I woke up to a voice yelling at me to get up. As I groggily wiped the sleep out of my eyes I realized that the voice yelling at me came from my personal mirror which was covered by a sheet. I reached out with my hoof and pulled the sheet off revealing the visage of a very pissed off looking feline face with orange fur and very large canines. “Private Summer Moon if you are done getting your beauty sleep, GET YOUR FLANK INTO WORK BEFORE I DOCK YOUR PAY!" The face in the mirror yelled at me then disappeared as I looked at my clock I noticed that it read 9:00 am.
"Oh horse apples, I'm two hours late!" I said as I looked around my one-room apartment for my uniform. It took me five minutes of searching but I finally found it draped over my bookcase. I quickly inspected it and finding no obvious stains I pulled the shirt over my head and popped my wings through the holes provided for them. I took a long look at myself in the mirror and I saw a light blue furred thestral with black smoke like runes tracing their way up all four of my legs and covering all of my back. The bangs of my red and white mane were hanging over my left golden colored eye. ‘Why did I have to be born a thestral? My life would be so much easier if I was just a regular pegasus.’ I thought as I glared at my wings with disdain wishing I had feathered wings instead of these bat-like ones. My eyes then wandered to my flank and the orange colored moon over a pool of water on it. ‘Enough admiring yourself Moon, you have to get to work. You can't afford another pay cut, barely surviving as it is.’ I berated myself.
I then strapped on my wing blades and attached my enchanted hoof guards to my legs. I then looked at the clock again and headed out the door locked it as I went outside. Once I was outside I took to the skies to travel faster. After about two minutes an appealing smell came from below making my stomach growl. "Well shoot, not enough time to eat breakfast yet again, guess I'll be eating on portal. That just screams professional and all that." I snarked at myself as I soared over the market section of the pony quarter. I looked forward towards my destination the Halls of the Justice and see a large open-air cathedral made out of white marble with red magicite trim that not only looks good but has some really strong wards enchanted in them. As I got closer I veered towards the massive double doors and landed in front of the pegasus and unicorn that were guarding the entrance.
The pegasus looked at me and said, "Darn it, lass, you just cost me twenty-five bits. Couldn't you have been on time one more day? I mean I know that you have never gon four days in a row without being late but still could you at least try next time for me? I am getting tired of losing all my money to Dusk over here."
"Sorry Blitz, I'll do better next time, but I got to get going before the captain has me for lunch. " I said as I passed by them into the entryway. I made my way through the crowd of ponies to the offices of the hawk. As soon as I entered I noticed the lack of the usual chatter and looked around. Everypony was looking down at their desk trying to look busy. 'Oh dung, the captain must be in a bad mood. Of all the days to come in late.' I think as I walked to the desk in front of the captain's office. At the desk was a cheerful looking aqua colored unicorn mare with silver main done up in a bun. She looked up as I approached." So how bad a mood is he in Starshine. If he is in a very bad mood do you think I can just get my patrol route for today from you?" I asked praying for a small miracle. I heard a loud growl coming from the office and flinched a bit on reflex.
"I'm sorry hun, but Captain Reison wants to see you before you and Mirror go out. And I wouldn't keep him waiting long. He is seriously thinking about docking your pay this time." Starshine said to me as she waved me into the office and closed the door behind me after I entered the office.
“So what were you doing last night that caused you to be two hours late? And don't lie.” Captain Reison growled at me from behind his desk. Before I could say anything he held up a gold circlet with a ruby, a sapphire, and a diamond in the front in his left hand.
‘Crap! I knew I forgot something at the healers last night.’ I thought as I shifted back and forth on my hooves uncomfortably.
“You are very much aware that by royal decree that you are to wear this magic damping circlet at all times. Yet it somehow magically found its way to me this morning. Care to elaborate?” He said his fangs on full display.
“I was called into the healers last night when a griffon came in with an advanced case of the shadow plague. As I am the only know being capable of curing late-stage shadow plague they had to pull me in, and I can't use my magic with that thing on.” I replied while baring my throat to the captain in the Leontine sigh of compliance.
The captain just sat there for a couple of minutes before he let out a sigh. “Be as that may, You still have to have this on at all times. If this circlet magically appears at my house again I will dock your pay. Am I understood?” He asked with a commanding tone.
“Sir, yes sir,” I said with a salute. He then handed over the circlet to me. I took it and then placed it on my head. As soon as it settled down on the top of my head, I felt a cold tingling sensation throughout my body. ‘I will never get used to that.’ I thought as I shivered from the feeling of my magic being blocked. “If that is all sir I will just get my patrol route and leave with Mirror.”
The captain shook his head. “Not so fast private. The hawklord has requested your presence at his office as soon as you got in today, and seeing as you were late he has been waiting for several hours so you better hurry.” He said and the dismissed me.
“Great not only was I late but I was late on a day that the commander of the Hawks wanted to see me. What else can go wrong today.” I groaned to myself after I left captain Reison’s office closing the door behind me. I sighed loudly and made my way past Starshine’s desk. Starshine for her part gave me a faint smile. “ Here hon, I figured since you were late that you didn't have any breakfast so you can have my apple pie slice.” She offered as she floated said pie slice in her aqua colored magic.
“ Thank you but I will have to pick it up after I get back from seeing the Hawklord,” I said gracefully accepting her kindness. She nodded and sat the slice on her desk.
“It will be here when you get done.” She said kindly. I thanked her as I hurried on my way to the Hawklord’s room. ‘What could the Hawklord want with me?’ I couldn't help myself from musing.
‘oh Celestia, what if it is another petition from the Imperial arcanists asking permission to study me and my magic. I still haven't got over the last one from them asking to breed me to see if the shadow runes on my skin was heredity. Their reasoning for that one being that with more ponies with the ability to cure the shadow plague we could reclaim more land from the shadows. Thankfully for me, the Empress shot that down because I don't want to become a broodmare.’ I thought as my cheeks turned red.
Looking up from my inner monologue I noticed that I had arrived at my destination. Giant double doors engraved with a soaring hawk stood in front of me. I walked right up to them and placed my front right hoof on the doors. As I did the doors lit up with a golden light I felt magic tracing my body. After a couple of seconds the light fades and the doors open. I trotted inside looking around the room. I always felt awe the few times I came into this room. With its high ceilings and large stain glass windows depicting different battles from the Shadow war. In the center of the room sat a mahogany desk with a lime green colored pegasus with a blue and purple mane in front of it talking to the being behind the desk. Sitting behind the desk was a large griffin. The griffin had black feathers and grey fur.
I stopped about four yards away from the desk, stood at attention and announced my presence. “Private Summer Moon reporting in as requested Hawklord Ravenscroft,” I said with a salute to the Griffin.
“At ease private. We were just talking about you.” He said to me. I relaxed and waited quietly for him to continue. “I called you here because of an issue that was brought to the Empress’ attention. There have been a series of murders in the fief of Nightshade.”
At that news, I was shocked as the fiefs while being in the empire were each ruled by their own lord lady and were not beholden to the empire’s rules or oversight. “I don't mean to sound callous but I grew up in Nightshade and with murderers shades roaming the fief at night are we sure these were murders? Not to mention that we have jurisdiction there what can we do if it is?” I asked him but to my surprise, it wasn't him who responded to me but the pony that I thought was a pegasus but as she turned and revealed that she also had a horn.
“Because we were invited by the fief lord himself Miss Moon. As whoever is responsible for these murders has eluded him by means unknown the fief lord has made an official request of the empire for help. As such her majesty has seen fit to send me to investigate. I had heard that the hawks had a pony who had grown up there so I was wondering if you would be my guide.” The blue alicorn said to me. After which the hawklord coughed and when the alicorn looked at him he gestured between me and her with his left claw. She stared at him for a couple of seconds before she seemed to get what he was hinting at and turned back to me.
“Ah, pardon me I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Aura Veil pleasure to meet you.” She said with a bow which I returned.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” A hauntingly familiar voice said from behind me. A voice from my past that I had wished to never hear again. I turned around and sure enough, there with a self-assured smile stood a red-furred unicorn with a light blue mane and a crow cutie mark. He then looked at me and said, “ Hello little moon how have you been?”
At those words, my world turned red as I jumped at him with my wingblades deployed. “Fell Mark!!” I exclaimed as I charged at him ready to take the head right off his body.