Expeditionary – the Crystal Conundrumby BlueNinjaChaptersch1: Returning Homech2: The Chase BeginsAppendix: Who's Whoch1: Returning HomeExpeditionary – the Crystal Conundrum Shining Armor strode into Princess Celestia’s private study. He was weary from the long boat ride, and the early hour, but he still drew himself up at attention and saluted. “Captain Shining Armor, reporting for duty, Your Highness.” Chuckling, the princess floated a pair of reading glasses off her muzzle and rose from the chair. “At ease, Captain. Have a seat. Is there any refreshment you need, while you give me the highlights?” She motioned him to a nearby stuffed chair, pretending not to hear his satisfied groan as he sank into the cushions. “No doubt you’ve already compiled an exhaustive report on the matter.” He cracked his eyes open, smiling. “Of course, Princess. Twily’s not the only one who can write a report. The really short version is that we found the Zebrican extremists, and everything was resolved satisfactorily.” His report, easily larger than the last Daring Do novel, floated out of a pocket of his uniform and rested in her inbox. “Ah, Princess?” She raised an eyebrow and waved a hoof for him to continue. “Well, Your Highness, I think I need to turn over Captain of the Guard to somepony else. With Cadence being regent in the Crystal Empire, and all the other duties involved with being Captain on top of these special missions, we hardly get to see each other these days.” His eyes remained fixed on the papers covering her desk. “Aside from the night when I came back from Griffonia, I haven’t seen her in nearly two months.” “As it happens,” Celestia said, levitating out a scroll with a broken heart-shaped seal, “just last week Cadence wrote to me to complain about much the same thing.” She dropped the letter back onto the desk, leaning forward to finally meet his rising gaze. “So, I agree. Not right away, of course. Even if your lieutenants have been doing a good job running everything in your absence, there’s still things you’ll need to teach them. But for now, I have a carriage standing by. Go home to your wife, take a week off, and then come back to pick your replacement.” Celestia rose from her chair, stepping forward to wrap one wing around Shining in a hug. He leaned into it gratefully before straightening up. With another salute, he stepped out of the study, nearly bowling over the castle’s other alicorn. “Princess Luna! My apologies, I didn’t see you there.” “It is not thy fault, Captain,” Luna said. “You return now to the Crystal Empire?” She stumbled a little over the modern phrasing. He nodded, smiling. “Yes, home to spend a week with Cadence. Then I’ll come back here to pick a replacement for Captain of the Guard.” “Well. We will miss you here in the castle. Thou are a brave and stalwart pony, and an example to the rest of the Guard,” Luna said. When he saluted her, she returned it just as crisply, before nudging the door back open to Celestia’s study. Their greetings faded away as Shining descended out to the courtyard landing pad where his carriage waited. Four pegasi in Guard uniforms saluted, opening the carriage for him. “Captain, I’m Sergeant Fleetwing,” said one of them, extending a wing with a scroll on it. “Here’s a copy of our orders. We’re to escort you to the Crystal Empire, and spend the week doing training exercises with the Crystal Guard until you’re ready to return.” Shining unrolled the scroll, skimming the text quickly before handing it back. “Sounds good. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a short nap until the sun actually comes up.” “It’s your carriage, sir. Long as you don’t jump out of it, do whatever you want,” Fleetwing said. In minutes they were airborne, flying north as the moon dipped closer to the horizon. ---===--- Sunset was darkening the sky as they finally dropped towards the glittering city below. The light of the Crystal Heart lit up the castle with its own glow as the sun vanished under the horizon, a crescent moon taking its place surrounded by twinkling stars. Magical torches lit up the landing area near the castle, and two of the Crystal Guard met them as Shining climbed gratefully out of the carriage. “Sir! Welcome back!” one of the guards said, his salute and voice full of way too much fervor. “At ease,” Shining said. “That means relax, really,” he said, as the guard continued standing rigidly at attention. After several seconds with no change, Shining just signed and turned to the other guard. “Corporal, these four pegasi are here to cross-train with the Crystal Guard. Sergeant Fleetwing has their orders, so help them get billeted and show them around a little bit, alright?” The corporal saluted, far more easily than the private still standing almost vibrating, and started chatting amiably with the pegasi as Shining cantered into the castle. With the start of the night, Cadence should be done with her afternoon Court. Which probably meant she was in one of the dining halls. The real question was whether she was in the smaller, private one, or in the big public one with guests. The smaller one was closer, but sadly empty, the lamps off and the fireplace cold. Sighing again, Shining put on his best “mandatory happiness event” face and trotted down the hall. Sure enough, light was leaking out from the large dining hall, and a quiet buzz of conversation could be heard. Pulling the door open, he stepped inside with a smile. Conversation stalled, and he had a brief moment to see several ponies of all four kinds, and a pair of vaguely familiar griffons. Then his vision was filled with bright pink. So was his mouth, for that matter, and he tried not to moan too openly as wings wrapped around him, pulling him close as he leaned into the kiss. “Ain’t that one hell of a welcome,” came a familiar voice, and Shining, ever so reluctantly, broke off the kiss. He peered over one wing at the table. “Stormfeather? What are you doing here?” The canny old griffon shrugged. “Actually, I’m here as a bodyguard. With that whole incident in Port Talon, the brass decided I needed to be doing something else. So I’m helping Baron Ruth here make some connections.” The other griffon, feathers a clearly dyed iridescent black, sent a narrowed gaze his direction, but nodded respectfully. Walking over with Cadence by his side, Shining shook hooves – well, claws – with both griffons. “Nice to meet you, Baron, and nice to see you again, Stormfeather. So, I guess they cleared you after all?” “Heh. Technically, I’m ‘temporarily assigned new duties until the investigation has been concluded.’” Stormfeather picked up his goblet, dipping his beak into the wine and slurping up a beakful. “But that’s just politics for ‘get out of the way until everyone forgets about it,’ and I can’t complain about the change in scenery.” “This castle is an architectural marvel,” Ruth said, his voice a much higher tenor than Shining expected. “Baron Ruth is involved in quarrying building stone,” Cadence explained. “They actually just arrived yesterday. He’s hoping to cut a deal with the stonemason’s guild to export building quartz.” She led him over to a seat, one of her advisors hastily moving to an empty seat further down the table. “How long are you going to be here this time?” He could see how thin her smile was at that. Ever since the Crystal Empire reappeared, it had been like this, with Shining only able to visit for short periods, called away by his duty. “Well, next week I have to train my replacement as Captain of the Guard, but I think after that my schedule will be fairly free.” He winked at her as he put one hoof to his chin. “I’m not sure, I might need to check with your scheduling advisor.” Down the table, the crystal pony who had moved pulled out a scroll and seriously consulted it. “Hmm, well, the Princess has half an hour free tomorrow, but after that her schedule is all booked.” “Glass?” Cadence said. “Yes, Princess?” “Clear my schedule for the next two days.” Stormfeather hooted, and most of the ponies chuckled as Hourglass gave a long-suffering sigh. “Aye, Your Highness,” she said, flinging the scroll into the fire. The rest of dinner passed in amicable conversation, even if Stormfeather’s slightly-more-gruesome-than-Shining-remembered-it description of the pirate takedown put a minor damper on dessert. Still, the various Crystal nobles present seemed like good folk, and it reassured Shining that he’d find a good place so far from his home city. After dinner, as they were almost to the royal chambers, the door to Cadence’s study popped open. “Princess? Sorry to bother you, but – oh, Shining! Sir!” The bow-and-arrow cutie marked soldier saluted quickly. “I’m sure you’re in the mood to reschedule this meeting, Princess, but I really do need to go over these crop reports with you as soon as possible.” They both stepped towards the doorway. “What’s wrong with the crops, Bullseye? I thought the crop rotation proposed would have solved last year’s harvest issues,” Cadence said. “It’s, well,” he swallowed heavily. “The ones that are still growing are doing fabulously. But a growing numbers of fields are dying, and there doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to why a particular field is failing while the one next to it thrives.” The princess sighed, looking at her husband with an unhappy expression. “I’ll deal with this as quickly as I can. But if Bullseye can’t find the cause, then something’s very wrong.” Shining smiled, and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “It’s alright, love. I understand duty. Just join me as quick as you can.” “I promise, we won’t be more than an hour,” Bullseye said, crossing a hoof over his chest. Shining turned away, then paused and looked back. “Do you have a map of which fields are failing? Set aside a copy for me, I’ll look it over when another piece of emergency business takes up my wife’s time.” Bullseye shrugged. “Sure thing, sir. I’ll have someone copy it first thing in the morning for you.” “Good. I’ll be waiting in our room. All by myself. In that large bed,” Shining said, walking slowly away. A glance over his shoulder gave him the smoldering look on his wife’s face, and the very embarrassed Bullseye vanishing into the study. “I wonder what I can do to entertain myself for an hour. All by myself.” He grinned as her magic swatted his tail right before he turned the corner, and he took a minute to find where he’d stashed the key to their room. Guards were well and good, of course, but unlike Celestia and Luna, he didn’t like having soldiers posted outside his door every hour of the day. At least, not after their first night in the castle, when the guards couldn’t meet their eyes in the morning. They had been quite enthusiastic after Sombra’s destruction, and the walls weren’t that thick. Maybe we’ll do that again, he thought cheerfully, finally getting the right key into the lock. Right as the door opened, somepony slammed into his flank. Shining went tumbling to the floor, rolling twice before coming back up on his hooves. Down the hall, one of the servants shrieked as the mystery assailant bowled her over on his mad dash around the next corner and out of sight. Damnit, I am not in the mood for this, Shining thought darkly. The servant was still lying on the floor, blinking away her daze, the tray of dishes she’d been carrying shattered around her. Author's Note And so we begin. The obvious choices, of course, are between chasing the assailant himself; helping the servant; or going into his room and letting the Crystal Guard handle it all. So post, and tell me: What should Shining do now? Links to a Who's Who and a map will eventually be posted in the author's note too. Soon as I write them. And find a map. And get this pre-read and tnab's approval and everything. ch2: The Chase BeginsLunging back to his feet, Shining raced down the hall, skidding to a stop next to the servant. She tried to gasp something, but the words were lost as blood frothed out between her lips. Oh crap, Shining thought. As gently as possible, he lifted her leg out of the way with his telekinesis, blinking for a moment at the blood-stained shard of crockery driven into her chest. “Lie still, don’t talk, I’m getting help,” Shining ordered her, one hoof keeping her leg away from the wound. His horn glowed for a moment before the spell popped. Along the walls, just below the ceiling, a line of blue and red gems suddenly lit up, the red one continuing around the corner where the assailant had fled. “Relax, we’re going to get you through this.” The servant didn’t answer, her rear legs kicking weakly from the pain. A moment later, both Cadence and Bullseye came racing around the corner. “Sir, we saw the alarm, what’s happening?” Bullseye shouted as he ran up. “That way, dark green tail, crystal pony,” Shining said, keeping his focus on the servant. “Love, hold her still?” Cadence’s telekinesis took hold of the servant’s limbs, and she smiled soothingly. “Shining? You’re not going to,” she started. The shard of crockery came free with a sucking sound, shedding bright crimson droplets as it cracked to the floor. A tiny square of brilliant magic sprang up to cover the wound as soon as the point was free, only a small trickle of blood escaping. “It didn’t hit an artery, but this should keep the lung from collapsing,” Shining said, sweat drops already forming on his forehead. “Have to keep letting the air out.” He glanced up at his wife. “What would possess a pony to go racing through the royal corridors like Nightmare Moon was on their tail?” “I don’t know, but I will have a good answer by morning, or Celestia will be the only pony to save them,” Cadence growled. “White Glove, are you alright?” The servant nodded, barely more than a twitch of her head, but the Princess leaned over to nuzzle her gently. “Don’t worry, the medical ponies should be here any minute.” “What is with those annoying – is that pony dead?” Baron Ruth stood at the corner the assailant had vanished, staring down at White Glove and the puddle of blood. Stormfeather peeked around the corner, nodding apologetically to Shining. “Not if we can help it,” Cadence said. “Please, Baron, return to your room, and wait until one of the guardsponies tells you it’s safe.” “Safe? Are we under attack?” Those iridescent wings flexed, rising just far enough to catch the light. Shining growled and pointed a hoof back down the hallway. “We don’t know yet, but just in case, stay out of the way!” Stormfeather put a gentle claw on an upraised wing. “Sir, let’s do as he says. You know I worked with him; he’ll tell us what’s happening when he’s not busy saving lives.” The darker griffon hesitated a moment longer before nodding and backing away. After another interminable minute of pained bubbling gasps, the medical pony trotted up and nudged Shining out of the way. “Goodness, what have we here,” she mumbled to herself, horn already glowing. “Fractured rib, punctured lung, that’s not very good. No other major injuries, thankfully. Stretcher!” Four crystal ponies trotted over, setting down a litter, and very slowly the injured White Glove floated onto the thick fabric. “Captain, I’ve got her from here, if you’d release your spell?” Shining met the doctor’s eyes for a moment before releasing the shield. A tiny trickle of blood brightened the edge of the hole, but her breathing continued. “Good. To the infirmary, steady is more important than fast! Highness, I’ll let you know when we get her stabilized.” “I’d appreciate that, Clot,” Cadence said. She leaned against her husband as they watched the medical team vanish around the corner. Glancing up, she canceled the glowing blue symbols, leaving only the red ones. “What happened?” Shining shook his head. “I have no idea. Right as I opened the door, somepony comes racing down the hall at a gallop. Bowls me down, and you saw what happened to, um, what was her name?” “White Glove.” Cadence smiled as she booped his nose with a hoof. “She’s only been the servant cleaning our chamber the whole time we’ve lived here.” He smiled a little. “Sorry. She was carrying that tray of dishes, and I guess she landed on one. All I saw was a crystal dark green tail whipping around the corner.” Sighing, he straightened up. “Maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t taken my armor off.” Her face fell as he moved away. “Now? Really? Can’t you let the Crystal Guard handle it?” Leaning back over, he nuzzled her cheek. “I’m just going to find Lieutenant Bullseye and see if they caught this pony or not. I’m not going to go start canvassing the streets myself, but I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t know what’s being done.” Cadence sighed and started walking back towards their room, head and tail. “Oh, alright. I’ll just be back in our room. By myself. Waiting for you, all alone in that empty bed.” It was almost, almost enough to make him turn around. He’d known when they started dating that Cadence gave as good as she got. But did she really have to use his own words against him? ---===--- Shining followed the red gems along the ceiling. The alert system had been one of his designs, based on the one from Canterlot. Only here, since there was a shortage of unicorns, there were many more stations to trigger the spell. They glowed along the wall where Bullseye had gone, following the intruder. Truthfully, he didn’t have to go very far before he found the Lieutenant, talking urgently with Fleetwing. “Captain, I’m sorry to say, we lost them,” Bullseye said. “I’ve got guardponies doing a sweep of the castle and the grounds, just to see why they were running.” Sighing, Shining nodded. “White Glove should be alright, but she’ll be in the hospital for days. That pony nearly killed her. Even if it was an accident, that’s not acceptable behavior.” He glanced at Fleetwing. “This wasn’t quite the training I had in mind.” The sergeant shrugged. “Not the first time we’ve had to track down somepony who decided it was fine to ‘acquire’ a souvenir from the castle, but it’s the first time we had so little to go on.” “I’ll keep you and the Princess posted if we learn anything else, sir,” Bullseye said. Trading salutes, Shining walked back to his quarters, not wanting to keep his wife waiting a minute longer than necessary. Still, it bothered him – what had that pony been doing, and just how bad was it? Normal, law-abiding ponies (which was virtually all of them) wouldn’t have knocked down two ponies without stopping to make sure they were unharmed unless something critically important was happening. Opening the door, he sauntered in. Cadence sat up in bed, staring at him through her eyelashes. “Honey, I’m home,” he said. The door swung closed and locked behind him, the pieces of his armor floating free as both of them stripped him out of his uniform. “Did you miss me?” he asked, one forehoof on the bed. Right as their lips touched was when the frantic knock came at the door. Both of them groaned loudly. “What is it?” Shining shouted, turning his head towards the door, and moaning again as Cadence nipped at his neck. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but we know why the pony was fleeing,” Bullseye said. “The armory vault was broken into, the guards on duty were found injured.” Cadence stopped her foreplay as Shining stepped off the bed. “What was missing?” she asked. There was a moment of silence filling the room from the crack under the door. “Sombra’s black crystals,” came the answer. The couple exchanged a worried glance, and without another word they were both approaching the door. “Was anything else taken?” Cadence asked, meeting Bullseye’s worried gaze. “They’re still doing an inventory, but it doesn’t look like it, Highness,” he said. “I should get down there and look around,” Shining said, giving his wife a quick peck on the cheek. “I have enough recent experience at doing investigations.” “Sir, I don’t suppose you could bring the rest of your team up?” Bullseye asked. Shining sighed as he stepped out the door. “I don’t know. It’s a full day’s flight each way from here to Canterlot, longer than that by train, and some of them already have new assignments.” He paused as an idea struck him, and he turned the other direction. Bullseye fell behind as Cadence started asking other questions about the castle’s safety. Shining rapped a hoof on the door, and after a moment it opened a crack. “Oh, it’s you. Everything safe now?” Stormfeather slid his knife away as the door opened further. “The fleeing pony broke into the armory and stole something important. If you can leave your Baron here, I’d appreciate your help examining the crime scene and figuring out how he got inside,” Shining said. The griffon looked over his shoulder briefly, before stepping out into the hall and easing the door shut. “What’s happening? His lordship decided to turn in for the night, but suddenly he’s second-guessing his visit here. Is this bad?” They started walking, keeping their voices low. “I assume that before you came here you at least heard of Sombra?” The griffin nodded slowly. “When Cadence defeated him, there were a number of tainted black crystals left behind by his magic. We had them rounded up and sealed away in the armory. The thief bowled down the servant you saw.” “Trying to hide his identity?” Stormfeather mused. “Or just careless trying to get out of the castle before the theft was discovered?” “I don’t know. Nor do I know why they came running through the royal wing – the Armory is three floors down, they passed all the main exits on their way up!” Shining shook his head and scowled. “There’s something I’m missing here.” “What about the guards? Did they survive?” “Yes, though they’re on their way to the hospital along with the servant. Someone needs to question them, someone needs to investigate the armory, and thanks to all my time abroad I don’t know the guards in the castle nearly as well as I should.” He fought the urge to kick at the wall in frustration. “Damnit, I hardly know where to start! The guards, the armory, seal it all off and try to wait for my squad from Canterlot?” Stormfeather stopped, lifting one hand and resting it gently on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Lad, you sailed into Port Talon with a single clue, and you managed to break an entire pirate ring. You went to Zebrica with barely more than that! You can do this.” His beak quirked. “I know what’s really bothering you.” “What’s that?” Shining asked as they started down the stairs. “Last time, your hen did the hard part. Er, mare, not hen. Stupid Equestrian tongue.” Stormfeather kept grinning as he nudged the stallion with one wing. “I’m going to tell Cadence you said that,” he teased back. “We do have a dungeon around here somewhere.” Pausing on the main floor, he glanced around. The question still hung in his mind, start with the witnesses, or the crime scene? Or set them both aside until he could find ponies to rely on for the investigation? ---===--- Meanwhile, several blocks away The house was much like its neighbors, a sturdy and colorful building, built from local crystal and wood, well insulated against the cruel northern winters. Unlike its neighbors, this one had a cloaked pony rapping rapidly on the door until it opened. Slipping inside with no more than a dark green tail visible, the pony almost stumbled across the dark room. With a tiny flare, the other pony struck a match, lighting one small candle and setting it on the low table. “Well?” she asked. “It worked,” the green-tailed mare replied, slowly removing a large saddlebag from under the cloak and dropping it on the table with a thud. “My payment?” “Right there, in that chest. I think you’ll find your reward more than you bargained for,” the first replied, tugging on the drawstring with one hoof. As the bag opened, the candle flame flickered and leaned towards the impenetrable darkness within. The chest opened with a click. Author's Note So, the choices are open: Where should Shining start? Should he keep Stormfeather around, or ask the canny kittybird to take on one of those tasks himself? Fruitless speculation to what's really in the chest can also begin now. Appendix: Who's WhoThe Crystal Conundrum: Who’s Who Shining Armor: Soon to be retired Captain of the Guard, Prince Consort and husband of Princess Cadence, and one of the finest soldiers ever to come out of Canterlot. While he’s not an investigative genius, he is coming fresh from two successful cases in Port Talon, Griffonia, and Zebrica. He specializes in defensive spells, capable of defending an entire city single-hoofedly for hours. Princess Cadence: The Princess of Love rules over the Crystal Empire as their regent. With the previous royal line dead at the hooves of Sombra, and Cadence’s victory over the fell sorcerer, the crystal ponies have embraced her as their new ruler, regardless of the title Celestia has given her. Stormfeather: Admiral (Ret) Stormfeather worked with Shining Armor and their team on the Port Talon piracy case. Currently he’s been reassigned as a bodyguard to Baron Ruth, but the canny old bird hasn’t lost any of his edge. As a foreign dignitary, he doesn’t have any official rank or authority, and his duties will keep him near his charge, but his advice might just be invaluable. Baron Ruth: A merchant who bought his way into the Griffonian nobility, Ruth is head of several quarries and supplies some of the premiere architects in his country. With the reappearance of the Crystal Empire, he’s come seeking a way to further expand his treasury and his political reach. Hour Glass: Cadence’s personal and primary assistant, Glass is responsible for maintaining the royal itinerary and ensuring that Cadence has the time to meet all of her obligations. Like every crystal pony, Glass is still trying to adjust to all of these newfangled inventions coming north from Equestria, but she does her best to ensure her Princess is cared for. Her cutie mark is an hourglass, tilted just slightly to the side, with the bottom still empty. Her coat and mane are almost identical shades of blue-gray, with the mane being only slightly lighter. Lieutenant Bullseye: Head of Cadence’s bodyguards and one of her advisors. Coming from a family known for their marksmanship, he was selected by Shining to lead up the Crystal Guard’s bodyguard division. In reality, he spends more time organizing reports to ensure the most critical reach the Princess, and the time-wasters get burned. His cutie mark is a bow and arrow with a red circle around the arrow tip. He often will use dye to set himself apart from his various cousins and siblings who are also in the Crystal Guard. His mane is a beige color, with a mane of dark brown. Sergeant Fleetwing: Head of the pegasi squad who escorted Shining north. Having been promoted all the way to Sergeant in a mere four years, he’s considered a rising star in the Celestial Guard. His coat is a pale yellow, with a very short-cropped pumpkin-orange mane and tail. The Mystery Assailant: Shining only had a brief glimpse of a crystal pony with a dark green tail. Narrowing that down amongst the million plus crystal ponies should be a cakewalk, right? Author's Note This appendix will get updated as more characters are added, and more information will be added depending on events. I hope no one is too attached to anypony ... or anygriffon.
ch1: Returning HomeExpeditionary – the Crystal Conundrum Shining Armor strode into Princess Celestia’s private study. He was weary from the long boat ride, and the early hour, but he still drew himself up at attention and saluted. “Captain Shining Armor, reporting for duty, Your Highness.” Chuckling, the princess floated a pair of reading glasses off her muzzle and rose from the chair. “At ease, Captain. Have a seat. Is there any refreshment you need, while you give me the highlights?” She motioned him to a nearby stuffed chair, pretending not to hear his satisfied groan as he sank into the cushions. “No doubt you’ve already compiled an exhaustive report on the matter.” He cracked his eyes open, smiling. “Of course, Princess. Twily’s not the only one who can write a report. The really short version is that we found the Zebrican extremists, and everything was resolved satisfactorily.” His report, easily larger than the last Daring Do novel, floated out of a pocket of his uniform and rested in her inbox. “Ah, Princess?” She raised an eyebrow and waved a hoof for him to continue. “Well, Your Highness, I think I need to turn over Captain of the Guard to somepony else. With Cadence being regent in the Crystal Empire, and all the other duties involved with being Captain on top of these special missions, we hardly get to see each other these days.” His eyes remained fixed on the papers covering her desk. “Aside from the night when I came back from Griffonia, I haven’t seen her in nearly two months.” “As it happens,” Celestia said, levitating out a scroll with a broken heart-shaped seal, “just last week Cadence wrote to me to complain about much the same thing.” She dropped the letter back onto the desk, leaning forward to finally meet his rising gaze. “So, I agree. Not right away, of course. Even if your lieutenants have been doing a good job running everything in your absence, there’s still things you’ll need to teach them. But for now, I have a carriage standing by. Go home to your wife, take a week off, and then come back to pick your replacement.” Celestia rose from her chair, stepping forward to wrap one wing around Shining in a hug. He leaned into it gratefully before straightening up. With another salute, he stepped out of the study, nearly bowling over the castle’s other alicorn. “Princess Luna! My apologies, I didn’t see you there.” “It is not thy fault, Captain,” Luna said. “You return now to the Crystal Empire?” She stumbled a little over the modern phrasing. He nodded, smiling. “Yes, home to spend a week with Cadence. Then I’ll come back here to pick a replacement for Captain of the Guard.” “Well. We will miss you here in the castle. Thou are a brave and stalwart pony, and an example to the rest of the Guard,” Luna said. When he saluted her, she returned it just as crisply, before nudging the door back open to Celestia’s study. Their greetings faded away as Shining descended out to the courtyard landing pad where his carriage waited. Four pegasi in Guard uniforms saluted, opening the carriage for him. “Captain, I’m Sergeant Fleetwing,” said one of them, extending a wing with a scroll on it. “Here’s a copy of our orders. We’re to escort you to the Crystal Empire, and spend the week doing training exercises with the Crystal Guard until you’re ready to return.” Shining unrolled the scroll, skimming the text quickly before handing it back. “Sounds good. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a short nap until the sun actually comes up.” “It’s your carriage, sir. Long as you don’t jump out of it, do whatever you want,” Fleetwing said. In minutes they were airborne, flying north as the moon dipped closer to the horizon. ---===--- Sunset was darkening the sky as they finally dropped towards the glittering city below. The light of the Crystal Heart lit up the castle with its own glow as the sun vanished under the horizon, a crescent moon taking its place surrounded by twinkling stars. Magical torches lit up the landing area near the castle, and two of the Crystal Guard met them as Shining climbed gratefully out of the carriage. “Sir! Welcome back!” one of the guards said, his salute and voice full of way too much fervor. “At ease,” Shining said. “That means relax, really,” he said, as the guard continued standing rigidly at attention. After several seconds with no change, Shining just signed and turned to the other guard. “Corporal, these four pegasi are here to cross-train with the Crystal Guard. Sergeant Fleetwing has their orders, so help them get billeted and show them around a little bit, alright?” The corporal saluted, far more easily than the private still standing almost vibrating, and started chatting amiably with the pegasi as Shining cantered into the castle. With the start of the night, Cadence should be done with her afternoon Court. Which probably meant she was in one of the dining halls. The real question was whether she was in the smaller, private one, or in the big public one with guests. The smaller one was closer, but sadly empty, the lamps off and the fireplace cold. Sighing again, Shining put on his best “mandatory happiness event” face and trotted down the hall. Sure enough, light was leaking out from the large dining hall, and a quiet buzz of conversation could be heard. Pulling the door open, he stepped inside with a smile. Conversation stalled, and he had a brief moment to see several ponies of all four kinds, and a pair of vaguely familiar griffons. Then his vision was filled with bright pink. So was his mouth, for that matter, and he tried not to moan too openly as wings wrapped around him, pulling him close as he leaned into the kiss. “Ain’t that one hell of a welcome,” came a familiar voice, and Shining, ever so reluctantly, broke off the kiss. He peered over one wing at the table. “Stormfeather? What are you doing here?” The canny old griffon shrugged. “Actually, I’m here as a bodyguard. With that whole incident in Port Talon, the brass decided I needed to be doing something else. So I’m helping Baron Ruth here make some connections.” The other griffon, feathers a clearly dyed iridescent black, sent a narrowed gaze his direction, but nodded respectfully. Walking over with Cadence by his side, Shining shook hooves – well, claws – with both griffons. “Nice to meet you, Baron, and nice to see you again, Stormfeather. So, I guess they cleared you after all?” “Heh. Technically, I’m ‘temporarily assigned new duties until the investigation has been concluded.’” Stormfeather picked up his goblet, dipping his beak into the wine and slurping up a beakful. “But that’s just politics for ‘get out of the way until everyone forgets about it,’ and I can’t complain about the change in scenery.” “This castle is an architectural marvel,” Ruth said, his voice a much higher tenor than Shining expected. “Baron Ruth is involved in quarrying building stone,” Cadence explained. “They actually just arrived yesterday. He’s hoping to cut a deal with the stonemason’s guild to export building quartz.” She led him over to a seat, one of her advisors hastily moving to an empty seat further down the table. “How long are you going to be here this time?” He could see how thin her smile was at that. Ever since the Crystal Empire reappeared, it had been like this, with Shining only able to visit for short periods, called away by his duty. “Well, next week I have to train my replacement as Captain of the Guard, but I think after that my schedule will be fairly free.” He winked at her as he put one hoof to his chin. “I’m not sure, I might need to check with your scheduling advisor.” Down the table, the crystal pony who had moved pulled out a scroll and seriously consulted it. “Hmm, well, the Princess has half an hour free tomorrow, but after that her schedule is all booked.” “Glass?” Cadence said. “Yes, Princess?” “Clear my schedule for the next two days.” Stormfeather hooted, and most of the ponies chuckled as Hourglass gave a long-suffering sigh. “Aye, Your Highness,” she said, flinging the scroll into the fire. The rest of dinner passed in amicable conversation, even if Stormfeather’s slightly-more-gruesome-than-Shining-remembered-it description of the pirate takedown put a minor damper on dessert. Still, the various Crystal nobles present seemed like good folk, and it reassured Shining that he’d find a good place so far from his home city. After dinner, as they were almost to the royal chambers, the door to Cadence’s study popped open. “Princess? Sorry to bother you, but – oh, Shining! Sir!” The bow-and-arrow cutie marked soldier saluted quickly. “I’m sure you’re in the mood to reschedule this meeting, Princess, but I really do need to go over these crop reports with you as soon as possible.” They both stepped towards the doorway. “What’s wrong with the crops, Bullseye? I thought the crop rotation proposed would have solved last year’s harvest issues,” Cadence said. “It’s, well,” he swallowed heavily. “The ones that are still growing are doing fabulously. But a growing numbers of fields are dying, and there doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to why a particular field is failing while the one next to it thrives.” The princess sighed, looking at her husband with an unhappy expression. “I’ll deal with this as quickly as I can. But if Bullseye can’t find the cause, then something’s very wrong.” Shining smiled, and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “It’s alright, love. I understand duty. Just join me as quick as you can.” “I promise, we won’t be more than an hour,” Bullseye said, crossing a hoof over his chest. Shining turned away, then paused and looked back. “Do you have a map of which fields are failing? Set aside a copy for me, I’ll look it over when another piece of emergency business takes up my wife’s time.” Bullseye shrugged. “Sure thing, sir. I’ll have someone copy it first thing in the morning for you.” “Good. I’ll be waiting in our room. All by myself. In that large bed,” Shining said, walking slowly away. A glance over his shoulder gave him the smoldering look on his wife’s face, and the very embarrassed Bullseye vanishing into the study. “I wonder what I can do to entertain myself for an hour. All by myself.” He grinned as her magic swatted his tail right before he turned the corner, and he took a minute to find where he’d stashed the key to their room. Guards were well and good, of course, but unlike Celestia and Luna, he didn’t like having soldiers posted outside his door every hour of the day. At least, not after their first night in the castle, when the guards couldn’t meet their eyes in the morning. They had been quite enthusiastic after Sombra’s destruction, and the walls weren’t that thick. Maybe we’ll do that again, he thought cheerfully, finally getting the right key into the lock. Right as the door opened, somepony slammed into his flank. Shining went tumbling to the floor, rolling twice before coming back up on his hooves. Down the hall, one of the servants shrieked as the mystery assailant bowled her over on his mad dash around the next corner and out of sight. Damnit, I am not in the mood for this, Shining thought darkly. The servant was still lying on the floor, blinking away her daze, the tray of dishes she’d been carrying shattered around her. Author's Note And so we begin. The obvious choices, of course, are between chasing the assailant himself; helping the servant; or going into his room and letting the Crystal Guard handle it all. So post, and tell me: What should Shining do now? Links to a Who's Who and a map will eventually be posted in the author's note too. Soon as I write them. And find a map. And get this pre-read and tnab's approval and everything.
ch2: The Chase BeginsLunging back to his feet, Shining raced down the hall, skidding to a stop next to the servant. She tried to gasp something, but the words were lost as blood frothed out between her lips. Oh crap, Shining thought. As gently as possible, he lifted her leg out of the way with his telekinesis, blinking for a moment at the blood-stained shard of crockery driven into her chest. “Lie still, don’t talk, I’m getting help,” Shining ordered her, one hoof keeping her leg away from the wound. His horn glowed for a moment before the spell popped. Along the walls, just below the ceiling, a line of blue and red gems suddenly lit up, the red one continuing around the corner where the assailant had fled. “Relax, we’re going to get you through this.” The servant didn’t answer, her rear legs kicking weakly from the pain. A moment later, both Cadence and Bullseye came racing around the corner. “Sir, we saw the alarm, what’s happening?” Bullseye shouted as he ran up. “That way, dark green tail, crystal pony,” Shining said, keeping his focus on the servant. “Love, hold her still?” Cadence’s telekinesis took hold of the servant’s limbs, and she smiled soothingly. “Shining? You’re not going to,” she started. The shard of crockery came free with a sucking sound, shedding bright crimson droplets as it cracked to the floor. A tiny square of brilliant magic sprang up to cover the wound as soon as the point was free, only a small trickle of blood escaping. “It didn’t hit an artery, but this should keep the lung from collapsing,” Shining said, sweat drops already forming on his forehead. “Have to keep letting the air out.” He glanced up at his wife. “What would possess a pony to go racing through the royal corridors like Nightmare Moon was on their tail?” “I don’t know, but I will have a good answer by morning, or Celestia will be the only pony to save them,” Cadence growled. “White Glove, are you alright?” The servant nodded, barely more than a twitch of her head, but the Princess leaned over to nuzzle her gently. “Don’t worry, the medical ponies should be here any minute.” “What is with those annoying – is that pony dead?” Baron Ruth stood at the corner the assailant had vanished, staring down at White Glove and the puddle of blood. Stormfeather peeked around the corner, nodding apologetically to Shining. “Not if we can help it,” Cadence said. “Please, Baron, return to your room, and wait until one of the guardsponies tells you it’s safe.” “Safe? Are we under attack?” Those iridescent wings flexed, rising just far enough to catch the light. Shining growled and pointed a hoof back down the hallway. “We don’t know yet, but just in case, stay out of the way!” Stormfeather put a gentle claw on an upraised wing. “Sir, let’s do as he says. You know I worked with him; he’ll tell us what’s happening when he’s not busy saving lives.” The darker griffon hesitated a moment longer before nodding and backing away. After another interminable minute of pained bubbling gasps, the medical pony trotted up and nudged Shining out of the way. “Goodness, what have we here,” she mumbled to herself, horn already glowing. “Fractured rib, punctured lung, that’s not very good. No other major injuries, thankfully. Stretcher!” Four crystal ponies trotted over, setting down a litter, and very slowly the injured White Glove floated onto the thick fabric. “Captain, I’ve got her from here, if you’d release your spell?” Shining met the doctor’s eyes for a moment before releasing the shield. A tiny trickle of blood brightened the edge of the hole, but her breathing continued. “Good. To the infirmary, steady is more important than fast! Highness, I’ll let you know when we get her stabilized.” “I’d appreciate that, Clot,” Cadence said. She leaned against her husband as they watched the medical team vanish around the corner. Glancing up, she canceled the glowing blue symbols, leaving only the red ones. “What happened?” Shining shook his head. “I have no idea. Right as I opened the door, somepony comes racing down the hall at a gallop. Bowls me down, and you saw what happened to, um, what was her name?” “White Glove.” Cadence smiled as she booped his nose with a hoof. “She’s only been the servant cleaning our chamber the whole time we’ve lived here.” He smiled a little. “Sorry. She was carrying that tray of dishes, and I guess she landed on one. All I saw was a crystal dark green tail whipping around the corner.” Sighing, he straightened up. “Maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t taken my armor off.” Her face fell as he moved away. “Now? Really? Can’t you let the Crystal Guard handle it?” Leaning back over, he nuzzled her cheek. “I’m just going to find Lieutenant Bullseye and see if they caught this pony or not. I’m not going to go start canvassing the streets myself, but I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t know what’s being done.” Cadence sighed and started walking back towards their room, head and tail. “Oh, alright. I’ll just be back in our room. By myself. Waiting for you, all alone in that empty bed.” It was almost, almost enough to make him turn around. He’d known when they started dating that Cadence gave as good as she got. But did she really have to use his own words against him? ---===--- Shining followed the red gems along the ceiling. The alert system had been one of his designs, based on the one from Canterlot. Only here, since there was a shortage of unicorns, there were many more stations to trigger the spell. They glowed along the wall where Bullseye had gone, following the intruder. Truthfully, he didn’t have to go very far before he found the Lieutenant, talking urgently with Fleetwing. “Captain, I’m sorry to say, we lost them,” Bullseye said. “I’ve got guardponies doing a sweep of the castle and the grounds, just to see why they were running.” Sighing, Shining nodded. “White Glove should be alright, but she’ll be in the hospital for days. That pony nearly killed her. Even if it was an accident, that’s not acceptable behavior.” He glanced at Fleetwing. “This wasn’t quite the training I had in mind.” The sergeant shrugged. “Not the first time we’ve had to track down somepony who decided it was fine to ‘acquire’ a souvenir from the castle, but it’s the first time we had so little to go on.” “I’ll keep you and the Princess posted if we learn anything else, sir,” Bullseye said. Trading salutes, Shining walked back to his quarters, not wanting to keep his wife waiting a minute longer than necessary. Still, it bothered him – what had that pony been doing, and just how bad was it? Normal, law-abiding ponies (which was virtually all of them) wouldn’t have knocked down two ponies without stopping to make sure they were unharmed unless something critically important was happening. Opening the door, he sauntered in. Cadence sat up in bed, staring at him through her eyelashes. “Honey, I’m home,” he said. The door swung closed and locked behind him, the pieces of his armor floating free as both of them stripped him out of his uniform. “Did you miss me?” he asked, one forehoof on the bed. Right as their lips touched was when the frantic knock came at the door. Both of them groaned loudly. “What is it?” Shining shouted, turning his head towards the door, and moaning again as Cadence nipped at his neck. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but we know why the pony was fleeing,” Bullseye said. “The armory vault was broken into, the guards on duty were found injured.” Cadence stopped her foreplay as Shining stepped off the bed. “What was missing?” she asked. There was a moment of silence filling the room from the crack under the door. “Sombra’s black crystals,” came the answer. The couple exchanged a worried glance, and without another word they were both approaching the door. “Was anything else taken?” Cadence asked, meeting Bullseye’s worried gaze. “They’re still doing an inventory, but it doesn’t look like it, Highness,” he said. “I should get down there and look around,” Shining said, giving his wife a quick peck on the cheek. “I have enough recent experience at doing investigations.” “Sir, I don’t suppose you could bring the rest of your team up?” Bullseye asked. Shining sighed as he stepped out the door. “I don’t know. It’s a full day’s flight each way from here to Canterlot, longer than that by train, and some of them already have new assignments.” He paused as an idea struck him, and he turned the other direction. Bullseye fell behind as Cadence started asking other questions about the castle’s safety. Shining rapped a hoof on the door, and after a moment it opened a crack. “Oh, it’s you. Everything safe now?” Stormfeather slid his knife away as the door opened further. “The fleeing pony broke into the armory and stole something important. If you can leave your Baron here, I’d appreciate your help examining the crime scene and figuring out how he got inside,” Shining said. The griffon looked over his shoulder briefly, before stepping out into the hall and easing the door shut. “What’s happening? His lordship decided to turn in for the night, but suddenly he’s second-guessing his visit here. Is this bad?” They started walking, keeping their voices low. “I assume that before you came here you at least heard of Sombra?” The griffin nodded slowly. “When Cadence defeated him, there were a number of tainted black crystals left behind by his magic. We had them rounded up and sealed away in the armory. The thief bowled down the servant you saw.” “Trying to hide his identity?” Stormfeather mused. “Or just careless trying to get out of the castle before the theft was discovered?” “I don’t know. Nor do I know why they came running through the royal wing – the Armory is three floors down, they passed all the main exits on their way up!” Shining shook his head and scowled. “There’s something I’m missing here.” “What about the guards? Did they survive?” “Yes, though they’re on their way to the hospital along with the servant. Someone needs to question them, someone needs to investigate the armory, and thanks to all my time abroad I don’t know the guards in the castle nearly as well as I should.” He fought the urge to kick at the wall in frustration. “Damnit, I hardly know where to start! The guards, the armory, seal it all off and try to wait for my squad from Canterlot?” Stormfeather stopped, lifting one hand and resting it gently on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Lad, you sailed into Port Talon with a single clue, and you managed to break an entire pirate ring. You went to Zebrica with barely more than that! You can do this.” His beak quirked. “I know what’s really bothering you.” “What’s that?” Shining asked as they started down the stairs. “Last time, your hen did the hard part. Er, mare, not hen. Stupid Equestrian tongue.” Stormfeather kept grinning as he nudged the stallion with one wing. “I’m going to tell Cadence you said that,” he teased back. “We do have a dungeon around here somewhere.” Pausing on the main floor, he glanced around. The question still hung in his mind, start with the witnesses, or the crime scene? Or set them both aside until he could find ponies to rely on for the investigation? ---===--- Meanwhile, several blocks away The house was much like its neighbors, a sturdy and colorful building, built from local crystal and wood, well insulated against the cruel northern winters. Unlike its neighbors, this one had a cloaked pony rapping rapidly on the door until it opened. Slipping inside with no more than a dark green tail visible, the pony almost stumbled across the dark room. With a tiny flare, the other pony struck a match, lighting one small candle and setting it on the low table. “Well?” she asked. “It worked,” the green-tailed mare replied, slowly removing a large saddlebag from under the cloak and dropping it on the table with a thud. “My payment?” “Right there, in that chest. I think you’ll find your reward more than you bargained for,” the first replied, tugging on the drawstring with one hoof. As the bag opened, the candle flame flickered and leaned towards the impenetrable darkness within. The chest opened with a click. Author's Note So, the choices are open: Where should Shining start? Should he keep Stormfeather around, or ask the canny kittybird to take on one of those tasks himself? Fruitless speculation to what's really in the chest can also begin now.
Appendix: Who's WhoThe Crystal Conundrum: Who’s Who Shining Armor: Soon to be retired Captain of the Guard, Prince Consort and husband of Princess Cadence, and one of the finest soldiers ever to come out of Canterlot. While he’s not an investigative genius, he is coming fresh from two successful cases in Port Talon, Griffonia, and Zebrica. He specializes in defensive spells, capable of defending an entire city single-hoofedly for hours. Princess Cadence: The Princess of Love rules over the Crystal Empire as their regent. With the previous royal line dead at the hooves of Sombra, and Cadence’s victory over the fell sorcerer, the crystal ponies have embraced her as their new ruler, regardless of the title Celestia has given her. Stormfeather: Admiral (Ret) Stormfeather worked with Shining Armor and their team on the Port Talon piracy case. Currently he’s been reassigned as a bodyguard to Baron Ruth, but the canny old bird hasn’t lost any of his edge. As a foreign dignitary, he doesn’t have any official rank or authority, and his duties will keep him near his charge, but his advice might just be invaluable. Baron Ruth: A merchant who bought his way into the Griffonian nobility, Ruth is head of several quarries and supplies some of the premiere architects in his country. With the reappearance of the Crystal Empire, he’s come seeking a way to further expand his treasury and his political reach. Hour Glass: Cadence’s personal and primary assistant, Glass is responsible for maintaining the royal itinerary and ensuring that Cadence has the time to meet all of her obligations. Like every crystal pony, Glass is still trying to adjust to all of these newfangled inventions coming north from Equestria, but she does her best to ensure her Princess is cared for. Her cutie mark is an hourglass, tilted just slightly to the side, with the bottom still empty. Her coat and mane are almost identical shades of blue-gray, with the mane being only slightly lighter. Lieutenant Bullseye: Head of Cadence’s bodyguards and one of her advisors. Coming from a family known for their marksmanship, he was selected by Shining to lead up the Crystal Guard’s bodyguard division. In reality, he spends more time organizing reports to ensure the most critical reach the Princess, and the time-wasters get burned. His cutie mark is a bow and arrow with a red circle around the arrow tip. He often will use dye to set himself apart from his various cousins and siblings who are also in the Crystal Guard. His mane is a beige color, with a mane of dark brown. Sergeant Fleetwing: Head of the pegasi squad who escorted Shining north. Having been promoted all the way to Sergeant in a mere four years, he’s considered a rising star in the Celestial Guard. His coat is a pale yellow, with a very short-cropped pumpkin-orange mane and tail. The Mystery Assailant: Shining only had a brief glimpse of a crystal pony with a dark green tail. Narrowing that down amongst the million plus crystal ponies should be a cakewalk, right? Author's Note This appendix will get updated as more characters are added, and more information will be added depending on events. I hope no one is too attached to anypony ... or anygriffon.
