The Strange Tale Of Ezekiel Henderson

They'd been waiting for a couple of hours. Dash had fallen asleep, reluctantly followed by Anchita. Henderson, unable to look through his gear or do anything else that would make noise, was now lost in thought. He replayed the events of the past five days in his head. His freak arrival in Equestria, the events at Canterlot, the ordeal in the caverns, meeting Anchita and her colleagues, all leading up to where he was now. He had thought, on more than one occasion, how his predicament couldn't be real. But as the situation progressed, it became apparent that this was no vision.

His attention was brought out of his thoughts and back to reality. It took him a second to realize what had cause this sudden change of focus.

The light. The thin stream of light coming from Luna's study had gone out.

Henderson pulled himself tighter into his hiding spot. He could hear Luna's hoofsteps, metallic clicks of gilded horseshoes on the marble floor. The Princess stepped out of the study, and made her way out of the throne room, then down the hall towards her bed chambers.

Henderson heard the bedroom door open, then close with a resounding thunk.

He stood from his sitting position, "Anchita, get Dash up. Luna's gone.", he whispered harshly to the dozing griffin.

Anchita woke from her doze, "What?", she whispered back.

Henderson pointed at Luna's study.

Anchita nodded, then flew over to where Dash was sleeping. She woke the pegasus and they flew down to the floor, joing Henderson.

"Let's get the book and get out of here.", he whispered, then slowly opened the study door.

Whoever'd made the door had done their job well, it didn't creak. They stepped into the room, illuminated by moonlight. A minute of searching, and Henderson found the book at the bottom of a stack on Luna's desk.

"Ok, got it. Let's get out of here before something else happens to it."

They left Luna's study, and had made it half way back to the drain through which they entered the castle.

"I can't believe this hair-brained scheme actually worked.", Dash whispered as they slunk through marble hallways.

"Don't celebrate, we're not out yet.", Henderson rebuked, "And something tells me this was the easy pa- UGH!", Henderson was cut short as a golden blur slammed into his side. He landed on his back, a royal guard standing on his chest.

"Intruder!", the guard yelled, before he brought his front hoof down on Henderson's helmeted head. The helmet's HUD flickered.

Henderson slammed his gloved fist into the side of the guard's head. The guard was knocked unconscious and fell to Henderson's side.

"Come on!", the element of stealth lost, he picked up the fallen book and ran towards their exit. Dash and Anchita flew ahead of him. He could hear guards behind him, their hoof steps echoing loudly.

The boots and knees of Henderson's armor used a complex system of springs to increase the speed of the user. This, combined with his own physical ability, allowed him to run at around fifteen miles per hour in full combat gear. This had saved him on many occasions throughout his career. But the quadripedal anatomy of the guards granted them speeds greater than Henderson's, and they soon overtook him.

Henderson swung around and sent one guard to the ground with a haymaker to the face. Another guard leapt at his head. Henderson ducked and grabbed the guard's front leg, then slammed him to the ground. Henderson knew he couldn't take on the rest in hand-to-hoof combat, so he reached to drawn his side-arm. He brought it to bear, then leveled it at an advancing guard's chest, and pulled the trigger. The handgun discharged, sending a three gram slug of ionized nitrogen streaking towards the guard at twenty-four hundred feet per second. The fraction of a second required for the weapon to recharge hadn't even passed when, much to Henderson's and the guard's surprise, the slug stopped mid-air. Henderson and the guard's froze. The one whom Henderson had fired upon slid to a stop, mere inches from the glowing, sizzling projectile. Something wet and warm began to spread across the floor below the saved guard.

What the..., Henderson noticed the group of guards, except the one sitting in front of Henderson's bullet, were staring beyond him, behind him.

Henderson slowly holstered his weapon, raised his hands, and turned around. Standing in the hall behind him was a very angry looking Celestia. Her horn glowed with a faint aura, undoubtedly the reason for the halted projectile. The glow disappeared, Henderson heard the slug drop harmlessly to the floor, closely followed by the guard.

"Ezekiel,", she made no effort to hide her anger, it dripped from her voice, "What do you think you are doing, breaking into my castle, stealing my things, and attempting to kill my guards? Explain yourself."

He then noticed Dash standing guiltily behind the Princess. Beside her stood two guards, barely able to hold Anchita between them.

"Well, ma'am, I can't argue two of those things. But I'm not stealing from you.", Henderson still had his hands raised, the book sat on the floor behind him. "That book belongs to Anchita", he nodded to the captive griffin, "and her family."

"And what gives them right to ownership of that relic? Her ancestors found it in a cave. We have just as much reason to own it as they do.", she stepped closer to Henderson, never looking away from his covered eyes.

"You're wrong. You want it to keep knowledge of the monstruum and the ordeal in Saddle Arabia away from your subjects. They want it, need it, to try and stop those beasts."

Celestia sucked in a breath, staring at Henderson with dilated pupils.

She looked at her guards, "Leave us.", she looked at Henderson, "You and your accomplices come with me."

The guards hesitantly sifted out of the hall, back to their posts. Henderson lowered his hands and motioned for Dash and Anchita to follow him.

Celestia took them a few doors down, opened a rather ornate looking one, and stepped inside. Henderson and his 'accomplices' followed suit. Once inside, Celestia shut the door, then locked it. They were in her bedroom.

"You fool! Do you know how hard I've worked to keep the monstruum in secrecy? Do you know what would happen if word of them spread?", Celestia now looked more worried than angry, but still very angry.

"What would happen?", Anchita raised her voice, "Look at what's happening when you're not telling them! How much of Saddle Arabia has been consumed now? What are you doing to stop it? Nothing!"

"Hold your tongue, griffin! I am co-ruler of Equestria, and I will not be insulted in my own home.", Celestia rebuked Anchita.

Anchita inhaled as if to let out a well-worded, and possibly curse laden, reply. But she thought better of further angering a being that could teleport her to the center of the planet. She settled on a growl.

"She's got a point, ma'am.", Henderson crossed his arms, "The best thing you could do is tell the public and form a militia to try and stop this thing."

"No, you don't understand.", Celestia sighed, "As long as I've been on my throne, I've maintained the idea that Equestria is a place of peace. And that all our problems could be solved if we just work out our differences, and live in peace and harmony. I believed this myself, as I had never seen anything that would say otherwise." She paused, and sighed again.

"Well, I was wrong."