Tyrian laughed breathlessly.

'A protection job! All of this was for a goddamn protection job!' The laughter turned real, and Tyrian couldn't seem to stop.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at his behavior, a tad astonished at the mercenary's reaction.

"What, pray tell, is funny about this request?" Celestia spoke, pulling back the mirth from earlier.

"Just-heh-just, that's it?" Tyrian said, trying to rein in his laughter. "Protection jobs are run of the mill, newbie shit, and you made me kill dozens of people just to come here and hear this? It'd better be you or some controversial diplomat that needs protecting." Tyrian crossed his arms in building annoyance.

The disrespect was expected, but for him to pull his weight, she needed to make him see her seriously. She shifted in her throne, allowing her ivory wings to become unfurled.

"Mr. Shadegale, Tyrian, please take a moment to remember who you are talking to." Celestia said sweetly, but at the same time, fueled her aura, the air around her very quickly turning to steam. The Princess's hair lost it's flowing quality and now moved like fire, licking the air impatiently. Her tanned skin seemingly shimmered through the haze of heat surrounding her and the throne.

"I am the Princess of Equestria, Heir of the Sun, and you are a low-life deemed worthy to be allowed to pull himself back to the surface. Do not test the sun, or you will be burned." Her eyes began to glow the same color as her inheritance in the sky above.

Tyrian, much to his own surprise and Celestia's amusement, flinched hard. He half expected her to just reduce him to a shadow on the ground, the ashes of his body burned into oblivion.

But no such attack came, only a significant drop in temperature and an out-pour of laughter from the Princess.

"My, my, I haven't seen you smack someone down that fast since Prince Blueblood came to visit." A new, deeper voice from the entrance of the throne room.

"Yes, I believe you are right, Pierce. That was a good day." Celestia said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Mr. Shadegale, if you turn around, you'll see my associate, Pierce Veil, who details the state of the Underground." She raised a hand toward the man approaching the throne calmly, who cast an experienced glace down Tyrian's body, who had suddenly felt a bit self-conscious, fidgeting in his white and gold robe.

"I see you didn't make it past the pat down, Tyrian. You're slacking, not good." The older man observed, his incredibly fit body betrayed by his salt and pepper hair. Wrinkles marred his fairly attractive visage, both laughter, and anger playing a part in his day to day activities. He wore an old officers coat, not but not up to regulation, with many scuff marks and wear appearing in excess across the weathered outerwear. Tyrian knew him, slightly, as Celestia's unofficial spymaster, who had been a pain in the ass for the Underground for decades. He couldn't count how many assassinations this man had single-handily stopped before they began. Tyrian eyed a folder under his arm, bulging slightly with information.

"So, that was just for show, huh?" Tyrian turned back to Celestia.

"Of course it was! What would my subjects think of me if I just destroy anyone who gets on my nerves?" Celestia grinned without malice.

"She wouldn't make it past the first noble asking for another tax cut." Pierce chuckled as he strode past Tyrian and up the throne's steps. He handed Celestia the folder out from under his arm and took a place beside her, placing his hands behind his back. Celestia opened the folder and started to skim over the details collected by Pierce Veil's contacts, all of them relating to one Tyrian Shadegale.

Various bookmarks denoted specific activities and jobs Tyrian had been a part of; Shakedowns, theft, murder, assassinations, and a few protection jobs, mostly for crime lords and kingpins. One crime lord that he had worked for raised a couple red flags for Celestia, the murderous and manic Bedlam.

"You worked for Bedlam for a few months. What is your opinion of this man?" Celestia prodded, as his answer would be detrimental to his employment.

"Bedlam? Guy's a psycho, paid really good, but that's if you didn't get a knife in the gut for not petting his pet chameleon, which, ya know, is pretty hard considering it's a chameleon, and that's if ya find the fucker in his thirty-foot terrarium." Tyrian shrugged.

"I assume you found it, all things considered?"

"Second time around, yeah." Tyrian started to undo his robe, much to the surprise of Pierce and Celestia.

As he undid the knot holding the robe together and obscuring his delicates, he held the two parts of the robe together, only allowing his stomach and chest to be seen. Below his navel, a jagged scar, about three inches long traveling across his abdomen.

"Yeah, he got me good, had one of his guys throw me a needle, string, and some alcohol to patch myself up. After that, he gave me the job, said it was an apology, so yeah, the guy's motherfucking insane."

"Language, please." Pierce chimed in, getting a quick glare from Tyrian.

"Well, that is very -ahem- informative. But you didn't truly answer the question." Celestia finished reading about his psychological state.

"Hate'em, but not enough to go out of my way to kill him."

"Good, no need to add another murder to your very long list of crimes. Saves me paperwork." Pierce Veil smiled.

"Now that is out of the way, I'd like to ask you about your combat experience, which I assume is extensive." Celestia flipped a sheet detailing the short time Tyrian venture out of the country, which was apparently against his will. She chuckled at some of the exploits he had found himself in, such as streaking through a crowded Griffon marketplace, much to the enjoyment of the kidnappers.

"No formal training to speak of, as a result, his swordsmanship is fairly lacking in efficiency, often relying on overpowering or blitzing his opponent. His technique with knives and daggers, however, is quite impressive. Bows seem to be an afterthought for him, but he has shown proficiency in it nonetheless." Pierce spoke, slightly annoying Tyrian.

"I'd like to hear it from him, Pierce, but thank you for the summary." Celestia handed him the folder, having memorized most of the important information.

"Of course, apologies madam." Pierce nodded apologetically

"Well, shit, what the hell am I supposed to say now? He basically covered everything perfectly. I mean, I got some magic infused capsules for blinding people and blowing shit up, but those are last resort stuff." Tyrian patted where his bandoleer of said crystals were held, only to sadly remember the loss of his weapons to the dreaded Light Echo.

"You'll get your equipment back after this evaluation dear, so stop sulking." Celestia reassured

"He better not have touched my sword, Oathkeeper is my baby." Tyrian mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Pierce let a small chuckle escape him.

"Shut it, lapdog." Tyrian snapped.

"Now, now boys, let's not start a fight in the royal throne room. I was just about to address the job you were brought here for. " Celestia held a hand up, her eyes closed in a facsimile of serenity.

"Oh, really? Out with it, then." Tyrian uncrossed his arms, pleased with getting to the point.

Celestia cleared her throat and gestured toward the mercenary. Pierce Veil nodded and took out a small, wrapped scroll with a white and gold band securing it, and walked down the steps of the throne.

"Mr. Shadegale, the State and Royalty of Equestria have agreed to issue a pardon for your crimes against the nation and the peace it holds in high esteem should you agree to this contract and uphold the rules and roles that you are expected to follow." Celestia decreed clearly.

Pierce held out the document to the robed man in front of him, amused by the now shocked look plastered on his face. Tyrian slowly took the contract, still processing the offer in his mind. Once he had removed the band and unrolled the scroll, his eyes began to skim the legal wording, eventually resting them on the payment. It took his simple mercenary mind a second to process the word before the actual money he would receive should he accept.

-A Salary of 100,000 bits shall be attributed to the employee after each month of protection, along with a stipend of 1,500 bits for daily expenses-

Tyrian felt his mouth dry at the sight of this development, his brain halting function in shock.

"Tyrian Shadegale, do you agree to be an employee of the Equestrian government?"

Tyrian lifted his head toward the voice above him, locking eyes with the Solar Princess, who smiled in sincere anticipation.

"I-I-um-how-" Trying to recover, he cleared his throat, only to find it had dried up faster than a drop of water in a Zebrakas desert.

Somewhere deep in his paralyzed mind, he felt his sense of irony come flooding back with a vengeance.

'Guess I owe Swifty an apology."

Author's Note

Not as long as I wanted it to be, but I wanted to even out the pacing for these next few chapters.

Thanks for being so patient, ya'll.