Internal Changeling Affairs

Chapter One:

The Heat Is On

It was a not so nice but oh so abnormally hot summer afternoon in Equestria’s royal city of Canterlot.  Unlike most days such as this, it was turning out to be one of the hottest, most uncomfortable days on record.  Such a high temperature in fact, that just about everypony in the bustling metropolis that is Canterlot, was starting to feel very, very irritable.  To everypony’s surprise, crime was going up along with the temperature.  The recent acts of violence that have been taking place were almost unheard of to this otherwise crime-free city.  Many ponies even stated in newspaper articles that the spike in crime could even be compared to that of Las Pegasus or even Manehatten.  Aside from this hopefully temporary issue that was gripping this capital city, other aspects of life here were still normal,  some may even say better than normal.  The local economy was thriving and what was really putting everypony’s minds at ease was that because of this, the Canterlot Royal Guard was able to begin adding several new recruits to their department.

It seemed that just about everything was under control, however the traffic was a different story.  The whole city was dealing with traffic disputes of all kinds from the common cut-off to the all out brawl between coach drivers after blaming the other for their collision.  The problem was so frequent, that all hooves were needed on patrol in order to quickly resolve the disturbances until the new recruits were trained enough to start work.  Even the most respected and highest ranking officials were not exempt from being dispatched.  Of these officers who usually dealt with extremely important matters, such as keeping the entire department and the city in check, included Captain Shining Armor.  Although he was the head of the royal guard however, these kinds of tasks such as chasing, apprehending and even if necessary, taking a suspect down to the ground by means of force was nothing new to this young stallion.  After all, he didn’t start as the captain.  He was recruited as a patrol officer whom through determination and love for his job, was able to work his way up the ranks.  It had been quite some time since Shining Armor needed to use force on resisting perps and even longer since he was required to draw his service pistol to make his point more clear.  Nevertheless however, he had not gotten rusty.  It had been like he had been subduing irate ponies whom of which the heat wave was taking it’s toll on everyday.  The late afternoon was approaching and it seemed that the ruckus was beginning to die off a bit.  Princess Celestia was nearing the time to end her workday and her sister, Princess Luna was preparing to begin hers, this bringing somewhat of a much needed break in the record high temperatures.  This break however was a bit too late and didn’t come soon enough to prevent another traffic dispute that was creating a disturbance just a few blocks down from where Captain Shining Armor and a new trainee were on patrol.  The pair of law enforcers were sitting in one of the city owned steam driven coaches that was used for getting to crime locations more quickly that on hoof when a dispatch from a mare who worked at the headquarters  broke the long silence.

“Attention nearby units”….As quickly as the radio had received the signal, the captain, in the driver’s seat picked up the microphone with a glow of his horn to wait for further instructions.  “We have reports of a coach accident located on South Lunar Street”…there was a short pause…”Two mares involved are looking like they are about to really do some damage to each other.  Any units to handle code 3 identify”...Shining Armor had just taken this new recruit named Silver Badge under his hoof and had been waiting for just the perfect opportunity to show this rookie the ropes…

”This is Captain Shining Armor, coach 59…we’re just a couple of blocks away from there and we are en route” the somewhat overly excited captain said into the mic as he shifted the coach into gear.  “ok rookie”  Shining said, looking over at his new student sitting in the passenger seat trying to hide his feeling of nervousness.  “I’m about to show you how to kick ass and take names.  We got a live one, so hold onto your seat”.

Upon pulling out of the parking lot of the now closed for the night doughnut shop that he and his little sister, Twilight Sparkle would go to hang out everyday after school when they were younger, the captain driving the swift moving guard cruiser, flipped a switch to turn on the siren and flashing light bar in order to disperse the traffic that would hinder their arriving in time.  Fortunately enough however, the route they needed to take was just one straight shot to the scene and they arrived in just under a minute.  The accident was right smack in the middle of a four way intersection just under a traffic light.  After finding a safe spot to park the coach, Shining Armor and his new partner exited to the sight of a unicorn mare and a pegasus mare both looking like they were about to destroy each other.  A mere few feet away from the two arguing ponies sat two coaches that appeared to be almost fused together into one due to the collision.

Thinking quickly, Shining Armor turned to his sidekick to give him instructions.  “Ok, I need you to try to break up those two mares and try to calm them down.  I’ll need to direct this traffic.  And while I’m at it, I’ll call for some more back-up so we can have everypony moving again” the captain ordered now in a more serious, like a boss kind of tone.

“Yes Sir!” the rookie replied to his superior officer.  The task at hoof was going exactly as the two had hoped.  Silver Badge’s excellent “pony skills” added together with his handsomeness and the now more tolerable temperature seemed to work and quell the argument between the two mares.  Shining Armor was doing equally as well, standing at the nearest street corner directing traffic with constant blowing of his whistle and pointing his hoof in the direction to a safe detour.  Witnesses of the incident were giving reports to other guards just arriving at the scene to aid in removing the two disabled coaches from the street.  Over all, it seemed “just another day at the office” for the guards.

Just as another one of Shining Armor’s colleagues, Lieutenant  Speeding Lead stepped next to him to assist him in directing other lanes of drivers to safety, Shining Armor couldn’t help but notice a sudden wiff of something familiar.  It was the smell of something…or somepony that he had smelled before.  He couldn’t quite put his hoof on it, but it was something he remembered not exactly what it was but rather how negative of an experience he was associating the odor with.  It was a very unnatural type of smell.  One that may be found in an unkempt coach repair shop after a chemical spill.  Just turning his head to his right towards the street corner revealed what he somehow just knew was the source of this scent.  It was a pony wearing a trench coat and a wide brimmed hat slowly, but very suspiciously, almost as if putting in too much effort trying not to be detected, strolling down the sidewalk.  This, coupled with the smell was more than enough to convince the captain now distracted from his task at hoof, that something was wrong.  He still was not sure what or how things were wrong at this point.  He just somehow knew.  It was a rather large and slender pony but that’s all he could see.  He couldn’t tell if it was a mare or a stallion, however he figured more stallion due to the size.  Thinking to himself that he can’t let this suspicious individual go out of his sight without being investigated, he signaled with his hoof for another one of his squad members to take his place with the traffic job while he took care of other matters.

“Take over for me, Officer Flintspark” the captain said.  “I gotta check out a suspicious character”.

“Yes Sir!” the officer replied.  No sooner than that, the pony in question had just begun to disappear around the other corner of the block.  Shining Armor hurried to try to catch up but not too quickly as to alarm the pony of interest and break into a chase before he was able to get much closer.  He was soon a safe distance of approximately ten yards behind when he had begun to slow his pace and more closely match the speed of the other pony.  The pony had then looked over his or her shoulder to just catch a glimpse of the captain very slowly decreasing the distance between the two.  He knew that the other pony knew that he was on to them.  Slowly, the one who had brought on the suspicion of a uniformed officer onto his or herself began to break into a trot, thus confirming the captain’s gut feeling.  The captain did the same, again matching the others pace.  Noticing this, the suspect then gradually started trotting faster and faster until both parties were almost at a gallop.  Captain Shining Armor was mentally preparing himself for what he knew was going to become a hoof pursuit.  Any honest, law abiding citizen would have had no problem stopping to talk to a law enforcement officer to clear up what may have been a misunderstanding.

“HEY YOU!” the captain shouted.  “I WANNA TALK TO YOU!”  No sooner did he finish his sentence did the inevitable chase begin and the suspect break into a full gallop.  Using the magic from his horn, he levitated the two-way mic attached to the shoulder of his uniform closer to his face all the while galloping at what was now full speed.

“I’ve got a 10-34 on West Sunset Avenue!  Ongoing Hoof pursuit!  I need back-up NOW!”  shouted the captain into the mic.  The two galloped down the entire block, across the next street and onto the next block.  The captain was starting to get annoyed at the individual he was chasing after and showed it by levitating a standard issue baton from his belt.  looking around a bit while still at full pace, Shining Armor realized that it was taking longer than he would have liked for his help to arrive.  Again, he levitated his mic.

“I COULD REALLY USE SOME ASSISTANCE RIGHT ABOUT NOW!!!  WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYPONY?!”  the now furious guard captain screamed into his two way radio.  A few more gallops later, he started to become desperate.

“GET THAT GUYYYYYY!!!” he shouted to bystanders who were minding their business just up ahead of his suspect.  Although the extreme heat was gone for the day, it was still not a comfortable temperature to be galloping as fast a one is physically capable of down what had now become five city blocks.  This was beginning to take it’s toll on even Shining Armor who was one of the most, if not the most athletic member of the royal guard.  Fortunately for the captain, this was also working in his favor as well.  The distance between the two was starting to decrease, first gradually but then getting faster and faster still.

To Shining Armor’s pleasant surprise, his suspect made an abrupt turn into an alleyway.  A move that seemed quite bold and even half-witted on the suspect’s part.  It was the break that the captain had been waiting for seeming how that almost every alleyway in the city leads to a dead end.

“I’ve got you now!” the captain yelled as he followed the now cornered trench coat sporting pony into the alleyway and now began backing her up against a chain link fence.

“Keep your hooves where I can see ’em!” he demanded, thinking for sure he would be ending the chase with an arrest.

”Muahahahahahah!  So, Shining Armor!  It’s been a while.  How’s your wonderful wife?”  the suspect said to the captain in her familiar hissing voice that could be compared to nails on a chalkboard.

This pony took off her hat to reveal who she was.  An all too familiar face that Shining Armor hoped and prayed before, that he would never have to see or hear from again.

He stood frozen in horror and pure shock, thinking to himself “I don’t understand!  After all mine and my guards’ hard work to keep her out of Canterlot, she still managed to get in?!”  All of a sudden, his mind began to race, thinking about everything and everypony he held near a dear and how he could have lost it all in the past because of who stood before him.

His expression of shock turned into that of blind rage.  “I’m not gonna let you screw up my life again!!!” the captain shouted now foaming at the mouth.

With a glow of his horn, he reached for his custom gold plated, jewel encrusted .45 caliber pistol and started to levitate it from his holster.  What took mere seconds felt like decades to Shining Armor, as if the whole scene was stuck in slow motion.  The captain intended on removing Equestria’s biggest threat from the equation once and for all.  Then out of nowhere, the target throws another curve-ball and reveals a large caliber revolver she had already drawn a few seconds before but had kept it hidden under the trench coat.  With both of their pistols rising pointing towards each other, seemingly at the same exact speed, was almost stuck at a complete freeze with all the adrenalin going through the captain…BLAM!

One of the combatants was able to fire their’s first and took the other down.  Nearby witnesses had seen the two run into the alleyway before, and upon hearing the gunshot, they took a look into the dead end hoping to see the captain of the royal guard emerge victorious.  What they saw was that the pony he was chasing after was no longer there seeming to have escaped somehow and from that, they found out who had won the battle.  There on the ground lay Shining Armor in a pool of his own blood.  As the good Samaritans approached to try to render aid until medics arrived, they would try to talk to the fallen officer to get him to respond.  He was still breathing, but barely, as his eyes slowly shut and he slipped out of consciousness. End Chapter One