Canterlot, the great marble jewel of Equestria, its fabulous white buildings glowed in the evening sunset. The fine spring mist settled through the alleys of the city, swirling about the inhabitants that continued to stroll through the streets.
A hooded figure ignored this beauty though; their design for the evening could not afford such distractions. The artificer's district was always lively at this time of day; bureaucrats, accountants, and artisans bustled between the alleys and their respective employments.
A sleeved extremity was extended to hammer on the ancient oak of a splendorous workshop back entrance, the figure paused patiently, then watched as a wizened pony pulled the door open slightly, creaking in the cool air.
"I understand you are wanting for labour." The hooded figure spoke in a gravelly voice, as if having difficulty with the syllables.
"Wanting, yes," the elderly pony began, "afford, no. Especially one of your kind. Too expensive to keep, and too much of a liability around the trade I work in."
"For you, fifty bits a day." The figure responded undeterred.
"The guild would disapprove..."
"Thirty." The voice slightly muffled through the hood continued.
"Why so cheap? Are you on the run or something?"
"Not running, just a keen worker. Fifteen."
"I suppose I have some use for you." The pony stated slowly. "Was that 'ten' you just said?" He added mercenarily.
"Yes."
"You'd best come in then." The pony finished, widening the gap in the doorway slightly.
In the distance, Princess Celestia lowered the sun, another day complete, making room for Luna to bring about her night. The last glowing rays of sunlight projected the shadow of Canterlot down across the plains and woodlands of Equestria, before disappearing over the horizon.
* * *
Time moved onwards, it had a funny way of doing that, days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and the light Spring mist had become the insipid Autumn fog, blanketing Canterlot thickly. Shining Armour observed the morning sunrise through a castle suite window, and marvelled at how ponies take such a feat for granted. With hurrying hooves, a low ranking member of the guard proceeded to Shining Armour, halting just before his side.
"Terrible news sir, another jeweller has turfed out a dragon, and it has attracted a mob." The stricken pony in golden armour began.
"Is this not something you can deal with? I am expecting an audience with her highness Princess Celestia imminently."
"The matter, uh, has become rather delicate. Some feel your presence might remind ponies as to their better natures." The guard pony said meekly bowing down low. "I would have thought though, with you being a royal prince, that an audience with Princess Celestia was a given."
"You thought wrong then." Shining Armour retorted harshly. "I didn't want to be a prince, I just wanted to marry my love, the fact that she was also a princess irrelevant." He added softening.
"Shall I message back them that you won't be arriving on the scene?"
"No... I'll be there, I can spare an hour." Shining Armour replied, straightening his helmet.
In the artificer's district a mob of chanting ponies had circled a young dragon. They were pelting the creature with cobblestones from the cracked street. The hapless dragon lay curled in the street centre as a torrent of smooth stones bounced off his thick hide. With each successive blow, his whimpering increased.
Heard even over the shouts of the amassed ponies, the sound of determined hooves striking the stone of the street; at the head of a group of ponies slowly and deliberately walking towards the encircled dragon was a handsome white stallion in rich purple armour. Following up the rear was a pair of similarly dressed ponies, but clad in golden armour, offset from the stallion noticeably.
The blue mane coalesced out through the gap between metal and flesh, and the shield and star cutie mark emblazoned on his flank were instantly recognisable. Captain of the guard, and royal prince to the Crystal Empire, Shining Armour held his head high, as he stared down at the swiftly quietening mob.
"I would have expected better from you, Palladium, to treat your employee as such." Shining Armour's voice commanded respect, even though he did not need to raise it.
"Another load of jewels went missing last night. This time some were discovered in my establishment." Palladium, a silver-grey Mare with a shrewish voice, answered wryly.
"Everypony knows dragons eat gemstones." A voice from the mob called out in defence.
"Yeah, and they steal anything that ain't nailed down." Another cry added to the throng of voices.
"What of you ponies? Are you going to stoop to this level of vigilante justice, on some flimsy shred of evidence?" Shining Armour spoke harshly. "I expect the poor fellow to be well recompensed for the indignities he has been made to suffer. Shame on you all, and Palladium, you should feel lucky you're not spending a night in the cells."
"Oh and whatever for?" Palladium retorted with a snide glance.
"Inciting an affray, allowing an employee to take harm while at work, behaviour likely to breach the peace, and above all, looking at me in what I can creatively misunderstand as being a threatening manner." Shining Armour cited quickly, hoping nopony in the gathered mass would actually realise that there was no actual law broken.
Palladium sighed bitterly, and glared at the mob. Shining Armour gave a satisfied look when they started to disperse.
"Spine Scales, you'd best get back in here then." Palladium said begrudgingly. "A pay rise is also in order I think..." She added while being stared at by Shining Armour.
"Somewhere in the region of ten percent-" Palladium began hopefully before being interjected by Shining Armour coughing meaningfully.
"Fifteen?" She stated slowly. This was met with another cough.
"Twenty, and I hope you choke you bugger." Palladium said directly to Shining Armour. Satisfied, he smiled slyly, and nodded. With his entourage of two in tow, Shining Armour began a meaningful gait away from the now empty street.
"Was it right, sir, to let her get away with that?" The newer of the two ponies asked politely.
"Ah, the law is a strange business, given the chance, I would lob half of Canterlot in cells, but sadly I have to do things by the book and no... technical crime had been committed." Shining Armour replied delicately.
"But all that stuff you spouted off?" The guard pony continued relentless.
"All fluff, to make us seem more powerful than we actually are. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a princess to meet."
Carousel Boutique didn't often attract custom this early in the morning, so the shop doorbell jingling lightly surprised Rarity as she prepared her breakfast. With a quick glance at her mane, to ensure it was perfect, she poised herself to stroll through to the shop.
"Oh, Twilight. I didn't expect you to be here this early." Rarity yawned slowly. "Do forgive me darling, I'm still waking up."
"I got a note from Princess Celestia this morning." Twilight began brightly. "It doesn't give much information, but apparently my presence is going to be required in Canterlot for a short term, and I need something appropriate to wear." Rarity's eyes widened as Twilight spoke.
"You want me to design something for royalty to wear during an official visit to Canterlot." Rarity cooed suddenly awake. "Oh you simply must come through darling, so I can work something out."
Shining Armour walked slowly through the main streets of Canterlot, watching closely as the myriad of ponies went about their morning business. Things were getting tougher everywhere though. A series of thefts from the artificers' district had crippled the ponies that rely on their prosperity.
Everything from fine fabrics through to precious metals had gone missing, and the dragon population, mostly used for messenger purposes, and of course finding gemstones, was being blamed. Shining Armour sighed as he recounted a previous mob that nearly turned into a riot.
The thefts in the artificer's was causing unrest elsewhere in the city though, most dragon employing businesses were getting edgy and nervous around them, and the impact of the financial loss was causing a slight loss of trade for some ponies.
A scream caught Shining Armour's attention, turning sharply on the spot; he saw a yellow mare, stricken with grief running from the central post office towards him.
"Oh Shining Armour, it's absolutely terrible." The mare began in great wailing sobs. "Only, this morning when I took him his tea I found that the senior clerk was dead."
"You'd best take me to him..." Shining Armour said carefully, looking at the clock tower impatiently.
"Well, I instructed some of the sorters to place a sheet over him out of respect, you know." She continued bawling, as the pair entered the main offices, "But it just isn't right, for a stallion to be murdered in his own office."
"Hang on, murdered?" Shining Armour questioned, increasing his pace significantly.
"Oh indeed, a right grizzly mess too, office has been ransacked, there's paper everywhere and, well... The poor chap is covered in... Well..." Claw marks, across the entirety of the office was the unmistakable gouge and scrape of claws. The mare was unable to finish her sentence as they entered.
"Oh horseapples..." Shining Armour said under his breath. He cast his gaze about the room, noting the small details. In the corner a filing cabinet had been nearly destroyed in ferocity, and the desk was in a similar state. Using his magic, a pink glow illuminated Shining Armour as the sheet was lifted. A cobalt pegasus stallion lay beneath it, also covered in a similar degree of claw marks.
"Tell me... Uh..." Shining Armour began questioningly.
"Sunset Lily." The mare replied blankly.
"Tell me, Sunset Lily, does your office have many dragons in its employ?"
"Only old Crimson, we keep her around for when somepony needs to deliver to the princesses, or somepony else important, swiftly." Sunset Lily had calmed significantly, and was speaking animatedly. "Here, you don't think she did this do you? Only she'd be much too big to fit through the door. Crimson's been here since the postal service started, oh some four-hundred years ago. The basement connects to a cave system where she sleeps."
"Of course, I'd love to stay and deal with this matter personally, but I am very nearly running late for a meeting with her highness. I'll send down some of the guard to secure the place once I get to the palace, in the meantime, it might be best to seal off this wing." Shining Armour spoke quickly as he made towards the door.
"Oh I can just see you in blue darling." Rarity said gleefully as bolts of royal blue fabric levitated about both Rarity and Twilight. "Ooh, maybe some of my diamond encrusted ribbon for a trim, and of course something fabulous from my jewellery box. Something to go with that gorgeous Tiara you have."
"I was hoping for something a little more... understated." Twilight stated slowly.
"Oh nonsense darling, you must look your best." Rarity gasped loudly as she looked at the bolts passing before her. "What was I thinking? Lilac! No, no, no that won't do either, midnight blue... Maybe, but, I'll have to accessorise it with sapphires..."
"Well I can see you're up for this, so, um, I'll just leave you to it." Twilight said nervously, edging towards the door.
"What was that darling?" Rarity asked after a few minutes, still engrossed in fabric choice.
The clock ticked loudly in the corridor outside Celestia's chambers. Shining Armour had been waiting for over fifteen minutes, and was starting to worry. Princess Celestia was always scrupulously accurate when it came to time keeping. He glanced at the two stationed guard, who nodded politely at his gaze. He returned to watching the clock. It was now fifteen minutes past nine, and Celestia had arranged the meeting for nine exactly.
Shining Armour tapped his hoof impatiently on the marble stone and watched the steel grey hands of the clock edge around the circumference. Every tick felt like a lifetime to Shining Armour, each movement of the gears driving another second into the day, dragging out the morning. A quiet cough behind Shining Armour made him jump slightly, but he rallied as not to show it.
“Waiting for something prince Shining Armour?” The speaker placed a sarcastic emphasis on the title. Shining Armour turned slowly to see the source of the interruption.
“Only to see your darling aunt, Blueblood.” Shining Armour replied coldly.
“I am a royal prince and I would respect a common born pony like you to address me as such.” Blueblood said aghast.
“But did you not just address me as a prince, thus establishing my equality with you?” Shining Armour replied with mock innocence. Blueblood stood opposite, mouth agape at such unaccustomed rudeness.
“I think I have waited long enough.” Shining Armour said to himself, as he carefully walked past Blueblood. He nodded to the flanking guard ponies on the door.
He pushed through the grand doors into Celestia’s chambers expectant to see her sitting by her fireplace. A crunch of broken china under his hoof caused Shining Armour to pause in his gait and look at the floor.
A tea set had been dropped from a reasonable height, most likely from a pony levitating it. The carpet was damp and slightly sticky from the stewed liquid seeping into it.
Shining Armour stepped over the mess to see behind the writing desk, a crown carelessly thrown upon the ground, lying next to a spread eagled white alicorn princess.