Tales of the Sentinels of Harmony

Chapters

Introduction
Chapter 1: Trucker and Boulder
Chapter 2: Nighthawk
Chapter 3: Cubic
Chapter 4: Razor
Chapter 5: Ace and Scope
Chapter 6: Phase and Buckle
Chapter 7: Keeper and Riptide
Chapter 8: Sprocket and Juggles

Introduction

“They’ll be fine. They’re each the best at what they do. You know that.”

“I’m not worried about them, Tia. I’m more concerned with my role in all of this.”

“I thought we had agreed that it was for the best that I oversaw the Vigilant, and that you would take oversight of the Wayfarers?”

“It was more like I decided to go along with your plan.”

“This is good for you, Luna. I want you to become more visible—not just in Equestria, but abroad. You’re a fine leader now, and I want the other lands around us to learn that, just as everypony here has.”

“It seems a little ambitious to me…”

“Well, it was a little symbolic in nature, to be fair.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, whenever I look at the sun, I can’t help but think of our home here. Equestria and all it has become. But for centuries, pilgrims and sojourners (especially sailors) have travelled by night using the stars. They relied upon the lights of the night to know where they were going when travelling abroad. It seemed appropriate that the Princess of the Night should watch over a group with the name of ‘The Wayfarers.’”

“That’s cheesy.”

“Perhaps so. But I still maintain that it is good for everypony involved. You still get to work directly with Sky Streak. I don’t think he would have taken it too well if another princess had been appointed over him instead of you.”

“I am blessed to have one such as Sky. He does so much, not for self-recognition, but out of love. How did we manage to be so fortunate?”

“It is more than Sky, Luna. Each member of the Sentinels is a pony that I would trust in the most dire of circumstances with the safety of the entire realm at stake. But Sky has borne that burden multiple times already.”

“He will again.”

“How do you know? A vision?”

“No. It is just a feeling. I cannot say much more for certain—only that I believe that Sky will have to stand in the gap for us all.”

“Will he succeed?”

“I do not know, but…he does have a pretty good track record.”

“He certainly does. Well, I think the time has come. Shall we?”

The large palace doors opened, and the Alicorn Sisters stepped out from the hallway onto the raised platform overlooking the courtyard. Before them, a collection of eighteen ponies stood at attention, wearing the ceremonial garb of the Royal Guards. They stood in two separate lines, one on the left and one on the right. On the right, donned in bright golden armor, stood nine familiar ponies—members of the now-disbanded Alicorn Guard: Trucker, Boulder, Ace, Scope, Hobo, Nova, Rimshot, Cubic, and Buckle. On the other side, decked out in the less-familiar silver armor of the Guard, stood another nine: Nighthawk, Blitz, Riptide, Keeper, Razor, Sprocket, Juggles, Tread, and a new pony—their newest addition, Phase.

He was a slender unicorn stallion with a light orange coat. His mane and tail seemed to shift in hues of gray and black, depending upon how the light fell upon him. But that was far from odd…for a crystal pony.

Phase had been invited to join the newly-formed Sentinels of Harmony based upon the recommendations of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. In the wake of learning of the existence of the Alicorn Guard, the leaders of the Crystal Empire had agreed to show their support for Celestia and Luna. And when they learned that there was space for another member in the Sentinels, they quickly informed the Princesses that they knew just the pony. It was more than simply filling a position—it was an expression of unity between all the lands of Equestria.

So here they stood: the eighteen new guardians of Equestria. Celestia looked over to Luna, who stared down at the nine ponies on her left. She took a quick glance down to the group just in time to see Sky Streak (whose familiar blue shoulder wrap had not been left behind today) wink up at the two of them. She snorted in mild amusement. If it wasn’t for Lily, sometimes I’d swear he was flirting with us.

She cleared her throat and took a step forward. “Today, my good stallions and mares, we begin a new age in the safety of our homeland. The Alicorn Guard, after faithfully defending all of Equestria for nearly a thousand years, ultimately came to an end because it was not accountable to anypony. So when corruption crept in, we failed to detect it. And were it not for the actions of many of you who stand here today, Equestria may be a far different place than it is today.”

Ponies in each line couldn’t hold back the smiles of pride they felt for Celestia’s kind words. She allowed herself to smile softly in acknowledgement. “The elimination of the Alicorn Guard left a void in the empire; a sudden vulnerability in our defenses that had secretly existed for hundreds of years. It quickly became evident that this void could not be ignored. But two changes needed to be made. Firstly, we needed this new organization to be visible. The secrecy and covert nature of the Alicorn Guard, when revealed, sowed a sense of distrust and instability throughout Equestria. Secondly, we realized that if we were truly focused upon harmony and friendship as much as we say we are, then we needed to show it: we needed to extend our blessings and prosperity, as well as our friendship, to those around us who may not enjoy the same luxuries that we do.

“And, with those things in mind, we assembled a team of eighteen of the bravest, most upstanding, and most noble ponies we could find to serve in place of the Alicorn Guard. And we could not be more pleased,” she said, pausing to lock eyes with each pony before her. “Today, we retrain our focus upon harmony.”

Celestia turned to the ponies on her right. “Trucker, you are hereby placed in command of these ponies that stand with you. You will be known as ‘The Vigilant,’ as your task will be to remain here within Equestria, serving its citizens and promoting the peace and companionship that have blossomed here over the last millennium. You will report to me on each of your tasks, and I will assign to each of you your missions as I deem you best qualified to undertake them.”

Luna opened her wings, gliding over the stairs and lighting upon the ground in front of the nine ponies on the left. “And you shall be known as ‘The Wayfarers,’ because your journeys will take you beyond the borders of Equestria…sometimes, quite far. Nighthawk will serve as your commander,” she said, nodding at the fiery orange pegasus. “I will be overseeing your moves, but I ask that you not be afraid to bring up any concerns you have with me. This is a new step forward for each one of us, and none of us should act as if we know what to expect of the coming days.”

“That goes for both of us,” Celestia added, gently descending down beside her sister. “These next few months will certainly be full of questions and uncertainty, but we have no doubt that you will handle everything with the humility, grace, and diligence that you impressed us with in the first place. Remember: there is no need for secrecy anymore. Openness promotes honesty, which promotes friendship and love. You do not stand alone. Every pony in Equestria is your brother or sister. Treat them as such, and they will do the same in return.”

Retreating to the base of the stairs leading up to the platform, Celestia and Luna turned again to face the two lines of ponies. Celestia raised her head, and in the Royal Canterlot Voice, stated, “A new age begins! This day, you go forth…as the Sentinels of Harmony!”

Author's Note

Well...here we go.

Sky's worked with a lot of ponies in the Alicorn Guard, but (save for a few), I never really got to write in any kind of detail who they were. But now, with the creation of the Sentinels of Harmony, I still get that chance! So sit tight and get to know the team!

...And prepare for what comes next...

Chapter 1: Trucker and Boulder

Southern outskirts of Appleloosa
September 2, 3:26 PM

A cascade of boulders rolled off the mound they had been resting on and came to rest on the flat dusty plain. An auburn-maned, grey-bodied stallion stood where the stones had once been, wiping his brow and assessing the rubble below. “How’s it look down there?” he called.

A blue stallion with charcoal mane and tail hefted one of the rocks into the air with a single hoof, giving it a scrutinizing glare, as though trying to gauge if it was even worth the effort. “We’re getting there, Truck,” he called back as he sent the rock rolling along the ground like a bowling ball.

Trucker nimbly ambled his way down the stony pile, pausing to look up at it once he reached the ground. It was still a solid fifteen to twenty feet tall. It certainly looked smaller than it had been when they had started, but it certainly didn’t feel like it. “That must have been quite a rockslide to have caused this,” he muttered. “Almost looks like those buffalo were having an all-herd jumping jack competition.”

Boulder chuckled as he dusted himself off. “That’d be something to see. But we already know that’s not what happened here.”

Trucker sighed. Chief Thunderhooves, leader of the buffalo herd, had met with Trucker and Boulder shortly after they arrived in town. Apparently, the buffalo herd had been moving along a ridge—one that they now knew was precarious and unsafe—when some rocks came loose. That spooked some of the herd, and they started stampeding. That just shook things up even more, knocking more of the boulders loose, until they had a full-fledged rockslide on their hooves. No injuries had been reported, but the rockslide had come to a rest on top of the train tracks leading out of town.

And that was a problem.

“Lucky that nopony was hurt. And no buffalo,” Boulder added.

“That’s true,” Trucker agreed, “though I’m just grateful that this didn’t start another feud between the ponies and the buffalo. It could have been a lot worse, in a lot of ways.”

Boulder rolled his eyes and smashed a large rock with his hoof, causing it to crumble into gravel. “That’s only about the third or fourth time you’ve mentioned that.”

“It’s important to me,” Trucker said. “I mean, we’re called the ‘Sentinels of Harmony,’ big guy. Our biggest goals are to uphold the law and preserve the peace. And I’m the one the Council appointed to lead us. Any threat to that peace is kind of a big deal to me.”

Boulder sat and contemplated for a moment. “You sound a bit like Celestia when you say that.”

Trucker was silent for a moment. “Do I, now? I think I can live with that.”

“Wow, ya’ll!” a voice called to them from the north. “That’s some progress ya’ made there!”

They looked up to see two ponies approaching. The first was Sherriff Silverstar, who had been their contact upon arriving in Appleloosa. The second was a pony who had introduced himself as Braeburn, an exuberant stallion who apparently made it his goal in life to make everypony as excited about his hometown as he was.

Trucker cast another look up at the stack of enormous rocks. As the two approaching ponies drew near, he replied, “Maybe, but I’d like to have gotten it done by now. Tougher than it looks.”

Sherriff Silverstar’s jaw hung open in shock, while Braeburn began to laugh uncontrollably. “‘Done by now’?!?” he guffawed. “It’d have taken the whole town together to do what ya’ll have done by yourselves! Why, ya’ll are incredible! Just the ponies for the job, I’d say!”

Neither Trucker nor Boulder dared try and argue. It was true: their strength and endurance were many times over that of even the strongest of regular ponies. Celestia’s gift of magic to each of them had granted them tremendous power: Boulder’s titanic might, and Trucker’s endless fervor. Truth was, they were the perfect ponies for the job.

“Aw, well, you’re welcome,” Boulder said, making a goofy smile, though Trucker couldn’t get upset with him: it was actually the only smile he had.

“We were actually wonderin’ if ya’ll would like to take a break. Ya’ll been out here all day, and you should probably come out from the sun for a bit, if ya’ catch my drift,” Sherriff said, apparently having recovered from his earlier stupor.

“No thanks,” Trucker answered without hesitation. “We were sent here to do a job, and the sooner we get it done, the better.”

Silverstar again looked stunned, while Braeburn just stared and blinked. “You—you mean to tell me that yer’ tryin’ to clean up all that today?!”

It was Boulder’s turn to look surprised. “Well, sure. Why not?” he asked, as though it was perfectly reasonable to expect such a thing.

“We’re rather specialized for this type of work,” Trucker quickly interjected, hoping to prevent the locals’ minds from exploding. “Don’t worry about us. We’ve got this. Hopefully within another couple of hours, this’ll be clear. Just leave this to us. We’ll have the tracks cleared by sundown.”

They watched the two return to the village, though Trucker couldn’t help but notice that they kept looking over their shoulders at he and Boulder, as though they couldn’t fully get over the way they had spoken of their own abilities. “I guess not all of Equestria knows about us and our magic, huh, big guy?” Trucker muttered.

“Nope,” Boulder answered, crushing a rock between his hooves and tossing the fragments aside. “I like it that way. Not like Canterlot, where it’s like you’re some kind of celebrity.”

“Or a freak,” Trucker muttered under his breath. Poor Blitz and Nighthawk had it the worst. Ever since their heroics during the Battle of Canterlot, their fame (or notoriety) had skyrocketed. They had virtually no privacy, with “fans” and reporters and journalists from every nook and cranny of the empire hounding them everywhere they went. He wondered if that had anything to do with their assignment to the other division of the Sentinels: the “Wayfarers.” While he and Boulder were part of the “Vigilant,” the nine ponies assigned to work within the boundaries of Equestria, the Wayfarers were the first of their kind: a distinct organization whose purpose was to seek to promote the ways and ideals of harmony beyond the borders of their homeland. Maybe, in her wisdom and understanding, Celestia understood their need to get away. To be able to work in places where they would not be recognized, but simply to serve as they always had. It’s what they all wanted.

He lifted a medium-sized rock and tossed it to his partner. “Hey, uh, are you feeling any better?”

It was an ambiguous question, but Trucker was sure Boulder understood what he meant. As far as he knew, he was the only one Boulder had told about his concerns and personal struggles.

The large blue pony caught the rock, then promptly threw it against the ground, angrily stamping it into the dust until it sat flush with the rest of the dirt.

“So, that’s a no?”

Boulder looked him full in the face, and his eyes betrayed his frustration. “Truck, how long did we let him manipulate us without seeing the truth? I was on his team: I spent more time with him than probably any other pony. And I never realized the truth. He made me fight against Blitz when I should have been fighting beside him! The Alicorn Guard was supposed to protect Equestria. But we couldn’t even protect it from one of our own. And if anypony should have seen the truth, it was me. But I didn’t. I failed.”

Trucker hesitated for a few seconds before responding. “And?”

“And this is how I make up for that,” Boulder answered, lifting two stones and smashing them together into fine powder. “I work and serve to try and make up for my failure.”

Trucker watched the stone powder fall to the ground. He understood Boulder’s anger: it was true that he had spent more time with Ghost than any other pony. He had essentially been Ghost’s bodyguard—never far away. But to take all of the blame for not recognizing Ghost’s true colors wasn’t fair. Any of the ponies of the Alicorn Guard could have accepted the blame for missing the signs, but the truth was that Ghost had been a masterful strategist, waiting and biding his time, never showing all his cards until he was sure he had a winning hoof.

What was more, Trucker was now the new leader of the Alicorn Guard’s newest incarnation: the Sentinels of Harmony. The other ponies in the Guard must have trusted his instincts, vision, and abilities to have elected him to such a role.

But in spite of that, he had also failed to see Ghost’s true nature. And that caused him to question his own ability to lead.

“Listen, big guy,” Trucker began. “I understand. We all felt betrayed by Ghost…I know that I still do. And I know for a fact that we all could wallow in self-pity over our failure to recognize Ghost for who he really was. But as I recall, we took a new oath to leave our regrets and guilt behind in the old HQ. The past is just that: it’s in the past.”

“I’m not ‘wallowing,’ Truck,” Boulder argued. “All I want is to make up for that. I want to make tomorrow better because of what happened before.”

“It’s an admirable goal to want to make this world a better one,” Trucker agreed, “but to do it solely on account of the past is to be doing it for the wrong reason. There’s no changing the past. What happened, happened, for good or for bad. And no amount of effort is ever going to change that.”

Boulder mumbled something under his breath and hoisted a spherical stone into the air, where he stared at it, though Trucker could tell that it was little more than a gesture meant only to keep his eyes from meeting Trucker’s. He narrowed his eyes and hardened his voice. “Listen. I know how you feel. None of us ever questioned Ghost’s true motives or intentions. Maybe we should have. But if you think you have the right to question yourself because of that, just consider some of the rest of us: Nighthawk was literally Ghost’s pawn. He nearly killed not one, but two ponies while he was under Ghost’s spell, and now he’s supposed to lead the entire division of the Wayfarers! Just think about that for a second.”

Boulder continued to stare at his stone in silence. “And what about me? Hm?” Trucker continued, an earnest anger seeping into his voice. “I never once questioned Ghost’s commands. I was a good little soldier, doing what I was told. But then Blitz learns the truth, and everything I thought I had done well was thrown into the garbage. And now, I’m supposed to lead the Sentinels! What do you think that does for my confidence in my abilities?”

His emotions were bubbling now. “And I haven’t even mentioned anypony else! Like Scope and Tread, who pride themselves on not missing anything! And Cubic, who seems to know everything, but couldn’t even find the truth among her own teammates! And you can see how angry Ace still feels every time you see him! What about them, Boulder!?”

The stone dropped to the ground, and in an instant, Trucker’s tirade ended. His attention snapped back to the present, where he and Boulder stood before a large pile of debris in the open plains outside Appleloosa. For a moment, he was tempted to feel guilty about his rant, but it had been necessary. Sometimes, the truth was a very painful thing to confront.

“Sorry, Truck,” Boulder said simply. He was either staring at the ground, or the stone that had fallen from his hoof. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

Trucker walked over beside his friend and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “And we shouldn’t,” Trucker admonished. “We don’t live for the past anymore, and each of us are trying each day to live for the future in spite of those feelings that would drag us back into the past. It’s like this pile of rocks here,” he continued, gesturing at the large mound. “Why are we trying to clear it?”

Boulder looked at him askew. “Uh…so that the train can come through again?” he answered, clearly caught off-guard by the question.

“Exactly,” Trucker answered with a smile. “It’s not because something we want to fix the past, because we can’t. We’re cleaning up the past because we’re making the future better. We can’t change the fact that there was a rockslide, but we can clean it up so that we don’t have to worry about it in the future. Understand?”

“I think so,” Boulder said, rubbing his neck. “But it’s not easy to think of it that way.”

Trucker nodded and tossed a pair of rocks aside. “You’re right; it’s not easy. But it keeps our motives pure when we focus on benefitting the future. Ghost’s fault was that he was too caught up in the past. It’s our job to make sure we don’t fall into that trap.”

“Got it,” Boulder said, heaving another massive stone back towards the cliff face. “I’ll work on that.”

“Good stallion,” Trucker replied. “Now, Celestia’s not going to keep that sun in the sky forever, so how about we get back to the task at hoof?”

The two of them went back to work, gradually shrinking the pile of rocks as the sun descended to the horizon. And as the small hill became little more than a small mound, and then vanished entirely, Trucker found himself smiling. This whole thing is one huge task. I never would have thought that I would lead the Alicorn Guard—or its next incarnation. But I’ve got a team of amazing ponies working with me. Maybe there’s hope for us, after all.

He wiped his brow and looked to where the sun was finally setting, then cast a second glance behind himself, where the moon had just begun to peek out above the horizon.

Princesses, we’ll do you proud.

Author's Note

So, for starter's, let's take a peek at the Sentinels' illustrious leader, Trucker, and and his partner Boulder!

It's one thing to say you've left your guilt behind. It's another thing entirely to actually do it. Few ponies have more to think about than Trucker and Boulder. Their journey of redemption begins here.

Chapter 2: Nighthawk

Castle of the Two Sisters
September 2, 6:06 PM

It was dark.

Even in the Everfree Forest, there were places where the light of the sun and moon could penetrate. And perhaps the darkness would break before the night’s end.

Just not yet.

Even in the darkness, he could see the pool of water was nearly just as he remembered it: still and serene. Not so much as a ripple could be seen upon its surface. The Everfree Forest was a place full of an unnerving quiet where the slightest sound would trigger a panic reaction in nearly everypony who was unfamiliar with the nature of the forest. But while the silence pervaded even here, it was not a nervous silence. It was peaceful and calm. It was a sanctuary from the oppressive nature of the rest of the woods; a place one could come to just sit and think.

Which was exactly what he had come to do.

Nighthawk set his saddlebags upon the ground and pulled out a spherical object similar to (but larger than) one of the small spell orbs the Sentinels used in their launchers. His magic ignited for a moment, and the orb glowed with a gentle light, illuminating the surrounding area. He set it down and walked to the water’s edge. Peering out over the pond, he sighed.

Only one thing missing.

Last time he had been here, he had come within inches of his death, incredibly, by the hoof of Blitz. And he wouldn’t have argued the reason that Blitz had to perform such an action. However, by some kind of miracle, he had withheld his judgment upon Nighthawk, apparently based solely on a mysterious apparition that revealed itself in the form of a flower: the Everfree Lily.

He had often wondered how a flower, magical as it allegedly was, could have affected Blitz to the point that he showed mercy to one who so thoroughly deserved none. He had asked Blitz about it many times. Something had happened involving that flower, but each time he brought it up, Blitz merely looked at him with a face that was a distinct mix of pain and guilt, but he never gave a direct answer. Instead, he would always say, “It showed me two things that I hated and made me choose between the two.”

It wasn’t the most encouraging of answers.

Even so, nopony could deny the change that had come over Blitz following his encounter. He seemed more…solemn. He was still a jokester, but he was more prone to silence than he had been. He rarely spoke of himself, and when he did, it was generally in regards to what he could do for another. He had always spoken and acted with passion, but now there was a definite conviction that accompanied his every word. And deep within his eyes, a light pulsed faintly. But if you looked long enough, you could tell that it wasn’t something dim: it was as though it was veiled or hidden, like it was restrained or stored deep within himself. But it was there…and it was powerful.

Nighthawk envisioned Blitz sitting beside him on that night when they beheld the flower together following their battle. He remembered his student’s words perfectly: “I don’t remember how the legend actually goes, probably because it’s a rhyme and I’m not very good with those. But the story goes that it only blooms in ‘times of greatest need.’”

Well…I’ve certainly got a need. So, what else do I have to do?

The Sentinels of Harmony. The name still made him shiver. He had gone along with it when the Princesses had suggested it, but the connotation of a “sentinel” was that of a watchpony…one who was on the lookout, alert for all things. And yet, they took this name for themselves in the wake of a plot that had started with one of their own—one that nopony had imagined, much less seen coming. It almost felt like a slap of irony straight to his face.

What was worse was that he was expected to serve as a leader. Trucker (mercifully) had accepted the role of commander of the entire group, but Nighthawk had been appointed as the direct overseer of the nine-pony team known as the Wayfarers: a position he accepted only under the condition that Blitz would serve as his lieutenant. A condition that Blitz, from all appearances, had gladly accepted.

But the truth was that Nighthawk was no leader. More than anypony left from the Alicorn Guard, he identified himself as an unwitting traitor: one who had not been strong enough to prevent Ghost from using him against his friends, and as a result, he had nearly killed many innocent ponies, and two very important ones, to boot.

“How am I supposed to lead when I’m nothing more than a traitor with a second chance?” he wondered aloud. Maybe if he voiced his thoughts, the flower would appear. Maybe it couldn’t read his thoughts and had to be told what the problem was.

Or maybe he was just overthinking it.

“Blitz would never admit it, but I think he knows the truth: he’s destined to lead the Sentinels one day,” Nighthawk explained to the stillness. “But he’s just so apprehensive about taking a position of authority. It’s almost as if something about it scares him. And I’m willing to wait for him to come around to realize what he’s supposed to be. But while we wait, I really can’t help but believe that there has to be somepony better-suited to lead than myself. I’ve already demonstrated that I can’t be trusted.”

His words seemed to hang in the air for entire seconds, as though the trees and pond were taking their sweet time in accepting his monologue. As the sound of his voice finally gave way to the quiet again, he picked up where he had left off. “I usually say that it’s because of the whole thing in the battle with Blitz, and that’s kinda true, but I can tell that not everypony believes that—especially Razor. She fought with Blitz over Canterlot, so she has the same excuse as me. But she doesn’t use it. Probably because she knows that it’s not the real reason.”

He sighed and began to pace along the water’s edge. “I couldn’t handle the possibility of somepony being better than me. I got defensive when my status was threatened. I was immature—and that’s something we can’t have in a leader. But,” he continued, barely aware of his surroundings, “here I am again, trying to be a leader. Needing to be a leader. I can’t turn back, but I don’t trust myself to go forward. So, since Blitz got the help he needed here,” he concluded, “I thought maybe I could do the same. I’m in desperate need of some sage advice.”

He sat down, satisfied with his argument, and stared out over the water, eagerly anticipating the coming of the Everfree Lily. He really had no idea what to expect: would it simply rise out of the water? Would it appear in a flash of light? Or would it fall like a star from the heavens? Blitz had never told him how the flower had first appeared. The anticipation nearly made him forget the reason he had come in the first place.

Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Thirty.

No flower.

He rose to his hooves and began to pace again. OK, now what?

The sound of hoofsteps behind him grabbed his attention. He instinctively went into survival mode, perfectly aware of the nature of the creatures of the Everfree Forest. He forced himself to continue his pacing, trying to convince his visitor that he was still unaware of its approach.

The creature continued to close in. He could hear each step: thirty feet…twenty…fifteen...

As soon as it reached ten, he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. In a flash, he triggered his magic and spun on the spot, sending embers of magic swirling around him as he came face to face with his uninvited guest.

But no sooner did he see its face than he was forced to silence his magic. “Hey, I remember you,” he said, feeling somewhat embarrassed by his outburst. “Zecora, right?”

The zebra smiled and acknowledged him with a nod of her head. “I did not expect to find anypony here, truth be told,” she began. “To come here alone, you must be quite bold.”

Nighthawk shrugged. “I don’t know about that. Desperate feels more like the right word,” he explained.

Zecora strolled over and sat down on the shore of the pond. For the first time, Nighthawk noticed a gentle lapping of the water against the lip of the pond, though he still didn’t see any ripples on the surface. “You have come here to find something, have you not?” she asked, though he didn’t respond. “Tell me, dear Firebolt, have you found what you sought?”

Firebolt. He had forgotten that was how he had been introduced to Zecora. It was his real name; not the codename the Sentinels used. It was his identity to those who were related to him or didn’t know him as well as they thought they did. Since the dissolution of the Alicorn Guard, the codenames of its members carried little meaning, though they continued to use them—either out of habit or out of fondness. Nighthawk didn’t mind.

“I’m afraid not,” he answered at last. “Last time I was here, a friend of mine had an encounter that changed his life, I think. I was hoping I could find the same kind of epiphany here, too. Guess I’m not doing it right,” he shrugged.

“With veiled words and vague terms you speak,” Zecora answered, and her eyes twinkled. “Do you not refer to our mutual friend Sky Streak?”

He winced. He had no need for secrecy anymore—the entire point of the Sentinels was to be the face of harmony and compassion to Equestria. He was just so used to masking the truth in his speech that it was second nature. “Sorry,” he apologized, taking a seat next to his visitor. “Yes, I’m talking about Bli—Sky. He and I had a bit of a—heated exchange out here, but he was the better pony in the end. In almost every way. He found something out here when he needed it most. And I really feel like I need what it has to offer, too.”

His striped companion gave him a curious look. “Forgive me, but at the risk of sounding silly…was this ‘thing’ he found an Everfree Lily?”

Nighthawk couldn’t hide his surprise. How could she possibly have known about that? “Well…yeah, it was. How’d you figure that out?”

Zecora merely chuckled and stared out over the pond. “My reputation as a soothsayer would indeed be quite poor, if I could not speak of that which exists just outside my own door!”

“Ah,” Nighthawk replied, “of course. So, does that mean that you were the one that told him about it in the first place? He certainly seemed to know you quite well.”

“Of our friendship, indeed, there is a great deal to tell. But as for the Lily…yes, I told him of that, as well,” Zecora confirmed. She looked at him appraisingly. “He has excelled in formidable tasks, to be sure, but I see in your eye you know he is destined for more.”

“Of course he is,” Nighthawk admitted. “That’s obvious. Bl—”

He quickly caught himself. He had known Sky as “Blitz” for so long (and still did, for that matter), it was hard to call him anything else. “Sky has become quite a unique character. Not that he ever wasn’t, of course. But he’s grown beyond anything I ever thought I’d see. He’s powerful, courageous, loyal, clever…just what everypony wants in a leader.”

“I wonder if Sky Streak would see it that way, if he could hear what you have to say.”

Nighthawk couldn’t help but smile. “You really do know him well, don’t you? Sky doesn’t want to be a leader, I think. There’s something about it that…I don’t know. I think he’s scared of failing as a leader. He seems…unsure about it. Like he questions his own ability to a degree. I know he can do it—he’s shown that much himself. He just needs to see that for himself.”

Zecora gave him a scrutinizing gaze, and while it was not cold, it made him feel uncomfortable—as though she pulled back the veil of his mind and saw every truth hidden there. “Sky has his struggles and burdens, but you speak as though he endured those thoughts alone,” she explained. “But I see before me another pony who views his past as something for which he must atone.”

Nighthawk held up a hoof in protest. “Whoa, now, let’s not go jumping to conclu—”

“Sky Streak is apprehensive as a leader, perhaps from fear or from shame,” Zecora cut him off sharply. “But while that may be the case, can you deny that you are precisely the same?”

Nighthawk blinked. He hadn’t really put it together, but…he and Blitz were struggling with the same thing, in a manner of speaking. Something had happened that had caused Blitz to resist whenever offered a position of authority. And even though he didn’t necessarily know exactly what was on his mind, he was still familiar with the feeling of inadequacy: feeling less than equal to the task you were presented with.

“Huh,” Nighthawk muttered. “I guess we are.”

Zecora seemed to smile, but he wasn’t finished. “However, that doesn’t really help me.” He hesitated, then decided to throw caution to the wind and reveal his mind to the zebra mare. “Sky isn’t in a position of leadership like I am. He still hasn’t come to terms with that. I have all these ponies looking up to me, and I don’t know if I can handle that. That’s why I’m here. I came to find the Everfree Lily because I’m scared to let everypony down. And what could be more important than that?”

The striped pony rose again to her hooves and approached where Nighthawk stood. “At last you speak the full truth with your own voice,” she said. “Tell me: did you come to your position through appointment or by choice?”

“Er…” Nighthawk stammered. Even when he was expecting it, Zecora had a certain...peculiarity around her that was often unsettling. The rhyming was part of it, to be sure, but there was more to it than that. It was as though she was constantly one step ahead of everypony else…and no one knew how she did it. Some called it mysterious. Others called it curious. Even more said it was unexplainable.

But most just called it weird.

He shook his head free of the tangent and returned to Zecora’s question. “Well…I guess I sort of had a choice in the matter, but it was mostly by appointment. The ponies I’m supposed to lead suggested names of those they thought would be good leaders, and Princess Celestia approached us about taking up those positions. I was one of them. Sky and another pony were the other two.”

Zecora came to a stop in front of him and shook her head. “The evidence is before you, yet you choose to be naïve,” she said softly. “All those ponies express their faith in you, and yet it is you who does not believe.”

“Naive?” Nighthawk asked, caught off-guard. “Naïve about what?”

“The leadership is yours, so fulfill that you must, but you doubt your fellow ponies…and the object of their trust,” Zecora explained in her uniquely confounding manner.

Nighthawk remained silent, slowly trying to untie the knot Zecora’s words had left in his brain. “The…object of their trust…wait. You mean me?”

The zebra finally smiled in full, and he could see the sympathy etched across her face. “Perhaps you need to understand what Sky came to realize: that you are criticized most severely when you look with your own eyes.” She gently began to run her hoof through the dirt, slowly drawing or writing something. “Truth be told, Sky told me what happened here on that fateful night, but speaking with you has brought even more to light. Your faults and failures may seem like disqualifications at first glance, but you are likely a better pony for needing that second chance.”

“How can you say that? If Sky really did tell you everything that happened, then you have to know that I probably deserved to die!” he blurted angrily. He slammed his hoof into the ground, throwing a thin veil of dust and bright magic embers into the air. “I attacked innocent ponies and nearly killed several of them! All because I couldn’t see the danger right under my nose! And I despised Sky! He was a threat to my prestigious legacy! I was blind and petty! How can they look at me, knowing all of that, and still want me as a leader?”

Zecora continued to draw in the dirt, undeterred by Nighthawk’s self-loathsome outburst. “Perhaps it is because, on that night, Sky gave you a second chance when he chose to forgive. And now your team, needing their own second chance, looks to you to show them how to live.”

“Them? They don’t need second chances. They didn’t do anything wrong,” Nighthawk countered.

“No? Or do you need me to remind, that you were not the only one in that room to leave your guilt behind?” Zecora answered in a hushed voice.

Nighthawk’s head jerked up, staring with wide eyes at the zebra. “You…how…did Sky tell you about that, too?”

He thought he saw her smirk, but in the dim light, it was hard to tell. But he had to give her words serious consideration. He had never really thought about it that way, but they all really did have things they regretted. It probably wasn’t a stretch to believe that they all felt a certain measure of shame for being a part of Ghost’s scheme, willingly or no. He had just been too busy thinking about his own issues to think about anypony else.

“You…you think they’re dealing with the same things I’m feeling right now?” he asked, feeling a new pang of guilt at his self-centeredness.

“I believe that they look to you because you can be the perfect contrast: the redeemed one who lives free from the shadow of his past,” Zecora said, setting her hoof flat on the ground again, having finished her art in the dirt. Nighthawk looked down and found that it was not a picture at all, but three simple words. Three words that carried the weight of the world for him.

“Long live forgiveness,” he read softly.

The images flooded back to him in a vivid picture show of flashes from that day. The remaining seventeen members of the Alicorn Guard, along with Solace and Mystic, had taken a solemn vow all together, leaving their cutie marks etched into the stone floor around a circular seal. And within the circle were seven words that still gave him chills.

Here lies our guilt. Long live forgiveness.

“You may not believe you are qualified, but you have much in common with Sky Streak: you both struggle with your place in the world, when you are both incredibly unique,” Zecora explained. “And you both have struggled with your failures, thinking they have made you weak. But the opposite is true: they have prepared you for the future…and that is what your friends truly seek.”

“So…” he began, rising to his hooves.

“To focus upon your mistakes is to invite depression and sorrow,” the mare continued. “So do not dwell upon them: strive for tomorrow.”

He contemplated in silence. He wasn’t perfect; that much was obvious. But if what Zecora was saying was true, that was exactly what he needed to be: imperfect. Flawed. Because whenever somepony made a mistake or messed up, he would already have the knowledge that came from having been there…and knowing the way back to redemption.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Alright,” he said. “I think I get it. Thanks for helping, Zecora.” He smiled sheepishly. “I think I probably should have known most of that, but it’s hard to see from the inside. You know, I think you probably give better advice than some crazy flower, anyway.”

She laughed aloud—a sound that made Nighthawk’s muscles relax, which was odd, considering he hadn’t realized how tense he had been. “You are certainly welcome, my good Firebolt. It is my pleasure to offer advice to any filly or colt.”

“I hardly qualify as a colt,” he quipped, stretching his wings, “though I may have to take you up on your offer. Who knows what other problems I’ll conjure up in the coming weeks and months?”

“Problems for another day,” Zecora answered. “But for now, you should be on your way.”

“Agreed,” he nodded, stuffing his light orb back into his saddlebags before slinging them across his back. “I think one pony is enough for the Everfree Forest. I’d hate to cramp your style.” He looked up to the dark boughs of the trees above him, and he found that a tiny glimmer of starlight twinkled back at him. A smile crept to his lips as he looked down again to Zecora and bowed respectfully. “Take care, Zecora.”

She inclined her head towards him in response, and with that, he rocketed through the canopy of the forest, racing into the sky above the forest. The sun’s last few rays painted the horizon in a mellow orange color as Luna’s moon rose from the opposite side of the sky to greet the stars. Blitz, myself…Mystic. The more I think about it, the more I realize…our failures help make us better. They show us ways that we can grow. There’s probably no denying that Mystic is a better princess now than she was before the whole Nightmare Moon thing. And Blitz…well, there’s no question there.

He looked ahead. Canterlot glistened like a jewel against the mountainside in the distance. You’ve both given me fine examples to follow. Here’s hoping I’m a good learner. Everypony’s looking to me to be the leader.

Far behind him, on a small cloud barely visible above the treetops in the evening sky, another figure watched as the fiery orange pegasus sped back to Canterlot. He was nearly completely invisible, thanks to the cloak he wore, which blended perfectly with the cloud beneath his hooves.

He had been listening to the conversation below. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but when Zecora had informed him that there was somepony else there, he had taken cover to intercept any potentially dangerous opponents. Thankfully, the intruder had been none other than Nighthawk, and his speech had initially been innocent. But as the conversation continued, he found himself unable to tear himself away from listening. It was heartbreaking to listen to, but at the same time…refreshing. Whether he knew it or not, Nighthawk had come so far already. And he was on the right track.

The pony smiled beneath the hood of his cloak. “You’ll do just fine,” Sky said, turning and vanishing into the night.

Author's Note

Poor Nighthawk. More than any other member of the Alicorn Guard, he has borne the brunt of the fallout from Ghost's betrayal and the subsequent events that followed. His confidence was shaken, his resolve faltered, and his own ability to lead fell to self-doubt. He viewed himself not as a failure, but as one fallen from grace--somepony that could not be trusted in a leadership role again.

And yet...the leadership role was granted to him, in spite of his failures. And in the midst of the struggles of his own mind, it is the voice of a friend--not of a flower--that shows him the truth.

Often, the road to redemption begins with the words of a friend.

Chapter 3: Cubic

Canterlot Market Square
September 3, 11:58 AM

The first signs of autumn had come early this year.

Technically, it was still summer. The leaves were still green, the sun didn’t set until what one would consider “evening,” the days were still warm and pleasant…

But even so, there was a slight tingle in the air today—a wisp of chill that was just enough to make a pony shiver if it touched them the right way.

I suppose I should make use of the good weather while it persists.

Cubic found herself staring at a courtyard full of tables, most of which were occupied by ponies who had also decided to take advantage of the nice weather before several days of rain were scheduled the following week by the head honchos up at the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. She wasn’t surprised, of course. It was the lunch hour, which meant that the vendors and diners nearby would be drawing the attention of ponies looking to get a quick bite to eat.

She adjusted the lone saddlebag against her side. A nice salad, an original copy of “The Foundations of Magic,” some fresh air...all I need is a quiet place where I can study.

She eyed the bustling square for several moments. It was crowded, but it wasn’t tremendously noisy. On the plus side, her experience had taught her that if you were eating and reading by yourself, most ponies would leave you alone.

Which was exactly what she wanted.

She slowly worked her way through the crowds, squeezing through tight lanes and around preoccupied bystanders until she spotted an empty table on the outskirts of the courtyard. It was rather out-of-the-way in relation to the vendor stands, which probably explained why nopony was sitting there. She quickly hustled over to the table and tossed her bag onto it to claim it as her own. Hearing no groans and seeing no disappointed ponies, she smiled and sat down. She pulled her salad and book out of the bag, permitting a self-congratulatory smile to rise to her lips. Mission accomplished.

A few flips of the pages, and she found herself at her last stopping point: chapter five, on the evidence of racial-specific magic within the realm of Equestria. It was a fascinating read, especially to a scholar of Cubic’s caliber. Her thirst for knowledge when it came to understanding both the nature and the execution of magic spells was insatiable. She was the Sentinels’ living archive of information on all things magic-related. It was her passion and her specialty. She relished it.

“Excuse me, is this seat saved?”

For a moment, Cubic contemplated ignoring the question. Maybe if she acted as though she hadn’t heard it, the pony would go away. Or maybe it wasn’t even a question for her. Perhaps she had simply overheard a question aimed at somepony else.

She sighed and mentally chastised herself. What kind of thinking was that? Some “Sentinel of Harmony” she’d be with that attitude. Reluctantly, she lifted her eyes from the tome and looked at the source of the question.

And found herself staring in shock at the one of the last ponies she’d expected to see.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but could I sit here? My boyfriend couldn’t make it, and it’s always nicer to be with somepony, even if we don’t know each other,” explained a white unicorn mare with a bright green mane and tail. A lunch tray hovered in front of her, suspended by her magic as she looked expectantly at the pony seated at the table.

For a few seconds, Cubic forgot how to speak. She had often heard Blitz talk about his girlfriend, this mysterious “Lily Pond,” but she had never had the opportunity to meet her. She had often wondered what she was like, especially if she could be in love with somepony like Blitz. And now, quite unexpectedly, the two of them sat face-to-face, and Cubic felt like she had swallowed her tongue.

Lily’s bright expression dimmed a bit. “Oh…did you want to be alone?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Cubic replied in her typically crisply enunciated speech. “I was not expecting anypony, but I’d be delighted to have you join me, Miss Pond.”

Lily looked startled for a moment, but she took her seat and set her tray before her. A curious look (that reminded Cubic of Blitz) flashed across her face. “Well, I guess maybe we’re not as unfamiliar with each other as I thought,” she said. “Have we met before?”

“No,” Cubic answered, closing her book and training her eyes on the mare, “but I’ve heard plenty about you. It’s an honor to meet you and see you in good health.”

Lily’s eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly as she stared at the mysterious mare who somehow knew so much about her. “You’re…part of the Alicorn Guard, aren’t you?”

Cubic smiled as she heard Lily’s question. “Former member of the Alicorn Guard,” she corrected. “The Alicorn Guard does not exist any longer. Or at least, not by that name.”

Lily nodded. “Right. The ‘Sentinels of Harmony.’ It has a nice ring to it. So, which one of his teammates am I speaking with? Let me guess…Keeper?”

Cubic chuckled and took a bite of her salad before answering. “Sky’s certainly keeping you well-appraised of things, isn’t he? But no, I’m not Keeper, though I suspect you’d probably like to meet her at some point. After all, she’s a big reason you’re here right now, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Lily said, looking contemplative. Keeper had been the one to save Lily’s life after her tragic accident in the spring. Keeper never took full credit for it, but without her, Lily would almost certainly have died. Cubic had always wondered why the Keeper had never introduced herself to Lily. The question had always puzzled her, but she once again put it off to the side. It wasn’t her place.

“But I guess I should have known you weren’t Keeper,” Lily continued, brightening up again. “She’s a unicorn, and you’re an earth pony. It’s tough to keep all these names straight without having met all of you.”

“Fair point,” Cubic conceded, taking another bite of her salad. Truth be told, as much as she wanted to bury herself in that book, she was becoming caught up in the conversation with Lily. She was just…so engaging. Something about her just drew you in. It’s no wonder Blitz is head over hooves in love with her. She’s cute, charming, and she’s got a little sass. I wonder if she had that before she met Blitz?

“So, which one are you? I’ll be guessing all day if you don’t come out and tell me,” Lily prodded.

“Sky knows me as Cubic, just like I know him as Blitz,” she answered. “But you don’t have to call me that. My real name is Calculette, though I’ll answer to either.”

“Blitz, hm?” Lily echoed, tapping her hoof on the table. “Did he pick that name, or was it given to him?”

“It was given to him, as I recall,” Cubic answered, “though there have been rumors that he may have had a hoof in that.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Lily snorted. “At any rate, it’s nice to meet you, Calculette. Think I’ll stick with that one. I’ll leave the formerly-super-secret codenames to the professionals.”

“As you wish,” Cubic replied with a smile. “So tell me, Miss Pond, what has your boyfriend so busy that he cannot devote any time to you?”

“Oh, please, call me Lily,” the unicorn replied. “And Sky stays pretty busy. You probably know about that better than I do. I think he was down in the Everfree Forest yesterday. He had to report to Princess Celestia about something, but he was hoping to make it here before too long.”

Cubic leaned in for another bite of salad, but kept her gaze locked on Lily. “Do you ever worry about Sky? How much time he spends fighting for Equestria? He’s become a bit of a combat specialist within our ranks.”

“I’m certainly tempted to at times,” the unicorn conceded. “But then I remember what he always tells me: ‘Don’t think of it as fighting. Think of it as just some aggressive negotiations.’ And it may sound strange, but it really does help. He’s not trying to pick a fight; he’s just trying to make Equestria a better place for everyone.”

Something clicked in Cubic’s head at the mention of the word “negotiations.” The gears in her brain slowly began to turn as she stared at the white mare before her. “Well, I certainly hope he makes it here. Sky takes far too much pleasure in his innocent teasing of his friends and teammates…I wonder how he’d respond if the tables were turned on him?” Cubic wondered aloud.

“He’d probably shrug it off and say something like, ‘I had it coming, anyway.’ He likes to poke fun at himself,” Lily explained. Her gaze drifted off, and Cubic could tell that Lily’s thoughts had become caught up in pleasant memories. “It’s something he’s really become very mature about. He used to get really angry whenever somepony brought up a fault or weakness, but now he just smiles and agrees. It’s not that he ignores it; he just understands it’s not a mean-spirited criticism, but it’s an opportunity for him to grow. And he loves a good challenge.”

“It’s a good trait for him to have,” Cubic commented, “seeing as how he’s confronted with major challenges so often.”

“I kinda think he likes the attention,” Lily added with a wink.

“I’m sure he does,” Cubic said, not missing a beat. “But what about you, Lily? What do you do around here?”

“Oh, I work over at the jewelry shop,” Lily said, eyes brightening. “Now that it’s been rebuilt, we’re working to restock all the shelves. Poor Facet Dreams—she’s the manager of the store—she’s had a hard few months, trying to get everything back in order. She keeps telling me what a wonder it is that nopony died in the incident.”

“Not that you would know anything about that,” Cubic replied with a knowing smile.

Lily snorted softly and took another bite of her lunch. “Nothing at all,” she said wryly.

Cubic inclined her head to one side in mild amusement. She decided to alter the course of the conversation. “I wonder…have you ever considered anything else as a career?”

“Anything else?” Lily asked. “Well…I don’t suppose I have. My dad is a goldsmith and my mom is a gem dealer, so I just grew up exposed to that. I helped both of them out in their shop during my foalhood, so it’s something I’ve become proficient in.” She narrowed her eyes and returned Cubic’s scrutinizing stare. “Why? Did you have something in mind?”

“I have heard that your magic is quite extraordinary,” Cubic said, a coy grin spreading across her face as her thoughts coalesced. “You can calm the emotions of others, correct?”

“I…yes, that’s right,” Lily confirmed, looking a little concerned.

“And I seem to remember hearing from Sky of several instances where that magic was very useful…life-saving, even.”

Lily blushed. “He always makes it sound more dramatic than it really was. My magic helped quell the windigoes back in Polarmino, and I used it to break the Chimera’s spell aura in the windigo colony…maybe a few other times, too,” she recalled, twirling a baby carrot in the air with her magic. “As usual, Sky did most of the work. I was just there to help in whatever way I could.”

“Don’t discredit your contribution to those victories,” Cubic replied. “Sky may have done most of the heavy lifting, but a focused mind and a steady spirit are vitally important to any task. Your ability to calm an anxious spirit is far more valuable than perhaps you’ve come to understand.”

“Where are you going with this?”

Cubic resealed her empty salad tray, stuffing it and her book into her saddlebag. “It is not something I can offer you myself,” she said. “But if you’re interested or would like to hear more, meet me in the palace antechamber at four o’clock. We can explain everything then.”

Lily arched an eyebrow. “‘We’?”

Cubic rose to her hooves and threw her burden across her back. “See you at four, then?”

The unicorn mare sighed and smiled in resignation. “I guess you will.”

They waved to each other, and Cubic quickly darted from the courtyard. It’s too perfect. She’s exactly who we need for the job. I just hope she’s willing to do it.

She sprinted along the cobblestone streets, nimbly evading other ponies out during the lunch hour. Each corner she turned only added to her excitement. The anticipation was like discovering a brand new spell. It was a rush that just got better and better—it was intoxicating.

Finally, feeling slightly out-of-breath, she came to a stop before the palace gates. And just within, Princesses Celestia and Luna stood on the dais, holding what appeared to be (unusually) civil conversation with another of her teammates, Rimshot.

She approached slowly, trying to steady her breathing. As she came within earshot, Celestia acknowledged her with a nod of her head. “Hello, Cubic,” she said in her typically courteous manner.

Rimshot flashed his familiar goofy smile. “Whoa, Cubic’s outside!” he gasped. “With all that time you spend in the library, I thought you might have been allergic to sunshine. Or addicted to the smell of books.”

She rolled her eyes, but gave little other evidence that she had heard her comrade’s teasing. “Solace, Mystic, I have a request for you.”

Luna caught Cubic’s gaze with curious eyes. “What kind of request?”

Rimshot’s eyes darted back and forth between the mares for a moment, then he merely shrugged. “I guess I’ll see myself out,” he said, turning back toward the palace.

“Perhaps it is more of a suggestion than a request,” she corrected. “I have a pony that I think you should meet with.”

“About what?” Celestia pressed.

Cubic smiled knowingly. “About a particular job opportunity.”

Celestia and Luna exchanged quick glances, then turned back to the mare with eager faces.

“You have our attention.”

Author's Note

Time for our resident bookworm, Cubic!

The gears in Cubic's head never stop turning. She's always thinking, analyzing, ever alert and contemplative. She's like Scope, but where he is focused on his senses, she relies on her mind to have answers for any question.

Even, on occasion, the unasked question.

The future draws ever nearer...

Chapter 4: Razor

Shores of the Haysead Swamp Territory
September 5, 10:43 AM

The mast of the great ship cracked as splinters flew from its base, causing it to wobble unsteadily. Every pony on board stopped to stare nervously at the great wooden post, each silently willing it to hold steady.

“Whaddare ya’ starin’ at, ya’ lazy rats?!” shouted a gruff auburn stallion with a black bandana on his head. “Bring down that pegasus!”

“Where’d she go?” a voice called out.

But before anypony could answer, the sound of playful laughter descended upon them. Quickly, they all turned to see a pink pegasus mare with a lavender mane gracefully alight upon the prow of the ship, a gleeful look in her eye. Instantly, they all broke into a full charge, desperate to corral her before she could once again take to the air.

She flicked her mane in the wind and watched their approach with mild interest. “Aw, what’s the matter, boys? Upset that you’re getting beat by a girl?” Razor teased, admittedly enjoying herself.

The lead pony leapt forward, brandishing a cutlass in his mouth. She quickly stepped to the side, dodging his attack before delivering an uppercut to his jaw. A painful crunch pierced the air as the cutlass dropped to the wooden deck, the sword's grip still lodged in the mouth of its wielder. She followed up her attack, wrapping her leg around her assailant’s, then spinning and hurling him back into the charging crowd, causing at least another six to crash to the deck.

The next pony came at her, swinging his hooves like he was in a berserker rage. She stepped back deliberately, staying just ahead of the pony’s strikes, waiting for her opportunity. Blow after blow whistled past her face, and her slow retreat continued. The rest of the pony’s comrades stood eagerly behind him, waiting for their buddy to open up a vulnerability in Razor’s defenses so they could move in for the kill.

Dream on, boys.

Another haymaker whistled past her face, but instead of retreating another step, she pivoted on her front hoof, hoisting her whole body into the air in a spinning kick. Her rear leg connected with the back of her attacker’s head, and the momentum from the blow sent him tumbling over the railing and into the water below.

Coming out of her spin, she found a wall of bodies flinging themselves at her in blind aggression. Reacting out of instinct, she thrust a leg forward and summoned her magic, releasing a gust of wind that blew the mob back from where she stood at the prow of the ship.

The bandana-wearing stallion rose to his hooves, dusted himself off, and locked gaze with her. “Ar, so that’s how it be?” he asked. “You be one of those ‘Sentinels’ the rumors be speakin’ of. Ponies from Equestria that can use magic like any unicorn. Yer’ awfully far from home, missy. This be none of yer concern.”

“Sounds like the rumors are only telling part of the story,” Razor replied, straightening up. “If they told the whole story, you’d know that Celestia and Luna have authorized us to serve as peacekeepers and aid bringers outside the borders of Equestria. So wherever there’s a need, whether it’s within Equestria or out, it’s my concern.” She conjured a light breeze from behind her that caused her mane to sway gently in the wind. “So, let’s start again. My name is Razor, one of the Sentinels of Harmony, and this attack upon the peaceful ponies of this region does not go unnoticed. You may leave now, or face the consequences.”

Several of the ponies stood, gritting their teeth in defiance, but Razor knew she had the advantage. “May I remind you of what I’ve already done to your ship?” she asked, pointing at the battered mast behind them.

“If you be thinking that we be all the pirates that have ever set hoof here, you be mistaken, lassie,” the bandana stallion replied. “We be only a hooffull of the lot of us. There be enough of us to handle a dozen of yourself, I’d wager. You may drive us off today, but tomorrow be another day. And one day, you may not live to see the sunset.”

Razor narrowed her eyes menacingly. “Was that a threat?”

“I only be speaking the truth,” the stallion answered, holding up a hoof. “Not all of our brethren be as forgiving as we. Many o’ them might see you as a welcome challenge. Raiding these shores has become a bit too…routine for them, you might say.”

“Then I’m breaking up their routine,” Razor answered in a raised voice. She stamped, and a gust of wind rocked the boat from side to side. “You tell your slimy ‘brethren’ that the next time I see pirates out here, I’m going to do more than just damage their mainsail. I may have to accommodate them on that outcropping over there,” she said, gesturing towards a small rock formation rising from the waves.

“We be hearing ya’, lassie,” the stallion replied. He leaned against the railing to steady himself against the ship’s rocking. “But there still be only one of ya’, and plenty more of us. Yer’ outnumbered by the hundreds, and even that magic o’ yours won’t be able to repel an army. I’d be thinking real hard about makin’ enemies of pirates.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Razor conceded. “But you’re not the only one who’s got backup. You said it yourself: I’m one of the Sentinels. And I’m far from the most powerful among them. So if I ever need a helping hoof…” She chuckled, then narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. “Well, let’s just say that no army in existence is going to save you.”

“Ar, have it yer’ way,” he answered, turning away and heading towards the helm of the ship. “We’ll be sure to pass along yer’ warning to the rest of the lads. But don’t be surprised if you start seein’ pirates more often now.” He reached a hoof up and set it on the ship’s wheel. “But I suppose you’ve won today. If you be promisin’ to not be wrecking my ship any further, we’ll be setting out.”

“I have half a mind to detain all of you,” Razor muttered. “But I’ll let you go this time. Tell your ‘lads’ that these shores are protected, and if they want to continue their thieving ways, then they have to get through me. And I think I’ve sufficiently demonstrated the ramifications of opposing me,” she added, eyeing the mast of the ship approvingly.

“But how are we supposed to sail with the mast in that condition, cap’n?” asked a burly orange stallion, peering up at the structure with worried eyes.

“There be oars below deck,” the captain barked. “We’ll reinforce the mast as best we can, but if that be not working, then the lot o’ you will have to row us back to harbor.”

A collective groan rose from the group, but the captain spun on the spot and stamped. “That be enough, you treasonous dogs!” he shouted. “If you were as quick at fixing things as you are at complaining, then we would already be sailing! Get to it! The plank be lonely, and I be having no qualms about sending some ponies to give it company!”

That seemed to trigger a reaction within the group. The pirates all broke into a run, darting to and fro, grabbing tools and free wooden boards to try and shore up the damaged wooden pillar. Razor watched for a minute or two before catching the eyes of the captain, who stood behind the helmsman’s wheel. She took to the air and glided over to him.

“Goodbye, captain,” she said in a neutral tone. “I sincerely hope that we never meet again.”

“I hope you get your wish, lassie,” the captain answered. “But I suspect we shall be seein’ each other again soon enough.”

Razor snorted softly, but decided not to respond. She rose gently into the air, sailing high over the water and leaving the ship where it languished in the harbor. Before her, several lines of small homes and supply huts formed a makeshift border between the sandy beach and the dark boughs of the forest beyond.

A crowd of ponies had gathered at the water’s edge. They were all cheering and whooping as she approached, jumping like they had just won the gold medal at the Equestria Games. She couldn’t help but smile as she began her descent towards them. They’ve had to endure so much for so long…it’s about time they got something to cheer about.

“That was awesome!!!” she heard one of the little colts call out as she came within earshot. “Did you see that? She ripped ‘em to pieces!!”

“I wonder if she could teach me how to do that!” another squealed.

Typical fillies and colts. So excitable.

And yet…they had perfect reason to be excited. For the first time in their short lives, they had seen what it was like when the bad guys didn’t win. The pirates of the southern shores had been terrorizing the village of New Chincoteague for years. They had nowhere to run, and no way to defend themselves. They were essentially hostages within their own homes, forced into giving the pirates nearly all of what little they had. Only after the formation of the Sentinels did the Council learn of their plight and determine to help.

And Razor hadn’t hesitated to volunteer.

This quest was meant for her. Having grown up just north of New Chincoteague, in the metropolis of Baltimare, she had grown to love the sea. She loved the salty taste of the sea breeze, she loved the spray of the water on her face, she loved seeing the dolphins play in the wake of the boats far out in the harbor, and she loved how big it was. As much as she was in control of the air, she never truly felt completely at home unless the air smelled of the sea.

Which was why she despised the pirates as much as she did.

To her, the pirates desecrated her beloved sea. They were a vile stain upon its pristine surface, tainting everything she had come to appreciate about the ocean. Even in Baltimare, she heard the tales of the pirates who would raid the shores, taking the plunder of hard-working ponies for themselves. They were despicable villains who rightly deserved to be sunk to the sea floor with their ships.

But she didn’t need to worry about that today. Today, the pirates were retreating, thoroughly reprimanded by one pegasus mare who had sent them limping home from what should have been a routine raid. Never again. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

As she landed, she was instantly mobbed, wrapped in a tangled knot of legs, all trying to pull her into a loving embrace fit for a hero. She managed to smile as the air was pressed out of her lungs. “Hey, uh, can I get a breath?” she wheezed, trying to wriggle free, though her voice was lost amongst the cheers.

A commanding voice cut through the din. “Now, now, everyone, let’s give Miss Razor her space. It would be a shame if we were to accidentally suffocate our hero, wouldn’t it?”

“O-of course, Elder Sandstone,” stammered one stallion, visibly embarrassed. He quickly stepped back with the rest of the crowd, clearing a path between Razor and the Elder.

In truth, the “Elder” didn’t appear to be that old. He stood tall and stout, with bright green eyes, a deep, blue body, and a soft, light blue mane. If Razor had merely passed him on the street one day, she would have assumed that he was a stallion in the prime of his youth, probably looking for a nice mare with whom he could settle down and start a family.

So it was that she had been rather surprised to find that his children and grandfoals were also living in New Chincoteague with him.

Must be something in that sweet ocean air, she surmised.

“Razor, I wish we had something to give you to show just what this means to us,” Elder Sandstone began, a distinct look of joy twinkling in his eyes. “Today alone, you have given us more than we have had in years: the pleasure of being able to sleep safely tonight.”

She inclined her head gently to the Elder. “Knowing that you will be able to keep what is rightfully yours is reward enough,” she answered.

But the Elder’s face darkened as she finished. “I think we both know that such a statement is not entirely accurate. The pirates may be gone for now, but they will most certainly be back. There are far more of them than you saw today. If they mount a determined attack on us, I fear that not even you could protect us.”

A murmur of worry wormed its way through the crowd. “I may not have faced all the pirates today,” Razor replied, “but they have not seen all of me, either. And even if I cannot stand against them alone, I have many comrades that will heed a call for help…several of whom are more powerful than myself. The pirates have more reason to be concerned than you do.”

Elder Sandstone arched an eyebrow. “But how will we defend ourselves after you leave, as you surely must? This is but one small village in an ever-growing world for your nation of Equestria. There are certainly many who will need help outside of our tiny home here.”

It was a fair point. Razor, fast as she was, couldn’t be everywhere at once. The pirates were going to be looking for a chance to get revenge for their defeat today, and their best chance would be to strike at New Chincoteague when they were most vulnerable: when nopony was there to defend it.

Thankfully, she had already given the matter some previous thought.

“You’re right,” she admitted. She turned and stared at the crowd, whose initial joy at her return had been replaced by a cloud of worry and doubt. “I’m going to be needed in other places. But my mission is to help those that need it outside the borders of Equestria. There are eighteen of the Sentinels, and eight of them have been given the same command as myself. So it’s not as though it’s just me. Besides,” she said, turning back to the Elder, “if I’m going to be operating outside of Equestria, it only makes sense that I have a home base I can return to outside of Equestria, too.”

The twinkle in Elder Sandstone’s eyes returned. “I suppose that would be logical, yes. Did you have somewhere in mind?”

“I do. And it’s already been approved by Princess Luna herself. So,” she said, her eyes sweeping through the crowd (whose mild case of depression had magically evaporated), “if you would have me, I’d like to stay here with you, for the foreseeable future.”

The excitement in the air was palpable, though still nopony spoke a word. “I would love to have you remain with us,” Sandstone replied, “though, even as Elder, I am still only one pony of our village. Such a matter as this should be put up for a vote.” He leaned to the side, peering over Razor’s shoulder to the townsponies. “What do you all say?”

As if the gleeful smiles on their faces weren’t evidence enough, they broke into a collective vote of approval, each voice contending with the others until it grew to an impressive roar. Sandstone again raised his hoof for silence, but his face betrayed his satisfaction. “It looks as though you’ll be staying with us for some time, if I understood that clamor correctly.”

“I’m honored,” Razor answered, bowing respectfully.

“I’m afraid we have little more than a simple hut to act as housing for now,” the Elder continued. “It is a shelter, but little more than that. There is a cot, a table, and a chair, but little else. I wish we had more to offer.”

“It’s quite alright,” she reassured him. “I know times have been hard here. I wouldn’t dare demand even as much as you’ve offered me. I’ve had many nights with less.”

“Well, while you remain here,” Sandstone commented, “you needn’t worry about that. As far as I’m concerned, you’re one of us.” He then returned her bow. “Thank you, Razor.”

As she bowed again, her thoughts drifted back to that day when she and Blitz met on the Crown of the Mountain, sharing their thoughts. “I know I won’t be part of the Guard forever, and I just wonder what I’ll do when my time here ends.”

As she raised her eyes, her own voice from the past continued to ring in her ears. “Every second molds us into something new. It’s just up to us to make sure that those changes are for the better.”

“So, now what?” asked a pony from the crowd.

Razor turned and gave them a reassuring smile. “Now we make things better.”

Somewhere in the Celestial Sea
September 5, 11:21 PM

“A pegasus mare?”

“Aye, a mare,” the captain reported to the hooded figure. “Magically gifted, she was, but cert’nly no stallion.”

The pony was slightly taller than most, but no distinguishing marks could be seen beneath the flaps of his cloak. He hummed in contemplation. “So one of them did come to the shores. Not the one we need, though. Are you sure it was just the one?”

“I not be likin’ yer tone, stranger,” the captain growled. “If I said there was one, then you can be sure that there was only one.”

The dark pony stepped forward, suddenly appearing to tower over the captain. “I don’t care if you don’t like my tone, but you should care if I don’t like yours,” he hissed. Then, in the blink of an eye, he returned back to normal. He turned and stepped to the railing of the ship. “Double your attacking force on those shores. We need to draw him out, and the only way to do that is to increase the threat beyond what the one mare can handle on her own.”

“Double my force?!” the captain exclaimed. “You be askin’ me to put even more of my ponies in danger! Are ya’ daft?!”

“I think,” the figure answered in a soft voice, “that you should seriously consider who it is that you’re more afraid of: that one pegasus mare…or us.”

The captain’s auburn color drained from his face until he was as white as the moon shining above. “I…I…” he stammered.

“I believe you have your orders, captain,” the shadowy pony chuckled, clearly enjoying the sailor’s discomfort. “I shall await your next report. We’ll be in touch.” With that, he took to the air and vanished into the night sky.

The crew of the ship watched and waited until they were certain the stranger was gone before one of the deckhooves spoke up. “What do we do, cap’n?” he asked, looking as shaken as his leader.

The captain shivered, then shook his head. “Make for port,” he managed. “We be needing some more ponies.”

Author's Note

Wielding the power of the wind, Razor's insight matched her skills. She could see well beyond her vision and think ahead of the present. But in spite of her forward-thinking manners, she has never forgotten the days of her youth beside the sea. Her love of the ocean is strong as it has ever been, but now, she also bears not only the perspective of justice, but also the power to enforce. And so she goes to the most humble of villages, to the most destitute of ponies, where she can do the most good.

But perhaps even beyond the expansive vision of Razor, a dangerous threat arises. Only time will tell what danger awaits on the shores of New Chincoteague...and perhaps even more...

Chapter 5: Ace and Scope

Dodge City
September 6, 5:00 PM

He peered out from under the rim of his hat as he looked at his cards. Horns and wings, this is almost too easy. I almost feel bad.

Almost.

The four earth ponies at the table stared at him disparagingly. “Well, stranger? Think you can beat three queens? That’s the best hoof we’ve seen today, and I’d wager that not even you can top that,” said the stallion on his right, eyeing the cards on the table. The red bandana around his neck clashed with his sienna-tinted hat, and considering how bright with confidence his face was, the combination of his hat, bandana, and face probably could’ve blinded somepony.

Let’s see who’s smiling after this.

Ace dropped his cards onto the table, smirking as the other ponies caught sight of them: four eights. “Huh. Guess that makes your hoof the second best we’ve seen today, huh?”

“Moon and stars…” muttered one of the stallions. He pushed his ten-gallon hat back off his forehead. “What a hoof…”

“Alright, that’s it!” the tacky-colored stallion on his right exclaimed as Ace began to gather in the chips. “I’ve seen enough! Nopony is that lucky!”

Ace stared at him innocently. “What, can’t accept that somepony’s better than you?”

“Don’t give me that!” the stallion shouted, his yellow face gradually shifting to a bright shade of red. “You’ve won six games in a row! You ain’t playing honest!”

“Honestly, I won three of those because you four are too scared to try and call a bluff,” Ace countered, stacking his chips nonchalantly.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” he pressed, slamming a hoof into the table and toppling a few piles of chips. “I know a cheater when I meet one!”

Ace sighed. This happened every time he played poker. Inevitably, somepony would get upset at his (perhaps suspicious) tendency to win, but he couldn’t help it if he was good at playing cards. He knew how to conceal his tells and notice others’, he knew how to play his bluffs, and he admittedly did have some ridiculously good luck. But to accuse him of cheating? That was just insulting.

And it was getting old.

“Hey, somepony had to win those games, right?” Ace countered. “It just so happens that somepony was me.”

“Fat chance you won fairly,” came the sour response.

Ace snorted. “Because you’ve been so good at judging the odds today, right?”

Ace saw it coming. He took a step back as the table suddenly tilted his way until it flipped clean over, spilling the cards and chips all over the floor. The other patrons of the saloon looked up, startled, to see the cause of the commotion. Though in a few eyes, Ace could see a distinct look of expectation, as though a few of them knew what was supposed to come next.

“This rotten, cheating scoundrel’s played his last game in this town!” the tacky stallion shouted, aiming an accusatory hoof in Ace’s direction.

“Whoa, there, Blind Bluff,” the bartending burgundy earth pony called. “Just take it easy. What’s all this about?”

A disembodied voice echoed in Ace’s mind. Did you have to get him so riled up?

I can’t help it that he’s a sore loser, he protested. He’s not used to losing...especially considering his tactics.

Well, see if you can get him to stand still for a moment. I think I know how he’s been doing it.

“Hey, uh, listen…Blind Bluff, was it?” Ace interrupted, stepping forward to the irate pony. “Tell ya’ what…why don’t we just not count that last game? I’ll take what I’ve won from the first five and call it even. Whaddya say to that?” he asked, throwing a wink in for good measure.

“Hardly!” Blind Bluff shouted. “If you’re going to cheat, then you win nothing! You ain’t walking outta here with so much as one bit! Cheaters never prosper—ain’t that right, boys?” he asked, to which several stallions grunted their assent, rising to their hooves.

Ace sighed in exasperation. Ready?

Now that he’s not jumping around and raving like a lunatic? I’m ready whenever you want to move this along.

“Hey, I agree with you one hundred percent,” Ace answered. “Which is why I think we need to reveal who the real cheater is here.”

Before anypony could even begin to ask what he was going on about, there was the distinct sound of a metallic click, and Blind Bluff yelped. “Ow! What the hay was that?”

“That,” Ace said with a smile, “sounded an awful lot like the truth.”

Slow gasps began to be heard around the room as the center of attention shifted from Ace to Blind Bluff. Because now, almost miraculously, there was now a horn in the center of his forehead.

“Blazin’ buffaloes!” exclaimed the bartender. “You ain’t no earth pony! You’re a unicorn!”

“What?!” Blind Bluff shrieked. He took a nervous step back towards the exit. “What gave you that idea?”

“Maybe that horn you’ve been hiding from everypony in this town,” said Ace, striding forward with new purpose. “I’ve been tracking you for a few weeks now. You’ve been busy, haven’t you?” he pressed, levelling his eyes as he advanced. “Never staying in a town for very long…just long enough to swindle the good ponies out of some of their hard-earned bits in a game of poker—a game you never played fairly.”

“Like you can prove that?” Blind Bluff countered, though his face betrayed a sense of panic.

“I think you’ll find we can,” a new voice spoke out. Suddenly, appearing right in the midst of the room was a pony in a grey cloak. Another collective gasp filled the room as they beheld this new figure who had arrived seemingly out of nowhere. He tossed his hood back, revealing a forest green pony with a brown mane. “Every pony we’ve interviewed has described you in the exact same way. And it’s a match for how you look right now. Awfully careless of you.”

“What the hay?!” the bartender shouted in surprise at Scope’s sudden appearance. “Where’d you come from?”

He never got a response. Blind Bluff turned to run, but Scope, quick as a flash, stretched his leg out, causing the folds of his cloak to fall away and reveal the polished shooter affixed to his leg. There was a short click, and a small orb sprung from the shooter and collided with Bluff’s flank, freezing him where he stood. Ace came up beside his quarry and inspected his front left leg. “Blind Bluff…it’s no wonder you have that name. That’s what you do, isn’t it? Make other ponies blind to what you don’t want them to see? Like the fact that you’re a unicorn? And that you’re the cheater?”

He reached down and removed something from Bluff’s leg, hoisting it into the air with his magic. “Sneaky. A second deck of cards. Identical to the playing cards they use here at the saloon. I wonder if there’s anything special about them…”

Drops of sweat began to run down Bluff’s face as he watched. Ace turned his attention back to the table that had been flipped and the mess around it. Slowly, he gathered up all the cards and placed them into a neat stack. He lifted a single card and threw it to the cloaked pony in the center of the room. “Scope, hang onto this for me. I wanna test something.”

Scope snatched the card out of the air with a quick move that was barely more than a blur. He stared at the card nonchalantly. “A three of diamonds. Or was I not supposed to tell you what my card was?”

“Hey, uh…who are you guys?” asked one of the patrons of the saloon.

“I’m Ace, and that’s Scope,” Ace answered, never looking up from the cards before him. He shuffled through the deck of cards, taking a quick glance at each card before moving on to the next one. “We’re Sentinels of Harmony, answering directly to Princess Celestia herself. We’re here to take care of a certain…pest problem.” He cast a sideways glance at the stationary unicorn to his right.

“Well?” Scope asked after a few tense seconds.

“Bingo,” Ace said, lifting a single card from the stack. “Three of diamonds. Wow, sure looks shiny, doesn’t it?”

He dropped the card onto a table, attracting a crowd as it settled. It looked almost exactly like a normal card, save for the fact that upon its face, each of the diamonds carried a distinct red glow.

“What’s it mean?” the bartender asked.

“It means that those cards are enchanted,” Scope answered. “They’re linked to the cards in the house deck. Whenever a card from his deck is in somepony’s hoof, it’ll glow like that. It’s a way to know what cards are in play, so you don’t play a copy and give away that you’re cheating. He could just use the cards that weren’t glowing, and be sure that nopony would question his play.”

“But how come we never saw his horn before now? Or his second deck? Or for that matter, why didn’t any of his cards get shuffled back into the regular deck?” asked another pony.

“Because his cards never went back into the regular deck,” Scope explained. “He used the same magic he used to hide his horn and his enchanted deck to sneak his cards back to his deck without anypony seeing. He would just pull out the cards he wanted to play, look to see if they were already in someone else’s hoof, and adjust accordingly. Pretty sneaky.”

“I’d call it ‘unnecessarily elaborate,” Ace commented. “He could have just learned to play the game well.”

“He hid the cards? And his horn? How does that work?” the pony persisted.

“Funny you should ask,” Ace answered. “Blind Bluff…that’s your specialty, isn’t it? Your unique magic…making others blind to what you don’t want them to see. You’re an illusionist…hiding what would be inconvenient if others saw.” Ace walked back to where Blind Bluff stood frozen like a statue. “You just had to use it to cheat, didn’t you? Couldn’t bear to try to help others with that talent, could you? You just had to be naughty.” He shook his head in disapproval.

“We’ll take care of him,” Scope said, fiddling with his shooter and reloading another orb into the stock. “He’s got quite a laundry list of charges against him. We’ll make sure that Blind Bluff here reimburses your town for everything he’s swindled from you.”

“We’ll be on the first train outta town with this scoundrel,” Ace added, dragging Blind Bluff behind him with his magic. “Hey, thanks for not lynching me, by the way. You guys are great.” With that, the trio passed through the swinging doors out onto the street.

“Wait…Ace, was it?” the bartender called out.

One side of the doors opened again, revealing Ace’s head poking from around the corner. “Yes?” the white unicorn answered.

“What about your winnings? You did win six games in a row. They’re yours to claim,” the bartender explained.

“Oh, well, you see,” Ace began, stepping full into the doorway again, “I got what I came for. So, you know what, you guys can keep all that. My reward was catching that criminal.”

The deep red earth pony didn’t seem convinced. “Are you sure?”

Ace’s eyes slowly drifted to the chips scattered across the floor. Each one was technically his. His eyes glossed over as he considered the actual amount of his winnings. “Well…maybe I could take just a little…”

Scope’s voice came calling from the street outside. “Ace! We talked about this! Just leave the bits and let’s go!!”

Ace snapped back to reality and smiled sheepishly at the bartender, whose face was a mix of amusement and bewilderment. “Whoops! Guess I better be going. Uh, you guys keep the change.” He dashed through the doors, leaving them swinging in his wake.

The patrons of the saloon stood in stunned silence for several seconds before the pony with the ten-gallon hat finally spoke up. “What the hay just happened?”

“I’m not rightly sure myself, Bart,” the bartender stammered. “But if that’s a sign of things to come, then things are about to get a lot more interesting around here, that’s for sure.”

“What did he say they were called?” another pony asked. “The ‘Sentinels of Harmony’?”

“Something like that,” Bart confirmed. “What does that even mean?”

“Can’t say,” the bartender replied, grabbing a broom and beginning to sweep up the cards and chips from around the flipped table. “But you can bet your boots that if those two show up again, we’re probably gonna find out.”

Author's Note

Time for our next tandem: Ace and Scope!

If there are two things that define Ace, they're his strategic mind and his addiction to gambling. So it's only natural that when the Sentinels needed to track down a travelling card-playing swindler, they'd send Ace to handle it. But, of course, when you're addicted to gambling, then keeping your mind on your appointed task can be...difficult.

So Scope came along, too.

Fun story to write. Ace is such an enjoyable character to play with in writing. He's a lot like Sky, with the same kind of witty remarks, but he feels more like a child than Sky. Scope, on the other hoof, is stoic and humorless--the exact opposite of Ace, which makes their interaction so entertaining. They work well together, but you'd never know it if you simply judged off the way they talked to each other.

Chapter 6: Phase and Buckle

South of Griffonstone
September 9, 7:47 PM

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

Behind him, Phase heard the rapidly approaching rumble of the monstrous creature in hot pursuit. And beside him, eyes wide with terror and panic, was a young griffon named Sprint. Phase could tell that he was running as quickly as could, though it was still slower than flying. But his panic made his flying erratic, so he had quickly abandoned it for a safer approach.

Phase had been sent to the woods south of Griffonstone with Buckle after information from Phantom Star’s journals revealed that one of his family’s sealed monsters could be found there. But when they arrived, they were surprised to find a small group of young griffons gathered at the entrance to the cave in question. Apparently, they had challenged Sprint to go inside as part of a dare. Phase and Buckle had been planning to discreetly (if possible) vanquish the beast, but upon learning of the dare, the situation became much more dire.

And it had only gone downhill from there.

The enormous monstrosity within the cave may have been magically sealed at one point, but somehow, the seal had dissolved. And when Sprint found it, the beast was waiting. Had Phase not found him at that instant, Sprint would likely have been little more than an appetizer.

So here he was: running for his life with a frightened griffon cub from a monster that he was supposed to kill. Needless to say, this wasn’t quite how he had planned things to go.

But he couldn’t panic. Sprint was barely able to keep his legs moving in one direction. If he saw his rescuer losing his nerve, he might freeze up entirely.

The exit. If he could just make it to the exit, Buckle would be there. Together, they could rally up and still kill this beast. He just had to make it there.

The rumbling in the cave grew stronger. A sharp hiss echoed off the cavern walls, sending a shiver along Phase’s spine that refused to subside. His eyes peered ahead, trying to will the cavern exit to appear.

But all he saw was the continuing blackness of the tunnel.

The shaking continued to intensify. He opened up his awareness beyond the walls of the cave, searching for something—anything¬—that might provide some kind of escape. He needed to slow it down…maybe there was a weakness in the cavern ceiling that he could use to collapse the cave for a short time? Maybe a side tunnel, or even a nook they could try to hide in? All he knew was that the exit wasn’t appearing, and their pursuer was closing in on them.

He sensed a sudden heat on the back of his neck, sharp and intense as a pair of daggers slowly being driven into his skin. He grimaced, but resisted the urge to wince entirely. He had maybe three seconds before the monster was on him, and he was desperate to get every last bit out of them.

Suddenly, beyond the wall on his left, he sensed movement. Not anything large, like a creature. It was subtle and intangible…

Moving air.

With one swift move, he hefted Sprint into a one-legged hug with his right leg and simultaneously somersaulted to his left. Igniting his magic precisely halfway into his twist, he heard an eardrum-shattering roar from no more than a few inches behind him.

And with a flash of light, the pony and the griffon vanished.

They reappeared a short distance away, but now, a thick cave wall stood between them and their hideous pursuer. Sprint spun wildly across the cavern floor as he landed, but Phase crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath and struggling to stop the intense ringing in his ears.

“What was that thing?!” Sprint wheezed, head jerking back and forth in paranoia so quickly that it almost appeared that he had a twitch. “Is it gone?”

Phase fought to find his voice. The monster’s roar had left him rattled, and his concentration had barely managed to remain intact just long enough to teleport away. He took a few more deep breaths. “Maybe for the moment,” he managed with a cringe. Even the sound of his own voice triggered a painful pounding in his head. “Just hang on…”

Slowly, he worked himself into a sitting position. His breathing became smoother, and the drumbeat within his skull gradually faded. The ringing in his ears had diminished from a brass orchestra to a string quartet. “Okay,” he said at last, twisting his neck with a series of small pops. There was still a small breeze flowing through the cavern. “So, when you came in, do you remember whether the breeze was flowing into or out of the mouth of the cave?”

Sprint looked at him quizzically. “There was a breeze?”

Phase sighed. “Nevermind.” He peered in the direction of an incline in the cave as the wind slipped past him. “We had to go down to get to the monster’s lair, so it only makes sense that we have to go up to get back to the surface. Plus, the air is moving in the same direction, which is good, since it was blowing out of the cavern when I came in.”

“Then why’d you ask me?”

“Because I was hoping you’d prove to me that you had a plan for getting back out,” Phase deadpanned. “You should always have a plan.”

“Hmph. I don’t need any advice from a pony,” Sprint quipped, suddenly hostile.

“Oh, my bad,” Phase muttered, rising and starting down the tunnel. “Well, good luck when that monster catches up with you.”

“We’re in a separate tunnel, though,” Sprint replied, sounding somewhat unsure. “It can’t get over here.”

“Well, you don’t need my advice,” Phase answered, “but if you did, then I’d tell you that the air is flowing in this cavern just like it was in the one you entered, which means that these tunnels are connected, which means that it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be having company. But, of course, you already knew that, so—”

The griffon appeared next to him so quickly, Phase almost wondered if he had actually teleported there. “Well…maybe there’s no harm in sticking together. At least until we get out, right?”

Phase sighed in mild annoyance. Even though the ponies and griffons had made peace with each other hundreds of years ago, it would have been a stretch to have referred to the two races as “friends.” It would have been more accurate to describe them as “tolerated neighbors,” with each one blaming the other for the not-quite-cordial relations between the two. Celestia and Luna hoped to patch things up with the griffons quickly, but…well, hundreds of years of grudges weren’t easy to overcome.

A roar that shook the cavern snapped Phase out of his reverie. “C’mon; we gotta move,” he ordered, pushing Sprint ahead of him and breaking into a run.

The pair raced through their underground pathway, and while they encountered no sign of the monster, they quickened their pace with every roar or shudder felt throughout the cavern.

Finally, when Sprint looked like he could barely take another step, a light exploded into their eyes, causing the griffon to trip and skid along the ground. Phase winced and inclined his head away, but never diverted his eyes. “There’s our exit!” he shouted, hefting Sprint back onto his talons and stumbling towards the opening.

They emerged into the daylight among a thicket or tall grass and trees, well-concealed from any eyes that may have been searching for them. Phase lit up his horn and sent a magic flare high into the air.

“What’s that?” Sprint asked, his eyes following the flare on its trajectory.

“A signal flare,” Phase answered. “I came with my partner, and I’m hoping she sees that.”

“Scared of getting lost?” the griffon mocked.

“Not quite,” the unicorn answered, looking back to the cave entrance. “I’m actually hoping for backup to help us face that thing.”

The color seemed to drain from Sprint’s face as the words reached him. “Y-You’re…you’re going to f-fight that monster?!”

“It’s why I’m here,” Phase deadpanned. “Unless you’d like to face it yourself.”

“Didn’t you see that thing?! I wouldn’t face it even if I were a dragon! You’re just a pony! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Possibly,” Phase admitted. “But there’s only one way to find out.”

Suddenly, a sandy beige earth pony mare with a brown mane burst through the brush right in front of them, followed by a small cadre of other griffons, looking about the same age as Sprint. “You made it, rookie,” the earth pony said in a neutral voice. “And you found the griffon, too. Is the beast far behind you?”

“Tough to say. I teleported us away from it into another wing, but everything in there is connected, so once it catches our scent…”

A roar shook the ground beneath their hooves, and a blast of hot air burst from the cavern entrance, sending the griffons diving for cover, while the two ponies spun to face their foe.

“Get back!” Phase barked at the griffons. “Find somewhere safe! Leave this to us.”

He didn’t hear a response, but the sound of running served its purpose as its own answer. He turned his attention to his partner on his right.

“Nervous?” Buckle asked, crouching low.

“Maybe a bit,” Phase admitted, keenly aware of his quickening heartbeat and the beads of sweat slowly rolling off his brow. “You?”

Buckle shook her head. “I’m not nervous. Though I am afraid.”

“Afraid, but not nervous?” Phase asked, never taking his eyes off the cavern opening.

“Being nervous makes you unsteady, and that’s the last thing you want in a situation,” she explained, crouching even lower. “But anypony that would step into this scenario and not be afraid is a fool. Fear makes you aware of the danger, but it is not an end. It is not your goal to be afraid.”

“Obviously,” Phase muttered.

If Buckle heard the remark, she chose to ignore it. “Fear is merely an avenue to courage. Fear should kindle a desire within you to stand against the danger because of the threat it poses to everything we love.” She paused and turned to face the unicorn. “You understand, don’t you?”

“Sure,” he answered. “Pummel this thing into submission before it can do that to anypony else. Easy, right?”

The cavern entrance exploded in a cascade of boulders and a cloud of dust as an enormous black figure emerged. The two ponies slowly retreated as the creature grew taller and taller until it towered over the ponies. Rising above the dust cloud, Phase could feel his jaw loosen as he stared into the red-eyed face of…

“A chicken?!” the unicorn exclaimed in confusion.

“If only,” Buckle said in a trembling voice beside him. “That looks to me like the granddaddy of all cockatrices.”

Phase took a second glance. Sure enough, a scaly, black, serpentine body extended downwards from the head—as sure an indicator of bad news as anything could have been. “Cadance’s crystals,” he whispered in awe. “A basilisk.”

He had heard of the basilisk before. Sure, some said it was merely a myth, but the fact that it had a place in every bestiary he had seen had been suspicious, to say the least. Each entry had been different, including its color, its size, and its presumed habitat. However, some things had been consistent throughout every book he had read: it was an ancient, more dangerous version of a cockatrice, it was extremely hostile, its bite was lethally venomous, and there was one place you never looked at it…

“Don’t look in its eyes!” Buckle’s shout snapped him back to reality. “They’ll do worse than just turn you to stone!”

“I know; I know!” Phase shouted back. He dove for cover as the beast’s tail smashed the ground right where he had been standing mere moments before. “I didn’t come here with the intent of dying!”

Another roar split the air as the basilisk dropped to the ground, its slithering movements causing the ground to rumble beneath the ponies’ hooves. Phase watched as it zigged and zagged along the ground with an almost hypnotic rhythm. It was fast…unexpectedly fast.

OK, so now that we’ve found it…how do we kill it?

Suddenly, the basilisk did a hard right hand turn and doubled back towards him. Caught off-guard, he had nearly no time to react. He turned away, capable only of awaiting the widening jaws of the basilisk.

Then, just before the monster reached him, the basilisk seemed to slam into an invisible solid object. Surprised, Phase hazarded a second look. Before the enormous serpent’s head stood a large rectangular glowing barrier. He recognized it instantly as one of Buckle’s magic walls. Boy, did I ever get the right partner for this job…

“Don’t freeze up on me, rookie!” Buckle shouted at him from the other side of the basilisk. “I need your help to beat this thing!”

The monster, having regained its senses, rose up again to a towering height and roared down at Phase. Apparently, it was none-too-pleased at having been denied a tasty pony snack. “You have something specific in mind?” Phase shouted back, darting for cover behind a pile of fallen debris from the mountainside.

“We need to give ourselves more of an opening! Try to shoot out its eyes!” Buckle ordered.

Phase blinked. “But I thought I wasn’t supposed to look at its eyes!” he called.

“You’re not!”

He responded with a low growl. “Then that doesn’t make any sense!” he yelled back.

The boulder he had been hiding behind suddenly flew away as the basilisk swatted it aside with its tail. He looked up just in time to see the monster dive at him, determined to make him its next meal. But this time, he was ready. With a flash, he teleported from his spot, reappearing between the basilisk’s diminutive wings. Good thing they’re so small, or we’d have to worry about a giant chicken-snake that can turn ponies to stone…that can also fly.

He stamped several times, hoping to discover that the monster’s skin wasn’t thick as armor. But as his hooves clanged against the basilisk’s scales, he found himself mentally crossing another possibility off his checklist of usable tactics. The list had become frighteningly short rather rapidly.

“Watch out!”

He saw it just in time. The basilisk’s tail was headed right for him. He ducked just in time, the tail missing him by inches. Looking up, he saw a spell orb strike the basilisk in its neck, just below its feathered head. Instantly, the area was sheathed in ice, and Phase used the opportunity to teleport back to his partner’s side. “Think that will hold for long?” he asked.

Almost before he had finished the question, the monster swung its head to the left, causing the ice to shatter. Buckle growled in a low voice. “You had to ask, didn’t you?”

The basilisk looked down towards them, and they both dove for the cover of another fallen boulder. As Phase rolled to his hooves, he heard the unmistakable sound of an annoyed cluck.

Never thought that would be such a terrifying sound. Live and learn, I guess. “Think we might have bitten off a bit more than we could chew, ma’am,” Phase said.

“You giving up on me, rookie?” Buckle fired back, peering around the edge of the boulder.

“Not hardly,” he answered, “though I think we’re down to only a few options we haven’t tried yet. This thing is tough. We’ve barely been able to phase it.” He paused and smiled in amusement. “Phase it. Huh. Funny.”

“Focus, rookie,” Buckle ordered, retreating again behind their hiding place. “Legends hold that both cockatrices and basilisks share the same weakness: their own reflection.”

“Darn! Knew I should have brought my full-monster-body-length mirror with me.”

Suddenly a shadow fell over them, and they both looked up just in time to see the silhouette of the basilisk hovering over them.

“Scatter!” Buckle ordered. Phase spotted an elevated ledge on the upper part of the cave opening. Instantly, he teleported over and, for the first time, found himself looking on the ensuing battle from above. He saw Buckle nimbly dodging the attacks of the basilisk as she attempted to put some space between herself and the monster. Apparently, the basilisk had come to the conclusion that it was a much better idea to focus on the pony that didn’t have the nasty habit of constantly vanishing into thin air.

He raised his shooter. It was loaded with a stun orb which, at the very least, should buy Buckle a few moments of time to try and get ahead of her pursuer. He lined up his shot, took a deep breath, activated his magic, and watched as the orb split the air and struck the basilisk right between the wings.

Bingo!

The basilisk seemed to slouch down a bit in response, and on the ground, Buckle seemed to notice the change in her foe. She performed a quick somersault in the air and fired off her own spell orb, which collided with the monster’s face with a sudden blaze of light. A flash orb—she’s trying to blind the basilisk so it can’t use its eyes against us!

For the second time in mere minutes, Phase found himself powerfully thankful for his partner. Her veteran influence and steady approach to any problem perfectly balanced his own attitude. As she had said so many times, he was still a “rookie”—but he was determined to prove he was capable of much more.

The basilisk roared in anger and began to flail around, trying to recover its vision from the infuriating little ponies that continued their relentless harassment. Phase watched intently, considering his options. “What now?” he shouted down to his partner.

“Honestly, I was hoping you had an idea,” Buckle called back.

Fantastic.

As he watched the beast struggle, he tried to analyze the situation. Blinding the basilisk was a good strategy to buy time, but if the only way to defeat the basilisk was to get it to look in its reflection, then they couldn’t rely on it forever. But they didn’t have any kind of mirror to use, so the point was moot. In essence, they had come to a stalemate, with both sides unable to defeat the other. But the longer the battle lasted, the fewer options the ponies would have, until they would no choice but to retreat.

They needed a wild card.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a brilliant streak of orange seared the air, finding its mark right in the basilisk’s face and prompting another deafening roar from the monster. Startled, Phase traced the beam of magic back to its source: a fiery orange pegasus whose slow but deliberate descent had brought him not ten feet from where Phase stood.

“Nighthawk!” Phase exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just passing through,” Nighthawk answered through gritted teeth as he continued to fire his magic between the basilisk’s eyes. “Hope I’m not spoiling your fun.”

“Not at all, sir,” the unicorn replied, looking down to see Buckle scampering over the edge of the cavern opening. “The more the merrier.”

“Nighthawk, thank Celestia!” Buckle shouted from below. “Perfect timing as usual!”

“Don’t get too excited,” Nighthawk called back, his face contorting into a grimace. “I don’t think this is doing too much to our friend over there.”

Phase dared a look at the basilisk’s face. Mercifully, the creature’s attention was directed upon the attack, and not any curious onlookers. But as he peered closer, he saw the truth: by some bizarre chance, Nighthawk’s beam was stopping just a few inches short of the creature’s face. It just…stopped in midair. Almost as though it was…

“It’s shielding its eyes somehow!” he shouted. “It’s protecting its weak spot!”

“Sounds like we’re back to square one,” Buckle muttered just loud enough for Phase to hear. “We need it to see its own reflection.”

Phase looked around. There wasn’t a thing in sight that had even the remotest semblance of being sufficiently reflective to suit their needs. It was all just dirt, plants, and jagged rocks. In the distance, the Celestial Sea glistened like a distant jewel in the sun, but even if it had been nearer, it wasn’t as though the sea was known as something serene and still. They needed something flat, smooth, and reflective, and they just didn’t have anything that fit the bill.

Nighthawk took off and swirled around the head of the basilisk, keeping it occupied. He’s got magic power to spare, but the basilisk is just blocking it, so it’s little more than a distraction. I can teleport around and keep it distracted and moving, but that only buys us time. And Buckle can defend us with those shields of hers…

He paused. Her shields…they’re flat and smooth. If only they were reflective…

He looked up again to see Nighthawk flitting around the basilisk’s head. A quick flash of light blinded him for a moment, and he was reminded of the icy crystals far to the north in his homeland.

And the thought found a home within his brain.

I know how to make a mirror!

“Nighthawk!” he shouted, suddenly excited. “Keep that thing busy for us! Just give me as much time as you can!”

“You got an idea, kid?” Nighthawk shouted, deftly avoiding a swipe of the basilisk’s tail.

“Here’s hoping!” he answered, teleporting down beside Buckle.

The earth pony mare eyed him expectantly. “What’s your plan, rookie?”

He pulled his shooter off his leg and opened the orb chamber. Three remaining orbs awaited within: a flash orb, a smoke orb, and a freeze orb. He smiled and switched their order before closing the lid and reattaching the shooter to his leg. “Buckle, I need a forcefield. A large, flat one, perfectly vertical.”

Buckle arched an eyebrow as a wry smile slowly tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You think it’ll work?”

He shot a quick glance back over to where Nighthawk and the basilisk were locked in combat. “I don’t know, but I think it’s the best shot we have right now.”

“That it is,” Buckle agreed. Her irises glimmered, and a large, glowing rectangle appeared in front of her.

With a flourish, Phase aimed the forcefield and fired. A small cloud of icy mist burst from the impact area as the entire barrier became encased in a layer of ice. Gently, Buckle lowered the forcefield until the icy wall sat upon the ground.

Phase lit up his own horn and held the makeshift mirror steady. “How’s it look from your side?” he asked.

“Working like a charm,” she answered, and Phase couldn’t help but note the tone in her voice. It sounded like she was actually impressed.

But he didn’t have time to revel in his accomplishment. “We need to lure that thing over here.” He watched as Nighthawk continued his dizzying dance around the head of his foe. He makes it look so easy, but I know he’s gotta be running out of juice. Not even he can keep that up forever.

“You’ve still got two more orbs in your shooter, right?” Buckle asked.

“Yeah.”

“What are they?”

“Uh…” He hesitated as he tried to remember which ones they were. “Smoke and flash.”

“In that order?”

“Um…maybe?” he replied, not quite sure of his answer.

“Phase, focus!” she fired back.

His mind responded. She hadn’t called him “rookie,” as she had done so many times before. She had used his actual moniker—and it had gotten his attention. Instantly, as though her words had cast a recollection spell, he saw himself rearranging the orbs just moments ago, and he had his answer.

“Yeah, smoke then flash.”

“Perfect,” she answered. “Aim for the basilisk’s head with those two orbs. We need you to represent a greater threat to the basilisk than Nighthawk in its mind. If you can hit it up near its eyes, it should turn towards you.”

“You’d better be ready with that mirror when it comes for me,” he replied stoically, taking aim with his shooter.

“Don’t worry about that. Just get its attention. I’ve got your back.”

He watched and waited for several seconds. As visible and large as the basilisk was, it had a tendency to sway back and forth in an irregular pattern—and Nighthawk’s constant darting back and forth wasn’t helping. Geez, why can’t anything ever be easy?

Finally, Nighthawk seemed to catch a glimpse of his two comrades. Apparently realizing what was happening, he slowly backed away from the monster, making it into a much more stationary target. A second later, a bang accompanied an explosion of smoke that swallowed the head of the basilisk.

The monster roared and ducked out of the smoke cloud, turning to focus in on the two ground-based ponies. But before it could even begin to move towards them, the second of Phase’s orbs struck the monster, conjuring a brilliant flash of light that cast shadows in all directions. The basilisk roared again but didn’t try to wait for the light to fade. It wanted those ponies, and it wanted them now.

Phase steadied himself. He had ten seconds at the most. Ten seconds before the basilisk was on top of him.

And, in order for the plan to work, he had no choice but to stand his ground and stare down the most dangerous creature he had ever encountered.

“Move, Phase!” Buckle shouted. “I’ve got this!”

“We need it to keep coming this way!” Phase yelled back, digging in his hooves. “It’s focused on me right now, not you!”

Five seconds.

“Close enough! Move!” Buckle ordered, and for the first time, Phase thought he actually heard an edge of panic in her voice.

“Just a little longer…” he growled through gritted teeth. His mental counter was down to two seconds.

Good enough for me.

With a burst of magic, Phase blinked back to his rocky outcropping and found himself watching Buckle stand against the rapid advance of the basilisk.

Alone.

A mere five feet remained between the basilisk and Buckle’s makeshift mirror when it happened. An agonizing scream shook the mountain, forcing Phase to his knees with his hooves in his ears. Through the haze of pain and ringing in his ears, he saw the form of the basilisk suddenly stiffen and change to a stony gray. The monster crashed into the mirror, shattering it and sending shards of ice flying in all directions.

The echoes of the basilisk’s scream slowly faded. Phase wobblingly rose to his hooves and stared down at the scene below. The basilisk’s body, now nothing more than a large stone statue, had come to rest near the edge of a drop-off to his right. Buckle, covered in dust but otherwise fine, ambled on top of the statue and surveyed her surroundings.

And, without the slightest warning, the ground simply ceased to be there.

Phase watched in horror as the giant stone figure of the basilisk slid over the edge of the crumbling cliff. Buckle, caught completely by surprise, stumbled as her footing teetered over the edge. The last thing Phase saw before she vanished was the look of sudden panic on her face.

“Buckle!” Nighthawk shouted, spreading his wings with a sudden orange blaze.

But only a second later, a flash of light appeared a few feet from the edge of the cliff, and Phase dropped onto the ground with a thud.

And before Nighthawk could dart over the edge towards his falling comrade, the dust settled around Phase’s figure. He was curled up into a tight form, and his legs were stretched out in front of him, clutching something against his body. And as Nighthawk approached, he saw what the unicorn was holding.

“Buckle…” Nighthawk whispered in surprise.

Phase slowly loosened his grip and rolled onto his back. Buckle, looking shaken, rose to her hooves before collapsing back onto her haunches. “Phase…what just happened?”

“I…” The light orange unicorn’s breath came quick and short, and his voice was coarse and airy. “I…”

“Ease up, Phase,” Nighthawk said, lighting upon the ground and tucking his wings against his side. He walked over beside the crystal unicorn and laid a hoof on his chest. “Just breathe. Slow down and let it come. Relax.”

“I…”

“Hush,” Nighthawk ordered. “Calm down, then talk. I don’t want you hyperventilating.”

Phase nodded, but a wild look was in his eyes. His pupils were constricted, and they darted back and forth as though he were desperately searching for something in a fit of paranoia. But gradually, his senses began to settle and the adrenaline rush faded. He rolled over onto his stomach but made no further attempt to get up.

“Better?” Nighthawk asked. He glanced up at Buckle, who was still looking shaken, but the distinct look of fear was gone from her face. “Both of you?”

“I’m alright,” Buckle answered.

“I think I am,” Phase concurred.

“Think you can tell me what happened, then?” Nighthawk asked.

“I…I’m not sure,” Phase answered. “I remember seeing Buckle go over the cliff with the basilisk, and…I don’t know. It’s all blurry, but it felt like I knew exactly what I was doing. I guess I teleported over the edge, grabbed Buckle, then teleported back up here.” He paused to look around at his surroundings. “At least, it looks like that’s what happened.”

“Seems like a fair assessment,” Nighthawk agreed. “But that’s quite a complicated set of magical spells to perform, not to mention that you managed to do it in under two seconds. Have you ever done anything like that before?”

Phase shook his head. “Not that I can remember. It just…happened. Involuntarily, almost—like it was instinctive.”

“Interesting…” Nighthawk mused softly.

“Well,” Buckle interjected, rising to her hooves, “I for one am grateful. Thanks to your quick action, voluntary or not, I am still alive. I owe you my life, Phase—there are few ponies that I can truthfully say that to.”

Phase smiled and blushed slightly before pushing himself into a sitting position. “You would have done the same for me, right?”

“I would certainly have tried,” Buckle corrected. “But you succeeded.”

An unexpected, energetic voice suddenly cut through the silence. “Dude, did you see that?! That was awesome!”

The trio of ponies turned to see five young griffon cubs running towards them, all shouting their approval and excitement at what they had seen.

“That was incredible! You really took down a basilisk! Wait till the rest of our friends hear about this!” one small cub shouted.

“They’ll never believe us, but we saw it!” another called, skipping around excitedly.

Sprint came to a stop in front of Phase and stared at him. “You’re one crazy pony, you know that?”

“Why’s that?” Phase asked.

“Why?!” Sprint echoed. “You just fought a basilisk—a basilisk—with two other ponies, then, once you’ve beaten the basilisk, you dive off a cliff to save your friend just so you can safely teleport back up on top of the cliff? You are out of your mind!”

“I suppose I’ll take that as a compliment, coming from a griffon,” Phase smirked.

“We’ll be sure to make note of everything in our report,” Nighthawk interrupted, stepping forward. “However,” he continued, staring out as the sun’s last rays dipped below the horizon, “we need to get you back to Griffonstone.”

“What’s the rush? There’s no more basilisk,” Sprint argued.

Buckle raised an eyebrow. “Who said that there was only one?”

The color drained from the faces of the griffons, and Phase found it hard to hold back a grin. He looked at Nighthawk and Buckle as they corralled the cubs together. I’ve heard so many stories about what they’ve done and how great they are. They were always larger than life to me, and I never really felt like I belonged with them. But now…

He finally stood and took a deep breath. Now I have my own story. Hopefully the first of many. He walked forward to join his comrades.

Maybe I do belong here after all.

Author's Note

So, here we have two polar opposites: Phase, the newest member of the Sentinels, and Buckle, a composed veteran from the old Alicorn Guard. And while the two of them are quite different in their styles and personalities, it turns out that they actually work pretty well together.

As for the basilisk...I had always wanted to expand upon the idea that Ghost had more monsters to put to use than just the Chimera, and this series was the perfect way to build upon that idea. And while not all of them are going to get their own story, I thought it'd be a nice touch to at least demonstrate the actual severity of the threat that Ghost posed to Equestria. So...now there's a basilisk. Huzzah.

...Or at least there was :derpytongue2:

Next chapter: mare power!

...And the whispers of dark deeds to come...

Chapter 7: Keeper and Riptide

New Chincoteague

September 12, 12:16 PM

The pair of unicorn mares dashed through the brush, heedless of the ruckus they were making. “We should be close!” shouted the one in the lead. “Hurry!”

Keeper looked ahead at her best friend. Riptide had always been the most enthusiastic among the trio of mares that formed their circle: Riptide, Keeper, and Razor. While Keeper had always tried to keep her cool and respond with a calm temperament, Riptide was known for embracing her role with all four legs. She wasn’t reckless, per se—she was just…ambitious.

“I don’t like this, Rip,” Keeper muttered to the seafoam-colored mare ahead of her. She ducked a broken tree branch without breaking stride. “Razor never asks for help. She never needs it.”

She thought she heard a snort, though among the sounds of hoofsteps, snapping twigs, and scattered wildlife, it was hard to make out any distinct sound on its own. “Then it must be really bad,” Riptide answered.

Magical flares were hardly new developments for the Sentinels. They had been developed centuries earlier, during the darker, more tumultuous years of Equestria following the fall of Princess Luna. Used as warnings against enemy advances or locations of interest, each flare spell had been designed to indicate its purpose: a star flare was an important find, a cross flare indicated a dangerous location, a circle flare was meant to be the sign of completion, and so on and so forth. It was a relatively straightforward system that had served the ponies well for eons. And while ponies like Ace had managed to advance the ability to communicate beyond the capabilities of the flares, the truth of the matter was that Ace’s abilities were extraordinarily unique, and as such, impractical for widespread use. The flares were still the premier form of long-range communication.

But there was one flare that had seen very little use within the Alicorn Guard and the Sentinels. Not for impracticality, but because a situation warranting its use had been so rare that it was almost never seen—the swirl flare. It was a rallying symbol, a call for reinforcements from nearby allies. In the days of war, it had been a common sight. But since the coming of the days of peace it had fallen out of use. What was more, the extraordinary gifts of the Sentinels meant that it was highly unlikely that a single Sentinel would be unable to handle a situation on their own.

But not thirty minutes ago, Keeper and Riptide had witnessed a bright magenta swirl flare not far to the east, and the truth was clear: Razor was in trouble.

Keeper shook her head, flinging the sweat from her forehead as she pressed on through the brush. If Razor really was in over her head, then it was good that she and Riptide were nearby. In truth, they were merely passing through the area after responding to an earthquake far to the south in Saddle Arabia. They were headed back to Canterlot for their next assignment when they spotted Razor’s flare.

So here they were—racing to the shore outside the Haysead Swamps to find out what was so dire that one of the three most powerful pegasi within the Sentinels could not handle it herself.

“I can feel the ocean,” Riptide announced to her friend. “We’re close! A few hundred yards and we’ll be there!”

“Then we’d best prepare ourselves,” Keeper replied. “Who knows what’s going on out there.”

A distant boom came to their ears, and Keeper’s brow furrowed in concern. “What was that?”

A much closer blast shook the ground beneath their hooves, and the unicorns came to a screeching halt in tandem. Keeper’s face changed from concern to alarm. “That sounded like a cannon,” she realized aloud.

Riptide’s eyes became narrow slits. “Pirates,” she growled.

Keeper knew that look. It was the first thing that had drawn Razor, Riptide, and herself into their comradery: their strong dislike for pirates. They were bandits on the seas, unworthy of both trust and friendship.

Or at least, that had been the idea.

Ever since the disbanding of the Alicorn Guard, Celestia and Luna had become more open to discussions with those outside the Solar Empire. And while pirates were definitely on the wrong side of the law, the belief held that nopony was completely irredeemable. They had Blitz to blame for that.

And so, somehow, the three ponies that despised the pirates the most were now the ones forced into facing them. Of course, Keeper thought to herself. What were we expecting?

They burst through the foliage onto an open, sandy beach. Small wooden huts were lined up a short distance from the tree line, with the waterfront not but another thirty feet beyond that. It would have been a quaint scene if it hadn’t been for the several smoking craters in the sand, the dozen or so pirate ships not far off shore, and the large group of pirates grinning wickedly at the few townsponies that stood before them. And lying underneath the hoof of the lead pirate was a familiar pegasus mare…

“Razor!” Riptide shouted, racing forward before the pirates turned towards her with swords drawn. She slid to a quick stop, but her clenched teeth were a sure sign that it was taking every ounce of restraint to keep her from strangling each one of the pirates where they stood.

The pirate who was standing on Razor leaned down next to his prisoner. “Ah, some o’ yer’ Sentinel friends, lass? Don’t ye have some stallions in yer’ ranks? Tain’t much pleasure in picking on naught but mares!”

The group of pirates all laughed, showing virtually no concern over the two new arrivals. Riptide’s face was a mix of rage and concern, and her eyes never wavered from the pirates. Keeper turned her attention to the frightened townsponies. None of them seemed to be injured—just scared. Razor, however, hadn’t moved since their arrival. Keeper could tell that she was breathing, but without being able to get closer, she wouldn’t be able to assess the extent of her friend’s injuries.

“Well, lasses, what say ye?” the captain asked, still smiling. “Ye be wantin’ to try yer’ luck against me and me mates? They still be hungry for battle, yar har!”

Another cheer rose from the pirates, but Riptide was undaunted. “Better idea: how about you just leave while you’re ahead?”

“It’d probably save you at least a little dignity. You know, instead of being beat by a group of girls,” Keeper added. She noticed that there was a certain amount of curiosity growing among the townsponies, particularly with a handsome navy blue pony standing at the head of the group. Despite his youthful appearance, the way the townsponies stood behind him seemed to indicate that he held some position of authority.

The pirate captain began to laugh again, with his crew following suit. “Haha! Dunno if ye’ve noticed, lass, but the odds ain’t exactly in yer’ favor,” he replied with a smirk.

Keeper’s horn lit up, and she saw several of the pirates recoil in response. “Then perhaps you just aren’t familiar with our abilities.”

The captain, however, pressed his hoof further into Razor’s back as his smirk turned into a snarl. “We were familiar enough with this one’s abilities,” he growled, “and we dealt with her already. What’s two more?”

Riptide merely rolled her eyes. “A really stupid question, that’s what,” she answered. Several of the pirates stamped in preparation to charge, but she winked and blew them a kiss.

“Could we please focus on the task at hoof, please?” Keeper whispered, looking exasperated. Riptide and Razor might have been fond of having fun on the job, but when one’s life might have been on the line…well, that didn’t seem like a wise approach.

“Well, lassies, we be reasonable pirates, so we’ll make ye an offer,” the captain said, though the mischievous twinkle in his eye told Keeper everything she needed to know about his offer. “If ye be willing to surrender and come with us, we’ll spare this here town and leave the ponies here alone, on our honor.”

“What little honor you have,” Riptide muttered, and Keeper shot her such an intense look that she winced and looked away. Keeper might have been meek and unassuming most of the time, but there was one thing everypony knew about her: you did not want to make her upset.

“And if we refuse?” Keeper asked, though she suspected she knew the answer.

“Then we’ll wipe this little village of the map and take all o’ ye prisoners by force, yar har! What say ye to that?”

Keeper tapped her chin mentally. They want us as prisoners…why? Slave trade? Ransom? I wonder… “A moment to discuss this with my partner, if you please,” she asked, reaching out with her magic and dragging her partner into a small huddle.

“We’re not considering this, right?” Riptide asked quietly, dusting herself free of sand while constantly peering back at the pirates.

“Of course not,” Keeper answered back in a hushed voice. “We’re not negotiating. But we need to get Razor away from those pirates.” She looked out into the harbor, where the pirate ships all sat, cannons aimed right at the tiny village. “And deal with the ships. But they’re such a long way off…can your magic even reach them out there?”

A smile spread across Riptide’s face. It reminded Keeper a little of Ace whenever he asked if somepony wanted to bet on something. “My magic won’t have to—only the water. And I can promise you that the water will get there.”

“Then that just leaves the pirates to deal with. It may be best if we—”

A sudden choir of shouts startled her and interrupted her mid-sentence. She spun around, only to find the group of pirates being pulled out into the harbor by a suspiciously-picky wave that had chosen to leave only Razor where she had been.

Keeper looked back at her comrade and stared at her glowing horn. “Rip…”

Riptide put on her most innocent face and stared at her partner. “Oh. You didn’t mean now?”

Keeper sighed. Riptide was nothing if not enthusiastic—often frustratingly so. But this went beyond that. She was also ambitious and playful, and both traits were on full display now. “Riptide, just…why?”

“No time to chat!” the aqua-colored unicorn said with a smile as she ran to the water’s edge. “Make sure that Razor’s okay! I’ve got this!”

Maybe she is borderline reckless, Keeper surmised as she watched her partner push back the tide with her magic. But she knows how good she is, and she’d never do anything if it put a friend’s life in danger. Speaking of which…

She darted across the beach, kneeling beside the limp form of Razor. The townsponies crowded around, but Keeper raised a hoof. “Get to cover! If those cannons start firing, you’ll be completely vulnerable!”

There was a moment’s hesitation from the crowd before the navy stallion turned and spoke to the group. “Let’s do as she says,” he said with an authoritative, yet gentle, tone. “They’ve got the situation under control here. We should stay out of their way.”

“But Miss Razor…” a filly protested.

Keeper looked up and offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t you worry about her. I’m going to fix her up so she can help us beat the pirates, alright?”

The filly managed a not-entirely-convinced smile, but turned obediently with the rest of her village and headed for the shelter of the trees. Keeper turned her attention back to the unconscious pegasus at her hooves. With a quick flash of her horn, she fired off a recovery spell that caused Razor to lurch forward, gasping for air as her eyes snapped wide open.

“Thank Celestia,” Keeper said with a relieved sigh, cradling her patient’s head between her hooves, “you’re alright!”

“Oh, hi, Keeper,” Razor managed between coughs. “Saw my distress flare, huh?”

“Sure did,” came her response. She looked up to see the pirates, still struggling to get back to shore against Riptide’s constant changes in the movements of the water. The ships out in the bay were still silent, but the likelihood of that changing was high. “But Rip and I would still appreciate any help you could give us.”

Razor’s eyes widened and twinkled as Keeper spoke. “Riptide’s here, too? Oh, goody,” she said, sitting up. “Hey, while you’re there, could you do your thing on my back?” She gestured to a place between her shoulders. “Feels like somepony’s been driving a post into my spine.”

Keeper rolled her eyes knowingly. “Or standing on it, at the least…”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Hold still.”

Keeper’s horn lit up, emitting a magic beam into Razor’s back. “Ahhh, that’s the spot,” Razor sighed, head down in relaxation. “Much better.”

“Glad I could help.”

Almost faster than Keeper could trace, Razor leapt to her hooves, taking in the scene before her. “Looks like Rip’s got the situation taken care of here. Where do you need me?”

Keeper gestured out at the pirates’ ships. “We heard those cannons firing earlier. They’re the larger problem right now. If they start firing again, we’re in trouble here.”

Almost as if on cue, the pirate’s captain surfaced from beneath the waves, screaming at the top of his lungs. “Blast it, ya’ dogs! We be pirates, not a bunch o’ landlubbers! Fire on that village!”

Keeper frowned. A screaming bandit wasn’t generally something to worry about. But the fact of the matter was that sound travelled extremely well over water.

Which was a problem.

A sudden boom from the harbor confirmed her fears. She looked up to mark the trail of a cannonball, headed for the houses just twenty feet behind her.

“Razor!” she shouted, pointing up. “Stop that!”

The order hadn’t even been necessary. Before she could even finish shouting, the pegasus was in the air, reaching out with her magic. For a split second, nothing seemed to happen. But gradually, the cannonball slowed down until it had stopped entirely in midair. “Got it!” Razor shouted back, her wings and eyes glowing with magic. She patted the cannonball approvingly. “Whaddya wanna do with this?”

A wry smile came to Keeper’s lips. “How about ‘return to sender’?”

Razor returned her partner’s smile. “Needs more postage, ya bunch of seafaring freaks!” she yelled, pivoting her body and mimicking a kicking motion as she sent the cannonball hurtling back to the wooden ships.

They were rewarded several seconds later as one of the boats rocked to the side and its foremost mast fell into the sea. “Nice shot,” Keeper commented.

“You say that like you didn’t expect it,” Razor answered with a wink.

A sudden spatter of yelling drew Keeper’s attention back to the pirates struggling to get back onto dry land. Riptide was obviously enjoying herself, toying with them as her magic twisted the water to her will. She was perhaps the most dangerous member of the Sentinels when she was in the right environment.

Beside the ocean, her potential power was titanic. The pirates stood virtually no chance of getting back to shore unless she let them. They were locked down.

But we need her to deal with a more pressing issue.

Another boom resonated from the water, and Razor nimbly swerved to intercept the incoming cannonball. It was easy enough to stop one, but if those ships ever started to fire together…

“Riptide!” Keeper called out, running over to her partner.

“Lemme guess—need me to do something else?” she asked, never diverting her eyes from the sputtering pirates in the water.

“We’ve got bigger problems than these pirates,” Keeper explained, opening her saddlebags and pulling out a pair of shooters. “We need to take out those ships before they can coordinate their cannons. Razor can only stop so many at a time.”

“No problem,” the cerulean unicorn smiled. “But that’s gonna take a bit of concentration. Who’s gonna handle these fools while I wreck those oversized bath toys?”

The shooters simultaneously slid into place with a pair of clicks. Keeper strode forward confidently, furrowing her brow as she mentally prepared for combat. “You can leave that to me.”

“Ooo, aggressive-mode Keeper,” Riptide said. “Just don’t go too rough on them, OK?”

Keeper snorted. The water around the pirates suddenly subsided, and they were left standing in water that was barely a foot deep. “I’ll try…but no promises.”

The captain staggered out of the water, looking not-entirely steady, but thoroughly upset. His eyes were red from having been splashed repeatedly with saltwater, but probably also from pure frustration. He glared at Keeper as she made her approach. “Ye lasses certainly carry more than meets the eye,” he admitted. “But ye can’t hold us off forever! Ye be outnumbered nearly a hundred to one!”

“Probably,” Keeper answered, continuing her approach. “But you’re sadly mistaken if you think that one of us isn’t worth a hundred of you. We may be outnumbered, but you’re out of your league.”

“Get her, lads! And when you’re done with her, then get the other unicorn and burn this village to the ground!” the captain ordered. Instantly, Keeper found herself staring at a group of twenty brutes storming up the beach toward her, each one bearing a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

Let’s deal with that first, then.

Her horn lit up, and a wave of magic flew from it, dispersing into the crowd of advancing pirates. Almost immediately, half of them cried out in alarm and fell on their faces, suddenly struggling to so much as stand up.

“What’s the matter with ye?” the captain barked. “Can’t ye even walk straight! I said get that mare!”

“Good luck with that,” Keeper replied. “See, I’m normally a healer. I specialize in making sure that my friends and allies stay healthy and free from injury. But that’s only half the story.”

Her eyelids fell, changing her visage from a distinctly neutral face into one of hostility. “I’m actually well-versed in the magic of altering somepony’s physical state. I can heal wounds and treat illnesses, but I can also inflict my opponents with various ailments—such as temporary blindness, for one.”

The rage on the captain’s face drained with his tawny color, replaced by a look of sudden apprehension. She leaned towards the nearest pirate and lit up her horn. Instantly, the stallion lurched towards the sand, gagging and retching as though he had suddenly come down with a nasty illness. “Nausea is another. Uncontrollable itching, dizziness, temporary deafness—I really have quite an arsenal at my disposal.” She continued down the to the water’s edge while the crewponies staggered all around her. “So, the question is, captain,” she asked, stopping just as the waves ran up to her hooves, “how much can you endure?”

The captain gritted his teeth but said nothing. Keeper arched an eye, taking careful appraisal of the pirate’s body language. Few knew the full nature of her magical abilities. She typically reserved them only for very dangerous opponents, and even they were rather quick to back down when confronted with the full force of Keeper’s power. But this pirate captain, even with the demonstration of those effects on his crew, had yet to submit. Either he’s got a steel will, or he’s facing something else he’s more afraid of than me.

“Arr, ye be more fearsome than I surmised,” the captain said at last. “Ye Sentinels be full of surprises, ain’t ye?”

“I like to think so,” Keeper answered with a smirk. “Call off your cannons, or my friend up there will make sure they’re nothing but flotsam and jetsam,” she added, gesturing to Razor, who waved back cheerfully.

The captain sighed. “Ye have put me in a tight spot, lass. Beset by monsters on all sides, as it were.”

Keeper’s brow furrowed ever-so-slightly. “What do you mean?”

He met her gaze, and she could see the traces of desperation in his eyes. “Ye’ve placed me in a spot where I must make a choice, but there be no good one,” he explained. Then, turning to the water, he shouted, “Cease fire, ye dogs! I still be liking to have one boat to sail away in!”

A choice? she wondered. What’s he carrying on about? I mean fighting us is obviously a bad choice, but if he doesn’t have a good one, then that means that retreating away like this is also a bad choice. And that must mean…

“You’re being forced to do this,” she concluded. “It wasn’t your idea to attack this village. Someone’s making you do it.”

“We be pirates, lass,” the captain corrected. “It be our livelihood to plunder. But we would never have returned once we had met yer’ friend,” he added, nodding to where Razor hovered in the air, keeping a close eye on the ships in the harbor while also listening to the conversation. “So, I suppose that be the gist of it.”

“So you are being forced to do this. But there’s obviously something special about this location. Why are you being sent here?” Keeper queried, hoping that the captain would continue to play along with her interrogation.

“Forgive me, lass, but seeing as we be in a bit of a pickle,” the captain answered, “I’ve a mind to play things a little close to the chest.” He bowed slightly. “I’m sure ye understand.”

“I see,” Keeper answered, straightening up, but never releasing the captain’s gaze. “Well, since you don’t seem to be in a talkative mood, let’s see what we can surmise from what you did say.” She began to pace back and forth, her horn still aglow as her spell kept the captain’s crew temporarily neutralized. “So, there’s obviously someone who’s got you convinced to attack this village, apparently by scaring you into it, judging from how you talk about them.” She pivoted and began to retrace her steps in the sand. “And by sending you, it probably means that they don’t want to reveal their true identity yet. But since they keep sending you here, it means that there is something that they can specifically get from here.” She turned back to the captain. “So, my question remains: why? What is it that they’re after?”

The captain grunted. “Ye know, lass, I still see no reason to trust ye. What do we have to gain from giving you what we know?”

A collective groan rose from the disabled pirates lying on the beach, but Keeper ignored them. He doesn’t trust me? Well, that’s a feeling I’m rather familiar with myself.

But another thought rose up in her mind—the voice of Princess Celestia. “How could we call ourselves the paragons of peace, justice, and love if we do not extend those sentiments to those around us? And not simply those that we get along with—but also those that we disagree with. Because who knows what results a simple act of kindness could create?”

Keeper sighed to herself. Much as I hate to admit it…she’s got a point. “No?” she asked. “What about mercy? I mean, as it is, you’d be criminals within Equestria. But if you help us here, we can change that. You could be pardoned and given a chance at a new life.”

But the captain merely shook his head. “Pirates is all we’ve ever been, missy. Doubt we’d find much else to occupy our time.”

“Do you enjoy having to face off against us?” Razor suddenly interjected from above. The intensity of battle had faded from her face, and she looked as sincere and as concerned as she could have been. “I mean, even if you’re afraid of these other guys that keep sending you here, is it worth having to face us?”

“Ye fillies don’t understand what we be working with. There be horror tales of the ponies that sent us here.”

“Like what?” Keeper pressed. The captain wanted to spill the beans—she could tell. It was just convincing him that it was the best idea that was the hard part.

“They know,” the captain answered cryptically, his voice lowering. “They always be watching; always aware of what be happening. If any pony defies their orders…”

“What?” Razor asked.

“Things start happening. They start hearing strange sounds. Then they start seeing things. Then, they simply disappear! Ye never see nor hear anything from them again!” The captain shivered and his eyes swept across the beach, suddenly looking very paranoid. “I shouldn’t even be speaking to ye at all!”

“But you have,” Keeper replied. “And you know how powerful we are. All you seem to know about these others are rumors. Do you think we could handle them? If we had all of the Sentinels together, I mean?”

The captain swallowed and focused on the unicorn. “Aye, perhaps,” he conceded. “But that be the thing with rumors, lasses: they always have a grain of truth to them.”

“You’ve seen more than a grain of truth from us. Let us help you make the seas a safer place for everypony,” Keeper beseeched. “Please.”

“There be no easy answer to this,” the captain replied.

“Then decide: would you rather have the opportunity to live freely on the seas, or do you prefer serving someone else who rules over you through fear?” Razor asked.

The earth pony’s head snapped up to look at the pegasus in surprise. But after a few moments, his expression softened and his head lowered in resignation. “Aye, ye have me there, lass. It may cost me, but at least I can help make the seas free again.”

“Thank you,” Keeper sighed in relief. “So, what are these ponies after?”

“Some pegasus stallion,” the captain answered. “Never gave us a name or a description. But he be looking for this pegasus for some reason.”

“Not entirely helpful,” Razor snorted. “There are loads of pegasus stallions in Equestria.”

“Oh, not just any pegasus,” the captain corrected. “He be one of yer’ Sentinels.”

The revelation hit Keeper like a load of bricks. Immediately, Blitz came to mind. He’s the most famous and unique among us—it’d be no surprise to find that somepony was after him, for one reason or another. But at the same time, any of our pegasus stallions are incredibly powerful. It could be Nighthawk, or Rimshot, or even Sprocket.

“So that’s why you seemed so relieved when I fired off my signal flare!” Razor realized, interrupting Keeper’s train of thought. “But why did they think they’d find him out here?”

“Arr, can’t say I understand that one meself, lass,” the captain answered. “But apparently, he thought that we might be able to find yer pegasus out here.”

“Wait,” Keeper ordered, realizing something. “Who’s this ‘he’ you keep referring to?”

The captain’s face darkened. “His henchponies call him ‘Captain Exo,’ but that may not be his true name.”

Keeper traded glances with Razor, who merely shrugged. “Exo? Like the letters, X and O?” the pegasus asked quizzically.

“Can’t say for sure. His name always came up in the hearing, not so much in the seeing.”

“You say that this ‘Exo’ was giving you orders. Did he meet with you specifically, or did he just have a courier?” Keeper asked.

“Arr, we never knew how, but he always found us,” the captain explained. “’Twas like he knew where we were at all times. There be no hiding from him.”

“So he did meet with you face-to-face?” Keeper pressed.

The captain snorted. “Aye, he was there, but we never saw his face. Always wearing this hooded coat, he was. And always at night he came.” Then, apparently seeing the thoughtful expression on the unicorn’s face, he shook his head. “Arr, missy, if ye be thinking of trying to ambush him, I’d kindly advise ye to reconsider.”

“And why’s that?” Razor asked, looking skeptical.

“Perhaps it be just a feeling, but Exo always spoke with confidence and swagger. ‘Twas unnerving. It made ye think that he had a plan for almost everything. It may have been just him that we saw, but I don’t doubt that he could have had a dozen ships hiding in the dark, ready to attack at his command.” The captain took a breath, and it was only at that moment that Keeper noticed how suddenly nervous he had become. Somehow, this “Captain Exo” had become a symbol of paranoia in the minds of his victims—to profoundly good effect.

“And that’s not to mention his own abilities,” the captain continued. “I think he may be a fair bit more dangerous than ye understand, lasses.”

Keeper hummed to herself in thought. As much as I hate to admit it, he may be right. Trying to engage an unknown foe is just asking for trouble. “So, which stallion were you after?” she asked, deciding to redirect her interrogation yet again. “Or did this ‘Exo’ even mention that?”

“I’m afraid he saw no need to give us that information, missy,” the captain answered. “But he never told us to try and capture him—just to draw him out.”

Razor’s nose wrinkled. “Sounds like he knew that this pegasus was probably too much for a group of pirates, no matter how large.”

“Agreed,” Keeper nodded. “Which means they were probably after either Nighthawk or Blitz. No offense to Rimshot or Sprocket, but their reputations aren’t quite the same as those two.”

“We’ll need to warn them, then,” Razor concluded. “If ‘Captain Exo’ didn’t want the pirates to try and capture them, then he must have had some other plan to get them.”

“Yes, but we’ll have to warn all the Sentinels,” Keeper added. “If they’re after Nighthawk or Blitz, then they might try to take a hostage—or hostages—to try and force us to trade for them.” She reached up and unclipped her shooters from her legs and placed them back in her saddlebags. “Which means I need to get back to Canterlot immediately. Razor, can I trust you to keep this village safe?”

“Sure thing,” the pegasus answered enthusiastically. “What should I do with the pirates?”

The captain looked at her in surprise, but Keeper had expected the question. “Help them back out to their ships, then send them on their way.” She locked eyes with the captain as her horn’s glow faded. “This is your one chance, captain,” she advised over the relieved groans of the ponies in the sand. “If I were you, I’d try to put as much space between yourselves and this village as you can.”

“Arr, it matters not where we go, lass,” the captain answered sadly. “Exo will find us. There be no escaping that.”

“Perhaps not,” Keeper admitted, “but if he’s looking for you, then every moment he spends trying to find you is a moment we can use to track him down. If you can delay him long enough, we may be able to get to him before he gets to you.”

“What if you just meet with Exo and tell him that you were driven off by more of the Sentinels, but that no pegasus stallion showed up?” Razor suggested. “I mean, that’s the truth, right? It would buy you and us even more time!”

“True, lass,” the pirate conceded. “But he would probably send us back again with an even larger force. We can’t be keeping the charade going forever.”

“We wouldn’t have to,” Keeper answered. “Just long enough.” She looked to where Riptide stood on the shore, eyeing the ships in the harbor. “Rip! We need to get back to Canterlot! Let’s go!”

“We all clear here, then?” the unicorn called back.

“Yeah, we’re good!” She turned back to the captain. “For what it’s worth, captain, you have our thanks. You’re doing us all a favor. We’ll do our best to make sure that it isn’t wasted.”

“Time will tell,” the captain responded. He looked back to his crewmates, who stood at the water’s edge behind him. “To the boats, lads! These lasses be more than we can handle.”

Keeper watched the pirates climb into their small boats and shove off, headed for their ships. Riptide came up beside her. “Ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” She looked up to where Razor was hovering in the air. “Try to stay out of trouble, k?”

“Hey, you know me,” the pegasus answered with a wink.

Together, the two unicorns took off from the shore, plowing into the forest brush at a full gallop. But they had only gone about fifty meters in when Keeper came to a stop.

“Keeper? What’s wrong?” Riptide asked, confused.

“Nothing. I’m going on to Canterlot. But you’re not.”

“Huh?”

Keeper pointed back to the village. “Look, we just placed our trust for all of this to work in the hooves of pirates. Now, whether he’s a pony of his word or not, I’m not about to trust him blindly. So I want you to stay here with Razor. As a precaution.”

A smile slowly spread across Riptide’s face. “I like the way you think,” she commented.

“I don’t want you to reveal yourself until the pirates are gone,” Keeper ordered. “If they betray us, we’ll need an advantage. You’re going to be ours.”

“Got it. Be careful, Keeper.”

“Always.”

Author's Note

And so, the shadow of a new adversary appears on the horizon. Who is this "Captain Exo," and what are his plans for the Sentinels...and Equestria?

Bit of a longer chapter here. While most of the other chapters merely serve to flesh out the Sentinels' characters, this one serves a dual purpose: one, I really wanted to give some time to Keeper, since she played such a pivotal role in the outcome of Oathbound, and two, I needed to plant the seeds of the next major story, so that took a little space. In any case, this chapter took a while, and I'm glad to see it done. We're getting close to the next big story, guys, so thanks for sticking with me! Here's hoping you continue to enjoy the story!

Chapter 8: Sprocket and Juggles

Cutlass Cove

September 20, 11:36 AM

“What about this, my good stallion? Instant water seal for sudden leaks in your ship! You never know when you might need it!”

The large, gruff-looking pony didn’t even turn to regard the merchant’s offer, choosing instead to merely shoulder his way through the bustling crowd towards what one could assume was a pressing matter of some sort.

The merchant slumped back and sat on his haunches within his stall of merchandise. He looked to his partner on his left—a cheerful mare whose expression was just as vivid as her own natural hues. “How go sales on your end?” he asked, hoping for some good news.

She smiled and regarded him with a wink. “Doing fine here, sweetie. I think they like me.”

“Speak for yourself,” the stallion replied, rising to his hooves. “At least one of us is drumming up some business.”

“Gear, honey, let’s remember that we’re not here to get rich,” the mare reminded him in a hushed voice. She smiled at another passing stallion, who gave her a double-take when he noticed the pretty mare behind the counter.

“I know, but it’s hard to get information when nopony will give you the time of day.”

“Listen, it’s nearly midday,” the mare replied. “Why don’t you go find us something for lunch, and I’ll keep working the stall? You look like you could use a break.”

He sighed and walked over beside her, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. “Alright. Just try not to attract too much attention.”

“I only have eyes for you, sweetie,” she answered with a coy smile that made his heart jump in his chest.

He turned and walked through the back of the stall into the open marketplace. This far south, it became hot quite early, and it was important to find shade and provisions quickly. He turned right along the line of buildings and followed it for a few dozen meters before the food stalls appeared ahead of him. The clamor of hungry ponies began to fill his ears, and the flavorful aromas of the region’s most renowned cooks wafted through the air, and his mouth began to water involuntarily.

“Oi, Gear!” waved a vendor at a nearby fruit stand. “Come by for an early lunch today, my friend?”

Gear walked over, waving back to the vendor. “How are you, Trouble?”

“’Ey, don’t go callin’ me that, now,” the vendor replied. “I’m not Trouble; the trouble just follows me wherever I go.”

“Close enough,” Gear laughed as he reached the stand. “Dazzler’s got me out for lunch while she works the booth.”

“Ah, and how is the lovely lass today?” Trouble asked with a wink.

“She’s fine,” Gear replied. “Having better luck garnering attention than I am, so she stayed behind, while I’m just the errand boy.”

“So, another typical day, then?” Trouble teased.

“Laugh it up,” Gear deadpanned. “What’s the special today?”

“Oh, yer’ in luck today, my friend,” Trouble answered. “We’ve got my patented ‘smorgasbasket’ today!”

Gear’s eyebrows rose. “Smorgasbasket?”

“It’s what it sounds like—just a big ol’ basket of every kind of fruit I’ve got, complete with two different spreads, just to add a little extra flavor—one from Equestria, but the other’s got some spices from Saddle Arabia, for the more adventurous eaters. I used to call it the ‘exotic special,’ but it lacked the pizzazz of a good name.”

“Whatever works as a marketing strategy, I suppose,” Gear shrugged, dropping a small pile of bits on the counter as Trouble passed the basket over. “But Dazzler will especially enjoy that second spread. Her mom’s side of the family is originally from Saddle Arabia.”

“Well, how about that?” Trouble remarked. “But ya’ know, from the sounds of it, Dazzler understands marketing strategy more than you do.”

“Har har,” Gear answered. He reached inside his cloak, and a pair of mechanical arms protruded from the wing flaps in his cloak. They reached out and grabbed the basket, hoisting it over his head.

Trouble merely smiled in recognition. “Ya’ know, if you were to start selling that contraption, ya’ might find that yer’ sales have gone up.”

“When it becomes cost-efficient, then I’ll consider it.” Gear nodded to Trouble. “See you later, buddy.”

“Come back anytime!” Trouble called as Gear headed back to his stall.

Gear walked back through the streets of Cutlass Cove, waving to the other vendors as he passed them by. They all had come to know he and his partner as Gear Shift and Dazzler, a pair of merchants who had taken up temporary residence in the cove while they sold their wares to try and make enough money to continue their journey.

But the truth was that they weren’t merchants at all. Instead, they were a pair of agents from Equestria. Two members of the newly-formed organization known as the Sentinels of Harmony.

Their codenames were Sprocket and Juggles.

Cubic had been the first to suggest that they try and infiltrate pirate society, since their seafaring travels would likely be a great source of information on the realms beyond Equestria. And while it had taken a little time to find a suitable place to set up their base of operations, they had finally settled here, in Cutlass Cove: a haven for travelers and merchants alike, where business and trade were in full swing. Using their natural inventing and tinkering abilities, the pair had quickly become a staple for travelers, looking for not only trinkets, but useful tools to help in whatever work they claimed as their own. And while it hadn’t been intended, Juggles’ exotic looks had a rather efficient way of drawing the attention of unwary passersby.

And an unwary pony often had loose lips.

Even so, useful information had been hard to come by. News of foreign lands had been particularly underwhelming. But ever since Keeper’s news on this “Captain Exo” not even a week ago, they had a new set of keywords to listen for. But so far, nothing had come up.

But then again, it had only been a few days. If this “Captain Exo” was such a feared figure within pirate culture, then all they had to do was wait. His name would pop up eventually.

Sprocket pulled back the curtain to his booth and walked in just in time to see Juggles finish up yet another sale. “I’m back,” he announced, setting the basket on the ground and retracting his mechanical arms.

Juggles turned around, balancing a small tower of bits on her hoof. She dropped them into a moneybag on the ground. She reached out and stretched her back, groaning as she did. “That was quick,” she said with a strain. “What’d you bring us today?”

“Something that Trouble calls a ‘smorgasbasket’ or something,” Sprocket answered, popping a blueberry into his mouth.

“Sounds delicious,” Juggles said, beginning to sift through the contents of the basket.

Sprocket lifted a sign that said “Closed for Lunch” and set it on the counter, pulling the curtain on the stall to provide them some privacy. “So, what do we have to report so far?”

Juggles took a bite of a mango and sat down in a corner of the booth. “Not too much, honestly,” she answered. “Just some talk about a few more dragons being seen further out than normal, some chatter about sea serpent migrations, and something about a certain to-do in a village to the northwest of here. Seems that a trio of Equestrian mares managed to beat back an army of pirates all by themselves.”

A smirk rose to Sprocket’s face. “We wouldn’t know anything about that, though.”

“Oh, of course not. We’re just simple merchants.”

They both began to laugh, growing from a chuckle into a full-fledged belly laugh. Sprocket could almost picture the faces of the ponies walking past their booth, quizzically searching for the hidden pair of ponies whose uncontrollable laughter was disturbing the peace.

As they gradually regained their composure, Sprocket noticed a glint of gold hanging around Juggles’ neck. He smiled as he recognized the horn ring he had given her when he had proposed to her just over month ago. Normally, a unicorn mare would have worn it on her horn, but, seeing how Juggles wasn’t a unicorn at all, she wore it on a necklace. He still remembered the night, having taken her to Winsome Falls at sunset, when the colors of the falls were most vivid. It had been the perfect setting.

She had said yes, of course.

“Remembering that night?” Juggles asked abruptly.

Sprocket refocused on her and noticed her soft smile. “I was staring, wasn’t I?”

“Can’t say I blame you,” she replied, rising to her hooves. “It’s the best night I’ve ever had.” She came across the booth and settled down beside her fiancé. “So far, at least.”

Sprocket pressed his wing out through the flap in his cloak and draped it across her back. “I’ve got a better one in the works,” he answered gently.

“You do?” Juggles said, looking surprised. “I’m pretty sure I’m doing all the planning for our wedding!”

“You are,” Sprocket confirmed, arching an eyebrow and smiling knowingly. “I’m planning our wedding night.”

“Oh, stop it,” she said, giving him a gentle shove. “You’re just flirting now.”

“Can you blame me?”

She rolled her eyes, but leaned into him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They sat together for a few minutes, silently enjoying each other’s company and consuming the contents of the smorgasbasket until only a few small berries remained. Sprocket slowly reached up and began to stroke his fiancée’s braided mane of green and orange. Against her sky-blue body, she looked like the most brilliant shades of a rainbow had jumped out of their places and had formed themselves into a pony. Being half-Arabian meant that her appearance was bound to be colorful, but even her parents had admitted that they had been surprised at her appearance at her birth.

She was a stark contrast to Sprocket, whose gray body and beige mane could not have been more of a polar opposite to Juggles. But, as he had said so often, “If it wasn’t for the dull colors, then the brighter ones wouldn’t stand out so much.”

Juggles’ voice unexpectedly broke their silence. “Have we heard anything from Tread?”

Tread. The third member of their assigned group working in the region. An earth pony like Juggles, he shared a healthy rivalry with Scope, as their skills and abilities were very similar. He had been sent to Cutlass Cove as well, where Sprocket and Juggles acted as his contacts to get information back to Canterlot. Of course, his job was of a far less social nature than theirs was. Stealth and silence were his tools, and he used them to perfection. Whenever Tread was around, not even a whisper was safe from discovery.

“Not yet,” Sprocket answered, shifting and readjusting his wing spread across Juggles’ back. “Last I heard, he was checking out some of the pirate crews to see if they had anything useful to say.”

“Is he posing as a pirate, then?”

Sprocket shook his head. “Not from the way he was talking about it. I think he’s been sneaking aboard ships and trying to eavesdrop on conversations.”

“Bold move,” Juggles commented.

“Yeah, but he’s as good at it as anypony could be,” Sprocket added. “If he could sneak into a dragon’s den and steal a piece of its hoard without being noticed, then a pirate ship should be a cakewalk.”

Almost on cue, a brown-hooded head poked through the curtain at the back of their stall, causing them both to jump in surprise. A dark brown face with green eyes peered at them for a moment before Sprocket breathed a sigh of relief and rose to his hooves. “Tread,” he began, bringing a hoof to his chest, “could you try to not give us a heart attack by doing that? At least knock.”

Tread walked into the stall and leaned his saddlebags against the wall. “You’re asking me to knock on a curtain?”

Juggles tapped her hoof against the wooden frame of the stall. “The stall itself works, too, you know.”

“Sorry,” he said, sifting through his saddlebags without even looking up. “I’ll try to remember.”

Sprocket rolled his eyes in exasperation. Talented as he was, Tread had a hard time finding “middle ground” when it came to social cues. When he was on a job, he was as stealthy and subtle as anypony in existence. He left no sign of his passing unless he wanted to (which wasn’t often). But with his friends and associates, he had virtually no tact or social grace to speak of. He was all business, straightforward and blunt. The members of the Alicorn Guard had often tried to help him learn to be less socially awkward, but it typically resulted in a net of a waste of everypony’s time. They had just learned to accept it.

“We were just talking about you,” Sprocket explained, steadying himself after Tread’s inadvertent jump scare. “You get any intel on Captain Exo?”

“No,” the earth pony answered flatly. He continued to dig through his satchel. “But I did find out something.”

“Something useful?” Juggles asked, rising to her hooves.

“Something important, at the least,” Tread replied, pulling out a well-worn folded cloth from his bag. He gently opened it to reveal a detailed map of an area that Sprocket didn’t immediately recognize.

“What is this? It doesn’t look like it’s anywhere in Equestria.”

“It’s not. This is a map of the seas to the east of here, almost to the edge of known civilization,” Tread explained. He touched the top left corner of the map. “These are the dragon lands. This is Cutlass Cove, and this,” he continued, moving his hoof to the right side of the map, “is the Gaitway Archipelago.”

Sprocket blinked and focused on the area Tread indicated. It was a grouping of dozens of islands of varying sizes, reaching almost to the edge of the map. “Okay…” he prodded.

“The Gaitway Archipelago,” Juggles muttered thoughtfully. “That sounds familiar for some reason.”

“Most Equestrians have never even heard of it,” Tread replied. “It’s completely out of the way from most other nations, so its impact on international affairs is pretty small.”

“But there’s obviously something going on there now,” Juggles surmised, “or you wouldn’t have brought it up like this.”

“Right,” Tread nodded. He pulled his hood down from atop his head, revealing his olive-colored mane. “So, let me tell you what I found out…”

Author's Note

So, meet Sprocket and Juggles, the Sentinels' resident lovebirds!

I really like these two. Sprocket is much less aggressive and masculine than many of his counterparts, while Juggles tends to be the more adventurous and outgoing character, leading to a few moments of slight role-reversal from many other couples. Since they've been together for so long, they've become nearly intuitive about each other, making them the perfect partners. Which, of course, is the goal when you're engaged to each other.

And then there's Tread, the infiltrator of the trio of operatives. And who knows what his story will introduce to our heroes...?