Armored Hearts

Maine's Point of View

Smoke. That's all he could smell. Screams of importance but too jumbled for him to actually make out was shouted out into the air mixed in with the sounds of a loud ringing that was enough to give him a really bad headache. He could taste the copper inside of his mouth. The white stallion clumsily stepped forward as he nearly fell over while his eyes took in the scene that laid out before him. His last memories were of the prisoner being walked back to his cell when a ball of light suddenly exploded with a blast wave of heat and light that nearly blinded the guardpony. Maine slowly twirls around to find ponies rushing around with terrified expressions on their faces and the thing that confused the white unicorn was that he couldn't find the source of the smoke when he tripped over something hard with a crystalline surface. It felt hot to the touch but his reaction time was some-what slowed in his action to stand off it. Maine froze as he noticed the holding cell just outside the castle was now in a flaming heap of rubble and debris.

Panic began to set in. He couldn't remember anything after opening the castle doors for Aster and the prisoner. That's when he realized that Aster wasn't around him. Had she been taken out in the blast? No, she couldn't have been. She was standing right next to him. Maine's breathing began to speed up as he slowly took everything in. It wasn't until somepony grabbed the unicorn by his shoulder did he realize that somepony was trying to grab his attention followed tightly by the instincts of his jump a few hooves into the air with a small gasp of pain that waved through his body. His blue eyes met a pair of emerald-green with a very worried expression poured into them. Maine narrowed his eyes as he tried to listen to her words but nothing came through the thick bell in his ears. He shook his head before he connected the dots, Aster was now standing in front of him with her armor and coat almost covered in black smoke with a few dents and scrapes.

Maine tried his best to focus but her words fell onto deaf ears,

"What?!" he asked, he tried to make his voice loud enough for him to hear but judging by the look on her face it may have been a little too loud.

She turned her head away from him with her mouth opened wide. She must be calling for somepony to come over. Good, somepony needed to put out the fire while he and Aster searched for the yellow unicorn but before he could step forward everything suddenly spun underneath him. He felt as though he weighed a million pounds. His legs were heavy to lift as if somepony decided to tie blocks around his arms and legs. Maine looked up as a pair of lilac hooves kept him from his journey to the ground, his eyes landed on a frantic Lieutenant Wolfthorn who looked like he should be at the shops rather than at the site of a burning building but either way, he was happy that someone was able to keep him steady. Maine watched the two siblings batter back and forth but still no words would come to his ears. That damn bell was making things impossible to understand.

It wasn't long before the Sergeant felt his body get turned around to find a medic pony standing there behind him. Her green mane was kept in a messy bun with her tan fur coat also unkept from a day's worth of work. He narrowed his eyes to try and focus once again on her mouth but the only change was that her lips were had slowly become blurred while also duplicated, wait now there are two brown-eyed mares? He quickly shook his head to try and straighten things back out but it only seemed to make things worse. His headache began to escalate rapidly the more he forced his brain to try and process what had and currently still is happening. Nothing made sense, in fact, everything had begun to make Maine feel sleepy. A nap would've sounded great if it wasn't for the fact his stomach made the decision to suddenly empty its contents all over the pony in front of him before the darkness completely took over.

******

Aster's Point of View

Aster watched as a pair of medics carried off Sergeant Crusher wrapped in dark brown magic while her brother was ranting about something to do with its tie to what happened to him at the market stalls. The blast had blown off his helm and badly damaged his left ear. The rest of him was just injured from the toss away from the blast site. The mare looked back to her brother who looked just as shaken if not worse, and she was the one who was just put through a magic bomb in the middle of a prisoner escort. His chest was barely heaving up and down,

"What are you talking about?" she asked again her attention more focused on the stallion who was just carried off.

The prisoner was nowhere to be found which means he was either the target or he was able to use the blast as a means of escape. She looked her brother up and down but she could tell his mind wasn't really in the situation. Aster needed him here and now and not off thinking about Strawberry. Which reminded her,

"Where the hell is Private Strawberry, he should've been here," her comment was like a knife that cut her brother as if by the means to put a scrunched up snarl on his face,

"Did you not hear a word I said?" he started with a lick of his lips, "I already told you, there was an attack on the market place as well and I know they're connected but I don't know how, a-and... and..."

Aster watched as her brother went speechless. She was glad that he was alright but her mind was still a little scattered so she was a little slow to connect the dots. The mare swallowed a little painfully before she put her hooves on his shoulders, he was sweating while shaking. She's only seen him act like this once and what followed worried her. The last time her brother showed these emotions was when their mother came home with tears in her eyes and a letter in her saddlebag. Charter didn't take the news very well. She remembers how he locked himself in his room for hours on end with no food, no water and not one pony bothered him. She tried her best to hold everything together but when the guards dragged him home drunker than an alcoholic on a drinking spree it scared her. No matter how many times their mother scolded him he always went drinking after that. Aster shook her brother a little bit,

"Charter, where is Private Nightshade?" she asked once more, this time it was Charter who swallowed.

"He-He just-she took him. I was standing at the stall for pillows and he was, well he was looking at something else when this mare just attacked!" his words became more jumbled as he spoke which made Aster shake her head as she tried to understand, "I tried to fight her off but she just-just took him! Like I was just something of an annoyance!"

The mare couldn't believe her ears. First, the vial of medicine was stolen, then Strawberry gets involved with two members of those responsible and now there's an attack on the market place. Something just didn't make sense. Why was all this happening? Was this an attack on the princess? Aster took a breath in before she looked over her brother, she was completely stunned on what to say to him. What could she say? Everything had spiraled so far out of control and now they had a missing soldier on their hooves. Captain Armor was going to have a field day with their reports. Aster was about to turn towards the direction Sergeant Crusher was taken when a small whine came from the direction of her brother but when she looked over at him he was already headed off in the opposite direction of the castle. She felt conflicted for her brother. Even though he'd never admit it, she knew that he felt something for the young bat-pony but she had a job to do and she knew he'd want her to focus on that more than a simple thing such as a relationship.

She let out a sigh as she watched her brother walk away before she turned to head off to the hospital wing to get checked out herself. Her heart went out to him it really did. The mare's hooves moved slowly as she made her way. How could things get out of hoof so quickly? Aster's mind was foggy as she made her way to the hospital wing. The only thing she was able to focus on was the few moments before the explosion. Her mind replayed how Sergeant Crusher became slightly annoyed at the prisoner for avoiding his questions with random statements or facts. She just made it to the castle when her mind clicked. Sergeant Maine got highly upset when the prisoner kept mentioning Strawberry as if he played a role in the medicine vial's disappearance himself. The mare shook her head clean from those thoughts. No, Private Nightshade would never do that... would he? She barely knew the pony but her gut told her that he wouldn't have it in him to do something like this, yes he panicked and broke a window when everyone thought he was asleep but that doesn't automatically make him a terrorist pony. Aster let out a clean sigh before she looked up into the sky. It was such a lovely day too. The mare took off her helm before she placed it under her right arm, she decided to head over to the infirmary to get herself checked out so she could do her next mission; to locate the prisoner before he has the chance to flee from the Crystal Empire forever.

***********

Charter's Point of View

Seven hours. That's how long he's been wandering around. His hooves stepped heavily onto the street. He couldn't get Strawberry out of his head nor the fact that Strawberry was related to the mare who attacked the market stall square. Were the bombing on the prisoner holding cell and the mare's attack connected? Had Strawberry been working for his sister? Guilt suddenly took over him as he pushed the door open to allow his nose to be attacked by the scent of ale. He knew he shouldn't be in here, he's been three years sober about to make his fourth but his emotions had gotten the best of him and his hooves took him to the nearest place that could easily take them away. Hopefully, he could wake up and have this all be a dream. The flashes of an injured Strawberry kept fresh in his mind. He had let his guard down for the bat-pony and now here he was hurt by his disappearance. Charter felt like a foal once again with his heavy heart. They had no clues for him to follow so it's not like he could simply run off to rescue the stallion, despite every fiber in his body urging him to do so.

The lilac stallion looks up through a window as he made his way over to a table, at the now darkening sky. Had he wasted the rest of the day in self-pity? Could he pull himself out of it?... yes, he had to but before he had the chance to take back his chance somepony cleared their throats from behind him. Charter had a strong emotion in his gut to ignore the stranger and he did just that with a wave of his hoof for a waitress to walk over in order to bring him an ale for the night, surely one couldn't hurt now... could it? The stallion shook his head from the thoughts as the same pony cleared their throats again to try to get his attention. Charter became slightly annoyed at this pony's attempts to call them. He simply wanted to be alone for the rest of his evening. Failure never sat easily with the large stallion yet tonight made him feel like a huge fail.

Three ales down and then silence came in. The stallion figured that the pony who wanted him finally got the hint and moved on. He wasn't here to hook up or celebrate anything. He simply came here to drown himself in familiar poisonous liquids that made their way down his throat in huge gulps. His mind was beginning to cloud as his body begins to relax. The warmth from his drinks made their way through his skin. He missed this feeling. The feeling of not being able to worry about what comes after besides a killer hangover but as he was about to take his fourth one down with the little sorrow that remains a violet hoof came between him and his drink. His eyes flew open as he prepared to yell at the pony foolish enough to make such a move when his orangeish-yellow eyes fell upon a pair of emerald greens. Charter made a face of confusion as Aster took a step backward,

"W-What, do you want?" the older sibling barked with distaste in his mouth, surely there was a reason she had come here to interrupt him.

"I want to stop somepony I care about from making a mistake!" she barked back before she took his hoof into hers.

"I-I'm fine, quit your worryin' because I'm fine!" his words slurred but he still got the point across as he tore his hoof away from hers.

"No, you are not!" she snapped back as she took his muzzle into her hooves, "Look, you want to waste your life away in here? Then do it! But I need the Lieutenant if I'm going to help find the vial of medicine AND Private Nightshade!" she presses her nose against his before continuing, "My brother Charter was lost, I lost him to the alcohol years ago and just when I thought I got him back some stupid mare throws him backward! I have a job to do and I need your help! So just once don't fight me on this! I can't lose you... not again," her words faded as she let go of him.

Her words cut him deep, she was right. Charter had spent so many nights here in the past that the bartender knew him by his first name. Charter looked back at his drink before he held out his hoof to allow his sister to tear him away from his spot. The stallion sighed before he felt the night air on him which caused him to turn back towards his sister who had her hair down tonight and a loose fitting white button up blouse. He watched her lead him past buildings, down a few streets he couldn't name in this current state when he suddenly hit him. She was leading him towards the train station. Charter didn't know he should ask her why even though a part of him already knew that she was planning on going after Strawberry herself. Something felt off about how she was doing everything, normally the mare would be talkative during an activity like this instead of being really quiet. It should've been the first thing he noticed but it was like something was sucking his energy right out of him.

Charter's voice began to slur upon the words that exited his mouth next,

"W-What's ha-happening to me?" his voice sounded tired and his throat felt sore.

His sister turned around with her mouth in motion but no words came out passed her lips. He blinked a couple of times before the pony in front morphed from a purple to a black with a short Neptune blue mohawk. Bat-like wings unfolded right in front of him. He was super confused at this point. Charter shook his head as he looked around to find that they, in fact, were not in the Crystal Empire anymore. It looked more like an entrance to some type of cave surrounded by dense woods. Charter did a slow stumble of a turn-a-round but when he looked back into Strawberry's eyes he could see fresh wounds upon his body while his left wing looks wrong with how it's bent by his side only half stretched out, the lilac pony quickly closed the gap only to have Strawberry step backward with a worried expression on his face; however, as soon as the stallion went to express his concern the bat-pony spoke but his words came out as loud bells chime in his ears then suddenly something hard shoved him backward which knocked him off his balance.

As he came to, Charter realized that he now faced the wall of the local pub. He must have dozed off while he was drinking. Not that it surprised him much, it wasn't like he could remember his dreams anyway but this one... no, this one felt real. The lilac stallion sighed heavily. He slowly rose to his hooves while he battled to have his eyes remain open. The night air hit him hard but the object he ran into was much harder. He stumbled back against the door as his sight danced around with four strangers in front of him. They moved in a circle while his vision cleared up slightly at the dark blue glow from the pony's horn before him,

"W-Who are you, a-an-and what do you want from me?" his words jumbled together.

"Forgive me for not making proper introductions, Lieutenant Wolfthorn," the mare stated in reply the dark blue hood doing well to hide her everything but her muzzle.

Charter let out a soft snort before he just let his head hang down,

"But I have some news that may or may not interest you if you still fancy getting to bottom of the crimes committed against the Crystal Empire," her words carried some sort of courage for the drunk stallion because his head rose up and his ears remained alert for her next sentence.

"You, you know something about what occurred today? And you didn't think to tell a guard-"

"I'm telling one now!" her smooth yet cooled manner cut the stallion off in his tracks, "I know you'd rather be left alone as of now but I fear it may be too late to act if I had not interfered with the guards' work,"

"I-If you haven't noticed, ma-ma'am. I'm not on duty, so g-" Charter went to side step as he talked but he only took two steps around the mare when his body was covered in dark blue magic that picked him up and carried him back in front of her before he was dropped onto his hooves.

"This is a direct order," the mare lowered her hood with magic to reveal a flowing dark blue mane and a black tiara placed firming on her head, "Lieutenant,"

Charter felt his face heat up. In his drunken state, he had back-talked royalty. He went to bow down, even though he could barely walk in a straight line, but Princess Luna quickly took him by the shoulders to keep him in place. He was about to say his apologies when he felt her horn touch his forehead and he suddenly felt his body shiver at the weird feeling that flowed through his body at that moment. When he opened his eyes he could see much more clearly. He didn't feel dizzy or lightheaded yet he still felt a little dazed. It was like all the alcohol was just suddenly ripped from his body, cleansed from his bloodstreams. The Lieutenant quickly shook his head before he locked eyes with the Princess of the Night,

"M-My lady what would you have me do?" he asked this time in a proper bow before she could stop him.

"Private Nightshade is missing correct?" she asked as he stood back up onto his hooves.

"Yes, he was only taken some hours ago, there was a struggle a-"

"Silence now," the princess cooed, "I know of this struggle just as I know of his ties to those responsible for Princess Cadance being sick and the only known cure for her illness having been stolen right from the young Private," her words fell onto Charter's ears like a needle at the doctors for the routine shots.

"You do?" he questioned with a yearning in his eyes for more information.

She sighed before she spoke again,

"Yes, I've known that the bat-pony was related to a cell group dedicated to Nightmare Moon. They believe she was right with her angered and evil emotions to rule over Equestria in total darkness," Charter listened closely as the Princess spoke, "Their leader, Cranberry Nightshade, stepped down shortly after her husband fled with a young colt to Canterlot; however, before any of the guardponies could catch him he simply disappeared without a trace and his son was left all alone,"

"Strawberry..." Charter allowed the name to slip from his tongue, he felt as though he was just put through a blender.

In all honesty, Charter didn't know what to feel when it came to the dark stallion. Yeah, his heart picked up its pace when the bat-pony was around and he really did like how the stallion smelled of fresh pine along with the fruits he was currently named after, yet, could he truly allow feelings for someone whose tied to such a group of ponies? What would happen if Strawberry defected over to his family? Many more questions formed inside the stallion's mind but before he could try to voice any concern the stallion was told to shush,

"Strawberry is free of his family's name, this I know," Charter's head snapped back up a tad bit, "What I don't know was why they took him. He cut all ties when he joined up in the guards, I was the one who walked the young colt and his friend up to the recruitment center," her words make their way into the stallion's brain, so Strawberry chose a side? But why would he choose life so far away from his home? his thoughts were interrupted by the mare's clearing of her throat, "my order for you is to go forth and bring Private Nightshade back. Along with the vial for the Princess,"

Charter looked away for a few minutes before he turned back to the Princess to tell her that he isn't the right pony for the job he could feel his body freeze in shock, the Princess was no longer standing right before him. The only thing that was left of her was a scroll tied with the official royal seal. Lieutenant Wolfthorn looked around him before he picked up the scroll and made his way to a place he never thought he'd have to visit. Once he made sure that no one was following him the stallion high tailed it back to the safety of a house some hooves away from the local pub. He stopped when he came up to a wooden door he dreaded on opening. Charter nor his sister had stepped hoof inside since their mother passed away but thankfully the key to it remained hidden in a pile of rocks. His mother had left it there for when one of her foals would come to visit, regretfully, Charter never did after he moved out and into the barracks.

The house itself was small but the inside was as cozy as a warm hug on a cold night. Everything seemed to have gathered a few layers of dust. Charter closed the door behind him before he made his way up the stairs towards his old bedroom. He paused right outside his old room. He hasn't been here since the day he heard the news and now it was all flooding back into him. The fights with his father, him yelling at his mother, all of it were making its own way back into his aching heart. Charter swallowed his pride before he opened the door to his room and stepped inside. He quickly made his way over to the desk that he hadn't laid eyes on in years. Charter placed the scroll down from his mouth before he broke the seal and gave it a look over. The scroll told Charter the main objective as the Princess had but it also had part of a map with an "X" over an area called Galloping Gorge. Charter knew of the place but has never really been there himself. It was an area just outside of the Crystal Empire's borders.

He double checked the last part of the message before he turned over to his closet. As he moved he made quick work of taking off his shirts. He flung the closet open and hoped that whatever was in there still fit him because he didn't have time to search for an open shop this late of night. He settled on a dark grey hoodie with a black ball cap. This mission unnerved him in small ways, such as having to leave without any kind of preparations before hoof or the fact that he had to go alone. Though he could see the use of a small party such as a one stallion group. The stallion looked himself over in a body mirror in the furthest corner of his room. Once he was satisfied with his appearance he made quick work in leaving his room and then the house. He made his way over to the barracks, made sure no pony saw him, and then snatched his coin purse to take out a few bits before he left the castle behind. Once he was at the train station he swallowed hard, this wasn't his first solo mission but this was his first one to involve rescuing another pony. He just hoped Strawberry didn't switch sides by the time he got there.

With those thoughts tucked away until later, Charter boarded the train and made sure to take a seat by the caboose for an easy exit later on down the line.