Of Ponies and Fate

The sun was already high in the sky as princess Celestia prepared for her nieces wedding. Despite what should be a joyous day, the sun goddess found herself worried.

Her beloved student had destroyed the wedding rehearsal and accused her niece of the crime of  brainwashing her brother, but this wasn't what she found herself worrying over. Since the rehearsal, Twilight hadn't been seen or heard from.

A brush, rapt in golden aura, levitated from her dresser as she turned toward her mirror. She could only sigh with dismay when she saw the look on her own face. There were no wrinkles or lines of any kind, but despite that her age showed clearly in her features.

'You have a lot to think about.' Her last words to Twilight came back to her with the same harshness as when she'd said them, cutting off the tearful pleas of her student.

She still did not believe her niece capable of what Twilight accused her of, but that didn't absolve her of the guilt she felt at leaving her pupil alone with the rejection of her loved ones. It was a failure as a mentor she would have never thought herself capable of making the day before.

No matter how misguided Twilights accusations might have been it had been clear she was distraught and needed guidance not scorn.

Her sister had said as much afterwards.

Luna's recent growth as both a pony and as a ruler surprised Celestia. Since Nightmare Night in Ponyville, her sister had started to become more active, taking on her duties with more energy than even before her banishment.

She could only thank Twilight for that she knew.

"At this rate Luna should be running the country instead of me," she said to herself with a half-hearted smile that refused to find its way to her eyes.

She dearly wished Luna could keep watch over Canterlot during the wedding, but she had sent her sister to Manehatten late last night to investigate a dark presence that had projected a telepathic wave in Canterlot's direction nearly a week earlier.

Under the circumstances she had been unable to spare any of the guard let alone her sister to investigate, but the telepathic emanations had felt vaguely familiar.

This feeling had persisted until last night when she had suddenly made an alarming connection to a creature she'd met once before. Decades ago, the human god, Ehecatl, had touched her mind with similar effect, but where the alien deity's telepathy had been gentle, this presence had been persistent, malicious even.

'This couldn't have happened at a worse time,' she thought as a shadow crossed her features.

The last thing she needed to add to her growing list of problems was fate's revenge for her decision to follow Ehecatl's plan when it had already come at such a high price.

Nopony knew of what had happened or what it had cost her, nopony but her sister, and she intended to keep it that way. No good could come of rumors.

Requesting extra guards to patrol the streets of Canterlot during the wedding ceremony had not been solely for the benefit of caution. For the first time since Luna's rebellion, Celestia found comfort in her stalwart defenders.

Even though she was still more powerful than most of the guard combined, she just couldn't afford to draw attention to her weakened state.

It was with this thought she stopped brushing her mane, only briefly registering that she could not remember when she had started, and turned a weary eye to her balcony window.

Beyond the curtains, lilting gently in the afternoon breeze, the purple glow of Shining Armor's barrier flickered ominously.

She startled when a light, but insistent rap issued from her door.

"Sorry to disturb you princess, but it's time," came a dutiful voice she recognized as her personal attendant's.

"Thank you Feather Touch, I'll be out in a moment," Celestia replied instantly, but kept her eyes locked on the protective barrier.

It was a sign, a frightening one, symbolizing the changes slowly taking place throughout Equestria.

The winds of that change blew through Canterlot that afternoon, disguised as a pleasant autumn breeze that would herald the coming of winter.

'Why does it always turn out this way?'

Silver Lance was working hard to keep his frustration in check. It seemed that every time he took to the public without his armor he became bogged down by nobles and bureaucrats asking for favors.

His armor must have made him too intimidating to approach, and not for the first time, he found himself reconsidering wearing it to the wedding, decorum be damned.

The halls of the castle were crowded with wedding goers, passing the time before the celebration by wandering around the castle grounds, something not normally allowed.

Silver grimaced as he recalled his argument with princess Celestia on that very subject.

He'd served the princess for almost twenty-seven years, and yet he still couldn't fathom how she always won their arguments without so much as raising her voice. Even the royal guard's grizzled old quarter master, Whetstone, who still caused some of the recruits to literally piss themselves when they brought back their weapons in less than perfect condition, could have learned a thing or two from the deceptively soft-spoken monarch.

The crowd of guests only got thicker as he neared the gathering hall being used as the weddings' chapel, and was passing by the statue garden when he heard his name being called from somewhere in front of him.

"Captain!-Captain Silver Lance-oh, excuse me-," called a disheveled looking unicorn trying to work her way through the throng of compressed bodies, "I'd like to ask you a few questions!"

"of course you would," mumbled Silver under his breath, thinking she was just another gossip hound looking for some juicy half-truths about the secret courtship between Shining Armor and his bride-to-be.

He could only scoff at some of the outlandish rumors flying every which way throughout the castle.

Could nopony just accept that maybe they were in love, but their public positions made an open relationship impossible?

Despite his reservations about the topic, he waited for her nonetheless, standing still in the sea of moving bodies.

She managed to squeeze through the last of the crowd but lost her hoofing in the process, staggering forward with exaggerated motions.

The unicorn managed to give a short yelp before her balance gave out and fell forward, only to stop abruptly as she collided muzzle-first with Silver's chest. The impact was made all the more jarring by Silver's solid build, that didn't so much as yield an inch from the collision, and left her disoriented for a spell.

Silver cocked an eyebrow at the clumsy mare as he steadied her with a hoof.

"Are you ok, miss....?" He left the question open for her to fill in the rest as she came to her senses.

"um-oh! Oh my, I'm terribly sorry captain- its Verity..." She paused for a moment to find her balance again, " It's-uh, a pleasure to meet you, but... you can let go of me now."

Silver hadn't noticed how close she was to him until then. He abruptly took a step back, failing to hide the reddness that filled his face.

He cleared his throat in an atempt to ease the embarrassing atmosphere.

"So, you wanted to ask me something?"

"Huh?-Oh right!" Verity nearly shouted as the blush on her cheeks disappeared and her eyes started to burn with an inner fire.

'Oh, boy here it comes.' Silver groaned Inwardly, waiting for her to go off on a long string of love-gossip related questions.

"Captain Silver Lance-," she began, her earlier clumsyness replaced by focused professionalism, "-I have it on good authority that your the stallion to talk to if I needed any dirt on a certain faction within the royal court that's pushing for isolationism."

 She let the statement stand as Silver sucked in a sudden breath. That wasn't what he had been expecting at all.

He immediately went to work sizing her up, curious as to whether she was a potential ally or a spy, or just in over her head.

Verity had a coat the color of parchment and an unkempt mane of wavy auburn hair that hung over one side of her face. It only took one look at her eyes to see the conviction in them.

"Come with me," said Silver, looking around to make sure nopony passing by had takin intrest in thier exchange.

He made his way out of the crowd, toward the arches that led to the statue gardens. Verity followed quietly behind Silver as they trotted through the gardens in search of a secluded place to discuss matters.

Silver found a suitably isolated spot at the far end of the garden in a corner where the railing of the garden met the castle proper. His eyes passed briefly behind Verity to insure they were not followed as he turned to meet her eyes.

He let out a sigh before starting, his feelings a cross between being anxious to learn what the mare knew, and annoyed that the politics of the royal court wouldn't even give him a single day of respite.

"Ask what you will, but first I need to know more about who you are, and why you want this information. It's not the safest part of Equestrian politics." He hoped he succeeded in keeping the suspicion out of his voice. "Also, I would like to know who this "good authority" is."

"I'm sorry captain, I can't reveal my sources-for their own protection," Verity apologized quickly before beginning her explanation, "I'm a freelance journalist thats... let's just say I have a personal stake in the dismantling of the isolationist faction, and more importantly the discrediting and imprisonment of its leader-".

"-Iniquum Edict," Silver finished, unable to keep the emotion out of his voice, "and what makes you think I have the information to help you do that?"

"Well..." there was tension in her voice as she debated what she could tell him, "you've been their most stubborn opposition for almost two decades-besides princess Celestia herself, and I've received corroborating reports that suggest you've launched numerous under-the-table investigations against them."

Silver's eyes narrowed dangerously. "If such investigations did occur," he began, putting great emphasis on "if", "and they were successful, Iniquum would already be behind bars and we wouldn't be having this conversation, so I fail to see the point of you asking me for something to use against him."

"Oh just-", Verity stuttered, becoming flustered by the roundabout way thier talk was going, "-just look, I need someone I can trust, and as far as I can tell your the only one who isn't in their pocket and still seems to give a damn! It's like all of Equestria is too afraid of foriegn invasion to care about corruption in our own government!"

Silver would have been the first to admit his shortcomings in the field of espionage, but he liked to think he was an excellent judge of character, and despite his earlier judgment of her intentions he found himself liking Verity, his assessment of her however, would have to wait.

The last he'd heard, princess Celestia still held a firm group of supporters set on opposing the isolationists. If he was the only one she could go to then the situation had deteriorated much more than he had expected.

He needed an outside sensor, somepony Iniquum wouldn't be able to connect him to.

Verity was such a pony, and one armed with the particular skill set Silver was looking for, such a fortuitous coincidence.

Silver hated coincidence, but he wasn't one to look a gift pony in the mouth.

"If I were to believe you, what would you propose?"

Verity's face lit up before it settled back into a state of professionalism as she spoke, "first, I'd like to exchange information with you-not here of course, somewhere out of the way. I also need you to promise-", she paused and glanced down at her hooves, "promise me I'll have the protection of the royal guards," with another quick pause she leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper, "there have been... disappearances."

The revelation solicited a deep grimace from Silver, hiding his genuine shock.

Had Iniquum really stooped to such a level? Questionable politics were one thing, kidnapping was quite another.

'And if their performing renditions...'

Silver quickly shoved the disturbing thought away in disgust. A xenophobe like Iniquum couldn't possibly go through with extraditions, it wouldn't fit with his views on isolationism.

He focused his attention back to Verity who was studying his reaction intently.

"You have my word that no harm will come to you." He meant it.

The world of politics forced him to question, and on occasion break his rigid code of honor. He'd skirted the law in several areas to keep tabs on the undercurrents of the royal court, but the one iron clad rule he would never break was his word.

Silver felt that to do so was to become what he was fighting against, for his sake and Equestria's that could never happen.

Verity visibly relaxed at the certainty in his voice and offered him a grateful smile.

"Thank you captain," she breathed as she drew forth an envelope from her saddlebags, "this letter will tell you the location of our meeting spot. I trust you'll be discreet about all this."

"Of course."

Verity turned with a smile to leave, "then have a good time at the wedding."

Silver was slightly takin aback by that, "you're not staying for the ceremony?"

"No, my business here is done," she said with a wink, "and I have some digging to do."

With that Verity left. Silver watched her leave, taking his leave to return to the crowd when she was out of sight.

He wore a mask of detached calmness the rest of the way to the wedding chapel, all but hiding the frantic thoughts trying to force their way to the surface.

A cool breeze moved gently through Sage Quill's mane and ruffled his cloak as he quietly enjoyed the brisk autumn afternoon.

He loved the onset of winter in the capitol. The cold reminded him of home, and more specifically the frigid mornings he'd spent at his favorite perch on the cliffs that stood sentinel over the ruggedly beautiful north lands. And though in truth Canterlot's winters were warmer than his homelands summers, he still found it profoundly refreshing.

He stood on the suspended marble walkway that connected the research wing to the rest of Canterlot castle.

The proudest day of his life had been two years ago when he'd crossed this very walkway to take his place as an official diplomat among his fellow alumni.

He hadn't been sent on any deplomatic missions yet, but he spent the time keeping his mind sharp, and expanded his studies daily: economics, politics, philosophy, language. If it was foreign in nature he consumed it greedily, ditermined that if one of the seasoned diplomats needed an assestant he would be the obvious choice.

It was one of these senior diplomats that had waylayed him as he tried to leave the research wing earlier that morning.

Professor Golden Wheat had insisted on showing him one of the souvenirs she'd brought back from her latest trip to Zebrica.

In truth, it hadn't takin much insisting to divert Sage from making his way to where the wedding was to be held, and when he'd found out what the professor had wanted to show him, it insured that his attention would be rapt for hours.

He could still see the cold precession of the zebra contraption in his thoughts. That steel could be molded into such a functional weapon was both wondrous and terrifying.

Golden Wheat had said the zebras called it a "flintlock pistol". A weapon that used an explosive refined from saltpeter to fire metal projectiles at high speed, piercing all but the thickest armor.

She was quick to reassure Sage that it was just a prototype, and not something in common circulation.

The high shaman had gifted it to her personally as a token of goodwill and without the consent of the Shura: the ruling council of elder shamans in Zebrica, each representing their respective village or city.

Sage hadn't needed to hear the professor's lecture to understand the importance of that.

While the high shaman had final say on all foreign affairs, it was still expected to seek the counsel of the Shura in matters pertaining to state secrets.

The hours after that had been spent in the instruction of maintaining and operating the weapon. Though Sage was far more interested in how it was crafted, and more importantly if the creation of such a weapon had met with any friction from the culture of Zebrica itself.

He just couldn't see a culture so grounded in a tradition that embodied oneness with nature accepting such a thing-

"-Sir?"

-and being a shamanistic society one would think tha-

"-SIR!"

Sage was snapped out of his thoughts by a guard who had apparently been calling out to him for some time.

He recognized the guard, being one of the few among the stoic soldiers to show any personality while on duty. Even with her sky blue coat hidden by her armors enchantment she was immidiatly discernible from the other guards.

"Oh, lieutenant Winter Frost! Sorry, I was leagues away," Sage apologized as he trotted over to the agitated mare.

"Maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings," she suggested, cocking an eyebrow in exasperation.

"And maybe you should stop having such an ironic name," he shot back, matching her expression.

Winter Frost held her agitated countenance for a few moments before bursting into laughter. Sage was hardly put off by the sudden change in her personality, having expected it, and grinned back at her.

"Well Sage," she began as she brought her mirth under control, "what brings you out of your cave this month?" She joked before her eyes went wide in realization, "Wait! It's not the wedding is it?!"

Sage gave her a nod of affirmation.

"I didn't think you were into those kind of things. You know, since you're always so focused on your studies. Thinking about having on yourself one of these days?" She asked, giving Sage a playfully suggestive wink.

"Firstly lieutenant, your too old for me. Second, your husband would kill me," Sage answered, winking back, "how are the twins doing by the way?"

Winter's feigned expression of hurt at the first comment evaporated as her favorite topic was brought up.

"Oh their just bundles of energy, those two! You should have seen little Windy yesterday. She managed to crawl her way out of her crib and was almost to the front door before I caught her." Her coy smile was replaced by one of genuine warmth reserved solely for doting mothers.

Anypony that knew Winter Frost's daughters, North Wind and Cloud Wisp, would call "bundles of energy" an understatement.

Sage had met them once, and that one occasion was enough for him to swear never to have foals. He adored them, but doubted he was possessed of the energy to keep up with them for more than an hour at best.

"It's great to know you and your family are doing well. Your foals are lucky to have you as a mother. Now I have a wedding to not be late for, so I'll see you later tonight I'm sure."

Sage turned to leave but Winter shifted in his way with a smile.

"You never told me how you got invited to a princesses' wedding Sage," she chided, her coy smile returning, "Who could you possibly know to get invited?"

"Did I never tell you?" Sage was honestly surprised he'd not told her before, "I've known Twilight and Shining since before I even came to Canterlot. Twilights harder to get in contact with these days but I still try to keep an eye on Shining for her- OH HORSEAPPLES!"

"What!?" Winter gasped, surprised at his outburst

"I've been too busy with my studies to find out about the wedding, and if Shinings been too busy to even send out invitation..." Sage paused, contemplating the conclusion, "She's going to kill me."

Sage cringed at what Twilight might do to him and made a mental note to avoid her until he could tell if she was angry with him or not.

"Whoa whoa, back up," Winter started as she waved her hoof in his face, "Twilight and Shining? As in Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor, national hero and captain of the royal guard!?"

She stared at Sage, eyes wide as she tried to console the image of Sage Quill, social recluse, and two of the countries most famous ponies knowing each other.

"Ok, one of these days you're going to have to tell me how that happend. I'm a little hurt you never told me," she joked as she moved out of Sage's path, "now get outta here. Don't wanna be late to such an important event."

He smiled at her as he passed, "thanks, I'll see you later tonight."

"Damn right you will, and then you'll tell me all about it."