Zipp goes to see what the pegasus guard is doing.

Zipp trotted over to where the small-statured guard was standing on her own, away from the crowd. She left Pipp near the punch table, chatting away with another filly that had probably come along with her parents. She was certain that Pipp would be fine on her own.

The guard adjusted her helmed and scratched at the bridge of her muzzle, letting out a heavy sigh. Spotting Zipp approaching, she rustled her wings and stood up straight.

“Miss Princess. Your Highness.” The guard muttered.

“Just Zipp is fine,” she smirked, taking a moment to try and spot what the guard might have been looking at. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Official guard business.” Was the formal, practised response.

“So? You can tell me. You work for my Mom, right?”

The guard sighed. This clearly struck a nerve and she grumbled below her breath.

“Fine. I’m looking for somepony,” the guard answered. She didn’t look at Zipp, instead scanning the crowd like a lone vigil.

“Who? Somepony bad?” Zipp felt a kind of rush, the thrill of a mystery, coursing through her; this was exciting.

“Very bad. We have reason to believe he’s the proprietor of the underground se–” the guard paused, looked at Zipp, then corrected herself, “hugging club.”

“Hugging club?” Zipp cocked her head to one side. She wasn’t buying it.

The guard sighed deeply. She removed her helmet, set it on the ground, and resumed rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Look, if I tell you…”

“I’m not going to tell anypony you told me, don’t worry.” Zipp puffed up her chest, trying to look older and more mature. She desperately wanted to be trusted with whatever it was.

“Fine. I’m looking for who we suspect is running the underground sex club that’s popped up in recent months in the old warehouse district. We think he’s recruiting mares off the streets and dealing in laced oats.”

“Sex club?” Zipp said aloud, bewildered. She’d only recently started to get ‘the talk’, and her tutors had been teaching her pony anatomy. Still, this was something she hadn’t expected.

“Shh! Not so loud!” The guard cursed and looked around quickly, making sure nopony had heard her. “You promised, remember?”

“Right,” Zipp nodded. “So where is he?”

The guard let out another long sigh, “Not here, I think. Somepony must have tipped him off. I knew this was a waste of time. You hear anything, you let me know, okay?”

Feeling proud she was trusted with a secret and a top-secret mission, Zipp nodded. “I will.”

Should Zipp:

1. Try to find the club
2. Flirt with the guard
3. Look for the pony the guard is looking for. They might be in the crowd. (Potentially dangerous!)
4. Tell Queen Haven about what the guard is doing
5. Go back to Pipp

Author's Note

This is an ongoing CYOA based on reader polls! Vote for what happens in the next chapter [Voting for this chapter has ended.]