Gut Feeling

Another spray of cold sea water burst up and soaked Shining Armor once more, but the stinging salt water did little to break his steely gaze from the gray land mass that was slowly growing larger on the horizon. Ever since the ship's lookout had called out that the coastline of the Minotaur Nation was now within sight, Shining Armor had been standing alone at the ship's bow, one hand tightly grasping the hilt of his sword as his eyes remained locked forward.

"I'm coming, Twily." he growled.

Despite being reassured every day, he could no longer stand by idly and wait once Twilight's absence reached two months. Barely finding time to scribble a hasty note to his wife, he quickly assembled a crew to set out across the North Luna Ocean to the one city the Minotaur's occupied despite their large territory. The ship he had chosen to take was the fastest in Equestria's Western fleet, and though the captain was doubtful one lone ship would survive any hostile activity, Shining Armor assured him that their mission was to simply find Princess Twilight Sparkle and return home peacefully.

There was an air of uneasiness among the entire crew as well; Minotaurs rarely visited Equestria, not to mention the two nations barely had any sort of formal diplomatic ties before Twilight's mission. While there was the one Minotaur embassy in Canterlot, Equestria held no such office in the Minotaur Nation. In fact, Princess Twilight and her escorts were believed to be the first ponies to visit the solitary land in hundreds of years.

"There it is, sir! City of Cretan, dead ahead!" the lookout called, spying the port through his spyglass.

However, the captain's attention was focused to the ship's starboard side. With an uneasy gulp, he quickly approached Shining Armor and pointed to what he had seen.

"Sir, there's a ship approaching to intercept us. It's... it's the Waning Crescent." he said with worry.

Finally tearing his eyes away from the mass of land in front of him, Shining Armor grabbed the captain's spyglass and looked towards the other ship. Confusion wracked his mind as he saw the ship that had transported Twilight to the Minotaur Nation now approaching with a crew made up entirely of minotaurs, not a single pony in sight. Even more gut-wrenching was the ship was now flying the flag of the Minotaur Nation.

"Raise sails. Let's see what they wan't but do not let a single one board." Shining Armor commanded.

The crew carried out his orders, the last sailor managing to arm himself just as the commandeered ship pulled up alongside theirs. The minotaurs made no indication that they wished to come aboard; instead, one of the beasts donning an officer's uniform approached the rail of his ship and bellowed out his message.

"Unidentified ship, you are trespassing in waters claimed by the mighty Minotaur Nation! Turn and leave now, you are permitted to travel no further!"

The pony captain looked to Shining Armor for orders to turn the ship around, but Shining Armor had no intention of leaving empty-hoofed. "I am Captain Shining Armor of the Equestrian Royal Guard! I am here to bring Princess Twilight Sparkle and her entourage home and demand to speak to your superiors!" he challenged back.

Shining Armor's reply caught the Minotaur officer of guard. "You may not continue, now turn around-" he started after a pause.

"Then I shall return with the entire Western Fleet if you do not allow me!" Shining countered.

The minotaur stood silent at a loss for words for a few more moments before conceding. "Very well, follow us to the docks but do not stray!"

Satisfied with his first victory, Shining relayed his orders to his crew before returning to his private quarters to change into his battle armor. Just as he secured his sword in place Shining's second in command knocked and entered, having changed outfits as well in preparation for things to go badly. "Sir, shall I prepare all squads for trouble?" he inquired.

Shining Armor shook his head no. "Just have Quick Blitz and Sapphire Light prepared to join me. You and the rest shall remain on the ship."

The other pony opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it. "Yes, sir." he replied obediently before departing to inform his soldiers. Shining Armor left the enclosed cabin moments later, finding the ship had now entered the calm waters as shore was now just minutes away. The dockyard of Cretan was clearly visible as were the burly guards awaiting the two ships to dock. Their presence was quickly dismissed by Shining Armor as he set his gaze on a large building built high on a plateau overlooking the entire city. The white stone that made up the building's exterior seemed to shine among the foggy gray landscape that seemed to naturally cover the land, and Shining Armor correctly guessed that he was due to meet the ruler of the Minotaur Nation inside that very building and finally get some answers.

And finally find his sister.

As Shining Armor had expected, the officer in charge on the docks had attempted to bar Shining Armor from disembarking, especially with anypony else accompanying him. After a drawn out shouting match between the two, Shining Armor had finally come out on top and managed to have himself and his two subordinates escorted into the city. As he was marched away from the docks the dock officer angrily approached the commander of the ship that was supposed to intercept Shining Armor's, screaming and yelling that he would surely be court-martialed for his decision to instead escort the Equestrian ship into port. However, that was none of Shining Armor's concern; what he sought was not on the docks but in the white stone building he had seen.

It didn't take long to reach the impressive building, though once they had all climbed the hundreds of steps up to the entrance Shining Armor finally realized the sheer size of it. Tall columns rose from the ground up hundreds of feet to support the stone roof which was adorned in thousands of intricate carvings and designs. The double doors that made up the front entrance were equally impressive, being taller than most houses in Ponyville and seemingly made of solid bronze. Four minotaur guards stood on either side of them, moving only to open the heavy doors for the unexpected visitors. Their muscles bulged as they moved the heavy hunks of metal, even managing to earn some slight respect from Shining Armor.

'It would take an entire platoon of ponies to move those!'

As Shining Armor and his two soldiers crossed the threshold they suddenly found themselves alone. Looking back Shining Armor saw that none of the minotaurs were stepping hoof inside; instead, one of them simply pointed straight ahead, indicating they were to continue on alone. The inside of the building was not what Shining Armor expected; while Celestia's castle was brightly lit and adorned with all manners of decorations, flickering torches were all that lit the long, empty great hall they were now in. At the far end of the interior Shining Armor saw a grand throne set at atop a dais, occupied by a large Minotaur wearing a golden laurel wreath crown. His face made it clear that he was not happy to have visitors but Shining Armor approached the throne anyway as he sought to finally find answers.

"What creature encroaches on my empire without permission?" the minotaur roared once Shining Armor stopped and stood in front of him.

Puffing out his chest, Shining Armor spoke up assertively but respectfully. "I am Captain Shining Armor of Princess Celestia's Royal Guard. I am here seeking Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria to bring her back-"

The minotaur sitting atop the throne suddenly stood up, his massive size fully on display as he easily towered over Shining Armor. "You shall NOT take her back, for she is now property of Minos, Caesar of the Minotaur Nation!"

Shining Armor felt his gut wrench inside of him at his words. Drawing his sword, he held the sharp blade out in challenge. "What have you done with her? Where is my sister?" he demanded as his subordinates drew their weapons as well.

The large minotaur seemed to show no concern about being outnumbered three to one. He simply picked up two crude mauls; simple heavy blocks of stone with sturdy wooden handles secured to them. "She is property of Minos." he repeated, hefting the heavy weapons as if they were made of clouds. "You, too, shall become my property now."

With a roar of anger, Shining Armor charged forward to attack, swinging his sword and successfully slicing into one of the minotaur's arms. Despite Shining Armor's attack, the sword did little besides breaking just the surface of his thick, toughened skin. The large minotaur didn't even flinch in pain; instead, he brought down the oversized hammer in his other hand down near the base of Shining's blade, shattering the metal weapon as if it was made of porcelain.

Shining Armor staggered backwards in shock, not to mention his hands exploded in pain due to the vibrations that shot down the hilt of his now ruined weapon. Seeing her officer open to attack, Quick Blitz rushed forward with her own sword raised in an attempt to draw the minotaur's attention. Her plan worked, but before she could reach striking range Minos wound back one arm and hurled one of his deadly mauls directly at her. Quick Blitz's eyes widened in horror as she saw the stone block approaching her head with such speed that there was no hope to avoid it.

"No!" Shining Armor cried out. His horn flashed as he summoned a barrier around Quick Blitz in a last second attempt to save her.

The maul managed to penetrate the shield but at the cost of most of it's inertia. The heavy weapon still managed to smash into Quick Blitz's armored chest, sending her toppling backwards and gasping for breath as the air in her lungs was knocked out. Her sword fell out of her hand as she grasped her dented chest armor in an attempt to rip it off so she could breathe normally, allowing Shining Armor to summon it to his own empty hand and charge the beast in front of him once more.

With fury in his eyes, Shining Armor rushed in and wildly swung at the minotaur. His anger overwhelmed his years of training in fighting, causing him to sloppily attack like he was a green recruit. His poor form left him wide open, and with his empty hand Minos connected a strong punch to Shining Armor's jaw and sent him crumbling to the cold stone floor. His head now spinning faster than a tornado, he still tried his best to stand back up to continue fighting, but before he could Minos strode forward and delivered a final blow to the back of Shining's unprotected head with a closed fist. This time, when Shining Armor's body fell to the ground he did not get back up.

Minos turned his attention to the final pony left able to fight. However, Sapphire Light had remained frozen ever since the fighting had started. Even now she stood frozen in fear, her sword half-heartedly raised as her legs shook uncontrollably. She knew she stood no chance alone against the beast that had nearly killed her commanding officer and comrade, and as Minos strode towards her she barely managed to choke back a sob of defeat.

The large minotaur easily plucked the weapon from Sapphire Light's quivering hand and tossed it aside like a foal does to a broken toy. Her legs finally gave out, causing her to fall to her knees in front of him as she awaited her fate. His empty hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her by the neck, firmly grasping her and raising her up as her eyes widened in horror. Her legs kicked in futility as she fought for air, her wish to be able to breath again granted at the cost of Minos suddenly dropping her back to the floor before he turned and returned to his throne, sitting down and rapping his remaining maul against the side of his throne to summon the four minotaur guards outside. Three of the beasts grabbed Shining Armor and dragged him down a trap door set behind the throne where Minos sat while the remaining minotaur tossed the defeated ponies over both of his shoulders like sacks of flour, taking the two mares back out the main entrance but not to return them to their ship.

With only the weapons left strewn on the floor, Minos sat alone once more on his throne. His eyes glanced to Shining Armor's broken sword hilt momentarily before he grew bored and stood up to leave. One of his servants would remove the scraps of metal before his return, as well as return his own weapons to their places on either side of his throne. But for now, he needed entertainment after such a boring fight.

'Captain of the pony guard? How pathetic, even the princess put up more of a fight than he did.'

'Hmm... perhaps it's time to pay her a visit.'