Operation Shield

Chapters

When Boasts Get Busted
Good News, Bad News
The Planning Phase
The Challenge
Shining Stars
Roles and Promises
Wings of Chaos
Raise that Wall!
Boiling Point
Matters of Trust
The Big Show

When Boasts Get Busted

"Spike, forget about the beard and just send the letter to Princess Celestia already."

"OK OK..."

Spike the Dragon performed an obvious eyeroll as he took the rolled up and sealed parchment scroll on which the friendship letter had been written by Twilight Sparkle. He then positioned the scroll a little bit out and downward and breathed his magic green fire on it, the positioning such that Spike's fire breath did not accidentally burn his magically-given mustache as it came out of his mouth.

The scroll quickly turns to ash and with another puff of air the ashes are on their way to Princess Celestia. Spike and Twilight Sparkle watch the ashes float through an opened window in the library where they lived in Ponyville, and just as they disappear from sight both of them hear a door slam open.

Turning in the direction where the door slam came from, both Twilight and Spike see Pinkie Pie excitedly bouncing in place just inside the front door of the library. The pink earth pony is excitedly speaking in a rapid-fire manner that neither Twilight nor Spike can make head or tail of as she continues bouncing around.

"Pinkie slow down, I can't understand what you're saying." Twilight states with a degree of exasperation in her voice.

Pinkie Pie stops bouncing while facing Twilight and starts again with what she was trying to say, still rapidfire but at least with the words distinguishable: "TheCakesmadesomethingsuperduperspecialforyou! Comeoncomeoncomeon!"

"Pinkie, where are we going?!" Twilight exclaims as Pinkie starts pulling her out of the library, done so by Pinkie hooking one of her forelegs around one of Twilight's and tugging repeatedly.

"Sugarcube Corner, silly! Now come on, everypony's waiting for you!" Pinkie exclaims as she continues her tugging, Twilight having a mortified look as she stumbles on three hooves trying to not fall down on her face.

"Hey wait up!" Spike exclaims as he hurries after Twilight and Pinkie, who have very quickly exited the library out onto the streets of Ponyville...

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

Sugarcube Corner is abuzz with both excitement and gossip. The excitement is from Twilight Sparkle's recent impressive defense of Ponyville from an upset Ursa Minor - the occasion of the celebration now in the establishment. The gossip is about various rumors that have spread about "the Great and Powerful" Trixie as well as Twilight, as well as arguments about whether a Royal Guard intervention would now be necessary to negate further danger to Ponyville from a provoked Ursa Minor.

The only ponies not sharing in the celebratory mood are a pair of pegasi stallions, one white coated and one gray coated, sitting at a corner table. Both of them frowned at the newspaper laying in front of them on the table, which was turned to an article titled "Showmare Whereabouts Unknown".

"Too bad she gave the patrollers the slip. We could've tried to recruit her." the grey coated stallion comments to his counterpart, shaking his head sadly.

"Are you kidding? She's got an ego the size of Canterlot Castle!" the white coated stallion replies. "No way she'd join us, even if we could talk to her."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. But the letter..."

"I know what the letter read. We may still have a chance to fulfill Snake's orders with the Ursas, but we need a good opportunity. Now pipe down and prop that thing back up, the laughing one will be back with the sparkling one any second now..."

The two stallions slide hooves between the paper and the table, one on each side, and prop up the paper in such a way that it screens the faces of the two stallions from direct view. They only dare to peek at the buzz of the establishment over the top edge of the paper. The concealment is needed - as Agents of Chaos (white "P1", grey "P2") it was paramount that the Element Bearers not be able to identify them, lest they get run out of town or need to leave on very short notice. Agent Snake, the leader of the Agents of Chaos, had only ordered them to be a distraction in order to keep the Element Bearers' attention away from Canterlot, not directly meddle with the assignment of Twilight Sparkle.

And just as "P1" stated, both Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie enter Sugarcube Corner shortly after the two Agents get their screening up, Spike hurrying behind Twilight and Pinkie shortly after. The stallion agents watch as cheers and hooves pounding on tables greet their entrance, Pinkie excitedly rushing on ahead while Twilight and Spike hang back in bewilderment.

"OK, she's here now!" Pinkie Pie shouts back toward the kitchen area, and shortly afterward both Rainbow Dash and Rarity emerge from the door leading to said area, forming into a protective triangle with Pinkie in front of said door.

The need for the protective triangle quickly becomes obvious as Fluttershy directs the Cake couple with foreleg gestures through the door. Balanced on the backs of the earth pony couple that owns and operates Sugarcube Corner is a large, three-tied cake with a general design depicting Twilight "taming" the Ursa Minor. Although not as impressive as some of their later creations, the general size and indigo-and-purple overall color scheme make impression enough on the gathered crowd.

Twilight, not surprisingly, is overawed by this culinary creation but retains enough sense to magically restrain Spike from charging right at the cake, a gesture which produces an indignant glare from the young dragon. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity work together to clear a path for the Cakes and Fluttershy to move around while Applejack stays a short distance behind as a kind of spotter. The procession slowly works its way toward a previously reserved central table, where both Pinkie and Applejack help the Cakes safely place the large dessert on the table, this time the others all acting as spotters.

"Is all that for me?!" is all the breathless Twilight can say once the cake is safely on the table.

"Of course, dearie. We worked on it all night for you!" Mrs. Cake exclaims, referring to both herself and her husband.

"And I helped!" Pinkie pipes in, her face displaying a proud grin.

"We all helped, Pinkie, in different ways of course." Rarity gently corrects.

"Well, I'm flattered, but you didn't really need to go..." Twilight begins to say, blushing shyly as she speaks.

"Oh nonsense! We're all very proud of our pretty little hero, aren't we?" Mrs. Cake says affectionately, now walking up to Twilight and squeezing the unicorn mare's cheeks between her forehooves.

"Mrs. Cake, pwease..." Twilight tries to say as her friends and the crowd around start chuckling at Mrs. Cake's affectionate cheek pinching.

"But she's right, you know. It's worth saying again, Twilight. We're all very proud of you." Rarity affirms, and the other Element Bearers all add in affirmations.

It's at this point that the two Agents of Chaos dropped down back behind their newspaper cover. Agent P2 gives P1 a gag expression.

"I agree. Let's get out of here while they're distracted, I don't think it's going to do any good sticking around..." Agent P1 affirms.

MEANWHILE, IN CANTERLOT...

Princess Celestia hums to herself - a rare occurrence in the days she ruled alone but now increasingly common - as she looks back from the parchment in front of her to a magically floating screen off to her side. She seems to be engaged in some careful note-taking based on what she sees on the "magic security cam" that she uses to remotely monitor Twilight Sparkle's mission in Ponyville.

The combination of Twilight Sparkle's recent triumph and well-learned lesson has put Celestia in a good mood, but she also realizes the need to prevent a repeat of the Ursa Minor intrusion. An Ursa Minor, and by extension an Ursa Major, this close to such an important place is a threat too big to ignore. Fortunately, as Ursas tend not to come out of their caves unless provoked, the fix is a relatively simple one.

"Raven?" Celestia calls to her aide, who is sitting at a nearby desk sorting through paperwork.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Raven replies, looking up from her work.

"Take this parchment to Captain Gibraltar. There's a field assignment that needs doing." Celestia states, levitating up the piece of parchment she has been writing on with her bright yellow unicorn magic.

"Understood, Your Majesty. I will return to the prioritizing work after delivering the assignment notice." Raven crisply replies, taking the parchment with her own raspberry-colored unicorn magic and carrying it along with her as she begins her exit from Celestia's chambers.

As soon as Raven is gone, Celestia levitates a slice out of a nearby cake on a platter and begins chomping on it - no need for forks or even plates - as she watches footage, not for the first time, of Twilight dealing with the Ursa Minor in Ponyville.

Captain of the Guard Gibraltar gives a frown as he reads the parchment Raven brought him. He didn't like sending Canterlot ponies on field assignment, particularly when he was short on personnel - a condition the attacks of the Agents of Chaos had generated.

"This is at least a two-squad assignment. I'm going to have to pull Fidelitas to supervise the whole thing." Gibraltar comments.

"I will make sure to tell Princess Celestia that." Raven affirms.

"Very good. Does Celestia need anything else?" the Guard Captain asks.

"No, sir." Raven answers, shaking her head as she speaks.

"Alright then. I'll have Lieutenant Biro summon Fidelitas to my office to give the assignment to him. You can return to whatever the Princess needs you to do." Gibraltar states, still frowning down at the parchment.

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

"Sorry to interrupt you, Lieutenant Captain, but this is something Princess Celestia has put on highest priority." Gibraltar says to Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas, who is standing at attention at Gibraltar's desk.

"Let me guess, a field assignment to Ponyville?" Fidelitas asks as a smirk forms across his face.

"Good guess." Gibraltar answers. "Celestia wants the path to the den of the Ursas near Ponyville closed off so as to avoid a repeat of the recent incident there. I want you to select two Lieutenants, each to lead a work squad. One will take the guards under their command here with them, the other will rally all the members of the Guard currently located in Ponyville to fill the other squad. I'm leaving everything else to your discretion."

"Understood, sir. But with all due respect, I would recommend Shining Armor take this assignment instead." Fidelitas replies.

Gibraltar lets out a chuckle before he speaks again: "Trust me Fidelitas, I would rather send Shining Armor to do this too. I don't want Aten running two shifts any more than you do. But Guard protocol does not allow me to assign anypony working the Luna Shift for this operation - sleep scheduling, you understand."

"I understand, sir. But I still believe that Shining Armor would be the better officer to take this assignment." Fidelitas tries again.

"And I'm not disagreeing with you, particularly considering you would likely be dealing with Twilight Sparkle and the other Element Bearers. But I'm not about to trust Aten with this project, either. That leaves you as the only option, you understand?" Gibraltar explains.

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else I need to know about, sir?"

"That you and those going on assignment with you are leaving on the first train to Ponyville tomorrow, so be ready by then. Make sure that you interview Guard Upper Class Meadow Song and Aide Cherry Fizzy, as the notes here indicate they were witness to some of the events leading up to the incident. See what you can get out of the Element Bearers too."

"Understood. Anything else, sir?"

"No, that's all. You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Fidelitas replies, saluting as he turns around and exits the office, an uneasy look forming on his face...

Good News, Bad News

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, most wonderful love of my life... will you marry me?"

"Oh Shining Armor, I... I..."

The abrupt loud sounding of bugle notes not only cuts off Cadance's answer, but jolts Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor out of his dreamland. He moans as he reaches a forehoof to shut off the blaring bugle recording from the alarm clock placed next to the cot in his officer's quarters.

"You couldn't come up with a more annoying alarm clock if you tried." Shining Armor thought to himself as he rousted from the bed, peeking at the glowing "16:00" on the clock's face. This time was at least a half-hour earlier than the rest of the night shift needed to be rousted, and this time of year it was still very much daytime out, as evidenced by the sunlight streaming around the edges of the thick black curtains that kept the room generally darkened.

Shining uses his unicorn magic to pull back a curtain partway, and winces at the streaming sunlight before his eyes adjust to the changed light levels. The light reveals what most E.U.P. members would consider a luxury suite - a bed with an actual mattress, a small table and pair of chairs, coffeemaker, small separate bathroom, a cooktop to heat rations over - far superior to the barracks most slept in. Still, Shining knew that this was less plush than the colthood bedroom or what he saw of the suites of the princesses.

The stallion clicks on the coffeemaker and lets it brew while he straightens up his bed and inspects his armor set - a custom job based on the armor bat ponies wore, but slightly fancier and with a few changes to account for Shining Armor being a unicorn. He takes a deep sniff of the brewing coffee and grins as he applies a little more "spit and polish" to his armor - like virtually all Royal Guard officers, he was addicted to caffeine to a certain extent, although usually satisfied that addiction with sodas and teas instead of coffee.

After finishing with the armor, he moves to the ration package placed just inside the door - sugar and creamer for the coffee as well as apple cinnamon oatmeal for his breakfast. Even Lieutenant Captains weren't exempted from the usual rations, after all. Shining took the oatmeal package, opened it up, put in water from the bathroom sink, and then let it cook on the cooktop. He was about to make a mug of coffee when he heard knocking on the door to his officer's quarters.

This immediately got Shining's attention - it was unusual for anypony to knock at his door before he was finished with his preparations. He unbolts and opens the door - only to get a face full of something pink that abruptly knocks him down to the floor.

It takes a moment for Shining to figure out what had knocked him down and was holding him down. He groans as he looks up at Princess Cadance - the real one - giving him an amused grin as she holds him down pinned to the floor.

"Pinned ya!" Cadance exclaims, her smile a mile wide.

"Ugh... Cadance, I haven't even had coffee yet!" Shining moans out, recognizing the pounce attack as "Excited Cadance Sign #1".

The smile remains on Cadance's face as she steps off to allow Shining Armor to get back on his hooves. As he does so, he asks Cadance what has got her so excited. The response is "Excited Cadance Sign #2" - something, in this case a newspaper sheet, being draped over Shining's head.

The sheet of newspaper is propped up by Shining's horn, making something of a tent that covers the rolling eyes on his face. Cadance, meanwhile, is giggling like a filly at the sight.

"Can't I at least have my coffee first?" Shining Armor sighs out as he levitates the sheet off his face using his unicorn magic.

"You can read it while you have your coffee. Aunt Celly and I got really excited when we saw the headline article." Cadance eagerly answers.

Shining mutters under his breath as he tries to juggle folding the paper to the article Cadance indicated and pouring a cup of coffee without making a big mess of either job. He can hear from Cadance's continued giggles she seems to find this very funny, and has to resist an urge to let out an exasperated sigh.

By the time Shining gets the newspaper folded, he has the coffee cup poured and levitates a small cream dispenser to pour some cream into the coffee mug. He starts reading the article Cadance was telling him about - detailing Twilight Sparkle stopping the Ursa Minor rampage in Ponyville - and immediately his eyes go up in an impressed look as he finishes the cream pour.

"That is something to get excited about!" Shining exclaims as he is reading, raising the coffee mug with his magic and taking a sip. Cadance bursts out giggling again as Shining's face contorts into disgust and he tries to discretely dribble the coffee back into the mug.

"I think you forgot to put the sugar in there, 'Shiny'." Cadance points out through continued snickering, which just causes an annoyed glare back at her...

SOME TIME LATER...

"Captain, I must protest this!" Shining Armor exclaims as he gets his briefing in Captain Gibraltar's office about Fidelitas and the Ponyville assignment. "Why is Aten covering two shifts? I wouldn't even trust him with one shift!"

"Shining, Shining, please, I knew this would upset you going in." Gibraltar replies wearily as he shuffles paperwork behind his desk. "But I didn't have a choice in the matter. Selecting you, as much as I wanted to, would be against regulations, and I wasn't about to trust Aten with that assignment. Sending Fidelitas was the best of the available options I had."

"With all due respect, sir, I still don't like it." Shining huffs out.

"I didn't think you would. And to be honest, I don't like it either. But Princess Celestia put it on highest priority, I couldn't put it off. You understand?"

"I understand, sir, but you said yourself I was the better candidate to be selected."

"Because you want to see your sister again?" Gibraltar asks, looking Shining straight in the eye as he speaks.

"Well... to be honest, sir, that's one of the reasons. But if the Ursa Minor got riled up again..."

Gibraltar puts a forehoof up to stop Shining: "Say no more. I understand your concerns, I really do, but we still have to work within the rules and regulations of the Royal Guard. That means no night shifters. And I seriously doubt that Princess Celestia would make an exception, even for you."

"I understand, sir." Shining replies, his tone deflated.

"It'll just be for a few days, I promise. Hopefully, Aten will be worked too hard to take advantage of the situation."

"If you say so, sir..." Shining replies again, his tone sounding like he didn't quite believe the Captain...

The Planning Phase

"Lieutenant Steelwing, please take roll to account for Ponyville Guard members."

"Yes sir! Guard Upper Class Caramel?"

"Present, sir!"

"Guard Upper Class Noteworthy?"

"Present, sir!"

"Guard Upper Class Meadow Song?"

"Present, sir!"

"Guard Lower Class Lucky Clover?"

"Present, sir!"

"All ponies present and accounted for, sir!" Lieutenant Steelwing replies to Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas with a salute.

"Good. As soon as Lieutenant Crispin arrives with Aide Cherry Fizzy we can begin. Hopefully Twilight Sparkle got the message to assemble the Element Bearers here as well, if not we'll see them with Mayor Mare at the town hall. Have the Guards at ease but stay in formation until further notice." Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas replies to the grey pegasus Lieutenant.

"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Steelwing replies as he moves to inform the Guard of Fidelitas' orders.

Meanwhile, Fidelitas looks around uneasily at the curious onlookers gathered in Ponyville's main square. It didn't help that he and Lieutenant Steelwing were currently wearing their armor, which naturally drew attention outside of Canterlot. The guards that were under Lieutenant Steelwing's command were currently employed to keep the curious crowds back, an annoying distraction.

Fidelitas had done the best he could with his selections for the two guard squads to use for the operation. Lieutenant Steelwing had been given an officer's commission to fill the vacancy left by Shining Armor after his promotion to Lieutenant Captain - Steelwing, and most of Steelwing's command, had served under Shining Armor at one point or another in their Guard career. Lieutenant Crispin was the ranking officer from Ponyville, and one of the few earth pony stallions to break into the officer ranks. Crispin's command would be the four fellow Guard stallions from Ponyville Fidelitas had accounted for now.

The Lieutenant Captain took the opportunity while waiting to review his notes regarding the Ponyville guard members, all of which revealed very useful information to Fidelitas. Lieutenant Crispin was a member of the extensive Apple clan, albeit through the "branch line" of Goldie Delicious (his grandmother) instead of the "trunk line" of Granny Smith. Guard Upper Class Caramel was a neighbor of Rarity, the Generosity Element Bearer, a fact that also applied to Guard Lower Class Lucky Clover. Guard Upper Class Meadow Song was another Apple clan member, having married Apple Fritter. Finally, Guard Upper Class Noteworthy was Ponyville born and raised, apparently having joined the E.U.P. Guard thanks to befriending Meadow Song - both ponies had some form of musical talent and had considered forming a band once.

A small buzz in the crowd and the shouts of a way to be cleared bring the attention of Fidelitas back to his surroundings. He turns to see the source of the commotion is an earth pony stallion in Guard armor, his coat yellow-green and his tail crimson in coloration. Beside this stallion is Aide Cherry Fizzy, brown coated and with a neatly-combed black mane. The two stallions work together to clear a path through the crowd for themselves and the six Element Bearers following behind them.

"Ah, I see you picked up the Element Bearers with you on the way back, Lieutenant Crispin. Well done!" Fidelitas states in a pleased tone to the armored stallion as that stallion stops and gives a salute to Fidelitas.

"Thank you, sir. I informed Miss Sparkle of the reason for bringing her and her new friends here." Lieutenant Crispin replies.

"Very good, Lieutenant. Take charge of the other stallions as your squad for the duration of the operation and stand by for further orders." Fidelitas orders.

As Lieutenant Crispin moves to follow the orders, Lieutenant Steelwing issues more orders closing the gap behind the six fillies entering the security circle. Twilight Sparkle, leading the line of her new friends, gallops on ahead and towards Fidelitas.

"Ugh, there'd better be a good reason for all this." Rainbow Dash mutters as she and the other four fillies that had come with Twilight Sparkle spread out in the security circle.

Fidelitas sees the smile on Twilight Sparkle's face as the purple filly approaches. The Lieutenant Captain having been Shining Armor's CO for a number of years meant that he had more recognition by the previously-recluse Twilight than most of the others in the service did. He wasn't Shining Armor, or Princess Celestia for that matter, but he didn't think Twilight was going to complain about that.

"You glad to see me?" Fidelitas chuckles as he looks down at the excited Twilight Sparkle.

"You know this stallion, Twilight?" Applejack asks Twilight, turning the attention of Fidelitas to Twilight's friends.

"I do in fact, he's from Canterlot." Twilight looks back to explain. "He commands a whole shift of guards over there!"

"Well, he's very handsome! I'm sure there's some lucky mare in Canterlot glad to have a stallion like you as a special somepony!" Rarity pipes up with a bright smile.

"Actually, I don't really have..." Fidelitas replies to Rarity, him blushing under his helmet as he speaks - devoting himself to his Guard work meant he hadn't taken the time to cultivate any kind of romantic relationships.

"Ugh, can we move on?!" Rainbow Dash exclaims with an eyeroll, focusing all attention on her.

"Rainbow, Rarity's just trying to be nice!" Twilight snips in reply to Rainbow's rude interruption.

"Yeah, Rarity's just trying to be nice!" Pinkie Pie parrots back, earning her a glare from Rainbow in the process.

"But what is he doing here?! Doesn't he have responsibilities in Canterlot or somethin'?" Rainbow exclaims indignantly.

"Ah, I'm sure you're all wondering the answer to that question." Fidelitas gently answers. "That's why I called you all here. As soon as Mayor Mare has finished her other business, I'll explain in the meeting at the town hall."

Within the space of a half-hour, the meeting in question was ready to begin. Gathered in the Ponyville town hall ("the same place where 'Nightmare Moon' first reappeared in Equestria", Twilight Sparkle noted to Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas) in a closed door meeting was Mayor Mare supported by Aide Cherry Fizzy. Also present at the meeting were the six Element Bearers, as the orders of Fidelitas required their presence for the operation, and Lieutenant Crispin's squad of Ponyville Guard members, as they would be more involved in the operation than Lieutenant Steelwing's squad. Steelwing's squad itself acted as security to keep curiosity seekers out.

With all important parties assembled, Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas began laying out "Operation Shield": "As you all may have guessed, the presence of an Ursa Minor, and by extension an Ursa Major, close to a major population center has greatly concerned Princess Celestia. As impressive a display as Miss Twilight Sparkle demonstrated in thwarting the Minor's threat, both myself and Princess Celestia are certain there should not have been need for it in the first place. I have been dispatched with two squads of Royal Guards under my command in 'Operation Shield' - an effort to block easy access to the cave where the Ursas reside."

Fidelitas pauses for a moment, and uses a small table in front of where he is standing to lay out a blueprint. The others in the room crowd around the table to get better look at the blueprint, causing an uncomfortable squeeze among some of them. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash opt for the slightly more practical method of hovering above and behind the others to avoid the squeezing.

"The design here is similar to the customs checkpoints used at the kingdom's borders, but on a smaller scale." Fidelitas continues, pointing a hoof at the blueprint. "The Lieutenants will conduct interviews to determine the best site for the barrier itself, as there is an intended secondary function of an early-alert system of anything coming out of the Everfree Forest."

"As Mayor of this town, I have petitioned the Guard several times for an early-warning system for threats such as an Ursa Minor, but up until this point the petitions have been ignored." Mayor Mare states. "I had hoped it would not take an actual attack, not to mention the return of 'Nightmare Moon', for such petitions to be heard, but it is useless to complain about it now."

Fidelitas nods a bit at Mayor Mare's statement - so many worthwhile and necessary projects invariably got lost in the maze of red tape or sacrificed to meet political needs over in Canterlot. As a member of the Royal Guard, the Lieutenant Captain knew well that sometimes the most dangerous enemy he faced was mounds of paperwork.

"Well said, Mayor." Fidelitas acknowledged. "Once the site is established, the two teams will alternate between construction and supply until the checkpoint is completed. Once the checkpoint is completed, Lieutenant Crispin will take station there as a permanent posting, supported by two members of the Guard from Ponyville on a rotating basis."

"That thing is not gonna stop an Ursa Minor, let alone a Major." Applejack speaks up in objection.

"Stopping things like that is not the point of this operation, deterrence and warning is." Fidelitas answers. "The report I got said that two colts wandered into the Ursas' cave by themselves, which was the immediate cause of the Ursa Minor attack. These kinds of things are what we are striving to prevent. You can't cure stupid, but at least you can take measures to prevent stupid from happening."

"This won't work for pegasi, they'll just be able to fly over it." Rainbow Dash adds in with another objection.

"And... won't it hurt the Ursas?" Fluttershy tentatively adds when attention focuses on Rainbow Dash hovering next to her.

"I don't think we're going to be putting anything right in front of the cave entrance." Fidelitas replies with a reassuring smile in Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's direction. "As for pegasi, what we do is mount cannon on top that are loaded with balls of cloud that are fired at anything that attempts to fly over. If Miss Sparkle does not want to work on the wall directly, I would request her help assembling and mounting the cannon that will be used on the checkpoint."

"I don't see why not, sir." Twilight Sparkle replies with a shy smile.

"Very good. We shall start preliminary work as soon as we determine a good site and construction work once the preliminaries are done." Fidelitas affirms. "Lieutenant Crispin, take Aide Cherry Fizzy with you and start interviews immediately. Mayor Mare, you are free to return to your usual duties. Everypony else is dismissed."

Fidelitas rolls up the blueprint parchment again, and he sees the rest of those in the room begin to work their way out. An eyebrow goes up when he notices Twilight Sparkle is not moving, instead sitting and somewhat awkwardly looking around at the huge room. The Lieutenant Captain has a guess what's troubling her, but decides to wait until everypony else is gone before acting...

As soon as Twilight Sparkle and Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas are alone in the hall, Fidelitas sees Twilight change into what he called "the uncertain filly" - that insecure, unsure look that often appeared whenever she was uneasy or restless about something. Not for the first time did Fidelitas note that it was paradoxical that one of the most powerful unicorns ever foaled in the history of Equestria was also one of the least confident in themselves.

Fidelitas responds with a smile toward Twilight's sidelong, almost-guilty glance in his direction. He lays down and uses his unicorn magic to levitate off his helmet, a red-orange mane spilling out against the Lieutenant Captain's forest green coat. Technically, what he was doing was considered "unbecoming to an officer", but most of the time in the past when he had dealt with Twilight nopony else seemed to make too much of a point of it.

The next few moments pass in silence, each seeming to wait for the other to speak first. Twilight breaks it when it starts getting really awkward: "B.B.B.F.F... he hasn't sent me a letter in weeks. I'm worried."

"I thought it might've been about that when I saw that look on your face." Fidelitas quietly replies. "He's fine, but he's been very busy. He's been giving 120% for Princess Luna - I just don't think at the end of his shift he has the energy to write you a letter. You know how important what he's doing is not just for the princesses, but for the future of all Equestria."

Twilight Sparkle quietly looks away from Fidelitas with a pained expression, causing the stallion to once again stand up and walk over next to Twilight. When Twilight again looks at Fidelitas, the stallion continues on: "We all have our own sacrifices to make for the good of our fellow Equestrians. Princess Celestia wants no less of us. We have to trust she knows what she's doing having you here and your brother with Princess Luna in Canterlot."

"It doesn't make me feel any better about it." Twilight replies with brutal honesty, her eyes misting up as she speaks.

"I know it doesn't. Don't think I don't know because I don't have a younger sister of my own." Fidelitas answers somberly, and when Twilight turns to look at him in confusion his expression is very downcast indeed.

"So that you understand, I'm going to tell you something now that only myself and your brother know." the stallion continues with a sad look in his eyes. "I didn't believe in the thousand year old legend of 'Nightmare Moon', and most of the time I've served in Canterlot I wondered why the princess had me there. Then the return happened, just like the prophecy said, and Canterlot was swallowed in darkness that seemed to snuff out even hope. On alert in that darkness, I understood that not only was the legend true, but that behind it was something terrible and horrible and tragic, something that never should've happened. I think you understood this once Celestia told you who that blue alicorn not much bigger than yourself splayed out before you really was."

Twilight somberly nods in affirmation before speaking: "I can't... I can't imagine myself ever wanting to hurt... hurt Cadance like that. Or B.B.B.F.F. like that. They're two of the best ponies I've ever known!"

"And I'm sure Princess Luna said that about her older sister once upon a time, but we all know now what happened those thousand years ago." Fidelitas answers. "Friendship is magic, and so is the bond between siblings, even if those siblings didn't come from the same mother. But they can't solve everything. There's other things your brother is fighting for back in Canterlot, other virtues we all need to fight for wherever we are, if we want to prevent that kind of evil from happening again. I know it may not make you feel any better, but maybe it can help you understand."

"I do understand, but it still hurts inside." Twilight replies again, looking down and apparently fighting back letting tears slipping down her face.

"Do you want a hug? I know I'm a poor substitute for your big brother, but maybe it'll help..." Fidelitas trails off, his expression turning into a shy smile.

"I would... appreciate it..." Twilight answers, and that's all Fidelitas needs to shift into sitting on his haunches and spreading his forelegs apart so that Twilight can walk into the hug.

After a moment's hesitation, Twilight does indeed approach to receive the hug Fidelitas gives. In that hug, Fidelitas is reassured that even if he is never the "star of the show" in saving Equestria, just being able to support those who are is satisfying enough to make all the sacrifice worth it...

The Challenge

The Everfree Forest holds many secrets, some better kept than others. One of those secrets was what Agents of Chaos P1 and P2 grandiosely called "Fort Chaos", their hideout while on assignment in Ponyville.

Because of the necessity of needing to operate relatively undetected, the two Agents of Chaos did not take up residence in Ponyville itself but decided to locate a hideout close enough for easy access to the town while also being well hidden at the same time. The Everfree Forest, despite the unease it caused, was the obvious place for the Agents to hide.

The structure itself was known to exist, but was not of much interest. Considering its stone construction, its design resembling depictions of old military structures and its location within sight of the Castle of the Two Sisters it was speculated to have once been a military checkpoint guarding a route to the old castle - when Princess Celestia abandoned the Castle of the Two Sisters, this structure was swallowed by the Everfree Forest along with the castle and fell into ruin.

Shortly after being assigned to Ponyville, Agents P1 and P2 took advantage of the books of the Golden Oak Library (careful not to make it too obvious to Twilight Sparkle and Spike what they were doing) to find out about the structure, and occupied it as soon as they recognized that nopony would expose them. Interestingly, it showed signs of having recently been occupied by somepony else for some time - definitely an equine of some stripe, albeit one that liked to paw the ground a lot and bring in strange smelling flowers judging from their investigations. This encouraged them to improvise a crude alarm system and keep constant watch for intruders when not working in Ponyville.

It was in this watch capacity Agent P2 was acting now as he waited for the return of his partner, who had traveled into town in disguise to purchase some supplies. Agent P1 was flying just above the ground, both to avoid leaving an obvious trail of hoofprints and to reduce the chance of setting off the alarm system accidentally. As P2 sees P1 come in, he moves from his watchpost to direct P1's approach in order to avoid setting off the alarm system as he comes in for a landing.

"Man, these bags are heavy." Agent P1 puffs out as he sets down in front of P2 at the door to "Fort Chaos".

"Nothing to be seen except some of the native bugs. Did you get any more information from Agent Snake?" Agent P2 asks as he helps his partner remove the saddlebag he had carried the supplies in.

"Affirmative. He sent direct orders to disrupt the operation in town and rile up the Ursas 'if it can be done without serious risk to life or limb'." P1 answers.

"I don't think there would be a way to do that without risking life and limb." P2 replies with concern.

"Nah, I think we can just settle for sabotaging the project. Besides, I already had a plan even before I got the formal notice. We execute it tonight." P1 affirms.

"What kind of sabotage are we talking about?"

"You'll see. It'll be fun, trust me."

MEANWHILE IN CANTERLOT...

"Lieutenant Supercell, Lieutenant Tempest, you're with me. The rest of you make sure to get those transfer requests in, the more the better! I want to see the Captain's desk swamped with them, you understand me?" Lieutenant Captain Aten speaks in the debriefing room to the pegasi Lieutenants arrayed before him.

"Yes sir!" the Lieutenants arrayed before Aten replied, half dozen or so moving and speaking in ego-stroking synchrony.

These Lieutenants, all pegasi and members of the morning shift, were hailed by Aten and his supporters as "most loyal servants of a noble cause" and degraded by Aten's detractors as "lackeys" (among other things). Aten essentially controlled the morning shift through them, using their choleric personalities to keep the other Lieutenants and the lower ranks in line with his "affirmative action" policy, as well as carry out what was generally referred to as "shenanigans".

Aten getting news of having to pull double shifts had greatly irritated him, as he believed the regulations that prevented Shining Armor from pulling double was an excuse to show even more favoritism toward the unicorn. Thus the "shenanigan" Aten had in mind, namely ordering his Lieutenants to put in so many different transfer requests for different ponies between the morning and afternoon shifts (which only needed Aten's and Captain Gibraltar's sign off while Aten temporarily controlled the afternoon shift) so as to clog the bureaucratic machinery with paperwork. In order to unclog the works, Gibraltar would have to deny most or all of the requests, which then Aten would use as "evidence" of unfair treatment of pegasi.

Another "shenanigan" Aten had in mind is what he needed the two Lieutenants for - the Lieutenants would act as backup for a direct attack on Shining Armor. Comparing his ability to that of his younger sister was always a good route to get metaphorical shots in, and he decided to strike while the iron was still hot.

"Are we going to mess up Celestia's favorite?" Lieutenant Tempest asks Aten eagerly as the three pegasi travel toward Shining's quarters.

"Not mess him up directly, just put him in a very uncomfortable situation." Aten explains to the eagerly listening Lieutenants. "Another attempt to make him feel inferior to his overpowered little sister."

"It didn't work the last time you tried that tactic!" Lieutenant Supercell points out.

"We weren't thinking big enough last time. This time, it'll be big enough." Aten replies, an evil grin spreading across his face...

"Aten, I know you've had a long day, but I just got up. I haven't had a chance to get to the reports yet." Shining calmly tries to explain to the escorted Aten when the latter knocks on the door to his quarters.

"I'm not here about the reports, Shining Armor." Aten replies in a condescending tone.

"You're not?" Shining asks in confusion, taking a sip of coffee from the mug he was levitating beside him after speaking.

"No. I've recently heard of your sister's impressive performance in Ponyville against the Ursa Minor, and am convinced that you are capable of similar displays of power." Aten answers in what seems to be rehearsed tone, prompting Shining to do a "this again?" eyeroll before taking another sip of coffee.

Aten was undeterred, however, and continued on: "I therefore challenge you to make a shield big enough to cover all of Canterlot! Not just the castle, but every building in the city! Then, and only then, will I be convinced of your superiority."

Shining Armor just chuckles at Aten's speechifying. He knew Aten would not change his mind even if he could bring "eternal night" like Princess Luna had tried to do. Like at previous times, he just wrote it off as more of Aten's usual bluster.

"You may laugh now, but in a few days we'll see who is laughing Shining Armor!" Aten challenges, giving a glare back as he begins to leave, his escort joining him in the glaring.

"That pegasus is messed up in the head. Shield covering all of Canterlot indeed!" Shining thought to himself, chuckling as he took another sip of coffee...

Shining Stars

"What is the status of Princess Luna, Guard?"

"Currently being groomed by her staff in her bathroom, Lieutenant Captain. She has informed us you are allowed access."

"Understood, open the doors."

"Yes, sir."

Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor, still getting a chuckle of amusement regarding Aten's "challenge", passes between the two guards and through the opened doors into Princess Luna's royal suite. He knew that he had a little time to wait considering the rigor and precision of the royal grooming protocol, so he decides to do a quick once-over of the room.

Shining hears the doors close behind him as he looks around at the decoration of the room, best described as "perpetual Nightmare Night party". He had heard rumors that only bat ponies could ever be fully comfortable in such an environment, and even he had to admit it wasn't just because most Guard members were still wary of being assigned anywhere near Luna.

Shining sniffs a mixture of freshly brewed coffee - Luna had very quickly become as much as caffeine addict as her sister and most in Guard service were - and blackberries from a scented candle burning in the corner as he begins his pass around the room. After passing the gently percolating coffee maker at its station, his first stop is the stereo system with CDs neatly stacked beside it.

Princess Luna had acquired an unusual mixed taste in music, as evidenced by the CDs in the stacks. Some were the pony equivalent to what humans called "Gregorian chanting" and some were ballads, both of which reminded Luna of the kind of music she had enjoyed before her thousand-year exile. Some were classical music, which Luna admired for its beauty and elegance. Some were the popular music of Shining's teenage years, the scratched and oft-played CDs still generating enough curiosity for him to donate them to her collection. Finally, there were a few "heavy metal" CDs in the mix, which Luna insisted were for "practice" - this invariably generated very strange looks from anypony that didn't already know about the "Royal Canterlot Voice" and a great deal of amusement from those that did know.

Next to be inspected was the donated Neightendo Pony Entertainment System and game collection, which Shining Armor noticed had grown by a few new cartridges since the last time he checked - he chalked that up to Gaffer and 8-Bit, both of whom were now Upper Classes serving on the afternoon shift, trying to earn "brownie points" with Princess Luna by donating the cartridges. He was about to continue on when he noticed a distressing sight - the evidence of the previous night's binge gaming session was still laying around on the floor! Making a mental note to report the performance failure to the Captain, Shining began stowing away the half-eaten snack bags and half-empty bottles of soda, but was interrupted by the sound of an opening door nearby.

Shining Armor turns to look at the source of the sound, which is the door into the bathroom of the suite. Two bat pony mares - part of Princess Luna's retaining service - emerge first, carrying with them the equipment and supplies used for the royal grooming. Then emerges Luna herself, stepping with practiced precision and regality and giving a gentle smile in Shining's direction.

Shining was pleased to notice less rigidity in Luna's movements, a sign of progress in Luna's efforts to find a balance between regality and accessibility similar to the one Princess Celestia had learned ever since shedding the "unapproachable ruler" image. This was not just an effort to help Luna play catch up to her sister, but to make it easier for her to form friendships. Like with so many things, Luna hid her insecurities behind rigid adherence to protocol, so this evidence of relaxing was a good sign indeed.

"Greetings, Lieutenant Captain." Princess Luna gently states to Shining Armor, who's expression is still somewhat spellbound by her beauty - frequently looking at the other alicorn princess did not reduce his appreciation for their appearance, after all.

"Pardon, Your Majesty, I just was not certain if the stars twinkling in your mane and tail were real or a product of the grooming procedure." Shining replies, blushing a bit as he speaks.

"Oh they are very much real Lieutenant Captain, the first sign in fact." Luna explains, her tone a cryptic excitement.

"'The first sign'?" Shining Armor asks as his expression changes to puzzlement.

Luna swishes her tail and flips her mane back as she answers: "The first sign of our powers returning. Both our sister and ourself had manes and tails of a single solid color in our youth. Our sister's mane and tail changed from solid pink to the rainbow you see now, while ours darkened and became populated with stars. Being reborn with such a low power level, we took on a much younger appearance than we would otherwise be. The stars mean the powers are beginning to return."

"Well that's wonderful... isn't it?" Shining asks with a tentative smile.

"Indeed. We cannot wait to share this news with the rest of Canterlot." Luna answers, her smile broadening into genuine joy.

"We can start with the planning meeting for the Oubliettes & Ogres club. This needs to get cleaned up first, don't know why the morning shift didn't do it..." Shining mutters out, looking somewhat agitated as he tries to continue the pick up job he had started.

"That is a fault of ours. We have been too touchy about items being moved while we are asleep. Please do inform the staff they are allowed to clean up the bags and bottles as appropriate." Luna states.

"I certainly will, at the end of the shift..." Shining answers, looking left and right as he tries to see if he missed anything. A second later, there is a "squish" noise and Luna bursts out into giggles - obviously, he had missed something.

Shining makes a mortified face as he looks back at his right hind leg, Luna's giggles continuing on. A sigh escapes his lips as he realizes he accidentally stepped in a half-eaten cheesecake that had been left on the floor, which meant he now needed to wash off what got on his leg and the armor shoe he wore on that hoof.

"Excuse me Your Majesty, I'll need a few minutes to wash this off." Shining states in a deadpan tone as he tries to leave with an awkward three-legged hopping motion, hoping against hope he wouldn't get spotted on the way to the bathroom.

"Take your time, Lieutenant Captain." Luna replies graciously, the giggling continuing on as she watches Shining's awkward exit...

Roles and Promises

"Are you absolutely sure you're not interested in joining us, Lieutenant?" Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor asks Stratocumulus as the two of them escort Princess Luna to the planning meeting of the Guard Oubliettes and Ogres Club.

"With all due respect, sir, that kind of game does not appeal to me." Stratocumulus replies. "I've had to keep telling that to the other Pegasus Lieutenant who seems so eager to recruit me into this venture."

"Lieutenant Aldebaran? Well, he has very personal reasons for joining in this endeavour. I would explain them to you, Lieutenant, but I'm sure the Princess would rather hear about it firsthoof." Shining Armor explains.

"Indeed we do." Princess Luna states. "An officer of the Guard devoted as he is to service at night was a rarity in the time before our exile, let alone the present day. The Lieutenant Captain informed us he is the longest serving officer currently on the Canterlot night shift."

"There have always been a few Lieutenants serving in the night shift to help the newer Guards learn the drill around the castle, but they generally opt to transfer to a different shift first chance they get. Aldebaran proved to be one of the few exceptions, so he knows the night shift better than any Guard in Canterlot. He's been kept so busy with training and assisting those shuffled into the night shift that it's only now has he had enough free time to do something like this." Shining Armor explains both to Stratocumulus and Princess Luna.

"Well, I wish him the best of luck. Lieutenant Captain Aten really seems to hate on him for some reason, despite the fact that they're both pegasi and from the same Academy class." Stratocumulus comments.

"I don't know what Aten's deal is, but he's definitely not right in the head." Shining seriously states, his face having a grim look.

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

"Her Highness is approaching!" Lieutenant Stratocumulus shouts into the small room in which the planning meeting would take place. This was protocol for royal escorts, as it gave warning for any Lower Class Guards, who were forbidden by regulation (barring special exemptions) to be in the same room as a princess, to clear out as quickly as they could.

The warning was entirely unnecessary in this case, however, as there were no Lower Classes present in the meeting room. Besides Princess Luna and Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor, the Oubliettes and Ogres Club would have four other members, all of which were present in the room currently. One was the aforementioned Lieutenant Aldebaran, a pegasus stallion of dark orange coat, snow white mane and deep green eyes. Two others were Gaffer, a unicorn stallion with a distinctive "painted" coat, and 8-Bit, a pegasus stallion with a brownish-grey coat - both of them were old friends of Shining Armor who followed him into Guard service and were now afternoon shift Upper Classes. Rounding out the roster was Guard Upper Class Buck Withers, a night-shifter earth pony with a very distinctive jawline and purple-grey coat, styling himself as a "repentant jerk jock" and having joined the club to reconcile with Shining and his friends.

Princess Luna and Shining Armor enter the room side-by-side, causing the other stallions already inside to line up and salute at attention. Lieutenant Stratocumulus takes leave to his regular duties while Shining gives a quick look over of the other stallions, which were required to wear their Guard armor as they were technically on-duty while in the meeting.

"At ease." Shining finally says, prompting a shift of stance and relieved sigh among the other stallions.

"We have already been introduced to the Upper Class Buck Withers, so we shall proceed straight to the Lieutenant Captain's two old friends." Luna states.

"The unicorn is Gaffer, the pegasus is 8-Bit. Both are Upper Classes in the afternoon shift currently." Shining Armor explains as his two old friends step forward, both of them giving a brief bow before returning to the upright position.

"We greet thee both most eagerly. It is of great benefit to you both to have befriended such a noble and virtuous stallion as the Lieutenant Captain." Luna gracefully speaks to the two stallions.

"We are just excited to roleplay with the princess of the night." Gaffer replies, and 8-Bit nods with a huge grin in affirmation.

"I only wish Gizmo was here, then it would be like the old days." 8-Bit adds after a moment.

"I actually got a letter from him a few weeks after Twily moved into Ponyville." Shining Armor comments. "He lives there now, didn't go into the service but he does have a trading stall in their main square. He sees Twily around sometimes, and goes to the library she lives in now. He's also tried to get a Oubliettes and Ogres club started in Ponyville, but so far Twily's the only one that's been interested."

"We hope that will soon change. It is royal responsibility to be the starter of fashions." Princess Luna states.

"I think the word Your Majesty is looking for is 'trendsetter'." Shining Armor suggests as the other stallions suppress chuckles at Luna's archaic vocabulary.

"Trend...setter." Luna slowly repeats, chewing on the word as if it was an unfamiliar food. Again, chuckles have to be suppressed at the facial expressions Luna makes as she ponders the new word.

"Ah well, we are still learning the vocabulary of the times we have found ourselves in." Luna finally says to the assembled stallions, which seems to be admission enough that her recovery is still very much a work in progress.

"But what of you, Lieutenant? We have been told you have been kept occupied in training and mentoring for the expanded night shift, which is why you have not been able to join in any activities with myself or the Lieutenant Captain?" Luna continues after a moment, turning toward Lieutenant Aldebaran.

"That is correct, Your Majesty." the pegasus Lieutenant replies. "As I'm sure your sister has made you aware, your arrival in Canterlot necessitated a dramatic and sudden expansion of the night shift. As the seniormost officer present on the shift before the expansion took place, I was obligated by Captain Gibraltar to conduct the training of the new Lieutenants for the adjustment period. The activities of the Agents of Chaos additionally caused turnover that compounded the problems."

"We see." Princess Luna affirms. "But you are an exception to the general rule of those serving on the night shift during our time of exile. You have stayed there almost your entire Guard career to date while most of your fellow officers transfer to other shifts eagerly. We are curious as to why this is, Lieutenant."

"Well, Your Majesty, this is something very personal to me, you understand. My grandfather is Emerald Wishes, one of those that believed like the Thestrals did even though he was an earth pony." Lieutenant Aldebaran explains.

Princess Luna gives the pegasus Lieutenant a look that mixes surprise and skepticism, then looks over at Shining Armor with a confused look. Shining just smiles back at Luna's confusion.

"Trust me Your Majesty, I wasn't inclined to believe him either, but I looked up his service record." Shining Armor graciously replies. "Two generations ago, there was an earth pony stallion named Emerald Wishes who raised quite a ruckus to Princess Celestia about your return. Petitions, rallies, formal meetings... you name it, he did it! Celestia never really punished him or made any effort to suppress his actions. It makes sense now, but of course then it was a complete mystery."

"Of course, of course it would have been." Luna comments, nodding with a curious look on her face as she gives Aldebaran a better look over.

"He married a mare named Winter Blossom, and their colt - the Lieutenant's father - was one of the lead figures on the night shift for most of his Guard career. Doubtless the Lieutenant intended to follow in those hoofsteps, but circumstances have placed him otherwise." Shining Armor adds.

"... And what of the elder stallions?" Luna asks after a moment, to nopony in particular.

"My father retired from the service a few years ago." Aldebaran answers. "My grandparents... they are still alive, but in frail health considering their age. I got a letter from them saying that Emerald Wishes was dancing like a little colt when he heard the news of the triumph of the Element Bearers. That does not change the fact, Your Majesty, that they may not be much longer for this world."

"And you would like us to visit them while they are still alive?" Luna asks, picking up on what the Lieutenant was implying.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It is only right my grandfather see his hopes fulfilled with his own eyes before they close forever." Aldebaran quietly answers, his expression changing to an almost pleading look.

For the first time since entering the room, Luna breaks into a smile of her own before her next words: "We will visit them, we promise Lieutenant. It is only right we should do so, for their sake."

MEANWHILE, AT 'FORT CHAOS'...

"Agent P2, we will go over the checklist one more time before departing for Ponyville."

"Affirmative, P1."

"Disguises?"

"Check."

"Bribe money?"

"Check."

"Plan B chloroform?"

"Check."

"Firebombs?"

"Check."

"Disassembly and destruction kit?"

"... Oof, heavy!"

"Then I say we're ready to undertake some sabotage!"

"Check!... Ugh, a little help here?"

Author's Note

This chapter was inspired primarily by two other stories: Moon2587's "Welcome home, Princess Luna" (Emerald Wishes and Winter Blossom are OCs of that author and used with permission) and Prak's "Roll for Initiative" (particularly the last two chapters with the concept of Luna being a tabletop gamer - I'm hoping to make this plotline a sort-of prequel to that story :twilightsmile: )

Wings of Chaos

IN PONYVILLE...

"P2, did you get the guard neutralized?"

"Yes P1, but I had to use the chloroform because the bribe didn't work."

"Just as I thought. It'll have to do, I suppose."

"So what's next?"

"Take a few firebombs, drop them in the town square. That'll distract the Element Bearers and the Guards currently here. I'll start on those cannons with the disassembly kit. Don't wait for me, head back to Fort Chaos as soon as you think the coast is clear."

"Gotcha. See you in an hour or two, hopefully..."

MEANWHILE, IN CANTERLOT...

It was rare for a griffon to be seen flying spotlighted over Canterlot. It was rarer still for a Wonderbolt to be putting said griffon through the paces of flying exercises. But nevertheless that was exactly what a few lucky ponies were witnessing at that moment.

"That's an amazing performance for someone who was never allowed to fly before." Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor comments to Lieutenant Vesper as the two watch Lead Wingpony Soarin' of the Wonderbolts put Excelsior, a griffon defector given a provisional Guard Upper Class ranking, through a series of basic flight moves.

"A natural, I agree sir." Vesper replies, looking leftward at Shining Armor, who had arrived to check on Excelsior's training progress after finishing the Oubliettes and Ogres club meeting.

Shining turns to face Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire, standing to his right and with a great deal of fatigue in her expression. To Spitfire's right was Second Lead Wingpony Misty Fly (#3 in the organization), who was sitting on her haunches and balancing a clipboard on her forehooves; a pencil was also being held in her mouth and she was dutifully using it to write on the sheet attached on the clipboard.

"What's the matter? I thought you would be happy about this." Shining Armor says to Spitfire.

Spitfire gives an annoyed look at Shining Armor as she gives her reply: "If I had not been ordered to train him by Princess Celestia herself, I would not be here watching this. And may I remind you, Lieutenant Captain, you are still speaking to a senior officer!"

"Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am." Shining Armor states, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Having the Wonderbolts Captain equal in power and authority to the Captain of the Guard was considered by most non-pegasi members of the Royal Guard to be a big mistake, but all attempts to "correct" the situation ran headlong into howling indignation of pegasi who insisted that the Wonderbolts were just as much as part of their legacy as the E.U.P. Guard.

"Do you think Excelsior is ready for active duty?" Shining turns to ask Lieutenant Vesper while Soarin' leads Excelsior in a slow descent into the plaza where the others were watching.

"Oh yes, absolutely sir." Vesper answers.

"Good. We'll put him on formal duty as soon as Fidelitas gets back. I know Aten doesn't like him, and would raise too much stink for the Captain to touch the subject while Fidelitas is gone." Shining Armor affirms.

"Feh, I don't blame you for not wanting to involve that pegasus." Captain Spitfire interjects, her face contorting into a scowl. "He's one of the greatest cads ever to serve in the Guard! Why does Celestia even put up with him?"

"Are you sure it's not just your past experience talking, Captain?" Shining Armor suggests.

"Lieutenant Captain, I have had a very long day and would rather not talk about the subject anymore. Please let's just focus on the topic at hoof." Spitfire replies.

"Yes ma'am."

The stormy professional relationship between Captain Spitfire and Lieutenant Captain Aten was a reflection of the decisions made by both ponies after Aten took lead of the "pegasus affirmative action" campaign. Spitfire initially wanted nothing to do with the whole business, but when she and the other Wonderbolts came under criticism for not supporting "true pegasi" she reluctantly declared support for Aten's campaign. Very quickly, it became obvious that this action was a mistake.

The criticism that the Wonderbolts got from non-pegasi Equestrians proved far worse than the criticism they got from pegasi, and scattered threats of boycotts of Wonderbolt shows forced Spitfire to recant her support for Aten. This in turn provoked Aten's "faction" to call the Wonderbolts "second-rate pegasi" and demanded Spitfire resign as the leader of the Wonderbolts. During these calls, Aten invoked the old pegasi tradition of "air dueling" for the position of Wonderbolt Captain. Spitfire won the subsequent contest, allowing her to keep her position but at the expense of opening a permanent rift between the Wonderbolts and Aten's supporters.

The net result was that Spitfire and the Wonderbolts were left in a precarious neutrality, unwilling to directly denounce Aten's campaign but also unwilling to stand with his opponents. It didn't help that a "spotless" public image so essential for drawing in young pegasi like Rainbow Dash had to be maintained if there was to be any hope for the future. However, Shining Armor's work in helping Luna was slowly nudging Spitfire and the Wonderbolts out of that neutrality.

Spitfire thought that, although she agreed that Shining Armor was in his position more because of connections than talent, the excessive criticism of him by Aten and his supporters was both futile and dangerous. The fact this criticism continued after Shining's assignment to help Luna convinced Spitfire that Aten had motives beyond getting rid of Shining, and had pushed her to the point where she was ready to denounce Aten.

What Spitfire was unaware of was that there would be a price to pay for taking the stand she was going to take. The "enemy within" had planted one of their own in Wonderbolt ranks, intending to destroy the group from within - Misty Fly was not just #3 within the Wonderbolts, but Agent 8 in the Agents of Chaos. Agent Snake had recently activated her, with the ultimate objective to either take over the organization or tear it apart by tapping the resentment against Shining Armor...

Shining Armor and Vesper moved doubletime to where Soarin' and Excelsior had set down. Soarin' passed by them with a salute as he went to give his report to Spitfire, while Excelsior saluted when Shining Armor and Vesper stopped in front of him.

"Very impressive performance. The Lieutenant here has stated you are ready for active duty. You will receive further orders from him when the details have been worked out." Shining Armor says to the griffin.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir!" Excelsior gives in deep, rumbling reply, his expression mixing jubilation and tiredness from his recent efforts.

"It's really Princess Celestia you should be thanking, Guard. I think Lieutenant Vesper can take it from here."

"Yes, sir. Follow me, Guard, we're going back into regular duty." the bat pony Lieutenant states, and with that both the Lieutenant and Excelsior take their leave back to their regular duties.

Shining Armor then turns and returns to where Spitfire had been, the Wonderbolt Captain now in conversation with her top two subordinates. The unicorn stallion doesn't have an immediate chance to jump into the conversation, so patiently waits for an opening.

When there is a pause, Shining jumps in: "Captain, the Lieutenant and I believe Excelsior is ready for regular duty and won't need any more training."

"Very good, very good. If you're done, Lieutenant Captain, I can finish up here." Spitfire replies in a somewhat distracted manner.

"Yes, Captain." Shining Armor answers before taking leave to his other duties.

"Now where was I...?" Spitfire asks as she turns her attention back to Misty Fly.

"The performance report, ma'am." Misty Fly states in deadpan as she looks over the sheet on her clipboard.

"Oh yes! Soarin' and I are turning in for the night, Misty. Finish up that report and turn it in at Tight Ship's office." Spitfire orders.

"Yes, ma'am." Misty Fly replies as she takes pencil up again in her mouth.

Misty kept writing on the performance report until she saw Spitfire and Soarin' disappear from her peripheral view, then abruptly stopped. She looked all around to make sure nopony else was watching, then slipped into a nook in a wall of the courtyard she was in, carrying the pencil in her mouth and clipboard in the "crook" of one of her forelegs.

Once hidden out of sight but still getting moonlight to write with, she flipped over the performance report on the clipboard to reveal a blank sheet underneath which she began writing on. The writing was encoded in the cypher used by the Agents of Chaos, intended for delivery to Agent Snake in the morning, and rendered in plaintext went as follows:

"To Agent Snake,
Fire Captain is clueless. Will initiate Operation Showpony with Chaos faction in morning. Other Agents must protect operation.
- Agent 8"

The secret note and performance report complete, Misty Fly too exits the otherwise empty courtyard, the intentions of the Agents of Chaos safely concealed...

Raise that Wall!

"Geez, that looks like one of those stupid-hard jigsaw puzzles where every piece is the same color!"

"Shhh! She's trying to concentrate!"

"Well excuse me, Mr. '#1 Assistant'! Who died and made you a princess?"

"Rainbow Dash, don't you have better things to do than argue right now?" Rarity interjects as she and Lieutenant Crispin approach the scene where Rainbow Dash is arguing with Spike. Rainbow doesn't respond verbally, but with a glare instead.

Behind Rainbow Dash and Spike is Twilight Sparkle, looking back and forth from the array of disassembled and damaged metal parts in front of her and a thick book to one side. Some parts were assembled into a short tower of sorts. Twilight is seen using her unicorn magic to pick up a part, turn it over in different configurations in mid-air and reference a page in the book, all while maintaining a look of intense concentration on her face.

"It's a good thing we found one of those manuals in that library, otherwise putting the cloud cannon back together would've been a hopeless task." Lieutenant Crispin comments about the scene. "We'll still need some new parts shipped from Canterlot though, some of the damage was beyond repair."

"That stinks! We don't even know who wanted to blow that thing apart!" Rainbow Dash exclaims.

"Or even why they would want to blow it apart." Rarity adds.

"Yes, it is rather unfortunate we have no idea who did the attack last night. No ponies got hurt, but still..." Lieutenant Crispin comments, trailing off as he looks over at Twilight working.

"You aren't gonna pack up and leave, are ya?" Rainbow Dash asks the Guard Lieutenant.

"Oh no, your friend Pinkie Pie very graciously donated use of her... 'party cannon', she called it?" Crispin answers.

"Yes, that's what she calls it." Rarity affirms.

"What's the deal with that thing anyway?" Spike interjects with a question, scratching his head in confusion.

"Don't ask us, Spike. We don't know either. She's just weird that way." Rainbow Dash answers with a shrug.

"Yes, well anyway the Lieutenant Captain is grateful for her help as well as that of Twilight Sparkle's." Crispin explains.

"I'm sure there's other ways we can help." Rarity states.

"'We'? What do you mean 'we'?" Rainbow Dash fires back with a glare at Rarity.

"Rainbow Dash, the only one of our group that isn't helping some way besides you is Applejack, and that's because she has farm chores. It's not like you can't do cloud clearing and help in some way at the same time." Rarity indignantly explains.

"Fine, you want me to help watch from the skies?" Rainbow Dash asks Lieutenant Crispin.

"Yes, you can report to Lieutenant Steelwing. He'll find something for you to do, just like he did for Fluttershy." Crispin answers.

"I'm amazed you got her to do anything at all with this. I assumed she would be too scared about the whole thing." Rarity comments.

"Well, it's very simple ma'am." Crispin explains. "We just asked her to watch to see if the Ursas were to come out of the cave while we were building the wall. She doesn't have to go in or anything, just watch."

"I understand. And please, sir, 'Miss Rarity' will do just fine. Save the 'ma'ams' for Applejack." Rarity gently corrects with a smile.

"Of course, Miss Rarity. And I promise to pass along the suggestions for new armor designs you proposed to Princess Celestia." Crispin affirms.

Rarity quickly feels the questioning stares of both Spike and Rainbow Dash on her regarding the 'new armor designs' comment. Doubtless Rarity was a fashion critic, but both of them found it hard to believe she would go THAT far.

"Don't look at me like that! Those armor designs are terribly out of fashion, you know." Rarity replies with an indignant tone of voice before turning away and beginning to walk back to her boutique.

There is surprised silence for a moment after Rarity starts away, and then Spike and Rainbow Dash share a sigh and eyeroll.

"Hey, I think I got something!" Twilight Sparkle says from behind the whole scene. Spike, Rainbow Dash and Lieutenant Crispin turn to look at a precariously balanced tower of connected parts - that promptly collapse back into a pile as soon as attention is focused on it.

"Or maybe not..." Twilight continues, looking back at those watching her with a nervous grin.

MEANWHILE, IN CANTERLOT...

"Lieutenant Tempest, Lieutenant Captain Aten will protect us?" Misty Fly asks the armored pegasus Lieutenant.

"Yes, Misty Fly. You will have free reign until the end of the afternoon shift." the Lieutenant affirms.

"I will address the group then. Come with me." Misty Fly continues, and the Lieutenant escorts her out to where some of the other Wonderbolts were waiting.

Misty Fly was determined to undercut Captain Spitfire's control of the Wonderbolts. Consistent underperformance against Fleetfoot and Surprise put Misty's 3rd place position in the organization in jeopardy, and as soon as Spitfire came out against Aten she would use the excuse of "undue influence by him" to put Fleetfoot or Surprise in Misty's place. Misty, therefore, decided to strike first by helping in Aten's "shenanigans".

There were currently twelve Wonderbolts in total, presenting a united front in public but divided into two roughly equal "factions" behind-the-scenes. Spitfire's "faction" included her second-in-command Soarin', the aforementioned Fleetfoot and Surprise as well as Blaze and Rapidfire; all were higher ranked or relatively neutral on Aten's "affirmative action" policy. Misty Fly's "faction" consisted of the lower-ranked members - Lightning Streak, Wave Chill, Fire Streak, High Winds and Silver Lining - which either supported Aten or simply did not like Spitfire's leadership.

Misty would only address and use the members of her "faction" for the operation now. Aten's cooperation and Misty's careful shaping of the situation would keep anypony which could've interrupted the operation from learning about it until it was too late. It would also give the implication that Spitfire supported Aten's challenge to Shining Armor, which was not only completely untrue but designed to cause tension between Spitfire and most of the senior officers of the Royal Guard - a surefire way to weaken Spitfire's authority and keep her from exerting much influence outside her own command. A very unwitting Spitfire was about to become a means to fracture both the Royal Guard and Wonderbolts, with what proved to be dire consequences for both organizations...

The waiting Wonderbolts - Misty Fly's "faction" exclusively - salute both Misty Fly and Lieutenant Tempest as they enter the room where they have been assembled.

"Greetings fellow Wonderbolts. You may notice that not everypony, particularly Spitfire and Soarin', are here." Misty Fly gamely begins. "You have been specifically selected for a special assignment, and this selection was done without the knowledge or participation of the Captain or her second-in-command."

The other Wonderbolts exchange confused glances and quiet statements of surprise, and Misty Fly waits for them to subside before continuing on: "During the long night which accompanied the return of 'Nightmare Moon', Captain Spitfire vowed in front of us all to never surrender to that alicorn. Now though she intends to break that oath by allying with the night shift commander and turning against a fellow pegasus. The lackey named Soarin' will not speak out against her. Fleetfoot and Surprise, favorites of the Captain, will not speak out either, and soon one of them will replace me if nothing is done to change the situation. This is a matter of honor and not betraying a fellow winged one in high places, Wonderbolts!"

Most of Misty's faction were stallions, and she could see their indignation of the thought of betraying a fellow pegasus rising to the surface as she spoke. They were convinced that whatever Aten's faults might've been he had to be supported because nopony that wasn't a pegasus would support him, and the "horned ones" would drive him from his position. Misty's artful twisting of Spitfire's previous words, which all the Wonderbolts had heard when they stood united in the darkness created by "Nightmare Moon", was all it took to get them to follow along with what she wanted.

Both Misty Fly and Lieutenant Tempest smirked at the indignant exclamations of the Wonderbolts in front of them after Misty fell silent again. Everything was going according to plan.

"Now you are wondering how to change the situation, fellow Wonderbolts." Misty Fly continues on. "Lieutenant Captain Aten has challenged Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor to cover all of Canterlot in a shield. We are to make sure the challenge is not forgotten or blown off. We are also to make sure it looks like Spitfire is supportive of the challenge. The Lieutenant here will provide posters which you are to distribute throughout the castle - Aten will protect you from interference while you work. Line up and receive your assignments from the Lieutenant, then make both wing and hoof speedy in the distribution. Good luck, fellow Wonderbolts!"

When Misty Fly falls silent again, she sees the lower-ranked Wonderbolts line up to obtain their allotment of posters, and the grin on her face spreads wide. Agent Snake would be most pleased, indeed...

Boiling Point

For all the drama surrounding getting construction started, the actual start of construction for "Operation Shield" was anticlimactic in comparison. Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas set up Lieutenant Crispin in charge of actual construction work while Lieutenant Steelwing supervised both guarding the workers and the supply shipments necessary for the job. The teams they commanded would rotate between the two different types of jobs on a weekly basis, with most of the actual grunt work done by local Ponyville residents.

The Element Bearers were involved in the project as well, though Applejack was exempted due to her farmwork and Rarity because of her business. Twilight Sparkle, as previously shown, was spent trying to reassemble the damaged cloud cannon. Pinkie Pie had already contributed her party cannon as a temporary replacement for the cloud cannon until it could be repaired, as well as donating Sugarcube Corner products that had gone stale but were still edible to help feed the workers. Rainbow Dash agreed to help with escort and guard duty between her regular assignments on weather control.

Finally, Fluttershy was tasked with what seems to be a simple duty: stand near the mouth of the Ursa's cave and alert to any sign of the giant bears coming out due to the work upsetting them. But even this was enough to put the shy pegasus in high tension, which is where we come in now...

It was easy enough for Agents P1 and P2, both pegasi, to traverse through the treetops of the Everfree Forest undetected from their hideout to the target location. But, looking out at the nerve-wracked Fluttershy below from a tree at the edge of the clearing, both Agents realized that was the easy part.

"You gotta plan?" P2 says in a stage whisper to P1, both of them looking over nervously at the work site. The site was far enough away to avoid immediate detection of their plan, but still too close for comfort.

"The filly's pacing. We'll strike when her back is turned, taught her about the love of animals. Try to break her will that way. Shouldn't be hard." P1 replies with perhaps overwarranted confidence.

"OK Fluttershy, OK, you can do this, just breathe. The Ursas won't hurt you... right? All you need to do is just tell everypony else if they wake up..." Fluttershy was saying to herself as she paced, over and over again, alternately giving nervous looks at the cave and the site where the other ponies were working.

This time, though, she hears wings flapping behind him and she barely has a chance to look before a sock-covered hoof covers her snout, suppressing her screech of surprise. Rapidly looking back and forth, she sees two pegasi, both wearing cloaks and socks disguising everything but their wings. One is the pegasus holding a hoof over her mouth, the other gets right up in her face and goes "Boo!"

"Meanies! You're big meanies!" Fluttershy exclaims as both pegasi pull back laughing.

"Teh, look at you, scared out of your wits! Not so brave without your precious little Elements of Harmony, are you?" Agent P1 mocks.

"In fact, you look like a big yellow chicken!" Agent P2 adds, and both pegasi promptly begin making bawking and clucking noises in mockery.

"I am not a chicken!" Fluttershy replies with an angry glare, stamping the ground with one of her forehooves. Her previous nerves meant she was not inclined to act in the usual manner, and the chicken insult was just as demeaning to Fluttershy as it was to Scootaloo when she was called that. The two Agents did not realize the kind of trouble they were asking for.

The Agents continue laughing and making clucking noises in response to Fluttershy's outburst, only exacerbating the situation and causing Fluttershy to flare her wings open and growl like an angry dog. This should've stopped anypony who saw this, but the Agents were unaware of this fact.

"Aww, is the wittle chicken threatening us? You wouldn't dare, or the butterfly gets it!" Agent P1 mocks, pulling out a small cage from inside the cloak he wears. The cage contains a trapped butterfly, which flutters helplessly inside as P1 puts the cage down near a forehoof.

Fluttershy immediately stops her threatening pose, torn between her love of animals and the duty to keep the pegasi from entering the cave and likely waking the Ursas within in the process. The two pegasi relish her indecisive, back-and-forth look between them and the cage with the butterfly on the ground next to them.

"There's a good filly." Agent P2 states before leaning uncomfortably close to Fluttershy's face. "One move, one peep out of you and the butterfly goes 'squish'! Got it?"

Fluttershy doesn't do or say anything as her typical shyness partly reasserts itself. The pegasus P2 interprets the lack of action as an agreement and nods back to P1, who picks up the cage with the butterfly in it between his forehooves and takes off in a hover. Both the Agents proceed toward the cave entrance, leaving Fluttershy trapped in her uncertainties.

Before they completely disappear into the cave entrance, they give into the temptation to make one more taunt. Agent P1 crushes the cage between his forehooves, also killing the butterfly inside, and drops it to the ground, him and P2 starting a mocking round of laughter and chicken clucking.

Fluttershy looks at the crushed cage in abject shock, and something inside her snaps. She straightens herself up as her face changes to a mean determination, stoutly marching up to the two pegasi engaged in rolling laughter and thus oblivious to what was coming. The yellow filly pauses a second to select her target, turn around, and use both hindlegs to smash Agent P2 hard in the stomach.

P2 immediately curls in pain, and P1 immediately goes from riotous laughter to explosive anger, slamming Fluttershy on the left flank and knocking her off balance. Both the yellow filly and the Agent of Chaos stallion tumble sideways, the stallion trying to pin her to the ground. Fluttershy uses a forehoof to smash P1's snout, which gives her an opening to escape. She gallops at full speed toward the construction site, yelling for help at the top of her lungs.

"I swear by the chaotic one, I'll tear that filly limb from limb...!" Agent P1 exclaims in rage.

"Forget about her, we got bigger problems now!" Agent P2, standing on shaky hooves, states looking in shock.

P1 follows his glance to find two pegasi - Rainbow Dash and Lieutenant Steelwing - divebombing toward their location! Both Agents knew this was not a fight they could win - the two would stall long enough for others to come up and finish the job. All they could do was run, so that's what they did, taking off in flight as if trying to make their way to Ponyville by air.

Rainbow Dash applies a boost of speed to try to get ahead of the two Agents. This forces P1 to pull away from his partner and confront Rainbow Dash directly while P2 tries to distract Lieutenant Steelwing and the other Guard pegasi now airborne and heading for the location.

The intensity in Rainbow Dash's eyes is obvious to the cloaked P1 as he tries using his heavier weight to knock her out of the sky. Instead, Rainbow Dash dodges out of the way with her high speed reflexes, flips around and rams P1 from behind, nearly knocking him out of the sky in the process. As he tries to turn around, Dash rams P1 again, this time sending him plummeting down into the Everfree Forest below.

"Hah, that's what you get for messing with the Rainbow Dash!" the rainbow-maned pegasus exclaims triumphantly before turning back to see what is happening to P2.

Agent P2, as it turned out, was being pursued by Lieutenant Steelwing and two other pegasi in the Guard close on his flank. Since he couldn't outfly them, he simply folded in his wings most of the way and abruptly dropped into a steep dive - before the other pegasi could bank around, he had disappeared into the Everfree Forest below. He had glimpsed P1 being knocked out of the sky, and now turned his efforts toward rescuing him. The operation had gone horribly wrong, and it would be all he could do to make sure both of them got out in one piece...

LATER, IN CANTERLOT...

Captain of the Guard Gibraltar knew immediately upon seeing both the presented poster and unusual anger on Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor's face that something was seriously wrong. The previous "shenanigan" by Lieutenant Captain Aten with the transfer requests had kept Gibraltar busy in his office all day, and as he tried to navigate his way through the tangle of red tape he worried that something subversive was being done behind his back. The presentation of the poster, along with Shining's high-volume rant about "not being a showpony" and "having no more to prove than his sister", confirmed the Captain's worst fears.

The poster in question, copies of which appeared to have been distributed all over the castle while the Captain was trapped in his office by the paperwork tangle, promised a demonstration of Shining Armor "covering all of Canterlot" the evening of the following day and that the Wonderbolts would test the sturdiness of the resulting shield. Gibraltar didn't know what was most disturbing about what he was seeing - the brazenness of the ponies that put up the poster, the fact that Aten was most likely behind it all, or the prospect of an "unholy alliance" between Aten and Captain Spitfire being evidenced in front of his very eyes.

"Shining, I'm very sorry this is happening to you. All I can tell you is that none of this was done with my authorization." Gibraltar replies in the calmest, most sympathetic tone he can muster. Shining's continued glaring and annoyed snort tell Gibraltar that words alone won't be enough to placate the indignation.

"I'll call a meeting with Aten and Captain Spitfire first thing tomorrow morning. Captain Spitfire had business outside Canterlot today and probably isn't aware yet what has happened. Between the two of them, we'll get to the bottom of this." Gibraltar continues, hoping he had done enough.

"If nothing else, sir, I will petition the princesses themselves to invalidate this!" Shining replies through clenched teeth, trying not to yell any more than he had already done.

Gibraltar lets out a heavy sigh before replying: "To be perfectly honest with you, I don't know if even that will do any good. In the meantime, because the posters are illegal they should be taken down regardless of whatever official markings are on there."

"Yes, sir." Shining again says through clenched teeth.

"I already know you're going to have a long night, so I'm not going to keep you any longer. I'm also going to suggest you get practicing the shield, just in case." Gibraltar explains with a weary tone.

"With all due respect, sir, that does not make me feel any better!" Shining exclaims again.

"I know, Shining, I know. But there isn't much else I can do for you right now, so being prepared is all I can suggest. There's no use complaining about it, Lieutenant Captain." Gibraltar replies matter-of-factly.

The Captain can see the understanding in Shining's eyes, but nevertheless Shining turns away and leaves the office with angry muttering under his breath. The Captain's hooves were tied, and he didn't think even the princesses could do much more than he could. At that moment, all he wanted was a drink, just to ease the disorder swirling around him...

Matters of Trust

"You seem rather distracted, Lieutenant Captain. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, in fact Your Highness something is wrong. The end-of-day report by the Captain will explain it."

Upon hearing this, Princess Luna decided to forgo her usual routine of waiting until after the moon raising to read the Captain's end-of-day report and decided to take a look at it right then and there. The more she read of the report of Aten's "shenanigan", along with seeing a copy of the illegal poster, the more her indignation rose. Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor also could feel something else in the air - the same kind of charged atmosphere one might normally associate with an impending thunderstorm. As Luna's powers over the storm and electricity were beginning to return, Shining made a mental note for her to be careful not to short out the delicate electronic equipment in her room by accident.

"Outrageous!" Princess Luna finally exclaims, tossing down the report with a "thump" on her bedroom suite floor, her expression mirroring Shining Armor's own indignant anger. "The lot of them are acting like rebellious little foals! We ought to punish them all most severely!"

"Be that as it may, Your Highness," Shining begins, "I am certain it is not as simple as you make it out to be."

"We already know that." Luna answers in a matter-of-fact tone. "Our sister has already whispered in our ear that one of the offenders knows something of our past he should never have found out. What that is we dare not say out loud, not even to one we trust as much as you. But it is the reason our sister has allowed him to run amok in the way he has."

"But surely you could do something she can't?" Shining tentatively offers.

"No, no we cannot. The mistake of a thousand years ago ensures that fact." Luna replies with a sad headshake. "It would have to be the Element Bearers to deal with it should the secret be exposed."

Luna is not surprised at Shining's subsequent skeptical look, so she drops into a somber tone as she continues on: "We understand you may not think it would require the stowed-away Elements and their new bearers, but you must trust us when we say this is not something an alicorn can deal with, either alone or working with others. Whatever reasons Celestia has for not saying what exactly this is in public I must use as well, for her sake."

Those words don't exactly satisfy Shining Armor's curiosity, but he has to accept them nonetheless. His acceptance has a resigned tone in the voice, which Luna accepts as she understands that her sister's secrets must be kept as much as she could manage.

"Good. Come now, we are behind schedule for the raising of the moon." Luna states to change the subject.

"Of course, Your Majesty." Shining replies, putting aside the angry emotions for the moment. He walks over to the closed doors to the suite's balcony, unbolting the doors with his magic and letting the sweet smells from the gardens of Canterlot waft into the royal suite. As Luna approaches, he then steps aside and lets her step out onto the balcony first, then comes up beside her as she stops, both of them taking in sniffs of the crisp twilight air.

The sky is already mostly dark, Celestia having already set the sun and its last rays fading fast. Shining Armor steps forward and swings around, laying down sideways in front of Luna and bowing his head down. Luna sets her forehooves on his back and begins her work. This moon raising tradition developed shortly after Shining Armor took command of the night shift - as Luna then still had a great deal of trouble with the moon raising due to her weakened state, having something to stand on and push against with her forehooves made the whole process easier. Now, with her powers beginning to recover, it was a comfort to her, akin to one human squeezing the hand of another in reassurance.

Shining turns his head left to watch the magnificence (it never became mundane, even after seeing it a good number of times now) of the moon rising into the sky at the command of Luna's magic. Luna's forehooves coming off his back is his cue to stand up again, and he moves to Luna's right to momentarily admire the gleaming beauty of the rocky orb that was Luna's responsibility once again.

He then turns left to look at Luna, and the princess of the night returns the look. The shy elegance Shining immediately discovered upon seeing for Luna the first time is still the predominant emotion in her look, but the increase of confidence as her powers start returning causes glimmers of gratitude and joy to peak through.

"Your Highness, I must ask, do you think I really could cover all of Canterlot with a shield?" the Lieutenant Captain asks as insecurity flashes across his face.

"Yes. We... I believe you can." Luna replies, and the dropping of the "royal we" rivets Shining's attention to the next words. "I believe you can because the magic of friendship flourishes within you. In your sister, it is now but a little seedling, needing time and care to come to full bloom. But in you, it has already grown into a mighty tree, one that will not fall or be uprooted even in the greatest of storms. The magic is not just in the Elements. It is in her, and it is in you as a brother of her blood. And I believe that magic will triumph over all trials placed in its path. I myself am living evidence of that. I have faith in you, Lieutenant Captain and brother of Twilight Sparkle. And I believe that, with all my heart."

Shining blinks back at the gently smiling Luna, and now it is his turn to give grateful eyes in the quiet of the new night...

MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE IN CANTERLOT...

"Well done, Agent 8. The challenge is set, and the Wonderbolt Captain's influence over events in Canterlot will soon be neutralized."

"Thank you, Agent Snake!"

"Our goals are almost accomplished. In the long run it will not matter whether the Lieutenant Captain succeeds or fails his challenge, because the divides are now set. The Wonderbolt Captain will soon become the perfect tool for the purposes of reviving the chaotic one, and we have you to thank, Agent 8."

"And I will take her place, as you promised?"

"Yes, but not immediately. The faction of Wonderbolts you lead must be recruited into our ranks before there is any attempt to replace her. That is what we are doing right now."

"But will they all agree to join on, Agent Snake?"

"Don't worry about that. They've all been made offers they dare not refuse. You can be assured of five Agents standing beside you in the Wonderbolt ranks."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Once the group is formed, you will operate under the designation 'WA', with your fellow Wonderbolts being 'WB' through 'WF'. I expect, Agent, that you keep this group coordinated and acting as a cohesive whole at all times. It is the only way the Wonderbolt Captain shall remain impotent."

"Yes sir, I understand sir."

"Good. Summon the fellow Wonderbolts in your faction. The recruitment shall begin now."

Agent Snake stops his walk to let Agent 8, aka Misty Fly, proceed ahead. Under his disguise, Snake makes an evil grin. In reality, the promise he made to Misty Fly was a hollow one, since he intended to set up the downfall of the Wonderbolts - if Misty Fly ended up with anything, it would be the splintered, disgraced ruins of that organization. In his mind, it was all part of the plan to sow chaos and resurrect the chaotic one...

The Big Show

"Lieutenant Crispin, do you feel sufficiently capable of taking over operations in Ponyville and continuing construction without my presence here being necessary?"

"Yes Lieutenant Captain, I do."

"Good. Lieutenant Steelwing will return to Canterlot with myself. You will have command for the duration of remaining construction for the outpost, and will soon receive receipt to take permanent command of operations in Ponyville once construction is complete. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

Such was the conversation Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas had during that day's morning. Now, late in the afternoon on the train back to Canterlot, he was using ink and quillpen to write out his report to the Captain of the Guard in Canterlot.

His work is interrupted by a series of surprised gasps and low buzz around him, the eyes of fellow passengers all turning to see out one side of the train heading in the direction of the gleaming castle and city on the mountain in front of them.

"Lieutenant, what's going on?" Fidelitas asks Steelwing, who is sitting across the aisle in the same car from him.

"Sir, I think you want to take a look at this!" Steelwing exclaims in a stunned tone, jaw falling agape afterward.

Fidelitas moves to beside the Lieutenant and quickly spots what has the attention of the entire train - a magenta-colored bubble slowly enclosing all of Canterlot and its castle! The buzz grows as the bubble completely encloses the city, turning to confused quiet speculation as the train travels onward.

"Who and what would be able to create that kind of shield over the whole city?!" Fidelitas exclaims to Steelwing in surprise.

"It does not match the magic of any alicorn, sir. In fact, I think it's from..." Steelwing speculates.

"I just realized the same thing you did. And I'll be a donkey's uncle if it is!" Fidelitas exclaims again, joining most of the train manifest in slack-jawed shock...

MEANWHILE IN CANTERLOT...

There was scattered stomping applause of hooves around Lieutenant Captain Aten as the forcefield of Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor closes around the city. He is slack-jawed in mortified shock, as is the Lieutenants escorting him, as he never expected in a million years what he was witnessing now! Up on the balcony above the plaza, Shining Armor buckles after the effort but remains standing, and Aten's temper flares up as both Princess Luna and Princess Cadance give him congratulatory kisses. Anything else is lost to the roar of the pleased crowd that had come out to watch the spectacle.

"Why I oughta... let me at 'im!" one of the escorting Lieutenants says, flaring wings open, but one of Aten's forelegs shoots up in front of him.

"No, Lieutenant. Not with the princesses around." Aten cautions as the confused Lieutenant looks over at him. "The Wonderbolts will test the strength of the shield. If it holds, we'll take our licks and go on. He'll slip up sometime, and we need to be ready when he does."

"Yes, sir." the Lieutenant replies as he watches a half-dozen Wonderbolts swoop down to test the strength of the shield...

ABOVE CANTERLOT...

"Soarin', do you have those performance reports?!" Captain Spitfire shouts as she sits in her Canterlot office, located in the pegasi colony above Canterlot.

"Coming, coming!" Soarin' answers, hastily moving while trying to balance a stack of papers on the top of his head. He enters the office and takes no time getting the papers over to Spitfire's desk, whereupon she starts looking them over.

Very quickly, however, she is interrupted by a knock at the door. Soarin' turns to look in that direction and Spitfire puts down the papers in exasperation before telling the knocker to come in.

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but there's something you really ought to see taking place below us." the knocker, Wonderbolt Blaze, states.

Soarin' and Spitfire exchange glances before Spitfire gives her reply: "Is it a big emergency, Blaze?"

"Considering Misty Fly just launched half the squad without authorization, I would say yes ma'am." Blaze answers, and again Soarin' and Spitfire exchange glances.

"Take us out to see it, then." Spitfire affirms, and she gets up from her desk to follow both Blaze and Soarin' out of the office.

It did not take long for Spitfire to see Misty Fly leading some Wonderbolts trying - and failing - to break the shield bubble Shining Armor had put around Canterlot. It did not take much longer for Spitfire to order an immediate recall and demand from Misty Fly what exactly was going on.

"It's very simple, ma'am. Something happened while you were in Cloudsdale yesterday." Misty Fly explains, next showing a copy of the poster which precipitated the shield being formed around Canterlot, along with a (later revealed to be forged) censure notice from Princess Celestia addressed to Captain Spitfire for "supporting subversive and unpatriotic activity". As soon as Spitfire saw those two things, she hit the metaphorical roof, rightly guessing that Lieutenant Captain Aten had tried to frame her as supporting his "dare" to Shining Armor.

"Misty Fly, you and all those that launched with you have received strikes for not informing me of this as soon as you discovered it!" Spitfire exclaimed, her mane now looking it would literally becomes flaming and her eyes filled with fire.

"Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am." Misty Fly meekly replies, not seeing any other reasonable response.

"That pegasus stallion has made a fool of me for the last time! I will deal with him myself tomorrow!" the Wonderbolt Captain continues in her indignant rage...

"There you are! What do you have to say for yourself, Lieutenant Captain?!" Spitfire exclaimed after storming past the guard into Aten's office the following morning.

"What do I have to say for myself, Captain?" Aten answers, speaking a calm, amused manner at Spitfire's rage. "Why it's very simple, Captain. You are being untrue to your word and honor as a pegasus officer of the Royal Guard."

"WHAT?!?" Spitfire shouts at Royal Canterlot Voice level, startling everypony else in earshot except Aten, who remains unphased.

"Is your memory so short, Captain? You gave a rousing speech to the Wonderbolts under your command while the 'Eternal Night' threatened all of Equestria, and now you intend to break that oath in private by allying with Shining Armor." Aten replies in condescending tone.

Spitfire remains fuming in silence as Aten now throws her words like flaming arrows: "'We shall not flag or fail! We shall go on to the end! We shall defend our kingdom against Nightmare Moon, whatever the cost may be! We shall fight in the clouds, we shall fight on the walls of Canterlot, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills! And we will never surrender to the Nightmare!' Now you have the nerve to come into my office and tell me I'm disloyal, you bucking hypocritical colt of a mule! I ought to turn you in for turning traitor, Captain!"

At this Spitfire had enough and immediately launched into a pounce toward Aten, who dodged out of the way as he was expecting her attack. The Wonderbolt Captain goes skidding across the office floor - she stops, turns to look Aten and takes a smash in the face from one of Aten's forehooves. She tries to pull him down to the floor, leading to the pair rolling around the office, knocking items off shelves and desks as they do. Aten pins her, hits her with a few more blows, then shoves her away.

Spitfire slowly gets back on her hooves, battered, bruised and as enraged as a charging bull. She yells at the top of her lungs as she charges Aten again, but Aten had prepared for this too and as she leaps both rear legs go up in a bucking kick. Spitfire feels the air go out of her lungs as the impact throws her clear across the office, ramming her hard against a set of file cabinets.

The Wonderbolt Captain's world goes blurry for a brief moment, and her head throbs with pain. Both legs and wings are splayed open, and she desperately tries to will them to move as the cabinets creek behind her and start tilting forward. Before she can react, the cabinets crash down, pinning her underneath their weight.

"Word of advice, Captain: Stick to your pretty little airshows and stay out of Canterlot politics. It will only get worse for you if you don't." Aten replies in smug condescension as Spitfire struggles to get the cabinets off of her.

Aten exits the office, motioning the guards to follow her and leave Spitfire to get herself out of the situation. To Aten, it didn't really matter that Shining had beaten his "dare", nor that Fidelitas had succeeded in his "Operation Shield". Spitfire's cries for help were music to his ears, as now his previous defeats had been avenged and she was rendered impotent in terms of political influence. It was all a part of his master plan, one he was eager to execute soon...