Note-Worthy

“So, let me get this straight. You’re saying it just appeared in the princesses’ room?”

Sunburst stared up at the large, armor clad stallion standing over him and cleared his throat. “That’s what I said.”

“And you have no idea how it got there?”

Sunburst let out an irritated huff and pushed his glasses up his nose with his magic. “It’s like I told the last guy. I was putting Flurry Heart down for her nap, and as I was walking out it just happened to hit me in the face.”

“Last time you said she hit you in the face with it.”

Sunburst groaned. “I was walking out and it hit me in the face. What more do you want me to tell you?”

The guardspony held up a hoof “Hey, I’m just trying to get all of the facts.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just...it’s been a long morning.”

“Here,” the guard extended a cup of steaming, brown coffee to Sunburst with his magic. “You definitely look like you need it.”

“Thanks,” Sunburst took the cup from the guard and immediately gulping down a mouthful. “I didn’t really get much sleep last night.”

“I can tell. You look like the back end of a diamond dog.”

“I just can’t stop thinking about it. I mean, as far as I know I don’t have any enemies; and I can’t think of anypony that might actually want to hurt me.”

“Don’t worry,” the guard placed a hoof on Sunburst’s shoulder. “You’ll be safe as long as you’re here.”

Sunburst took another swallow, his visage grim.

“And what makes you so sure it’s some kind of omen?” Obelisk continued. “For all we know it could just be a coincidence or a harmless prank.”

“You’re awfully optimistic for a guard,” Sunburst pointed out between sips.

“Just trying to lighten the mood I guess.”

Sunburst was ready to say something, but his response was cut off by the common room doors swinging open.

“Obelisk,” Shining Armor began as he marched inside. “Have the guards reported anything strange?”

“No sir,” the stallion standing opposite of Sunburst replied, his posture immediately going rigid. “But I’ll keep having the perimeter guard report back every hour, as requested.”

Good,” Shining Armor turned to Sunburst, his eyes softening. “Sorry about all this, Sunburst. It’s nothing against you personally. I’m just trying to be thorough.”

“I can’t say I blame you,” Sunburst laughed a hollow laugh. “I would most likely do the same in your position.”

A loud boom echoed from the hallway behind Shining, cutting off the witty remark he had prepared and making everybody in the room jump slightly in alarm.

“What was that?” Shining said, whirling around to face the empty hall and readying his horn. “Obelisk!”

His years of military training kicking in, Obelisk jumped in front of his captain and the crystaler, his horn sparking dangerously.

“Do you think we’re being attacked?” Obelisk asked, his eyes never leaving the hallway.

“I’m not sure,” Shining responded. “Take point, and stay on alert.”

“Understood.”

“Stay behind us, Sunburst.”

Sunburst sidled up behind Shining and tried to make himself as small as possible.

“Okay, let’s move.” On cue, Obelisk began to slowly inch forward, followed closely by Shining while Sunburst took up the rear. The trio of stallions made it just outside the common room door when a trill, repetitive tapping noise began echoing from a ways down the hallway.

Instinctively, both Shining Armor and Obelisk braced themselves. Sunburst meanwhile tried his hardest to disappear behind Shining’s flank.

The tapping continued to steadily grew in volume. Obelisk raised his horn. Shining did the same. Sunburst shakily readied his own spell from halfway behind Shining’s leg.

“Shiny!”

The voice cut sharply through the cavernous hallways and the magic sizzling at the tip of Shining’s horn quickly fizzled out.

“Cadence?”

Not three seconds later, the pink coated princess of love skirted around the corner, coming to a stop in front of the three stallions.

“Shiny!” She exclaimed breathlessly. “There’s something-”

“It’s okay Cadence, just...take a minute.”

Cadence took a handful of large, heaving breaths before sucking in a large mouthful of air.

“The library,” she heaved. “There’s something in the library.”

“Slow down. What do you mean ‘there’s something in the library?’”

“You just have to see it,” she said, turning around and starting right back the way she came. Shining and Obelisk shared confused, unsure looks but took off after the princess nonetheless.

Sunburst merely stood and watched as Shining, Obelisk and Cadence disappeared around the corner and down the hallway. It took a full minute of coercion and heavy deliberation before he decided to follow, weaving around the corner and down the hall with anxiety bubbling dangerously in his gut.

Sunburst took his time as he made his way down the long stretching hallways and toward the wing that housed the library. All the while his mind raced with new and frightening possibilities.

Would it be another note addressed to him in some way?

Would it be one of the other ponies in The Crystal Castle? Possibly even The King or Queen?

Was whoever was sending these messages really out to get them?

Shaking his head, Sunburst rounded the upcoming corner, barely able to suppress a yelp of surprise as his forehoof came down on something slick and it nearly caused him to topple over.

Re-establishing his footing, Sunburst glanced downward to see what he had slipped on and his jaw fell wide open.

Masses of paper were strewn around the entirety of the hallway, so much so that the floor was barely visible beneath the mess.

“What in Equestria?” he gawked, lifting one of the pages with his magic and squinting at it.

“He was a stallion of twenty-five or twenty-six years of age, of unprepossessing countenance obsequies to his superiors, insolent to his subordinates; and this, in addition to his position as responsible agent on board, which is always obnoxious to the sailors, made him as much dislike by the crew as he was beloved by them.”

Letting the page fall back to the floor, Sunburst picked up another at random and skimmed through the text written on it.

“I started my trudge along the fields that had gone some distance before I paid my attention to the soft and muddy ground, which was dooming my new horseshoes.-”

Frowning, Sunburst let the page fall back into the sea of texts at his hooves and began to wade through the mess in front of him.

It took a fair bit of struggling, but eventually he fought through to a point where the flow seemed densest and came upon the doors of the castle’s library, cracked wide open and stuffed with pages. Knitting his brow and lighting his horn, Sunburst pushed against the wall of parchment with all of the magical might he could muster, emitting a yelp of surprise when it gave way and sent him tumbling through to the other side.

“Sunburst,” he heard Cadence say from somewhere to his right. “Did you know about this?”

Getting to his hooves and re-adjusting his glasses, Sunburst looked up and saw something that made his blood run like ice in his veins.

There — standing like an idol in the center of the room — was a giant paper mache figure of a unicorn pony striking a ferocious looking pose with magic sparkling at the tip of his horn. Sunburst pushed his glasses up over his eyes and squinted at the structure, noting the flowing goatee and the glasses that looked strikingly similar to his own.

“Wha- no. I did not know anything about this, I swear!”

Cadence idly walked around to the other side of the figure, her eyes never leaving its form. “What I want to know is how somepony could even get in here and do this without anypony seeing them.”

“Obelisk,” Shining Armor barked. “Gather up all of the guards assigned to this wing of the castle and bring them here.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, go to the servants quarters and bring back a hoof-ful of maids.”

“Right away,” Obelisk saluted, obliterating the wall of paper with his horn and disappearing down the hallway.

“Sunburst,” Shining Armor said, turning to Sunburst and skewering him with a hard look. “If you know something about this, you need to tell me. I promise you you won’t be in trouble.”

Sunburst began subconsciously wheeling backward as Shining Armor advanced on him. “I swear to you, your highness. I don’t know anything about this. I was in the common room all morning being questioned by the guards.”

“Swear on Celestia’s name.”

Sunburst gulped. “I swear by Celestia herself I have no idea how this got here.”

Shining Armor regarded his crystaler with a long look.

“I believe you,” he finally said. “But that still doesn’t explain how somepony could infiltrate the castle so easily like this.”

“Your highness,” the gruff voice of Obelisk said as he cantered through the parchment-ridden doorway with five or so guards behind him. “I brought all of the guards assigned to this wing, as requested.”

“And the maids?”

“They should be arriving shortly.”

“Good,” Shining armor began as he walked the row of guards assembled before him. “Which one of you was supposed to be guarding the library?”

The guards shared uneasy looks between them until one of them spoke up.

“You instructed us not to guard the library anymore sir.”

Shining snorted. “Why in Equestria would I say something like that?”

Another guard spoke up this time.

“You said it was ‘a waste of manpower.’”

“Well, that was obviously an error in judgement on my part.”

“Um sir...” a mouse like voice came from the doorway and everyone turned to see one of the castle’s maids standing awkwardly in the archway. “You needed something?”

“Yes,” Shining Armor started, gesturing to the mess of paper littering the floor. “I need this mess cleaned up for starters.”

“Right away, sir,” she squeaked, scuttling into the room along with five others.

“You two,” he gestured toward two guards who’d been standing silently off to the side. “Go stand guard outside. Nopony comes in or out unless Obelisk gives the OK.”

The two guards saluted their captain before walking outside of the room and positioning themselves on either side of the door.

“And you six,” he said, whirling toward the guards he’d sent for. “I want the area searched and any findings reported Obelisk who will then relay them directly to me, is that understood?”

“Yes, sir!” The guards saluted, breaking formation and beginning to search the grounds.

“You’re not usually so stern with them,” Cadence smiled as she came to stand beside her husband.

“Can you blame me?” He said, his gaze fixated on the floor. “I mean, I’m supposed to be this great captain and somepony was able to break into the castle without me or any of the guards noticing and do this!” He swept a hoof toward the towering structure in the middle of the room.

“You do your best, honey, that’s all anypony can ask of you.” Cadence wrapped a hoof around her husband’s neck and gave him a peck on the cheek. ”Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight? Take our minds off all of this craziness that’s been going on lately?”

“What about the baby?”

“We’ll just take her with.”

Shining smiled and buried his face in his wife’s mane. “What did you have in mind?”

“Someplace fancy. Mediterranean maybe.”

“That sounds great actually.”

“Perfect.” With that, Cadence and Shining started toward the door. Cadence stopped her husband just before they’d gotten to the hallway and whispered in his ear. Shining nodded and turned to face the room.

“Sunburst. Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?”

Sunburst — who’d been studiously studying the base of the statue — turned toward the couple, surprised.

“Oh...um, I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Shining shared a small look with his wife. “It’s fine, really. We insist.”

“Well, when you put it like that...” Sunburst laughed clumsily, slinking across the room and toward the door.

“I expect this place to be cleaned up by tomorrow morning,” Shining stated sternly before him, his wife and their crystaler disappeared out the door, leaving just the guards and the maids in the room.

“What a pompous ass,” one of the maids scoffed as soon as the sound of their hoofsteps disappeared..

“Melody!” another hissed. “Keep your voice down. What if the guards hear?”

“I don’t care, Meoldy shot back. He was being a total jerk.”

Harmony frowned at the other maid, walking over to the base of the statue and giving it a thorough once over with her eyes. “You know, I'm a little bummed we have to take it down.”

“I'm not,” Melody chuffed, angrily swiping a hoof-ful of paper off the floor. “I have other things I could be doing right now.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, I dunno. Maybe relaxing at home in bed instead of cleaning up after some idiot who thinks they're the next Picasso or something. I mean, out of all the ponies in Equestria you could make a statue out of, why Sunburst?”

“I dunno. I think it’s kinda cute.”

Melody's eyes narrowed, her mouth turning up in a knowing smirk. “Does that mean you think he looks cute, too?”

No, Harmony sputtered. “It’s just...can you imagine? Somepony breaking into the castle, risking their freedom just to show you how much they care. Doesn’t it just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?”

Melody frowned. “It definitely makes me feel something.”

“Well, I still think it’s sweet.”

A wad of paper connected solidly with the back of Harmony’s head and she turned and shot daggers at Melody.

“Well you can think it’s sweet all you want, but we still have to clean it up.”

Another wad of paper hit Harmony in the face this time and she growled viciously at her the other mare. Melody only rolled her eyes. “Now come help before I come over there and make you.”

Harmony picked up her own hoof-ful of paper and shaped it into the perfectly sized ball. “This means war,” she growled, launching it across the room and hitting Melody square in the back of the head.

“So that’s how you wanna play?” Melody snarled. Collecting another wad of paper in her hooves, she launching it toward her target. Her aim was true, but Harmony’s reactions were faster and just before it hit her, she ducked, causing the projectile to hit a maid that had been standing innocently behind her.

“Melody!” Harmony hissed, turning to the maid who’d been inadvertently caught in the crossfire. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” she said, pausing as she went to pick up another wad of paper. “Hey, do they really expect us to clean all this up?”

“Are you new?” Melody said flatly.

“Yes actually.”

“I knew it,” Harmony interrupted. “You’re the only one here I couldn't put a name to the face.”

“I’m Honeydew.”

Harmony extended her hoof. “I'm Harmony; and that ray of sunshine is Melody.”

“Welcome to hell,” Melody spat from across the room.

“Don’t mind her,” Harmony waved. “She’s perpetually cranky.”

“Bite me,” Melody shot back.

Honeydew looked up the statue, confusion knitting her brow. “So do they have any idea who did this?”

“Probably someone who’s not all there upstairs.” Melody chimed as she angrily swiped up more paper.

“Do you really think somepony crazy did this?” Honeydew asked, still poring over the statue.

“Either that or somepony is madly in love with Sunburst.”

“Which I don’t think is even possible,” Melody added.

“Isn’t he the crystaler?”

“Yup,” Harmony said. “And to be totally honest I don’t think he’s that bad looking.”

"Knew it," Melody scoffed. Harmony ignored her.

“What about you?”

“What do I think of Sunburst?”

“Yeah. I mean let’s face it, he’s no Shining Armor, but I’d definitely still go for a romp in the sheets if he asked.”

Honeydew blushed hotly, shuffling a few papers with her hoof. “Yeah, he’s pretty cute I guess.”

“Shining Armor though...” Harmony let out a long, wistful sigh. “The things I’d do to that stallion if he wasn’t married.”

“Hey!” Melody’s voice cut through the awkwardness like a hot knife and two wadded up pieces of paper hit both of the mares in the back of the head simultaneously. “If you two are done gossiping can we please finally clean this up so I can get home sometime before the sun comes up?”

Harmony whirled to face her compatriot, already forming a means of counter attack.

“You just don’t know when to quit,” she snarled playfully, launching the projectile across the room. Melody barely had time to duck as it sailed over her head.

“Oh, It is on!”