Operation: Udder Chaos

by Dsarker

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 6444

Swordsong, a corporal in the Royal Guard, and her partner Scrimmage are patrolling in the city of Canterlot. With the streets set to catch fire, can Swordsong preserve order?

Swordsong, a newly minted corporal in the Royal Guard, is on patrol with her partner Scrimmage when a set of events threatens to send the city spiralling into disaster.

Can the long-suffering ponies of the Royal Guard hold the city together when the streets are all set to catch fire? When chaos and discord attack, can order and discipline survive?

—

[spoiler]The second story in my Swordsong series. These are mostly inspired by Rudyard Kipling's writing, particularly his poems. This one was inspired by my reading of Brown Bess. If you do not want the story spoiled, read no further![/spoiler]

[spoiler]Brown Bess is the name of the British Army Musket in the poem, and described as a lady. In this story, she is the general of the cattle, and responsible for most of the victories of the bovines.[/spoiler]

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-23 11:05:34 UTC

Chapter One

Swordsong sighed as they continued the patrol of the crowded North Quarter. Scrimmage, her erstwhile messmate and now second-in-command, was still showing signs of being hung-over. Swordsong did not approve of drinking to such excess as the unicorn had done, but perhaps the occasion merited it. The execution of Shining Armour less than a month ago was still affecting the regiment.

Scrimmage had told her that he still dreamed of that day, still did not like the replacement. Swordsong did not like her either, but the nightmares were concerning her. If Scrimmage had not been such a solid stallion, she would have reported it. Nevertheless, it was beginning to try her patience a little. If it was still happening in a month, she thought to herself, he would be getting a little word from her about it.

Not today, though. Even as hung-over as he was, he was one of the better ponies in a back-alley brawl, and with all these bovines visiting the city she didn't want to risk somepony else watching her back. It was not that the cows were aggressive. Usually, at any rate, they were as peaceful as doves. Surprise, or fires, or any one of a billion random events, though, could send them into a fury. Then you would want a heap of support at your back. Calming them down could be a difficult job, so it was better just to tire them out. Then an agile pegasus or earth pony could give them a tap with a daystick, and leave them to sleep off their anger. With any luck, however, it would not amount to that. If everything else remained calm, then they would stay calm. This was why she was sighing.

Scrimmage was not the quietest of ponies at the best of times. Now he was being even worse than usual. "Control yourself already, Scrimmage," she ordered in a stern voice. "If you can't keep your problems quiet, you know I'll have to report it."

"Oh, come off it, seco," Scrimmage said, shaking his head. "I'm good to go. 'Sides, there's nothing that I can't handle anyway. They won't worry about poor little senior private Scrimmage." Even hung-over as the unicorn was, he was able to turn on his mournful eyes. Swordsong had to admit that he was good at wheedling favours from ponies. Even if she did report him, he would probably finagle his way out of it.

"I know that, but with the streets all set to catch fire like they are, I need you on top of your game. I don't want to be going against a raging bull solo." Swordsong looked at Scrimmage with a critical eye. "You good?"

Scrimmage still had the grace to look a little hurt at the accusation. "Seco, I'm good. You don't need to worry." He straightened up a little though. "Anyway, even with all these bovines here, there's nothing to worry about."

Swordsong had to admit that this was actually the only time she had seen any cows or bulls. Even so, the briefing about them had to be accurate. "Even if they go on a rampage? Come off it," she said to him, as they turned onto the crowded cobble pavement of Sugar Street and the smell of fresh baking at last won through the smell of ponies and cattle. This was one of her favourite beats. There was never any trouble here, and Cinnamon Heart's bakery was one of Canterlot's best-kept secrets.

"Seco," said Scrimmage, still caught in the conversation that Swordsong was now wanting over, "I've lived near cattle most of my life, and they've never been anything but peaceful. It's just a few who give the rest a bad name, really." His hooves rapped out a familiar tune on the cobbles and he started humming it, though for the life of her, Swordsong could not remember what it was.

Her ears perked up as she caught the sound of a musician playing somewhere in the distance. It was the same tune, and now it was infuriating that she could not remember it. Rather than the polite, serene almost, drifting through the fellow pedestrians that they had been doing, she started pushing her way through. She did not usually do this, but her frustration needed to work itself out.

She came to a stop when a bull gently put his forearm in front of her. "Excuse me, miss," he said in a calm voice. "You look upset. Can I be of any help?" Swordsong bit back an angry retort, and looked up at him. He was almost twice her size, or perhaps a little bigger. Even so, Swordsong was almost angry enough to start a fight - almost, but not quite.

She took a deep breath, and as Scrimmage caught up by her side, she answered in as sweet a voice as she could manage, "No, thank you. Just a little annoyed." She schooled her face to be calm. Even though the bull looked sympathetic, he was a civilian. It would not do to unsettle them.

"Mmm, yes. I can understand aggravation trying to get the better of you," said the bull. "But as we bulls have to learn a little more than most, anger is a poor master." He smiled gently. "Though we have to have that lesson repeated more than once, as you might have seen." Scrimmage was listening with something like awe on his face. Swordsong did not quite know why that irritated her, but the bull's words were wise, as much as she did not really want to admit it.

"No," she said. "You're actually the first bull I've met." He really was not what she had expected. He gave off an atmosphere of calm and peace, not the tense feeling of barely-controlled rage that she had expected.

His eyebrows rose, and his smile grew. "Oh, well then I hope I am rising up to your expectations." Lowering his out-stretched forearm, and instead extending it to her, he spoke again. "My name is Longhorn, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss...?"

"Swordsong," she said, taking his hoof in hers. It was a strong, firm hoofshake, but gentle as well. He almost seemed too good to be true.

Scrimmage, by this point, looked almost like he was about to kiss the ground at Longhorn's hooves. Longhorn, for his part, did not seem to notice, but graciously nodded to her. "Well, Miss Swordsong, I hope that this day is a lucky one for you," he said, and then turned to go.

As he walked slowly away, Swordsong turned to Scrimmage. "What is up with you?" she asked, still surprised by his behaviour. He was almost literally shaking in his shoes. As she asked, he turned to her, his face half-accusing, half-excited.

"Don't you know who that is?" he asked, barely able to keep his voice level. "That's Chief Longhorn, one of the twelve elders of the bovine tribes. His word is law amongst them. Nopony has seen him in almost seven years. You've just had an incredible privilege." He seemed like he almost could not believe it had happened, enough to make Swordsong uncomfortable. It was the way you would talk about Luna, Celestia or Cadence... Or the way you would have talked about Twilight Sparkle.

"He's just another bull, though, isn't he?" she asked as she started walking again, falling back into her measured pace. "A leader, sure, but other than that...?"

"Well, I guess," said Scrimmage, looking at her weirdly. "But he's, like, insanely famous amongst them. He is like their Shining Armour. That's how big he is." He realised at Swordsong's darkened expression how much he had stuck his hoof in his mouth. "Oh. Um. Sorry."

"Whatever. Let's just get this circuit done." Swordsong's just previously happy mood left her again. Whatever it was about this day that was making her annoyed, it knew just how to do it. She hated knowing that it was getting under her skin as it was. If that was not enough, that bloody tune was getting even louder. It was right on the threshold of her memory. What in Tartarus could it be?

Even as she was wondering, it clicked. Cinnamon Heart had made the jingle for her bakery a couple of weeks ago. She had been working herself up over that? The tension that had been building rolled away like waves from a beach, and she laughed as she thought about how she had been getting. Just to think that she had been upset over a bit of catchy music was comical. Getting upset over that specific piece, though, was hilarious.

Now the music was clear as she turned into the bakery, through a plastic curtain door, and she realised that she had been getting cold out on the street. Inside, though, it was warm, and the gentle light from the sun fell into a small display case with different baked goods. A bell rang as she came in, and there was a shouted "Just a minute, dear!" from deeper within, in the shadowy corridor behind the counter.

That suited Swordsong fine, and she looked through at the different treats available from the store. Among them was a nice slab of tiramisu, which was one of Swordsong's favourites. Not today, though, she decided, and she continued looking through the display. There were cobblers, butterfly cakes, buckles, brownies, blondies, cookies and strawberry-iced cupcakes. So many options, and she licked her lips as she looked through them. All of them looked good.

She settled, though, on the butterfly cake. Even as she did, Cinnamon Heart came back in. She was a short unicorn, though not that short. Her short-cropped orange mane was in a tight bun, and her tan coat had a splotchy apron tied around the front. Her most distinctive feature, however, was her glasses. They were large and bright red. She smiled as she saw Swordsong and Scrimmage in the bakery. "If it isn't my favourite little Guardsponies! What can I get for you two today?"

"One of those butterfly cakes for me and a cup of your strongest coffee for him," Swordsong said as she pointed to Scrimmage. "And we got paid last night, so I'll settle that tab I've been working up. How much do I owe you?" With her left wing, she reached into her little pouch under her flanchard and drew out a pile of bits. Corporal's pay was a little better than a private, but not so much that you would notice.

"About forty bits now, all in all," Cinnamon Heart replied. "You two are almost half-funding this place, with all the business you give me." She giggled a little as she moved around, fetching the coffee and the cake.

Swordsong put down her bits on the counter. Forty bits exactly, and she still had a few more in her pouch. The side benefits of her promotion were certainly enjoyable. She took the cake, and waved over Scrimmage to get his coffee. With longing in his eyes, the love-struck Unicorn continued to gaze at Cinnamon Heart. For goodness' sake...

"Oh, and Cinnamon Heart," she said, partly annoyed at his umming and ahhing about it all, "I think Scrimmage had something he wanted to ask you." With a smirk on her face, she turned and left the bakery, taking her first bite of the cake. It was just as good as she had hoped, if not better.

The bell rang behind her as she walked out, and she laughed. Maybe today was going to be Scrimmage's lucky day, rather than hers. Although if it meant getting cheaper baked goods...She took another bite out of the cake when she heard someone say something. She turned to the source - it was a young cow - and quirked her eyebrows as if to say Do you mean me? to her.

She nodded, and slowly Swordsong walked over. The cow disappeared into a back-alley, and Swordsong shrugged and followed her. This could be a trap, but if she sung out, Scrimmage would be there in a shot. As she went into the darkened alley, the only person she could see was the cow. Now she was close, Swordsong could see that she seemed scared. Her eyes were quickly flicking back and forth, and her body was rising and falling quickly. Something clearly was not right here.

"You're Scrimmage's friend, aren't you?" the cow said, as though she already knew the answer. Without waiting for a response, she continued, "Tell him to leave. Now. It's urgent. I tried to find him yesterday, but it was impossible. Tell him Sandy told you this. He knows me. Tell him I said that if friendship is magic, betrayal must have a kind of magic too." Before Swordsong could say anything or ask anymore, the cow broke and ran. Swordsong shook her head, and turned around to leave.

As she walked out of the alley, she saw Scrimmage looking like he had been concussed. She wandered over to him, the smirk re-appearing on her face. "So, how'd it go, lover-boy?" she asked, almost laughing at his expression. He looked like a rabbit that had been surprised by a lion.

"Oh? Uh. Good. I. Uh. Think." He shook his head, and looking a little more aware of his surroundings, said "What were you doing in that alley-way over there?" He took a small slurp from the mug held aloft in his magic.

Swordsong frowned. "I don't quite know. There was a young cow who called herself Sandy. She said you should leave the city, immediately." She shrugged, as if to explain the message's incomprehensibility. Scrimmage, for his part, looked startled.

"Did she say what for?" he asked, obviously seeing no more meaning in the strange message than she did. "I trust the messenger, but the message might have gotten garbled. Especially... Especially if it was urgent."

"She said something about betrayal being magical. I don't really understand what she meant," said Swordsong, shaking her head. "I can understand that about friendship, but what would it mean with betrayal?" Who was betraying whom? Maybe Scrimmage had done something in his past- no. She did not believe something like that. If someone was betraying Scrimmage, though...

"I don't really understand that, seco. If it's something to do with me, I don't know who it could be. I’ve not done any treason, petty or high," he said. “And I’m just a private. No underlings to betray me.”

If, as the cow had said, he would take her word at face value, perhaps he had done better with Cinnamon Heart than she expected. On the other hoof, maybe Sandy, if that was her name, was trading a bit more on her reputation than it deserved. Whatever it was, it was not her affair. He was not planning to leave, and that meant she did not have to keep him here. "Come on, then. Let's get a move on," she said, and she turned back to continue their patrol.

As they continued down the street, Swordsong saw a group of cows carrying a large crate. They were five strong - two backing down the street from the front, two round the back, and a fifth one by the side, guiding them rather than carrying it. They were still a ways away, and she did not think much of it. Scrimmage, meanwhile, was drinking his coffee and slurping loudly. Swordsong rolled her eyes and smiled. It was one of his habits that he never seemed to notice. Even when they were questioning ponies, he did it. Part of her wondered whether he did it deliberately.

They were coming up to the cow movers, and Swordsong altered her direction to skirt around them. She assumed that Scrimmage would change as well, but as she looked back in a combination of amusement and horror, she saw he had kept his pace, concentrating on his latest slurp. "Scrimmage!" she called in warning, and he turned to her just in time to collide with the cow on the left. The mug dropped and shattered on the street, splattering warmish coffee everywhere. Swordsong could barely hold in a laugh at the stricken expression on Scrimmage's face. The cow doing the guiding stopped the movers, and then came over to Scrimmage.

"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry," she said, and as Swordsong saw her say it, she saw... something cross her face. Recognition? Anger? It was something other than just 'sorrow'. Her tone was sorry, at least, but... Swordsong shook her head. It was probably nothing to worry about. Especially since Scrimmage did not seem to recognise her in turn.

Then again, all he seemed to be thinking of was the shattered mug. He was still looking down at it, and his mouth hung open in surprise. Swordsong walked back over to him, and tapped him in the shoulder. "Scrimmage? You alive in there?" she said, hoping he would wake out of this trance. He did, with a start, looking first to her, and then to the cow.

"I, uh, sorry, I wasn't listening," he said quietly. "What did you say?" Swordsong bit her tongue. This was not usual behaviour for Scrimmage. If he did not snap out of it... No. That was something to think of later. Right now, they needed to get this incident sorted out politely, and then move on. And find a way to pay for the mug.

"Oh, no," said the cow. "It was our fault. I wasn't watching where we were going. And we broke your mug! Please, let us repay you." Well, that was very convenient. Swordsong knew enough, however, not to look a gift cow in the mouth. This was an almost perfect escape from a probable hindrance.

"That would be very kind," she said. "That mug was actually a lend to my partner here. If you go into the bakery down the street," she continued, indicating Cinnamon Heart's, "that's where it's from."

The cow nodded, and said, "Well, when we pass by it, I will drop in and pay for it. Once again, I must apologise for our clumsiness. I hope that we have not unduly hindered your duty." Swordsong blinked. This was one of the more loquacious specimens of cow. Well, that was not a bad thing in itself; it just meant it took a bit more concentration to talk to her.

"No, not at all," said Swordsong. "But we must really be going now. I hope that your day goes well now." With that, she dragged Scrimmage away, and nodding goodbye to the cows, she led him back onto the patrol route. That was a convenient escape from what could have been hours of obstruction for both parties. It was nice, but certainly unexpected. She turned back to look, and the cows had disappeared into the crowd.

Turning back to Scrimmage, she could see the stallion was still looking a little dazed. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, feeling a little concerned. After all, it was just a mug. What did it really matter that it was broken? Especially now, it had been paid for. There was no reason for him still to be upset.

"I. Yeah, no. I'm okay," he said, though he did not show any real sign of recovery. "I. I was just a bit surprised, is all." He looked at the ground still where the mug had shattered, looking at the shards and almost imperceptibly shaking his head.

“What’s up, private?” she said, turning on her corporal voice. “If it’s something that’s affecting you, you need to tell me.” She frowned at him, trying to impress her authority further.

“Oh, it’s nothing much, seco,” he said, at last seeming to shake off his funk. “It’s just that…” He laughed a little, though not too happily. “Cinnamon Heart. She told me that she already knew. About my crush on her, I mean.”

Swordsong nodded. If he thought anypony did not know about it, then he had another thing coming. She was not going to mention it right there, though. “Go on.”

“Well, it’s just that she said she’d gotten the mug from a magician, who said that there was an enchantment on the mug, that it would not be broken before our love was dead.” He shook his head. “Guess I just trusted a bit more to the snake-oil salespony than I should have.”

“Oh, come on Scrimmage. Don’t tell me you believe in that junk. Might as well tell you the name of your first-born son,” said Swordsong with a laugh. “No magic can take away your freedom like that. Unless you make sure it happens, it’s not going to happen.”

“Yeah, I guess, seco,” said Scrimmage, his face brightening up. “Man, what a strange morning, though. I mean, first we meet Longhorn, next we bump into a childhood friend, and now there’s a herd of cows moving stuff into the city. A load of coincidences like that…”

Now that she thought of it, Swordsong was starting to doubt all that. Something seemed off, and she could not quite put her hoof on it. Even though the day was now looking up, she did not want to be caught unawares. The fact that they were Royal Guards was usually enough to break up any disputes amongst ponies, but if there was something else happening she wanted to know about it. She was thinking as she passed next to another mob of cattle. Then another. It suddenly clicked. It was not anything so big you would necessarily notice. It was nothing that was a definite mark of 'trouble inbound'. It was just this: there were more cattle on the street than ponies. That did not mean much by itself, true, but now it was getting too beyond the normal for her. By now, she would have expected to have at least one encounter with a group of ponies. Any encounters with cattle were strange, but now they seemed to cluster around her.

What about that second one - Sandy, in the alley? She had told her that Scrimmage was in danger. Could it be from the bovines? Was something being planned? "Hey, Scrimmage," Swordsong said in a low voice, her danger senses now firmly tingling. "Patrol's cut short. We're heading in to the nearest beat, on Copper Lane. Gotta report something." She stopped short for a second, as she worked out in her head the best way to get there. "Left lane, thirty metres. Act casual, don't think anything of it."

Although she could not see him, she knew he had nodded and matched her stride. It was code - of a sort - to say they needed to report something. In Guardspony-cant, it meant 'danger, trap', and all the guards knew it meant keep your eyes out. Act casual - 'tail, watcher', see if you can make him. The step was a little different. Not so much that anypony who was not looking out for it would notice, but if you saw a Guardspony in that step, you kept an eye out. Someone planning to harm a single Guardspony was planning to harm all Guardsponies.

Like all good cants, though, it was also the truth. It was safest that way. Swordsong still did not know what connection her mind was making as they walked, but it was something big. The cow leader was here. Alongside him were many cattle. If somebody wanted someone else to disappear, this would be a good time. With any bull killed, if someone said enough that it was Longhorn, the streets would turn to fire. Chaos would reign. Who would be there to restore order? The guards, but with Shining Armour dead, how many were feeling disgruntled? How many were willing to forswear their oaths and abandon the corps? The Princesses were still in mourning, and nopony would want to interrupt them. They would emerge to a kingdom in ruins.

This disaster would need a lot of planning for it to come to fruition, but now Swordsong saw it almost inevitable. If someone had already gathered the cattle in the city, there was no way they could hold the streets. If they could not hold the streets, they could not do anything. All it would take was a single spark, and the city would explode. They had to protect Longhorn and move the cattle out as quickly as possible. That explained the warning. Still, though, why was Longhorn here in the first place? Whoever called him here, him and all the cattle, must be someone powerful, influential.

These thoughts echoed in her mind as she took the back alleys, her eyes now flicking from one side of the lane to the other. The sun did not shine too brightly in here, and now every shadow was somebody trying to stop them. Even though she was confident in their skills, if this invisible adversary was ready to turn the city into flames, then they could be far more skilled and powerful than the two of them were. Ridiculous thoughts of Cath-Hayan ninjas and Hayincatec cultists trying to kill them kept flooding through her head. They had to get this done now, before it was too late.

The alleys twisted and turned, and she followed them, her hoofsteps seeming to get steadily louder as they kept going. Though there was sound coming from the streets adjacent to the alleys, it was muffled and quiet by the time it reached them. Only the hoofsteps were clear, and that seemed to make it eerier rather than less. Even on the same alleys that she knew like the back of her hoof, now that she felt the burden of the duty that she had they were no longer safe or friendly.

By the time they had emerged from those alleys, she was almost ready to crack. She knew, though, that if the message she had was real, it was not something that she could afford to delay. She carried down Bugle Street, where they had emerged from the alley, towards the cross with Copper Street. Now, however, she looked across the street, sweeping her eyes across the other walkers. Who was innocent, and who was there to stop them? How could she tell? She found that she was holding her breath, and let it out. She focused on that pattern, forcing herself to calm down. If someone were going to stop them, being in a panic would only help their foe.

As her hooves crunched on the loose pebbles at the crossroad, she found the breathing exercise was working. She had bridled the fear that had threatened to stop her. Now, the anger that she had masked before began to make its voice heard again. Someone was trying something in her city. This was not just her new home. It was where she had grown up, where she had learned the rule of the streets, where she had decided to join the Guard, and damned if she was going to let someone take it away from her without a fight.

She continued to sweep her gaze across the street, though now nopony dared meet it. Some of the cattle held it, but only for a second. Indeed, the pedestrians gave the Guardsponies a wide berth now, which suited Swordsong just fine. As long as no one delayed them, they would be at the beat shortly.

As if on cue, there was a cry of "Purse snatcher!" from the street ahead, and Swordsong groaned. They could not ignore this, but they did not have the time to deal with it properly. She took a deep breath, and then turned to Scrimmage. "Distract him, if you please," she said, and took to the air.

The thief was obvious already. They always bloody ran. Scrimmage sent a ball of light flying across the street, and as it struck the wall Swordsong shut her eyes, already diving. "Clear!" yelled Scrimmage, and Swordsong opened her eyes again. There he was! She stuck her leg around, and flew past him. Her forearm collided with his head, and sent the purse flying. Swordsong caught it with her wing, and had already passed it to the pony that looked like she had been robbed by the time the robber hit the ground.

Scrimmage nodded as she re-joined him. "Nice clothes-line," he said, matching her path to the Copper Street beat. "Are you sure we didn't have enough time to collar him properly?"

Swordsong nodded. "Unfortunately, I believe so. If what I suspect is happening is really happening... We didn't even have time to spare doing that. It is that serious. Now let's keep on going."

Eventually, they arrived at the beat. A pair of now-alert Guardsponies, an earth and a unicorn pony, was standing out the front. Swordsong and Scrimmage made their way over, and Swordsong said to the earth pony, who looked more experienced than the unicorn, "Got a report to make." He nodded, and the two entered.

Inside, the beat was a cramped office, with a pair of chairs available for ponies to wait on. Behind the oak counter, there stood a bored looking unicorn stallion sergeant. He perked up as they entered. "Report to make, sarge," Swordsong said.

The sergeant nodded. "What is it, corporal?" he asked, looking serious and focused now. A notepad and pencil flew over, carried in his orange magic.

"It's probably nothing, sarge, but we were on Sugar Street, and we ran into a whole bunch of cattle. And one of their leader-types, who hasn't been seen for seven years. Must be some reason they're all here, and I was thinking, they can look pretty alike. I mean, the Princesses are difficult to fake, but these guys don't have any wings or the such." She paused for a second, waiting for the sergeant to get it all down, and then continued. "Sarge, if someone was looking to cause a lot of chaos... With all these cattle here, if you killed a bull that looked a bit like this leader, Longhorn, and had enough people saying it was him and spreading it, those cattle could go wild real easy. And there's a lot of them. More than us." She finished, and waiting for him to reply.

He stood still for a moment, pondering the report. "Corporal," he eventually said, "this is an interesting theory, and I agree with you, it's something to be looked at. Right now, though, we've got something more serious. A Guardspony was killed last night, on gate duty. We only found out a couple of hours ago. No civilians know this. But the gate was left unmanned for a long time. And whoever killed her could have let anyone, anything, in to the city. Untracked. Unknown. Worse, whoever did it broke her horn, which should have injured them somehow, but there's no sign of that. Before she was killed, though, a bunch of cattle were coming through... And mostly bulls. It's got to be connected, and we've got nothing on either end. Not that your theory is actually nothing," he added hastily, "but the brass don't give two bits for the opinion of a junior non-com."

Swordsong felt almost like somepony had punched her. Somepony else dead, and she was fantasising about world chaos... She shook her head. "Yeah, sarge, I know. I just... Thought I had something more important. Damn, but a Guardspony's dead?"

"Don't worry, corporal," said the sergeant. "There's nopony who can kill a guard and get away with it. Especially with the Princesses conducting an audience today. They'll hear, and then they'll be ready to tear the streets apart to find the murderer." He smiled at that. "Just as ready as us."

Swordsong stood still, while the shock that she felt echoed around her. This could not be right. If the Princesses were doing anything, they would be able to take charge and restore order quickly. There had to be something she was missing, but what was it? "Just hope they let us deal with the killer, sarge," she said, as she tried to think.

The bovines were still here. A cow had still warned her partner to leave. A Guardspony had died after letting a large amount of cattle into the city. There had to be a connection somehow. Whoever had killed the Guardspony was not afraid of retribution. That means it had to be for something that was happening soon. If the cow had been trying to find Scrimmage yesterday, it was not something that had happened on a whim. There was a plan, and it was happening today. If she could not figure out what the connection was, whoever was trying this would succeed. What could it possibly be?

When she looked back at this moment, she knew, logically, there was some sound now. Nevertheless, she could not shake the feeling that there had been a sudden, total silence. A huge noise broke that silence, so loud that Swordsong could not think of any word for it other than that. Loud enough that it kept ringing in her ears even after the roar faded.

"What in the nine realms of Tartarus was that?" whispered the sergeant, though his mouth was as wide as if he were bellowing. Scrimmage was mouthing something to Swordsong, and everything seemed to be quieter than normal. The doors opened, and made no sound as they collided with the walls on either side. In came the two guards at the door, and their mouths were opening and closing, but nothing emerged.

She stumbled, her balance failing her, and made her way out into the street, followed by Scrimmage. Smoke was rising in the distance, and a cloud of it already hung over the city. Swordsong tried to keep going, but she fell down, and her vision went black.

"Swordsong! By the Princesses, wake up!" shouted Scrimmage into her ear. She opened her eyes again, and looked into his muzzle, a couple of inches away from hers. She flinched, banging her head a little against the cobblestones making up the street.

"What in- Where am I?" she asked, surprised and confused. Why was she waking up on the streets, rather than in her bed? Something must have happened, and nothing she could remember explained it.

"Come on, Swordsong, this is serious," said Scrimmage. Swordsong already knew it was. He did not use her name unless something big was happening. Maybe something or someone had beaten her up, but surely she would have remembered that?

She shook her head, and tried to stand. She was a bit wobbly, but managed to get her balance again. "Scrimmage, I don't know what in Tartarus you're talking about, or where I am. Last thing I know I'm going to bed. In my bed, not on the bloody streets!" she said, her calm now seriously damaged. There was a cloud of smoke in the city, with a column of it rising somewhere nearby.

"Seco, you just dropped thirty seconds ago. There was an explosion somewhere. We need to go help," Scrimmage said. "Are you good?"

"Good enough. I don't know what's happening, or why I'm here. But I'm good," Swordsong said. She looked around, and saw a unicorn sergeant, who looked her over and nodded.

"Corporal. You and senior private Scrimmage here are to find the location of the explosion, rescue survivors, and prevent any further damage to the city," he said. "You are not - I repeat, not - to engage any possible perpetrator, unless you believe they have more devices. Just get a good look at them. Rescue is more important at the moment. Do you understand?" His gaze was serious as he looked at her, and she nodded.

"Hear and obey, sarge," she said, turning to Scrimmage. "You heard the stallion. Move out!" He nodded, and as they turned to quick-march towards the column of smoke still rising from the area of the explosion, the sergeant spoke again.

"I'm confident you'll succeed here, corporal. Don't let me down, hmm?" he said, and turned to start barking orders to the other Guardsponies on the scene.

Prologue

The bell on the gate rung again, for what must have been the twentieth time that night, and Jezail groaned as she woke up again. She slumped over to the slit that was all that she could see out of the guard tower from. "Who goes there?" she said, fighting back a yawn.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry to awaken you, miss," said a sonorous voice down below, and Jezail groaned inwardly. More bulls. The rest of the squadron would never believe this nightmare night. "We're here to call on our cousins in the city."

"Very well. Step into the light, please," she ordered, as she continued to look down. Another routine check, and she'd be dead on her hooves the next day. Night duty at the gate was the worst, but at least it was only once a month.

As the cattle stepped into the light of the lantern swinging down below, she started counting. Five...ten...twenty cattle. Fifteen bulls, five cows. And... There was a large crate, being carried by the cows. She groaned. That meant she would have to inspect it. Things were just getting better and better. "What is your name?" she asked, writing down on the record list the details she already had.

"My name is Longhorn. I have already told you our reason for visiting. May we enter?" replied the same bull as before. Technically, they did not need to give a reason. The city was not on alert. Even if the reason was a little strange, who even cared? Just check the crate, let them through and she could go back to sleep.

"Yes, yes. I just have to inspect the crate. One moment," she said as she turned to the stairs to head down. She knew these stairs like the back of her hoof, and that was what proved the unicorn's downfall. She took the stairs with no light, and when a step was no longer there, she stumbled and fell. At the bottom of the stairs, she groaned in pain.

"I'm sorry, dear, but we can't have somepony interfering today," said a different voice, and she looked up. Someone was there, in the darkness, but she could not see anything, until a swinging impact broke the horn from her head, and sent her hurtling in a flare of uncontrolled magic energy down into the abyss.