Conspiracy: Off the Record

The soothing night air was casually caressing the now white pegasus.  Storm Runner closed his eyes and let his mind wander about the adventures that his new title would bring.  The white wagon jerked violently to the side.  Storm Runner, shaken out of his daze,  barely had time to grab the side to avoid being thrown to off onto the cobblestone road.  He caught sight of the other two wagons in front as he steadied himself.  Each one held about ten guardsponies, all equipped with an ornate sword and full suits of armor.  The light from the full moon glittered on the golden armor, making the already dazzling ponies look more magnificent.

"So tell me again what it is we are doing," Storm Runner asked, barely able to hear himself speak over the clanking of the metal wheels.  "Why are we speeding towards Ponyville?"

Lt. Blade smiled at his new recruit, "That is where the Summer Sun Festival is being held this year.  Both princesses will be present, and we have to make sure there are no...incidents."

An owl hooted somewhere in the distance and every gold covered head  snapped towards the source of the disturbance.  Storm Runner starred in disbelief at their reaction.  "Why is everypony so tense?" he asked innocently.  "It's not like the princesses are in danger.  Who would attack them?"  He could feel the intense glares from those around him as the last words left his lips.

Lt. Blade raised his hooves in a passive manner,, "Easy there fellas.  Remember...he's new."  Their expressions remaining the same, they  turned their attention away from the young stallion towards the blissful scenery.  Satisfied that the other guards weren't about to harass the recruit, he leaned back on the wall of the wagon.  It groaned from the pressure, but held fast.  "To answer your question, it's not whether somepony would do it.  It's that somepony could do it.  You have heard of the Nightmare Moon incident, right?"

Storm Runner shook his head.  "I don't think anypony brought it up.  What happened?"

Lt. Blade looked off into the field that they were passing through.  The magical red flowers seemed like they were on fire from their warm glow.  "It was about thirty years ago, the last time the Summer Sun Festival was in Ponyville."  The cart jerked again, but Blade continued as if nothing had happened.  "Everything was going smoothly.  Everypony was happily enjoying the celebration.  They were munching on cakes and singing melodious songs.  The guards were on high alert as always, keeping the peace so everypony could enjoy the evening.  It seemed like nothing could go wrong."

"But I'm guessing something did," Storm Runner interrupted.  The guard beside him gave him a chiding look for disrespectfully speaking out, but Wild Blade waved him aside.

"Yup.  Something did go wrong," Blade continued.  "When it was time for Princess Celestia to raise the sun, she was gone.  It happened right under our snouts.  Instead of Celestia, a black mare by the name of Nightmare Moon came out.  Her presence froze the blood of our most senior officers.  She had ponynapped Celestia and vowed to never raise the sun again."

"What happened?" asked a wide-eyed Storm Runner.  "Did the guards catch her?"

Blade turned his head look Storm Runner in the eyes.  "I wish they did," he said solemnly.  "She was rescued by six small mares.  No pony knows how, but they did.  It was a big embarrassment for the guard."

 "What happened to Nightmare Moon?" asked the starry eyed pegasus.

"You know Nightmare Moon as Princess Luna," replied Storm Runner.  "She was turned back to normal by the legendary six."  Storm Runner's jaw dropped.  A thousand questions swirled around in his sporadic mind, but his mouth refused to ask any of them.  The senior pony chuckled, "I know what you're thinking.  It is hard to believe, but Celestia's own flesh and blood captured her without so much as a squeak.  On my watch too."

Storm Runner's ears perked up at the last statement.  "What do you mean your watch?"

Wild Blade looked at the white floor of the jerking wagon,  his voice deepening as he answered, "I was the pony in charge of the security detail that night."  Storm Runner cocked an eyebrow, but held his tongue as the earth pony continued.  "Not a day goes by where I don’t wish for a second chance to stop it.  I never felt so useless in all my life. I’m just glad luck was on my side.  I could have been dishonorably discharged for failing to conduct my duties, but they gave me the job of training other guardsponies in melee combat."

Seeing the old stallion's remorseful look brought a pang of sympathy to Storm Runner's heart.  The young pegasus reached a consoling hoof to his friend.  The wagon stopped so suddenly, he ended up face planting on the floor.  He bolted upright, thankful that the other guards didn’t notice, and looked ahead at the first wagon.

The rest of the guards snapped to attention.  A large unicorn wearing a golden pauldron on his right shoulder rose from the first wagon and beamed at the other guards.  "Alright pansies!" he shouted with a voice that was used to giving orders.  "You know the drill.  Alpha squad is to patrol the outlying fields for any disturbances.  Bravo will be out on the streets keeping the peace in the town." His fierce eyes turned on Storm Runner's wagon, scanning for any signs of fear or insubordination.  "Delta...you have the assembly hall area.  Keep your eyes on the princesses at all times.  If I see you ogling a fine flank for even one moment, I'll have you scrubbing latrines with your momma's toothbrush.  Do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes, sir!" Exclaimed the guards, unanimously saluting their commanding officer.  The commander sat back down while the guards in the lead wagon jumped into the soft meadow.  Pairing up into groups of two, they hurriedly trotted off in different directions.

The remaining wagons lurched forward towards the brightly lit town of Ponyville.  The town was ablaze with lanterns that swayed in the nighttime flutter.  Colorful ribbons swirled around the lamp posts and statues like the stripes on a candy cane.  Ponies frolicked around the town, chatting and singing with whoever passed by.   The air was full of sweet smells from exotic desserts and the laughter of little fillies carelessly dancing in the square.

If it was in any other town, Storm Runner might have felt happy at the sight.  Instead, his gaze locked onto a small house that stood close to the peaceful river.  It's sky blue paint had faded to a dull grey, contrasting the bright colors and lights of the celebration.  The shingles, broken and loose, produced eerie noises as they scraped together, almost as if bones were rattling inside a burlap sack.  A single shutter creaked from somewhere on the other side of the house.

Storm Runner stared at it, frozen in place as the memory started another assault on his thoughts.  He could hear his mother pleading for the hooded stallion to stop.  The intruder’s venomous words echoed in his head.  Don't look away, or I'll kill her.  I want you to see how much of a slut your mother is!"

A tear journeyed down Storm Runner's cheek.  The other stallions in the wagon didn't seem to notice, but Lt. Blade watched his pupil intently.  "Are you okay, son?" he asked affectionately, trying to break him out of his trance before the commander saw him.  He shook the young pegasus gently, "Hey, knock it off before you get yourself in trouble."

Storm Runner's mind slowly returned to reality.  "S-sorry, sir.  I'm not comfortable in this town," he said apologetically.  Lt. Blade gave him a toothy grin and a don’t worry bout it pat on the shoulder.

The wagons halted their approach and the remaining guardponies dismounted, taking their positions in the streets.  The jovial ponies stopped to stare at the golden clad ponies for a few moments before returning to their merriment.   Storm Runner followed Lt. Blade into the large building in the center of the square.

The room swirled with color.  Streamers and ribbons hung gracefully from the Corinthian style columns, adding to the beauty of the luxurious room.  Tables filled with decadent cakes and sweet apple cider outlined the majestic room. Gigantic windows allowed the moonlight to lazily illuminate the chamber in a soft light.  Ponies of different shapes and color were spread throughout the giant room, idly chatting with each other and waiting for the princess to make her scheduled appearance.

"This is amazing," said Storm Runner.  His head kept turning like it was on a swivel, eagerly scanning the room for threats.  A creamsicle colored mare waltzed on by, catching the young pegasus' attention.  His head bobbed with each rhythmical strut of her tight flank.  A small sliver of drool causally fell from the grin frozen on his face.

His mind filled with cheesy come-ons and not-so-witty one liners, busily attempting to come up with the perfect line to make her notice him.  In the midst of his daydream, he didn't realize the oncoming hoof of an irked guardspony.  The thump against his helmet shocked him back to reality as it filled his ears with a painful ringing. "You must really want your mom to have bad breath," said Lt. Blade.  "If you think the CO was idly making threats, you've got another thing coming.  Once, he threatened to make any guard dumb enough to chuckle at his bad manecut eat a ton of cake."

"That doesn't seem possible, even for a guard," said the dumbfounded stallion.

Lt. Blade smirked, "Tell that to Grave Digger.  He gained so much weight; he had to be put on a 'special' diet and exercise plan.  Made special from the good ole CO we've all come to know and love."  Storm Runner placed a hoof against his mouth in a desperate bid to keep the Commander from hearing his mocking giggles.  Wild Blade, not as afraid as Storm Runner, let out a small laugh in return.

"Besides," he continued, "do you even know who that stunning mare was?"  Storm Runner recovered from his fit of giggles and shook his head.  Lt. Blade snorted, "That was Topaz."  Storm Runner tilted his head and cocked his eyebrow, still oblivious to what Blade was getting at.  "The daughter of Rarity, the greatest fashionista in all of Equestria.  Your telling me you never seen the Carousel Boutique?"

Storm Runner shook his head again, "I don't even know what a fashionista is.  Is that some kind of fancy exercise?"  Lt. Blade chortled affectionately at Storm Runner, which caused an even more confused look to escape from the already befuddled pegasus.

"Come on kid," ordered the still chuckling earth pony.  "We have a job to do."

Blade and Storm Runner resumed their patrol around the richly decorated room.  Storm Runner's gaze was like sentinel's, keeping a stalwart eye on each pony.  He didn't even think about the beautiful mares that giggled and flirted from every direction for fear of the CO's wrath.  He just kept on walking with Lt. Blade, who was also keeping a close eye on the party.  His surveying eyes were momentarily distracted by a particularly wild pink pony.  "This party is fantasterrific!" she screamed before zipping off into the crowd.

An ornate clock from the other side of the room announced the time with five loud chimes.  Everypony in the room ceased chatting.  Ponies at the snack table finished sampling the delicious spread and delicately wiped their mouths with silk napkins.  It seemed like all of Equestria fell silent as it eagerly awaited the main event of the night.

An old earth pony shuffled out from behind the velvet curtains onto the balcony.  Her face, wrinkly as a raisin, could barely contain her wide grin.  Her grey mane was styled in a business like manner, showing both authority and grace.  "Mares and gentlecolts," announced Mayor Mare, "As you are all are aware, Ponyville was chosen to be the host of this year's Summer Sun Festival.  It is a great honor for our small town, and I believe we worked our hooves off to make it one of the best ones in Equestrian history."  She paused as the room was filled with yelps and hollers of agreement.  "Now without further ado, I present Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!"

Mayor Mare disappeared behind the heavy curtains as they parted, revealing two regal alicorns.  Celestia rose her head up high and said, "My most loyal subjects.  I speak for both my sister and myself when I say that we are honored to be guests in your joyous town."  The room filled with cheers even louder than before.  "I feel that I can't describe the hard work that you ponies...."

Storm Runner watched Celestia, engrossed by her charming speech.  He could feel the room about to burst from the energy that resonated off the ecstatic ponies that cheered with all their love and affection towards their benevolent rulers.  He turned to say something to his mentor.  Instead, his eyes focused on a hooded figure that was winding its way towards the front of the room.  "Blade...check that out," he said, nudging the old stallion.

"I see him," he replied.  "Let's check it out."  The two guards started forcing their way through the crowd of happy ponies.  They felt the crowd closing in on them, but they kept trying to intercept the hooded figure.  "You there!" shouted Lt. Blade, his voice barely able to raise above the crowd's.  "Stop!"

The hooded figure picked up its pace, but did not acknowledge the guard's order.  She wistfully side stepped the crowd and stood just below one of the ornate columns.  "Stop!" Blade screamed again.  "That's an...."  His words were cut off by screams of terror echoing throughout the chamber.  Black smoke seeped in from around the room.  Its black tendrils coalesced in the center of the room, giving the illusion that somepony started a fire.

The smoke shifted in the air as if it were breathing.  The once merry crowd of ponies were now a mob of hysteria and fear.  They all began frantically running towards the giant doors opposite the balcony.  Celestia desperately tried to calm her beloved subjects, but her voice was drowned out by the omnipresent screams of horror.  Storm Runner tried to keep his eyes on the hooded figure, but the scarred ponies kept pushing him away.

He caught sight of the other guards.  They were all being pushed to the outer edges of the room, cut off from the princesses.  He searched madly for his mentor, whom had been beside him before the panic ensued.  He saw the senior guardspony closing in on the hooded figure.  Storm Runner began to force his way towards him, but kept getting swept up in the tide of hysterical ponies.

He used all of his might just to keep the old stallion in his view, afraid that he wouldn't be able to find him again.  Lt. Blade had finally reached the hooded figure.  Storm Runner saw him yell something that got lost within the crowd.  He drew his sword and held it towards the figure.  Storm Runner kept pushing through, finally beginning to muscles his way towards his friend.

Lt. Blade slowly walked towards the motionless figure.  He held his sword high, ready to counter any attack it decided to throw at him.  The hooded figure just stared at the lone guard.  The smoke wrapped maliciously around it, making its already threatening presence seem more terrifying. He continued to inch his way towards it, unwilling to allow another princess related crisis to weigh down on his already guilt ridden conscience.

The figure shifted slightly before charging at Blade.  The screech of metal on metal filled the air as her small dagger deflected the sword before it could cut into his haunch. He pushed her back and quickly went on the offensive, arching the gleaming blade towards her hooded neck.  She avoided the swing with the agility of a cat as she withdrew a second dagger.

Storm Runner frantically began to push his way to where his friend was fighting.  He had finally made it to the edge of the room, but was still too far away to help his comrade.  He could only watch as the old stallion fended off the duel-wielding fury of the hooded mare.  The cloak waved precariously in the air with each deft movement of the graceful assassin.  Each strike from the daggers produced a sharp pang as it met the steel of Wild Blade's sword.

Sweat leapt from Blade's face as he continued to fight off the would-be assassin.  His heart pounding furiously against his chest.  He could feel the adrenaline coursing its way through every fiber of his body.  His training had kicked in long before the battle, pushing away all distractions and focusing in on his target.  Blade ducked from an attempted strike on his jugular, kicking the cloaked figure in the process.  The hood that was hiding the appearance of the figure slipped off, revealing the slender face of a female unicorn.  Her red eyes stared angrily back at the pony between her and her goal.

Blade pointed the blade of his sword at her exposed neck.  With the authority expected from one with his rank, he announced, "You are under arrest!"  Her chest was pulsating from an combination of anger and exertion.  Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for a way to escape.

Storm Runner was now a few feet away from the duel.  The smoke had finally began to clear, allowing him to see more than a few feet in front of his face.  A smile stretched across his face at the realization of his friend's victory.  "I knew you could do it Blade!" he shouted across the room.

Blade's focus broke for a second as his eyes shifted towards his student.  The assassin, seeing her window of opportunity, produced a small dagger from her cloak and stabbed Blade in his left hind leg.  Blade screamed as he felt the cold metal scrape against his bone.  With the skill of an acrobat, she pushed herself up from the floor.  She kicked Blade in the jaw with both of her back legs, sending him hurdling in the air.  He landed with a sickening smack on the stone floor, skidding mere inches from where he once stood.  The assassin began to slowly trot towards him, licking her lips in anticipation.

Storm Runner froze in fear.  "What do I do?" he said to himself.  He felt his heart rapidly battering his youthful chest, as if it was trying to tear itself out of his body.  His face contorted into an expression of terror.  "What do I do?" he said even louder, hoping that somepony would stop her.

The assassin was nearly on top of Blade.  The returning moonlight illuminated the dagger that she held in her hoof.  Seeing the dagger brought back the terrible memory that lurked within Storm Runner's mind.  He could almost feel the dagger pierce the flesh of his helpless father.  He could smell the terror that his mother was feeling, as the psycho used her like some old toy before slitting her throat.

Storm Runner's heart rate receded to almost nothing.  Time itself seemed to slow down around him.  His eyes narrowed on the mare that threatened his friend, pushing away all other distractions.  "Not again!" screamed Storm Runner as he drew his sword from its scabbard.  He jumped onto the wall and pushed himself into the air.  He unfurled his wings and sped at the assassin with the ferocity of a raging manticorn, screaming wildly as the wind soared past his face.

The assassin turned her angry gaze to the screaming pegasus. His pure white eyes sent a wave of terror through her and she froze. The snow white angel of death bore down on her, in the last second she managed to deflect the killing blow with a dagger. The strike sent tremors through her leg.

Storm Runner skidded to a stop a few feet past her as the small blade clattered to the floor. He reached down with his free hoof and took hold of Lt. Blade's discarded sword. The two combatants glared at each other for a moment before the gold wreathed guard let out another cry and charged with both swords in his hooves.

She tried in vain to block each one with her small daggers.  She felt pain tremble down her hooves as the berserk guard kept up the onslaught.  The hysteric ponies were now watching in awe at the spectacle.  Storm Runner's roars vibrated in the room.  The assassin clenched her teeth, unwilling to allow her life to be ended this way.  She used her daggers to push Storm Runner's swords upwards, giving her enough time to dash away from him.

She quickly climbed the nearest column.  Her eyes fell upon the princesses, whom were still standing on the balcony.  With her remaining strength, she thrust herself away from the column.  She readied her dagger as she approached her targets.  An evil grin crept across her face.  She felt as if no pony on earth could stop her now.  Her dagger glinted in the moonlight, agreeing with what she felt.  She let out a victorious cry, before she felt something pass through her abdomen.

Her eyes widened.  Her blood felt like it turned to ice in her veins.  She slowly tilted her head down, meeting the still white eyes of the pegasus.  Her vision traced along his hooves and to the sword that was now embedded in her stomach.  Blood slowly streaked down the blade to the hilt, painting the golden sword red.  Storm Runner let go of the blood soaked handle, allowing the gravity's powerful grip pull her down to earth.  With the sword still impaled in her gut, she crashed some feet away from where Blade was weakly clinging to life.

Storm Runner, still holding the other sword, lowered himself to where she was.  The glowing in his eyes subsided, allowing his deep, green eyes to return.  The magic armor quickly activated, shifting them to the normal blue color of the Heliacal guard.  "You are under arrest!" he stated, panting heavily.

The assassin stared at her enemy.  The life drained from her eyes. "Down...with...(gah)... the princesses.  Manehatten shall... be... free," she gasped.  Storm Runner heard a crunch from inside her mouth.  She began to convulse violently.  Her eyes became bloodshot and rolled back into her head.  A white foam exuded from her agape mouth.  Her body jerked one last time before it lay still in the soft moonlight.

Storm Runner retracted his second sword from her neck, letting the other stay embedded in her stomach.  His vision blurred for a moment, and he felt the strength ebbing from his legs.  Remembering his friend, he dropped his sword and limped to Lt. Blade.  The sword clanged against the floor, sending its song echoing throughout the room.  Storm Runner knelt beside his friend and  removed the dagger from his leg, which was now a ghastly blue.  "Someone get a doctor!" Storm Runner shouted weakly..

Lt. Blade shifted his head to meet Storm Runner's.  Nice...work," he coughed before fainting.

Storm Runner felt tears falling down his cheeks.  "I'm not losing you," he sobbed.

"No you won't," came a voice from behind him.  He turned, shocked to be looking at a white alicorn.  Celestia turned her attention to the guards that were standing by the door, "Get this guard help," she ordered.  The guards nodded and rushed towards their fallen comrade.  They picked him up and barreled out the door into the night.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked the still crying Storm Runner.

Celestia gave him a warm smile, "I promise I'll do everything in my power to help him."

Luna, whom had been behind her sister, scrutinized Storm Runner's flank.  "Sister," she said, "Look at this brave warrior's flank."  Celestia focused on his flank.  She felt her smile drop from her face.  Her eyes widened at the glistening mark on the pegasus' flank.  A six pointed star surrounded by two smaller stars appeared on his white coat, gleaming from the fresh magic.

Storm Runner, shaking his head in disbelief, stared at his flank.  "What does this cutie mark mean?" he asked.  "I don't understand how this is my special talent."

Celestia's smile returned to her face.  "That cutie mark doesn't necessarily represent your special talent," she said.  Storm Runner cocked his eyebrow at the princess, but didn't interrupt her.  "That is a special cutie mark that means you'll reshape destiny."  She leaned in closer to the young pegasus, "It's the mark of a hero."

Storm Runner didn't know what to say.  His vision was worsening and his body felt numb.  He fell to the floor, barely staying conscious.  Blackness filled his eyes.  The last thing he heard was Celestia screaming for a doctor.