Quashed

The carriage pulled into the underground garage. While the standard procedure was to drop the princess at the castle's gate, She didn't want the masses to see her in such a disheveled state. She was covered in dirt, and her dress was torn in several locations. She hoped that seeing her carriage arrive was enough to tide them all over until she could bathe and change clothes.

Certainly, the crowds were gathering and gossiping about the Princess's late arrival, as well as the state of her carriage and the minotaurs surrounding it. The guards kept them back, preventing any incident that may have occurred otherwise. Only the ponies in the castle this very moment would see her so lowered.

Steelhorn exited first, extending his hand to help her step down out of the carriage. That Steelhorn was inside the carriage at all was a shock to the guards that had escorted them back to the castle. One even proceeded to draw his sword, prompting Boneshatter to grip the neck of his maul. Tensions were raised, but as the princess stepped onto the dirty stone floor, Steelhorn issued an order to his men to stand down. The pony guards were not so inclined. They inched closer, not yet trusting of the minotaurs.

"That's enough," commanded Celestia. "Sheathe your weapons. I am unbound, as you can clearly see." She spread her wings and arms, taking a step away from Steelhorn. "I walk of my own accord. These minotaurs are not to be harmed, nor are they to be barricaded of any locations, save for those that the guards themselves are not allowed." The guards sheathed their weapons and stepped back. "Furthermore, Chief Steelhorn is to be given the same respect and pardons as if he were royalty from another nation, because that is his status."

The guards murmured amongst themselves for a minute before falling back into line. Steelhorn was beginning to have his doubts about controlling this military. If this is how they treated a direct order from their princess, they would need a lot of training. Clearly, their power came from their numbers, rather than their abilities. If he were to clash with Equestria now, the only reason he would lose was because they outnumbered his forces four hundred to one. He was, however, impressed with Celestia's display. Had he not known better, he might even believe she was under no duress.

"Now, I've sent ahead to speak privately with my sister," Celestia continued. "Steelhorn and Ironblood, you should come as well."

Ironblood bowed his head. "As you wish, princess." The words fell from his lips as if he hadn't been let in on the plan to begin with.

Celestia turned to one of the guards near the door. "Take me to my sister."

Having heard from the messenger of Celestia's return, Luna breathed a sigh of sweet relief. She'd been so terrified when Celestia hadn't arrived on schedule. Twelve hours later, she knew something had gone horribly wrong, and had sent out multiple search parties. She'd even checked herself, but Celestia either wasn't sleeping or had something that blocked her magic. She was so happy to hear the news of her sister's return, she'd almost missed the fact that she was last seen in the company of minotaurs. She waited now, not in the throne room, but one of several conference rooms, for her sister to return to her.

She'd been in the room alone for almost half an hour when Celestia walked in. "Tia!" Luna jumped out of her chair, sending it flying backwards as she leaped into her older sister's arms. "We missed you so much!"

"I'm okay, Lulu," smiled Celestia, gently caressing her younger sister's mane as Ironblood and Steelhorn walked in behind her. From the hallway, Boneshatter closed the door. With Arrow standing next to him, the guards sat a bit easier.

"We were so scared that we'd never see you again," Luna sobbed into Celestia's dress. It was ruined, anyway, so there was no real harm done.

"Touching as this is," interrupted Steelhorn, "We really should move on to our first order of business. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can move on to pleasantries, such as a bath for your dear sister."

Luna sniffled and nodded. "Of course, of course." She picked up her chair, sitting next to Celestia. "Our first concern is our dear sister's health. We must be sure she is uninjured."

Celestia shook her head. "I'm only very lightly injured, Luna. Nothing big and worrisome, and if there's something small that would be concerning, a bath will reveal it. I'll be fine to continue this meeting, at least."

Luna nodded. "We suppose that solves our first concern. What is the next order of business?"

"The road," answered Steelhorn. "I've been to see the point where the cavalcade was attacked, and it's very prone to attack. On top of that, the two remaining guards confirmed that they felt perfectly safe even as they walked headlong into an ambush. Had my troops been walking through an area with such heavy cover from the surrounding foliage, you can guarantee their weapons would have been in their hands, armed, and ready to fire at a moment's notice."

"The reason they were so comfortable is that there's nothing on that road," responded Luna. "No towns, no homes, no wild animals, nothing."

"First and foremost, that's exactly the reason they should have been on their guard. An attack in town sends an immediate call to arms from passersby. On an empty road, far from anywhere, bandits are free to roam without so much as a report of suspicious activity." Steelhorn turned to Celestia. "If this capture had taken place in town, or surrounded by travelers on a well-travelled road, how long do you think it would have been before reinforcements arrived? Days?"

"Minutes," answered Celestia. "If in town, seconds."

"Furthermore," continued Steelhorn, "I saw a pack of wolves in the area, tearing apart a carcass. Not only are there wild animals on or around that stretch of road, they're active. I'd say I'm surprised that your guard patrols didn't see the wolves, but they didn't see the ambush point, either. This is quite concerning."

Luna was shocked. "We cannot believe that our guards are so inept. Still, we have travelled down that road for several years, and have never been attacked once."

"Just because it's never happened before doesn't mean it cannot happen," replied Ironblood. "I've never seen the Hornburg fall, but that doesn't mean I'll wave off every trebuchet and battering ram that shows up at our doorstep. Some amount of care must be taken in all situations. Would you not agree, Princess?"

Luna nodded. "We shall rethink the royal procession."

"A wise decision," nodded Steelhorn. "I suggest you take into consideration the population density of every aspect of your future paths. On to the next item of business."

The discussion continued for the next hour, detailing Steelhorn's plans to increase the security of the citizens, as well as the nobility. Luna was wildly enthralled with the idea, as it would mean her citizens were safer, without having to give up many of their civil liberties. Celestia listened intently, knowing that if such a plan were in place, it would only serve to strengthen their country. Truly, Steelhorn was a magnificent protector of his people. Were he not responsible for her kidnapping, she might even have viewed him as a valued ally.

"And this leads me into my summary," Steelhorn said, standing up. "I would like nothing more than to raise Equestria's security up to these lofty goals, but there are a few problems with that. You see, my homeland is under attack, and I have nary the forces to repel my assailants. At last count, they outnumber us by a wide margin."

"Eight of them for every one of us," confirmed Ironblood.

"Now, if their force were half the strength, we may be able to secure our survival, but that is simply not the case. What's worse, when our many clans were serving under the same king, the monarchy hated us, despite the fact that we saved his life on numerous occasions. He left us recently, giving my clan of protectors an insult, and the opposing assassins a fleet of ships. Our clan is landlocked, to be certain, but a grand war shall erupt soon. If we are to lose, then all of the noble houses will fall, either to the blade or to corruption. All of my people will be slaughtered in their fields and I refuse to sit idly by while it happens. That is why I come to you, now, as I am in need of an army." Steelhorn had, by now, walked around the table and was standing just in front of Luna and Celestia.

"We would be quite proud to help you, Chief Steelhorn," answered Luna. "It would be a fine repayment for your assistance with the new security detail. However, what you're suggesting will take years to implement properly. Your homeland sounds as if it needs help right away."

Steelhorn nodded as his hands clasped behind his back. "You are absolutely correct, Princess. If I were to take control of the Equestrian forces now, undoubtedly, thousands would perish in the fields. With nine months of retraining, perhaps we could save a great many, but we may not even have that long. The new training has to be implemented right away if we're to have your army survive the battle to come."

Luna stood up, a frown across her face. "We are sorry, Chief Steelhorn, but we cannot grant you your request."

"I see." Steelhorn helped Celestia to her feet, placing his hand at the small of her back. Celestia closed her eyes, as she knew what was soon to follow, having seen Ironblood preparing. "How unfortunate, then, that I have made no request."

Luna felt her hair pulled back, slamming her onto the table. Before she knew what was happening, the magic suppression ring was over her horn and tightened down so as to not be removed by her. Having lost control of her magic, Luna rolled back onto her shoulders, sending her foot right into Ironblood's head. Unfortunately, her ankle was now caught in his horn, and with assistance from Steelhorn and Celestia, Luna was now pinned to the table.