"Are you sure you want to do this?" Airy asked, watching as Shard Tackle stood by the castle doors with a grim expression on her face "Yes, I am sure. I just... I need to know: I understand that he'll never work as a guard again and whatever he says won't change a thing, we probably won't be friends anymore if he continues to use but... the signs were there, now that I think about it after the fact but I did not see him for a drug user that he was" Shard Tackle spoke as she looked at Airy.

She had already heard about Thunder Shield's decision to fire Glint Hoof once the doctors were sure he wasn't under influence of the drugs anymore, especially after the inspection of his barracks revealed that he was storing drugs in his gear chest.

"I'm innocent, I tell you! Innocent!"

Both Airy and Shard turned their attention down the hallway, where Thunder Shield was walking towards them while two other guards behind him dragged the kicking and screaming Glint with them "I swear I'm not a drug addict, I'm being framed! Please, you've got to believe me!" Glint pleaded as they stopped in front of the castle doors, before Thunder turned towards him.

"You were caught using the drugs during demonstration, you had an empty vial in your pocket and two more were found in your barracks. As a matter of law, you have no right to walk within these halls anymore, nor will you get paid your monthly wages. I am willing to be lenient on you and give your severance pay if you tell us everything you know about the drugs: what are they, how long have you been using them and who sold them to you?" Thunder asked, glaring at Glint Hoof who shook his head in protest.

"I swear, I don't know anything about them because they're not mine. Somepony must have framed me, you must believe me!" Glint denied, struggling against the guards holding him before he turned his head towards Shard Tackle "Shard, help me! I'm being framed" he yelled out, watching as Shard walked towards them before stopping next to Thunder Shield.

A moment of silence passed as Shard looked at Glint with sad expression, before she spoke "Glint, please be truthful" she spoke, watching as Glint's eyes widened in surprise "Just tell us who sold you the drugs... and why did you feel the need to use them?" she pleaded as Glint's mouth hung open at the disbelieve upon hearing her heartfelt plead.

"I... You know me, Shard: I would never do anything like this... please, you have to believe me, I'm innocent" Glint spoke softly, watching as Shard Tackle's expression grew even sadder at his denial "Shard, you're my friend... please believe me" Glint pleaded softly as the silence hung in the air for a moment, before Shard shook her head "We were friends... but how can I call a pony who deals and uses drugs while lying about it to my face a friend? I... I'm sorry Glint, I can't help you" she said as she turned around, walking back to where Airy was watching the exchange.

Glint's mouth hung open with a shocked expression at his face as Thunder Shield spoke once more "Glint Hoof, as the captain of the royal guard, I officially expel you from the royal guard. The guard's have already searched your house and found nothing. With your refusal to supply us your supplier, your wages have now been withdrawn as compensation your behavior under influence and you are barred from ever entering the castle or any other guarded facilities" he spoke with firm voice that carried a tone of anger, before he motioned to the door as the guards dragged the stunned ex-guard outside.

"There, there Shard" Airy spoke in soft tone as Shard used her hoof to wipe a tear from her eye "It's going to be okay. Yes, it will hurt for a while you get over the fact that a close friend not only did things you would never approve of but also lie to your face like that. You still have friends and family who will be there for you... and one day, should Glint turn his life around by revealing everything, the two of you might reconnect once more... a broken trust would take time to repair but it's still possible... and if he doesn't come forward, then you know he isn't worth the feelings you feel right now" Airy consoled Shard as Thunder walked to them, staying silent as he stopped right next to them.

"Thank you, Airy" Shard spoke to the little fairy before turning towards Thunder Shield "Captain, did you need something?" Shard asked as she straightened her stance, watching as Thunder nodded his head "Just a few questions. I know that Airy hasn't known Glint any longer than when the two of you were tasked as her guards, but you and Glint have... had years worth of friendship, considering the two of you started at the same time" Thunder spoke, pausing as Shard nodded her head in agreement.

"So, I have to ask both of you: did either of you know about his drug problems?" Thunder asked, watching as both Airy and Shard shook their heads "I didn't know anything until we heard about it from the other guards. I know he was showing physical signs but I mistook them for signs of him being sick with something and that he was hiding it, I never thought it was drug abuse" Shard explained with sad tone.

Thunder nodded his head in understanding, before he turned his head towards Airy "It's like Shard said: We thought he was sick, we didn't know he was using drugs. Yesterday, I told Glint to take the night off so Shard and I could take him to the infirmary after the demonstration to make sure he wasn't sick with something fatal but... well, you saw what happened during the demonstration" Airy explained as Thunder nodded his head "Yes, I did... and I am sorry for assigning a guard with a drug problem to be your guard" he apologized, with Airy shaking her head in reply.

"There's no need to apologize, you couldn't have known... although..." Airy paused, putting her hand on her chin while pretending to think for a moment "Maybe it would be better to have the royal guards take a mandatory drug test every few months... scratch that, maybe it would be better if all castle employees take a mandatory drug test: you never know when someone gets into a bad situation because of drugs and starts doing things for criminals. Better to eliminate the problem at the source, before more cases like Glint Hoof appear" Airy suggested as Thunder's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's an excellent idea... the doctors in the infirmary don't have much to do besides heal any training or accident wounds most of the time, so since we pay them a steady wage we can fill that empty space with mandatory drug tests. The next few days will be busy but once everypony in the castle has been checked out, we can create a schedule for regular drug testing every few months, more or less often depending on the security risk the ponies in question pose" Thunder spoke, thinking about it in his head as he nodded to Airy "Thank you, Airy. I'll be sure to bring it up with Princess Amore" Thunder said as Airy smiled and waved her hand in dismissive manner.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just happy to help" Airy lied as she watched Thunder walk away, smiling at the thought of knowing that the castle employees would be more distracted in the future: a distracted people concerned with far more serious matters are more likely to dismiss the minor signs of irrelevant things after all...

Amore pursed her lips as she walked past the line of guards waiting outside the infirmary, glancing at them before opening the infirmary door and stepping inside, where a couple of guards at the door saluted to her before resuming their task of keeping an eye on all of the patients inside.

As her gaze swept over the room, she noted that all the beds were filled with lower ranked guards attended to by doctors performing complicated tests and nurses treating the small wounds from which the blood samples were taken while Thunder Shield was at the back, talking with two lieutenants and the head of infirmary. As she walked across the infirmary, more of the staff and guards followed her with their eyes as she walked past them before stopping in front of Thunder Shield and the others, who turned towards her and saluted (or in the case of the Head of the Infirmary, gave a slight bow).

"You can relax" Princess Amore spoke, watching as the group returned to more casual stance, their heads tilted up to gaze at her "What is the current situation, Thunder Shield?" she asked, watching as the captain of the guard glanced at the papers in his hooves before replying "So far, none of the higher ranked guards have any signs of drug abuse, while so far out of sixty guards surveyed so far, only two have signs of drug abuse. We're taking samples to have a closer examination later but for now, the problem doesn't seem to be as far-spread as we feared" Thunder replied, with the head of infirmary nodding his head in agreement.

"Better than I feared, then. Once the guards have been checked, start checking the maids: they are in charge of cleaning the castle, so some might take it as opportunity to steal something valuable in exchange for drugs... or plant something to misdirect suspicion from themselves. Many of the offices within the castle handle sensitive information that should not be allowed to leak to the outsiders, so once the maids have been cleared you should begin with the highest ranking castle staff" Princess Amore replied, watching as the four ponies all saluted to her "Understood, your highness" Thunder replied as Princess Amore nodded her head "Good, you can resume your duties" she finished, watching as they nodded their heads once more before she turned around and started walking away, slowing her pace just slightly as she gazed at the ponies around her...

"Alright buddy, time's up buddy. You need to leave"

As his hazy brain struggled to understand the words, Glint lifted his blurry gaze from the mostly-empty mug of mead to the blurry bartender that was starting to look like there were two of him "pissss oofff" Glint slurred as he grabbed his mug with both hooves before bringing it his lips, tilting it as he felt last of the mead slide down his throat before he slammed the now empty mug on the counter "A..A...Anooteer" he yelled, swaying slightly on the stool he was sitting on.

The bartender merely frowned in response, before motioning to the two off-duty guards taking a sip of their own mead "Get this drunken mess out of my bar and you'll get the next mugs half-price" he said, watching as both of them nodded their heads in agreement, finishing their mugs before walking to where Glint was sitting.

"Alright, you heard him Glint. Time to leave before you embarrass yourself further today" one of the guards spoke, glancing at the slight puddle growing at the base of the stool. The bartender leaned over the counter to look at the floor, before cursing aloud at the sight of Glint relieving himself all over the stool and the floor.

"M-miinnnddd Yuuurrr oowwwnn sssttuuff" Glint slurred in response, before attempting to throw a punch at the sober guard and missing, stumbling from his stool onto the floor.

"Ugh, let's just get this over with" the other guard spoke, walking to other side of Glint and forcefully pulling him up by the hoof, with other guard following suit as they began to drag him across the bar towards the door, leaving a slight wet trail behind him "uuupp Yyyooorrrss" Glint slurred, struggling against their grip before the second guard threw a punch at him, ending his struggling as his vision shook and jaw hurt from the blow.

A moment later, Glint found himself on the hard street outside, struggling to stand up as he missed the sound of the bar door closing behind him. As he finally managed to stand up by leaning against a streetlight, he rubbed his hoof against his sore jaw and moved his tongue, hissing at the taste of fresh blood and pain from his split lip.

The struggle home was felt like forever, stopping once in a while to pick himself up from where he'd fallen or to lean against a random wall or streetlight while ignoring the glares of the passing by night guards. Neither he nor they exchanged words, because at the distant knowledge at the back of his mind knew what he was: A disgrace to the entire royal guard. He didn't know who or why he was framed, he didn't have any memories between last night sleeping in his own barrack bed and waking up in the infirmary, getting yelled at by the doctors, the lieutenants and finally captain Thunder Shield himself.

He had thought that he was merely getting a bad case of flu... yet who could have known that he was having drug abuse symptoms? he never touched the stuff in his life, yet somehow he was found with them in his veins and in his barracks. His pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears as he was stripped of everything he had dreamed of since he saw his dad and grandpa in royal guard armor... all those years of hard work wasted and now lost, including the one pony he had started to consider his friend: Shard Tackle.

As Glint leaned against his front door and closed his eyes, he tried to forget the sad expression on her face as she had turned away... it gave him an odd feeling at his chest that he couldn't explain. Taking a deep breath, he fished out his keys and opened the door, stumbling inside before slamming the door closed as he leaned his back against it, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath to hopefully get the room to stop spinning so he could-

Glint's eyes shot open as he felt a firm claw grasp around his throat, hopelessly trying to free himself as he was lifted off his hooves and held high against the door, back hooves uselessly swinging mid-air and banging against the door before several more claws grabbed hold of his four hooves and pinned them against the door. As he desperately gasped for air, all Glint could see was an outline of a monster towering over him, hearing the sound of it's breathing in the darkened room as it leaned closer, laughing softly yet maliciously with it's deep, echoing voice under it's breath as another claw wrapped around his throat.

The last thing Glint saw before he blacked out was a dark outline of the monster's face right in front of his own, it's empty eyes staring right at his own eyes with a twisted smile on it's face...

As consciousness returned to him, Glint could feel the post-hangover headache that always followed whenever he went drinking-

Glint's eyes snapped open, before he blinked at the brightly glowing crystal right above him embedded in the ceiling as his vision started to clear. The memories of what he'd seen came rushing back as he tried to scream, only to feel the gag around his muzzle and restrains holding him in place: there he was, lying on the floor of his own bedroom with his hooves spread open and shackled to the floor. As he tried to raise his torso, he felt the one around his neck locking him into the floor, so he tilted his to look at his right front hoof: At the shoulder was a crystal growing from the floor around his arm like a shackle, pinning him to the floor while at the elbow and the wrist, similar crystal growths kept him pinned to the floor.

His left side was exactly the same and although he couldn't tilt himself to look at his lower half, he felt similar restrains at his crotch, the knees and the ankles that didn't even shake as he tried to pull with all of his might. A panic was starting to set in as he breathed heavily through his nose, trying to figure out a way out of this as he screamed against the gag that muffled it to a mere whisper.

"Oh, how amusing" A familiar voice said, followed by a high-pitched laughter as Glint froze, before tilting his head towards his chest and following a ball of light with his eyes as it stopped to hover right on top of his chest.

Airy watched and giggled as a shocked expression spread on muzzled Glint's face "Oh, don't waste all your energy now: there's going to be plenty of screaming later on" Airy spoke as she waved her hand, before a series of knives and other tools moved from beyond Glint's view to hover above him, causing his eyes to widen as he resumed his struggles against the restraints.

Airy smiled as she watched the fool struggle against his restraints: those were pure crystal, a pony like Glint Hoof wasn't going to rip himself free from them, especially after she used magic to reinforce them "You can struggle and scream all you want: no one will come and no one will hear... I've made sure of it. You know, I was originally going to target someone who deserved it: a former criminal, a homeless person, a corrupt castle employee... but then you had to go and dump a bucket of watered down jelly on top of me" Airy spoke with anger in her voice, watching as Glint's yelling was muffled by the gag.

Airy decided it was time, moving to the side before she started her transformation, a sphere of purple energy emerging from her as Glint ceased his struggling, watching as the sphere burst open into a purple fog, forcing him to close his eyes as he turned his head away.

And as Glint turned his head back and opened his eyes, he felt his skin crawling as he observed Airy's monstrous larval form tower over him: A purple-orange caterpillar-like form with many claws, her two antenna's bend backwards slightly against the ceiling before she leaned forward, placing a claw on the floor while grabbing a sharp carving knife with one of her many claws while her two pairs of monarch butterfly wings fluttered slightly in excitement.

Glint's entire body shook as his terrified gaze turned from the knife to Airy's face, black and empty eyes staring right at him as she spoke with a deep, echoing voice that held a hint of femininity in it "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you... yet. I will need you alive for what's to come, so while you'll feel the pain, it shall be a fraction of the real thing while I make sure you won't bleed even a single drop..." she spoke, pausing to observe the absolutely terrified Glint below him as tears started to leak from his eyes as he gazed her empty eyes and twisted smile.

"You and I shall spend a lot of time in the coming days together... I shall peel you open like an onion, study your pony biology to the smallest detail and once i'm done, I will stitch you back together and rip open your soul and magic: the secrets of how the souls attach to organic matter and the mortal realm, how to manipulate them to do whatever I desire, how magic comes into being and how your... 'cutie marks' affect your talents and attach to you on all levels... all these and more shall be revealed. Rejoice, my little lamb: it's time for slaughter" Airy spoke, her malicious laughter echoing and drowning Glint's terrified (and muffled) screams as she brought her knife to his chest and began...

"I think this is it" Shard Tackle spoke as she and Thunder Shield stopped in front of Glint's house, checking the piece of paper in her hooves before glancing at the captain as she gave him the paper, with Thunder quickly reading the address before nodding and putting it into one of his pockets as he and Shard turned their gaze at the two story building in front of them.

From what Thunder Shield knew, it was just another first generation house that had stood there since the founding of the Crystal Empire. All around them were near-identical looking houses, with only noteworthy difference being the shade of color of the crystals that made the walls and the roof. Considering that both Glint's father and grandfather had the house set as their address (bless their souls in the afterlife), it was easily concluded that this was Glint's family home.

"Sir, are you truly willing to forgive Glint and let him rejoin the royal guard?" Shard asked nervously, glancing at the guard captain as he mulled it in his head before replying "I am, if Glint has regained his senses in these last few days and is willing to tell who his provider is. The drug analysis by the doctors noted that whatever he took was quite potent, so we can't have it going around the streets, less we end up like the town of fools" Thunder Shield explained, his eyes trying to spot any movement from the curtain drawn windows.

Shard understood what the captain meant: the town of fools was a foal story about ponies who a town where the ponies had invented a drink that made everyone happy, before they wasted away as no one was willing to to do anything, from work to chores to even simple things like bathing or cooking food. The old stories told of a nameless hero who came in the night, disposing all the happy drinks and fixing the town, leaving them with plenty of food and no memory of how the happy drink was created... a happy ending to teach ponies that drugs were bad.

Somehow, Shard doubted this one was going to end happily.

With a sigh, Shard walked to the door and raised her hoof, knocking at the door "Glint, it's me, Shard. Please open the door" Shard spoke loudly, waiting and listening for any sounds from inside. After a while of nothing, Shard knocked again, this time much harder "Glint, please open the door!" she yelled out, putting her ear against the door as she waited for an answer.

As the silence continued, Shard turned back to look at Thunder Shield, who frowned as he walked to the door himself and knocked hard "Glint Hoof, this is captain Thunder Shield. Open this door immediately!" he yelled out, waiting a while for an answer that never came.

With his deepening frown, he grasped the door handle with his hoof and raised an eyebrow as the door wasn't locked at all. Glancing at the concerned Shard Tackle next to him, he pushed the door fully open and stepped inside, with Shard close behind him as they entered silent house.

"Where is all his stuff?" Shard asked as she and Thunder observed the empty rooms on both sides of the front door, turning right and walking through the house room by room: no tables, chairs, bookshelves or any other furniture, build-in cabinets empty of everything... it wasn't a good sign that the only thing that even indicated someone having been there was the drawn curtains covering every window. As they returned to the front door, they took the stairs directly opposite of it to the second floor.

Shard could feel a lump in her throat as she and Thunder explored the empty second floor, searching it room by room: she had only once visited but she still remembered the sights of Glint's family leftovers, mostly training manuals, trophies of various kinds and different types of armor and weapons from their long history of careers as guards and soldiers before and after the founding of the Crystal Empire.

Finally, they arrived at the final closed door, this one leading to the master bedroom of Shard remembered correctly.

"Do you know if this building has an attic?" Thunder asked, observing the ceiling for any hints of it "No, I don't think so. I think Glint once mentioned that he wished he had an attic and a basement so he could store the old family stuff better but... I'm not seeing anything at all. It's like someone emptied the entire house and abandoned it" Shard spoke with nervous voice as Thunder nodded in agreement "Then there are three options remaining: Either Glint grabbed everything and left, sold everything or... someone looted the place... but since there was no signs of forced entry, either he let them in or they cleaned up after themselves" Thunder said cautiously, before opening the master bedroom door.

Shard had been anxious about what they might find in the last room, yet her anxiety didn't go away at the sight of the empty room, nor did it go away as the two of them left and returned to the castle. Shard barely acknowledged the captain as he mentioned about sending guards to search the city for any signs of Glint Hoof, a thought that brought no peace to her anxious mind. Airy seemed to notice that Shard was distracted but didn't say a word about it, pretending everything was fine as they split up for the night. As Shard mulled over the day's events in her head while trying to sleep that night, one question kept haunting her long into the night.

Where in the world was Glint Hoof?

Author's Note

No, I don't hate Glint: he was always going to be Airy's first test subject. Also there were no romantic feelings between Glint and Shard, they were merely coworkers in the royal guard. I also cut off before any gore began, because while I could have gone into great detail of exactly what Airy did to him, I decided it's best to leave that to the reader's imagination.

Since this is the last chapter before Christmas and New years, happy holidays to everyone.