“Got any hint of her?” Shining Armor mentally asked.

It turned out that Scarlet Boulder could connect ponies she knows while they stood with hooves on the ground. As she explained that, it was some kind of communion with the earth itself and as such had limitations: for example, it couldn’t be even pony-made ceramic plates, the slightest cover of anything other than simple earth with, natural covers like grass and water excluded, it was a no-no. However, the streets of Canterlot were made of simply cut blocks without any pony work other than cutting them. That allowed the communication by Scarlet Boulder’s talent.

“Nothing,” was the general answer, besides the way it was said diverged.

“It’s useless! We’ve looked all Canterlot and still no sign of any kind of imprisonment magic whatsoever!” Ice Sapphire said.

“Regroup at central square,” Lightning Dash called them. “We must focus our thought. It’s getting late!”

****

Golden Breeze was making a nice progress. So far, nopony appeared that she should be worried about with. Even so, she held her guard high, mostly remembering what Shining Armor had taught her during their test at the labyrinth.

“Stay calm…” she whispered to herself. “Keep your options open… Always have an escape route… And most important: my gift is wind, invisible and powerful!”

Expanding her wings, Golden Breeze started to feel the magic of the ponies around her. Now that she wasn’t restricted by the magic of that room, she could easily pick those bad guys, and even the mares they called. Her hooves moved with determination: she had to defeat them all.

Sneaking behind a turn, first she hid just before she could be seen, and allowed her audition, combined with her wind gift, to tell if there was anypony around. One pony, and distracted at that. If she was silent enough, she could beat him down and get some information. But no, she couldn’t risk him screaming about her. One strike was all that she had.

With a deep breath, she silently took off and flew above the stallion. Aiming carefully her next attack, she downed and with one of her hindhooves, hit perfectly at the unicorn stallion’s neck. She then looked around. At her right side, she noticed a window and looked through it. At the distance, along a trail of dirt, Canterlot shined under the silvery moon.

The window was plainly in the middle of the corridor and Golden Breeze crossed the window and moved to what was supposed to be the room the others were held captive. She could feel the magic on the walls. She would have to bring her best to it.

****

“FOUND HER!” Scarlet Boulder screamed both physically and mentally. Sending to the others the location of Golden Breeze, Scarlet Boulder began trotting there by herself.

“She touched the ground! Outside Canterlot… that’s why we never found any trace of her…” she thought to herself. This would slowly remember her of another accident from her young ages…

~~~~

Scarlet Boulder had joined her family in another work day. As usual, they had breakfast together and shared stories and jokes that would follow them for most of the day. Scarlet Boulder, since she started joining the family’s work, had a special talent to find the perfect rocks among of all others.

However, about midday, she felt something different. It was that same something which guided her to the perfect rocks her family so much prized her, but this time it didn’t feel like a rock. Curious, she followed the feeling, getting each second closer to it. The feeling got stronger and stronger and slowly she could figure the form: it was the shape of a pony lying on its side.

As she approached the pony, she noticed that the stallion was still alive, but couldn’t move at all. She brought him some food and water and more than anything enjoyed whenever he gave her a smile. Day after day, she kept bringing him food and water, never telling her family about him, until someday, he just got up and walked, thanking her for her efforts. He said that his hooves were damaged and he was just giving them sometime to recover and it was Scarlet Boulder’s help that made things easier for him.

Later that day, while working on the rock farm, she hit some rocks that, as they hit the ground, got covered in that strong red dust. The shape the rocks had fallen looked like, to her, that pony’s shape. She stood there, looking at that and reminding herself of the pony she helped, and her family had come looking for her. When they saw the shape, they all smiled and even laughed at that. But only Scarlet Boulder knew why she truly stopped to stare at those rocks. And was then that she had acquired her cutie mark: for bringing smile and hope for another pony in need…

~~~~

“Scarlet!” Lightning Dash called through their link. “You go ahead, we’ll follow you as soon as we can! We each are at different spots in Canterlot!”

“Got it!” Scarlet Boulder trotted as fast as she could to the place where she felt Golden Breeze.

The bright red pony made it a quick time to that isolated building and from afar she could see the golden pegasus buck at the wall. Her muzzle parted in a smile.

“GOLDEN BREEZE!” the red pony called.

The pegasus turned quickly to see her friend coming. Then she smiled and returned the call, “Scarlet! Come here! I need your help!”

“We need to get back! The Princess wanna talk to you!” Scarlet Boulder said approaching her.

“Later. We have to help these mares first,” she said pointing at the wall. “You’re the strongest of us all, but this wall was enchanted to be resistant. I doubt even you can break it!”

“Ha! There’s no magic force field, strong enough to stop my buck! Much less a simple enchanted wall! Step back!”

“Wait! I need you to count to ten first!”

As Scarlet Boulder counted, Golden Breeze darted inside, flying, and knocked on the door three times. As Alpha Star opened the door to her, she grinned. “EVERYPONY LAY DOWN AND STAY AWAY FROM THAT WALL!” she said, pointing the wall where her friend would break through.

“YOU HEARD HER!” Alpha Star shouted as well and every mare there backed way as much as the space allowed.

Golden Breeze then turned to rejoin Scarlet Boulder when a hoof hit her squarely in the face. The unicorn in front of her wasn’t the one she knocked out, but was as angry as he would be.

“You bitch! I’m gonna kill you!”

After a few steps backwards, Golden Breeze looked back at him, her eyes showing all her anger. When the unicorn attacked her, she jumped with a backflip. With his speed, the unicorn managed to pass under her and when she landed she was able to kick him in the middle of his back. Golden Breeze then kicked with her other hind hoof squarely in his face as well, knocking him unconscious.

As if on cue, the sound of Scarlet Boulder was heard clear enough. A glimpse by the door and Golden Breeze saw the hole made by Scarlet Boulder. She smiled and put her head in.

“EVERYPONY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!”

Scarlet Boulder just managed to jump sideways before a real stampede started towards Canterlot. Alpha Star was the only pony to stay behind, “Golden Breeze… thank you… but there are still eight mares there!”

“I know Alpha Star. I’ll save them. Now go!”

The dark blue pegasus left by the hole as Scarlet Boulder joined Golden Breeze. “Eight more to go?”

“That’s not our objective, Scarlet,” Golden Breeze said to her friend. “You control earth, right? We need to make sure these unicorns can’t move and cast at all.”

“If you take care of the casting, I can take care of the moving!” Scarlet Boulder said with a smile and her friend nodded.

Bringing also the first pony she defeated, Scarlet Boulder made them immobile by creating an earth cocoon around them. Golden Breeze would then prevent them from casting magic by creating a small weak, but enchanted, tornado around their horns: if they tried to cast, the magic in the wind would throw it off.

Then the duo returned inside and separated their ways. Golden Breeze’s magic could count eighteen ponies in there. However, different from Scarlet Boulder’s ability, she couldn’t separate enemies from allies. But she got their positions anyway and shared that with her friend.

“So it’s nine bad guys for each?” Scarlet Boulder asked.

“No. Eight of those are mares that were taken before you arrived. And I don’t know if there are mares amongst our enemies or not.” Golden Breeze answered. “Where are the others?”

“They may have found the mares on the way to town and are now scouting them.”

“You sure?”

“No, silly…” she then hit the floor three times. “Marbles. They stop my contact with earth so I can’t activate my ability. But I’m almost sure they did!”

“A bad point of using geomancy, right?” Golden Breeze commented and turned to a side in the corridor.

“Well… I can still contact those in contact with the marbles I’m on. So keep your hooves on the floor as long as you can, feather brain!” Scarlet Boulder answered with a chuckle and no heat behind her words.

“And you try not getting too much into fighting, mud dweller!” Golden Breeze answered in kind.

The yellow pegasus was now alone again and as she reached the next turn, she could feel another stallion walking towards her. She flapped her wings and gained a little altitude before pecking around the corner. The stallion was walking alone and Golden Breeze waited patiently. She slowly downed and waited. As her target was close enough, she jumped outside her cover ready to buck him out of his breath.

Her hooves had hit the unicorn stallion’s force field, though, giving him time to strike back. Only Golden Breeze’s fast flap of wings took her away from the magic blast he shot. While the unicorn was still charging, Golden Breeze shoot herself forward, spinning and using her magic to use the wind as a small tornado, which sent the unicorn flying to the end of corridor. As he forcefully hit the wall and then the ground, he fell unconscious as Golden Breeze touched the floor again.

“That was a bad one,” Golden Breeze said to Scarlet Boulder. “I guess they heard you ‘opening the door’ for the mares…”

“Thanks for that information!” Scarlet Boulder answered by the link.

Golden Breeze then followed up the path she chose. There were a couple doors there now and she felt two ponies inside one of them, probably a mare and one of the kidnappers. Just before she got in, though, she got a message from Scarlet Boulder, warning her that another bad unicorn was out.

With a confident smile, she closed her eyes and summoned her Harmony Armor. Even a little defense was better than no defense at all when the enemy was waiting for you already.

She bucked the door and flew out of eye sight, just so she wouldn’t be such an easy target. Upon spotting her target, she came crushing down on his back, pressing him on the ground and knocking him unconscious. At the bed, a unicorn mare stood scared and, upon seeing an armored pegasus, a little happier.

“Are you alright?” Golden Breeze asked. With a nod from the mare, she grinned and turned back to the door. “Fine. Follow me.”

The duo then started walking on the corridors again. “If you go--”

Golden Breeze was cut by eight magic presences appearing out of nowhere, which was quickly followed by Scarlet Boulder’s message, “I got the mares! They were trapped behind a magically locked door!”

Golden Breeze’s blood turned into liquid ice as she turned around to look at the mare following her. “Well… you were saying?” the mare asked.

Golden Breeze though, aimed and tried to punch her, but the mare just jumped out of reach. As she touched the ground, there was a faint shine of a lime green and the unicorn mare revealed to be completely different. Pointing her horn at Golden Breeze, the pegasus had to fly once again to escape another magical blast.

This time, though, the mare kept her blast going and shot it up, hitting Golden Breeze squarely in the chest, her armor cracking widely with the potent blast. As she hit the ground, some of the armor now fell from under her chest, where the blast first hit and the cracks spread halfway down her belly and up on her neck.

“Oh? What a useless armor you got there. A do-it-yourself armor kit?” the mare chuckled upon seeing the cracks spreading across her body. “Well, you’re trying to play the heroine but I’ll give you an offer. You tell me where the other mares had gone and I’ll let you free with only a little brainwash about what you saw there…”

Golden Breeze’s wing spread open and she locked eyes with her opponent. The determination in those eyes was clear even under her armor. She jumped backwards and started flapping her wings so strong that her magic slowly created a strong gust of wind. However, the unicorn mare just cast a spell on her hooves that seemed to glue her in the ground after only a few inches of flying back.

Charging her magic again, the unicorn shot once more at Golden Breeze, which gave a back-roll to avoid it this time, jumping to her side as she touched the ground to avoid the continuous blast. As the mare stopped to recharge a little, Golden Breeze saw her chance to strike, flying as fast as she could to finish this fight right away.

The unicorn mare, though, jumped back to the room’s door, barely avoiding Golden Breeze’s hoof. Then she got something from inside the room, a whip just like her cutie mark, and with deadly precision, wrapped it at Golden Breeze’s neck, pulling strongly and forcing the pegasus to hit the ground rather forcible.

“Why are you trying to save them, anyway? Are any of them your family, or special somepony? Just get them and leave!” the unicorn mare shouted at her.

Golden Breeze, though, wasn’t a Trainee of the Knights of Harmony for nothing. She turned on her belly, and pulled her opponent by the whip tightly wrapped on her neck, delivering a strong hoof squarely on her face.

“How dare you!” The unicorn mare said angrily and then turned to Golden Breeze, which was now being enveloped by strong winds all around.

“Because that’s the right thing to do, and I never turn my back on those who need me!”

The armor around Golden Breeze’s body seemed to explode and, on its place, the pegasus now supported a much smaller and frail-looking armor with lime green color most evident, reddish brown lining the smooth curves at the edges and light brown randomly placed curves all over the main plates. Her four hooves covered in leaf-like plates, and her head with a reddish brown tiara supporting a lime green emerald finished the main aspects of the armor. And as Golden Breeze opened her wings, they were like plenty of autumn leaves ready to fall at any moment. Needless to say, the unicorn mare was wide-eyed at the armor which appeared out of nowhere and had the shining crest of Golden Breeze’s cutie mark right at its chest.

Using her opponent’s astonishment, Golden Breeze dashed again and stomped the floor with both forehooves, turning around and bucking the unicorn mare so strong in the chest she was sent flying backwards. Different from the other unicorns, though, she was a tough one, getting up and shooting at Golden Breeze once more. Gotten by surprise, the yellow pegasus only had time to place her wings in front of her face.

The small leaf-like plates guided the magic blast harmlessly to each side of Golden Breeze and she then opened her wings to force another blast of wind. Again, the unicorn cast that glue spell on herself, but this time, Golden Breeze was ready for it, flapping her wings once more, she was quickly upon the now defenseless unicorn, and with another single and strong punch in the face, knocked her unconscious.

Only then she got to stop and see the damage her armor had suffered and surprised herself by finding not even a scratch on the smooth plates of her wings. After a quick smile, she turned to the way she had already been walking and went in search of more enemies.

****

Scarlet Boulder was sent flying again by another magic blast. Her Harmony Armor had broken already and as Celestia warned, her only defense now would be the Divine Armor that the earth pony didn’t have discovered as yet.

Behind her, just behind the turn, were the mares she was to save; in front, another five unicorn stallions, all laughing at her antics and taking turns to shot at her.

One of the stallions stepped forth and grinned, “Why don’t you just give up? We could really use somepony with your stamina.”

“Sorry, I’m not that kind of party pony…” she said with a smile, which was kinda out of place under her bloody nose and angry eyes.

“Why are you so determined to protect them at cost of your life anyway?” he asked, shooting another blast at her.

Scarlet Boulder jumped to a side just to be hit by a second blast, being thrown almost back at the corner already. As the stallions grinned and started to walk, Scarlet Boulder got up once more, breathing hard, but still that angry… no, determined look in her face with the smile just under.

“I don’t need a reason to protect ponies from meanies…” Scarlet Boulder answered stepping forward again, as she had done for the tenth time.

“Trying to play the heroin?” all stallions behind him burst out laughing.

“No,” Scarlet Boulder’s grin grew into a full smile this time. “I’m just doing the right thing, and that is taking these mares back to their homes and families!”

All five stallions laughed at her before they looked her in the eye, “So, if you’re so sure about that…”

Scarlet Boulder could see all five charging their magic against her. There would be no escaping from this and she knew that. With a glimpse over her shoulders at her back, she could see the face of a mare that was spying on the situation. The worried face of the earth mare exchanged to surprise when she saw Scarlet Boulder’s head tilt to a side with her eyes closed and a large smile in her face.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be alright. I promise,” then the scarlet earth pony looked back at the offending unicorns still smiling. “After all, I am always giving my best to see other people happy. That’s just the way I am, always giving the others a chance to live for their dreams!”

The five stallions shot as one and Scarlet Boulder forced her four hooves in the floor, cracking and breaking through the marble tiles so she wouldn’t go a centimeter backwards and would protect the mares behind her from the blast.

As the magic finally hit her, though, she didn’t felt the pain like other times. There was a warm sensation on her chest and when she opened her eyes, she saw the five magic beams hitting her squarely in the chest, where now she supported a shiny copper-colored armor with large plates and pointy edges looking more like spikes. These would often be silver with shiny dark grey color guiding the edges of each plate and the limits of the chest piece that was a copy of her cutie mark, only in copper instead of red. Along the armor, the silver and the dark grey edges contributed to give an aggressive appearance while in truth formed a full shield for anypony behind her when she positioned them just right.

Still tired, but determined, Scarlet Boulder gave a step forward. The stallions tried to shoot again, but their magic blasts hit harmlessly the armor as she continued to advance towards them. When the unicorns decided to run for their lives, Scarlet Boulder trotted against them full speed, tackling one against the wall, spinning around and bucking a second one, hitting at the side of his chest and pressing him against the other wall, taking the air out of him and a second kick knocking him unconscious. The three still up and running stallions made a sharp turn to escape her fury… just to be send back flying. Midway they were met by Scarlet Boulder’s punch, all three of them being thrown on the wall by the impact, cracking it with the earth mare’s strength.

Golden Breeze appeared from the corned and smiled as she saw Scarlet Boulder, “Looks like I wasn’t the only one to get mine today.”

“Wow, Breeze! You look beautiful!”

“Why, thank you!” she grinned and approached the mare. “You’re great in yours too, darling. Anyway…” she pointed a hoof at the three unconscious ponies. “With them I counted ten bad guys.”

“There’s two more up the corridor and I got seven others on my way.” At Golden Breeze’s surprised face, Scarlet Boulder explained, “They were having a break in the mess hall! Never saw me coming before I knocked the first one unconscious!”

Golden Breeze giggled, “I haven’t that luck. And those ponies behind the corner?”

“Oh! They’re the mares I rescued. Nine of them in total.”

The pegasus’ eyes widened at the number, but then, she smiled and whispered at Scarlet Boulder, “Scarlet, one of them is fake. There were only eight of them.”

“But they all said that nine were picked up!” Scarlet Boulder answered also in a whisper.

“Yes, but one was returned just after for trying casting magic as they walked the corridors.”

“I see. So how we’ll figure this out?”

“Keep them walking to the exit and talking. As far as they know, there are only you there, right?”

“The others commented about you creating a plan for them… But they also said you would be waiting for them to return.”

“Then go. I’ll keep my ears opened to anything as they walk with you. Just keep them talking.”

Scarlet Boulder then returned to the mares just to be met half way by them. Golden Breeze peeked around the corner and much to her surprise, her eyes fell right way to a unicorn exactly like Alpha Star, even with the same cutie mark. And that was something just impossible to happen. Not even waiting a second, she came out of the corner and tackled the unicorn mare squarely on its side. As she rolled on the ground, her disguise broke up and revealed another completely different unicorn mare. All others looked at Golden Breeze and cheered at her, thanking her for taking down the one that was keeping them hostage.

“She’s the head there…” pointed out one of the mares. “Always thought to be smarter than others…”

“I’ll get the other sleepy stallions and put them with the other two outside,” Scarlet Boulder said with a grin.

“Need any help?” Golden Breeze asked as she checked the other mares to see if they were alright.

“Nay. I carried rocks heavier than those dumbasses. Just collect the ones along your path and start your magic-forbidding stuff.”

Golden Breeze nodded with a smile, turning to the mares as they walked towards the exit, “Look, I know you’re thankful to me, but you can’t tell anyone about what you saw. For all the effects, I managed to get my friends from the Royal Guard here to help us out.”

“You want us to lie to the Princess?” one of the mares asked.

“It won’t be a lie, just omission of part of the truth,” answered a stallion. All mares got behind Golden Breeze, shaking in fear.

The pegasus, though, giggled. “It’s alright. His name is Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. He’s with me.”

Only then the other mares relaxed enough to appreciate the body of the white unicorn. More than one sighed at the view of his handsome body and perfectly white coat. Shining Armor, though, grinned, “Sorry girls, my heart already have an owner.”

And now, more than one mare awwwned, which made both Golden Breeze and Shining Armor laugh a bit. The stallion was the first to speak again.

“We already restrained the others we found. We got even a couple more when they were returning there with another mare. They’re properly dealt with right now, don’t worry.”

“Oh! Hi there, Shining! How are you doing?” Scarlet Boulder asked from behind the mares, carrying the six unconscious ponies left in her back. “Took you long enough to come. Scouting the first of the rescued?”

“Yeah, that was quite a group and we wondered how you freed all of them until we saw the hole in the wall.” Shining Armor grinned. “Need any help?”

“Nay, it’s not that heavy. I had rocks heavier on my back already,” she smiled. “Got the other sleeping ones?”

“Unless there’s more, these with you are the last.”

“No one more,” Golden Breeze said with a smile. “We can go home and see what mission is waiting for me.”

The three others nodded and they walked outside. There, they found the other three members of the team, Lightning Dash, Blaze and Ice Sapphire. And, as one, the group scouted the last mares to Canterlot before go talking with the Princess.

Author's Note

Phew! Chapter eight now available! I kinda liked writing this one. Nothing better to get out a bad mood than writing about a bunch of bad guys being kicked in the face! And another history covered already! Only two to go and I'm still thinking if I'll write about Shining Armor's past. Anyway, to tell you about next chapter, I brought you royalty! Princess Cadance, please, tell us about your first appearance!

"What? My first apparition already? No no nononono! I’m not ready for it! What should I dress? What should I say? Whom I will meet? Hope it’s nothing that much important… I have some important planning to do! I have to talk with Aunt Celestia, with Shining Armor and with Twilight! Oh! No, that can wait… they are in training with somepony else. I shall keep an eye on her… Next chapter of Knights of Harmony is: Mystic Magic”