FEB 14 Sunday.

There is a misty rain as I walk through the wet streets of Canterlot. Today is the day and I'm once again leaving the city that I call home.

I pay no mind as Entropy moves from shadow to shadow as she follows me through the slightly busy streets. She's under an illusion already, just in case she wants to fly around normally. Although I still have to keep an eye on her, she is a very curious bird after all.

I've packed all the things I may need and a few others, mostly more medical supplies. Having more can never hurt and it can literally save lives so I don't mind giving up a little space. Along with my things, I have a new piece of jewelry on my leg, an intricately carved wooden bracelet.

It resembles roots and vines interwoven together with carvings of rose flowers, leaves, and thorns. The diamonds are embedded inside the bracelet itself under the wood so they aren't visible in any way. I have no want or need to flaunt wealth and I prefer the simple wooden aesthetic.

But as a result, I had to get creative. Normally I activate or deactivate something by tapping it, it's a simple and versatile way to do so and is very reliable. But that means I need to be able to access the gems to turn them off and on, so this time I had to work with something else so the gems can stay hidden.

I ended up using switches of a sort. I carved two channels in the underside of my bracelet that hold small pieces of wood that can slide back and forth. All they do is turn off the Changeling detection enchantment and the illusionary book when moved to the opposite position.

The best part is that I can use my field and spatial senses together to aim my field and flip them without taking the bracelet off. A convenient and discreet way to use my enchantments and not draw eyes, and it's even very stable because the switches take a decent amount of force to activate so it won't happen by just moving around.

All in all, I have a new bracelet with a look I prefer much more. I leave my thoughts as I reach the train station that services all of Canterlot. It has several sections that each do different things, some for ponies, others for trade goods, and even some for mass amounts of raw materials like lumber and stone.

These provide for some of Canterlot's needs and transport requirements. As for me, it doesn't take me long to find the smaller train being guarded by several patrols of alert guards, I can bet every bit I own that's the right train. I observe for a few moments before dropping my hood and walking up to the guards.

They see me immediately, and I slowly take a badge out of my bag before affixing it to my chest to show it properly. They also see that as I walk up to them. One guard stares at the badge for a moment before nodding. "Please follow me Sir."

I just nod and do as asked. He leads me inside and through a few links of the train to a compartment with a simple bed, folding table, and a few shelves. "This is yours, the princess asked to see you at noon, somepony will come for you." He is all business and duty, not that I mind, simple instructions work best.

I nod again. "Understood, thanks." They just nod and march off with a disciplined pace. It's only ten right now so I just spend a moment relaxing and reading a little. I brought a good amount of the reading material that I and Cadance have yet to go through. I also brought only two books with me, one about griffon customs, just to refresh a little, and one about griffon military history.

Honestly calling it history might not be accurate, they have a tendency to embellish and make borderline propaganda sometimes. But it does make for an interesting read and it does contain some accurate history that is fun. I also do a relatively simple spatial exercise while reading my book.

I took my deck of cards with me and take out two to slowly rotate around each other in mid-air while reading. This takes a decent amount of concentration and slows down my reading as I need to keep my mind on two separate tasks at once, but something I've gotten good at over time.

All my abilities require multitasking to some degree so it's something I make sure to train thoroughly with all my abilities that could benefit from it. I read slowly and play around with the cards as more and more ponies come up to the train before a guard checks them and leads them inside.

I'm a nobody here, a stallion that nopony would know or recognize and I'll be keeping it that way if I can. I'm just another scribe hired to translate documents on short notice to do this job, so I'll do just that, work and keep my head low while enjoying my time off.

The train starts to move an hour later and an hour after that I stop playing my game of solitary when somepony knocks on the cabin door. "Come in."

A moment later the door opens to reveal a guard standing there. "Sir, you have a meeting with the princess." Her tone is as blunt and serious as the first guard.

I decided to take my saddlebags and also affix my badge again. "Then lead the way," I say while standing up and swiftly following them out of the compartment. It's a short walk down several train cars and past other ponies talking, they don't even notice me, and before I know it we arrive at a more expensive train car.

It's definitely more fancy than the other cars and it seems to be sectioned into a few large compartments with a single hallway connecting them and guards at every door. The guard opens a door and steps to the side, I just pass them and enter to see Cadance and Shining sitting at a table talking.

:Well... Fuck: I probably should have seen this coming. Cadance never mentioned if she was dating or in a relationship, but it seems she either is already or will be soon. This still leaves me in a bind, I never lied to Shining but I never told him anywhere near the full truth.

I let myself think about it for a moment. I could tiptoe around this mess, dodging questions and avoiding topics, but I honestly don't want to. I don't fully trust Shining, but I don't think he'll ever betray my trust. After a moment of standing there, I made my choice. I don't want to deal with all the mental stress of being covert and secretive with Shining, so I'll just answer what I want and stop pretending, it's best to rip this band-aid off quickly.

A new thought also enters my head before I walk over to the pair. Both are looking out the window and neither seems to have noticed me yet. I smile and cast a silencing spell on my hooves before walking over and carefully sitting at the other end of the table. "The view is nice, and it will be good to get out of the city again, especially with some free time," Shining says with a calm tone while appreciating the view of the passing countryside.

Cadance nods while doing the same. "Agreed, it has been too long since we went somewhere together." She turns back slightly and glances at him with a sly smile. "We might even get some alone time." Well, that answers that question. It also makes me very uncomfortable, but it also makes me nearly laugh as I just pour myself some tea slowly.

Shining also glances at her. "Really? Hmmm, maybe we will, guess we will have to find out. Anyway, when is the pony you wanted me to meet going to be here?" He asks while watching a tree move past the window.

She shrugs a little and turns back to the window. "No idea, but it should be soon, I think you'll like meeting him." She reassures Shining a little.

I can't help it anymore and finally speak up. "Oh, I'm already here. How have you been Shining?" Both snap their heads to me and look equally shocked as I simply lift my tea cup in a toast. "By the way, thanks for inviting me to talk." I smile widely at their faces and take a long sip.

For the first time, I see Cadance slightly embarrassed. "H-how much of that did you hear?" I must have really caught her on the back foot as she even stutters a little.

I smile wider. "Enough, but you know my secrets and I know yours, so we're even now. Seriously though, I won't say anything if you don't want me to." I see a little relief in her eyes and turn to Shining as he stares at me like I've grown a second head. "You should pick your jaw off the floor, it might attract flies." I break him out of the shock with a mild tease.

He still looks baffled. "Shade? Wha? What? When? How?" He stammers out clearly confused at my appearance.

I turn back to Cadance. "Not fast on the up take is he?" She just gives me an odd look from the unknown saying as I continue to confuse both of them, but after a moment she still nods. I smile at the chaos I'm causing and decide to cause more. "Well, to answer you. Yes, it's me, hi. I'm here as a translator. Around two hours ago. And it's complicated." I answer in a blunt manner like I'm giving orders.

Cadance can't help but snort at my blunt answer. "It seems you two already know each other, that's a story I must hear. Anyway, how have you been? I hope the cabin is to your liking." She changes the subject and for the first time, it seems she's the one wanting to move on from a topic.

I could tease her about it, and I will later, but for now, I need to make a decent impression on Shining. "Just fine, and the cabin is more than enough for me," I answer as Shining finally seems to sort his mind back together and gives me yet another confused look as me and Cadance talk so casually.

"When did you two meet? For that matter, when did you get involved in diplomacy?" He's not hostile or even embarrassed at being caught as it seems his curiosity has overtaken all that. His tone is still calm overall and he seems a little happy to see me.

I shrug and keep a friendly tone. "I did tell you I can't talk about a lot of what I do?" He nods. "Ok, so let me just give you both a rundown real quick." I look at Cadance. "Through luck, chance, and maybe a dash of fate, I've had run-ins with the entire Twilight family. And I've seen Shining at the castle a few times, he knows I make plants for Celestia, and that's all he knows for now."

She nods after a moment and smiles as I just blatantly spill this out as Shining tries to figure this out in his head. "Well, here I thought this would take longer, way to keep it simple." Her tone is teasing but I just roll my eyes and turn back to Shining.

"I do make new plants, along with other things that I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about." I stop at that and turn back to Cadance. "Actually, what am I allowed to tell him exactly?" I ask Cadance as Shining seems content with me explaining, but still pays close attention to my words while showing an odd smile.

Cadance gives me a reassuring look. "He knows everything about me and is my most trusted confidant. You can tell him anything you like about yourself, it's completely up to you." I give her a thankful nod and turn back to Shining. His shock is gone now and he just smiles at Cadance's words.

"You're a guard and I'm not one for subtlety so I'll keep it simple. I do much more than you may ever know, and I don't like to share, I'm sorry if that's not ok for you. I'm just not the type to trust easily." I explain with a completely serious tone while maintaining eye contact.

He nods after a second. "You have nothing to be sorry for, It's not my business and unless you want it to be it will stay that way." His tone is reassuring and he shows a small smile, and while I can tell he still has many questions he's willing to let it go. That means a lot to me, even if he doesn't know that.

I smile at him and nod back. "Thank you. You can ask anything you like, I probably won't give clear answers though. But for the sake of your relationship, I will say I mostly interact with Cadance because we are working together on something important. Now, how have you been Shining? It's been a while." I tease them both and enjoy the embarrassment that shows on their faces for a moment.

He keeps his small smile after several moments. "I knew you were odd, but this is just excessive. Seriously, where did you even come from?" He asks with a slightly humorous tone while drinking his cup of tea.

I also keep my smile. "You would never believe me if I told you. So, any questions?" I'm happy with how well this is going so far. I was honestly expecting a bigger reaction.

He starts to relax. "Many, but to start. I'm doing just fine, although I had the misfortune of being promoted, so I have to organize guards now." I chuckle at the tired look that crosses his face for a moment before it hardens. "Keep laughing and I'll have a guard follow you at all times for your safety." He says with a blunt tone and a small smile as he sees my panic from hearing his words.

I stop smiling and fold my ears back a little. " ... Point, taken." I don't try to fight that threat as Shining seems like the type to actually follow through.

He smiles fully again. "So how did you get roped into this? You never seemed like the type for diplomacy." He pours some more tea for himself. He really seems to have taken this all very well, or maybe he's just used to things like this considering his job.

I decided to just do the same and try to move on from the maybe real threat before he changed his mind. "I can translate Griffin, and I'll be doing that for all our documents. As for how? I'm not saying ... mostly for my own safety." I really want to trust him, but it will take time for that to happen.

I'm not ready to tell others about this, hell the only reason Cadance knows is because she needs to. If I could have only told Celestia I would have. Shining gives me a slightly concerned look before turning to Cadance, "Does he actually need a guard?"

I'm about to object and say no when she shakes her head, much to my relief. "No, he... Well, he's more than capable of taking care of himself, as long as we make sure to check in on him and make sure he's not doing anything stupid." She says with a smile while talking like I'm not here.

"Don't worry, I keep several seeds and a dagger on me at all times." I decided to derail her attempt to tease me by drawing my dagger from its hidden spot and showing it to them. "You don't have to worry about me." I resheath my dagger as they both give me slightly bewildered looks again.

Cadance just sighs after a moment, I seem to cause that reaction a lot. "You really are as paranoid as she said. Are those seeds The..." She trails off and I nod. " Then I'd appreciate it if you didn't use them then." She cringes a little at their mention and I just nod as Shining once again looks confused. She sees that "You don't want to know."

I decide to change the subject again. "Well, besides meeting your stallion friend, why did you invite me?" I ask while drinking more red tea.

She doesn't look as embarrassed but it still shows a little. "That was all actually, but if you have something you'd like to talk about I'm all ears?"

I give her a wide smile that she now recognizes as a bad sign. "I thought we might have a little free time while traveling, so I made sure to bring all the reading material we haven't gone through." I smile even wider as she gives me a slightly concerned look. "Yes, that reading material."

She huffs. "Traitor, you dare bring the evil paperwork here? This is a vacation!" I get a small taste of her royal voice as she jokes with me.

I just keep my smile and play along. "Correct your majesty! And that's why I even brought my notes for you to read through, in Griffon of course so you can get some practice in." She just slumps a little as I laugh and Shining holds back a chuckle.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 994

A simple chapter, I hope you like it.