Armored Hearts

by Barrett_Jasper

Rating: mature
Tags: Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Romance, Sex, Royal Guard, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life
Length: 28105

Four ponies lives change after one simple trip to the Crystal Empire... can they handle the changes that come their way?

After being born with the name of a fruit, Strawberry made it his mission to prove to the world he was more than just a soft piece of fruit. He may not have been a high ranking officer but he still was able to become one of Luna's most loyal guards; however, everything changed when he and a follow guardsman named Maine must travel to the Crystal Empire to deliver a very important package to Princess Cadance.

Published 2018-06-14 17:40:06 UTC
Last updated 2019-05-16 03:39:35 UTC

Chapter One

Author's Note

I'll be completely honest this is my very first pony story. Ever! So if I mess something up please don't murder me for it. To also point out I am writing this at exactly 5:30 in the morning so spelling and punctuation may or may not be terrible until I can find someone who will help proof read and catch mistakes my tired eyes won't.

Thank You.

Chapter One

Strawberry's Point Of View

His hooves pressed softly against the gentle feel from the carpet that lay along the hall. Strawberry had pulled an all-nighter patrolling the castle's courtyard before reporting to the walls for a shift change. He couldn't wait to get back to the barracks to get some sleep, but unfortunately, fate had other plans for the young stallion. On his way to his awaiting bed, Strawberry had been given orders to report to the throne room for an audience with the Princess of the Night along with one of Princess Celestia's royal guards.

After he turned to his right the young stallion lifted his tired head with happy eyes. At the end of the hallway to the throne room await another stallion with snow colored fur. Strawberry could tell that his back was towards him but he could still tell by the white stallion's bigger frame that it was none other than his favorite pal, Maine who stood in front of the large palace doors. Doing his best to keep a professional state of mind Strawberry picked up his pace a tad bit only to arrive just in time to have the doors open wide and another night guard to clear his throat,

"Good. You both have arrived"-the third guard stepped aside to allow Strawberry and Maine to walk passed-"Princess Luna is waiting for you two further in."

Giving the guard a simple nod Strawberry and Maine quickly trotted into the throne room to find Princess Luna standing at the base of her throne chair with concern and the desire for sleep within her eyes. Both stallions bowed down once they reached the base of the stairs that lead up to the Princess's thrones,

"I have caught wind that Princess Cadance is sick," Princess Luna stated in a calm manner.

The two guard ponies rose up onto their hooves. They clicked their hooves together as they waited for her to continue,

"I am sending special medicine to the Crystal Empire, and you two are said by your peers to handle such a task of being the ones to deliver the package," She walked down the steps as she pulled out a brown box from behind her.

The two guards saluted the Princess before Maine took the box in a yellow-orange glow. Once given the orders to, Strawberry and Maine quietly turned around and made their way out of the throne room. Stepping aside to walk beside his colt-hood friend the young bat pony was looking at Maine with eyes that were holding a yearning to sleep. Getting a better look at his friend, Strawberry can tell that Maine was hoping to get some shut-eye as well. The older white stallion lifted his head to let out a large yawn. Strawberry hasn't seen his friend in what felt like years and now here he is about to go on an important mission with the stallion. The bat pony was beyond excited.

It wasn't until the white stallion cleared his throat lightly did Strawberry realize that he was staring at him. Quickly averting his eyes away his ears perked up at the sound of a low chuckle,

"W-what?" Strawberry asked his head snapped back into Maine's direction.

"We haven't seen each other for months, then when we're in the same hallway all you can do is stare," Maine couldn't help but let out another chuckle.

"I-Its just-" Strawberry started but Maine's right hoof came up to his mouth.

"It's okay, Berry"-a smile quickly appeared on his face-"You don't have to feel nervous around me," Maine's voice came out as a mere whisper.

Giving a simple nod as his reply, Strawberry watched as Maine lowered the box onto the darker stallion's back ever so carefully. The white stallion disappeared into the Day Guard's barracks before the bat pony could even voice a response. Strawberry turned to find that the moonlight was slowly moving through the windowless arches. He gave his wings a quick stretch before he began his journey to the Night Guard's barracks down the spiral of a hallway. With heavy hoof steps, Strawberry ever-so-carefully pushed open the barrack's door to find other members of the Night Guard taking off their armor and either heading to the showers or straight to bed. Making his way through the crowd the young stallion was starting to have trouble keeping his eyes from closing. Once he reached the furthest bunk in the fourth row of the twenty-sixth column he quickly reached back to grab the package the Princess gave him when he heard his name being called from the shower room.

Strawberry let out a sigh placing the package onto the wooden nightstand beside his bed before taking off his helmet to reveal his Neptune blue mohawk. The young stallion quickly shook his head to shake off as much of his helmet hair as he could. Walking over to the showers Strawberry gave the steamy room a look over to find that his commander was just wrapping a towel around himself. He quickly snapped to attention as his commander stepped closer to him. The stallion went to raise his hoof in order to salute him but it was stopped when the Commander's right hoof swatted it away. Strawberry could feel his body tense as the Commander got right in his face,

"Why weren't you in line up before the Night Guard's shift was over?" the Commander demanded through gritted teeth as his nose was pressed into Strawberry's.

"I had been ordered to appear before Princess Luna, Sir!" Strawberry responded.

The Commander took a minute to process what the young stallion said before narrowing his dark amber eyes at him,

"What are your orders?" Commander took a step back as he asked.

"S-Sergeant Maine of the Day Guard and I have to report to the Crystal Empire to deliver a package, Sir!" Strawberry responded followed by a successful salute this time.

Strawberry let out a sigh of relief when the Commander snorted at him before walking away. He could feel every muscle in his body relax while he closed his eyes. The bat pony shook it off before making his leave of the bathroom. Knowing the sun was up by now Strawberry began his journey over to the bottom bunk that he calls a bed. Stripping off the rest of his armor the stallion quickly places one hoof onto the bed before climbing onto it and collapsing into a deep, blissful sleep.

Chapter Two

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Three

Strawberry's Point Of View

A pair of yellow eyes slowly fluttered open to find a white stallion leaned against the window with loud snores that came from his mouth. Strawberry stretched his arms outward as he sat up. He looked out the window to find the night starry sky above him. The young bat pony quietly stood up from his spot on the seat to fully stretch out his body and wings. He doesn't know how Maine could stay awake during the day for so long, his short time felt like torture for Strawberry to have to look at everything in the bright light. He wasn't used to being up during Celestia's time of the day; he much preferred Princess Luna's light much more.

Strawberry quietly re-strapped his saddlebags back around himself before he snuck around his partner's seat as of not to wake him. Making his way to the caboose of the train the young bat pony was looking around at the different types of ponies that sat scattered through the large metal beast. Strawberry eventually got to the door he was looking for and slowly opened it to find a forgiving wind blow into him. The air smelled sweet as he stepped out onto the small platform that held a two-set staircase on either side. He liked the way the moonlight fell onto him. Placing his front hooves onto the cold black railing Strawberry took a look around him as a range of mountains was beginning to take place on his right while what looked to be a forest on his left. Strawberry had never seen two different types of environments in the same place before. He leaned forward a just a little bit to get a better view of his surroundings. It was more wonderful than he could imagine, being outside of the castle grounds.

Suddenly something tapped Strawberry causing him to jump in place a few hooves off the floor. A familiar laugh came from behind the bat pony which caused a snarl to appear on his face,

"Sir!" he cried out his face two different shades of pink and red.

"It's Maine to you, Berry," Maine replied after he tried not to chuckle at his friend.

"What are you doing out here, Maine?" Strawberry asked before turning back to his railing crossing his arms across its small, cool surface.

Maine walked up to his side and looked up at the stars.

"I was just about to ask you the same," he said as he sat down next to his friend.

Strawberry remained silent for a few minutes before turning away from his friend. How could he tell the white stallion that he's never been outside of Canterlot before? It would be silly. He was a member of the Royal Guard, surely he had to have seen more of Equestria... right? The bat pony took in a deep breath and held it in for a few seconds before having let it back out,

"I just wanted to see Luna's moonlight. It's always reminded me of where I came from," Strawberry finally stated before turning to Maine.

Maine gave him a simple nod in response. Strawberry pushed off his part of the rail before he turned to the door and disappeared back into the caboose with Maine right behind him. Both stallions were quiet on their return to their seats. The rest of the night went off without either one of them saying much of anything. Maine didn't push Strawberry to explain more and he was more than thankful for that. Being one of the youngest Privates in the Royal Guard, Strawberry was still a little confused at why Princess Luna had chosen him as one of the two guards to carry the medicine to the Crystal Empire but who was he to question one of his rulers. He played with his tail between his hooves while he sat on the train. Strawberry felt bad for falling asleep the moment he got one but he had only a few short hours before hoof.

Strawberry watched in horror as his partner spent twelve bits on two cups something that looked a little darker than cider. Maine hoofed over one of the wooden cups to the confused bat pony before chuckling,

"For someone whose only a few years younger than me, you sure don't leave the barracks much do you?" he asked before he took a small drink making sure to watch Strawberry as he did.

Taking a confused look at the cup in front of him, the young stallion bent his head down to get a good whiff of it. He reared his head up getting a laugh from Maine as he did. The substance smelled nothing like the apple cider he was used to back at the castle. Strawberry looked at Maine than the cup and back. After an approving nod, Strawberry slowly rose the cup to his lips and took a small sip. He felt confused. The substance smelt really strong, but once on his tongue, it shot a jolt through him. It tasted sweet like honey mixed in with a bit of filling like an apple on the after taste. He wasn't sure on just how much he liked it but by the second drink, he made sure to add more of it into his mouth. Strawberry liked the way the liquid made him feel warm and light all at the same time. He heard Maine laughing in front of him so he lowered his cup with narrowed eyes,

"What?" Strawberry asked.

"N-Nothing, just that this is obviously your first time drinking is it not?" Maine asked taking another drink of his cup.

Strawberry felt his face go red. This was his first time actually. He had never been invited to hang out with the other stallions after their shifts before so this was all new to him. Bringing the cup up to his mouth again the young pony took an even bigger drink of his cider and unlike the first time, his third drink caused his throat to burn. He lowered his cup as he began to cough into his elbow,

"Whoa, whoa," Maine stated as he got up to move over to Strawberry's seat across from his own, "Take it easy. Take your time and allow it to adjust,"

The bat pony looked over at his companion as he patted his back. Strawberry hiccuped after the second time Maine's hoof touched his back. Both stallions continued their drinks as they talked about what was waiting for them in the Crystal Empire. Strawberry started to feel a little light headed by the time he moved onto his second drink, even though Maine seemed perfectly fine on his third cup of the wonderful cider. At one point Maine tried to call Strawberry out for taking more than he could handle which lead to the bat pony to try and prove his friend wrong so it lead to him trying to do a hoof-stand. Needless to say that it ended with Strawberry on his back and Maine to laugh as though he just saw the circus for the first time in his life. Once back on his hooves, Maine decided to drink both of their cider cups much to Strawberry's disapproval of the very one-sided argument.

Sitting down across from the white stallion Strawberry stuck his tongue out at his friend when he noticed that the sun was rising. His eyes opened wide as he saw the colors of pink, purple, and orange bleed into the night sky one by one snuffing out the stars as if they were candles and the lights their brilliant flames. Strawberry had never seen a sunrise before. The way the light cut into the blackness like paper made his heart beat a little faster. He watched with wonder as the colors of the day slowly stroke themselves into view and he couldn't get enough of it. Placing his hooves onto the window seal he pushed himself up and stuck his head out the window with a large grin upon his face as the window blew wildly through his mane. Strawberry heard a chuckle from his left side and a few more from behind him but he couldn't care. His world around him was changing, the night was turning into day and the sun was rising to show off its glory in beautiful colors that spread widely as if a Pegasus was spreading their wings for the very first time. That's when a bright light flickered into the corner of his left eye. He looked over and he felt his heart skip a beat.

A large castle made of the purest crystal rose up high into the distance. Strawberry could feel his eyes widen even more as he took in the sight before him. The Crystal Empire... a city draped in golden flames of light mixed in with orange and rainbow flecks of the sun reflecting off of buildings or all sizes,

"Wow!" Strawberry gasped before spreading his wings behind the window.

Author's Note

Wow, just picturing that sun rise in my head. Any wayyyy. Remember to leave a comment about what you think!

I do feel a little bad because this is slowly building up to the story I have in my head but just a little patience is all I ask,

It well get there I promise

Chapter Four

Strawberry's Point Of View

After composing himself from nearly falling out of the window, Strawberry decided it was time for him to put on his helm and return to his guard duties. Maine, however, refused to tell the bat pony how he managed to spill cider on himself once Strawberry ducked his head back in to find his friend covered in the sweet liquid.

As the train came to a slow halt, the two stallions got up from their seats and began their journey to the door. Strawberry had to remind himself multiple times that this visit was not a vacation but no matter what he did he couldn't help but notice how even the train station was made of beautiful crystal and wood. He looked around to find that he and Maine were the only ponies to get off at this stop beside a light brown furred pony with a bit of their light pink forelock sticking out from under the hood of their frost blue hooded cloak. From the build itself, Strawberry could easily tell that the pony was a mare. The bat pony simply shrugged it off with his wings before walking off the platform with Maine right beside him. Strawberry looked over at him when a short snort left his companion as the mare rushed by the bat pony. She bumped into her on her hurried way,

"Well... that was rude," Strawberry muttered to himself before giving off a small, quiet yawn.

"I was kind of expecting for a few guards to meet us here in order to show us the way to the castle," the white stallion grumbled as he used a towel to clean himself while he walked.

"Come now! The Princess is sick," Strawberry commented with a glance back, "The guards are probably just a little behind on things,"

Maine rolled his eyes as his friend which only earned him a deflated sigh from the darker stallion. Wanting to hurry up and get the mission over with so he could see more of the city Strawberry rears himself up before taking off galloping along their path causing the white unicorn to hustle to catch up behind him. Strawberry spread his wings outward ready to take off when something wrapped around his legs to drag him back down to the earth. He looked back once he landed on his front hooves and pushed off the ground to find that Maine had used magic to summon up a rope-like structure. The stern look on his face told the bat pony that he wasn't joking around this time. The young stallion watched as the older one passed him by and waited a couple of feet before he let down the rope spell.

Strawberry didn't try to catch up to his friend. He had a feeling he was the reason that Maine had to deal with being sticky in places he didn't want to talk about. Their hooves soon touched the ground that was no longer earth. In fact, without him noticing... Maine and Strawberry had arrived at the Empire's outskirts. Looking around Strawberry once again could feel his heart begin to quicken its pace threatening to simply burst. The young stallion did a quick 360 as he continued to follow Maine. Sure he was the one carrying the medicine but Strawberry couldn't help but take in everything around him. First, he's able to travel outside of Canterlot now he's actually in someone else's kingdom. Being a bat pony didn't help at all either. Due to his nature, Strawberry was used on the night shift so everything was always dull, shady, and sleeping. It made for a very boring night.

"-erry...Strawberry!" Maine's voice cut the stallion from his thoughts forcing him to face his friend.

"Y-Yes, Sir?" Strawberry asked once he realized that Maine had in fact stopped motion while he kept forth.

"I said we're here," was all he responded with a concerned look on his face.

Strawberry quickly looked ahead to find that they had arrived at their destination. He looked up at the large four-legged castle that seemed to rise high into the sky. It wasn't until someone cleared their throat did Strawberry realize that other guards had arrived as well to greet them. Looking back down Strawberry nearly fell over. There stood two purple ponies; the stallion was a large specimen with a lilac coat of fur with a pair of reddish-orange eyes that reminded Strawberry of the leaves on the trees during the time of autumn. The other pony was about the average build for a mare if not a tad bit bigger. Her eyes looked as though they've stolen the shade from emerald shards themselves. Strawberry had to bite back a squeal due to the fact that both pony and their armor had a crystalline coat to them. Feeling his face heat up, the young bat pony was just opening his mouth before Maine swiftly was in motion to place a hoof onto Strawberry's lips sealing them shut,

"Sergeant Maine Crusher of the Canterlot Day Guard," the white stallion introduced himself while he placed a hoof onto his chest before he did the same to Strawberry's. "And this is Private Strawberry Nightshade of the Canterlot Night Guard. We're here on behalf of Princess Luna, she brings a vial for Princess Cadance to help with recovery,"

Strawberry looked at both the ponies before catching eyes with the bigger stallion. The bat pony personally thought that he seemed even bigger than his pal Maine. The two Crystal Guards looked back at each other before they gave their answer in the form of a nod,

"My name is Private Aster Wolfthorn of the Crystal Empire," the mare said as she held out her hoof to greet the two stallions.

Maine took her hoof gratefully as he shook it while Strawberry carefully shook her hoof with his eyeing the crystalline coat that sparkled in the sun,

"And my name is Lieutenant Charter Wolfthorn," the stallion's deep voice caught Strawberry completely by surprise.

After everything was said and done the two Canterlot guards followed tightly behind the Crystal Empire ponies as they made their way into the castle itself. The walk was relatively quiet between the four of them. At least, until a yawn broke through Strawberry's internal battle to fight back against it. Once it was over the bat pony suddenly felt more tired than when he first boarded the train. Looking around Strawberry felt his face begin to heat back up. The other three had stopped for a few seconds to watch the young stallion. Maine had his face in his hoof but at least he didn't make any noise like the larger stallion did when he turned his face away from the night pony. No words had been said and none needed to for the signal to be thrown towards him. Strawberry hasn't even been in the Crystal Empire for more than half an hour yet he's already embarrassed Maine and himself.

The group of ponies rounded a corner to find an even bigger hallway that withheld many more doors. Sounds of silence did not sit well with Strawberry. It made him feel really uneasy. His hooves marched slower than the other three and he hoped he could stay awake long enough to actually make it to the Princess. Maybe it was his age but the younger stallion couldn't take not being able to talk any longer so he cleared his throat as he sped up to keep the pace,

"So, Lt. Wolfthorn"-Strawberry quickly adjusted his helm when the giant stallion turned his head back to look at the smaller one-"Do you happen to know where the gift shop would be here in the Crystal Empire?"

This earned a hard stare from the pony as he shuffled his wings a bit,

"My duties hardly leave me time to deal with pointless 'gift shops'. To answer that ridiculous question," the larger stallion shot down.

"Brother!" the mare growled before she slowed down to join the bat pony in the rear, "What the blockhead meant to say, was that you'd have to ask me since he hardly leaves the castle or the bar-"

"Enough, Private Wolfthorn!" barked the Lieutenant as he snapped his head forward.

However, this only enabled the mare. She gently nudged Strawberry to slow down even more and he took the hint wholeheartedly. A small smile appeared along his face as they started to get into a discussion about the idea of him getting something to remember the Crystal Empire by. Aster couldn't help but giggle when one of Strawberry's yawns caused his sentence to become all bunched together. Somehow in an unexpected turn of events, the two got talking about ponies in armor. Strawberry had to try unreasonably hard to focus on her words when it finally came to the realization that she was calling his name,

"-awbe-Strawberry," her hushed voice finally kicked in.

Strawberry shook his head hard. Surely he heard what she was saying, right? He simply raised an eye in response but it didn't seem to get the job done so he cleared his throat as best he could,

"Yes-s?" he slurred the "s" a little bit he blamed his ability to not be able to remain awake during the day like Maine could. He was special like that with not being a bat pony and all.

"Are you okay?" her words came out a little too loudly causing the white stallion's ears to perk.

"The sun!" Maine cried as he suddenly brushed by Charter and Aster to quickly stand by Strawberry as he fought to keep his eyes open. "I'm such an idiot!"

"What's wrong, Sergeant?" Charter asked as he walked over to the trio in time to find Sergeant Crusher taking Private Nightshade's saddlebags and put them behind his own. "Is everything alright?"

Strawberry squint as a ray of sun, from one of the windows above, reflected off of the crystalline coat from the large lilac stallion straight into the bat pony's eyes. He hissed as he felt Maine gently push him into the shade of the walls. The white stallion pulled the darker stallion's helm down to cover his eyes,

"Private Nightshade is a Bat Pony, they're nocturnal creatures. Perfect for the Night Guard-"

"But make poor guards for the day shift," the Lieutenant finished the sentence rather quickly. "He can use my bunk in the barracks while you two finish delivering the medicine to the Princess,"

The two nodded before adjusting Strawberry so he could lean upon Charter. Doing a three-leg walk, Strawberry could feel his heart quicken again as the scent of fresh hay and something really sweet came rushing to his nostrils. The smell pretty much attacked the young stallion but he couldn't place what it was. With his right arm over the bigger stallion's shoulder's the bat pony softly leaned into the violet armor feeling its strange warmth which he could only guess came from the sun's painful rays. Strawberry put a hoof up to his mouth as he let out a tiny cough. He was feeling a bit warm and the armor wasn't helping one bit. Maybe if he got some sleep he'd feel much better. Maybe.

Author's Note

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUN! I had to rewrite this piece as I was writing it lol. Well any who its 4:35 am so I'm off to bed but not before I deliver this chapter out to the world! I am trying to make them longer but the guide that I have pinned on how to write fanfiction is kind of making me feel weird with doing the paragraphs like this and its kind've throwing me off, but that wont stop me!

Also, shout out to the two who favorited my first fanfic including the two who added this to their libraries! You lifted my spirit on this!

Chapter Five

Charter's Point Of View

The large stallion carefully laid the bat pony into the closet bunk once they crossed the threshold of the troop barracks. Charter has never really dealt with a bat pony before and it seemed as though their armor was strapped more different than his own. After his chest piece was removed, the lilac Pegasus began work on Strawberry's shoulder plates. Sleeping in armor wasn't exactly the best experience in the world but he was going to have to make an exception seeing how the black pony was already snoring softly in the bed below him. Charter leaned over to the window in order to gently pull down the shade to make it slightly darker in this corner of the building.

Slowly getting back into position the stallion stole a glance down at the sleeping pony. His eyes wandered over to his wings. Unlike the big feathery ones, Charter had, Strawberry's wings looked thin and bony. He could feel his face begun to heat up once he realized that he'd been staring at the smaller stallion for longer than he should have. Turning quickly on his hooves, the larger pony took his leave of the building heading back to check in on the other Canterlot Guard to make sure things went over smoothly. Aster had a way of turning something really simple into something stupidly complicated.

His hooves made little sounds as he trotted back through the doors of the castle with a simple nod to fellow guardsmen. Charter had just barely made it past the first hallway when he heard the shouts of some stallion from further within the castle. He quickly high tailed it into gear to find out what the problem was; however, the moment he rounded the corner to his right Charter ran muzzle first into Aster. The two bounced off each other with mixed grunts. Looking up at his sister the stallion just barely was opening his mouth to speak when she beat him to it,

"Charter! Do you know where it is?!" her voice was beyond frantic.

"Wha-Where what is?" Charter asked as his sister planted her face into her left hoof. "What are you talking about?"

"The medicine, it's gone!" Aster cried out.

Charter felt more confused than a colt whose just seen the world for the first time. The medicine couldn't be gone. Strawberry and Maine came straight here from the train station. It's not like it could just up an vanish. Shaking his head the stallion was still confused but he needs to focus, there has to be a reason the medicine wasn't on the ponies when they came in,

"Aster, explain to me in detail what happened," Charter's voice cracked a little when the words left his dry mouth.

The mare took a deep breath in, then released it as she tried to compose herself,

"Sergeant Maine and I made our way to Princess Cadance's room. Like Ordered. After explaining to Captain Armor about how Private Strawberry needed to get out of the sun we attempted to hand over the medicine, but it wasn't in either Maine's or Strawberry's pouch," Aster's word went by a little fast but Charter was still able to follow the jest of everything that left her mouth.

The stallion nodded. Something told him that Strawberry may know something about this since Maine was assured that the medicine vial was in the bat pony's pouch. Charter took a step back while he rubbed his chin with his right hoof. It was still daylight which means Strawberry won't be able to answer any questions until the sun goes down. That simple fact made this all more troublesome. A heavy sigh left the stallion's lips. He needed to retrace the Canterlot Guards's steps, maybe he could gain a lead to finding the missing vial of medicine. Charter could feel Aster's eyes bore into his own as he tried his best to avoid his sister,

"Alright"-he swallowed his wondering thoughts down his throat before clearing it-"Aster, go get Sergeant Maine and meet me by the train station," he ordered.

He watched as his sister hesitated before she followed through with it. Taking a deep breath in, then out slowly. This was a mess. One that needed to be cleaned up quickly and thoroughly. Charter took a minute to collect himself. He slowly trotted back down the hallway he came from with thoughts passing through his brain. They flashed before his eyes. The stallion remembers just how tired the bat pony was on the way up to and into the castle. So it's possible that he may have accidentally dropped it at some point from a to b. Now they just need to find it by taking their route in reverse. His hooves tapped softly along the floor as he made his way to the entrance he had just passed moments before. He quickly pushed through the doors as he wasted no time in his descent into the open space below.

Charter hastily made his way into the empire's surrounding buildings while dodging ponies of all kinds on the way to the train station. He made sure to keep a special eye out for anything that resembles a vial of medicine while he moved. On the way, his mind couldn't help but journey back to the bat pony that lay sleeping in one of his troop's cots back at the barracks. How his wings looked small and fragile, yet strong enough to actually lift a full grown pony up off the ground. They didn't have feathers of any kind, nothing to keep them warm and still... they didn't freeze. Now that he looks back on it. Everything about Strawberry seemed different. He had small fangs, bony featherless wings, a small feminine snout, a slightly pushed up nose, and large sunset yellow eyes. Charter could feel his heartbeat pick up. There was just something about the bat pony that caught his attention. Shaking his head hard, the stallion began to look around him. During his thoughts, he must have ceased his movement because he was standing in the middle of a market place. The heat grew softly along his face before he began to continue along his way to the station.

Once he got to the station he began to look around. He wondered all over the sides of the station. Every corner, every nook was checked once, twice, then thrice again. There wasn't any sign of the vial anywhere. All he did manage to find was a pair of four kinds of hoof prints. Three of them leading to the Crystal Empire while one was leading up to the station. Charter assumed the one leading to the station was his very own so he canceled them out in his mind. It wasn't long until after did his fellow guard show up with four extra guardsmen, one of them being Sergeant Maine who looked as though he had just been given a lashing from his very upset parent,

"Sir, did you manage to find anything?" A guard asked as she walked up to the Lieutenant who was busy studying the hoof prints.

One set was spaced out as if the owner of the prints was in a hurry to get somewhere,

"Maine," he began standing up, "Was there someone else who got off that train with you?"

Maine stumbled for his words for a minute. He hadn't recalled seeing anyone... unless,

"There was... one other pony on the platform. I didn't get a good look at them but-"

"But what?" Charter demanded in a soft yet firm tone.

"But the pony did run into Private Strawberry, maybe he had seen their face," Maine answered as he got into a military ready stance.

Charter let out a heavy sigh. The sun is only at noon so Strawberry would be dead asleep. With his mind made up, the stallion straightened his back. They needed answers, and Princess Cadence needed that medicine. The large lilac pony turned with his back towards the group,

"Keep searching along the trail until you get back to the empire," Charter ordered, "I'm going to have a little chat without sleeping guest,"

Author's Note

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOkay, soooooo sorry for how long it took me to actually get this out. I had to rewrite it a bit. I would love to hear from you guys in the comment section. I noticed a few people have been adding this story to their stuff and it makes me happy! I also got two likes as well. So excited about that.

Anyway, sorry if it seemed short but trust me... it gets better.

If you have anything to say about the piece, please.... do leave a comment.

Love,

Jasper

Chapter Six

Author's Note

HELLLO~ I'm am terribly sorry for such the long break I feel completely terrible at how I suddenly disappeared on you guys. Forgive me. I also had to go back and reread the story which is why it might be taking a slight turn off the original story I had planned but I believe that this way is better for the characters to grow. I also wanted it to be more about the guards and what they do in order to keep everyone safe. Plus, I wanted to give Strawberry a more self-torn path due to him being a bat pony while everyone else is a normal pony.

Chapter Six

Aster's Point Of View

The young mare's hooves tapped hurriedly across the castle floor. She had a lot of questions going through her mind. Her brother and the Canterlot pony went back to the train station to try and find some clues; meanwhile, here she was prancing around in front of the guard barracks. Aster knew that Strawberry would be too tired to answer anything fully. She would have to fill him in on the whole situation but she didn't know how he'd react. She's never really been around a bat pony before. Her mind was racing. Thoughts and ideas of what'd happen if they didn't get a hold of that medicine made her wince at the possibilities. The beating of her heart picked up at the images. She was beginning to panic which was bad as this was not the time to do so.

Swallowing her overwhelming emotions down with pure will power, the young mare pushed the door to the barracks open to find the room empty besides a darkened corner in the far back. Her brother never really did like being in front of anything. That's why him getting up in the ranks due to his natural leadership abilities made him consistently stressed. Aster walked quietly down the third aisle on the left hoof side of the barracks to reach her target. She was told to join the guards at the station but something inside of her said to disobey, that the one pony who knew pieces of this puzzle was just inside the barracks waiting to be asked. The problem was that he had no idea what was going on so made her feel very uneasy. How can you tell a pony that they put somepony's life at risk without them even knowing they had? Private Strawberry believes that he's done his mission and that soon he'll be back home.

Once Aster stood at the foot of the bed the mare gathered up her strength in order to force the words out of her mouth in a calm, or semi-calm, manner as to not freak out the Night Guard pony; however, when she opened up her eyes with a militarized face she could feel all her hard work shatter inside her. The bed was empty. Private Strawberry must just got up to use the head that's it! the supportive thought was just as crushed as her fleeting hope when she makes her way over to the entryway and finds the bathroom to be empty as well. A worried look took form upon her face. The private wasn't here either,

"Private?" her voice echoed off silent walls.

He wasn't in the showers but then again it's still daylight out so it was only a mere last option kind of effort in her search. She quickly turned around to make her way out of the bathroom back into the barracks,

"Private!" she called out.

Upon the barracks silent reply, the mare quickly made her way out of the room. She needed to tell the Lt. that the bat-pony was gone, but if she did he would be a suspect. Something told her that he wasn't at fault but this had to be reported or else she could risk it escalating into something bigger. She hung her head with a sigh Putting her heart aside, Aster began her march towards Princess Cadance's room. Along the way, Aster couldn't help but wonder where the bat-pony could have gone. It's not like he could've got up and walked out without someone else spotting him. Her hooves stopped mid-stride as her emerald eyes widened. Somepony would have to of seen the Private in the halls.

Turning away from the direction her brain was telling her to go Aster allowed for her hooves to carry her around the hallways stopping other guards or palace workers if they've seen a black bat pony with sunset yellow eyes wondering around. Hallway to hallway, floor to floor the mare flew around to see if she can find her new missing suspect in the case of the stolen medicine. She needs to find him before her brother could catch wind that she let the only other witness slip through their hooves, she's had her brother chew her out for that right after her squad leader had after failing her first assignment. Aster did not want another repeat of said event. A feeling deep in her gut told her that this news would lead to a very different kind of hide tearing.

Her hooves carried her through almost every crystalline hallway she could think of but not one of them produced any kind of evidence to make up for were the bat pony could have gone. Aster's mind was almost about to give up when the familiar glimmer of crystal caught her eye. Her hooves scrapped across the carpet at her sudden halt in movement. Looking out the window along the tenth floor of the castle Aster couldn't stop her throat from swallowing. Her brother had returned, and she was going to have to explain an empty barracks.

. . . . . .

Strawberry's Point of View

No, I couldn't have heard right! The medicine couldn't have just disappeared from my bag! Strawberry raced down the castle's main hall. If it wasn't for his echolocation that his species developed than he would have never heard Lt. and Private Wolfthorn's conversation after Captain Armor's voice roared into his slumber. Hooves against crystal eventual lead the private to skid around his third corner to what he hoped was the way to the Princess's chambers. There had to be a mistake is what he kept telling himself despite the fact that Celestia's sun itself was blinding him most of the way there. Strawberry turned what must have been his fourth right turn when a voice cut through the sounds of his hooves. One that he had heard earlier this morning.

He came to a sudden halt the moment his ears picked up the shouts from a stallion who seemed furious. Thankfully he didn't go past the corners leading into one of the entrance ways. With somewhat of a struggle Strawberry was able to flap his wings strong enough to lift him off the floor. He slowly hovered over to the wall, he tried to keep his wings as silent as possible when he used them to remain off the carpet, with his hooves placed onto it's a smooth surface. He didn't dare give a peek for the fear of being caught spying upon military affairs. Perking his ears up Strawberry pressed himself firmly against the wall,

"How the hell did you manage to lose a sleeping pony!" the stallion yelled with a taste of annoyance dipped into his tone.

"I-I just went in to check up on him and he was already gone by the time I entered the room!" the mare replied which really surprised Strawberry with how she could get away without calling him Sir or even talking to him with such a voice.

"Private Strawberry was the only lead to finding out who the stranger at the train station was!" his voice grew in the emotions that seeped into his words, "I don't care what it takes, our Princess is going to get worse if we don't find that medicine vial. So. Find him," the stallion finished off before heavy hove steps began Strawberry's way.

The bat pony quickly panicked while the stallion's hooves came closer. Strawberry takes off down the hall using his wings to cover the most ground knowing that the stallion could easily turn the corner at any given moment. Once he made it to the end of the hall Strawberry quickly made a choice to go straight for the window that leads outside. Bracing himself for the impact the young stallion was hoping that this wouldn't make a lot of noise but he wasn't a unicorn like his mother was so magic is out of the question in the hopes of being quiet so not to get caught. A loud shattering noise erupted from the window the moment Strawberry's hooves went through it; however it was at this point in time he asked himself why he just didn't turn down another hall but a small voice simply replied with the fact that with the medicine's disappearance that he would've been the one to blame since he was also the one in charge of carrying it to the castle so, in the bat pony's mind, this was really the best option to use at the given time.

Chapter Seven

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Eight

Author's Note

And here it is, the moment we've all been waiting for- nope. Just kidding. There's no sex in this scene. Probably wont be for awhile, watch I'm going to break that lol. But seriously. I felt bad for not uploading for awhiel so I thought why not give you guys a treat.

Chapter Eight

Strawberry's Point of View

Saying the meeting was a nightmare would be an understatement. Caption Armor was not nice with his word choice one bit. He wasn't scared to tell the bat pony how he felt about the whole thing and it left Strawberry with an unforgiving taste in his mouth. Not knowing what to do made the stallion feel even worse. His mind raced but unless he wanted to disobey an order to return home than his hooves where tied. With saddle bag secured on his pony along with his armor, the young private looked over at his buddy who stood at the end of the station watching with those sky blues. Strawberry turned away as the train crawled itself to a stop as the scene played out in his mind.

Caption Armor was pacing back and forth in front of the Princess's bedroom door with a sour look plastered onto his face. Strawberry already knew he was in trouble for the broken window; which at the time, was what the pony thought the topic of conversation was about. That false-hood shattered when the Caption started on about how one pony could lose a vile from checkpoint A to checkpoint B and not notice it fell out of his bag. Strawberry tried to explain his side of the story but that only seemed much worse than if he had remained silent. The sound of the train's whistle jogged the bat pony from his memory signaling the fact that his time in the Crystal Empire was over; that it was time for him to head home where he was sure to catch another tongue lashing from his Princess of the Night. A deep sigh left his lips once he stepped into the train car along with him closing his eyes. Strawberry didn't know how he could still be a guard once he went home. Surely Princess Luna and Princess Celestia would be crossed that he failed and broke a window in the process,

"This was not how this mission was supposed to go..." the bat-pony mumbled under his shaky breath.

At the jolt of the train's motion, the Private started down the aisle towards his seat. Strawberry would be a laughing stock once he returned home and his commander caught wind about his actions in another Empire. Thankfully the sun has already set so at least the young stallion could ride the train in peace but he still felt lonely as the seat in front of him was empty. Strawberry wish there was more he could do to help, but sadly the only thing useful he knew of was that there was a third pony who got off the train with him and Sargent Maine, actually, he was pretty sure that she would've made it to the city only some odd minutes before them as she galloped along the trail. That's when it clicked. The mare's hoof prints never showed up near the entrance to the kingdom. He would've remembered seeing rushed and heavy prints with how much she of a hurry she was in. No, the guards would've seen her if she just came running in. Strawberry thought while his eyes star gazed out the window when another idea popped into his head,

"What if she never made it to the Empire-" he whispers standing up with haste, "She could be in the mountains!"

With a new fire in his steps, the Private made his way towards the back off the train. He didn't need to stop it as he hasn't made it to Cloudsdale yet so there was still time to fly his way back to the Crystal Empire. Strawberry couldn't believe that he was about to break an order. The first order he had received on his own and he was about to break it. Once he got to the caboose he made quick work on throwing the door open before leaping over the rail. He opened his wings to give one great thrust upwards, his hooves never touching the ground.

The sky was lovely tonight. The wind was perfect for a good long fly through the clouds-or so, they would be if Strawberry wasn't in such a hurry to get back to the Crystal Empire. It took a few hours to get to the Crystal Empire by flight but by Princess Luna did Strawberry manage it. His wings felt sore by the time he landed in the middle of a... water fountain. Quick glances around his hooves Strawberry groaned to himself. He must still be tired if he managed to also land in water instead of the ground like he aimed for. After he made his way out of the small pool of water, the bat pony began his journey to the castle barracks in hopes of finding some pony who will listen to his words. Maybe Maine is still up, that stallion always had trouble going to be when we were young and I stayed over.

Stopped just outside the door, the young stallion gave the thick wood just a quick push to allow himself entry into the large room. Some ponies had already made their peace with the night and drifted off to slumber in their beds. Strawberry tried his best to keep quiet with a few clinks here and there from his armor in the ocean of soft snores. The moonlight showed ever so gracefully through the windows. Their armors hung up or put into a chest in front of their beds. The Private stopped by the empty bed that he once used himself and unstrapped his boots to be left near the right hoof side of the mattress before he headed into the bathroom to freshen up. He didn't want to look too tired before he made his case of the mare fleeing into the mountains after stealing the medicine vial. With now, even more, quieter steps, Strawberry stepped into the barrack's facility which already had the lights turned on. He figured that a rookie forgot to turn them off so Strawberry really didn't pay very much mind to it.

Stepping up to a sink somewhere in the center Strawberry was just about to turn on the water when the sounds of metal being in mid-turn hit his ears. He wasn't alone in the bathroom. His heart raced as he jumped a little from the sudden noise behind him. His mind began to compete with his startled heart as hoof-steps followed the shut-off water. He needed to hide. He was already taking a big risk with him here instead of on the train ride home. Strawberry turned around to leave only to run straight into something hard and tumbled to the floor.

Warmth. That's what his muzzle felt. Was something warm, heavy, wet and smelled very much like pine. Fluttering his eyes open Strawberry quickly froze. He was not ready for the sight at laid out before him. The Private was muzzle deep into the one and only, Lieutenant Charter's crotch. His black, heavy set of balls rested peacefully on his nose and Strawberry wouldn't lie... Charter has a pretty big, and nice, pair. Feeling his entire face heat up this time he went to remove his muzzle when a deeply confused moan escaped the Lieutenant's mouth as he lifted his head while his shoulder where pressed against a bathroom stall. This was bad, Strawberry had to move but his eyes were locked onto the ripped, bulked, muscles that lay underneath that lilac coat of his. Charter had a strong, square jaw with a thick muzzle. On top of his head lay a wet unbrushed ruffle of light brown forelock that reached down an inch from his head. His chest lifted up and down with calm movements, but they wouldn't be calm for long as before Strawberry could make another move his sunset yellow eyes locked with Charter's reddish-orange orbs.

Chapter Nine

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Ten

Charter's Point of View

Waiting was never one of Charter's strong suit. He hated it. Waiting meant that at some point your objective is no longer in your range of chance. So when he was assigned to watch over Private Strawberry while he recovered from the wounds he gained, Charter groaned. Not only because the private did something so reckless but because he still couldn't get what happened in the bathroom out of his head. The images of the hours before hoof made his face heat up, made his blood rush and he almost craved for the Private's lips to be back down there but that was something he knew he couldn't afford. He didn't need these emotions, these desires. He was a Lieutenant and you don't climb ranks by sleeping other members of the guard. Even is he couldn't get Strawberry's eyes out of his mind, the way those yellow orbs that withhold sunsets or how sleek and feminine his body is with how it curves in just the right places.

A small voice forced Charter from his thoughts as his eyes focused down onto a nurse's own brown ones,

"He's ready if you'd like to go in, his wounds aren't very serious. Just a couple bruised ribs, a torn wing, and we've collected some blood samples from his teeth. It doesn't seem to be his but we've sampled it in case it matches the mark on the prisoner," with that she turned to walk away only to stop when Charter cleared his throat,

"What do you mean from his teeth?" the larger stallion asked.

The nurse stops to think for a minute before she turns around in order to face the guardpony,

"I mean, the blood from his teeth are most likely a match to the prisoner's bite mark on his neck. It's a pretty deep wound, even tore some flesh," she turned back to go check on the prisoner and this time Charter let her.

A bite mark? Strawberry bit the unicorn? Charter's mind took a minute to process the information. He's never heard of a bat-pony that drinks from other ponies, but then again he was unarmed so it was most likely a defensive measure. A couple of moments later and the Lieutenant knocked on the door before he walked in to find Strawberry sitting up on the bed with a bandage on his the right side of his muzzle, bandages wrapped around his chest and barrel while his left wing was bandaged shut. A bowl of apples sat on the nightstand next to his bed with one in his hoof. He was staring at it as if thinking about what juices lay inside.

Charter walked up to him as if not to disturb his thought process. The large stallion couldn't take his eyes off the smaller one. His heart fluttered once the bat-pony looked up from his apple to meet eyes with the Lieutenant who now stood at his the right side of his bed. Charter watched as a slight shade of red bridged across his face and felt the heat rise up to his face. The lilac pony cleared his throat while he kept his gaze on the stallion even though their eyes are no longer locked together due to Private Strawberry's face now focused on his apple. He didn't know what to say. Hey nice job! Charter shook his head, no that was too much his inner thoughts weren't much help either. Thankfully, it was Strawberry who spoke after Charter's second throat clear,

"I'm, I'm sorry for the bathroom incident and I know I disobeyed orders but I couldn't help but feel bad for what happened so I figured if I came back to give a description about the mare I saw that I could be more useful-" he was cut off by Charter's hoof being placed against his sore muzzle,

"Breath, Strawberry," the Lieutenant commented, "Just, breath,"

Charter watched as the private took two big breaths before he continued,

"I just wanted to help Princess Candance get better..." he allowed the rest to trail off.

Charter rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while Strawberry bit into the green apple only instead off taking a chunk out, the apple suddenly became shriveled and a gray scaled version of it's former self. He starred amazed at the sudden transformation. Sure he knew that bat-ponies eat differently yet he has never come to see one actually eat before. The lilac stallion reached up to remove his helm to reveal a mess of light brown hair slightly damped with sweat from his helm. He placed it upon the bed with a content sigh,

"Private Night-"

"Please," Private began, "Call me Strawberry,"

Charter was left a little conflicted. He's always called someone by their title and then last name; calling the private by his first name only felt slightly off for the stallion,

"Pr-Strawberry," he started before he swallowed his pride a little bit, "You did help," he continued which caught his attention from the next apple he was just about to bite into, "You helped catch one of the ponies who stole the vial of medicine; if it wasn't for you who knows how long it would've taken us to actually get this close to finding out who stole the vial and... and for that I'm sorry that you were almost sent home due to my lack of judgement in trusting a bat-pony from the Night Guard,"

Charter lowered his head as he left to the foot of the bed. He's never had to say he was wrong before so all this felt brand new to him and he didn't like just how vanulable he was. How could one simple stallion get over the walls he put up by just being there. His heart was beating hard within his chest as if it was trying to break out from his ribcage. Charter didn't know what to do with these new feelings that began to bloosm inside himself. It wasn't until an apple bounced off his head and rolled along the floor did the lilac stallion snap himself out of his daze to find a curious Strawberry with his head tiled in a cute way that made his eyes shine even brighter in the moonlight that bled through the windows. It was as if he was looking into pools of gold reflecting the sunlight in those orbs. Charter took a deep breath in before he shook head to clear away any unnecessicary thoughts from slipping through his lips,

"Earth to Lieutenant," Strawberry cooed with a wave of his right hoof, "Did you hear me?" his words fell upon deaf ears.

The Lieutenant quickly shook his head as he tried to compile some kind of response,

"Ss-sorry-" he quickly cleared his throat a third time, "I had things on my mind. Now that I know you're doing well. I have a prisoner to interagate bout his partner in crime," was all he said before Charter forced himself to tear away from the smaller stallion on the bed before he could say anything that would truely embarass him.

Once he was out of the medical ward, Charter gave the silent order for the two other guardponies to take root in front of the door. Strawberry already took off once and broke a window in the process. He doesn't need him to end up back into the hospital wing or else, six hooves under. Pushing those thoughts and images to the side the lilac stallion quickly began his way to the dungeon where he had to see the face of the stallion who decided to attack a fellow guard, no, not just any guard... he attacked Strawberry and was ready to strike him down. A glare formed on his face as he made his way down the hallway.

Chapter Eleven

Maine's Point of View

Slamming his head into his hooves right outside the door to the holding cells, Maine groaned in aggravation. He couldn't get the other stallion to crack. Maine needed to get information out of him but he knows how to hold his tongue no matter what the white unicorn threw his way. His brain hurt. The stallion just wouldn't shut up about how close he was to his kill and that only made things worse because Maine could feel his fury build up. He almost killed Strawberry and the bastard has the nerve to joke about it as if it was a simple game. Slowly, he began to pace in front of the door. He could still hear that annoying chuckle from the stallion and it honestly made him feel ill.

A noise that sounded like a pony clearing their throat caught Maine's attention. Aster stood in front of him with a concerned look on her face,

"Not talking I take it?" she commented as she stepped forward.

Maine simply just shook his head. He didn't know what to say. His friend was in the hospital wing, the stallion was refusing to speak and his mission was getting more complex by the moment. They've been here for more than a few days now and they haven't come any closer in completing their goal. Yes, they have a pony in custody but that doesn't help anyone if they can't get him to speak! Maine was in the middle of a smack to the wall with his head when a hoof stopped him in mid-smack. Maine opened his eyes to find Aster's eyes upon him with deeper concern. She didn't need to say anything to know what she would tell him he's getting too emotional but he couldn't help it. His friend was injured. Hell his friend almost died. The white unicorn was not ready to go back and face the stallion who turned his friend's almost death experence into a fucking joke so he decided that he should go visit Strawberry inside the hospital wing of the crystal castle.

The white unicorn walked silently down the hallway with Aster disappearing into the door that lead to the holding cells. Maine felt low. Images popped up into head of what could've happened to Strawberry is he hadn't intervined and it scared the fully grown stallion. He could've lost his childhood friend. Someone Maine could always count on when he needed someone and he needed someone to tell him what to do; someone who could explain to him why the events unfolded like they did. Tell him why someone would want the princess to get sick. The theft of the medicine vial, the stallion who was ready to kill at a moments notice. Nothing lined up to him, even now as he rounded a corner had nothing made sense. Everything was crazy complex for such a simple drop off mission. He and Strawberry should already be back home telling the others about how beautiful the Crystal Empire was.

Once outside the hospital wing's door Maine made quick work in pushing the door open but when he did something hit him, something sweet and musical. He walked down the hallway only a couple steps when the sound of singing came within his ear shot getting his attention. Maine wasted no time in the walk to find the source of this voice when he stopped right outside his friend's room. As he got closer he could hear the voice get sweeter until it sounded like a deep and beautiful mare's voice from behind Strawberry's door. The white unicorn softly pushed the door open to find Strawberry perched up in the window seal with the window wide open with his back to the wall, one leg hanging out while his hooves rest in his lap. His head was turned so he was looking out the window yet his mind seemed to be else where. Maine carefully stepped into the room. He tried to be silent even though he was still wearing his armor; he noted that Strawberry's was by his bed neatly tucked in place by the nightstand, his helm resting comfortably on top next to the lamp.

Maine sat down near the hoof of Strawberry's bed. His ears still tuned in on the stallion's angellic voice. The unicorn was dumb-struck as his friend's gift for he only knew Strawberry to be an overexcited bat-pony who was clumsy in the daylight, yet, here he was just singing to himself as if his wounded wing was merely a stratch. Maine slightly tilted his head as he tried to remember the name of the song that Strawberry was singing but he couldn't get it passed the tip of his tongue. So, instead, he just focused on the words that came from his friend's lips,

"Moon river~ wider than a mile~!

I'm crossing you in style someday~

My dream maker~

You heartbreaker~"

Maine let out a small "wow" in the hopes that he was quiet but the fates had another idea and thus Strawberry's song ended with him falling out of the window seal and onto the bedroom's floor with a soft thud. The unicorn hurried over to help his friend sit up without anymore harm to his injured ribs or wing,

"Whoa, sorry I didn't mean to scare you, Berry," Main said once the bat-pony was on his hooves.

"I-I'm fine, just didn't hear you come in that's all," Strawberry managed to stutter out as he straightened out his hospital gown.

"I didn't know you could sing," Maine commented as he stepped in front of his friend.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," the bat-pony quickly looked away from the unicorn as a shade of pinkish red formed a bridge along his muzzle.

"Wha-Berry that was incrudible singing! I mean the song sounded familiar but I still enjoyed it," the white stallion replied slightly taken back that Strawberry tried to play it off.

Maine's brows burrowed together as he tried to understand Strawberry's silence. The bat-pony refused to continue with the topic so maine decided to shake his head in defeat before he started a new topic. He came here to offer some comfort after all so why not do just that. Maine sat down by the bed once again while Strawberry laid down careful of his injuries so he didn't hurt himself further. Eventually the room was filled with laughter as the two spoke of the old days. Back they were foals and everything was just about how to squeeze in play time. Of course Maine decided that this was a good time to bring up the time they met which in turn caused Strawberry to blush wildly at that.

* * * * * * * * *

Maine's Point of View

The white colt's eyes went wide at the size of his ice cream cone. His mother had just bought it for him sense he aced his math test and boy was he ready to devour it. Maine was about to take a bite when something bumped into him and his nose dived muzzle first into the cone while taking himself down with it. He could hear a few gasps before they turned into chuckles. The young unicorn opened his eyes to find a pair of sunset yellow orbs locked with his own. He slowly stood up to find that the other colt's fur was black as midnight, his hair was neptune blue and was cut into a short do with his forlocks still long enough to cover his forehead. Maine watched as the foal stood up to find that he was his height only he had wings, but they weren't like any pegasus wings he's seen before, in fact, they didn't even have feather on them. They where made of skin and with looked like bones.

Maine stepped back to allow the foal to check himself over. Maine was speechless. The black foal's ears looked different than his, but what really made him quiet was the foal's teeth. For there sat two baby fangs. The unicorn foal quickly took cover behind his mother who laughed at her son's behavior but he watched the foal carefully forgetting about the fact his icecream was knocked off his nose by his sudden movement. Maine was sure that this foal was sick, no other pegasus looked like him,

"What is it, Maine?" his mother asked in her best soothing voice.

"W-What's wrong with hi-" Maine never finished his question for the weird foal had gotten closer in his curiousity.

Maine's mother let out another chuckle before she looked over at the foal and spoke as kindly as possible,

"Hello dearie, what's your name?"

The black foal looked up at her for a minute before he looked back down at the unicorn who was using his mother's legs as a hiding post. Maine peeked out with a curious tilt to his posture. The white unicorn wanted to know as well, even though he was still scared of his fangs. No normal pony ever had fangs as far as he remembered,

"M-My name is Stwawberry, Stwawberry Nightshade," he said with a the softest voice Maine had ever heard.

Maine's mother stepped aside to allow Strawberry by but the only time he moved was to step closer to the unicorn who was frozen in place. Why was his mother so calm. This pony obviously needed some help with his featherless wings. Maine cleared his throat as Strawberry stopped moving. It was his turn to say something but he didn't know what it should be so instead his picked up the icecream cone and placed it firmly onto the othe foal's forehead while some of it got into his forelock. The young unicorn started laughing which in turn caused the other one to begin as well. Both colts just stood there and laughed for a few minutes before the white held out his hoof,

"Hello there Strawberry, my name is Maine, Maine Crusher,"

Author's Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXhhdNL05sY For those who want to know where the lyrics came from, it's from the song called Moon River orignially sung by the singer Andy Williams.. or at least that's what google says, I first heard it in the game Bayonetta 2 and fell in love with it since. That and I wanted to show that Strawberry did have a special talent prior to joining up in the Guard Ranks but if you guys liked the story please let me know in the comments below. Side Note, I had to redo this chapter three times before I got it right once was because grammerly stopped working so i refreshed not thinking about it than the second time was because I didn't like where I was going and it didn't quite make sense, at least to me but I wrote this note long enough, enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

Aster's Point of View

Aster sighed as she entered the barracks. Today has been a long day with the Captain of the Guard. Mr. Shining Armor was furious with his training today and since she was only a private she was destined to her training until her older brother who could focus on the missin vial instead of the duties he had before hoof. Thankfully there weren't many mares in the Crystal Guard so the barracks weren't crowded when she entered. Aster took off her helm to shake out her shoulder length rose pink mane that fell straight down and then did big curls at the end. Her royal purple coat was almost matted from her sweat so a shower was in order before she could get some rest for tomorrow. She planned on going to the shops for Private Nightshade since he got laid up in the hospital, just something for his troubles. By the time Aster made it to her bunk she had already stripped off her armor and turned to go into the showers when a knock at the door compelled her to stop.

She groaned as she turned around as she was the only mare in the barracks at this time. Aster opened the door to find a sight before her that took her breath from her lungs, her brother stood before her with a defeated look on his face but when she went to open her mouth to ask what bothered him he simply shoved passed her as he began his rant about the prisoner Strawberry, with the guard's help, had recently caught,

"It's like he thinks he's funny. He doesn't care about what kind of stuff I throw his way and trust me when I say that I almost left hooked him a couple of times the way he talked about Strawberry, the nerve of that colt with how he thinks about the lifes of other ponies-"

"Charter wha-" she was cut off as he threw his helm down onto an empty cot while he began to pace in a circle around his sister,

"He won't even answer a single question about why he stole the vial or why he attacked Strawberry. The very fact that he almost killed the bat-pony only made him exciteded! And don't-"

"Brother stop!" she orders placing her hooves on his shoulders to keep him in place and to get him to stop his rant, "One thing at a time, please,"

Her brother took a deep breath in before he sighed. He looked down before he looked back at her,

"How could somepony be so careless," Charter said with low words.

Aster was confused. Why would Charter care so much for a prisoner. Thats when he clicked in her head, if he wasn't talking about the stallion in the dungeon than that means,

"Private Nightshade, you-you care about him don't you?" she asked after she took her arms from his shoulders.

Her green eyes locked onto her brother's orangish-yellow ones to but his fell to the floor again. He looked lost and she was beginning to understand why. The last time her brother thought he found someone was when they where younger, but it turns out the mare didn't feel for him like he did her. It broke her brother and she thought he turned off those feelings... she now guesses that she was wrong, by Celestia's sun does she wish she was. Aster swallowed a little lump in her throat while she waited for her brother to answer but he simply just turns his head away from her,

"Brother, it's-it's okay to say you care about somepony else. I don't think its a bad thing to care," she cooed at him but he simply just shook his head,

"He nearly got himself killed!" Charter finally roared, "How can I care about somepony so reckless!"

"Private Nightshade did his job, he followed a lead that got us one step closer to the medicine vial for Princess Cadance! I would hardly call him reckless! Besides You and Sergeant Crusher got to him just in time to play knights in shining armor!"

"That's not the point, Aster, what would've happened if Sergeant Crusher come get me when he found out there was trouble in that part of the Empire?" he shook his head again, "The colt doesn't think of himself when he puts himself out there! He isn't like us yet he put took off to find Sergeant Crusher in the daylight when he's nocturnal and should only be awake when Luna raises the moon. He scared me when I found him with the spear through his wing, I don't know why but it made my heart skip a beat!"

Aster could feel her cheeks heat up. Her brother was simply pent up and he was taking it out on her. She wasn't the root of his problems. She wasn't the pony he needed to have a conversation with. Aster puffed her cheeks while her brother once again went into a rant about how Strawberry was reckless and nearly got himself killed. She was keeping count about how many times Charter called the Private by his first name instead of by his title. Something he rarely did when it came to somepony other than herself. She was almost at her wits end with her brother's rant when her ears picked up something in her brother's words that forced her to take a step back. Aster couldn't believe it. Without actually tell her what he felt he told her what he had felt at the moment of the Private's distress and that was all she needed to know,

"Apples," she stated loud enough after she let lose a small chuckle.

Her brother stopped mid rant to look her at in confusion,

"W-what, apples? Why would you say apples at a time when I-"

"Brother, trust me. He's part bat part pony, get him some juicy apples from the market tomorrow. I'll help the Sergeant in the search for the vial," she says while she walks over to the bunk her brother threw the helm on, she picks it up before heading back over to him and before he could reply she puts it on his head so it covers his eyes on purpose,

"A-apples, but-"

"Trust me dear brother, get some fresh apples. Dress nicely and meet me by the fountain in the middle of town square tomorrow before I have to do my drills," was all she ordered of her brother before she opened the door for him to take his leave,

"I-I am confused, what kind of apples do I even get!" was his reply as he walked over to her before he stepped out the door.

Aster could only let out a snort before her chuckle this time. She loved how much this flustered her brother. The mare looked at her brother before she shook her head. If she was to play this just right, than maybe her brother will be singing a different tune by tomorrow night. Hopefully the cards were in her field. Aster took a breath into her lungs before she opened her mouth,

"Charter, I love you and I promise if you meet me tomorrow before drill I will have your answers... don't forget the apples," and with that she shut the door in her brother's face before he could even think of a response.

If everything falls into place then it won't just be her brother finally getting laid-which he needed no doubt about it he hasn't had any action since he was a young colt in school and even then the mare only used him before she threw him out to the curb. Aster had positive vibes towards Private Strawberry though. Something about the bat-pony told her that Charter picked the right one this time and hopefully he could help her with his friend. That white unicorn was deffintly doing something for her and she needed to know if she had a shot because if she did she was going to take it with a burning fire. She couldn't help herself. It's been awhile for both of the siblings. Granted she's never really dated anyone before and that she was slowly developing her crush as she went along her day but something inside her told her to at least try. That she needed to go for it or pass it up to chance.

Aster walked over to the restroom. She didn't want to give anyone else the option to knocking on her door. It's been along day and she wanted to shower before she hit the hay. It was late. The moon was full and she knew that Strawberry had an early morning as well. Turning on the showers she practically moaned when the hot water hit her body. She could feel her body begin to unknot itself while she hummed to herself, she wasn't the best singer in the world but she needed to do something while she showered. Once everything was washed she turned off the shower and began to dry herself off. Aster huffed as she left the towel drop next to her bed before she simply fell into it. Tomorrow was going to be a day for fun, they could use that after everything that's happened. Then she'll allow the boys to continue their mission, she sadly wasn't assigned to it so her duties called her away but that doesn't mean she can't help in other ways. The mare slowly closed her eyes at the thought of Sergeant Crusher and what he possibly looked outside of his armor.

Author's Note

Heyo how ya doin? Sorry for the wait but I figured I'd do a fluff chapter, or at least two for the hurt I'll be throwing down the line. Don't worry, they still get their happy ending but who? Dun dun duuuuuun. In all honesty though I do want to thank you guys for reading, adding to the track list or shelves it means so much to me that you love this as much as I do and this piece even got two more likes! Whoa! I love ya guys too!

Chapter Thirteen

Charter's Point of View

If anyone asked Charter what it was like to have a younger sibling he'd have to say annoying. He watched as his sister fussed over his black shirt which he figured was a good fit for simply going to the market for some apples, red flannel that's tied around his hips and his hair that he refused to style. His black shirt was slim fitting to his large frame with short sleeves and a low "v" shape collar. He was still confused as to why or even how she got him a day off but she was sure that he'd enjoy it. Charter moved around the barracks to try and get around his sister but it failed as she simply followed while she tried to play with his mane. He tried to swat his freshly trimmed tail at her but it was no use for she simply brushed it off. Aster smirked before she let out a small giggle. Charter looked at her only to have her avoid his gaze,

"Come on, brother!" she whined at the fifth attempt at brushing his mane that he swiftly avoided by a quick sidestep, "You can't just let your hair be all messy like you've just woken up!"

The lilac stallion chuckled before he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. His sister was being weird this morning. Sure she was rushing him to get ready for the market, even going as far as to wake him up two hours before she even had to be but he could at least have some fun with it by making her late surely. Charter gave himself a once over with a smile to make sure he got his teeth to his laziest potential. The moment he stepped out of the bathroom he was met with a fully suited up Aster who was checking him out. Something in her eyes made him feel uneasy. She was looking at him as if she had a full plan going in motion but before he could ask her about she shushed him up,

"Now remember, you're going to the market for apples, you don't have to come back right away obviously- you have today off from drills and the whole vial situation- but please don't mess this up it was hard enough to get the doctors to re-" she paused once she realized what she was going to say which caused Charter to narrow his eyes with a head tilt.

She quietly muttered under her breath before she swallowed it down her throat,

"I swear Aster if I find out that this is another prank I will double you-"

"Oh hush up and get a move on, you'll be late for the really good apples!" and with that said Charter watched her leave the male barracks.

The market wasn't terribly far from the castle but it was just far enough that Charter got turned around once due to him almost never leaving his barracks. Now if this was a bar visit than by all means he could find it blindfolded and backward but it wasn't. His sister made him get all dressed up as if he had a hot date to go, shopping. The older sibling sighed heavily. His sister had to be the most annoying pony he's ever met. Demanding apples before she goes to her drill. Thankfully there was a nice breeze coming through the empire today so the weather was pretty peaceful.

Once at the market Charter decided he should probably grab his sister more than just apples. After all, she can't have a balanced diet with only those. He walked up to the first stall he saw with produce and began his hunt for food. Charter bought a couple of carrots and put them in his brown saddle bag he and Aster share when one of them goes to the market. Normally Aster is the one who actually does all the shopping since she's the one who keeps their childhood home under tabs. Charter hasn't been back there since his father left the family. Sure he misses his mother but it's worth being the guardpony of the family... even if he might never make his father very proud.

Charter quickly shook his head before he bit into one of his carrots while he continued to stroll around the market that was slowly coming to life. He had to admit that today was a nice day for him to go for a walk. He walked up to a couple of other stalls to see what they had for sale. The third one he went to had strawberries that looked plump and juicy. Charter couldn't help but lick his lips at the sight when his mind began to wonder to a certain strawberry that was laid up in the hospital. He could still remember how he looked the first time he met him. So fragile, so tired that he could barely walk with the group. Charter looked up from his position at the sound of somepony clearing his throat. The bigger stallion felt his face begin to heat up as he quickly placed some bits down in order for him to buy a small bag of berries and scurry away from the stall to avoid any more embarrassment but he wasn't that lucky, for once he made his way away from the berry stand Charter froze on the spot. Standing in front of him stood the one pony who's been tearing at the back of his mind.

Private Strawberry stood in front of the water fountain wearing a light grey jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of black slim sunglasses upon his face. Charter was confused. Strawberry still had two more days in the hospital before he could return to duty, what was he doing out in the middle of the market for? That's when Charter remembered that Aster said something about the doctors releasing something only it wasn't just something, his sister planned for Strawberry to be here. Charter took a deep breath in before he gathered up his wits and started forward, two can play this game, little sister he commented as he approached the bat-pony who seemed to be enjoying the view of the sun reflecting off the water. Once Charter got to the stallion he quietly cleared his throat before he spoke,

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" he asked but the only answer he got in return was a gasp as Strawberry swirled around with a terrified look on his face,

"Ah!" the younger male cried before a shade of red edged itself along his face bridging his cheeks.

Charter placed a hoof on his shoulder to steady the poor colt as his chest heaved in and out. He mentally slapped himself. Maybe he should've done a louder approach so he didn't scare the poor kid next time he was just released from the hospital after all,

"Hey, hey" Charter cooed at him his hoof still on his shoulder, "It's okay Strawberry, it's me,"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you'd be here, most of the ponies have left me alone so far," the kid's breaths still had some trouble with his structure but the lieutenant was sure that he'd be fine after awhile.

"You're fine, Strawberry, what are you doing out here anyway?" he asked with a quick look around as he tried to look anywhere but down at the stallion before him so he wasn't caught staring, "It's morning out, thought you bat-ponies hated the sunlight?"

Strawberry laughed slightly at his question which caused Charter to look even more confused. The bat-pony shook his head before he adjusted his sunglasses,

"Aster said that since I was in the hospital and not cleared for a few days that I should go out and find the gift shops and since you and Maine saved me from being turned into another crime scene I thought that I would get you something in return, y-you know as a 'thank-you' s-since you helped but now that you're here-," he stopped once he noticed a small detail which caused him to blush much harder, "Huh, Charter?"

Strawberry slowly looked away then back at the lilac stallion before he began to realize that he wasn't paying attention. His face fell before he cleared his throat and tried again but his words fell onto deaf ears. Strawberry tried waving a hoof in front of his face but it didn't help Charter's mind was a mess. Charter had to blink a few times. So his sister really did set this up but what he couldn't figure out was why. His mind tried to put everything together but there were still pieces missing from the puzzle. He didn't like it when she did stuff like this. Charter didn't realize just how much time he was thinking about his sister and her games until Strawberry slowly removed his hoof from his shoulder. He had completely forgotten to remove it before hoof so there was another mental slap to the face. The stallion quickly tried to find his words but nothing would come out, his tongue was tied. He watched as Strawberry was about to turn away from him and his body went into over-drive before he lost his chance,

"S-Strawberry wait!" he finally broke only this time he placed both hooves on his shoulders, "I-uh, I want-" his throat started to dry up as he felt his heartbeat begin to quicken up, "I want to come with you," he forced himself to get it together.

The smile on Strawberry's face made it worth it. The larger stallion's knees felt like Jell-O as he watched Strawberry jump excitedly. One thing was for sure, Charter needed to get somethings straightened out when he gets back to the barracks. He couldn't keep getting like this every time the bat-pony was around. Something could go wrong in so many ways. He put his front hooves back down before the two of them set off to find the gift shops for the private to gather his gifts. The larger pony watched the smaller one as they made their way through the crowds. A smile crept onto his muzzle the more his eyes rested upon the bat-pony. Strawberry was excited about almost anything the older colt showed him. It wasn't until Charter escorted Strawberry to a nearby shop for pillows did he see it. It was a round berry shaped pillow with a green trim on the top and yellow fabric sewn into the red one with care.

Charter looked back at his friend to make sure he wasn't paying attention before he placed the pillow onto the counter, along with a few plain white ones for his bed back at the barracks. His ears perked up when he heard a sweet giggle come from behind him, he turned around to find Strawberry fine-tuned onto something at a nearby stall. With his curiosity peaked the stallion made his way over to his friend when the bat-pony spun around and smacked straight into Charter. This time though he caught himself and neither of them hit the ground, although Charter found himself smirking at the memory of Strawberry's face bur- No, no, nonono, I need to focus the stallion scolded himself because he was in public which was a terrible place to have those thoughts. Thoughts that were fighting to get rooted deeper into his brain. Charter was sure that something was wrong with him. He couldn't possibly be falling for this pony,

"Sorry, I didn't scare you again did I?" he asked bending down to pick up the bat-pony's glasses that had fallen to the floor but when he went to hand them over he stopped.

Strawberry's sunset yellow eyes had locked with Charter's and he felt himself drown inside them. It was crazy to think that this day could bring so much emotion to the two ponies. He was about to say something when he saw that Strawberry stepped closer and his body complied. Charter didn't know what to do. He felt lost but it didn't feel wrong. His mouth went dry again. Strawberry's mouth slightly parted as he got closer to the lieutenant whose heart was beating so fast in his chest that he thought it would burst,

"N-No, you didn't..." he trailed off.

The two stallions moved even closer together their chest nearly touched. Nearly for before they had a chance to do anything else Charter suddenly felt something grab his shoulders from in front of him and pull him down. His legs were so shaky that they gave out without his command. His eyes shot open as he snapped out of it to find Strawberry curled up around his head. Wicked laughter broke out followed by a yellow beam of light that nearly hit Strawberry's left shoulder. It was like everything got suddenly turned back on. Charter could hear the screams of ponies as they made their way from the stall that the two stallions were just standing at moments ago. He quickly shook off Strawberry's arms as he stood up to look around. There stood a midnight-black mare on top of a building across the street with a deep rose red mane that flowed in the wind she was currently summoning with her horn that glowed a sickly yellow.

Charter helped Strawberry up who seemed to have some trouble with his still bandaged wing. His ribs must have not felt too great after that stunt. The larger colt took his place by Strawberry's side ready for another beam but it didn't come. Instead, the mare threw out another laugh before she summoned a lightning strike down that forced the two to jump away from each other,

"So sorry to interrupt this... date, but I believe its time for me and my brother to have a chat!" the mare called down to the street but Charter couldn't believe his ears, brother?

Strawberry limped over and stood before the lilac colt before he could make a move,

"Blu!" The bat-pony called out as the wind began to pick up more, "What are you doing here?"

"What? A sister can't stop by to catch up with her baby brother?" she responded with false hurt in her words that made Strawberry narrow his eyes in response.

Charter looked back and forth between the two. They looked as though they could've been twins beside for Strawberry having wings and this Blu character having a horn. Charter was confused. Why would Strawberry's sister be on the top of the building, why would she come all the way out here and start throwing magic around in a public area? So many questions filled his head while the two of them locked eyes with each other, the only thing that made sense was that Strawberry was not happy about this greeting by the way his face looked. He looked upset, scared, and anger all in one. He was about to throw out the question of what she wanted when something exploded in the background. The lieutenant tore his eyes away from the mare to find smoke coming from the castle area, No, he thought before he turned back to find her gone from her rooftop.

The two guardponies quickly turned their heads as they looked around but it wasn't until Strawberry cry out in pain did they find her again. This time she was on the street while Strawberry laid on the ground next to Charter yellow electricity bouncing around from limb to limb. The mare went to step forward but stopped when she finally took notice of the larger colt,

"My my," she began her red curls bouncing in the wind that was still hanging around, "My brother sure does know how to pick his colts doesn't he?"

"Private Nightshade asked you a question!" Charter sneered, he wasn't just going to let her go after she assaulted his friend.

She reared back with distaste on her face. Charter figured she simply didn't like his answer as she looked between Strawberry and himself. He just lifted his leg up when she fired off another beam of light which he dodged before he charged forward. Once he was close enough he threw the first punch but was quickly met with a shield before she fired a beam straight into his stomach that only managed to throw him backward. Blu looked at him in shock but before she could fire off another spell a plan quickly formed into her mind, she quickly teleported during Charter's tackle allowing him to hit the dirt while she reappeared next to her brother who remained tazed on the ground,

"The young private and I... need a little chat!" she cooed at the bigger stallion who roared at her in response.

Charter charged forward again but he was too slow. A black sphere quickly swallowed the two ponies and disappeared into the ground before he could reach them,

"Strawberry!" he screamed into the open air but it was useless now.

Private Strawberry, was gone.

Author's Note

Okay, so I may have gone overboard with the length of this chapter but trust me, the slow burn is worth it. Now I don't know if this is hard to follow or not but I wanted to try something different with this story since it's my first mlp fanfiction. As always, thank you for reading and be sure to comment down below what you thought of this chapter!

Chapter Fourteen

Author's Note

For Warning!

This was a very emotional chapter for me to write as I had to picture my poor baby like this, but don't worry, you get to see more of his siblings soon enough! Will Charter come to his rescue once again? What happened at the castle? Tune in for the next Chapter!

Chapter Fourteen

Strawberry's Point of View

The sounds of clinking metal were the cause for the bat-pony's ears to perk up. His head hurt and felt hot while his limbs felt like complete liquid but when his eyes painfully fluttered open to find nothing but empty darkness or at least that's all he could make out from his muddy vision. Getting tazed was not fun. Even as a foal he hated his sister for always tazing him in order to win at anything. Strawberry sluggishly tried to move his arms but he couldn't seem to find the strength. He found that he could move his legs and open his wings but he couldn't move his arms. He could feel them being spread outward but his movement was limited so he took it that he was suspended above the floor, or ground, though he would bet his last bits that he was inside. A loud slam caused the young stallion to jump in his shackles to be answered by somepony making 'tsk' noises.

Strawberry tried his best to look around but his vision was still clouded combined with the dark filled void that he assumed was a room. The tune of the voice was familiar though. It was even worse than his older sister, it was the voice that told him just what room he had been chained in... and it was one that made him extremely nervous with very good reasons. He swallowed the lump in his throat and cleared the foggy thoughts from his mind,

"Raspberry," was all he could say before a slap came to his face followed by a rag stuffed into his mouth,

"Sorry, my workers are new and apparently thought I wanted to hear your screams," the other stallion said along with the sounds of something thick hitting the floor, "You were the last person I wanna do this to, so let's not make this... too difficult," his words cut deep into the bat-pony's heart.

He knew that Raspberry meant every word but he also knew that the pony was good at his good, he knew when to turn the emotions off and let the professional side of him out. Strawberry closed his eyes to try and dry up the tears. They had no value in this place. He was back home after all. He disobeyed, fled, and joined the other team. Like father wanted. He knew that Blueberry was upset by him leaving, but she never stopped him. After mother passed the leadership down to Raspberry, he had to; however, now he was about to feel just how upset Raspberry truly is,

"As the eldest sibling, I do hate to have to do this, my dear, baby brother," his voice seemed as though it was a little shaky and that's how the younger bat-pony knew, death would be but a cruel, teasing mistress.

Pain. That's all Strawberry could feel as the first strike slashed his side. He quickly closed his eyes for he wished not to watch as his oldest brother began his work. His bite his tongue back from the screams that would be muffled. He wasn't about to let his brother win at this game because that's all it was to the older bat-pony, a sick game to try and make the target scream but with each scream, Raspberry would only make things worse. A few more slashes cut his skin. More pain echoed through his body. Strawberry sent a prayer to Princess Luna for maybe she could hear his internal cries, for if she really cared for all her subjects than she would truly send him help and that's when his mind flashed back to Charter. He jerked as something hot suddenly laid flat against the flat of his hooves. Strawberry tried to jerk his hooves back but his arms wouldn't move. He had to bite back another scream as the lilac stallion lingered in his mind.

He could remember just how close they were. Their chest nearly touching-another round of something hard and hot suddenly went across his stomach, he groaned in agony as he began to taste copper in his mouth-how close their mouths almost came to touch. Strawberry wished he could go back, he wishes he could've taken the chance to show Charter how he felt for the stallion but now he realized, he was too late. The truth about his family was now revealed and he was for sure that Charter will shun him. Something stabbed into Strawberry's left thigh but instead of getting torn out easily it stuck and tore a little as his brother let it settle in place. The black stallion's eyes rushed open as the tears came down in steady streams, a silent cry tore through him as his leg was suddenly jerked upward in a violent fashion. The pain burned its way through his entire body with such force that he was positive that it would tear off on its own accord, then suddenly it dropped down to allow him to sway slightly. He could hear the pony sigh right beside him. He looked around with watery eyes to find most of his vision back and he sorely wished it wasn't.

Bloodied instruments hung on the walls of all kinds of wicked. Raspberry much of upgraded from the doctor of the family to just straight up torture. Strawberry looked at his brother and the tears began to flow once again. His brother was taller than him, almost Charter's height with a smaller build than Maine yet it was more defined than Strawberry's very own. His fur was coal-black, his mane was trimmed down into a thick messy spiked mohawk of iris-purple with a goatee that was long enough to be tied with tan string. He still wore his wire-trimmed glasses upon his roundish face. Raspberry wore a torn look on his face once sunset orange eyes locked with his golden yellow ones. Raspberry held a freshly bloodied knife in his right hoof as a triggered mask slowly formed on his face,

"Stop, stop that!" he said sternly with another slash of his knife but Strawberry never broke eye contact.

The older bat-pony snarled before he threw down the knife,

"I-" he threw a punch to Strawberry's face, "said-" another punch, "to stop!" a third punch that completely broke the young bat-pony's nose and caused him to cough up blood, but still he never looked away from his brother with big, round eyes filled with terror and pain.

Raspberry's chest rose and fell as he began to sweat. Tears began to fill his eyes before he turned around in order to kick something metallic over spilling its watery contents all over the floor. A fire was burning in the fireplace to Strawberry's right, it must have been used to heat up one of his brother's tools. Strawberry kept his eyes locked upon his brother's back as the older pony began to thrash around the room. He was screaming something inaudible during his tantrum, one he must have been holding back because his final act was to double slam the wooden table a dead body lay upon and break it in half,

"I-You-" he slowly turned around his glasses so close to falling off, "Abandoned us, me... we needed you! Mother up and left us!" he snarled as he placed around hoof forward, "Father, it was all his fault... you stole you, kidnapped you!" Raspberry slowly spread his wings open inch by inch.

Strawberry knew his brother would be upset, but he didn't think he would've blamed father. It wasn't his father's fault, he wanted to go with him, begged even. It was their mother who drew him to that night. After she returned, she was never the same. The events of Nightmare Moon's return sent her down a path Strawberry couldn't follow. He remembers that night well. He found his father packing up his things with a ticket to Canterlot on his parent's bed. The foal had enough of his mother's "training" in how to hurt others, how to fight or use magic-in Blueberry's case-for the sack of Nightmare Moon. She twisted his siblings into her dark world but Strawberry didn't fit. Strawberry was snapped back into reality when his brother suddenly launched himself at him with his wings he tore out the cloth from his baby brother's mouth as he pressed his muzzle against his bruised and blooded one. Strawberry could now smell, no taste the liquor from his brother's rapid breaths,

"That's what happened, it's got to be what happened because-" he slowly pulled his head back, "You would never have abandoned me, us, your family to follow some-some traitor!" Raspberry's voice was deep, it held so little room for Strawberry to answer honestly.

The two brothers grew silent for a minute before the eldest one shook the later violently. He said nothing only banged his head against Strawberry's as he began to sob which caused the younger to wince. Strawberry didn't like where this was going but he couldn't lie either, he was terrible at it and his brother knew it-drunk or not. Still, what words could he say? His brother had a job to do either way and he knew that his time was limited. Raspberry buried his head into his brother's neck as he continued to sob; the only noise that came out of his brother's mouth was a sudden intake of air as something suddenly pierced the left side of his stomach. Strawberry looked down as Raspberry looked up to meet his gaze and with a broken, tear-filled smile said,

"Welcome home, Strawberry Nightshade," his words fell on deaf ears as he removed his knife from his brother's body with a sudden jerk.

Strawberry watched with blurring vision as his brother started his walk backward. Their eyes never unlocking. Raspberry looked as though he couldn't be prouder while Strawberry fought to keep his eyes open. It was a losing battle as his vision was slowly swallowed up by the blackness followed by the sound of laughter slowly dying out.

Chapter Fifthteen

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.

Chapter Sixteen

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Seventeen

Maine's Point of View

Warm. That's all Maine could use to describe how he feels in this moment and the second his eyes fluttered open was the second the warmth faded away into the brightness of the sun. The white unicorn groaned as he placed his hooves to his head. A soft pain throbbed all over and his body was scolding him that he needed to lay still with sleep being one big demand. Maine studied around the small crystalline room to find only his bed, a tray by the hoof of the bed, and a few monitors by his head that made really vexatious beeps into his right ear. The unicorn gave the room look over only to find a nurse pony in mid-stride over to the end of his bed. When did she get in here? he asked himself but made no movement as if she hadn't noticed he was awake. Everything was a little fuzzy and he didn't know if his voice would work the way he wanted it to, or at least the way he hoped it would since it was mid-afternoon when the magic bomb went off and the sunlight looked as though the sun was just rising.

The unicorn watched the nurse for a little bit as she checked the room, replaced a couple of the roses that sat in a vase at the base of the bed- Maine doesn't remember those being there before hoof -and then came back to the clipboard all while she whistled some kind of offbeat tune, then again after he found out his childhood friend had the voice of angels anything compared to it sounded off.

A sudden flashback to the prisoner escort caused the unicorn to flinch as the memories came back as if they were flash cards. The yellow unicorn, his words about how Strawberry was tied to the whole thing and about how they should have just let the stallion kill the bat-pony. Maine growled slightly at the throbbing pain in his head while it grew from the memory's sudden violent arrival. He tried to wave down the nurse but it was like he was see-through. Maine settled on clearing his throat but it hurt once the deed was done so he knocked a hoof against the metal railing of his bed. The nurse looked up from her charts with big blue eyes. A look of shock was framed on her face. She looked down at the chart then back up at Maine who was now in a state of slight discomfort. He was beginning to feel like maybe he should've just let the nurse do her rounds and leave but before he could apologize the nurse spoke through a slight second stutter,

"Mr. Crusher, you're awake?" the question felt more like she was quizzing herself rather than Maine so he was a little conflicted about his answer.

"Y-Yes, I am and I would like to know-"

"Hang on while I go get the doctor!" she cut him off just before she fled from the room.

Maine called after her to wait only to have his words fall flat as if they never even left his mouth. The stallion placed both hooves on the temples of his head to try and rub out his now thriving headache. He took a deep breath in and a slow breath out as he tempted to at the very least calm down the storm inside his head except his attempts was hopeless. Being a unicorn one would think that he could simply spell it away... only no spell would come to mind at this moment. That's when a hoof tapped his left shoulder. He opened his left eye to find a light brown doctor pony with his mouth running. Sadly he could only hear bits and parts so he asked, a little too painfully, if the doctor could move over to his right in the hopes of actually catching a decent sentence,

"I'm sorry," the doctor said just before he cleared his throat, "I said my name is Dr. Rose and I asked how you're feeling,"

"Honestly?" Maine asked, which earned him a nod of approval, "I feel like shit doctor, my head is throbbing and I can't hear from my left ear but what I want to know is how the other ponies are doing... you know the ones that where with us when we were escorting the prisoner to the holding cell," his throat was going to murder him later on for talking so much he could feel it.

"The other ponies are fine, you're the only one the bomb really did any major damage to," even after the doctor finished talking he could tell by the unimpressed look on Maine's face told him that the stallion wasn't going to rest until he heard the entire report so he cleared his throat and continued, "Private Crusher only had a few bruised ribs and cuts while the other two stallions had concussions and a few minor scrapes but they are well taken care of, in fact, Private Crusher has been checking in on you for the past four hours,"

Maine sighed in relief that no one else had to be stuck in- wait, Private Crusher? Maine was positive that Berry would've been here pestering the staff until the previous stallion had woken up and calmed his nerves in a big, painful, hug yet Berry's name didn't exit the doctor's muzzle. Something was wrong. Strawberry wouldn't have even tried to leave the hospital if Maine was there, the bat-pony had too big of a heart to just sit around out in the hall while the doctors worked on him in a different room. It was one of the things he liked about Strawberry, the stallion would do everything he could to help the unicorn even if he went overboard; however, the bat-pony isn't in sight.

The stallion droned out of what the doctor was mumbling on about as he used magic to throw off his blanket in his attempts to stand up,

"You should lay- Hey! Wait!" the doctor called outward as he placed a hoof onto the unicorn to keep him in the bed but he was overpowered by the white stallion's weakened strength,

"Sir! I beg you!" the nurse cried as she used magic to keep the stallion in a suspended stance that was half on the bed and half off.

The unicorn tried to fight the magic that was holding him down but in his poor state, he couldn't seem to overpower the blue unicorn like he could the earth pony behind him. Maine could feel it in his body that something was wrong. That Strawberry should've been here but he wasn't. The unicorn sent a glare towards the other unicorn as he finally just went limp inside the magic that covered his entire frame. He knew better than to try and waste too much energy in the attempts on breaking free. Maine sighed as he allowed the nurse to place him back onto the bed with a look of disappointment on his face.

He tuned out the doctor's little rant before he closed his eyes,

"Where is my friend, Strawberry," he asked with his hoarse voice.

The doctor looked down before he took in a breath of air but before he could actually speak there was a knock at the door to the unicorn's current chamber. The trio of ponies turned their heads towards that direction at the sound of the second knock of three. A royal purple mare in a light grey hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows pushed the door wide open before she entered. Aster had her rose pink mane up in a bun while her bangs cupped the left side of her round face in two large curls. She had a bandage upon her right side muzzle joined up with a bruise on her left cheek. Maine could feel his heart skip like the first time he saw her, and the time he was told that she would accompany him in the prisoner escort.

Aster walked up to the bed before she cleared her throat. Her face told a different story than what her words said next,

"Private Night-"

"Strawberry," Maine interrupted, Aster looked him in the eyes before she cleared her throat,

"Strawberry, will be perfectly fine... he's with my brother," her words sounded as though she had practiced in the mirror.

Maine narrowed his eyes at her as she failed to meet his. Would she really lie to him? It's not like they've known each other very long but still, it hurt a little to know that she spoke false words towards him. He could call her out, would that help? Does he want to know the true reason as to why she was lying? The unicorn looked at the earth pony as he patted the bed in front of him. He did want to know and even if he didn't he needed to know. Aster looked back at the white stallion before she spun around to face away from him with her two curled tail almost between her legs. He wasn't going to let go of the subject easily. Her ears fell before she twirled back to face him her face beet red,

"You know, everything wouldn't have gotten to this point if it wasn't for Strawberry!" she yelled at the unicorn who grew a face of distaste, "My brother wouldn't have run away to find your friend if he hadn't gotten himself kidnapped in the first place! If he had just come-"

"Stop!" Maine snapped as the doctor and nurse scurried out of the room "Don't you even pin this on him! That's the last thing he needs!"

Maine couldn't have heard her right. He was kidnapped? No, that couldn't have been it but then again... it would make sense as to why he wasn't here. The unicorn rose to his hooves this time with no other pony to stop him from doing so. He stepped toward the mare with narrowed eyes,

"You can protect him all you want, but the prisoner made sense! Why else would he spit out Strawberry's last name! If it wasn't him then who else! I pulled his records, Canterlot didn't even know he existed until he joined up with the guard! How do we even know he's one of us? What if his whole innocently adorable clumsy bat appearance is all an act!" she spat out with a newfound venom which stopped the stallion in his tracks.

How much does she know?

"Watch what you say, Private," Maine snarled, "Private Nightshade has nothing to do with what's been happening, I can promise you that! He doesn't have a single bone in his body nor the heart to do such treason you're accusing him of!" it hurt to raise his voice but Maine honestly felt attacked.

He grew up with Strawberry. Ever since he and his father came to Canterlot when he was a foal. Maine took another step forward, then another. He was close to just telling her off but he had to remain composed. She came to him as a soldier so that's what he'll treat her as. Maine stopped once again with a shake of his head. The unicorn stood firm and tall despite the pain that rode up from his hooves. His tail twitched in frustration. He needed to cool down so he took a few breaths in then released it in an even bigger breath out through his nose,

"Private Wolfthorn, you are not to speak of Private Nightshade in such manner... and if you go digging through his past without an order from someone higher than you, you'll leave me no choice but to strip you of your rank just to go through basic once again!" Maine threatened with heavy words fused with the seep of the anger he tried to control.

Maine didn't realize he started his march again until her rear hit the doorway. He wasted no time in any more pointless chit-chat before he nodded to the door with disgust in his movement. Maine had forgotten just how much Strawberry had to go through just to get where he was. He may not have been the best soldier but he was one to be trusted. The unicorn heard the door slam behind him as he looked out his window. Strawberry was in trouble. Even if he found the vial and stopped the pony who started this... he would have to face judgment back here in the Crystal Empire. The unicorn couldn't have that he couldn't let his friend take the fall for something he had nothing to do with.

He strolled over to the window and placed his right hoof against the glass as he closed his eyes. Maine took in a few deeper breaths. He was sure that he was going to make the right decision for he knew that Strawberry would do the same for him, the only thing he feared was that Charter won't find him in time. If it was the people he thought had found Strawberry than he knew it would be a pain to get back from. There was also a chance that this could all backfire but he had to take a leap of faith. Maine slowly opened his eyes halfway to stare off into the sky. Yes, this way should work. Coming clean could only help but in order to do so, he needed to go back to Canterlot and speak with the only pony alive who could now clear Strawberry's name of this mud. The unicorn stepped back from the window in order to hunt down a nurse and check himself out of the hospital.

Author's Note

Well guys, things are getting to the boiling point. I don't know how much of you guys wait for my updates but I promise that I shall update the next chapter soon. I would really love to hear from you guys so please, comment down below. Doesn't have to be much. just say hi and I will reply if I can, thank you!

Chapter Eighteen

Charter's Point of View

The stallion kept a simple trot pace along the self-made path in the Galloping Gorge. He'd been here since last night and he had found nothing as of yet that would even speak of a secret base for traitors who wished harm on the Crystal Empire. The sun's heat thankfully couldn't reach him in the shade that bled through the leaves from the trees above. Charter looked around carefully as he pushed forward sweat beating down his body, his hooves were muddy and he cut himself on a thorn patch a few paces back the way he came but he simply went on as though they didn't bother him then again, Strawberry was probably going through so much more than he... Charter kept telling himself that he wouldn't be hurt as long as he didn't fight back. The lilac pony's ears suddenly perked up.

A twig was snapped somewhere to his right. He was no longer alone. Charter tensed up as he spread his hooves ready to fight off anything that would stop him from getting to his goal. Even as a foal Charter always went in a hundred percent in anything and everything he was involved with.

There was no movement from the direction the noise came from so the earth pony waited a few more minutes before he started back on the path through the dense trees and bushes. Charter sighed as he moved, maybe he should've asked for help on checked on his sister before he just up and left behind everything he's known but what choice did he have? A direct order from a princess given to him personally? He couldn't have disobeyed. He swore to protect the Crystal Empire and that's what he planned on doing. He was going to see this through to the end, even if that meant leaving home for a while. Aster would be fine without him there to breath down her neck or right her wrongs.

Charter had turned his hat backward as the bill of his cap kept hitting the lower hanging branches and even unzipped his jacket with the sleeves rolled up. He put a hole along the right shoulder from it getting stuck back in the thorn patch he made the mistake of falling into. His jump from the train had been far, far from graceful. The stallion looked up with his eyes closed before he lowered it back down to focus on the path ahead; he's been going over the plan for Strawberry's rescue for over an hour and the best he could come up with was to break him out of whatever cage they had him in, most likely having to wrestle a guard to get the key and then retrace his steps as they fall back into the woods after he also grabs the vile. Charter knows that plan has a whole lot of holes in it but it was the best he could come up with since he doesn't have anything to help him out beside his own bare hooves.

It was about five minutes later that he stopped once again only this time it was due to smell. Not just any smell though, this smell came from what could only be described as someone overcooking pie. The scent was coming from somewhere in front of him and ignoring his stomach's cry for the burnt food the pony crouched down low in order to crawl forward making mental notes on where the fallen sticks had been the entire time. He stopped behind some bushes and peeked through them to find a group of ponies, mostly stallions, that looked only half trained as they huddled around what Charter could only guess as a campfire. The smell of food got stronger and from the shouts that came from some of the colts Charter wasn't the only one to notice that the cook had overdone it.

The earth pony remained silent as he checked behind him to make sure no pony was going to get the jump on him. He turned back to the group at the campfire. Altogether he counted five, but that was mostly those at the camp so there could've been more somewhere in the gorge. That's when he noticed a certain yellow unicorn laughing. How? Did he escape during the confusion after the bomb went off back at the Crystal Empire? Charter perked his ears up in order to listen better,

"Kasedy, please!" a mare perked up.

"No, I can't believe the Boss would put me in a group of newbies after I managed to sneak the vial out of the Empire and then came close to killing the traitor!" the yellow stallion barked back with a snarl.

"You know how the Boss feels about him, even the Commander has a soft spot for the stallion," another colt joined in.

They went on to argue to a couple of minutes, Charter felt like he was watching a show with how much this group bickered. What really caught his attention was when they mentioned the base and how it was only an hour's journey away. They didn't give him an exact location but they gave him enough to tell that he needs to only go east. Charter slowly backed away carefully into the woods and then began to crawl through the trees to the right. He was still close to the camp that a snap could give him away but far enough that he could breathe normally again. The stallion rolled his eyes at how much those ponies argued which lead to wonder just how they could get anything done like that unless they're the look outs- Nah, the stallion shook his head -they couldn't be, so they must be some type of patrol.

Charter kept his crawl pace until he put a few good meters between him and the camp. He wasn't going to risk being spotted on only day one. A small thought crept into his mind, what if it takes longer than a few days? Would Strawberry even last that long before Charter could get to him? The stallion had to shake his head to get rid of those questions that threatened to make his chest tighten. There wasn't any room for doubt on Strawberry's strength, he would just have to put some faith into the bat-pony... he didn't know if he could handle Strawberry's death- not that he would die, the colt survived basic, he can survive whatever they threw at him Charter dwelled on the positive thought that popped into his head.

Heading east would've been easy if the woods didn't get denser than when he first disappeared into their shadows. That's when he started to think about things. The mare, Blu he believes Strawberry called her, called Private Nightshade her baby brother. Did that mean he had older siblings? Where they also involved with the attack on the Empire as well, or did Blu act out on her own? Charter stopped in his tracks in order to collect his thoughts. He drew in a deep breath before he released it a few seconds later. The earth pony was overthinking the situation. he needed to focus on the first topic on his list. To find the enemy's base of operations.

It wasn't until nightfall did he find something that remotely similar to a base. His hooves stopped at the edge of the small cliff that overlooked the place. Charter looked down in shock at the place. The base looked nothing like he thought it would for the buildings made up what most would call a small village made of wood, or at least that's what the outer ring looked to be made of. The closer to the center the buildings where the more they seemed to be made of bricks and clay. It was the building in the center that caught Charter's eye. It was at least two stories, seven windows lined the front with four pillars around the front door that looked to be heavy but he couldn't tell from how far away he was. Charter carefully crouched down as he searched for a way to scale the wall in order to get his rewards.

Strawberry's Point of View

The young bat-pony suddenly opened his eyes the moment when something ice cold made contact with his face. Strawberry looked around to find that he was no longer inside his family home. No instead he was outside in the dark with nothing but a single torch lit and placed a few feet in front of him. Raspberry laughed as Blueberry placed the bucket down on the muddy grass. The wind blew softly as the clouds rolled in looking dark and full. Strawberry slowly rose to his hooves before he carefully walked over to the torch his siblings were standing next to which lit them up in sinister shadows that played around their features making them look even darker than they had the days before hoof. The two of them snickered as something clinked and tugged at Strawberry's neck. His eyes looked back to catch something metal shimmer in the darkness. He squinted forward to make out metallic loops. He was chained to something buried into the earth.

If it wasn't for the metal muzzle on his face Strawberry would've yelled at his siblings for acting like children. His life wasn't some type of game to be played with, and he certainly wasn't some pet they found in the woods. Raspberry laughed again at his brother's attempts of pulling the muzzle off,

"Berry, Berry, Berry..." he chuckled as Blueberry face hoofed, "It's clipped on the back! Not that you can even reach that far!" he teased as Strawberry opened his eyes then looked down to find cuffs around his fetlocks and coronets.

Strawberry whined at the sight of his newly forced state. The bat-pony closed his eyes as he sat down so he didn't have to watch his siblings walk away from him while droplets began to fall down from the darkened sky. His body ached, his head was throbbing, his bandages felt too tight around his barrel all while tears have begun to form in his eyes but they didn't fall until his opened his eyes halfway to stare at the blurry torch in the night. He slowly rose back up again to test just how much room he had, apparently Raspberry only allowed his baby brother five inches of chain to wander around. It wasn't much, but at least this way he could stare at the moon, only it had begun to rain so the moon gazing was out of the question; however, just as Strawberry sat down to stare at his cutie mark- which was made of a Treble Clef and an Eighth Note- his ears perked up at the sound of a soft whisper of his name.

His tired eyes looked around before his dulled yellow ones found a pair of sunset orange orbs staring back at him buried in the bushes that lined the back of the manor as a fence between it and the flatlands of Equestria. Strawberry was taken back by the fire that was held from within those familiar orbs and it wasn't until the eyes look over towards a brown mare with a fluffy pink mane did Strawberry flinch slightly. Nothing was more creepy than having eyes stare at you with hate-filled into them,

"You know," the mare started, "If it wasn't for you my special somepony would be here with me as of right now,"

Strawberry stood up with a tilt his head at the bushes but when the mare looked back the eyes had vanished. The mare noticed this and followed his glare towards the empty bushes. She turned back towards him to say how rude it was for a pony to ignore another when something hard and heavy hit the base of her neck knocking her silently to the ground. Strawberry stared blankly at the earth pony who now stood in front of him. Charter looked back at him before he cracked a small smirk,

"Strawberry," he stated in a hushed voice, Strawberry would to try and smile back at him to let Charter know he was glad to see him again even if he did have on a muzzle.

Maine's Point of View

The rain came down in a thin shower as Maine stopped at the corner of his street. He watched as ponies ran around to get out of the falling water into the safety of buildings or their apartments while he simply stood there in his black fedora and a slightly worn red pea coat with the collar flipped upwards. He even made sure to take the tan band out to allow his tail to fall freely, even though it was short. Maine could remember the first time he laid eyes on the bookstore across the street along with his first play date with his colt friend in the upstairs apartment.

Maine made sure that he wasn't followed back to Canterlot before, on, and after his train ride home. Aster was right about one thing, it didn't make any sense that the prisoner would freely throw Strawberry's last name outward into the open like that... unless he wasn't talking about Strawberry. His gut tightened at the thought of Strawberry's older siblings. Maine's met them once when they were younger, Raspberry made sure to leave a scar to be remembered by, Blueberry was just a friendly as Rasp but not as crazy.

The unicorn looked both ways before he trotted across the street, an act his body punished him for by sending pain into his chest. Once across the pony made quick movements to make sure he was inside the book shop. A tiny bell rang over the door. It was a small shop filled to the brim with books of all kinds. You had the fantasy, the comics upfront in the windows, paperback, hardback, fiction, and the works. Maine liked coming here as a colt, now the place sends a shiver down his spine with the new knowledge of what actions take place with Strawberry's last name.

"Be right with you!" a rough voice called out into the warmth of the air.

A small swallow and Maine realized that he hadn't even thought of a way to tell the older stallion of the situation, sure it was a need-to-know basis but still... Strawberry wouldn't want this colt to worry on his behalf. Maine was doing enough of that already. The white stallion used magic to take his hat off as well as to roll down the blinds to the windows and door. If Maine was able to discover this place it wouldn't take much for the guard to find this place either. Maine swallowed again before a coal-gray stallion no bigger than Strawberry turned around the corner with five books circling around him in glass-green magic. He opened his matching eyes while he stopped in his steps. His face of shock was quickly replaced with a happy one with the shake of his head.

"Well, I'll be!" he chirped before he strolled on over to the other unicorn, "Maine Charles Crusher!"

Maine gave him a small smile while he fixed his mini red bow tie around his neck. The stallion still couldn't think of anything but that he now remembers where Strawberry gets his hair color from,

"Hello, Mr. Nightshade," Maine replied with nervousness seeping into his voice.

Author's Note

Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun! So I decided to try and do a three-split chapter, so please please let me know how you think it turned out, if not I learn that this isn't really a good style for me. I know I've done this before but I want to know your guy's opinion on the subject thank you.