Shades of Grey

Chapters

Let me tell you a story...
Chapter 1: Evaluation
Chapter 2: Barriers
Chapter 3: Surprises
Prologue

Let me tell you a story...

The solitary hollow tree stood in the middle of the Everfree Forest, a few leaves dangling loosely off its branches. The rest were buried under the pile of snow that coated the ground in a thick white blanket. Besides being the only hollow tree in the entire forest, it was also the only one in the vicinity that housed a resident within its wooden confines.

A lone zebra trotted around inside the tree, arranging various herbs and picking a few of them to add to the boiling concoction that sat in the centre of the room. With every ingredient that was dropped into the black pot, the mixture proceeded to change its colour into a variety of hues until at last, after the final herb had been introduced to the contents of the cauldron, it settled on a orange-red shade.

“At last, I’ve made my concoction right, to combat the cold of winter’s night.” The zebra smiled as she relished the heat that emanated from the pot. “I need neither fuel nor wood, and last for many days this should.”

A knock at the door caught the zebra’s attention, and she turned around to see a grey unicorn filly with a brown mane poke her head into her home. “Come in young pony, you have nothing to fear, for the cold has been pushed out of here.”

“Thank you, Miss Zenith.” The filly responded, closing the door behind her as she entered the tree.

“Now, as in the warmth you bask,” Zenith began as she sat down next to the filly, “what brings you here, if I may ask?”

“I was trying to get my cutie mark in wilderness survival.” The filly glanced back at her blank flank, shaking her head sadly. “It didn’t work.”

Zenith laughed. “Your antics remind me of my ancestor’s past. She knew fillies back then, who were adventurous and fast.” She looked out of her window, and the snow that lay beyond the warm zone of her abode. “Back in her day, this forest was cursed, with dangerous creatures that killed to eat first.”

The filly shuddered. “I’m glad this place isn’t so dangerous anymore. Otherwise, being lost in the middle of the Everfree Forest might not be as safe as it is now.”

Zenith looked out of her window and caught sight of the sun setting in the distance. “Well, you will be here for tonight. At least you’ve got my cauldron’s light.”

Her mouth curved upwards slightly. “While you’re here and we both have nothing to do, would one of my stories interest you?”

The filly took in her surroundings, finding nothing to entertain herself for the night. “I suppose it would be better than just sitting around and staring at each other.”

Zenith stood up. “Excellent. Now listen young filly, to this very old tale, of an ancient kingdom, extremely frail. The world long ago, quite different it was, ruled by two leaders with so many flaws.”

The unicorn cocked her head curiously. “You mean the world wasn’t the way it is now?”

The zebra nodded. “Things have changed, quite true, for the nation of today, is different, and different it will stay.”

“Listen to my story, young foal. This is quite different from your life free of cares.” Zenith rose up onto her hind legs for dramatic effect. “This is the story... of monsters and mares.”

“Who wins in the end?” The filly asked suddenly.

Zenith smiled at her. “In the end, the mares win. How can you triumph with nothing but sin?”

“So if I know the ending, what’s the point of the story?” The filly asked impatiently.

“The story is not so simple, don’t be silly. Do not ask these questions, young filly.” Zenith turned away deliberately, preventing the unicorn from seeing her face. “The question should be, for my tales that I share...”

“Which ones are the monsters... and which ones are the mares?”

Chapter 1: Evaluation

"Next!" Shining Armour called. Looking through the window at the side of the darkened room he was currently inhabiting, he cast a glance towards the dejected white pegasus departing from the arena. The assorted pieces of his armour were strewn across his back haphazardly as he stepped through the archway at the far end of the arena. The captain of the royal guard shook his head and turned back towards the door at the end of the dark room.

The worn door creaked open, revealing a grey unicorn guard complete with the traditional gold breastplate, helmet and protected saddle of every Royal Guard in Canterlot. He stepped forward and saluted smartly.

"Name?" Shining Armour asked.

"Blitz, sir." The guard replied without lowering his leg. He was surprisingly stable on three hooves.

"Rank?"

"Staff Sergeant, sir."

"I see." Shining Armour's horn glowed as the quill on his desk rose, enveloped in a purple aura, and scribbled down several words on the piece of parchment that sat on the aged table in front of him. "What makes you think that you have what it takes to join Princess Celestia's personal guard?"

"I am skilled with both a sword and spear, and am also a black belt in over nine forms of martial arts."

"Ah." In truth, the white unicorn wasn't paying much attention to the soldier in front of him. The interview wouldn't play the greatest part in proving his expertise.

"Take off your armour." The captain commanded.

"Yes, sir." Unflinchingly, Blitz used his magic to undo the straps that kept the pieces of metal in one piece, and his armour fell apart. Once the enchantments of the steel wore off, his grey coat lightened a little bit, and his brown irises shifted their hue to a striking crimson red. His jet-black mane was not in the usual crew cut that most of the Guard wore, but was instead short and messy. His cutie mark, a black belt that stood out from his grey coat, adorned his flank. Lastly, a grey aura enveloped his shoes, tugging them off and letting them tumble onto the ground noisily.

Not once had he lowered his hoof.

"Take this with you." A short sword flew through the air and was caught in Blitz's grey aura. "You're going to need it."

"What are your orders, sir?" Blitz asked, barely moving at all.

"This is a test of your combat prowess. Out there," Shining Armour gestured to the arena beyond the window, "is a manticore we have captured to aid you in this... exercise. If it proves too difficult to defeat, or if you are in grave danger, then you may escape through this window," The white horn's glow increased in intensity, and the window was flung open, "or the archway at the end." Shining Armour grinned slightly. "If you are capable of achieving victory, then you have passed the first stage of the test, and you can meet Princess Celestia herself." The captain's grin disappeared as the enticing reward of meeting Equestria's diarch failed to elicit a reaction from Blitz. He sighed. "And put that hoof down. You need all four to fight."

"Yes, sir." In a rapid, almost mechanical movement, Blitz's hoof made contact with the floorboards, causing them to groan under his weight. The old surface was granted relief a moment later as the grey unicorn executed a leap that took him out of the safety of the room and into the arena. Seconds after he had cleared the window, a dull thud caused him to turn his head. He was just in time to see the window being locked with a click. Shining Armour, horn still aglow with great intensity, levitated a quill and parchment to his side and began to watch the grey-coated warrior. When the sound of a magical barrier being put in place echoed throughout the confined space, Blitz didn't even to check to know that the archway had been sealed shut.

He muttered a very rude word under his breath.

Dominating the field before him was one of the largest, most dangerous looking manticores he had ever seen. Its tail, with the poisonous stinger at its tip, was easily longer than three ponies standing side by side. The creature itself could have towered over even a draconequus like Discord. It was already blocking out the sun. The entire manticore seemed to be sparkling with magic; perhaps it had a restraining spell placed on it.

Or maybe a strengthening spell. Blitz grimaced.

The monster wasted no time in taking advantage of the grey unicorn's momentary distraction. With a roar, it leapt up into the sky and brought its claws and stinger to bear as it homed in on Blitz. Finally focusing on the danger at hoof, Blitz rolled to one side, narrowly avoiding the creature's venomous extremeities, and pulled the short sword out of its scabbard with his telekinetic grip. He slashed at the manticore, but the sharp blade only met air as the manticore stepped back.

Contemplative. Gets distracted easily. The quill danced across the surface of the scroll, held aloft by Shining Armour's magic.

Meanwhile, the short sword was executing a much more deadly dance as it twirled and slashed across the field, keeping the manticore at bay. The creature growled as it tried to reach its prey, but all of its efforts proved fruitless. Blitz, noticing the manticore's hesitation, switched his attack to an offensive style. His horn glowed even brighter as he prepared a spell.

FWOOSH

The powerful wall of air rushed forward and collided with the manticore. Blitz could almost sense a bit of lag time as the monster's efforts to keep itself rooted to the ground failed, and was pushed back a few centimetres. That was all the time the grey unicorn needed. A burst of light revealed the usage of a teleportation spell, and when he appeared behind the manticore he swung his short sword at it with all the strength he could muster.

The creature howled in pain as the sword slashed through its arm as if it were nothing more than air. Dark blue blood rushed out of the wound and splashed on the ground. The arm itself fell to the dirt and lay still.

Capable of executing Grade 5 strength spells. Excellent swordsmaster. Is able to make opportunities and take advantage of them on the spot.

Blinded by rage, the manticore rushed at Blitz at a shockingly fast speed. The grey unicorn sidestepped calmly and raised his blade in a defensive position. When its venom-tipped claws failed to meet anything substantial, the manticore turned and did something Blitz had no idea manticores were capable of.

Mimicking a markspony, the creature raised its stinger and fired a high-pressure stream of poison straight towards Blitz.

The surprised expression registered on the grey unidorn's face for only a second before he conjured a grey concave shield with his magic. The lethal fluid rushed straight into the shield and arced back towards the manticore.

The creature was in the midst of a sprint towards Blitz when the venom met its face. It howled in pain as the poison did its job, seeping into the monster's pores and into its bloodstream.

Very intelligent and creative. Is able to respond to unexpected attacks efficiently and swiftly.

Blitz raised his sword into the air and flung it at the manticore with all of his magical might. The blade struck the creature's heart.

And passed right through.

The image of the howling beast flickered a few times before disappearing into nothingness. The sparkles of magic subsided as the manticore vanished, revealing an empty field behind it. His sword lay in the dust, completely clean of any blood whatsoever.

Confident. Sometimes takes risks in order to minimize danger.

Blitz turned his head just in time to see the window to the room swing open. Shining Armour stepped through the opening, the glow from his horn absent for the first time since he had seen him.

"An illusion spell." Blitz breathed.

The white unicorn nodded his head. "Correct. Personally, I'm disappointed that you didn't manage to find out. I've half a mind to fail you for this test."

"I had my suspicions." Blitz replied. "The magical sparks were almost a dead giveaway." A ghost of a grin appeared on his face. "But if you must know, it isn't that hard to make somepony believe that an illusion is the real deal."

"What do you-" Shining Armour gaped as the stallion in front of him faded away.

"Your expression betrays you." Blitz said from behind the captain. "I can see your slack jaw from here."

Shining Armour turned around and saw Blitz next to the window from which he had just exited, the only blind spot from the room itself. "Wha- How did you get there?!"

"I've been here ever since I teleported." The grey unicorn explained. "I was confirming my suspicions of the manticore being an illusion. And I was right. The venom failed to pass through my illusory shield." His horn glowed and the shortsword was dragged across the field to the scabbard. "Now, did I pass the test?"

"Definitely. Not many ponies can successfully trick me like that."

"Good. Now I just need to... need... to..." Struck by a sudden spell of dizziness, Blitz swayed on his hooves for a few moments before collapsing to the ground.

"Blitz!" Shining Armour was by his side in an instant. His horn relit itself as he probed the fallen unicorn for injuries.

"Thank goodness... It's just magical exhaustion. He'll be alright in a few hours." He glanced up into the noonday sky, noticing the sun at the height of its glory. "That should be in time for his appointment with Princess Celestia." A purple glow encompassed the grey unicorn as he levitated him over to the archway. "I'd better get him back to the barracks."

Meanwhile, in the aged room, an image of Shining Armour appeared behind the wooden table. Clearing his throat, he shouted, "Next!"

Later

Princess Celestia took a sip from her cup of tea as she filtered out the droning of her economic minister explaining the financial repercussions of the changeling attack on Canterlot.

"So, in order to repair the damages caused by the impact of the changelings upon the castle, the total cost rises to... three hundred and eighty-six thousand, four hundred and forty-two bits." The green-coated unicorn stallion prostrated before Celestia explained. "Approximately."

The alicorn couldn't remember when estimations were so exact. Or maybe that was just her minister. "I see. Well, Bit Saver, the Treasury should be able to cover that."

"That's not all, your highness." Bit Saver shook his head. "That was only the cost to repair the impact craters. There are still all of the damaged tapestries, carpets, antiques-"

Celestia barely managed to suppress a groan. "We do not actually require any of those in order to survive."

Bit Saver, for his part, looked absolutely horrified. "What?! Princess, surely you can't possibly be considering such a drastic course of action to cut our costs! Do you know what kind of impact this will make across all of Equestria?"

Celestia had absolutely no idea what kind of impact would result from deciding not to replace all of the assorted items in the palace- especially since they seemed to have no purpose other than to boast of the Princess' wealth- but she decided to play along so she could get her minister to leave. "I am fully aware of them, Bit Saver, and I will consider what you have said. I will give you my verdict tomorrow."

Her minister bowed deeply. "I thank you for your time, your highness."

A knock at the throne room door caught her attention. "Your majesty, there is somepony here to see you." One of her guards called from outside.

Celestia nodded. Gesturing to Bit Saver, she said, "You may leave now. There is something else I need to attend to." The minister eased out of his bowing position and trotted to the door that had been opened by the guards.

Blitz, fully armoured with an additional sword at his side just in case Celestia tried to pull the same trick her captain had, met the minister of economics on his way out. His gaze, however, was directed towards the floor as his legs bent to settle into a bow.

"There's no need for formalities here, my little pony." Celestia said. "Rise, and we may discuss your appointment as a member of my personal guard."

Blitz noticed the intricately carved blade on the Princess' table the moment he straightened his legs and stood up. He grimaced.

Please let me be wrong. I'm still too tired for this.

"You may approach. It would be too troublesome to speak over such a large distance."

Blitz trotted closer to the Princess and settled into an awkward half-bow as he spoke. "Your will is my command."

Celestia cleared her throat. "Now, as you know, ever since the Changeling invasion, ponies all across Equestria have been worried for my safety." She winced as the memory of her embarrassing defeat at the hooves of Queen Chrysalis swam to the forefront of the mind. Subconsciously, she took a sip of her tea. "And frankly, I am beginning to doubt my ability as well. So if you want to join the newly-formed Aegis Guard, you need to demonstrate three virtues. The first is your combat prowess, which I believe you have already proven. The second is-"

All of a sudden, the throne room door burst open, and a snarling manticore charged into the room, its claws extended and its stinger ready to strike. Blitz sighed in resignation.

They did it to me again.

It took only an instant against the unprepared creature. One moment, Blitz's sword rested in his scabbard, and the next, it had buried itself in the manticore's chest. The familiar dark blue blood erupted from its chest wound, decorating the throne room with several splotches of what looked like paint. Instinctively, the grey unicorn shielded both himself and his leader with a barrier spell.

One illusion down. Blitz mentally frowned. Wait a second. If that's an illusion, then how is my sword stuck... in... its... His mental train of thought tapered off into realisation.

Blitz's ears perked up as a voice spoke up from outside the throne room. "Uhh... Princess? Are you alright? Your guards certainly aren't." Blitz glanced towards the door to see a brown unicorn stallion in a laboratory suit round the corner and enter the throne room. "One of our test subjects for the new anti-venom has gone missing. It's a manticore, about one and a half metres tall, and..." He stared at the corpse of the recently slaughtered beast as it continued to leak blood across the floor. "...I see you found it."

Celestia glared at the wilting unicorn. "I suggest that you take better care of your test subjects from now on." She scratched her chin contemplatively with a hoof. "As a matter of fact, I do not even remember authorising a project like this."

"Well... about that..." Blitz sighed and watched as the unicorn squirmed under the alicorn's harsh glare. I'm just glad that I'm not the one on the receiving end of that. His horn ached a little from the rapid spellcasting, and the shield he had created wavered a slightly.

His weakness had not gone unnoticed by Celestia. "Take a rest, my little pony. I do not expect you to have the magical aptitude of Twilight Sparkle. You may lower your shield," Blitz complied, and the shield dissolved into thin air.

The Princess turned her gaze back to the brown unicorn. "i await your response."

The unicorn looked up, the distraught expression on his face replaced with one of defiance. "I do not take orders from you."

Celestia's stood up abruptly with anger. "I am your Princess! You will show me the proper respect!"

"No, Princess. I am better than you." The unicorn's horn began to shine with power. "I am a Queen."

Blitz watched in horrified fascination as the unicorn in front of him transformed into a vile creature he knew all too well from the time when he had been forcibly evicted from Shining Armour's wedding.

"Chrysalis!" He hissed.

"That's right!" The changeling queen laughed. "You have no idea how easy it was to get in here!"

"How did you manage to infiltrate the shield?" Celestia demanded.

Chrysalis snorted. "Do you really think that I can be defeated by the very thing I feed on? You've failed to defeat me, and I still have most of the magic that I drained from Shining Armour, plus all the additional magic I collected from the shield! I'm invincible now!" The changeling lowered her horn towards Celestia. "Prepare to die!"

The green beam of pure energy that erupted from Chrysalis' horn met Celestia's yellow one in mid-air, and the resulting wave of sound rippled across the throne room. Blitz was thrown off his hooves, and his head hit the wall at one end of the throne room.

This has to be an illusion, right? The grey unicorn's mind tried to piece the situation together. There's no way both a manticore and Chrysalis can just happen to show up when I'm here! He cast a glance towards the two warring alicorns. Even if Chrysalis is fake, it would be prudent to escape while she's distracted. His facial expression sank into a determined grimace. No, on the off chance that the changeling is real, the princess is in big trouble, and I have to protect her no matter what the cost may be!

His limbs powered by a vastly powerful energy he hadn't felt before, Blitz leapt into action, pulling the blade on Celestia's desk over to himself with his telekinesis and raising it into the air. The downwards slash he executed caught the changeling queen by surprise. The sword slashed right through Chrysalis smoothly, confirming Blitz's suspicions. The changeling dissipated instantly, along with the nearby manticore, which revealed a mess of animated blueberries beneath the exterior.

Blitz groaned as he dropped Celestia's sword in frustration. I knew it!

"Excellent work, my little pony, for risking your life to save me even when the odds were thoroughly stacked against you." Celestia smiled warmly. "You have proven your loyalty both to me and Equestria. However, there is one thing that I must ask you."

"What is it, your highness?" Blitz was getting sick of chasing illusions around at his leader's whim.

"You fight for something you clearly hold dear. Tell me, do you have any friends or family?"

Blitz thought about this for a moment. "I devote my life fully to protecting both you and Canterlot, your highness."

"That did not answer my question."

Blitz sighed. "No, I have none."

Celestia gasped. "That will not do. I have an opportunity for you, though. You may join my entourage as an Aegis Guard two days from now when I go to Ponyville to celebrate the defeat of the changelings with the Elements of Harmony. You will be entrusted with the important task of protecting me, but I will give you an even more important task."

The alicorn paused before continuing with a grin on her face. "Make some friends!"

This time, the grey unicorn managed to suppress his groan. That sounds strangely rehearsed.

The Princess sat down once more. "You have received your instructions. Prepare yourself for the day after tomorrow. Have I made myself clear?"

Despite his fatigue, Blitz still managed to pull off a respectably smart salute. "Crystal, your majesty."

Celestia took a sip of her tea as she gestured towards the door with a hoof. "You may return to your barracks and rest. I'm sure that today was a long day for you."

Blitz bowed deeply before departing the throne room, closing the door with a resounding bang. Only when the door was firmly between him and Equestria's diarch did Blitz let out a loud sigh. He shook his head to clear the whirlwind of thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today."

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to notice a blue alicorn slip into the throne room behind him.

"We do not ask for much. Merely a sound rest during the day and appreciation for our night. We did not predict that the former would be harder to acquire!"

A very angry Princess Luna stormed through the halls of Canterlot Castle, lightning flashing from various mini-thunderclouds that surrounded her flowing mane of stars. However, the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that she had forgotten to remove her pyjamas and socks, the latter of which caused her to lose her balance every now and then. She considered abandoning decorum and yelling her sister's name at the top of her voice, but the result of her latest brush with the effects of the Royal Canterlot Voice dissuaded her. If she remembered correctly, some of the windows that had been irrevocably shattered had not yet been replaced, leaving large, gaping holes at the side of the castle for invaders to fly into.

Then again, windows probably wouldn't have been enough to stop a determined group of attackers anyway.

Luna approached the source of the noise, which just happened to be the throne room, with as much stealth as she could muster. Due to the hindering nature of her socks, however, she decided to hover in the air with her wings.

Then she noticed a problem.

The two guards who were protecting the throne room remained unaffected by the recent explosion of noise, and were standing as still as statues, as most of the royal guards did. In fact, they were standing so still that Luna wouldn't have been surprised if her sister had switched them with deceptively well-painted sculptures. She was tempted to treat them as such and advance without discretion, but decided against it at the last moment. From her current position around the corner, Luna could hear snippets of a conversation within the throne room.

"...have any friends or family?" The blue alicorn recognised her sister's voice instantly.

The response was slow in coming. "I devote my life fully to protecting both you and Canterlot, your highness." The strict, monotone voice gave away the occupation of the pony.

Why would 'Tia be speaking with a common guardspony?

"That did not answer my question."

A sigh, and then the response was forthcoming. "No, I have none."

Her sister gasped, a sound that Luna, with her centuries of experience with her sister, knew was forced. "That will not do. I have an opportunity for you, though. You may join my entourage as an Aegis Guard two days from now when I go to Ponyville to celebrate the defeat of the changelings with the Elements of Harmony. You will be entrusted with the important task of protecting me, but I will give you an even more important task. Make some friends!"

Luna could almost hear an exasperated groan in the silence that followed.

"You have received your instructions. Prepare yourself for the day after tomorrow. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal, your majesty."

"You may return to your barracks and rest. I'm sure that today was a long day for you."

Luna realised that the conversation was over, and she peeked her head around the corner to see a perfectly ordinary grey unicorn guardspony close the throne room door and sigh. The guards protecting the princess turned their heads and waved to see off their companion.

This is our chance! Luna thought. She flew towards the space above the heads of the guards at the door as fast as her wings could take her. Having reached her destination, she shoved open the door with all of her might and entered the room.

She caught her sister in the midst of upending her teacup into a potted plant nearby. Celestia froze instinctively and supercharged her horn with magic before she realised who the intruder was.

"Lulu!" Celestia cried, racing towards the blue alicorn and enveloping her in an extremely tight hug. The guards who were stationed outside the room looked at each other hesitantly, unsure of how to respond.

"Ack! 'Tia! Need... air..." Luna somehow began to turn even bluer than she already was.

"Oops! Sorry, Lulu!" Celestia released her deathgrip on Luna instantly. The guards watching the scene tried their hardest not to giggle at the display.

The solar princess finally noticed the other two ponies. "Return to your posts immediately, guards." She thought for a moment. "And tell nopony of this."

The two guards saluted immediately and went back to the front door, though Celestia could have sworn that a she heard muffled "oomph!" when she slammed the door shut with her magic. She turned back to Luna when she was finally certain that the door was secure.

"What brings you here, sister?" Celestia asked. "Normally, you would be resting at this time of day."

"And indeed we were." Luna snorted. "We would still be asleep if that infernal racket originating in thy room had not roused us from our well-earned slumber." She narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Care to explain?"

"That was... just a test." The white alicorn grinned sheepishly. "For the new recruit of the Aegis Guard."

"We heard that as well, 'Tia." The princess of the night eyed Celestia suspiciously. "We hath no idea of thy intentions, but this is outrageous! To force a soldier to make new friends is like setting those friends up for inevitable despair. A soldier's lifelong mission is to slaughter all in his way until he himself succumbs to the enemy. Thou knowest this as well as we do."

"Equestria lives in a time of peace." Celestia retorted. "There is no war. I merely wanted him to enjoy life as he should."

"Lies." Luna growled. "Even we, with our poor knowledge of modern Equestrian relations, are aware that both the dragons and the griffins covet our land, and the changeling incursion is proof of the presence of powerful adversaries!" Luna's eyes narrowed even further. "Even as we speak, our troops along the border are skirmishing with bandits and vagabonds. Equestria is at war, sister. An unofficial one, but one that results in the deaths of many all the same!"

"Fine!" Celestia suddenly exploded with anger. "Do you want to know why I have to do this?!" Her sister's unexpected outburst made Luna cringe, but the blue alicorn remained firmly in place. "It's not like I want to cause any of my little ponies misery! But I have no choice!" A crack formed in Celestia's now-empty teacup. "I've checked the records for our military, and you know what? More and more soldiers are resigning from the Equestrian Armed Forces. Do you know why?"

"Well, I... Uhh..." Luna was still trying to get over the fact that her sister- her kind, gentle, eternally calm sister- had so suddenly yelled at her younger sister for the first time in several millennia.

"WRONG!" Celestia shouted. "It's because they have nothing to fight for! The danger in their occupations means that they are risking their lives for nothing! Most of our soldiers have no family or friends to speak of! And," Celestia's eyes burned with conviction, "why stand in the way of danger for nothing?"

Luna finally managed to regain her composure. "That... is a rather fallacious argument, 'Tia."

"Is it?" Celestia calmed down at last, and her cheeks turned a shade of red at her outburst. However, she refused to back down from her argument. "I had every single one of my captains inquire as to why the soldiers decided to resign from their jobs. And almost all of them said the exact same thing!"

"They said: 'Putting my life on the line is meaningless without something to defend.' Do you realise now, Luna? Equestria is at risk because our soldiers lack the conviction to fight!"

"Surely many of them would want to resign in order to ensure their safety for their families." Luna countered.

"Indeed. Some would. But all of the ex-military ponies know that the soldiers remaining to defend our nation has been steadily decreasing. At yet none of them volunteer to rejoin." Celestia shot back.

"How about releasing news of our army's weakness to the general public?" Luna suggested. "I'm sure that many of them would join the army to protect their loved ones."

"Aside from the fact that our vulnerability could not only cause mass panic, but could also alert our enemies' spies of an opportunity, many ponies would probably refuse to join for the very reason that you stated." Celestia replied. "Even if we get a huge number of new recruits, the amount of funds needed to train such a large army on such short notice would cripple the Treasury. We might be unable to even fund the army that we raised!"

"What does thou suggest that we try then, sister?" Luna asked softly.

"I have decided to distribute bonuses to all of the soldiers who decide to start a family." Celestia said. "That, our Treasury will be able to afford. Also, I recently raised the pay of all soldiers in proportion to the battles they have fought before, and will continue to do so for all who prove their loyalty to Equestria."

"And," The white alicorn continued, "I issue missions to ponies like Blitz, who is a part of my personal guard. He defended me bravely just now, but based on what Shining Armour told me, he is quite smart, and saw through my captain's illusion halfway through the battle." Celestia's posture sagged slightly. "I do not know whether he risked his life to defend me, or if he did it because he knew his life was not in any danger from the start."

"Perhaps thou should be less suspicious of others." Luna told her sister. "Thy cynical attitude might cause thee to see threats where there are none."

"I can't, Luna." The solar princess sighed heavily. "I have spent many a millennium watching the political assassinations between my royal ministers fly back and forth around me. I adapted to the life of the court several centuries ago, and it's hard not to expect somepony to have an ulterior motive even when they're sincere."

"Then just trust us on this one, 'Tia." Luna nuzzled her sister. "Thy soldiers are loyal if they stay behind even after many have left. Their duty is to protect thee. Do not fault them for doing their jobs."

"I suppose you're right." Celestia returned the nuzzle. "I might as well relax. Getting stressed over nothing won't be good for my decision making capabilities."

"Just remember that thou can discuss anything thou wants with me." The lunar princess comforted her sister. "I'll always be here to listen to your troubles."

Celestia smiled weakly. "At least I can look forward to the celebration in Ponyville two days from now." Her half-smile morphed into a true one as she envisioned the party that her protégé's friend Pinkie Pie would throw for her. "I'll get to see Twilight again."

"That's the spirit." Luna nodded approvingly. "After all, what could possibly go wrong?"

A soldier. The ideal candidate should be a soldier.

I hear that Celestia is coming to Ponyville in two days' time. She'll definitely bring some guards with her. That will be my chance to put my plan into motion.

A certain pink earth pony mare was trotting down the streets of Ponyville when suddenly, her entire body began to vibrate vigorously.

"Ooh! Is there another cattle stampede?" The aforementioned pink mare surveyed her surroundings energetically, searching for the catalyst of her sudden quivering.

Nothing but the confused stares of other ponies greeted her gaze.

If that's not a sign, I don't know what is. A doozy! Something is going to go wrong, and there's nothing major enough to go wrong until the day after tomorrow! This is the end of the line for her.

Nothing will go wrong.

Chapter 2: Barriers

Magic is a very mysterious thing. Pegasi utilise their inherent magical abilities to soar through the sky. Earth ponies can use it to coax great yields from the ground, amongst other things, but Unicorns can bend magic to their will, with almost boundless results.

What makes us different?

Is it the horn of a unicorn that grants her the power to do great things, while the other races' skills have clear limits? Is it the admittedly small wings of a pegasus that somehow contain and discharge the magic needed to stay aloft, while the other two races are earthbound? If so, what is the cause of the earth ponies' affinity to the earth? Whatever the case, none of the races have ever displayed qualities of another.

Up until very, very recently.

There are indeed very clear exceptions, the most notable of all being the focus of my study for eight of the ten years that I've been imprisoned. Pinkie Pie.

What grants her the ability to bend the laws of physics to her will, and to predict the future? The stamina needed to successfully make use of bouncing as a form of locomotion exceeds that of even the most powerful earth ponies to date, such as Applejack or even Big Macintosh. Why is she so strong, both physically and magically? Is it because of... her?

If it is, I must keep her alive until I uncover all of the secrets I need.

It won't be long now.

The calm- and very well-decorated- exterior of Ponyville's Town Hall hid the events of monumental importance occurirng within. The building that Celestia's reception was going to be held in had been beautified both without and within, lending it an air of great importance. Most fitting for both the events that were about to occur, and the ill-timed warning that would successfully deliver the effect of foreshadowing, if nothing else.

"T-T-T-Twiiiiiiilight!"

The purple unicorn in question turned around to face the pony behind her, who happened to be the only other pony in the hall. "Is this important, Pinkie? I'm trying to quadruple-check all of the preparations for the Princess' arrival today! It's completely necessary."

"It i-i-i-is imp-p-portant!" Pinkie exclaimed. "A d-doozy's gonna happen!"

The purple unicorn's annoyed expression instantly changed to a concerned (and slightly panicky) one. "A doozy? When?!" Twilight gasped, her eyes widening. "Is it during the celebration? Oh Celestia, please don't let... well... Celestia get mixed up in this!"

"I-I-I-I c-can't t-t-tell! I just know that it's g-going to happen in P-Ponyville! I've been t-trying to tell you f-for more than a day by n-now, but you were so b-busy overseeing the p-p-preparations that I c-couldn't get a word in!"

"Oh no!" Twilight was frantically trotting around in circles now. "What are we going to do? There's not much that can go wrong except for the celebration that's in..." She glanced at her official organiser's watch. "...two and a half hours! We don't have much time left! Can you figure anything else out?"

"Nuh-uh!" Pinkie shook her head. "If I could I'd tell you now!"

A silhouette darted across the network of newly-added support beams near the ceiling of the structure and vanished into the darkness of the shadows once more.

What? In Ponyville? That can't be right! The doozy can't be here!

Never mind. Clearly there is something else going on now. Somepony- or someone is creating undercurrents to achieve a purpose I am currently unaware of. Or it could be a hydra rampaging through town.

I don't know which is worse.

I have to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

...Not that anything in Ponyville is ever normal anyway.

"Twilight, dear! I came as fast as I could. What's going on?"

"That's just what ah want ta know too! Why'd ya call us, Twi?"

"I could be sleeping right now, or practicing to join the Wonderbolts! Or, anything really! This better be good!"

"I'm... sorry if I'm being rude, but... could you tell me why you brought us here, Twilight?" A squeak. "Um, I mean, I you want to, that is."

"You're all here!" A slightly frazzled-looking Twilight exclaimed in a way that could only be described as slightly insane. "Good! Let me explain why I teleported four separate scrolls on top of your heads half an hour ago with as much frightening accuracy as I could muster!" Her right eye twitched a little bit.

The rest of the ponies took a step back. "Uhh... Twi?" Applejack began. "Ah don't think you're all that... um..."

"Well enough to be up and going right now!" Rarity blurted. After a moment, she added, "Physically that is!" She had to do anything to stop the farmer from saying exactly what she thought of her friend. Sometimes the Element of Honesty can work against its bearer.

"Yeah, I think that you're a few hues short of a rainbow right now." Rainbow remarked. Seeing Rarity's death glare, she replied innocently, "What?"

"I'm fine, girls!" Twilight said, her left ear now beginning to twitch in sync with her eye. "As fine as I can be when a doozy's about to happen when Celestia comes!"

"WHAT?!" Everypony with the exception of Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy exclaimed, sending the shy butter-yellow pegasus diving under the nearest table with a frightened "eep!"

"Um," Pinkie began, "we d-don't actually know t-that it's going to h-h-happen when the P-Princess comes-"

"It doesn't matter!" More hairs began to stick out of Twilight's mane. "The possibility's there! And if it happens when Celestia's here, we're all finished! Clock is ticking, Twilight! Clock. Is. Ticking!"

Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Honestly, dear, I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. If there's anything I've learnt from the events of the past year, it's that you can bring about the very occurrence by trying to fix it. I think that it's best if we just sit back and let things take their course until we can change it."

Twilight fell silent for a few seconds. "Well... I..."

This won't do. I have to make Pinkie stop somehow, otherwise Twilight might send Celestia a warning, and the Princess might avoid Ponyville altogether!

No, I can't sit by idly and let this happen.

Let's see if I've regained enough power to affect her...

All of a sudden, Pinkie's body stopped shuddering, and it transformed into a series of different shapes before settling back into her normal- as normal as Pinkie could be, anyway- equine form.

"Twilight!" The party pony exclaimed. "I'm back to normal! The doozy's over!"

The rest of the ponies slowly turned towards Pinkie. "Are you sure?" Twilight asked cautiously, not willing to believe her good fortune.

"Yup!" Pinkie began to bounce towards the exit. "The doozy happened somewhere else, to somepony else! Now I have to go and find that pony, and comfort or congratulate or carry them or her or him or it off to the hospital! See you!" Having completed her extremely long sentence, the pink pony zipped off through the door of the Town Hall, leaving a pony-shaped cloud of dust in her place.

The other five ponies silently stared awkwardly at the dust cloud before Twilight cleared her throat. "Well, thank goodness that's over! I'm just glad it didn't happen to Princess Celestia." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I told you that nothing would happen, Twilight." Rarity replied. "Just remember not to blow things out of proportion next time."

"Agreed." Twilight nodded. "Well, now that that's over, do any of you mind helping me to check the trees outside? They need to be in exactly the right positions, and each with the number of leaves in a multiple of three, to commemorate the third time Equestria has been saved by the varying levels of the power of friendship!"

All was silent for a few minutes as the other ponies digested what Twilight had said.

"Wait, we have to do what again?" Rainbow finally asked.

"...I'd like to be a tree."

I did it! I stopped her Pinkie sense! Looks like my escape isn't as far away as I'd thought.

Wait... I'm feeling it now. Not the way she feels it, but in my own way. A quiet unease.

I've gained control of her Pinkie sense!

Yes, it's going to happen in Ponyville. And... in one and a half hours.

Deep in the bowels of Canterlot Castle, there was a certain room known as Celestia's Official Work Room. Most of the time, that particular room was completely empty, its contents having been transferred to the comfort of the Princess' bedroom. It was in that very bedroom that the solar princess was currently swimming, engulfed in the sea of papers that constituted her ministers' opinions and wishes, all of which had evolved into a request. Each and every single one of them had to be read thoroughly and signed at the bottom of the page, along with a stamp that would indicate whether the demand had been accepted. Instead of working at those papers, however, Celestia was busying herself by reading through the friendship reports her student and her friends had sent her over the past year. She focused on one letter in particular, the same letter that had convinced her to send Blitz and the other members of the Aegis Guard on their missions to make friends.

'.I am happy to report that the dragon has departed our fair country, and that it was my good friend Fluttershy who convinced him to go. This adventure has taught me to never lose faith in your friends. They can be an amazing source of strength, and can help you overcome even your greatest fears. '

'Always your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle'

If she remembered correctly, that letter dated back to the time when she had asked Twilight to convince the dragon that was suffocating Equestria in smoke to leave. Even she had been surprised when it was Fluttershy who stood up to the dragon. Later, her student recounted exactly what her timid friend had said to the dragon:

'You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire... But you do not, I repeat, you do not! Hurt! My! Friends!... You got that?'

If even a shy, easily scared, faint-hearted pony like Fluttershy would stand up to a dragon for her friends, then the effects of friendship on well-trained veteran soldiers would be absolutely mind-blowing. In truth, this event served more as a refresher of Celestia's experiences of the past few millennia rather than a trigger. Celestia's memory held many recollections of the strong bonds of companionship between ponies across the ages that had driven them to do things completely out of character.

Celestia knew that her student and her friends had never seen the field of combat before. Yet, despite this, the numerous defeats of her- Equestria's enemies spoke volumes about their valour. Nightmare Moon. Discord. Chrysalis.

Though some might have argued that manipulating ponies' friendships in such a way could be considered... immoral, the possibilities of weaponised friendship were, without a doubt, almost unlimited.

I will do whatever it takes to keep Equestria alive.

Well, not only do I have control over Pinkie's Pinkie sense, it appears that I am capable of using it to a greater degree than Pinkie could. Why? Is it because a lucid individual is capable of noticing more than a perpetually insane one?

Perhaps. At this point I really can't say, but I will eventually be able to understand. After all, I have all the time I need, and under the proper circumstances, I will be able to achieve anything.

Absolutely... anything.

"I don't see why I need a new set of armour if I want to escort the Princess."

In the privacy of his new, personal room, Blitz was in the middle of putting on the new shining white armour that was apparently standard for the Aegis Guards. The same guard that had only been formed about a week ago. Now, seven days later, enough of the intricately-carved suits of armour had been produced for all fifty members of Celestia's personal contingent.

Sometimes, despite all of the bureaucratic long-windedness that was typical of Equestria's Royal Court, Canterlot could get things done.

When he had finally put the last metal plate in place, he pulled the large mirror that had been distributed to all of the Aegis Guards' rooms and took a good look at himself.

While the snow-white suit of metal was very similar to the Royal Guards', there were a few notable differences. The biggest one was the presence of a glowing emerald where the blue star of the armour should have been. Blitz had been told that it acted as a focal point to amplify the power of magic spells and to have more control over the spells he cast. While purportedly more useful than the blue star that had acted as a clasp on the Royal Guard's armour, Blitz was unsure as to where Celestia had acquired the funds needed to purchase fifty focus emeralds. It would have cost a lot of bits that the grey unicorn was sure that her stuffy ministers would never have approved of.

Shaking his head to halt his train of thought that had been about to reach a dangerous conclusion and turned his attention back to the armour. Another difference was the transverse horsehair crest (Blitz had often wondered whether the hair came from real equines) that was now a crimson red instead of white. Probably to symbolise his devotion to Equestria to the point of shedding blood, whether his or his opponents.

He would have continued examining his armour in the mirror had a sudden knock at the door brought him out of his contemplative state and back to reality.

"Enter!" he shouted.

The beige unicorn stallion that opened the door was clad in the very same armour that Blitz was currently wearing. "Hey Blitz, the Princess wants to see all of us downstairs in five minutes!"

"Okay, wait a second for me, would you Krayt?" The grey unicorn called. He tugged the strap that secured the plates of metal together one more time before trotting out of the door and into the glory of his new barracks- or more accurately, a section of the royal palace itself.

Krayt followed beside Blitz at a steady pace, chatting all the while. "Looks like we're going to Ponyville today!" The beige unicorn said cheerfully.

"Yeah." Blitz replied distractedly. Krayt was the first true frie- cordial acquaintance, Blitz reminded himself- whom he had made at the first few meetings of the Aegis Guard. While Blitz liked to consider himself special, that the reason why he was on good terms with the jovial pony was something to do with himself, he knew that Krayt was pretty much friends with everypony. It was almost impossible not to be friends with the likeable stallion. However, he had also noticed that Krayt had been taking a special interest with him. Perhaps it was the fact that he had never actually tried to make friends, going to extreme lengths such as trying to avoid anypony who wanted to become his friend in order to ensure his complete loyalty to the crown, with no distractions. Krayt, however, had kept trying to batter down the walls of his stubbornness, and eventually he had to yield. Although he had been, and still was, constantly suspicious of other motives, which developed into a less-than-healthy paranoia, he got his first taste of true, unadulterated friendship from Krayt.

It was... quite nice, to say the least.

"Blitz, you there?" Blitz was snapped out of his stupor by Krayt's voice and his hoof, which was waving around in front of the grey unicorn's face.

"I'm fine, Krayt." Blitz laughed a little before turning his attention to his comrade. "I've just... been thinking."

"Been thinking? About what?" Krayt asked.

"About... stuff." Blitz replied lamely. It wouldn't help his semi-friendly relationship with Krayt if he admitted that he was thinking about the beige unicorn's ulterior motives in becoming his friend.

"Oh." Krayt looked like he wanted to say something else, but he kept his mouth closed and stayed silent.

The silence lasted until the two of them reached the circular landing pad of marble at the back of the palace, where seven covered pegasus-pulled chariots awaited the arrival of their passengers. The rest of the forty-eight unicorns of the Guard were already there, and Princess Celestia stood before them, her prismatic mane flowing in an apparently omnipresent solar wind. The whole landing pad was completely silent, and other than Celestia's mane, not a single movement could be seen. The Princess was silent, simply looking at the assembled ponies, and it was only after Blitz and Krayt greeted her with a deep bow and joined the ranks of the Aegis Guard that she began to speak.

"My little ponies," Celestia began. "you have been entrusted with a very important mission today. It is your duty to protect me for the duration of my two-day stay in Ponyville. I'm quite sure that you have all been given your instructions." She surveyed the Guard as she continued. "It is of the utmost importance that I remain alive and well to lead our nation to glory."

Gesturing to the chariots, she said, "We will begin the journey to Ponyville now. Let us make haste, for the celebrations are in three hours' time."

With a coordinated series of salutes, the Aegis Guard moved into their separate chariots, Blitz and Krayt boarding the vehicle at the rear of the formation. As soon as everypony was safely within the confines of the chariots, the unicorns closest to the door pulled it shut, and the pegasi took off into the sky, pulling the vehicles along behind them to their destination.

Yes, everything is going according to plan. Celestia should already be on her way here, and Ponyville is completely prepared for her arrival. And if those chariots I can see in the distance are any indication, she's brought her guards with her. Could today get any better?

It'll be getting better soon... in three... two...

One...

The wheels of the chariots touched down on the earth of Ponyville the moment the official organiser watch's second hand met the number zero at the apex of its climb.

Twilight, standing by herself in the middle of the town, wore a huge smile on her face, her frazzled mane and expression completely gone. The erratic strands of hair had been combed into submission, and all the purple unicorn felt was glee when she saw her one and only mentor step out of the chariot at the centre of the others, followed by a contingent of guardsponies the likes of which Twilight had never seen before.

That must be the Aegis Guard the Princess was telling me about.

"Princess!" Twilight cried as she ran forward to embrace the alicorn.

"My faithful student," Celestia returned the hug, enjoying the purple unicorn's happiness at her arrival. "It's such a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise, Princess! By the way, the other ponies are waiting in the Town Hall for you right now. Shall I show you the way through the back entrance?"

The alicorn smiled, releasing Twilight from the embrace and letting her lead the way. "Of course, Twilight."

The purple unicorn grinned as she began to trot through the dirt streets of the village towards the hall. Everything's right on schedule.

Before her departure, Celestia called out to the guards. "All of you, remove your armour and mix with the ponies in the crowd. Come out when I give the signal."

The Aegis Guard acknowledged her command with a chorus of "Yes, your highness!" before removing the collection of metal plates with the utmost speed. Before long, all of them had reverted back to their original colours, and their armour was safely secured in saddlebags of various colours.

The audience in the town hall was about to gain a few more ponies.

That feeling. It's getting stronger. The doozy is going to happen soon.

Twenty-five more minutes.

Pinkie Pie, completely silent for once, watched her purple friend walk in through the side door of the hall, step to the grand podium installed specifically for Celestia's arrival, organise her notes, and begin to speak.

"Fillies and gentlecolts! Today marks the celebration of the third time a direct attempt at Equestrian royalty has tried and failed to succeed! Once again, Equestrian society has persisted in the face of complete annihilation. To begin the festivities with her opening speech, Princess Celestia herself has come down from Canterlot to our humble town!"

Pinkie, who was absorbed in Twilight's speech, let out a quiet yelp as somepony tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss." An unfamiliar male voice replied. "I was going to ask you if I could sit here." Pinkie turned her head to see a grey unicorn stallion gesturing to the second cushion the party pony was currently using as a hugging tool.

Pinkie blushed as she handed the stallion her cushion. "Here you go."

The unicorn nodded. "Thank you."

A few seconds later, it finally clicked. A new pony! Pinkie almost leapt up into the air and gasped loudly, but she remembered the relatively silent atmosphere of the town hall just in time. She settled for exploding with anticipation later on, after Twilight's speech.

But this time felt different from the other times when she had met a new pony. This occasion had gone beyond simple happiness. It managed to induce a feeling of... bliss?

Pinkie wished that she had the cushion to hug again, so she could distract herself from the maelstrom of emotions that had erupted in her heart.

Despite all of the turmoil within her, she couldn't help but let a smile sprout on her face.

Well, well, well. Looks like my plan worked. If that stallion's muscles and disciplined posture is anything to go by, he is one of Celestia's guards. The fact that Pinkie acted the way she did must mean that everything went as I intended. That's even more good news to add to my list.

Wait, I mustn't let myself get distracted. The doozy's due in five minutes.

"...and so, with no further ado, let us welcome our special guest!" Twilight's horn flared, and a purple telekinetic glow surrounded the string that would open the curtains of the stage. "Behold, the ruler of our nation and custodian of the sun, Princess Celestia!"

The curtains drew open and Celestia stepped out amid a cacophony of cheering and clopping, her body glowing with a bright yellow hue, probably the result of a spell. The alicorn's already lit horn flared even brighter as she drew the curtains shut behind her. She opened her mouth and spoke.

"Thank you for welcoming me, Ponyville. Before I begin, I would like to thank many ponies for their hoof in this celebration. First of all..."

Pinkie hardly heard Celestia's speech as she gazed at the stallion sitting beside her out of the corner of her eye. The continued cheers of appreciation flew straight over her head as, for once, she was voluntarily silent.

What is this feeling?

Not much more time now. The doozy's in thirty seconds. Twenty nine. Twenty eight...

"And, last of all, I must show my gratitude for the guards that have accompanied me here: the new contingent of Aegis Guards!"

Pinkie flinched in shock as the grey unicorn sitting beside her suddenly stood up, pieces of metal flying out of his saddlebags and conglomerating on his body to reveal his true identity.

"A royal guard." Pinkie whispered, disbelievingly.

Without hesitation, the unicorn, along with many others in the crowd sporting armour that seemed to appear from nowhere, began their march towards the stage.

Ten... nine... eight...

For some reason, Pinkie suddenly felt a great feeling of dread in her heart.

Something's going to happen.

Her body began to shudder furiously.

... seven... six... five... four...

From her position on the stage, Twilight froze as she caught sight of Pinkie Pie's trembling.

Oh no.

,,, three... two... one...

...Zero.

Elsewhere, several hours earlier

"We can't carry on like this. Our... crops have all been devastated, and everybody is starving. We need to secure new sources of food, and quickly."

"But how? With no more provisions, we cannot survive for much longer. Our army has been drastically weakened by the famine as well. The situation is quite hopeless."

"No. There is one more option. I do not require legions of troops, I only need one."

"But... what for? Surely you can't be considering resorting to..."

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't. But in this case, I have no choice."

"Are... are you sure of this?"

"Completely." A short silence permeated the area before it was broken by the same voice. "Go to the barracks, and bring me your best assassins."

Chapter 3: Surprises

Have you ever thought of the racial inequality of Equestria?

From common tools ranging from door handles to forks and spoons and even special schools for the gifted, society seems to have arranged itself to accommodate the presence of unicorns at the very top of our nation's hierarchy, thanks to our wise and ever-loving ruler, Princess Celestia. The pegasi, at the very least, have a big damned city floating in the sky for them. That very city is made out of a material that only pegasi can stand on, and maybe unicorns, if they take the time to cast the required spell.

What do earth ponies get?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We have to construct our towns, completely race-friendly towns, from the ground up, with no 'governmental assistance' or anything approximating that. We can't depend on Celestia to help us survive; we can only depend on ourselves.

Keeping in mind that this lack of equality between the three races is all that corrupt diarch's fault, what happened next was honestly quite satisfying.

A sudden surge of magic caused Luna to immediately look up from the assortment of papers on her work desk.

Something is happening.

A bright flash lit up the room for a few seconds, and then the lunar princess was gone.

Celestia heard a noise from above, and she looked up just in time to see a cloaked shadow descend upon her, its claws unleashed and ready to strike The alicorn only had enough time to snap her head to one side, trying to divert the course of the blow as far away from her vulnerable skull as possible. Despite her attempt at evasion, her assailant's claws raked across her face, opening huge gashes across her left eyelid all the way to her mouth.

Gasps echoed across the crowd, and a shout of "Princess!" was accompanied by the owner of that voice, a certain purple unicorn, who was at that moment rushing to her mentor's aid.

Warm blood dripped from the Princess' wounds as she deflected the next blow of the unknown attacker, forcing it back towards a series of well-thrown blades.

The swords of the Aegis Guard cut neatly through the black cloak the assailant wore, pinning it to the back wall of the wooden stage. The attacker barely had time to process the fact that he was trapped before several more swords were held at his neck, restraining him thoroughly.

The entire event took only a few seconds.

As soon as the swords that had penetrated the cloak were removed, Blitz's signature grey aura surrounded the tip of the cloak, pulling the cloth off quickly to reveal...

"A griffin?" Blitz exclaimed incredulously.

A purple unicorn mare near the bleeding Princess- if he wasn't mistaken, that pony was the Princess' protégé Twilight Sparkle- spoke up with a dangerously level voice. "No. That's just a ruse."

Blitz knew enough about the opposite gender to tell when females were angry. And this one, based on her tone of voice that sent chills down his spine, was far, far past the point of infuriation. "What do you mean?" He asked, though he suspected that he already knew the answer.

Twilight did not move for a few more seconds, letting her horn levitate several bandages around her mentor's bleeding head. The guards who had provided the first-aid dressing were now occupied with holding the enraged crowd who screamed bloody murder at bay. After applying the last of the bandages, Twilight stood up and stepped over to Blitz, though the expression on her face spoke volumes of her unwillingness to leave her mentor's side. However, there was also something- albeit well-disguised- in her expression that Blitz recognised all too well.

Rage.

Despite the fact that he knew that most civilians didn't have the resolve to kill another creature (even he hadn't actually taken anypony's life before), the mare standing before him looked dangerously close to that point. Thankfully, when she approached the griffin, the spell that she cast was not a destructive one. The purple ray of light that emanated from her horn washed over the griffin, and the disguise slowly melted away.

Blitz nodded. "A changeling."

Twilight glared at it, whole infernos visible in her irises. "Why?"

The creature, as most of its kind did, said nothing.

"Well, at least all of this is over." Blitz sighed in relief. "Citizens! We have successfully defeated the assassin and unmasked it! Our princess is safe!"

Not so fast, guard. If my Pinkie senses are to be believed, this is not over. Not by a long shot.

I wonder how much it will take to break you.

"ARGH!"

Blitz whipped his head around just in time to see several more griffins- changelings, no doubt- descend from the ceiling and onto several of the Aegis Guard who were holding the crowd at bay. As the rest of the Guards on the stage rushed past him to aid their comrades, one particular pony's scream of agony, a pony's whose face had been slashed by one of the griffin's claws, froze Blitz's blood solid.

"KRAYT!" Blitz was about to rush to his friend's side when something stopped him. Another griffin fell from the ceiling before his eyes, straight onto its target. The true target of the entire attack, Blitz was sure- Princess Celestia. He watched, uncertain, as the Princess' protégé tried unsuccessfully to fend off the creature attacking the alicorn. Celestia herself was trying to throw the griffin off her back, though any spells that she unleashed would not be as likely to hit her attacker as it was likely to hit herself, or somepony else.

Blitz looked at the blade that hovered in the air in front of the captured changeling. Only one sword. Three situations. He looked at Krayt as he used his weapon to slash at the changeling on his face with little accuracy. My friend? He then turned to Celestia, who was still struggling to remove the griffin's tight grip on her back. My princess? He then glanced at the creature at the tip of his blade. Or my captive?

With whom does my duty lie?

Yes, I can see your hesitation. What will you choose?

This will be interesting.

Blitz surveyed the scene one more time. Thousands of thoughts whizzed through his head, paralysing him. Only his heart allowed him to finally settle on a decision.

I'm sorry. I have... to be loyal.

In one smooth motion, he thrust his blade forward and swung it, neatly decapitating the changeling before him. A flash of light indicated his usage of a teleportation spell, and he reappeared next to his target. Another precise slash took off the head of the griffin, its disguise dissolving as it fell to the ground.

Blitz bent down next to the pony. "Krayt, are you alright?"

The beige unicorn, whose face was mauled beyond repair, spoke up in a weak, raspy voice. "Blitz... the... the Princess..."

"I had to be loyal." He swallowed. "To... my friend."

The expression in Krayt's eyes reflected surprise, and then... was that sadness?

"I'm... sorry too."

Now it was Blitz's turn to be shocked. "What for?" The battle raging all around them was quickly being put to an end by the Aegis Guard, but the grey unicorn was totally oblivious. He was completely focused on Krayt.

"I'm sorry that... I can't stay by your side... any longer." Krayt violently coughed up a globule of blood, which landed on the ground beside him, before continuing. "I know... I know that I'm your... only friend. I saw that you... were so alone... I wanted to make life better... for you... but it looks like I won't be able to brighten up your life... anymore."

Thanks to his training, Blitz's face remained neutral, but his heart shattered into a thousand pieces. My first and only friend... he's dying... and he chose to become my friend... out of mere sympathy?

Blitz forced a smile. "Don't worry. You've already made my life much, much better." He wanted to say something about how Krayt wasn't going to die, but the copious amount of blood on his friend's face told him that neither of the ponies would believe those words.

In his state, death might be preferable to survival. A moment after thinking those thoughts, he mentally slapped himself, but his mental words flew around his mind anyway.

Krayt's smile was genuine. "I'm... glad to hear that."

The beige stallion's mouth closed, as did his eyes, and he was finally granted eternal rest.

Blitz shut his eyes as tears leaked out of them, splashing onto the dead body of his comrade.

He wept, not for a dead friendship, but for one that had never been.

Friendship before duty? A great pity. For a moment I thought that he might not be like other ponies... but it seems that I was wrong.

Never mind. Nothing has changed. He will continue to play his role in my plan.

With a final burst of teleportation, Princess Luna appeared within the confines of the town hall, thoroughly worn out but still capable of bringing a living Tartarus upon her opponents.

The only enemy that was still alive at that point was a sole griffin attacking her sister, which she angrily decimated and atomised before scattering the infinitesimal remains across the entire stage. Her sister's guards, who were in mid-gallop, slowed to a halt when the threat was destroyed, and used their momentum to propel them into a kneeling position.

Luna did not miss the bandages on Celestia's head. Temporarily ignoring the guards and Twilight, who bowed deeply the moment she caught sight of the lunar princess, she flew down to her sister's side.

"Art thou alright, dear sister?" Luna asked.

"I will be fine." Celestia replied, her gaze fixed on a scene before her.

The blue alicorn tracked her gaze to Blitz, who wept over the still body of a beige unicorn. "What thoughts do cross your mind?"

Celestia never took her eyes off Blitz. "It appears that I have forgotten the... less desirable effects of friendship."

"What hath he done?"

"He went to the aid of his friend and abandoned me." Celestia sighed. "He will have to be punished for that."

Luna observed the scene wearily, and several memories of the past swam to the forefront of her mind. Friends, a thousand years gone, brought tears to her eyes when she saw their faces in her mind's eye.

We too know the pain of lost friends. The agony did dull for us after the first few millennia. For weak mortal ponies, however... The lunar princess grimaced.

"Perhaps," Luna began slowly, "he has suffered enough already."

Now, finally, the doozy is over. And what a doozy it was! Thankfully, it hasn't disrupted my plans at all. In fact, things will probably go along more smoothly now.

At this point, I would be inclined to agree with Chrysalis on one thing.

This day has been just perfect.

Blitz stared at Krayt's body for what seemed like an eternity, until a hoof tapped him on the shoulder. He turned his head, fully expecting to see a very angry Princess Celestia preparing to banish him to some faraway place. What met his gaze instead was the pink pony who had sat beside him previously during Twilight's speech.

The pony smiled nervously. "Um, hey?"

"Hey." Blitz replied listlessly, his gaze returning to Krayt.

"Are... are you okay?" The pink pony asked.

"My friend just died. What do you think?" He snapped at her. Seeing the hurt look in her face, however, Blitz lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." The earth pony sat down beside him. "My name's Pinkie Pie. What's yours?"

"Blitz." Deep down, the grey unicorn felt something stir within his heart.

"That's a nice name." Pinkie seemed to want to retch at the sight of a bleeding body, but she kept it in. "I don't think you feel up to a welcome party, do you?"

Blitz shook his head. "Not really, no."

"Then, at least let me tell you that your friend wouldn't want you to dwell over his death."

Blitz looked at Pinkie out of the corner of his eye. Maybe she is deeper than she looks.

The pink pony continued. "He would want you to move on and continue living your life. All ponies eventually pass on, as will you. Shouldn't we make use of the time that we have, rather than using it to grieve over unchangeable things?"

She is deeper than she looks.

A moving speech. Too bad I had to come up with it myself.

"Maybe I should." Blitz returned his gaze to the dead pony. "Then again, emotions are an essential facet of life. It is what makes us equine. I would naturally feel saddened by my friend's death. Grieving, instead of purging our sadness, is what distinguishes us from soulless monsters."

Pinkie was speechless for a moment, not only because the grey unicorn's words had caught her off guard, but also because she had absolutely no idea how she had spoken something as meaningful as what she had just said.

Did Daddy say that before?

She shook her head, clearing those thoughts from her mind. I don't want to think about that.

Her thoughts returned to reality, and she noticed Blitz staring at her expectantly. Oh yeah. I'm supposed to say something.

"My Granny Pie once told me that hiding from our fears wasn't the way to deal with them." Trying not to sound facile, Pinkie continued. "I'd like to think that sadness is the exact opposite."

Blitz raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Why be sad when we can be happy?" Pinkie asked. "Happiness can be found in the smallest of things, and it makes you feel all fuzzy inside. Isn't it better to feel the joy of happiness instead of grief?"

She could be deep when she wanted to, Pinkie knew.

"Being happy all the time is not possible." Blitz answered. "Sadness will come, whether you want it or not." At least he seemed to be distracted from his dead friend. "Instead of hiding from it, we should face it bravely. If we shy away from such things, all of it will eventually accumulate until it is too much to bear."

"Looking at life negatively results in sadness." Pinkie retorted. "We should look for the good in all things."

"Are you saying that my friend's death is a good thing?"

The pink pony winced. That didn't come out right.

"No." She responded. "But maybe it's time to move on anyway." This was one of the longest times she hadn't been her usual bubbly, nonsensical self. Why am I forcing myself to be sensible?

When she looked forward, she instantly knew. For him.

But why?

Hmm... this is an interesting conversation. But I think that it's going to draw to an end soon.

"Perhaps." Blitz glanced back at Krayt. "Or I might want to spend a little more time with him."

Pinkie stepped forward. "Can I stay with you?"

A part of Blitz, the part that yearned for companionship, practically screamed at him to accept Pinkie's request.

I can't do it. Not yet.

"I would like to be... alone for a while. Don't take it personally," he hastily added, seeing Pinkie's saddened expression. "i just want to mourn by myself for some time."

Pinkie nodded uncertainly before retreating from the scene, turning her back to Blitz and trotting towards another pony, Twilight Sparkle, who stood on the stage next to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Both alicorns were staring intently at him.

Between the battle, the debate, and the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to overwhelm his usually calm and level-headed self, he didn't have enough energy left to bow. He merely smiled weakly, tilted his head, and went back to staring at Krayt's body.

Celestia looked sadly at Blitz as the grey unicorn gazed at his friend's body. "Do you think that he has lost his respect for me?"

"We cannot say that he has not, sister." Luna replied.

"You were always the more emotionally connected of the two of us. What do you suggest that I do?"

"Comfort him." Luna immediately said. "Do everything thou canst to ease his troubled heart."

"What can I do?" Celestia asked. "His friend is dead. I can't bring him back to life."

"No, but thou art able to make his passing less painful." Luna told her sister. "Give him a funeral."

"Would that help?"

"Yes. But, perhaps, what would help the most would be for thou to cease thy manipulation of his life."

"I can't, Luna." Celestia looked away from Blitz, towards the animatedly chattering crowd at one end of the room. "I have to continue. For my ponies."

"I- no, all of Equestria- we do what we must."

Elsewhere

"Why? Because we can."

"My queen, I do not think that reason would suffice. Do you realise what you're asking for? We have to spend a lot of time and resources to fortify the hives as fast and as well as you request!

"Are you questioning your queen?"

"Um... uh... no! Not at all, your highness!"

"Good. Do it because I told you to. My word is law. I need not give you a reason. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your majesty. I will do as you command."

"Good. When I see the results, I will expect it to be..."

"Perfect."

"So, taking into account the death of your friend, you are forgiven for your actions, and I will put you in charge of organising his funeral."

Blitz looked up at the white alicorn. He was so sure that she was going to punish him in some way, and yet, here she was, giving him a- sort of?- reward for, of all things, refusing to defend her.

Is she truly as benevolent as everypony says she is?

Celestia turned her gaze towards the body of his friend. "Does he have any friends or family?"

Blitz shuddered involuntarily. That line was eerily familiar. "He told me before that he has none, aside from his comrades in the Aegis Guard."

"In that case, I want you to identify the ponies closest to him from my Guard. They will speak at his funeral." Celestia said.

Blitz bowed as far as he could while he was sitting. "I will, my princess."

Celestia nodded, and turned back towards the stage. Blitz's eyes followed the Princess' retreating figure to the stage, and when Pinkie Pie waved a hoof at him, he almost succumbed to the feeling in his heart to trot up to her and start a conversation.

Almost.

Blitz sighed and averted his gaze. He didn't want to get any friends for the time being. His heart, though, said the exact opposite, especially when the pink earth pony was in sight.

Maybe what he needed was something more than a friend.

One day later

"Cremation." Celestia noted as she gazed at the monolithic stack of wood that had been collected and on the outskirts of Ponyville.

"Yes." Blitz nodded. "He wanted to always be with everypony in their times of need. I will distribute the ashes to the members of the Aegis Guard later on."

"Quite a good idea." The princess gazed at the assembled ponies in front of the stage. "Out of curiosity, why are the only ponies here from my Guard?" Except Pinkie Pie, Blitz thought silently. Looks like she decided to see Krayt off. But she didn't even know him! Unless... she's here because-

The grey unicorn was snapped out of his thoughts by Celestia. "Shouldn't the residents of Ponyville be grateful to him for protecting them?"

A short silence prevailed before the answer came. "I lied to them." Blitz said quietly. "I told them that he was in a short-term coma that he would recover from soon." A sigh escaped his mouth. "I doubt any civilian would want to know the details of death."

"Do you think that you did the right thing?" Celestia asked.

"It depends on your definition of 'right', your majesty." Blitz turned towards Ponyville, which repelled the darkness of the night with the glow of several lampposts and fires. "I don't think that the ends ever justify the means, and I will bear the scars of my sins for the rest of my life. But I did what I did anyway."

"Why, then, did you lie to them?" The white alicorn tilted her head.

"Because I don't want to hurt them." Blitz replied. "As a soldier, my foremost duty, after protecting you, your highness, is to protect the ponies. I will sacrifice anything to keep them safe, even my very life if need be."

"The wrong action for the right cause." Celestia told him. "I understand."

"What about you, your majesty?" Blitz asked suddenly. "What would you have done?"

Celestia looked at the moon that slowly rose into the sky, accompanied by a plethora of shimmering stars. "Perhaps we should postpone this discussion. Full night approaches, and we should begin soon."

The grey unicorn bowed. "As you wish, your highness." He decided to file away Celestia's refusal to discuss the issue for future reference.

Celestia stepped onto the impromptu stage made of some of the excess wood from the pile and began to speak. "My little ponies." Celestia's horn glowed, and her magic amplified the volume of her words so that they could be heard by the crowd.

All of the ponies present immediately stopped chattering and bowed respectfully.

"Tonight, we are here to mourn the loss of a brave pony, who sacrificed his life to defend me." The solar princess said, her eyes beginning to moisten. "He, as most of you are, was a member of the Aegis Guard. His duty was to protect me, and he did, to the very end." A tear fell from her eye. "I am afraid to say that I did not know him too well, so I shall now allow his friends to speak for him." She nodded to the crowd.

One pony, a brown stallion with a grey mane, stood up and proceeded to the stage.

"Thank you, Princess." The stallion's horn ignited as he activated his own sound amplification spell. "My name is Shadow Slash, and let me tell you about our friend Krayt...

These speeches might take some time. I might as well sit back and enjoy the first stage of my plan unfolding.

It's been so long. A few more weeks won't make a difference.

I'm trying to remember what freedom feels like right now.

Pinkie fought the urge to burst into tears as one pony after another took the stage to give their eulogy for Krayt. Despite the fact that she only found out the pony's name an hour ago, she still felt connected to him in some way.

The mysterious connection was finally clear to her when Blitz stepped onto the stage, and the heartbroken expression he wore on his face cut to the centre of her heart.

"Hello, everypony." Blitz sniffled a little bit before continuing. "I'm sure that after an entire hour of ponies telling you about how great Krayt was, you're pretty tired of it." A pained smile rested on his face as he spoke. "So, I'm just going to tell you a story."

"There was once a pony who didn't like to socialise with others. This recluse aimed to join the Aegis Guard, and so, in the interests of remaining loyal to the crown and only the crown, he shied away from ponies and became lonely. So utterly lonely that he didn't even realise how lonely he was. Then, one day, a stallion, who so relentlessly butted his way into the loner's life, brightened it up, and the recluse finally realised what he was missing."

Tears flowed freely from Blitz's eyes now. "And then, a few days later, the stallion died. And, just like that, the loner's life lost all of its colours, and everything faded to grey, because not only did he lose his friend, he also knew what he had lost. He finally realised just how lonely he had been, and how lonely he was then."

"During his friend's funeral, he decided to tell the ponies a story, because by then everypony knew how wonderful the stallion was, but not why. He distributed urns of his friend's ashes to everypony, so that the stallion would always remain close to their hearts. He did so knowing that some of the urns would end up in the trash, because not everypony cared for his friend." Blitz's horn shone even brighter, and one of the smaller pieces of wood flew off the top of the pile and to the ground in front of the grey unicorn. "And so I will complete that story now. I wish that everypony here will respect him, and preserve those ashes, but I know that will not happen." His pained smile sagged almost imperceptibly. "And I'm hardly ever wrong."

"So, I, as that recluse, ask you all tonight to, at the very least, remember a good pony whose actions changed another's life, and I hope that you all will do the same and continue his legacy." Blitz struck the stick against a rock several times until the combustible wood burst into flames. "As long as we remember, he will live on in our hearts forever."

Shadow Slash trotted in from behind the crowd, carrying Krayt's limp body in his telekinetic grip. The beige unicorn looked just as he did before the battle, excluding the blood and wounds. Shadow levitated the pony all the way to the pinnacle of the pile of wood. At the same time, the burning stick hovered through the air towards the timber.

"Let us all take the sadness that comes with a pony's death, and add it to the fire. Tonight, a part of us will die and, like a phoenix, rise from the ashes, to be reborn and to continue living our lives the way Krayt would have us live them."

Blitz paused for a moment. "With joy."

The flaming stick made contact with the wood.

Almost instantly, a column of flame rose up into the night sky, aided by Blitz's heat spell. Celestia, in the meantime, hastily began to construct the illusion spell that would keep Ponyville from discovering the funeral.

The grey unicorn turned back towards the crowd. Many of them, including Pinkie Pie, were openly sobbing, while others were lowering their heads in a bow of respect, which also conveniently served to block their wet eyes from sight.

Dying hearts, to be born anew.

Not mine. Blitz thought. It's already been broken.

And I've emerged from it stronger than ever before.

It didn't take very long for everypony to leave.

One by one, they had all given their excu- reasons, and left the funeral to attend to whatever business they had to. Eventually, there were only two other ponies left to see Blitz gazing forlornly at the fire that was steadily dwindling in size.

The second last to leave was Celestia. The only thing she told Blitz was "I must be rested for the sunrise tomorrow." before taking flight towards the inn that she and her sister were going to stay in for the next two days. Evidently she had no intention on resuming their previous conversation.

The last to leave... had not actually left yet.

A tap on his shoulder made Blitz look back, and he almost smiled when he saw Pinkie Pie standing behind him.

"Are you okay?" Pinkie asked. "You've been staring at that fire for a really long time."

"I'm fine. I've just been thinking." Blitz replied. That sentence sounds almost painfully familiar.

"Been thinking? About what?"

"About... stuff." Now Blitz realised why it sounded so familiar, and that recognition wounded him like a knife to his heart.

Looks like my heart can break a second time.

"Mind if I sit down and think about stuff with you?" The pink earth pony wore a look that bordered on pleading on her face.

Blitz wanted to say no. He really did. Instead, the feeling in his heart won out. He merely said, "No."

"No, as in, 'No, I don't mind,' or 'No, don't sit down'?" Pinkie's eyebrows were raised.

"No, I don't mind." Blitz patted the ground with a hoof. "Come sit with me."

Pinkie obeyed, and soon the both of them sat together silently, watching the last dying embers of the fire go out as silhouettes against the dark night. Eventually, the final ember rose up into the night sky, rising until its heat had all dissipated, and then the two figures vanished into an all-consuming darkness.

Still, neither of them moved. Not for a good while.

Only one night has passed. One night. Yet, so much has been lost. Though I suppose I should be grateful...

Because so much...

...has been gained.

Prologue

It's been ten years already.

I can't say that it's been easy; being stuck in here while somepony else leads my life has been one of the hardest things not to cry over. But I'm here, after a decade, and I haven't shed a tear. Emotionally hardening yourself isn't so hard after almost losing your sanity. Besides, I've had dozens of months to face the issue at hoof. I understand, accept and believe the fact that I am being tortured... but I also know that I will break free.

That wretched excuse of a pony has kept me locked up in this dark, dark place for too long. But soon, all the suffering will be over. Because after all these years, I can initiate the plan I've been working on for ages. And this time, I will not fail.

I will free myself from this prison, and I will change the world. She will soon learn that life is not just sunshine and rainbows. Because both, as anything else, can always be viewed...

In shades of grey.