Operation Nightfall

Chapters

1: Saddles and Reigns
2: Necessary Roughness
3: Merchants of the Market
4: Conspiracies
5: Escape
6: Dear Old Friends
7: Breakdown in Cooperation
8: Sand Worms
9: Rattling the Bee's Nest
10: Colt Talk
11: Group Dynamics
12: The Missing Black Hawk
13: The Hunters
14: Lost and Found
15: Confrontation at Silverwing's

1: Saddles and Reigns

Saddles and Reigns

The windswept dunes and the dry rocks seemed to glow in gentle light, a large set of towering plateaus with a single cleft between them as only distinct landmarks as far as the eye could see. The night desert played host to Equestrian entertainment, with five stallions gathered atop a small outcropping of rock that jutted out from the desert like a dragon's claws some distance away from these plateaus. A gentle breeze blew as yet another magical blast missed its mark and struck a nearby patch of sand. Two stallions, both unicorns, battled it out in what could only be described as a dancing match of some sort.

One was a grey stallion with a pitch black mane, grey coat, and silver eyes. He wore blue guard armor with a shiny blue peal at its crest, glinting with each blast of magic let loose from the horn. Of a solid build, the unicorn dashed left to right, churning up sand with rapid footwork, his dark blue shoes lightly scratched with the abrasive sand constantly sliding over it. The stallion let loose a beam of magic at his foe with a smirk.

Nimbly leaping out of the way of the crimson blast was his opponent. A leaner, more lightly built blue pony sporting the same armor. Though by most measurements smaller than his counterpart, this night guard was far nimbler, hooves practically a blur whenever the pony was not stopping to take aim. A dark blue mane and bright blue coat allowed the amber colored eyes to stand out, perhaps working against the pony as his eyes locked with his quarry's.

The small gaggle eagerly cheered on their respective favorite, stomping hooves and shouting uproariously, giving the otherwise quiet fight auditory life.

"Come on Night Light, quit prancing around and hook him already!"

"Onyx you better not get a scratch on you or the captain will have your head!"

"Correction," the larger stallion retorted, "He will have you five's heads for gawking."

Night Light, perhaps seeing an opportunity, let loose another blast of grayish, light blue magic. Onyx swiftly leaped out of the way, but rather than just another blast of magic, this beam left a faint blue glow in the sand. From this glow emerged three versions of Night Light, all spawning seemingly from thin air.

Not sure if he was faced with an illusion or not, Onyx erected a bubble shield, static emanating from his horn as the shield sparked against the desert sand. Though the Night Light clones began to separate, Onyx expanded his shield until he had caught all three of them, shocking the illusions into nothingness. When he looked back towards the original, however, he noticed that he was gone from sight.

Not lowering his shield, Onyx cautiously watched the sands for any signs of tunneling. As unlikely as it seemed that Night Light could dig a tunnel that swiftly, with no visual anywhere, Onyx walked forward to where he had last seen him. The wind picked up at this point, and a flash of blue caused Onyx to whirl to his right. Night Light stood within inches of the magical barrier, now charging towards Onyx with horn alight. Lowering the shield, Onyx fired off his own beam of magic, only for it to go completely through his quarry and hit the ground behind him.

The real Night Light reappeared just a centimeter to Onyx's backside, using magic to take hold of his tail and levitate him several feet off the ground. Night Light then flung the pony downwards and released his grip, only for a red field of magic to appear directly below Onyx, preventing him from slamming face-first into the sand. Much like a ball, the magical field depressed with Onyx's weight, only to spring him upwards in a flip. The field vanished for a moment, just as Onyx dropped like a stone towards Night Light.

Night Light barely had time to leap out of the way before the pony slammed into the place where he had been standing mere moments before. Light turned to see that Onyx had coated himself in some sort of reflective spell. If before his coat had had a gentle sheen interrupted by bits of sand and dirt, it now appeared smooth and almost crystalline in appearance.

"Check it, that must be the prince's signature spell!"

"Flashy, I wonder if mares are attracted to that sort of thing."

Night let loose a beam of magic again, but this time, rather than dodge, Onyx merely batted it away with a hoof, sending it flying off into towards the horizon. Onyx came rushing in towards Night Light, the heavier footsteps a tell-tale sign of his magical augmentation's added weight. Now knowing that he had an advantage in speed, Night Light once again became invisible, and swiftly leaped out of the way of the charging unicorn.

"Come on now Night Light, I hear that is your talent, but I really pulled out the stops for that one." Onyx turned around rapidly, though retained his wide grin. "I almost dare you to attempt to scratch me now."

A swift strike to the face merely caused Onyx's head to turn; no mark was left, and he clearly was not too pained by it, but another to the flank sent him stumbling to his right. Though not doing much physical damage, each strike seemed to have more and more impact, Onyx losing more and more of his footing until finally Night Light outright tackled the prince from the front. His spell dispelled, Onyx practically rolled, his quarry once again revealing himself.

Some cheers, and a boo rang out from the spectators as Night Light pointed his glowing horn at Onyx's exposed stomach. Onyx chuckled, shooting two hooves in surrender. Night Light raised his head and disarmed his horn, a smug grin on his face.

"Well my prince, you put up quite a fight, but you still have a long way to go before you can start escorting yourself around Saddle Arabia."

Onyx rose to his hooves and chuckled, dusting some of the sand off of his flank. "Yes well, it is a good thing I have such skilled guards to keep my backside clear. So tell me, what time is it?"

Looking towards the sky, Night Light scrunched up his face, as if the pony-faced moon held the answer. After a few moments, he looked back towards Onyx and shrugged. "I have not the clue."

"It is high time for you two to stop horse-playing!"

A gruff voice cut through the air, the spectators and Night Light going rigid as a large pegasus marched towards the group with a small entourage of guards. Though his guard escorts bore the same armor as the others, the stallion's armor had a far more elaborate crescent moon design on the front. His multicolored mane was a mixture of sea blue and silver, with diagonal stripes almost running all the way to his pine leaf green coat. Bright grey eyes critically cut into the spectating stallions, who hastily rushed to join Night Light in salute. The newcomers stopped when their lead pegasus stopped, a few of them armed with spears at switching holding hooves at this point.

"Prince Onyx, when Celestia told you to get to know your new guards more, I do not think this is what she had in mind."

"Oh lighten up Captain Chivalry." Onyx nodded to his companions, who, other than Night Light, orderly marched to join their comrades behind their captain. "We were just having a little fun."

Chivalry tilted his head to the right, a scowl alone reflecting his displeasure. "A little fun? Prince Onyx, you are here to discuss the nature of our continued relationship with Saddle Arabia at the Medinan Oasis. You do realize that the lives of every Saddle Arabian rests on Equestrian cooperation?"

"Of course." Onyx walked up to the captain with a playful smile, hardly fazed by the scolding. "However, the griffons are not taking the Chuavier bombing lightly. Nothing I say will deter the griffons from coming to this country and attempting to find the group responsible, and any who supported them."

Chivalry sighed, shaking his head. "Perhaps not, but they are less likely to invade if they know that Equestria will not tolerate such a blatant disregard for Saddle Arabia's sovereignty. I would have hoped that-"

"Please, spare me the scolding." Onyx cut Chivalry off with eyes narrowed. "Really, sometimes I wonder if you are head of my security or my father."

"Someone has to make sure you do not shirk your duties." Chivalry shook his head. "Why could she not have come herself I will never guess. We should be off."

They did not have far to go, since their destination was in fact the cleft between the large plateaus. A worn but still visible road led directly to it. At the entrance stood two equine guards. They were noticeably taller than all of the ponies, but they had what looked to be size fitted Equestrian armor with matching spears and helmets.

"Prince Onyx?" The guard to the left of the entrance lowered his spear slightly, tilting it in the general direction of the Equestrians. "You may leave most of your guards here. Only two are permitted past this point."

"Very well then." Onyx stepped forward, gesturing with his head the cleft entrance. "Captain, if you and Night Light would."

"Of course sir." Chivalry turned to face his guards as Night strode forward to flank Onyx to his left. "Now, while I am in there, you lot behave. If any troubles arrives, deal with it as if we were back in Canterlot. Stryke, you are in charge until my return."

One pony among the group saluted and nodded in compliance. Once that was done, Chivalry took his place at Onyx's right side. Together, the trio walked past the guards and into the cleft. The passageway narrowed to a point where they could only proceed one at a time. Taking the lead followed by Onyx with Night Light guarding the rear, Chivalry flapped his wings irritably. "Tight spaces. Never a fan of them. If they wanted our guards to hang back, then the griffons must already be here."

"That means we will have to be cautious then Captain. Night Light, how is the rear?"

"You have a little sand still stuck in between your tail hair."

The wind made a howling noise as it passed through, a sort of whistle following that carried the sounds of murmuring. A few minutes later, the trio came out on the other side, where a wide open space greeted them.

A single pond of fresh water, flanked on all sides by trees and what appeared to be grass, reflected the night sky above perfectly. The walls sheltered the area from harsh winds and the lack of a full ceiling provided a clear view of the stars above. Even with this light though, a few torches were still set up along the walls.

At the edge of the oasis was a griffon in all midnight blue clothing with no visible body armor. The feathers and coat were also dark blue, most likely artificially done, and the clothing resembled a form fitting flight suit that concealed all but the wrists and ankles of the griffon's main body from view. It was obvious that the griffon had flown here rather than walked. The griffon flag was proudly stamped on the flank of the uniform, but it was a largely nondescript sort of outfit otherwise, especially for a meeting of this sort. Onyx flicked his tail in several vain attempts to remove the sand that had lodged itself near the base during his earlier sparring match.

The motion caught the attention of the griffon, who opened his yellow eyes wide and surveyed the surroundings. The bright yellow beak opened, but for a moment, no sound came out. After the griffon had inspected the ponies from hoof to horntip or wingtip, only then did he speak.

"I hope you came with more than words, as these Saddles have no intention on being ridden today by anyone."

The words were dripping with sarcasm, which seemed odd since the statement on its own seemed to be a joke regarding normally uncooperative Saddle Arabian diplomats. The other griffons, standing to the side and going largely unnoticed until now, shifted in their spots. Neither carried spears, but it was evident that they were better dressed, much like their charge, to blend in with the darkness of the night sky rather than fight off an attack.

"Seems the Saddle Arabians are rather late to the party," Night Light observed, "Either that or they want you to speak first my Prince."

"Typical." The griffon huffed and puffed out his chest before exhaling, an odd gesture even for a half-feline half-avain creature. "Equestria always has to be fighting the battles of their equine de-pendents. All we want is Qada; we do not want to spill anymore blood than theirs if it can be helped."

Onyx strode forward to join the griffon ambassador while Night and Chivalry took their place next to the escort griffons to the right and the left of the two diplomats respectively.

"Where are my manners, I should introduce myself. My name is Antoine Bellamy, but Antony is just fine." The griffon extended his right hand, which Onyx reached out and shook with his left hoof.

"My name is Prince Onyx. Just Onyx unless you are a commoner." Onyx chuckled, and the two released the hand-hoof shake after this greeting. "Equestria understands the situation, but Griffia threatening to invade and occupy Saddle Arabia is not acceptable rhetoric."

Antoine sighed and looked towards the pool of water. "Well that is the problem. The Saddle Arabians are not cooperating in our efforts to apprehend the surviving attackers and their supporters still living here in the country, using the excuse that they cannot extradite their own citizens to Griffia. They are not making any moves to try them here in the country either, and the griffons back home are demanding figurative sacrifices to put their bloodlust to rest. You can hear it form the horse's mouth soon enough, but the only reason I am even here is because we want to work this out without having to turn the Arabian sands red with a seemingly pointless war."

It was not an idle threat, all in the room knew. Just before Onyx could speak, a large Saddle Arabian emerged from an entrance on the other side of the cleft, completely ungarbed in anything befitting a diplomat. Suspicious, the griffon escorts rose to their feet, but the horse merely stood guard as a Saddle Arabian mare walked forward. Night Light noticed Onyx gasp, some sort of connection apparently having been made.

"Sela, they sent you here?" Onyx seemed shocked as the mare took her place across from the two foreigners, her escorts standing mere feet from her on both sides. She wore a purple gown of sorts, bright and clearly not meant for anything less than presentation a matching purple head covering that conveniently left room for her flowing blue mane and erect ears. Sky blue eyes scanned the audience, as if searching to make sure all was in place, before resting on first Onyx and then Antoine.

"Prince Onyx, Prince Antoine, I am happy to see you two here. I have a proposal."

"You are extraditing all of the Qada criminals to Griffia at once?" Antoine seemed surprised, though if it were either because his own words or hope that a conclusion had already been reached was unclear at the moment. Truthfully, his tone betrayed his guess as more of a suggestion than a vain attempt to guess the proposal.

"No." Sela looked to Night Light and Onyx briefly before returning her gaze to Night Light. "Tonight, I witnessed a display just outside these very stone walls, and it gave me a most wonderful idea. My parents refuse to allow any Griffian force, large or small, to operate in the country. But they would be much more willing to allow Equestrians to operate, as we can trust that they will minimize collateral damage."

Had she seen Onyx sparring with Night Light? Chivalry had not mentioned running into her on their way to reinforce them, so either she had taken the scenic route or had seen it from the cleft. Or, perahps, she wass referencing a different display, and there was no need for great concern. It was already bad enough Chivalry had caught him fighting with Onyx, the only that could have made that worse besides Celestia finding out was the Saddle Arabians watching the Prince at leisure while their country was in peril.

Antoine frowned and folded his arms, the griffon's roving eyes a clear indication that he was mulling it over before responding.

Onyx did not require quite as much thinking time for his response. "Sela, what you are suggesting is that Equestrian military forces go after these extremists; not that I do not think that our forces are capable, it is jut that I find it unlikely that Celestia would permit a search and destroy operation of this sort without having very specific details about the accused citizenry."

"Such as?" Sela looked towards Onyx with a puzzled expression, as if she genuinely had no idea what Celestia would need to know before sending in any ponies.

Onyx paused for a moment, looking towards the waters before looking back towards Sela. "We need to know where they are hiding, what they have access to as far as weaponry, and access to any and all records that you all have on them regardless of classification. Those kind of details."

"Well, we cannot do that." Sela spoke almost mechanically, trying to keep as much of her emotion "From the highest authorities in the land, none of us are permitted to give such information. We do not sell out our own."

"Afraid that it might expose the conspiracy in your government?" Antoine suggested without a hint of sarcasm. "It is one thing to try to get the Equestrians to fight your battle for you, but to expect them to go in blind, play nice, and have their ponies be placed in great danger when there are bloodthirsty griffons more than eager to do the job for them? Clearly your administration has been slipping ever further into denial since the Gala last year."

"We do not trust griffons on our soil, that is the base line," Sela narrowed her eyes, her expression becoming more firm than friendly. "In the same breath, we do not entirely want to compromise the basic promises that we give to our citizens: protection of their lives, property, and peace of mind. To renegade on that for even special occasions like this invites discontent and a further pool of recruits for this Qada to recruit from. Besides, they have broken none of our laws, and thus cannot be charged for any crime here on our soil-"

"They bombed a train, causing it to derail and devastate the Hub at Chuavier, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and caused trillions of bits worth of damage that will take years to fully repair. That is not against your law?" Antoine extended his wings, causing some the Saddle Arabian guards to noticeably tense up. "Setting fire to the griffon's nest and putting all of your fellow Arabians in danger of just retaliation is not against any of your laws?"

Sela looked hesitant to answer for a moment. It was not a trick question, a simple yes or no really would have likely sufficed Sela sought both a truthful answer and an answer that would not further derail the negotiations. "No, there is no law covering that, though we are drafting one even as we speak. We never thought we would have to make a law of this sort."

Onyx coughed and decided to interject here. "Expecting Equestria to handle this is the most peaceable solution. Antoine, I will speak to Celestia about griffon support of any Equestrian venture, but it is unlikely that she will permit griffons to invade or otherwise militarily operate in this country unsupervised. Allow us to deal with this threat to international peace and stability our way." With a small grin, Onyx looked looked towards a mildly concerned Sela. "Rest assured that a full-scale invasion by griffon forces will be repulsed with the full might of the Equestrian military."

Onyx's small smile faded as he looked from Sela to Antoine with a slight frown. "You both need to be cooperative and trust Equestria to handle this in a reasonable amount of time."

Antoine folded his wings tightly and reigned back his hostile appearance. While this did not put the Saddle Arabian guards at ease, it did make the griffon seem less willing to lash out again. Antoine sighed, closed his eyes, and then lowered his head, as if accepting the terms set forth. Just as it seemed as if he might would stalk off in defeated silence, he raised his head again, eyes opening to reveal a grim, determined glare directed at Onyx. "Very well then. We want constant updates on the progress of this hunt. If there is no progress made within two months time, we will act in the best interests of the international community. A full-scale invasion is not in the best interests of anyone here."

The griffon paused, and shifted his gaze towards Sela, who stared back at him with a similarly steely expression. "The griffons of Griffia will have their justice. Cooperate with the Equestrians in full and put a swift end to Qada and their affiliates. For there is nothing more dangerous than a wild horse among a stabled herd."

With a snap of a talon, the griffon guards were at the ready. Antoine turned from the equines and walked towards the cleft where the ponies had entered, soundlessly entering the shadow of the earthen structure, vanishing into the darkness of the path leading to the outside.

A few moments later, the distinct griffon screech could be heard, slightly unnerving Night Light. Of course the griffons had brought a larger escort party than that; but where had they been? Atop of the plateau? There had to be a reason they wore that type of clothing to a nighttime diplomatic mission. Not wanting to draw attention was one thing, but Night Light could feel that there had to be more to it than that. Before he could think more on it, a drawn out sigh from Sela lightened the thickened air.

"Celestia will not be pleased." Chivalry walked up to Onyx with a frown, "But it does not look like we have much choice if we want to keep the griffons out of Saddle Arabia without resorting to force."

"No." Onyx looked towards Sela. "She will not be pleased. But, clearly, it is expected of Equestria to pick up after our allies."

"Onyx-"

"You heard Antoine Sela. Either we do it, or they will. And if they have to come do it, Saddle Arabia may find itself ground zero for a major conflict."

"Onyx. We do not expect you to pick up after us." Sela sighed and strode around the pond. Onyx sat on his haunches and stared at the water. "We merely expect you to have our backs when the enemy makes threats."

"If I may, the griffons are not entirely out of place for wanting to apprehend the ruffians who were behind the attack on their soil," Chivalry ventured, "However, more lives can be saved if we can swiftly apprehend these Saddle Arabians. You need to convince your parents that it is for the best that you all tell us as much information as possible."

"Any suggestions?" Sela truly looked at a loss, shaking her head mournfully, "Before coming here I tried, but they are unmoving."

"Persistence." Onyx rose to his hooves, stepping into Sela's pace path. She stopped pacing, and gave a small smile.

"I can try, but they have been unwavering. Simple pleas will fall on deaf ears."

Onyx smiled wide and flicked his tail, a prominent grain of sand making landfall in the oasis. " Well Sela, I always wanted to meet your parents; this sounds like the perfect excuse."

"Sir, Celestia is expecting a full report from you concerning all of this," Chivalry warned, stepping forward until he came just within inches of the two, "In person."

Onyx looked towards Chivalry with a sly expression. Sela seemed to brighten at the mischief that clearly ran through his head.

"Well, she wants a pony actually here to give the briefing; and I know just the pony to give the report in my stead-"

"I refuse." Chivalry barked, flaring his wings in agitation, "My Prince, with all due respect, Celestia trusted you with this assignment with the idea that you would come straight back and not make any detours. She will be most displeased if you disobey a direct order."

"She will be even more displeased if I fail to do everything that I can to make sure Saddle Arabia cooperates so that we can solve this without the griffons raining hell upon them." Onyx stepped forward to Chivalry in a challenging manner. " Besides, I intended on sending Night Light."

Night Light went rigid, as all eyes were now on him. Even the Saddle Arabian guards looked at him, and if the desert before had evaporated the sweat from his body, the since cooled desert air now chilled what remained of the moisture.

"Night Light, pen a letter to the princess at once!" Chivalry ordered, looking towards Onyx with lips curled. "Let her know that I am bringing Onyx in. On a stretcher if I have to-"

"Captain, maybe Onyx is right."

Night Light's voice seemed so loud, as if he had shouted the words. And yet, he had merely spoken in his regular voice, the complete shock of his words forcing Chivalry to double take towards Night Light. Incredulously the pegasus flapped his wings in a flurry, as if flabbergasted that Night Light would actually agree with Onyx on disobeying orders.

"Night Light, Princess Celestia will be livid if Onyx is still here when she starts sending ponies in to exterminate Qada."

"Yes, but she will not send in any until she knows enough about them," Night Light pointed out, "Onyx being here will also reassure the Saddle Arabians that Celestia will not abandon them. Consider him, uh, insurance?"

Chivalry snorted. Sela scrunched up her face, and Onyx laughed, wrapping his right foreleg around Sela's neck and pulling her forward slightly.

"I am glad somepony here other than me sees the bigger picture here! Night Light, take our group back with you, Chivalry's platoon will keep an eye out to make sure no horses get any bright ideas."

Chivalry's angry stare and flexing muscles suggested continued resistance. But about a minute after Night Light's suggestion, he calmed, and sighed deeply.

"Onyx, at least make sure Celestia is aware of this before Night Light leaves. If she refuses, then there will be no further arguments. You return at once to Equestria, one way or another."

Night Light saluted and nodded. "You got it sir."

Onyx kissed Sela on the cheek, earning a gasp from her guards and Chivalry. Sela blushed profusely as Onyx retracted his right foreleg, chuckling all the while as if he had not done a thing. "Alright, that sounds like a fair compromise. We had best tell the guards-"

"I and Night Light have it handled." Chivalry hastily blocked Onyx's path, eyeing the nervous reaction of the guards to the clear breach in diplomatic protocol. "Stay here and work out the details of your stay. I will come back with Celestia's answer."

Onyx raised an eyebrow. "Very well then."

"Please, do not do anything like that outside of this oasis," Sela chided, "You should not have done that then."

As Onyx turned to speak more with Sela, Night Light found himself ushered by Chivalry into the cleft's darkness. A few minutes in and the two emerged on the other side, where the remainder of the guard awaited them. The two Saddle Arabian guards from earlier were still present also, and eyed the two as they departed.

Chivalry did not need to speak a word; just a few stomps of his hooves and the guardsponies were all in line, at attention at the edge of the entrance.

"We will be right back."

Chivalry was not questioned, and Night Light still found himself being led further out into the desert. For a few moments, he was concerned that Chivalry might would consider attacking him, but once clear out of earshot, Chivalry stopped, signalling for Night Light to turn around and face him.

"Night Light, though Onyx would likely prefer you keep it quiet, report that... breach to the princess as well," Chivalry stated, "Leave out no details from what you saw. Projecting your memories should be sufficient in getting the message across."

"If I might ask, Chivalry, what is the history between those two?" Night Light surge magic to his horn, reproducing his memories in a brief flash of events.

"The two met at the Grand Galloping Gala three years ago," Chivalry explained, watching with scrutiny the magical report's formation, "Long story short, Onyx has been less and less discreet in his attempts at courting her. She hasn't exactly refused his advances either, but her guards were caught completely off guard by that kiss."

"You don't think he just did that on purpose?" Night Light reasoned that Onyx had purposely shown that random bit of affection. Even Sela had been caught off guard if her reaction was anything to go by.

"Whether he did or not, I have a bad feeling that those guards are going to do exactly as we are doing now," Chivalry explained, "He is going to likely be welcomed with open arms; nothing like two royals falling in love."

"Is it love, or just, attraction?" Grunting from his exertions, Night Light nearly had the spell complete, the magical report condensing into an aura around his horn.

"Either way, the Saddle Arabians would love to tie Equestria to the country with a royal marriage." Chivalry looked upwards, as if the sky held the remainder of his response. "I do not want Onyx to try too hard to get an audience with the Royals and ends up impregnating the mare. Celestia knows that is the last thing we want in order to keep our options open regarding Saddle Arabia."

The magical condensation surged back to the tip of Night Light's horn, seemingly being absorbed. Night Light once again saw the events of the night play out solely from his perspective with the same clarity as if he had been there himself. With the spell completed, Night Light was now ready to show those very memories at a later time.

Chivalry looked about one more time, and then leaned in close to Night Light. "Tell this to nopony but Celestia, but I can't help but notice that Sela wore a rather concealing and eye-catching dress to a meeting out in the middle of the desert."

Night Light gave Chivalry a confused look. "I am pretty sure all three of us saw that."

"Why do you think that is?"

A gentle breeze blew, and Night Light suspected he knew what Chivalry had guessed was the reason.

"Maybe she wanted to get Onyx's stallion side?"

Chivalry eyed Night Light before giving him a light tap to the head with his hoof.

"No, she is clearly attempting to suppress a rather awful smell, or she purposely hid her figure from all of us present. I suspect it was the latter."

Night Light gasped, but Chivalry used a hoof to bring his head lower and closer. "That is for Celestia's ears only, understand? It's speculation, but speculation that needs to be included in the report."

"Why not just have Onyx contact her now and tell her that?" Night Light did not see the reason to wait; after all, this was a very urgent matter that really should not wait until it was too late to do anything about it.

"Because Onyx is playing ambassador," Chivalry pointed out, "And I have a good feeling he knows, or is about to find out, which of my suspicions is true."

Night Light backed away, looking worriedly towards the cleft. "And we just left him alone in there-"

Chivalry rose to full height and chuckled, an ever wider grin showing on his face. "Onyx is quick, but not quick enough. Even if he were, you saw her reaction to his kiss; she understands what's at stake here. Unlike Onyx, the fate of her home, her friends, her family are on the line."

The stallion frowned as he fully turned towards the Cleft, demeanor once again becoming stern. " With that said, while the griffons will do almost anything necessary to avenge their fallen, the Saddle Arabians will do absolutely anything necessary to make sure they don't end up at the mercy of the griffons."

2: Necessary Roughness

Necessary Roughness

The night skies of Saddle Arabia, to the untrained eye, would seem very empty, save for a few clouds. However, even most observant native would notice that a few puffy clouds in the night sky was an oddity in this region, especially considering that they were large enough to actually generate some shade.

On this cloud, a small group of ponies and griffons sat, silently keeping vigil. The ponies were in dark blue uniforms with dark yellow streaks of lightning across the sides. At the flanks where their cutie marks would have been was a uniform mark; a thunderbolt sprouting two pegasus wings.

The griffons had dark purple body armor with matching helmets, their head feathers dyed a midnight blue. On the side of their armor was the griffon national flag in greyscale. Anxiously they scanned the skies, their pony counterparts noticeabley more laxly gazing towards the ground.

"Where are they?" one of the griffons asked with a clearly worried tone, "Antoine should have returned by now."

"Hold yer feathers, they prolly came up with a compromise," one of the ponies casually suggested.

The griffon turned to look to the pony with a questioning look. "Compromise? I would be shocked if the Saddle Arabians decided to let us take care of this Qada group. That's the only compromise I see possible."

"Yeah well, that's why you're not the diplomat." Another griffon joked while chuckling, "Antoine was sent for a reason."

"Reason my flight feathers Jester." The first griffon turned around towards his companion, skepticism becoming a scowl, "The king just wanted a prince for political, not logical, reasons."

"For zee recod, sir," a third griffon spoke up, "Twould be mozt undezirable to start'n a war rights about now. Our forcez are still in Komodia with zee Equestrians azz alliez. Terrible shame if'ns they become enmiez."

"Cackoo is right, we need a tough stance, but until those damn Komodians are pacified, a war would just make our lives more difficult." Jester shifted slightly under the gaze of the first griffon for a few moments before the first griffon returned to looking to the skies, still scowling.

"Our spat is not with the Equestrians, it's with this Qada group and their protectors, the Saddle Arabian royalty. If you were to ask me, we should have just V5 horned bombed a city a day until they surrendered the groups responsible to us."

At this point another one of the ponies now stopped looking towards the ground and shot a look towards the first griffon. "Shepherd, that kind of dialogue is entirely the reason the Saddle Arabians fear for their lives to begin with, and why we have to be out here to make sure you lot go straight 'ome and not make any detours to Agra'Bah on your way ou'."

"Even if we were to stop by for some sheep?" Jester offered, sounding quite serious, "Lamb is pretty expensive back home."

"The Saddle Arabians were furious when we ate the lambs during the War, imagine how they would be if we took a few souvenirs," Shepherd sighed, "Not to mention they probably would poison them just to spite us."

"Not all zee Arabianza despize us," Cackoo flapped his wings eagerly, "Zey don't herd zee sheep for zee converzation or zee sex ya know."

A caw rang out into the night air, interrupting the conversation. One of the pegasus sighed in relief as a large group of griffons made landfall on the cloud.

"Antoine!" Shepherd smiled wide, and made room for the Prince and his entourage in the middle of the cloud, "So, how did it go?"

Antoine was silent for a moment, as if contemplating his choice of answer. He glanced over the eager audience for several minutes before starting. "Equestria has offered to deal with Qada in our place. If Celestia gives her approval of Onyx's suggestion, then we will give the Equestrians time to handle this before we directly intervene."

Shepherd seemed aghast at this, as were the five ponies on the cloud.

"What? Allow the Equestrians to handle it? Bolt, explain to this griffon why that is madness!"

"Celestia would never give the approval," Bolt insisted, "We are still dealing with fallout from helping you lot in Komodia, sticking our necks out again on your behalf seem like bad diplomacy."

"It's the only diplomacy," Antoine pointed out, "Griffons are practically lining up for a chance to have a Saddle Arabian barbecue. Nothing short of military action from someone is going to be accepted back home. I promised that I would try to find a middle ground, but those damn Saddle Arabians are playing hard with their entire race's lives."

"That's their gamble." Bolt spread his wings and looked about at their surroundings, "But we should get going. A no fly zone is likely going to be enforced if Celestia goes through with this, just to make sure no griffon accidentally slips in."

Antoine and Shepherd chuckle, spread their wings, and take to the air. Soon enough, the pegasi and griffons followed, the cloud that they had previously been resting on swiftly beginning to evaporate, despite the cooler temperatures in the air. In formation, the pegasi flew in a V, while the griffons flew something akin to a W, there being nearly twice as many of them as there were ponies. A brief silence preceded a shift in conversation.

"So, Bolt, where are Ditzy and Greystrike?" Antoine looked towards Bolt. "I was looking forward to asking Greystrike about that new move he was supposed to show me that would put all of Griffia to shame."

"They are on a different mission since, you know, we already have enough ponies here escorting you bunch." Bolt looked upwards with a wide smile. "Probably still bored out of their minds right about now..."

A wide open space generally meant a lack of civilization. By extension, a trailer out in the middle of a wide open space meant that whoever owned the trailer liked to be left to their own devices, especially in a land such as Equestria.

Unfortunately, a few clouds dotted the sky not for fluffy cloud reasons, but for surveillance. Ditzy and Greystrike, right wing and team leader respectively, had been staking out the trailer for what felt like months. Ditzy swore that she could have been impregnated and given birth before their target actually left the trailer. The two pegasi had broken for lunch, another meal of hayburgers silently keeping their respective mouths occupied while they waited. They were in Wonderbolt uniforms, but to be frank, it would have almost been better just to be in their Shadowbolt uniforms; even in broad daylight, pegasi had a terrible habit of recognizing the blue uniforms, and explaining that they were on business and not shirking duty ranged from a matter of dismissal to threats of harm if the offenders did not scram.

Ditzy's grey-scale rainbow mane did not go with this uniform at all. Greystrike's namesake grey mane, previously buzz cut but having grown slightly unkept in the stakeout, also failed to match the uniform's general requirements of vibrantly colored manes.

The stallion munched away with a studious look, ears flicking here and again as static occasionally broke the monotony. Between the two of them, a small ham radio seemed to be content to fill the void with static rather than music or chatter, its masters uninterested in tuning it to a more entertaining frequency.

"Sir, I think Imma die of boredom before this stallion leaves his damn trailer." Ditzy downed the last bites of her hayburger with just a single bite.

Swallowing his own bite, Greystrike sighed heavily. "This would have been far easier if this stallion had went back to a life of crime; then we could just barge in and arrest him. But no, we have to wait for him to violate parole and leave his trailer. Even the delivery ponies find it kind of weird."

Stakeouts were not by design exciting, but as Ditzy crumpled up her Hayburger aluminum foil wrap and added it to her partner's small pile between them, she had to question the logic in putting two well trained combat ponies on what amounted to a two-pony vigil. While the rest of the team got to escort griffons in and out of Saddle Arabia, the two of them were stuck watching this damn trailer for any sign of movement. It had felt like months, but in truth, evidenced by the lack of waste products strewn about the ground surrounding the trailer, they had not been here for more than a few days.

The trailer gently rocked and the front door opened, revealing a large magenta unicorn with sleepy eyes. Cautiously he looked about, as if the prairie would be hiding anything in its short grass, and gently brought a hoof down to the bottommost step of the trailer. Greystrike tensed, wings open and ready for the takedown. One more step with that bracelet attachment hoof and it would sound, giving them their cue.

Perhaps the stallion would have taken that step, but something convinced him to, quite urgently, return to the trailer, slamming the door and most likely bolting it shut. Greystrike relaxed and let out a breath of exasperation. Ditzy had not even bothered to anticipate, for a part of her had already suspected that he would find some asinine reason to turn back. However, her eyes caught sight of a figure in a bright white cloak trotting towards the trailer.

Greystrike noticed it too, and tilted his head to the side. "You don't think-"

"Prolly."

Even from the ground, the stallion had likely seen the newcomer coming a mile away; a white cloak in a field of green tended to stick out on the ground. He was not too eager to see this visitor, which meant that it might finally be high time to act. Greystrike brought a hoof to one of the larger knobs on the radio, turning it until the static became clear.

"Rat, does a bright white cloak on a pony raise any red flags for you?"

A few moments of silence before Greystrike went answered by a less than chipper voice. "White wut?"

"Bright. White. Cloak. Any red flags?"

By this point the newcomer had made surprising progress, and already was at the steps of the trailer. Extending a hoof to knock revealed the coat color to be orange.

"None prior, but I'll double check just to be safe."

Ditzy looked to Greystrike with a raised eyebrow before sliding her goggles down over her eyes. "Not even sure why you bothered asking."

Greystrike shrugged, eyes trained in on the unmoving trailer as he put on his own flight goggles, "Better to be safe than sorry. If Magestone barricaded himself into that trailer, I suspect we may have an answer as to why he has actually been keeping out of Manehatten."

A few more minutes passed before the pony shouted something at the trailer. The words were indiscernible, but the brief rise of the cloak at the flanks suggested that the pony might be a pegasus and thus prone to flight.

A loud blaring noise akin to a fire alarm caused the pony to jump back from the trailer. From the back, however, Magestone, in a bright green cloak, had already taken off, the sound of his tracking device soon to give away his position to his visitor as well.

"Be advised, target is in flight with an unknown in pursuit!" Greystrike set aside the final bite of his hayburger, eyeing the now alert pony who took off running after the stallion. "Moving in to engage. Let's go Ditzy!"

Without waiting for confirmation or another word, Ditzy and Greystrike took off from the cloud. The great thing about the prairie was that there was hardly anywhere to hide, especially from a purser in the air. The bad thing about prairies was that their targets would easily hear and see the coming with enough time to decide whether they wanted to fight or flight. A minute into the chase and the white cloaked pony had taken to the air, Magestone leaving behind bits of grass as he trailed ahead of his previously on hoof pursuer. The blaring alarm made it clear that hiding outside of his trailer was not an option; it rang out for perhaps miles, and as Ditzy got closer, she could tell that among the first things to be shut off had to be that alarm.

Naturally, when the newcomer decided to take to the air, the white cloak fell away, revealing an orange pegasus of relatively lean build. Only just now picking up speed, the orange pegasus' ears flicked backwards at the sound of the approaching Wonderbolts.

"Ditzy, take the orange one, I am going to bring in Magestone!"

Ditzy slowed down slightly, Greystrike definitively pulling ahead at this point while Ditzy focused in on the orange pegasus. The pegasus, rather than attempting to continue pursuit, veered off to the left. "You there, orange pegasus, halt!"

It was a vain order, Ditzy knew by the increased flapping of the pegasus' wings, but she felt it was worth a shot. Though the pegasus was fast, he/she simply could not outfly, particularly in a straight line, Ditzy, especially with her having such a starting speed advantage. Flying just a few feet higher in altitude, Ditzy noticed the slight shift in the wings in time to intercept the pony before he/she could full turn around to confront her. Slamming the orange pegasus into the ground, Ditzy swooped back up into the air, eyeing the rolling orange pegasus on the ground. Before her target could get back up, she swooped back down towards the ground, buffeted him/her with a gust of wind, and then landed gracefully to the side of the stunned pegasus.

Though from a distance it could have passed for a mare or a stallion, upon closer inspection, Ditzy confirmed stallion before pressing a hoof to his stomach. Eyes derped and uncoordinated in his already wild flailing, the stallion would have been better off just surrendering after first contact, a sharp jab to the gut correcting both conditions.

"Alright, so who are ya and what are ya doing here?" Ditzy shouting, still needing to be heard over the resounding alarm that only got louder as Greystrike no doubt brought the unicorn closer to her position. "More importantly, why did ya keep flying away when I told ya to halt?"

Shaking his head, the stallion focused his gaze in on Ditzy, sizing her up as if that would determine the thoroughness of his answer. He too raised his voice, but only just enough to be heard over the alarm. "Just checking up on an old friend is all, nothing more."

Ditzy chuckled, though it was the sarcastic sort of chuckle brought out when serious comments came off more as jokes than responses. "Right. That stallion stayed in his trailer for days on end just to bust out trying to get away from you. What kind of rapist runs from a friend coming to visit him anyways?"

The pegaus attempted to force himself up, but Ditzy's hold proved more formidable than he had counted on. The blaring finally came to a halt, and with it, a welcome peace. "Guess that means Mage got caught. My buddy has a bad habit of being flighty, if you read his police record."

"To be convicted of rape in Manehatten is to auto forfeit a decent payin' job in the town, so I can't blame 'im for trying to jump ship and get to Maretonia." Pressing harder on the pegasus' stomach, Ditzy sneered. "What's your excuse?"

"I aint got one miss." Though the stallion was attempting to do an impression of somepony from the Westerns, his scrunched up face made it too obvious to sell. "But I reckon an innocent pony don't need one."

"Innocent huh?" Graystrike, with an unconscious Magestone on his back, landed to Ditzy's left. "I think when Magestone comes to he will have a different story to tell. My partner get a name out of you yet?"

"Lucky," the pegasus responded, " The most fortunate Lucky."

Greystrike seemed confused for a moment before deciding to inspect the pony's flank for his cutie mark. "A heart broken into two pieces. Sounds like they should have named you heartbreak instead of Lucky."

"That would have been hitting the joke a bit hard there."

The two stallions chuckled, and though Ditzy could find nothing to laugh about, she uneasily chuckled as well.

"So Lucky, what were you doing out here?" Greystrike seemed to maintain a light tone, but it was clear that he had returned to the matter at hand. "It's clear you and Magestone have had at least one run-in in the past, since he didn't try to use any of his tricks on you and just broke out running. Probably didn't think you would fall for any of them."

"Yeah well, can I go now?" Lucky grunted and once again tried to rise, but Ditzy held firm.

Greystrike shook his head, setting Magestone gently down into the grass. "Too many coincidences to just let you off scot free, not to mention you did not answer my question. Now hold still, this will only take a second."

Already Lucky had proven to be a poor orders taker, so when Greystrike started using his wings to rub at his uniform and sparking, it was no surprise to Ditzy that Lucky began squirming even more. When Greystrike's mane stood on end with flowing electricity, Ditzy lightened her hold in preparation to draw back. Sensing opportunity, Lucky attempted to throw Ditzy outright off of him, rising to his hooves just in time to get a shocking smack on the rear from Greystrike. First Lucky's lower half crumpled, soon followed by the rest of his body as he plopped to the ground, joining Magestone in figurative dreamland.

"I didn't know you could fully charge your shock in under a minute." Ditzy smiled approvingly. "You have been holding out."

"Actually, I do not even really need to 'charge' that attack, just prepare it." Greystrike looked as flashing lights in the distance signaled the approaching Manehatten police force. "You learn some pretty useful things when you're on weather teams. Anyways, you fly back to our spot and get that radio; I will deal with the little transfer here."

Ditzy nodded and took to the air, flying straight to the cloud that they had been using for stakeout purposes. Originally only one of them was supposed to fly down, but because there had been two of them, both of them had abandoned the post; while skeptical that in such a short time someone would steal the radio, it was better safe than sorry to have it accounted for. The cloud had not been touched since they had left, but the radio still buzzed with feed.

"Ditzy, Greystrike, dammit, one of you answer me!" Rat's voice was frantic, and seemed rife with urgency, a stark contrast from the sleepy demeanor from earlier.

"Read ya loud and clear Rat, what's ya problem?"

"Princess Celestia herself wants to see you two back in Canterlot as soon as physically possible. She didn't specify what it was about."

Ditzy frowned, even though there was nopony around to see it. "What about our investigation? You know, the last direct mission that she gave us?"

"Do you want me to tell her to pick some other ponies instead?" Rat halfway seemed like he would tell her such a thing, so Ditzy had to take the question seriously. Yes, they needed to go ahead and interrogate both ponies and get what information that they could. On the other hand, if the situation was terribly urgent and they passed up on it, then they were going to likely get chewed out at some point.

Before Ditzy could make the call, Greystrike landed on the cloud with an impatient look, as if he had given her plenty of time to retrieve the radio and return by now. Which he had not. "Ditzy, whatever happened to grabbing the radio-"

"Greystrike, Princess Celestia wants to see you and Ditzy as soon as physically possible!"

Greystrike seemed surprised, but he did not have near as much hesitance in responding as Ditzy did. "Very well then, tell her that we are on our way."

"Make sure that you bring any intelligence that you find with you." Instead of Rat's voice, it was Princess Celestia's. Both Ditzy and Greystrike instinctively went to attention, only to recall that she was not actually present and return to ease. "Bring Magestone with you if you must."

"Princess Celestia, a pegasus named Lucky is now involved," Greystrike said, "Bring him also?"

"If there is sufficient cause to keep him detained for a few days, then yes, bring him also. If not, release him and bring me only the pony that I asked for."

"Yes ma'am. Ya can count on us."

And with that, there once again was static over the feed. Greystrike drooped somewhat. "Detain him for a few days. Can we hold a pony without charges for that kind of time?"

"I dunno, but it sounds like whatever Celestia wants, it's really urgent." Ditzy hummed lightly. "I guess we are gonna have to cut Lucky loose."

"Hold on, maybe we can make something up. Maybe resisting arrest would be enough?"

"To hold him for a few days? Unless Magestone gives us a reason, we have no reason to keep Lucky."

"Got it!" Greystrike smiled and brought his hooves together. "Partner in crime. Friends with a rapist, potential collaborator in a future crime. As long as Lucky stays unconscious on our trip back, the royal guard will take our word over his."

The plan seemed solid, though Ditzy felt that there had to have been something that they were not accounting for. All the same, she did not have much of a better idea, so she nodded in compliance. "Sounds like a plan. Ya plan on taking the trash?"

Greystrike unraveled the last bite of his hayburger, ate it, and then gathered up all the trash in a pile. "We might as well travel by cloud; I sure as hell am not flying that stallion all the way to Canterlot. It'll take a few hours to get there even with cloud transport, so might as well ease the load."

"Except that unicorns do not naturally lay well on clouds." Ditzy smirked to see Greystrike, for just a moment, freeze as the potential problem presented itself. However, he soon after relaxed and returned the smirk. "I will just have that Manehatten unicorn officer cast the walking on clouds spell on him. I presume he knows it."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Well, then we will find some unicorn on the force who does, or just plop him into an enchanted basket and make sure he doesn't fall out. Piece of cake."

3: Merchants of the Market

Merchants of the Market

"... and that is the entire meeting." Night Light's horn went dark, his mind somewhat worn as he projected his memories to Princess Celestia. He was in Princess Celestia's personal room, and considering his uneventful return to Canterlot, this had been the highlight of the past few days. Granted, his sparring session with Onyx had been a change of pace, but a royal guard member not guarding royalty rarely brought excitement. Sand, buildings, and horses larger than him lost novelty on day 1.

A secluded room in the Royal Castle had been the location of his briefing with Princess Celestia, and though it lacked the usual decor of the Palace chambers, the wooden tables, chairs, and overhanging lights did add a touch of personality. The two ponies sat at a large square table, with Night Light standing and Celestia sitting atop what looked to be a giant pillow. Throughout his presentation, Celestia had largely been quiet, and seemed unresponsive up until she noticed Onyx giving Sela a kiss. She had returned to stoic observation, but her lapse had not gone unnoticed.

"Thank you Night Light." Celestia still seemed to be going over the visual display in her head. "Is there anything you would like to add before I dismiss you?"

There was not much else to add, for Celestia had seen everything that he had seen during the meeting. The only thing to add really were his thoughts on everything, and though she had not explicitly asked for them, Night Light decided to pitch his opinion on what he reasoned had Celestia's attention the most.

"Prince Onyx's show of affection, I am sure, is not much more than a tool to advance our cause. I doubt-"

"Thank you Night Light for your thoughts, but I know my nephew well." Celestia sighed and closed her eyes in thought. "I should consider withdrawing him before this becomes anymore personal for him."

"Well, Princess, if I may add," Night Light trailed, waiting for Celestia's nod before continuing. " there is a possibility that Sela may be pregnant with Onyx's child."

Night Light would have expected the princess to reel with surprise, shock, maybe even mild anger at the accusation. But contrary to any of the expected, she looked more ashamed than anything else.

"That is a rather bold suspicion to be made, even by one of Onyx's personal guards on the trip. However, the prince has never been well known for his politically correct methods of conducting diplomacy. Should that be true, I can assure you, it is neither unexpected nor unplanned."

Celestia either believed or knew it to be true, Night Light guessed, as otherwise it would make far more sense to deny any validity in the suggestion.

"It is not unintentional that I sent Onyx on this mission, knowing full well from the Gala how much he favors the princess. I of course do not expect him to break chastity without informing me of it at the least, so put aside your concern as it is not likely the case."

Well, there went his earlier assumption about what Celestia believed. Still, Night Light could not shake that there had been some reason Sela had shown up in the desert completely out of dress for the event. The griffons showing up in darker clothing as to not attract unnecessary attention and avoid stirring up a panic, the Guard and Onyx showing up in their very recognizable and standard wear. Sela, on the other hand, showed up as if she were going to the Gala, or meeting not for the fate of the world, but for the fate of the next master of the ceremony.

" All that aside, you have the remainder of the day off; report back to my throne room in the morning five minutes after sunrise for your next assignment. I suggest you get some rest."

"Yes Princess." Night Light nodded and bowed, his thoughts racing on how to spend the rest of his evening.

"And remember Night Light, these matters do not leave this room nor your head." Celestia looked down on the still bowed Night Light with a stern expression. "Should I find out that you intentionally or unintentionally divulged the contents of our meeting, the full penalty of the law will be brought upon your neck."

"Of course your Highness." To divulge anything, even if coerced by magic, labelled one as a traitor; and to date, the only penalty found suitable for convicted traitors was death. It was rarely doled out nowadays, but a thousand years ago, an entire section of the guard had "vanished" under that very label of traitor; little evidence suggested that they had just buggered out of medieval Equestria.

"You are dissmissed."

And with that, Night Light rose and left the room, feeling Celestia's magic grip at the door ahead of him. The large door swung out, the two guards flanking it still present with their spears. Upon leaving the room, the door closed shut behind him, locking and once again undergoing the various enchantments that kept the room secure.

The pegasus guard to his left smiled upon seeing Night LIght. " You look about ready to shit yourself mate. What's gotcha down?"

"I can't speak on it." It was the truth, although he could have admitted that he was still feeling tense after having a private audience with the one pony in the entire country who could have her will done at the stomp of a hoof.

The guard to the right shrugged and directed with his spear down the hallway. "Well, you should be getting back to your post then. Nothing like some fresh air and time to think to clear your head of unsavory thoughts."

"Pretty sure 'e was more interested in not displeasing the fair princess, 'is employer and ruler."

"Whatever, I have yet to meet a stallion who did not at least once think about what it would be like trying to rut Princess Celestia. Most would probably struggle just to mount her-"

"Stow it, Celestia is just behind 'ese doors here, she could 'ear ya talking gutters and have ya shipped off with your bullocks in yer mouth before yew could shut your trap."

Night Light started to walk down the hallway, not wishing to be around if said foretelling became reality; he already did not want to mention his day off should that have been under the earlier secrecy clause's fine print. Of course, if any pony were to actually attempt to mount Celestia, nevermind the height differences, they would have to first get past the male royal guard members, figuratively and perhaps even literally, just to get within sniffing distance.

Night Light shivered at the thought, wondering how her personal escorts tolerated it. Then again, they were silent most of the time, and it was becoming more and more evident why the guards were generally silent in her presence. To utter anything short of a directive or interrogative might would reveal some unsettling culture beneath, especially among the guilty members of the Guard who no doubt had fantasies about the Princess in their dreams.

Oh well, at least they were safe to dream without her noticing.

The two guards behind him had gone silent again by the time Night Light reached the end of the hallway, his long walk down a winding flight of stairs accompanied only by the sound of his own metal shoes on stone. By the time he reached the bottom, his mind had been cleared of his previous discussions, and he instead focused on how he was going to use his day off. He had rested up on the train ride here, and while presenting to Celestia his memories had been a chore, he was still chipper enough that just going home and falling asleep would simply have been a waste of his day off.

Going through the guarded double doors leading outside, Night Light squinted at the noontime sunlight for a few moments before absentmindedly wandering down main street, heading for the general direction of home. Most of the ponies that Night Light would have recognized were all either deployed in Saddle Arabia or sound asleep from night shifts.

Of course, now that he looked at it, the streets were, well, near deserted. And not the kind of deserted where every living being was attempting to hide from the observer. The kind of deserted that signaled that something was wrong, or at the very least off. It was the high point of the day, ponies should be returning or heading off on lunch breaks, or simply working shops; the streets were empty, shops visibly devoid of life or magic.

Straying towards the center of the main street, Night Light perked his ears for the sounds of snoring or the soft tap of hooves on cobble. Only the wind greeted his efforts. Continuing his walk, at last, the sound of snapping lenses and a dull roar at last directed Night Light's attention to his left. Coming to an intersection, he took this opportunity to begin heading in that direction, only to turn and see a long row of night guard members blocking the street with spears at the ready. One of them noticed Night Light and pointed his spear more directly at Night Light.

"You there, where are you going?"

Night Light stopped, and though he knew his royal guard armor should have identified him at least as a member of the guard, he felt no need to risk any confusion leading to anything greater.

"My name is Night Light of the 234th Royal Guard platoon currently assigned to Saddle Arabia to guard Prince Onyx. I just finished a progress report meeting with Celestia. I was just now on my way home when I noticed this scene. What is going on?"

The unicorn looked confused for a moment before his eyes lit up wide. The guard raised his spear back up to the air, a small frown on his lips. "Well, hurry on home. There has been an incident, and until it is cleared up, no pony is allowed in the streets. Good luck."

Really? When Night Light had first came through, granted, it had been dark so he had not expected there to be many ponies in the streets, but this could not have just sprung up in the hour or so he had spent talking to Princess Celestia. But nevermind that, the guard had just stated "good luck" as if he needed it.

What if the incident involved his household? Night Light galloped past the guards, his hooves practically flying down the street, a large tent coming into view in front of a particular two story residence. Ponies milled about, most of them in guard armor, with an eerie silence broken by the sound of galloping hooves. Many of the guards looked in Night Light's general direction, originally surprised to see him coming full speed towards them, and looked ready to arm themselves.

"Twilight?" Night Light shouted, and as perhaps could be reasoned, the guards returned to their regularly scheduled milling about. He could feel their eyes to him as he reached the tent grounds, and could see that inside the tent, ponies dressed head to toe in police uniforms spoke to each other. Rather than being stopped from barging in, Night Light was actually permitted to rush several feet into the tent before one of these officers called out for him to halt.

He stopped almost on a dime; had there been a rug beneath him he might would have slipped, such was his stop. The tent closed behind him, and within moments Night Light noticed that all of the officers were unicorns. Normally, that would be a sign that Canterlot's finest were enjoying an uneventful evening off duty with a game of cards.

The large wooden table in front of him was not empty, and in a chair sitting directly across from it was the relieved, but tear-streaked Twilight Velvet.

"Night Light!"

Before Night Light could respond, he felt his body become restrained by magic, only his head free to move about in alarm. Eight of the officers had him restrained, and from their faces alone Night Light could guess that they were at relative ease, and that this was not a sudden reaction to his entry. This had been a planned, perhaps even rehearsed action.

Night Light was walked up to the table and forced to sit in front of his fiance'; needless to be said, his discomfort at having walked into what felt like some sort of trap could have been expressed by his facial expression alone. Twilight offered a small smile of encouragement, but her nervous eyes betrayed her lack of confidence that all was right with the world.

"One of Captain Chivalry's most trusted. Never thought I would see you in here, like this." The voice was that of a stallion, and the tone was very grave. Night Light turned his eyes to the left to notice a large, burly red stallion walking up to the table. Wearing the bright purple, yellow rimmed armor specifically designated for the Captain of the Day Guard, the red coated stallion took his place at the leftmost portion of the table, his amber eyes going from Twilight to Night Light, as if searching for a sign.

It was Captain Redcoat, Chivalry's day guard counterpart, affectionately referred to by his subordinates as Captain Redshire as a reference to his prior occupation of police work in Manehatten before switching over to the royal guard.

"Night Light, you have any idea how this all looks?" When Night Light returned only a blank stare, the Redcoat laughed knowingly. "Of course not, you just got back from speaking with Celestia. Well, let me give you a brief look at what you are dealing with here."

Well, nice to hear that him meeting with Celestia was no secret among the day guard. Would not surprise Night Light at this point if they had heard briefly about it from the two guards right outside of her door, or any of the day guards in the Castle.

A large piece of parchment was dropped in the center of the table; likely the work of one of the other unicorns in the room. The Guard Captain nodded towards the parchment, which opened with the sound of cackling flames. It was enchanted, that much Night Light could conclude. Though no projection came forth, a list of names with crossbones next to them suggested that this was a list of recently deceased.

"13 unicorn households were attacked roughly an hour ago. Of all of the households with evidence of forced entry, yours is the only one with a witness left to tell us what happened. As you can see, there is hardly a scratch on her."

Redcoat looked towards Twilight, who merely returned the gaze. As if it were a signal, she opened her mouth as if to speak, only for her to close it back again, as if thinking better of it. When a few minutes had passed, Redcoat turned his gaze to Night Light.

"Graduates from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. 20 missing horns, 20 bodies, and only a single witness. Your fiance's story suggests that she fought off her attacker for a brief moment, but increasingly it is apparent that she may have talked her way out of it rather than fought. Either that or a little spark of magic unable to leave behind a mark sent the would-be assailant running. Which is unlikely-"

"The sound of royal guard members breaking down the door sent him scurrying after I showed that I was not going to be an easy victim!" Twilight's angrily leaned over the table towards Night Light, accenting her protest to the besmirching commentary of Redcoat. "He teleported before anypony else could see. How many times must I tell you-"

"That's quite enough Twilight Velvet." Redcoat leaned backwards, never taking his gaze from Night Light. "You two can swap stories later. Right now, I need to know if there was anypony that might would spare your fiance' and young colt in what was clearly a homicidal horn snatching job?"

Night Light was not the most popular member of the night guard, but because of his relationship with Chivalry, he was one of the better known members among the night guard; it was entirely possible that he had unintentionally made an enemy just by that fact alone. After all, not many night guard members got the chance to join Prince Onyx's escort, nor were trusted with a report straight from Chivalry. However, most of his nights were spent patrolling the streets of Canterlot, when most were asleep, and he was skeptical that a member of either guard would go so far as to draw attention to him via sparing his dearly beloved. Far more could have been gained by kidnapping her and holding her for ransom, or trying to blackmail Night Light.

"No, there is no one that I can think of."

Redcoat sighed and nodded. "Well, until we get this figured out, your wife is going to have to be under witness protection for some time; after all, even as sketchy as it is, she is the only living pony who saw any of the attackers, and we do not want to risk them coming back to rectify what may have merely been an error in judgement."

The magical grip that held Night Light in place finally released, allowing him to relax his posture some. He shook his head, as if in a daze. " Protection? But whoever attacked those other unicorns clearly is no longer around."

Redcoat chuckled as two officers flanked Twilight on either side in preparation for escorting her out of the tent. "Maybe. We do not want to risk her bolting for any reason either."

"Are you suggesting that Velvet is also a suspect?" It strongly seemed as such, and though Night Light knew he was not in the bargaining position, he had to point out the ridiculousness of the notion now while her tale was no doubt fresh in their minds. "She was recently assaulted and she is instead going to be treated as a potential if not the prime suspect? What-"

Redcoat waved a hoof for silence. "Listen, I understand that you're upset, but we want to be absolutely sure. You would also be suspected if you did not have such a concrete alibi in Princess Celestia, because again, it seems kind of suspicious that out of all of the households attacked, yours is the only one not needing to plan for a funeral in the near future."

Night Light looked towards Twilight, who worriedly looked back and forth between the two unicorn police officers at her flanks. Night Light offered her a small smile similar to the one she gave when he first entered. "Don't worry Velvet. I will get to the bottom of this. Whoever is behind this will not get away with it."

Twilight offered a smile of her own, even as she was ushered away from the table by the two royal guard members. "I know, but be careful. Those unicorns may have had you as the target rather than me."

As she was ushered off to the other side of the tent, where an opening allowed the trio to leave, Night Light shot a look in Redcoat's general direction. Redcoat rolled back up the parchment, his face untelling of what thoughts were running through his head with Twilight's warning still faintly ringing in the tent.

"Captain Redcoat, is there anything that you all might can tell me to help me get to the bottom of this?" Granted, were it not for his alibi he too would have been suspect, but it didn't hurt to try and see if the Captain would be any help at all. So far, he had been a major hindrance, since getting the full story from Twilight had largely been stunted by her abrupt shoving off.

"There is too much unknown really," Redcoat dryly stated, walking past Night Light with the parchment levitating just behind his head. "A good start would be going after your wife before she looks completely different, but other than that, maybe you can talk to some of the neighbors and see if they have anything extra to give. Most are still in shock over what happened and don't seem to have their tale weavers set to on yet, so I would advise waiting a few more hours."

After we have finished interrogating them ourselves, was the subtext that Night Light picked up on. Rather than go after Twilight, however, Night Light instead followed Redcoat out of the tent, with the remaining unicorn officers not far behind. Looking about, he noticed that both day and night guards seemed evenly distributed among the guard crowd, which seemed unusual considering the time of day.

"What about Twilight? When may I speak with her, since back there it did not seem like I could just follow after her and start asking."

Redcoat smiled, but did not stop walking forward towards the main street. "Well, she will be at the station, but you are not going to get another opportunity to ask this many guard members at once about anything. I am surprised you have yet to ask why both night and day guards are involved."

"That would have been my next question." If he were not more concerned about his fiance than the deployment practice of the guards.

"Well, about two nights ago the Canterlot Library was broken into in the dead of night," Redcoat explained, coming up to an apartment lightly guarded by two pegasi day guards. The two guards saluted Redcoat as he opened the door, Night Light trailing behind. The officers by this point had branched off, no doubt to return to their previously assigned duties rather than puppyguard a non-suspect and the captain of the guard.

"Most of the night guard had no recollection of encountering any thieves, but something special was taken from the library. Celestia ordered a soft lockdown of the city for several hours after that, such was the significance of whatever was stolen. The night guard is conducting its own separate investigation here, because they suspect that it may be the same party, or there may be some connection. I think it's unlikely."

The apartment only had a single room, or so it appeared, with a wide open living space with a heavily stained carpet near the center. It was roped off with police tape and stained in what looked to be bright blue ink. Redcoat stopped just short of walking onto the carpet. Night Light joined him on his right flank with a curious gaze towards the carpet. "Why do you find that unlikely?"

"Who breaks into a library, gets the night guard riled up, and then goes on to murder several talented unicorns and steal their horns?" Redcoat shook his head, frowning deeply. "The strangest thing is, they didn't even steal a book or a scroll let the night guard tell it. If it were not for Celestia's lockdown order, the only story you would have is that the perpetrator or peretrators just broke into the library and slipped out for no reason."

"It would take some serious talent in order to get past the night guard guarding the Library," Night Light argued, "It would also take some serious talent to take down these unicorns, graduates of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns mind you, all without making a ruckus until they came to my door."

"True, but very different skillsets. No member of the night guard was killed during the Library incident, nor were they ever actually seen let the night guard tell it. Smells a bit like that one was an inside job."

Night Light laughed, drawing Redcoat's critical gaze. "What's so funny?"

"An inside job?" Night Light shook his head and turned away from the stained carpet, disbelieving what he heard. "That's ridiculous. Every member of the guard is an upstanding citizen of Equestria, such as yourself. Even if that were the case, why is it the Night Guard didn't practically arrest me, seeing as I was on the suspects list for all this?"

Redcoat shrugged, his gaze still over the carpet. "No idea. But I will tell you this."

Night Light perked up, returning to Redcoat's side, attempting to follow his gaze out to a specific part of the carpet. While he could not find the same focal point, he did notice that the stains on the carpet were just barely spaced out enough to suggest that the actual stains were the tan coloration between the blue stains, and the actual carpet was blue. Which was which, then was not as obvious as when Night Light had looked at it previously.

"If you do happen to get more involved in this, I suggest watching your back. Your guard is unusually interested in this otherwise daytime case; might be because one of their own had their home invaded, or there could be an ulterior motive. I cannot say for sure." Redcoat turned to look towards Night Light. "What is pretty likely is that your household's invader knows you and or knows your soon to be wife personally. And that makes you both ripe targets for conspiracy, if my own suspicions did not already give you a hint on that."

Redcoat was being surprisingly helpful for a stallion who, mere minutes ago, suspected that Night Light was deeply involved. Or, better yet, still suspected that his fiance might still be involved. In knowing all of this now, it was clear now why Redcoat had not just had Twilight spill her entire version of the story there in the tent. Night Light's fellow night guard members were likely to come knocking at some point, and if by some chance it were an inside job, knowing his wife's testimony would make him another witness.

Another loose end needing to be tied up. But his fiance was still in danger regardless of whether she spoke to him or not; if it were an inside job of the Night Guard, then the police would do very little to stop trained, determined members of the guard from getting to Twilight if push came to shove. If anything, they would merely serve as a doorstop. On the other hand, if the perpetrators are connected and it's not an inside job, then the wounded pride of the Night Guard would limp in his direction looking for answers as well. Or his fiance's direction.

It was more likely the latter, Night Light reasoned; no way would a traitorous night guard member be stupid enough to invite a unified investigation into both of the crimes. Too many eyes would be checking evidence, too many heads being put together to solve the case. Unless that was the desired outcome in order to frame some other pony or ponies for the job.

There was not enough information to conclude either way, at least not yet. "Thanks for the heads up Captain Redcoat. Chivalry is going to have to be informed of this as soon as possible."

"He should already be aware." Redcoat raised an eyebrow, "Not to sound cynical, but for as much as he talks about your trustworthiness, I highly doubt he sent you back here on that basis alone."

"But the library incident was more than two days ago, far less for these murders," Night Light pointed out," How could he have been aware of this particular event before it even happened, since that's the only way he could have already heard about these murders?"

Redcoat did not answer the question, but instead turned back towards the door, leaving Night Light short of an answer.

4: Conspiracies

Conspiracies (Part I)

Canterlot on lockdown was in its own way a sort of prison; nothing came nor left without explicit permission from an officer of the royal guard or the princess, which under the circumstances of even a single murder let alone several murders, such permission was hard if not impossible to come by.

Night Light left the previous crime scene apartment unharassed, and went straight to Ruby Gemstone’s, a distant relative of Princess Celestia and an old friend of Twilight's, house. Fairly homely for royalty, the home had only two stories and looked more like a large apartment than a small home. As Shining Armor’s only free parent, Night had the responsibility of checking up on him and making sure that he was still safely at his sitter's house.

Ruby often babysat him along with other foals, and though Shining could not yet walk, he tended to be on his best behavior, for a unicorn colt, whenever away from home. Or so Night had been told, as rarely had Night even seen Shining’s ordinary behavior let alone his unruly behavior. Considering all of this, she seemed the most likely to have taken Shining in when Twilight was arrested.

The front door had a large heart painted onto it, and on either side of it were two day guard members. No doubt noticing Night Light coming from a mile away, they waited until he was about to knock onto the door before actually blocking his path with outstretched wings. As annoying a gesture as it was to have one’s hoof cut off at the door, it did at least speak that not all was abnormal in town.

“Name, rank, and reason for visit?” the one on the left looked Night Light up and down while the right raised a brow, as all of that should have already been provided before attempted entry.

“Night Light, Corporal, and I am here to check up on my son, Shining Armor.” Night Light raised a hoof to knock, but the outstretched wings did not move.

“Son huh? I don’t think Ruby was expecting any stallions to be checking in on foals until the end of the lockdown,” the guard on the right stated, “Do you have any proof?”

“Proof that I am here to see my son, or that I have a son?” Night Light retracted his hoof, slightly stomping the ground in irritation. “Either way, what would count as proof under these circumstances?”

“Oh do not mind him darling, Raze is just giving you a hard time.” It seemed at first that the door itself had spoken until shortly after these slightly muffled words were spoken, the door swung outward; this forced the guards to retract their wings from the path, a bright red unicorn mare in a robe revealed by the opening of the door, mane in what looked to be a half-curled, half-straightened condition.

“Princess, you are aware that we are on lockdown for a reason, right?” Razer gruffly stated, “I do not think that this is the time for visitors of his sort.”

Night Light stepped forward to the guard, meeting him eye to eye. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Did I stutter Corporal?” Razer did not back down, but rather stepped forward, now nearly nose to nose with Night Light. “This is a bad time for combat trained, lethal ponies of questionable integrity to be near any very important unicorns. I suggest you get with the program.”

A standoff seemed imminent, but Ruby gently pushed the two apart with her magic. “I will be fine Razer, do not worry. If it makes you feel better, I will put a suppressor on him.”

Night Light would have protested, but Ruby had already brandished seemingly from thin air the cone shaped suppressor, levitating it above his head. Razer let slip a small grin before returning to a stoic expression. His partner had never lost said expression on his face, but his more relaxed posture suggested that he was somewhat relieved at the suggestion.

The moment the cone shaped suppressor fit snugly over his horn, Night Light felt an intimate discord with himself, his ability to perform magic stunted to the point of nearly knocking him out cold. He swooned, but managed to stay on his hooves.

Ruby smiled and jokingly offered a hoof. “Will you make it to the colt’s room?”

Night shook his head and nodded. “Yes, I can make it."

“Excellent.” Ruby turned to walk further in. Night started to follow behind when he caught a sideaways glance from Razer. Though he outwardly ignored it and walked into the living room, he mentally kept a note of the obvious hostility that the royal guard member had shown towards his fellow. Apparently, he was not among the trusted; Redcoat would have had him believe otherwise, at least among the day guard.

Ruby’s living room was devoid of glass beyond the windows; no vases, no glass tables, no porcelain, not even a glass bottle with a ship in it. It had a carpet, a square table, and seat cushions neatly organized in a diamond shape around the table. The sound of giggling and laughter directed Night Light past the living room towards the wooden stairs, where a night guard member blocked the way now. Ruby was nowhere to be seen, so either she had vanished into thin air or she had swiftly moved elsewhere, apparently expecting him to find his own way to Shining Armor’s room.

Unlike the guard outside, the night guard did not wait to be pressed. Recognizing him a few seconds, the guard looked Night Light up and down. “Night Light is it? Shining Armor is the third to last room on the right. Go straight there.”

The mare stepped aside, much to Night Light’s bemusement. What was going to happen if he didn’t go straight there? As tempted as he was to test the waters, Night Light trotted up the stairs, turned to his right, and marched past the room of giggling fillies to a barely cracked door. The hallway had been hardly lit, so the gentle green glow from the room seemed reassuring. Pushing the room door more open, Night looked about the glow in the dark sticker star covered room to find a lonely crib in the center of the room, with a locked window and a changing station a few feet from the crib.

It looked an odd setup, even for an eccentric royal. Shouldn’t there at least be a mirror somewhere in this mixup? A flabed? A rocking chair maybe?

Trotting up to the crib, Night peered inside, breath held, not entirely knowing what he expected to see inside the crib. After all, it had been some time since he had last seen Shining Armor, and he could only wonder how large he had gotten.

The white coated colt in the crib was wide awake, staring right back at Night Light with eyes like tiny blue gemstones.

Releasing his exhaled breath to the side of the crib, Night smiled as Shining Armor blinked back at him. “And to think, I almost went home that night.”

Without thinking he attempted to levitate Shining, only to have a searing surge of negative feedback cause him to recoil and reel back, rubbing at his head. He withheld a curse, surprisingly enough, and walked back towards Shining.

“Bie bie!? The colt giggled in delight at Night’s expense. Rubbing at his horn now, Night replied, “Well, you are already turning up to be quite the rude little colt. Don’t worry, your mother will be informed.” Night smiled teasingly before giving the crib a gentle rock.

Now a grown mare’s laugh echoed through the room. Night turned around to face the doorway, where Ruby had silently been observing the brief interaction.

“If anything he would rather have his mother; she only just weaned the poor thing before all this mess.” Ruby walked into the room, a few green stains now on her robe, “Hopefully this lockdown will not go on for much longer. Babysitting is a passion, it really is, but I can’t leave the house at all with all my charges still here.”

“How many charges do you have?” Night inquired, watching Ruby levitate Shining Armor into the air.

“Six fillies, I am sure you heard three of them on your way here, and two colts, all with schedules as varied as their parents.” Ruby used the light of her horn to look Shining Armor over, bringing him close to her face for full scrutiny. Shining giggled and flailed his hooves wildly; Ruby’s hold did not falter, only encouraging the colt to struggle some more.

“Hold still Shining.” Ruby ordered as if she were speaking to one of her royal guards. With a sniff, Ruby seemed lost in thought for a moment before sighing. “Another thirty minutes and I bet he will stink to Celestia’s sun. But for now, he is good.”

Night Light had been looking around the room in the meantime, noticing that there did not seem to be a central light for this room. The glow in the dark stars were the only sources of light. “Is there some reason Shining Armor not only has his own room, but a room with hardly any lighting?”

Ruby set Shining back in the crib and turned towards Night with a confused look on her face. “Twilight requested this. Did you bother asking her anything before coming here?”

“No need to get all defensive.” Night walked to the other side of the crib, noticing Shining’s gaze going back and forth between him and Ruby. “No, I did not ask her before coming here. She is a bit occupied at the moment in case you were unaware.”

“I see.” Ruby did not seem truly satisfied with the answer, but accepted it nonetheless. She turned back towards the door, her head bowed. “So it is all true.”

Night tilted his head. Either Shining Armor was not the only one with shit in the future. “What is-“

“Twilight was in such a hurry, and those guards.” Ruby turned back around with a frown on her face, ears folded against her head. “Did she really kill those unicorns?”

“Of course not!”

“Then how is she involved?”

Night wished he could say definitively that she was not involved at all, but that was not quite the truth. He didn’t know whether or not she had told the whole story; he felt, he hoped that she had, but he had no way of verifying things one way or the other. Besides, he had come here to check on Shining Armor, not gossip about the current status of his fiancé.

Then again, he was in desperate need for information about her in order to help get her name cleared. Maybe a little gossip was just what he needed to get started.

“Listen Ruby, I know you know Twilight. Does this really sound like her?”

Ruby did not respond, but instead turned around and left the room. Night followed after, seeing her turn the corner and head downstairs. Night noticed that the night guard member was no longer guarding the base of the stairs, and that Ruby had taken to pacing the living room floor.

“Does that sound like her?” Night figured he knew Twilight better than any other stallion, but there were certain things spouses-to-be do no discuss, one of them being histories better left confined to the shelves.

Ruby turned back around to Night, horn aglow in a bright light and face downcast. She took a seat, and gestured that Night take a seat to the opposite of her on the table. Night joined, taking an eye on the horn light, which soon took on the static of a radio, until settling in on a quiet channel. She apparently intended on playing back some past conversation.

The channel remained quiet for a little while longer until a voice cut clear through.

“Listen Ruby, I know how this sounds, but I need you to care for Shining Armor for a few days, two weeks tops.” The voice clearly belonged to Twilight, but Velvet seemed to lack the urgency and alarm that Night would have expected. Then again, this was from Ruby's point of view that he was hearing this, so it was fairly possible she just didn't pick up on it.

“What?” Ruby predictably sounded alarmed, “What do you mean darling? What spurs this request?”

Twilight did not immediately respond, the sound of teacups rattling and bodies shuffling filling in for a few minutes. When that came to a stop, Twilight answered, “Soon I will be in some serious trouble, and I am not sure when Night Light is going to be returning home; in the meantime, I need someone to watch Shining Armor until everything blows over.”

“Twilight, whatever is, I am sure I can get Celestia to look into it-“

“No!”

Night took a step back, as if Twilight had shouted at him rather than Ruby in the conversation.

“I do not mind you telling Night Light should I not get the chance, but please do not get Celestia involved here. It will only make things worse.”

“But, how?”

“Will you take Shining Armor for me Ruby? Please, you are the only pony I have left to trust with this. I would ask Sir Pounce, but considering his fidelity issues-“

“Well to be fair-" Bzza, an unexpected skip in the recording interrupted Night's listening experience. He blinked, realizing that Ruby was apparently fast forwarding the recording.

Night Light narrowed his eyes at Ruby. “What is that I am missing?”

“Irrelevant information,” Ruby firmly stated, not missing a heartbeat as she scrunched up her face from her exertions.

She fast forwarded for a good two minutes before stopping, picking back up at her own response. “- Well, I will do my best. Security around here is around the clock after all. Is there anything else I might can help you with while you sort this out?”

“Make sure Shining Armor is in his own room, dimly lit; keep him away from any of the fillies and colts for now. I only just weened him, and some of the younger ones might tempt him back to milk. And you know what a colt crying for his mother’s milk sounds like.”

“May Celestia never allow Blueblood to taste mare’s milk again. He is such a darling, but he drinks like a full grown stallion. I thought his appetite would never be sated.”

Night chuckled at this, not because he had experienced anything of the sort, but at the idea that, despite speaking very seriously the whole time, Twilight had likely purposely mentioned Sir Pounce and colt milk drinking in order to keep Ruby at ease with accepting the request. Twilight had done a similar thing in order to convince her father that Shining Armor had been a result of her own fallacies rather than Night pressing her into intercourse.

The way Night remembered it, that was not far from the truth, albeit, he started with a kiss. From then till he had fallen asleep exhausted and spent, he was on his back. Not that he could or would complain; Twilight was a good reigns masters.

“Well, just take care of yourself Velvet. And should you share a cell with some ruffian, make sure he or she behaves in your presence.”

“Ha, thanks Ruby.”

More body shifting, and then an abrupt cut-off. Ruby shook her head and rubbed it some before giving a small smile. “As you heard, I was skeptical that anything was going on, but when you showed up, yourself hesitant, it just seemed to confirm things.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” Night would have preferred to have started with this discussion than with the Shining Armor icebreaker, but information was information. Twilight did have something to do with what was going on, but if Redcoat was to be believed in his entirety, then her involvement may have been less criminal and more circumstantial. That was good news, not something to be concerned about.

“I have to admit, I would have expected you to divulge that to me in greater privacy to be honest,” Night commented, looking about again for that night guard from earlier “here in your living room, while not the open air, is not particularly secure.”

“Well, I have to admit, I shared my concerns with Celestia,” Ruby admitted her smile turning sheepish, “I suspect that is why she was apprehended so quickly.”

“You played that entire thing to her?”

“Only as much as I played to you. Night Light, you have to understand, when I realized how serious this was-“

“Twilight trusted you with this and you went ahead and told Celestia anyways?”

Night slammed a hoof to the table in anger. How could Ruby betray Twilight like that? Ruby wrinkled her nose and frowned in response to Night's aggression.

“Night Light, there are dozens of ponies affected by this, nevermind the twenty that are dead. Neither she nor you can nor should have expected me to keep mum when the severity of the situation came to light. Canterlot is on lockdown right now in an attempt to confine and catch the criminals responsible. If Twilight has any information regarding the villains, she has a moral, no a legal obligation to divulge said information. If she wanted to keep everything truly hush, she would have asked Sir Pounce.”

“Lady Geneve is a jealous mare, first of all. Twilight, a mare, asking anything of him in private would have unnecessary roused his household matters. Add on to that, she can’t even trust Sir Pounce. Furthermore, from what I gathered, had she not told you as many details as she had, you might would have refused to take on Shining Armor.”

Ruby did not reply, prompting Night Light to conclude unchallenged.

“Last but not least, you and Twilight have known each other for as long as Twilight cares to remember; even I was in the dark that she expected something bad to happen, but you got what, a week’s notice?”

“A day’s warning,” Ruby corrected, “And you realize that every letter you send to each other is inspected right? Wherever you were, anything she would have told to you surely would have been read, leading to the premature arrest of a mare innocent of shedding blood. And poor Shining would have been left completely on his own since Twilight would not have had the time to speak with me thoroughly on this.”

Night sighed and turned his gaze towards the floor. She made a most uncomfortable point; had Twilight been apprehended any sooner, Shining would have left at best in the care of the authorities who arrested her; at worst they would have put him in adoptive care until Night’s return, which may have been facilitated by Twilight indirectly tipping Celestia off to trouble.

“Well, I do have one question for you, Night Light.”

Night looked up to see Ruby standing in front of him.

“Do you have any troubles from your bygone days that may haunt you? You know what they say about birds of a feather.”

“No.” Night internally scolded himself for responding as swiftly as he did. However, he had already made his stance. “Five years ago I may have had some problem companions, but what happen in Las Pegasus, stays in Las Pegasus. Or so the saying goes.”

“I hope you are right Night Light, because the last thing Shining Armor needs is for you to leave town again.”

There was no guarantee of him staying, especially with a new assignment on the horizon. Of course, he could not tell Ruby that, what with Celestia’s oath and all possibly applying there. “Well, I am still in the royal guard. I have to ask though, what makes Twilight suspect that Sir Pounce is unfaithful?”

Ruby giggled, taking to the sudden change in topic. “Oh that is just mare talk, that’s why I skipped over it. Nothing you need to be worried about.”

More like nothing she intended on divulging, Night Light reasoned. As intriguing as that was, it was nothing that he was going to pry into; a long as Twilight was not involved in that he had no reason to go digging that trench, no doubt rooted with numerous grapevine plants.

5: Escape