiling in the nearby employee lounge. Us three raced there to find the dull blue pony snoozing with a mango tucked between his sharp teeth.
“Neon, wake up!” Cork made a mistake when he ran over and tapped him with his hoof.
His mane stood up on end as he let out a terrifying screech. “EEEEE!” He leapt out of his chair, and fell on his back. “Oh...it’s you lot. Are ya’ll finished with your recreation already? Sorta wished I coulda stayed here a bit longa,” he got up and stretched his wings.
Quick rolled her eyes and went back to her desk without a word.
“Sorry, bud...I’ll start cleaning up the place,” Cork grabbed a broom nearby.
“You and me, Neon. I need you for a second,” I beckoned him over and led him out of the employee lounge. We stood in the hallway where it was easier to have a more relaxed conversation. “First off, I need to thank you for watching the place while we were gone.”
“Oh no problem at all old chap, I dare say it was nice working back with you again...even if it wasn’t in the field,” his mechanical hoof shook mine.
I flashed a smile, “Well saddle up. Looks like I need your help.”
He stopped. “You need my help? Well...I’d have to check my schedule.” He pulled out a notepad from beneath his wing. I leaned upwards to be able to see what it said.
‘Rain, rain, rain, rain…’
“...”
I saw the irritation in his eyes. He wanted more from his lame job. He tossed the notes behind his head, “Balderdash! The HQ back home has gotten so boring, I can hear the ants in the walls! Count me in, Captain. I’ll be with you the whole way.”
I let out a chuckle, “Heheh. You accept when you don’t even know what I’m asking? That’s the legendary Isotope family for you. Even made my favorite little weapon.”
“Heh. Too right, mate. Now, what can I help ya with?”
“It has to do with Manehattan. I’m sure you’ve seen the paper,” I pointed to my desk, “but I know for a fact I wasn’t involved. Someone’s using my name. Moreover, there’s a gang that one of my old schoolmates is saying that’s causing trouble...during nightfall.”
When I turned my head to face him again, he had been blowing into a fruit-scented bubble pipe. “Indeed...is it possible these incidents are related?”
“No idea. But if things are going down at night, I’m going to need your help. We’ll leave this evening, and begin our work tomorrow. What do you say?”
The dull blue bat pony chittered with a devious, fanged grin, “Hehehe...why are we waitin’ for? You can’t have a light show without some Neon, baby.”
I rolled my eyes. That joke was terrible. But at least I knew he was ready.
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I can see why Flurry refuses to listen to daddy. Being a captain of the guards is a child’s worst parent; being too overprotective. Also I’m surprise that Shining believes in newspapers that slander someone because of their old name.
10409934
Actually he's more than that. He's the prince of the whole Empire right alongside Cadance so he's really protective nowadays!
And he doesn't know who Pale is. The fact that he's talked to his wife and kid is really concerning to him.
10409940
And yet, his little sister saves his butt and protects everyone better than him.
10409943
Which is exactly why he's so serious now. He's a ruler just like his sister and wife, so he's determined to prove himself. XD
Shining Armor. Like I said before, shame on you. Not surprising considering the wedding rehearsal debacle. It's like he learned absolutely nothing about prejudice. At least Sunburst was reasonable.
Flurry Heart came of her own volition, but did he give Pale a chance to explain? Nope. Always jumping to conclusions and believing false gossip like, assumingly Cadance is doing.
It looks like those opposers are smearing Pale with his past as the Blood Viper. Ruining any chance of Pale ever approaching Twilight with his case at all.
I really, really hope Pale comes out on top of this. And I really wish Twilight would get off her plot and find out what's happening rather than finding out from a newspaper.
Also, is Celestia and Luna even aware of this? If so, they should let Twilight know. Pale is a nice guy. He's not a threat!
Welp, guess I was wrong about Shining. He didn't learn anything from his first encounter with Thorax, did he? Honestly he comes off as a complete moron here and I wish that Luna was there to see him. The Blood Viper think is quite concerning though. People are desperate to keep Cozy stoned. Hopefully Pale can quickly handle this new Blood Viper.
Is Shining going insane due to a midlife crysis?
I don't see how describing Discord had anything to do with what Shining was trying to convay.
Wouldn't having a similar situation make him all the better to judge Cozy? Did Shining's ideocy latch onto poor Sunburst?
Wouldn't his teammates and all the ponies who saw him be proof that he wasn't in Manehatten for years?
Forget midlife crysis, I think Shining is becoming senile early. And by stopping her does he mean petrifying her?
He's a foreign ruler and not the Royal Guard captain any more. I doupt he has any political power in Equestria.
10409955
Yeah he's rather overly concerned about the fact that his wife and kid were spoken to about Cozy Glow. To him, that's very odd for someone to do. Especially someone they don't know. Very sketchy. Cadance meanwhile
..well you'll see.
And just who is making use of that name and why? You'll find out soon. But this is going to make things difficult.
Twilight currently doesn't know just yet. And that's exactly what her brother is trying to prevent happening. And sadly, Celestia and Luna have no power anymore so they can't control anything that goes on on a political scale.
Just pray for Pale!
10409964
Yeah he may seem foolish. But from his POV, this random guy talked to his wife and kid about setting a dangerous individual free and giving her a second chance. Cozy was way more powerful than Thorax so he feels like this is very dangerous and is almost enraged at Pale for even suggesting the idea. He's just being an overprotective dad.
Sunburst on the other hand is there on behalf of Starlight. From his perspective, he wants to see if Pale can prove he is trustworthy before he can convince Twilight of anything. If not, then it's only going to make things worse.
They have good points, so Pale needs to prove himself by going down there and clearing his name. XD
10409968
Okay, I get him trying to protect Twilight's state of mind and being, considering what Discord pulled years ago, but, uh... she's a grown-ass mare. If anything, he's doing to Twilight what he's doing to Flurry Heart: Overprotection! God, I hope Cadance somehow sets him straight. Or maybe Flurry Heart can call the old man out.
Plus, Spike is more than capable of calming her down should she be on edge about something.
10409997
That is true. He's just desperate to make an impact on something at this point, really. So for the sake of his family, he feels the need to not just defend them from threats. Rather, Shining aims to seek out and thwart these threats before they can even exist. So with Pale, he wants to stop him even before he can possibly become one. It's messy philosophy, but a noble one from a different perspective.
10410006
Desperate to make an impact, you say? I'm not sure if that's ego-boosting or what, but shouldn't Twilight or Cadance address this behavior?
10410095
They will soon. Trust me. Shining's intentions are good but he's going a bit...overboard even if his concerns are valid.
10410107
I should hope so. I mean, Flurry Heart is being rubbed the wrong way with his behavior. I know he has a reason, but it still sets a bad precedent. What's the point of The Magic of Friendship without trust and tolerance?
10410125
And that, my friend, is the whole theme of this story. The fact that Pale grew up a certain way and Cozy had no one to guide her so he feels like she deserves another chance. Characters like Shining, Neighsay/EEA, and Moondancer represent those who see the way things were as the best way to keep things. But Pale wants to break past that and introduce new things to them.
Plus I hate how passive Shining Armor is in the canon. He hardly goes out and does anything on his own and makes any of his own decisions. He's just a bumbling dad character like a G-rated Homer Simspon at this point who started off as a cool older brother but became a joke over time. So I took him in this direction to show that he can be active and make choices for himself while still being his protective character. It's in his name after all.
Wait a sec, Shining Armor doesn’t have ANY jurisdiction in Equestria. He can’t personally revoke Pale’s badge. He’s in charge of the Crystal Empire!!!
10410265
Well, he can revoke his badge if he was in the Empire but technically, he can't do anything. It's mostly just a method to intimidate Pale.
And yours is pointless, you incompetent, bully, glorified trophy husband.
Pale shouldn't have agreed to anything. It's clear sooner or later his past as the Viper will become public (Neighsay subtly threatened to). He should embrace it as a proof of what a wayward, marginalized foal can become and how a helping hoof in time can change him or her for the better.
10410708
LOL. So true. His role in the series has become a joke and I honestly hate how he's portrayed as a passive, meek husband figure that gets rescued by all these alicorns. So I felt that Shining needed to take action on his own terms for a change and do something himself. To him, he doesn't wanna just protect his family anymore, he wants to seek out and destroy any threats to them.
And you make a great point, but don't worry. Pale has a plan to get the evidence he needs from his home to prove his innocence and to show just what's wrong with the education system.
10410715
Both Shining and Sunburst are threatening Pale with forbidding him making a case before Twilight and even losing his business. How is that even legal?
Pale is a citizen of Equestria. If he wants to make an appointment with the Princess and present a request he considers necessary, is within his rights. And Shining Armor is not his superior to boss around or kick from his job.
It's even more inexcusable since both Shining and Sunburst are knowledgeable of a Law they are sworn to uphold.
10410873
Well Shining Armor is the only one doing the threatening here for the sake of his family. Sunburst meanwhile is merely suggesting that he figures out what's going on with his name being used by someone else in Manehattan before heading to Twilight. He's trying to be reasonable. XD
10411190
Clear Pale is haveing trouble seen Sunbrust is both sympathetic to him as well as trying to keep Shining from punching his face in.
Isn't this typical. Those in high positions of authority will always abuse thier power to keep those below them down and maintain the status quo. Wouldn't be surprised if this was the doing of that old bastard Neighsay or that anti-Cozy Glow group. This is the sort of underhanded... or underhoof tactics I expect from them to used against Pale.
10779502
Oh this is only the start of it...