The moon flickered brightly in the sky over the towering skyscrapers that have claimed Canterlot as their home for over a century. In clear view of a small window, the moon provided ample light to glisten off the building's metallic surfaces. A flying vehicle speedily passed by, echoing a soft purr throughout the room before it continued its journey into the night sky above the city.
“The world has changed, Princess,” an earth pony stallion dressed in golden, Royal Guard armor muttered as he peered out the window. “The things you’ve done for Equestria enabled all of this.” He motioned toward the tallest of the skyscrapers, for it was symbol of Equestrian pride and confidence, a shining beacon of how far pony engineering has come over the ages.
He gazed over his shoulder to a machine in which the tiny room had been built to house. Positioned in the middle of the room, a silver tube-like coffin softly hummed, as it’s done for close to eighty years. Inside, her head was exposed by a thin curtain of transparent blue, sparkling light. Twilight Sparkle laid peacefully in death. Just on the floor in front of it, a small, dusty plaque sat, displaying its message proudly through a thin sheet of dust it accumulated over the years.
The guard trotted over to the plaque, and with great care, wiped away some of the ancient dust. “We're all children in the world,” he read, “And we'll be children in the next as well. Don't fear this, my little ponies, for what we do in this life shall not be forgotten as easily as we all might think. Now, I am gone, but my legacy shall continue, be remembered.”
He looked up at the casket. Twilight reflected pure beauty with her lush mane and young facial features, as was the job of the machine to keep them as such.
Sighing, the guard leaned over Twilight. He loomed over her casket, hoping that in some way he wasn’t going to be condemned to a painful afterlife for his actions.
Pulling a chain from around his neck, he soon produced a thin, pencil-like device from under his chest armor. Unclipping it from the chain, he quickly removed the cap, revealing a small, sharp blade. With a click of a button located on the side, an orb of red light spewed forth from the bottom, engulfing the device and stallion’s hoof.
A bead of sweat trailed down his face as he lowered his now glowing hoof. “For what it’s worth,” he said shakily, “I’m sorry for doing this, but I hope one day you'll understand.”
He shut his eyes tightly and plunged his hoof into the blue light above Twilight’s face. The energy of the two machines clashed, forcing his hoof into a dead stop. Sparks ignited from the power struggle, causing him to wince as some flew right past his face at breakneck speeds. Gritting his teeth, the stallion applied more pressure and began to feel his hoof sinking further into the coffin.
The tip of the blade turned a tint of red as heat transferred up the device’s handle and into his hoof. Letting out a grunt of pain, he angled the blade towards her mane.
Contacting her hair with the blade, he cut off a tiny piece. The tool surrounded the lock with its own orb of pulsing red light. His eyes widened as he watched the strands ascend slowly towards him. He let out a small yelp as he felt his hoof burning with pain. Quickly, he ripped it out of the clutches of the protective magic. A loud pop resonated through the room as the guard dropped the blade and stumbled backward.
His head pulsed like he just received a buck to the face as he waved his hoof in the air, trying to cool it off. After making sure he hadn’t burnt his hoof too severely, he lowered it to the ground.
Looking around, he spotted the device laying on the floor in front of him. He noticed the blade still had a red tint to it as he limped past it. Not daring to touch it, his eyes instead wandered over to the loose strands of hair strewn haphazardly around it.
A voice resonated through his mind. We only need one. Get whatever you can and get out of there. Got me? If you get caught, we’re done for.
He found himself subconsciously nodding as he picked up a single strand of her mane. He looked back up at the coffin. Swallowing hard, he once again pondered his actions.
“No,” he said glumly as he stumbled back to the windowsill, “I’m not going to justify my actions to you.” Grabbing a plain saddlebag with the Royal Guard insignia stitched to the front, he opened it up and produced a small, plastic baggy. He let out a slight yelp as he tried to open it with his burnt hoof. After a few more tries, he finally got it open and carefully placed the strand of hair inside.
Using his hoof, he smashed the rusted padlock keeping the window sealed from the outside world. He pushed it open before turning his attention back to his saddlebag.
Quickly throwing it over his back, he limped towards the door with his head lowered. When he reached it, he cracked it open. Light streamed into the room from the small opening. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he inched his way out.
“Maybe when you lead us again, you’ll understand why we had to do this.” He pushed the door and left the room.
Labored hoof steps filled the outside hallway as the wooden door creaked closed, leaving the room in utter darkness once again. The blade that the guard neglected to retrieve periodically flashed red. Soon, though, after blinking for a fifth time, the light stayed illuminated.
Without warning, or even disturbing the dust surrounding it, the blade silently dissolved in a flicker of white light, leaving nothing behind but a small pile of ash.
The only proof of the intruder was scattered throughout the room as the wind blew the ash and loose hair around the chamber. Dark and dusty corners welcomed the new editions to their continuously growing collection of worthless filth.
