It was late into the night; all of Canterlot lay in a deep sleep. The faint light of the Moon pierced through the thick layer of dark grey clouds, illuminating the palace grounds. All was silent but for the marching of the weary guards as they patrolled the palace. A pair of eyes watched and waited for a set of guards to pass. Then, at the sound of the clock tower striking midnight, one shadowy figure, clambered over the parapets of the castle wall. The intruder glided down from the wall, their wings silhouetted against the moonlight. The intruder landed on a gravel path at the edge of the vast castle gardens. The path itself stretched around the whole of the garden and was flanked by a long hedgerow. A small hole could be seen within the hedge; too small for any pony to notice, but large enough for some pony to sneak through. Before the intruder had time to move, the sound of marching could be heard.
Quickly the intruder leapt into the shadow of the hedge, their back pressed against the prickly surface. A pair of guards marched around the corner, one yawning heavily as they went. The wide eyes of the intruder watched intently as they marched past, mere hoofs from her veil of shadows. As the guards moved on, the intruder breathed a sigh of relief, but as they made a step forward a loud rustling could be heard behind them. The guards whipped their heads around; their muscles taut; and ready to pounce. The intruder froze, heart hammering. A wind had begun to pick up. The intruder stood motionless taking short exasperated breaths. Her tail had been caught on the branches within the hedge. Several worrying seconds passed before the guards finally relaxed.
“Must have been the wind,” yawned a guard, his tired eyes squinting into the shadows.
“Lets hurry back,” said the other guard and they continued their march down the path.
The intruder waited for the guards to pass into shadow before she slowly released her tail from the grip of the hedge, holding back a yelp as the branches pulled out several hairs. Poking her head through the hole in the hedge, the intruder could see an open space dotted with trees and patches of exotic flower; as well as a single solitary guard. She crept through the hole and crawled to the nearest flowerbed for cover. The pungent scent of the flowers was heavy in the air and the intruder’s nostrils burned from the powerful smell.
She remained motionless, surveying the garden. The thick, odorous perfume continued to disturb her senses. Her eyes began to itch and water, her breathing became short and wheezy. Her nostrils flared with irritation as she clutched her snout. I can’t take much more of this sickening smell.
She looked frantically around for the closest place of concealment. Not to far away was a large tree. There! That will have to do. The intruder laid flat on her belly and began to crawl through the flowerbed. The plants scratched painfully at her fur and the gentle wind caressed her snout with the thick scent. Her head ached and stomach groaned from the unpleasant smell. All the intruder could think about was getting away from the overpowering stench and the prickly plants. Coming within reach of the edge of the flowerbed the intruder stopped. Her nostrils flared again with an itchy sensation. Wide eyed, the intruder brought her hoofs across her face. A muffled sneeze was forcibly released from behind the cover of hoofs.
The intruder looked up to see if the guard heard the noise. He wasn’t there. The intruder’s eyes darted around garden, searching for any sign of the guard. A faint shimmering of light crossed her eye. Turning, She gulped. There was the guard, with in hoofs reach. How could I be so stupid to forget about the guard? Did he hear me or was he just patrolling?
The intruder remained, still eyeing the guard with uncertainty. He appeared to be still unaware of her presence. Before long the guard began to patrol the garden again, trotting further away from the hiding place of the intruder. She crawled out of the flowerbed and stood up as the guard continued his patrol. The intruder stepped quickly behind the nearby tree. She quietly pulled out a small cloth and a phial of yellow liquid. The intruder looked back at the guard then returned towards her items. She poured the liquid into the cloth then threw the phial into the flowers
Stepping out from the shadow of the tree and into the light of the moon, the intruder crept up behind the guard. Her breathing became quick and staggered. She held up the now foul smelling cloth and took another step. The intruder lifted up the cloth closer to the guard’s head, her heart was in her throat. Then with one swift motion the intruder griped the guard around his neck and brought the cloth, down over his face. Her wings also wrapped themselves tightly around the guard’s torso. The guard shook violently, his muffled voice calling out for help. His wide eyes, filled with shock, fixed themselves upon his assailant. The piercing blue eyes, of a brown-coated Pegasus, stared down at him. The guard continued his struggle, resisting the effects of the foul liquid. But before long his struggle died away, and with one last muffled moan the guard fell out of consciousness.
The intruder dragged the comatose guard off to a dark corner of the garden and breathed a long sigh of relief. There she sat gazing at the night sky as if to wonder what she was doing. After a brief respite the intruder began to strip off the guard’s armor and don it herself. The guard was a unicorn so his armor sat uncomfortably on the intruder’s body, pressing tightly against her delicate wings, restricting her movement. After positioning the guard in a more dignified pose the intruder began her stilted looking, march toward the inner garden. Passing through a second gap in the hedge the intruder looked back at the guard still sleeping in his fetal position. It was nothing personal she thought, he was simply in my way.
Stepping into yet another field the intruder could see that the path, which led to one of the many castle entrances, bisected the space. Several more guards were patrolling the field. Taking a deep breath the intruder marched onwards. Her wide eyes darting from guard to guard, watching their stern faces. The clouds had parted slightly, the light of the moon revealing the garden and reflecting off of the intruder’s armour. There was no longer any shadow to hid behind; all could clearly see her, as if it were day. Her pace and breathing quickened, and her discomfort with the armor grew even greater. Half way down the path, she stumbled slightly and her heart skipped a beat. A few guards gave her some odd looks. Finding her balance she continued her march, at a slower pace, towards the back of the garden, the more astute guards eyeing her suspiciously. Finally she reached the end. Slowly the tension in her shoulders bled away and she took a moment to suppress her shaking. In front of her stood a set of white marble steps that led to a pair of stained glass doors.
The dim lights from the castle were blinding to her, after being in darkness for so long. She rubbed her eyes trying to dull the pain.
“Hammer Spark” Barked a voice off to the left “You missed the guard change!”
The intruder jerked her head around to see two guards standing before her. The one who spoke was a Unicorne-Mare and obviously held a rank of some sorts, most likely a captain.
“Well Hammer Spark?” asked the Guard, narrowing her eyes.
The intruder froze and gulped. Then, putting on her best stallion’s voice, she gave her reply
“U-um, I was, I lost track of the time sir, ma’am…sir!”
The intruder tensed up. It was all over! She was going to be found out!
“I know you’ve had a double shift but that no excuse for laziness on duty” said the captain “I’ll forgo your punishment until the morning, but for now get inside and get some rest,” she pointed with her forehoof towards the glass doors.
“y-yes ma’am, thank you” mumbled the intruder. Quickly she marched off towards the glass doors and into the castle. As the intruder gave a silent sigh of relief the captain could be heard muttering “ I know he’s tired but that marching horrible, remind me to worsen his punishment”
Finally, after weeks spent pouring herself over castle blueprints and observing the routine of the guards, she was inside the main castle.
I never expected to get this far, thought the intruder now where to go from here?
Looking round, she found herself in some form of reception room. The walls were decorated in an ornate style, and the space was sparsely populated, aside from some chairs lining the walls. The intruder darted for the nearest door and swiftly moved through a long hallway, lavishly decorated with a thick red carpet and flanked by many doorways.
She began her search by going from door to door, passing through a multitude of rooms and hallways that led to all places, apart from where she wanted to go. The added threat of guards and the eventual discovery of her stolen armor didn't help the situation. Pausing for a rest, the intruder stared up at an adjacent grandfather clock, the ancient time peace quietly mocking her with its ticking. The clock read 12:30; it wouldn’t be long before the comatose guard woke up. Getting to her hooves again, the intruder trotted down the hallway, still tired from her dash though the castle. It was at the next corner that she happened across another pony rushing headlong in the opposite direction. Both ponies yelped as their heads collided. Gazing at the intruder, the other pony cried out in jubilation.
“Oh thank Celestia! A guard!” The intruder looked over her newest obstacle, eyeing him curiously. The young stallion fidgeted nervously as he addressed the ‘Royal Guard’.
“What’s going on?” asked the intruder
The young stallion gave her a puzzling look “What in all of Equestria do you mean by ‘what’s going on?’ Someone has assaulted one of the guards and they are thought to be wandering the castle. Oh great princesses of Equestria protect us!”
As his panic grew, so did his restlessness. The intruder was beginning to see crease marks forming in the unassuming and yet still formal uniform, that befitted one of his earthen ancestry. He’s clearly not military. Perhaps he’s a servant? He might just be useful to me
“Thank you for telling me” replied the intruder; putting on her best military sounding voice “ I assure you that the issue is most likely being dealt with as we speak. There is no need to worry” She gave the young stallion a friendly smile and clasped him on the shoulder.
“Presently” She continued, still smiling at the stallion, “ I am on my way to see the guards stationed near the library, but in the confusion of the moment I’ve got a bit turned around. Would you kindly point me in the right direction?”
This had better work, I would hate to have to hurt the poor colt. Then again it may be more fun
The servant ceased his fidgeting and retuned the smile in a slightly more relaxed demeanor. “I’d be happy to point out the way,” He said. Pointing a hoof down the hallway the young stallion continued, “ head down this hall, turn left past the maids chambers. Then head down the stairs and continue onward. You should see a large set of double doors with a sign saying royal library you can’t miss it”
Parting with the stallion, the intruder pressed on towards her intended destination. Racing down the hall she sped around the corner, only to freeze, like a deer in the lamp lights. Directly in front of her were two unicorns guards. Guards that, annoying enough, were standing right in front of the library doors. In a panic the intruder leapt back around the corner, her stolen armor clattering against the wall as she landed. Hearing the noise, the guards stared quizzically at the corner. Moving closer, they eyed the area suspiciously. Her heart racing, the intruder let loose a string of muffled curses. After a moment of panic she began striping off her armour, and dump it on the floor. The guards, who were now only inches away from discovering the intruder, easily heard the loud clattering.
With the guards drawing near, the intruder found herself struggling with her stolen cuirass, it’s buckles refusing to budge, her wings useless inside the metal carapace. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape. In desperation he intruder tugged at the cuirass with all her might, but the piece seemed almost impossible to remove. Curse that Joe and his donuts! Moving ever more quickly the guards sprung around the corner. Much to their confusion, all they found was an empty suit of armour.
“Isn’t this the armor that was stolen” intoned one of the guards “But where is the thief that was wearing it?”
“Well, that clattering must have been them,” replied the other guard “Perhaps they used an invisibility spell. I’ll take the armor to the captain, you stay here! Keep your eyes open”
“Right!”
Collecting the armour, the guard galloped down the hallway whilst his colleague returned to their post at the doors, seemingly more agitated than before.
Unknown to them, the intruder was silently hovering above their heads, her wings flapping with but the slightest of movements, a slightly damaged cuirass in hoof. As the remaining guard positioned himself in front of the door, the intruder dropped down in front of him; with an innocent grin etched onto her face.
“ You don’t mind letting me in do you?”
The poor guard didn’t even have time to bat an eyelid before he took a cuirass to the face, falling unconscious on the floor.
“Of course you don’t mind,” said the intruder with a sly grin.
She closed her eyes, collect her thoughts. Her heart rate began to slow. For a moment she remained still. She slowly opened her eyes and exhaled. Then taking a step back, she surveyed the imposing entrance to the library. The woodwork was adorned with elaborate carvings. A bust of StarSwirl the Bearded sat atop the arch of the doors.
Taking a step forward and placed a hoof on each highly polished door handle, the intruder heaved open the large wooden doors.
“-Recent surveillance reports have indicated an increase in changeling infiltration attempts. Due to this unsealing matter, I recommend that we increase the number of funds being diverted to the Macintosh Mountains. If you could please take a look at this graph-“
The dismal words of the grey stallion brought weight to Sky-Blitz’s eyes. As the sleep-inducing pencil pusher pointed to endless numbers of charts and graphs the whole room took on a more depressing tone. Resting her head on her hoof, Sky stared at the statistical zealot with a glazed expression. She gave a long and heavy sigh.
“I’d give my left hoof to be back on the front lines right now” she thought
The small group of five was in a small meeting room of sorts. A highly polished wooden table was centered atop a lush red carpet. Paintings depicting heroic battles and courageous generals hung proudly along the walls of the room. A large stand containing the multitude of charts sat across the table from Sky. Her irritation with it grew greater by the minute. Shifted uncomfortably in her chair, Sky allowed her eyes to wander around the room. To her left sat the Colonel Good-Gale, head of the logistics corps, and next to him; General Blitz-Krieg. Both were clearly just as bored with the monotone voice of Major Coffers, the chief financial officer of the EUP Guard. Only his dull grey coat of fur matched the dullness of his persona.
“The GDP of the region will not suffer substantially from the diversion of supplies“ droned on the stallion
Sky let out another long sigh “Could he be any more uninspiring!” mused Sky, “ at least fifty shades of hay is kinky in places!”
To her right sat Princess Luna. Even she was beginning to wane into a drowsy like state. Over the course of the meeting Luna’ s once dignified pose had turned into a slight slouch as she waited for an end to the tedium.
“Therefore the excess funds available will allow for the reconstruction and supply of several disused outposts” went the stallion.
Rolling her eyes at the discussion she looked up at the grandfather clock behind the princess staring at it, bleakly. Barely a minute had passed since she last looked. The slow ticking taunted her; tortured her action-starved mind. The swinging pendulum; a hypnotic pull, dragging Sky’s focus away from the tedium of the meeting. Her eyes glazed over. Her eyelids drooped. All sound faded away, leaving naught but the endless ticking of the clock.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The rhythmic sound of the clock, echoing deep within her mind.
“Commander Blitz!”
“Mmm…what?” Murmured the commander as her mind snapped back into reality.
“Commander, what is your opinion of the Major’s proposition?” Said the General, his gruff voice snapping the council back to attention. All eyes in the room now turned towards Sky. She kept silent, starring vacantly at the mess of charts before her. It was some time before the strident voice of Major Coffers broke the uneasy silence.
“Well Commander?”
Straitening up, with a deadpan smile, Commander Blitz delivered her response. “the suggested use o f the available funds has its merits, however, a better use for the funds would be to import Arabian steel from Saddle-Arabia, Several tons of Appaloosan Apples”
The Major arched an eyebrow “…Steel and apples? …Go on?”
“What we need is Zeppelins!”
All members of the meeting went slaked-jawed at the comment. Even the Princess gave Sky a quizzical look.
“A small fleet of supply Zeppelins and, most importantly of all, a large cider brewery”
There was a long uneventful pause before Princess Luna resumed the discussion “The commander certainly makes an excellent point”
“Point? What point?” Scoffed the Major Coffers, his face taking on a sardonic expression.
“That we could all do with a break and perhaps some refreshments” Replied Luna “ we could all do with some time to collect our thoughts and reconvene later”
Good-Gale leaned towards General Krieg, muttering under his breath” Personally, I wouldn’t mind endorsing that plan.” The general let out a hearty laugh. Major Coffers stood there silent, staring ruefully at his commanding officers.
Then turning to face Sky he said, “Commander Blitz, I would prefer it if you would not-“
“PRINCESS!”
The doors to the meeting room had burst open. A unicorn, clad in the royal armour stood there, panting heavily. The Princess arose from her seat.
“What is the meaning of this intrusion?” she said sternly
“One of the guards…has been found…unconscious in the gardens, Corporal Hammer-Spark, and he-“
“We don’t have time to concern ourselves with drunken antics and disobedient guards”
“But your highness, the same pony was just seen by the captain and by several of the castle staff not t long ago. Also, he wasn’t wearing his armour”
“You mean to tell me that some pony has managed to assault a royal guard, steal their armour and infiltrate the palace!”
The poor guard gulped at the princess’s ire grew. “Um…yes” he said weakly.
Turning to another, more competent, guard; Luna said “Put the castle on alert, but keep things quiet we don’t need to disturb my Sister, or the whole of Canterlot for that matter”
“And you” she said pointing her royal hoof at the panting messenger “Take me to see the captain of the guard. Commander Blitz I would like you to accompany me, I feel that you are in need of some air. For now, Sir Stallions, we shall have to postpone this meeting to a later, more convenient, date”
Every pony gave a bow then quickly exited the room. Saved by the bell, thought Sky as she and Luna cantered through the grand halls of Canterlot Castle.
Passing through a long sweeping corridor with a number of large windows, Luna and Sky, looked out onto the grounds of the castle. Many of the once grand structures, which stood elegantly above the city, were now broken and desolate.
As the pair cantered by, Sky stared at some of the buildings, scowling at the damage wrought by the changeling invasion. Luna saw Sky’s angered but sullen expression.
“It’s been over two months and the castle is still in a state of disrepair. It will take some time before everything returns to normal”
Sky pulled herself away from the window and gave huff.
“Nothin will return to normal whilst Equestrians are in constant fear of those vermin. They must breed like rats to have a force as large as the one that invaded Canterlot. I’m only sorry that I wasn’t here to bash in a few of their skulls”
Luna gave Sky a stony glare
“Be careful that you don’t let your contempt for these creatures blind you. You of all people should know what the sightedness does to the E.U.P Guard. Or has your scar failed to remind you this?”
Sky turned away from Luna, feeling the scar over her left eye.
“No princess, I haven’t forgotten”
She scowled as painful and bloody memories were brought forth.
“Well Commander, now that you are of sound mind again, tell me of your real opinion regarding the current state of the E.U.P guard, and please no more talk of Cider brewing”
Sky gave a long sigh, tinged with a slight smirk.
“Honestly? We’re completely over stretched. Before those lings showed up, the E.U.P Guard already had enough problems. We just haven’t got the resources to cover every patch of potential conflict. And no one seems to have any sense on what to do, least of all that sniveling bastard Coffers”
“The redundancy of a military in peacetime I’m afraid” Replied Luna
The two ponies and their escort continued their canter through the palace, passing through elaborate hallways and a multitude of rooms before they came out onto the main courtyard.
“Princess, I know I don’t have the authority, but if you could-“
“No, I will not have Major Coffers be reassigned to some far flung destination where he will most likely cause issues”
“But Princess” Sky said mischievously “some time in the field would do the Major some good. How about…Trottingham, a nice peaceful posting-“
“And” Luna interjected “Far away from us”
The two ponies gave each other jovial looks as they found some humor in light of the break in.
The ponies had passed through the courtyard and were now insight of the barracks behind the maze of other structures that dotted the castle.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s the situation with Gryphon Stone in the east? Last I heard things were heating up about Gryphons settling in Equestria ”
“Well” Luna began with a huff “ The problem stems from the new radical political movement. They claim that we are offering sanctuary to political exiles and enemies of the Gryphon Kingdom. And all of this trouble is largely due to the ravings of the movement leader, Glaucus.” “Honestly” Luna sighed “Gryphon’s haven’t given me this large of a headache since my Thestral Guards challenged the visiting Gryphon Royal guards to a cider drinking contest”
The two ponies found themselves in front of the door of the castle barracks. They briefly stopped to catch their breath. Sky gave the lunar diarch a quizzical look, as something dawned on her.
“Princess, how are Thestrals created exactly?”
The princess took on a sullen expression and avoided the gaze of the commander. She quietly sighed whilst recovering her regal posture.
“Now that we are here, we must maintain our focus on the castles intruder”
The Lunar diarch entered the barracks, leaving Sky outside. She gave a snort at her question being ignored and opened her mouth to respond, but through better of it and instead followed the princess inside.
The interior was comprised of mainly worn grey stone and large beams of dark wood that ran across the ceiling. A large hearth fed dim light into the room from its dark corner and there was a musty smell that filled the air. As the princes entered the room, she was immediately faced with two stallions. They knelt before their ruler, her dark figure partially hidden in shadow.
“Your Highness” said one of the guards “How may we be of service to you”
“Thank you guards colt” replied Luna, in her regal tone “ I would like to speak with the captain of the guard, and I shall require all information on the current break in”
“Of course your Highness, but I’m afraid that the Captain has just left with a reserve detachment of guards. She had received word that the intruder was
near the Royal Library
“How away far is the library from here?” interjected Sky, who seemed eager for some action.
“Not far, roughly a minutes gallop” Replied Luna. She pointed a hoof at the two guards before her “you two will remain here and keep watch. Hopefully we’re not too late”
Sky and Luna galloped out of the barracks. Passing through the twists and turns of the castle interior they finally found themselves within sight of the Royal Library. But, something was wrong. They heard the clattering of armor, grunts and groans, and the most furious of screams from the Captain of the guard.
The Princess and Commander Sky rushed to the doorway to the library. In the centre stood a lone pony, tall and defiant. The intruder brought her gaze to bear upon Sky, and they locked eyes intently studying each other. Sky could see that the intruder had coat of brown fur with a mane to match.
Only a moment had passed before the intruder bolted towards the ceiling and crashed through a glass panel. The intruder was gone and had left the bewildered guards in a torrent of raining glass.
A cry of rage range out over the sound of shattering glass
“After Her! After Her! I want her HEAD!”
