“What’s on your mind, Firm Shield?” Sapphire Blade asked his partner, who had been mumbling to himself for the past hour.

“It’s nothing, Sapphire, sir,” he said, still fuming.

Sapphire chuckled and looked across the Plaza that housed the Crystal Heart. He and Firm Shield were stationed at one of the four entrances to the palace, allowing them a clear view of the Plaza right under it.

Sapphire could see the three other entrances, yet they were too far to hear Sapphire’s and Firm Shield’s conversation. Sapphire smiled. “The Canterlotians are quite a hoofful, aren’t they?”

“Who are they, to tell us how to guard the Heart?” Firm Shield exploded. “They come here and then have the audacity to assume they own the Empire!”

Sapphire looked up at the arch of the palace above them, eyes softening. “It may look like this, but we lost too many to resume our duties of the Crystal Guard. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to continue.”

“I know, Sapphire,” Firm Shield sighed. “But it’s really patronizing to have them command us. Especially you.”

Sapphire’s jaw clenched. “There are procedures, Firm Shield.”

“Do those procedures say your achievements mean nothing?” Firm Shield scoffed. “Listen Sapphire, I understand you want to make a good impression but why can’t you stand your ground this time?”

“Protecting what I love against Sombra is one thing,” he retorted. “But disobedience for a rank? No, this is a different kind of fight, Firm Shield.”

Firm Shield looked at him, biting his lips. “Disobedience seemed to be the one thing you were good at.”

“On Amora’s love, Firm Shield!” Sapphire cursed. “The rules changed! Sombra is no more! The resistance succeeded! We can finally live at peace. I will get my rank when I prove myself, just as it should be.”

“But you already did prove yourself! You led us against Sombra! What more could the general want from you?”

“Obedience, Firm Shield!” Sapphire stomped to elevate his point. “He wants to be sure I can follow orders as well as I give them. Now, will you question my integrity any further, or can we finish the shift in peace?”

Firm Shield looked as if he wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by a shout. “Sapphire!” It called.

They both turned towards the direction the shout came from to see Rosefeather and Rosie as they rapidly approached them.

“Rosefeather?” Sapphire wondered as he watched his sister getting closer. “What happened?” he asked, disturbed to see his sister so worked up.

“Rosie…” she spat, trying to catch her breath. “She said she saw the Demon’s Disciple!”

“What?” Firm Shield exclaimed. “But… how? It has been a thousand years!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sapphire stated. “Rosie, are you sure it was him?”

“As sure as I stand before you!” Rosie saluted.

Sapphire nodded in acknowledgment. “Then there is no time to waste!” He looked around, realizing the guards stationed on the other entrances were looking at them. “We have to evacuate the citizens as per Protocol Burrow. Maybe even inform the guards on patrol to convene at the Crystal Heart Plaza.”

“Already did that, brother of mine,” Rosefeather informed him. “I sent ponies to every sector to warn everyone, even made sure they told the guards to meet here.”

“What would I have done without you, sister?” Sapphire sighed.

“You’d probably still not know how to do your mane,” Rosefeather teased.

“Uhm… Sapphire?” Firm Shield started. “What is the next step?”

“Oh, right,” he said. “Rosefeather, find the princess. She is your responsibility; make the necessary precautions to keep her safe. Firm Shield, you stay here and wait for orders. Maybe even tell our Canterlotian friends already present here that we entered a state of emergency.”

Both Rosefeather and Firm Shield nodded and left to fulfill their respective orders, but Rosethorn seemed a little on edge. “What about me, sir?” she asked.

He looked at her scornfully in return. Her bright red coat reminded him of the blood they had seen shed. “You know damn well this mission is not for civilians.”

“You’ve sent me on much more dangerous expeditions,” she retorted. “Let me help. I know I am capable enough for it.”

Sapphire sighed. She was as stubborn as a donkey. “I’ll bring you to the general,” he relented. “He will decide if you can join, but then you need to respect his decision!”

Rosie nodded, and they both went up the staircase.

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It was quiet. Too quiet.

Jeweled Hoof walked on the diamond roads of the Crystal Empire, its surface almost glowing under the sun. Yet Jewel could not appreciate the beauty of the houses or the majesty of the palace in the distance.

No, he was unable to bask in the glory of that ancient history as it came back to life.

He looked around frantically, his step lacking any rhythm as he walked deeper into the city and closer to the center where the palace stood. The moment he left the station, he didn’t see anypony else. As if the city were abandoned all together.

He looked through the windows of a shop. He saw shelves lined up high on the wall full of pots and bags. Gardening tools neatly leaned on a wall, from small spades on a shelf, to rakes that stood tall.

Look at you! Peeping into someone else’s home.

It’s nothing like what Twilight said it would be. Where is everypony?

Maybe something terrible happened?
Maybe Sombra returned again…

Unlikely. The Crystal Heart should have neutralized his hate.

Then maybe it was her doing?

A shiver went down Jewels spine as he tightened his coat he brought with him. He didn’t like the implications of that.

No. The timing’s wrong. Even if she managed to send a scout, she wouldn’t be able to make much progress before she got detained.

She only needs a single pony here.
What makes you so sure she isn’t making progress right now?

Jewel looked around at the abandoned streets and buildings. The air was still, protected from the freezing winds outside the magical border.

It’s just easier to hope you are right, than to worry about something you can’t control.

He looked at the palace in the distance, a beacon of hope and a promise for the future, containing the most powerful singular artifact of Equestria. From what Twilight told him, the elements of harmony may be just as powerful, but to use them effectively, they have to be united. Meanwhile, the Crystal Heart gains its power from the unity of others.

Jewel was lost in thought for a moment. Wasn’t friendship just another form of love? Then why was Twilight differentiating those two from each other? What was the difference?

Then Jewel remembered the changeling attack. A race of intelligent creatures who feasted on love, attacking Canterlot on one of the most joyous days. He himself didn’t participate, but he heard everything from Twilight and her friends.

However, there was one detail that ticked him off.

Changelings got more powerful the more love they absorbed. How did they defeat them using love? Wouldn’t that just make them stronger, allowing them to retaliate?

Maybe they didn’t use love?

No… I think it was exactly that. Magic gets easily influenced by feelings; love for another being can fuel a spell to incredible heights. That power is what changelings feed on, which means once you use it, they can absorb it for their own gain.

He spent quite a while thinking about it. The pieces didn’t seem to fit. As if there were something more to the story.

Jewel shook his head, realizing he trailed off again. The mystery could wait. More urgently, he needed to focus on the task in front of him.

The ancient past of the Crystal Empire.

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Shining Armor was pacing around his office, Sapphire Blade and Rosethorn watching him intently. “This is very troubling,” he said. Of course defeating Sombra was not the end, nothing was ever that easy. “Why is this the first time I’ve heard of it?”

“Many reasons, sir.” Sapphire stood stiff while holding his hoof over his heart, a salute of the crystal guard Shining Armor read about in the Empires Archives. “At first, it was the collective amnesia caused by our banishment. There have also been no signs that the Disciple has returned with us so we hoped that he died.” Sapphire glanced at the red mare accompanying him. “There are also many who don’t trust the canterlotian guard, which might be the main reason.”

Shining Armor sighed. Forging positive relations with the locals has been a hard task ever since Cadance took over the Empire. And Sombra’s invasion only worsened his reputation with the folk.

“Is there anything else I have to know?” He asked, massaging his forehead. The mare adjusted her footing and looked at Sapphire, something the general noticed.
“Well there is this rumor…” she started, but stopped when Sapphire looked at her intently.

“What rumor?” Shining Armor looked between them.

“There has been a rumor circulating around soon before we have been banished,” Sapphire explained. “It says that there may have been a traitor among us, who was sending information to Sombra about the rebellion.”

Shining Armor started pacing again. “So you're telling me that there is someone cooperating with this… Demon’s Disciple, you called him?”

Sapphire Blade shook his head. “Negative, sir. If there was someone who leaked information, Sombra would use it to his advantage long ago.”

Shining Armor nodded. “It still leaves the issue with allocating our resources.” He looked down at the map of the Empire. “The catacombs, the palace and the surface. We don’t have enough guards to patrol all of them, especially over an extended period of time.”

“Didn’t we get reinforcements from Canterlot, Sir?” Sapphire asked.

“Yes.” Shining Armor nodded. “But even with them we have only about 121 guards. Counting those that went for supplies to Canterlot, which leaves me with just over 100. Not enough to sweep the city for a single person.”

“Then maybe we don’t have to use the guards.” Shining Armor looked up to see his wife, Cadence, entering the office. She was closely followed by her maid, Rosefeather.

“What do you mean by that, honey?” He asked, his muscles relaxing.

Cadence approached Shining Armor and stood by his side looking down on the map. “As you said, we don’t have enough guards to look through the whole city for a single pony.” She looked up at Sapphire. “But what if we allowed the citizens to take care of it for themselves?”

“What?” Shining Armor exclaimed. “But we are supposed to protect them!”

“Yes, true.” She nodded. “However, Rosefeather just told me this idea of hers.” She motioned for Rosefeather to speak.

Rosefeather took a deep breath and looked towards the general. “As you know, your public image is not that favorable, general.” Shining Armor coughed, flustered by the comment. “I believe the main reason is your disregard for our customs, and a few decisions they deemed… disrespectful.”

“What are those decisions?”

“Even though your program to revitalize the empire's economy is very helpful, the ponies are not used to this kind of thing. Some refuse to take it all together, and more don’t know how to work with it. Our Empire cherishes love and cooperation above all else, and seeing some foreigners doing everything for us, is not only hurtful to our pride, but also seen as disrespectful.” She looked at Sapphire. “The last five years only strengthened our belief in those values, and it’s difficult for us to accept this radical change.”

Shining Armor scratched his chin in thought. “So you are saying I should rely more on the civilians?”

Rosefeather nodded. “We already created multiple emergency programs that utilize the whole Empire, not only the military. Sapphire here made a few of them himself in response to Sombra’s tyranny.” She approached the map. “Allow your guards to keep to their duties. To guard the castle and patrol the surface while you send someone knowledgeable and trusted by the public to look for the intruder.”

“I would say that someone is already here, won’t you agree, Shining Armor?” Cadence smiled at her husband.

“We’d have to inform the rest of the guard about the intruder,” he sighed. “It will take a while for the message to spread.”

“Actually, sir.” Rosethorn raised a hoof, which earned her a look from Sapphire. “The guards were told to come here. Informing them about the Demon’s Disciple should be easy.”

Shining Armor turned towards Sapphire, who was avoiding eye contact. “Sergeant Sapphire Blade, I thought we talked about this.”

Sapphire bowed his head and opened his mouth to respond, but Rosefeather spoke before he got the chance: “Actually, it was me who ordered for the guards to assemble. Sapphire only relayed the message.”

“And who allowed you to mobilize the guards without consulting me?” Shining Armor asked.

“Sir, with all due respect, I am the Royal Caretaker,” she replied. “My responsibilities lie in acting on behalf of the princess and when the need arises, to educate the new ruler on her own responsibilities. That said, I judged the situation to be dire and decided to take the necessary actions to protect the empire on behalf of the princess. I know you want to help the Empire general, but this is not Canterlot and you shall not treat it as such.”

Shining Armor looked at Rosefeather bewildered before turning towards Cadance wide eyed. “Yeah, she’s usually like this.” She laughed. “And I agree with her, we should rely on our subjects a little more.”

Shining Armor sighed. “Alright. Sapphire, I heard you are popular with the citizens. I’ll leave you in charge of catching the intruder, take whoever you need with you.”

“Even me?” Rosethorn asked.

Shining Armor studied the young mare. He finally realized that she was not part of the guard, even though her conduct rivaled that of a veteran. Peculiar, especially because she was younger than his sister. He turned towards Sapphire, raising an eyebrow.

“I can vouch for her abilities,” Sapphire said, as Rosethorn smiled with her chest held high. “She will be very useful.”

“Okay.” Shining Armor approached the door. “Let’s not delay any further!”
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Author's Note

I will have to slow down with updating this story.

I will still work on the chapter on an off, but I will be mainly focusing on a writing challenge I have started. I don’t know how long it will take.