Her Majesty's Royal Guard

Chapters

Beginnings
The New Pony in Town
Complications
Welcome to the Guard

Beginnings

To the Captain of the Royal Guard,

Shining Armor, upon review of the events that transpired before and up to the Royal Wedding, I am not pleased with your performance. Allowing an entire changeling invasion to take place is nothing short of preposterous behavior for the Captain of Equestria's military forces. Yes, I am aware that you had been fooled by Queen Chrysalis' disguise as my niece - we all were, with the exception of my protege Twilight Sparkle. This by no means excuses you from the events that occurred afterwards.

Are you aware of the amount of bits I pour into Equestria's defense budget? The suits of armor alone make up a quarter of the taxes taken in by the government on a regular basis and are starting to strain the royal treasury. This, when combined with cost of weapons, training facilities, and payroll, add up to an astronomical amount of bits! And to have not only no forewarning from the guards posted on the border of the incoming invasion, but to have every single guard in Canterlot seemingly overpowered by a force of Changeling drones? What of the seemingly flawless switch between my niece and that changeling imposter, without any of the guard happening to notice? This is unacceptable! You have failed me, Shining Armor. I had believed you to be a more capable unicorn, but it appears my faith has been misplaced.

However, I am not so displeased with you as to be unfair. Your track record in the past has been flawless, and I must also accede the fact that you had been... excessively burdened with your duties prior to the wedding. I am aware that our military is perhaps not up to par - a thousand years of peace and prosperity can breed complacency in a stallion like nothing else in the world. Thus, you will be given a second chance to prove yourself.

As your ruler and deity, I hereby charge you with rebuilding our military forces from scratch, starting with our own Royal Guard. This will be your only redemption - should you fail, you will be cast out of my service with the utmost swiftness and made to never return to Canterlot again.

Pacem. Prosperitatem. Harmonium.

Signed,

Princess Celestia, Reggente di Sole Eterno

Shining Armor gave a heavy sigh, carefully re-rolling the scroll before placing it within his drawers. He remembered all too well the events that occurred on his wedding day - it had been his greatest failure to see his ruler have to go into battle personally to defend her kingdom. Even more so to see his trained guards be promptly overrun by the changeling invasion.

He was not stupid nor deaf; he was all too aware of the whispers on the streets of Canterlot that followed him like a curse, causing him to inwardly burn with the shame of his shortcomings. But now he had a chance to redeem himself, to do something that had not been done for the past thousand years.

"I won't let this happen again - I swear it upon my life," he muttered. Dipping his quill in ink, he began to draft out a proclamation to be sent out by royal courier the following morning. Cadence would later awake to find him asleep at his desk, lightly snoring away with a grimace on his face while mumbling something about recruitment posters.

Ponies all over Equestria awoke to find a bold poster plastered on the walls of every building and posted on every bulletin board.

Attached to each of these was a personal letter from Captain Shining Armor himself, although some expressed doubt at how capable their "shining" captain actually was. The contents of the letter was just standard recruitment drivel aimed at attracting new blood to the Guard, with one large difference: the letter called out to ponies who had served in the past or had any kind of military experience and asked them to join the Guard once more in the interest of creating a better training program. There was good pay, good food, and good housing for those who would rejoin her majesty's guard; veterans here and there perked their ears in interest at the prospect of being in Celestia's service.

Soon, a small trickle of ponies began to make their way towards the capital. Ponies of both young and old and varying experience arrived slowly, their numbers increasing by day as Canterlot's recruitment offices became flooded with willing ponies ready to claim their glory as part of the Royal Guard. It would continue for a good three to four months before the flow stopped as everypony that was willing and able became part of the enlisted.

The call for recruits went far and wide, eventually reaching a seedy bar that serviced the guards of Equestria's border with the Badlands. There, those of the border guard merely scoffed at such a fanciful announcement before returning to their utter boredom; for what reason would they choose to serve a princess that thought they were used best to guard a wasteland for the majority of their service? There was one pony who took interest in the poster, however; a soldier of fortune who allowed himself a wicked grin before quickly hiding the poster away.

"Well, it appears there's better work for me elsewhere than in this dust heap." Giving himself a low chuckle, he retreated to his room at a nearby inn to gather his weapons and gear before making the long journey to Canterlot by hoof; after-all, he just wasn't paid enough as a border guard to afford the long-haul train ticket from here to the bosom of Equestria.

None of the ponies even noticed him leave, save for one earth pony whose face was clothed by a red bandanna. A scar jutted prominently across his left eye as he scowled. "Now, where does he think he's gettin' off ta'?" Slamming down a couple bits for his glass of ale, the earth pony left as quietly as the pegasus had, leaving no trace of his being there except for an empty mug.

The New Pony in Town

Barely anypony raised an eye at the stranger who entered the bar. Then again, barely anypony noticed at all. Orion had a talent for making himself come and go unseen when he wanted to; it was one of several highly specialized skills he had developed as a bounty hunter and mercenary. Satisfied that he had entered relatively unnoticed, he sidled up to the bar where a pony with a large handlebar mustache sat cleaning glass mugs.

"Evening, stranger. Care for a drink?" The tone was welcoming, inviting even. The mark of a good barkeep was to always have their customers feel that they were welcome to drink as much as they pleased.

"Give me a jug of your strongest ale mixed with a shot of rum."

At this, the barkeep arched his eyebrows slightly. "The Canterlot Kicker? You sure?"

Orion nodded his head in assent, which was all the barkeep needed to begin mixing the requested drink. "Not many ponies order the Kicker at all nowadays...it appears getting completely hammered is becoming less popular amongst even us seedier folk." The barkeep said with a low chuckle.

Blasted city folk. They always talk too much. Orion thought darkly to himself. Although he would have preferred to make straight for the nearest recruiting office, Canterlot was strange territory to him and barkeeps were the best sources of information in strange territory. Plus, he had a strong liking for drink that could almost never be quenched - at least not by normal means.

"Here you go; take care not to puke on my counter top. I just had this thing cleaned," said the barkeep, a hint of concern entering his voice. He had seen too many ponies try to drink their way through the Kicker with bravado only to end up on the cold hard cement outside puking their guts out. He had just gotten rid of the smell from the last one, too; a good barkeep always had an unlimited supply of lemon-scented cleaner liquid.

Orion merely scoffed, taking a small whiff of the drink in front of him before downing it in a single gulp, much to the barkeep's surprise. The alcohol managed to create a faint yet pleasant buzz at the back of his skull, but not enough to cloud his senses. "That's it? I was hoping to get drunk off of this."

"I. erm. Impressive." If the barkeep's eyes could open any wider, his eyebrows would end up on the moon. "Nopony's ever taken the Kicker like that and retained consciousness."

"That's surprising, since the ale's too weak," said Orion, frowning in disappointment. The buzz was now almost gone entirely, although his high rate of metabolism was probably more at fault for that. "Have anything stronger?"

The barkeep shook his head, struggling to regain his composure. "No sir, that was the strongest ale we have."

Damn. I guess it serves me right to expect high-quality drink in the underbelly of Canterlot, Orion thought, releasing a forlorn sigh. After four months of hot and dusty travel from the border to the capital, he had been looking forward for a tall glass in which to drown his senses; now he'd have to find another bar. "Thanks for the drink, barkeep," Orion said gruffly throwing some bits onto the counter top. Leaning in closer to as to reduce his voice to a whisper, he gestured for the barkeep to come closer as well.

"I'm looking for a bit of information...and I'm willing to pay well for it." Orion's steely eyes stared hard at the barkeep from under his black stetson. He rummaged through his saddlebags and pulled out a hefty bit purse before placing it on the counter top.

Nodding his understanding, the barkeep stealthily reached over to grab the bit purse before a hoof blocked his own.

"Information first, payment later," Orion growled. The last time he let a pony pull a fast one over him was when he was still a greenhorn; now he simply threw a well-aimed throwing dagger to stop any notions of stealing from him.

"What did you want to know, stranger? I've got plenty for well-paying gents like yourself," he said in a low murmur, his eyes shifting right and left to watch for any potential eavesdroppers. Fortunately for both of them, the rest of the ponies in attendance were too concerned with what was inside their mugs and not with what was outside of them.

"I'm looking for an inside man to get me into the palace. It's a clean insertion job - escort me in, escort me out."

"I know a guy that can help you. He ain't cheap. I hope you've got a lot more bits than what you have in that purse right there, because that ain't going to be enough."

"Trust me, your 'guy' doesn't have to worry about money as long as he's can do what he says he can do." Reaching into his bit purse, Orion slid over a handful of bits to the barkeep, where they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived into the barkeep's own bit purse. "Where do I contact him?"

"He usually skulks around the train loading docks around midnight; tell him Skippy sent you, and be ready with at least 2,000 bits."

"Thanks, barkeep. I've got one last question for you before I leave you alone," Orion said, holding the bit purse tantalizingly in front of Skippy the Bartender.

"I'm listening."

"Where's the nearest recruiting office for the Royal Guard?"

The barkeep's expression contorted into one of violent surprise, anger, and fear. "What in the hay do you want do know that fer? You one of them high-minded prissies too?" he whispered fiercely, his eyes now glaring at the stranger in front of him. Those of the Guard didn't take too kindly with the denizens of Canterlot's shady districts.

"Sweet Celestia's teats, I'm not one of those blueblood pricks," Orion said firmly. "It's part of what I need to do at the palace." Also, I'm planning on living off the sweet teats of the government, but he doesn't have to know that, he thought to himself.

Still staring suspiciously at the stranger, Skippy brought up a map of Canterlot from underneath the bar. "I reckon your best bet is to go here - the one in town square. It's the closest from where we are."

Grunting his understanding, Orion tossed the rest of the bit purse onto the counter top. "Much obliged, Skippy. This stays between us." Without leaving room for further conversation, he exited the bar, leaving behind one slightly confused bartender who shrugged before returning to wiping mugs. There were too many thirsty ponies in his bar to brood over a sober, interesting one.

Stepping gingerly into the team showers, Soarin groaned in relief as hot water began to massage his aching wings. "Ahh, that feels great," he said, taking pleasure from the warm water dripping down his mane and face. The locker rooms were empty save for him; Spitfire had roped him into some after-practice training, so everypony else was washed up and at lunch by the time he hit the showers.

That's not to say that he minded; actually, he enjoyed his one-on-one session with Spitfire since he almost never got to spend any time together with her these days. They'd been friends since childhood despite their differences, and lately Soarin thought he felt a bit more towards her than he would ever publicly admit. I wonder what she thinks of me?

His mind would have wandered farther down this path had it not been interrupted by an intense growl; his stomach was clearly protesting the lack of food within it's borders. "Hehe, whoops. Sounds like I need some grub. I hope they still have pie."

Emerging from the steaming shower, Soarin had barely started drying off his mane when Spitfire suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Hey Soarin! Just wait until I- what are you doing?" Spitfire raised her eyebrows as Soarin struggled to wrap a towel around his torso.

Soarin blushed and scratched his mane awkwardly, averting his eyes from Spitfire's curious gaze. "Hey 'fire. Just, uh, got out of the shower?"

"Soarin, this isn't the first time I've seen you wet," Spitfire said with a light laugh. "Heck, we're buck naked outside of our uniforms anyway!"

"You know I'm a chaste stallion, 'fire. What with my dad always telling me to be conservative around mares and all," said Soarin defensively, although one look at Spitfire's face told him she was just joking around with him.

"Whatever you say, hotshot," Spitfire said, giving him a provocative wink that only caused him to blush deeper. Reaching behind her, she pulled out a letter from her messenger bag. " 'ere 'ou go," she said through gritted teeth as she held out the letter in her mouth.

Soarin gulped. The way Spitfire was holding out the letter towards him made his heart beat faster, and her lips looked soft and warm, almost inviting. And he'd have to get really close to those lips in order to get the letter.

With a swiftness that could have rivaled Rainbow Dash, Soarin reached down and scooped up the letter between his own teeth. "Thankf," he said, hoping that Spitfire wouldn't notice how red his face was.

"Uh, welcome?" Spitfire said in a quizzical tone, her face the picture of confusion. I wonder what's up with Soarin? He seems nervous for some reason,she thought. Dispelling this thought with a shrug, she noticed that Soarin was standing there staring at her. "Aren't you going to open it?"

At that moment, Soarin had been imagining how Spitfire would look fresh out of the showers when her words snapped him back to reality. "Eh, I'll do it later, since, you know..." He gestured to the puddle of water on the floor that he was now standing in.

"If that floats your boat, Soarin." Spitfire rolled her eyes before grinning at him. "See you after lunch?"

"If there's any left." They shared a laugh before Spitfire left for the mess hall, leaving Soarin to look after her wistfully. "Come on, Soarin. She's just a friend," he said to himself, shaking his head before reaching for another towel. After all, the letter could wait, couldn't it?

As it turned out, Soarin managed to snag his favorite lunch before the mess hall closed up: a grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of apple pie. Seeing that everypony else had already left to enjoy their free time before evening training, Soarin took his lunch to a favorite bar of his in Canterlot Square - the Golden Barrel.

There, he saw a friendly face manning the counter. "Hey there, Soarin! Having the regular today?" Chilled Cider called from behind the bar. He and Cider went way back to uni; they'd been dorm mates for the majority of their stay at the West Manehattan University, and kept in contact ever since. It was sheer coincidence that Cider happened to open a bar in Canterlot that was close enough to the Wonderbolts headquarters for Soarin to visit on a regular basis.

"You know it, Cider! Add a shot of orange soda too if you can." Soarin said after setting down his food on the counter top.

"Sure thing, pal." With expert precision that spoke of years of practice, Cider prepared a mixture of berry rum and ginger ale, topping it off with the requested shot of orange soda before sliding the frothy mug over. "Enjoy yourself, Soarin."

"Will do, Cider." Soarin took a deep drought of the mix, shivering as the fiery sensation trickled down his throat. "Fuahh, that sure hits the spot," he said as he took a large bite into his grilled cheese sandwich. Soon, Soarin had gulped down the last of his drink and asked for another. And another. And another.

By his fifth drink, Soarin had become abominably drunk, something that usually happened at the Barrel. Regular patrons were used to the sight of the Wonderbolt drinking too much of the addictive Berry Mix and largely ignored him since he wasn't inclined to act boisterously. In fact, it appeared that Soarin became even more sociable after downing the drink, but not to the extent of doing anything he would regret.

Today seemed to be an exception, however; Soarin was deep in his thoughts, brooding over his feelings for Spitfire to such an intensity that he hardly noticed the strange gray pegasus wearing a black stetson and matching duster who took a seat next to him, the drink starting to blur both his vision and his senses.

"Barkeep, can you give me a Canterlot Kicker? Make sure it's your strongest ale." Orion said, his mood soured by his uphill trek from Canterlot's underbelly. After an hour of uphill climbs and confusing side alleys, he had finally emerged in Canterlot Square looking for the recruitment office that Skippy had pointed out. Since it was hot out, however, Orion decided that another drink could come first; after all, he was a pony who loved his drink.

"Sure thing, Mr...?"

"Call me Orion."

"Alright then, Orion. One Canterlot Kicker coming up." As Chilled Cider got to work, he glanced over to size up the newcomer. Although he couldn't see much beneath the duster, he could tell that Orion wasn't a normal pony. With corded legs and a muscled chest, it was clear that the individual in front of him was a pony he didn't intend to cross anytime in the near future. There was also a small crossed scar in the shape of an x on Orion's lower cheekbone, indicating that he'd seen his own fair share of fights. "You new around these parts?"

Orion nodded, unwilling to reveal anything to the barkeep. In his experience. bartenders that asked too many questions generally ended up selling you out to the next pony who asked. "I suppose you could say that." His Manehattan accent clashed violently with his appearance, causing Chilled Cider to raise an eyebrow.

"I figured as much. No city folk around here would dress up in that kind of clothing." Chilled Cider expertly finished mixing Orion's drink and slid it over. "Here you go; enjoy."

Orion tipped his hat in thanks, cradling the mug in one of his hooves. "I wouldn't expect them too; this place is filled with blueblood nobles and the like, not fighting ponies." Taking a customary whiff of his drink, Orion downed his mug without second thought before releasing a disappointed sigh. "This ale isn't that great either. Say, barkeep?"

"Call me Cider."

"Cider, what's the alcohol concentration of this ale that you've served me?"

Cider brought up an empty bottle of ale from his recent mixing. "It's at the Canterlot city standard of 2%; ever since the fire of '84, Celestia's put a ban on any drinks 3% and higher."

Orion gazed forlornly at his drink. "I should have figured, the ponies around here wouldn't be able to stomach the kind of alcohol I've grown up with. This isn't anything like what I've been drinking out in the country."

At this, Soarin released a loud snicker; in his clouded mind, he found the idea of a country folk complaining about beer in a city bar to be extremely amusing, although in his sober state he wouldn't dream of discriminating against a pony based on where they came from. "Yeah, I'm sure you bumpkins out there get REAL wild with your drink; there's a reason why all the civilized folk live in the cities."

"What did you say?" Orion's voice hardened, turning his gaze to stare at the drunken blue pony next to him. His face was dangerously calm, the only thing revealing his anger to be an involuntary twitch of his right eye. His eyes were downright steely, cold enough to pierce through any pony's bravado and make them quiver in their boots.

"Soarin!" Chilled Cider said in shock. He'd never seen Soarin act like this before, even when he was drunk. It seemed that this time allowing him to drink all those Berry Mixes was a recipe to disaster as he saw Soarin square off against Orion.

"You heard me; you country folk live out there free of inhibitions and restraint. I'll bet you guys sleep in the mud at nighttime." Somewhere in the back of his head, Soarin's subconscious was horrified of the words that were spilling out of his mouth, but his body refused to cooperate with him as the drink took over.

Orion reduced his gaze to a glare as he reached into his saddlebags. Looking Soarin up and down, he only scoffed at the poor display he was seeing. He tossed a hoof full of bits onto the counter top, his eyes never straying from the drunk in front of him. "Thanks for the ale; it tasted good." Without another word, Orion turned towards the exit when he felt a hoof grab onto his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going when I'm talking to you?" All rational thought had abandoned Soarin at this point, replaced only with a murky desire to exert his dominance over somepony and to wring out the frustration he felt over his confusing feelings towards Spitfire.

The background buzz at the bar quieted down to a murmur as drinkers stopped to look at the scene.

"What's Soarin doing?"

"Who's that other guy?"

"I wonder what happened."

"Hey barkeep, more beer!"

These and other whispers circulated the room as Orion gave Soarin one long, hard look of disgust. "Go home; you're drunk."

"How about no?" Soarin attempted a clumsy roundhouse swing with his other hoof that Orion dodged. In a burst of explosive movement, Orion quickly knocked the offending hoof off his shoulder with his own while grabbing a dagger from his bandoliers with his teeth and thrusting it under Soarin's chin. The blade gently nicked the skin, causing a thin line of blood to appear. Everypony in the room grew deathly quiet save for Soarin, who wheeled backwards in shock. "W-what the hay!? Are you crazy!?"

Gently sheathing his knife, Orion gave him another hard stare. "Don't start fights you can't finish," he said coldly before quietly exiting the bar.

Soarin turned around to see the shocked gaze of his friend Cider. "What?"

"What in Celestia's name possessed you to do that, Soarin?" Cider could only shake his head in disapproval. "One look and anypony could see he's not the kind of pony you try to pick a bar fight with."

"I-I don't know what came over me," said Soarin, finally regaining some of his mental faculties as his body absorbed the Berry Mix into it's bloodstream. "But he's crazy! He pulled a knife out on me!"

"I'd say he was entitled to; you insult a pony like that and then try to throw a punch at him? I'm pretty sure everypony else in the room agrees with me when I say he was acting in self defense, albeit a bit drastically."

Soarin was about to retort back when he realized the truth in Cider's words, and could only hang his head in shame. "Sorry, Cider... I'll be leaving now." Placing a couple bits onto the counter top to pay for his drinks, he slowly walked out of the bar under the stony stares of it's other patrons.

Chilled Cider shook his head after Soarin left and sighed. "Now, I wonder what in the wide world of Equestria was that all about? He's going to get himself killed if he tries to pick more drunk fights," he said with concern as he returned to wiping down mugs, his face worried about his friend.

After he had calmed his nerves considerably, Orion entered the recruitment office. His expression remained stoic as he scanned his surroundings, his mind wandering back to what had happened at the bar. He hadn't meant to draw his knife on the pony, actually. The drink had inhibited some of his finer judgement, and he had acted out of instinct much to his dismay. Not that it mattered now; hopefully, the pony wouldn't try to report him to the Guard although he highly doubted he would. After all, the other pony was the one who started it, and that's all the law cares about.

"Welcome to the Royal Guard recruiting office. We don't sell food or souvenirs here," said the receptionist in a bored tone. Clearly, the traffic that the office had experienced months earlier had completely died down, the office having not seen another potential recruit in a while. When Orion did not leave the premises, the guard's head perked up. "Here to enlist, are you?"

"No. I'm here to take up this offer on working on the new training program for the Guard and it's recruits." Orion reached into his saddlebags to pull out a worn, folded poster. "See?"

The guard laughed kindheartedly. "Pal, you're aware this poster is about eight months old?"

Orion raised his eyebrows. "And?"

"What I mean is, that program's closed now. The captain decided he's got all the veterans he'll need, even if half of 'em are quacks."

"I think your captain will change his mind when he sees me - I represent a unique opportunity for the Guard."

"Yeah? And so does every other sod that comes in from the country thinking he's a big shot. Still," the guard said, eying Orion's physique with a practiced stare," I suppose it'll do no harm to ask." The guard pulled up a form and handed it to Orion. "Fill this out completely and thoroughly; the Captain will need as much information about you as he can before he can make a decision."

Orion silently took the form, quickly filling out the form with as many truthful details as he dared, although there were some things that he kept to himself. No sense in letting everypony know what my past is - also bad professionalism to let my history be written down anywhere, he thought to himself as he handed the form back to the guard. "Here."

The guard scanned the form and grunted in approval to see that everything was in order. "Come by tomorrow; I'll have the captain's response by then. Oh, and bring this with you," the guard said, pulling out a thick leaflet. "It's book of standard procedures; you'll be needing it if the captain actually wants you in."

Tipping his hat towards the guard in thanks, Orion briskly exited the office before becoming aware of an increasingly annoying headache pounding away at his skull. "A hangover already? Damnation," he muttered, rubbing his temple with both hooves. "Better find a hotel fast; or maybe I can look up an old contact here in Canterlot."

With a groan, Orion got moving again towards Canterlot's shady district; being among all the fancy bluebloods up in middle-Canterlot made him feel ill.

Complications

The royal library was quiet, save for the occasional sound of a page turning. Silvery moonlight filtered through a tall glass window, revealing the figure of a lone earth pony sitting at an oaken desk. She shivered from the chill; Luna had made tonight particularly cold, and she had neglected to bring a coat or scarf with her.

Aurora glanced at a nearby clock and gasped. "1 o'clock already? Shoot, I promised myself I'd sleep by twelve tonight," she pouted, puffing her cheeks. She had a bad habit of staying up 'til the wee hours of the morning poring over various books and scrolls, enjoying her status as the Royal Librarian to the fullest. Letting loose a yawn, she stretched her limbs and stood up to shake the fatigue from her bones when she heard the sound of a door quietly opening.

While she was generally not an easily scared pony, Aurora felt her blood run cold after hearing such a sound in the middle of a dark and quiet library when nopony else should have been awake. "H-hello? Is anypony there?" When no response was forthcoming, she gulped. Her mind wandered to the thought of ghost ponies, and she shook her head violently to purge the idea from her thoughts. "S-silly me. There's n-no such thing as g-ghost ponies, right?" she said nervously to herself, her eyes darting left and right to try and discern anything out of the ordinary in the darkness of night. At this exact moment, a hoof appeared from the shadows and tapped her shoulder.

"Ahh!" cried Aurora, nearly jumping 10 feet in the air. She opened her mouth to scream when another hoof clamped over it with an iron hoof.

"May I ask what you're doing here at this time of night, miss?" a voice said suspiciously, but with a tone of calmness that eased Aurora's tension.

Feeling the hoof remove itself from her mouth, Aurora turned to face a gray pony in the armor of the Guard. It's gold hues glinted in the dim light of the moon, complementing the pony's deep violet eyes that shone out in the darkness. This caused Aurora to sigh in relief. "Oh, it's only a guard. You scared me!"

The guard's face, shrouded in darkness, remained impassive, continuing to stare at the hapless librarian. "Miss, I'll have to ask you to leave. The library is closed at this time of night."

"Huh? But I'm the royal librarian. I have unrestricted access to the library, regardless of time and moment," Aurora said in confusion. She was sure that by now everypony in the Guard had grown accustomed to her nocturnal habits.

A flicker of doubt ran across the pony's face in an instant, so quickly that if Aurora had blinked she might have missed it. "My apologies. I've just been added to the night post since graduating from the Guard academy training program."

"Ah, I see," said Aurora, the confusion melting away from her face. Raising a hoof to stifle a yawn, she smiled sleepily at the guard. "I was just about to leave anyways, so no worries. Good luck! I hear the night post is rough for newcomer guards."

The guard revealed the slightest hesitation before nodding his assent, escorting her out of the library. "Be careful, miss. Never know who's roaming these halls of ours in the darkness of night." Saying this, he promptly turned and disappeared down the hallway, allowing the shadows to swallow him whole. Soon Aurora could only hear the echoes of his hooves against the marble floor as they faded into the distance.

Attempting to stifle another yawn, she turned and walked in the opposite direction when alarm bells began to ring in the distance, growing louder by the second. Squinting into the night as if that could determine what was happening, she nearly yelped in fright. A regiment of guards emerged from the darkness and barreled towards her, their hooves thundering down the hallway in their haste. "Halt in the name of the Guard!" yelled out a voice in an authoritative tone.

The lead pony, a guard wearing the blue stripes of a 2nd Lieutenant, trotted up to her while signaling his contingent to a stop. "Miss Aurora! I hadn't realized it was you in the dark there! Are you unhurt?"

"Hurt? Why would I be hurt, 2nd Lt. Falcon?" asked Aurora, giving him a perplexed stare. "What's going on?"

"There's an imposter on the loose. One of our night patrols found a guardspony knocked unconscious and hidden in a bush, with his armor stripped off!" said Falcon, his eyes ablaze in anger. "We think the intruder is posing as one of us."

Aurora's eyes widened as she remembered her encounter with the strange guard pony in the library. "Actually, I just met with another guard who had entered the library. He seemed awkward as if he didn't know what he was doing, but he said he was newly graduated from the academy; apparently he'd just joined the night post?"

The lieutenant froze, tightening his facial muscles. "There haven't been any new recruits from the academy added since last week," he growled, tensing his body in preparation to run. "Which way did he go?"

Seeing Aurora point a hoof down the hall, Falcon returned to his regiment. "After him! He's headed towards the Starswirl the Bearded wing!" he barked, forcing his men into a hasty gallop.

As they ran off, Aurora paled at the realization that had been come across. Oh Celestia, the Starswirl the Bearded Wing! Without thinking further, she ran off after the guards as her mind focused only on protecting the propriety of thousands of priceless scrolls.

Earlier that night

Midnight. Orion easily slipped past the drowsy guard on duty as he made his way into the train loading dock. Hooves echoing off the maze of boxes and other packages to be shipped, he finally came across a tan earth pony wearing a black beanie and woolen sweater.

"Whatcha think you're doing here, pal?" the pony said lazily, keeping one eye on the newcomer as he smoked from a long Zefrican cigar.

"Skippy sent me. I have a job for you," said Orion curtly. He would have preferred to hire the pony earlier if only the barkeep hadn't been insistent on going at midnight. Being this close to the morning made him feel doubtful of whether or not he could do what he had set out to do tonight.

"Not until I see some hard dough in front of me; I work on a policy of 'cash up front', pretty boy."

Orion stifled the rising urge to strangle the pony in front of him with his bare hooves. Tonight's job was too important to him to succumb to his petty anger. Shrugging of his saddlebags, he gently set them onto the floor and gave them a hard push, eliciting the tell-tale clink of bits as they slid. "2,000 bits. Up front."

Unclasping one of the bags, the pony's eyes glittered at the sight of the money. "The name's Smokey. What's your game?"

"I heard from Skippy that you had ways of getting a pony into the palace. I'm here to hire your services towards that regard."

Flashing him a devious grin, Smokey got to his hooves and shouldered the bags. "That I can. Follow me, pal." The two of them traveled deeper into the maze through many a twist and a turn until they emerged at a clearing facing the warehouse wall - a dead end.

Orion was instantly suspicious, turning to face the pony next to him. "What's the meaning of this, Smokey?" he growled, slowly advancing on the friend turned enemy.

"Watch it, pal. I've got friends." At some unseen signal, dozens of ponies emerged from the darkness holding a variety of weapons. "Best keep quiet if you don't want us to spill your guts."

Backing up until he felt his flank hit the wall behind him, Orion eyed up the numerous enemies against him. There were well over forty ponies that he could count, each one staring at him with unwonted bloodlust. "So, who sold me out?"

"Yer the one that did the sellin'," said a muscled earth pony as he emerged into the clearing. He stared angrily at Orion from under his brown chupalla, the lower half of his face clothed by a tattered red bandanna.

Orion's eyes narrowed as he saw the individual. "Boulder Smash. I should have known scum like you would show up around here, in the middle of a shady warehouse in Canterlot."

Boulder Smash let out a guttural chuckle. "Look who's callin' who scum. Did ya really fergit what ya did to me back in Manehattan? Now I'll finally have my change at revenge!" he whooped, giving Orion a bloodthirsty glare that matched those of his goons. "Now, hooves up in the air. Ah know yer tricks inside out, and yer a sneaky bastard ta boot."

Serving Boulder Smash his most baleful stare, Orion raised his hooves slowly, taking care to surreptitiously slip a capsule from his leather gauntlet into his hoof. "How'd you find me?" he asked as neutrally as possible, his voice growing monotone as he slipped into a state of calm alertness. Come on, you dirty rogue. Give me one chance and I'll blast you to Luna's moon.

Boulder merely shook his head, staring at Orion in disgust. "After all these years, Ah finally git to serve you yer reckoning. You made a mistake when ya went to one o' MY contacts fer information."

Orion's eyes widened at this statement before hardening again. "Skippy. By Celestia's teats, how far does your hoof reach?"

"Far enough to kill you, thank Luna," he said, making a gesture to one of the ponies near the back. The goon walked forward carrying a proto-type single shot rifle between his hooves. Boulder Smash picked it up almost reverently before displaying it to Orion. "Like it? Ah spent a tiny fortune of bits to git mah hooves on one o' these things. Seems Equestria's startin' to move away from bows and spears to an age of firearms and bullets, but yer going to git a sneak peak tonight," he said, giving Orion a nasty grin. Cocking the rifle, Boulder firmly held the stock against his shoulder as he aimed his sights at Orion's skull. At a range of ten feet, the shot would be as deadly as if it were at point blank. "Any last words before yer blood paints the floor?"

"Yeah. Burn in Tartarus, Boulder," Orion snarled, violently throwing the capsule at Boulder's hooves. A resounding boom shook the walls of the warehouse as ponies flew left and right from the resulting explosion. When the guard on duty rushed in to look for the cause of the commotion, he was greeted by a strange scene: a gaggle of unconscious ponies were strewn all across the clearing, some of them having boxes collapsed over them. A trail of blood seemed to lead towards a gap made in the wall, causing his eyes to widen in alert. As he knelt down the examine one of the bodies, he felt a sharp sensation pierce his gut as Boulder viciously thrust a knife into his body. Boulder's face was bloodied and he held one of his legs close to his body as if it were broken, fuming at the trail of blood that lead outside. "Damn you, Orion. Ah'll kill ya when Ah git the chance," he swore as the guard pawed the air, feeling his vision grow fainter as his blood pooled around him. I don't want to die were the last words the guard thought to himself as his heart stopped beating.

Orion quickly limped away from the warehouse, blood dripping down his face from a various amount of cuts. "Got caught off guard, by Tartarus," he muttered as he cradled his left hoof against his chest. The blast had thankfully steered him clear from the bandits, but one of his leg bones had cracked on impact with a nearby storage box, the box then raining him with splinters that caused the cuts on his face. After nearly buckling under the weight of his retrieved saddlebags, he flew into the leaves of a nearby tree to nurse his wounds. "Damn experimental explosives. Guess Sparky did say something about them being dangerous if used in close range."

Grimacing, Orion rummaged into his duster and pulled out a small pill. It glowed invitingly in the semi-darkness of the tree foliage before he popped it into his mouth, allowing a warm sensation of bliss to overcome his body.

Spark Blast, lead scientist at the Manehattan facilities of Appleture Science Laboratories, had pioneered both the explosive capsules and something that would change the medical field forever once released to the general public: medipills.

Each medipill came charged to the brim with healing unicorn magic, allowing for any pony that suffered from non-fatal injuries to make a complete recovery and ready to fight or flight. They also held a full cocktail of vitamins and minerals ensure the general welfare of the user and provide a small boost to their immune system.

Unfortunately, these miracle pills came with a side effect. Since current technology in Equestria didn't allow for a lot of magic to be stored into them, the pills also released a compound that drew out the user's life energy to supplement the healing magic. Depending on how grave the injury, a pony's life span could be reduced by anywhere between a minute and a couple months.

Orion's life had been shortened by five years prior to this point.

He shivered as the warmth slowly seeped out of his body, indicating that the pill had done it's work. Feeling his face to make sure the cuts had closed up, he experimentally placed some weight on his limb. "Thank Celestia for these pills, and for Spark Blast too," he sighed in relief. Now that he was fulled healed, Orion had to come to terms with another problem that was becoming increasingly relevant. Meeting Boulder had definitely thrown a wrench into his plans, and now he was unsure if he should proceed - with or without a guide.

Why did he have to show up now, of all times?he thought, allowing himself to groan inwardly. Infiltrating the castle by tonight was critical, since his face would be known upon entering the Guard. He couldn't afford to risk breaking in after becoming employed.

Forced between excessive risk and never achieving his goal, Orion braced his emotions as his eyes blazed to life with determination. Focusing on the far off lights of Canterlot Castle, he spread his wings in preparation for a short flight...

Orion forced his emotions into check as he ran towards the Starswirl the Bearded wing, cringing at every clang his newly acquired armor made in the process. While it had been surprisingly easy to knock out the guard, infiltrating the palace had been nerve-wracking - especially since he lacked the benefit of having somepony who knew the layout. There was also the fact that his wings were pressed tightly against his body under the armor that had been made for an earth pony. Now he'd have to work fast if he planned on getting away without being able to fly.

Skidding around a corner, he ran headlong into a pair of guards making their daily rounds just as the alarm bell started to ring. "Hey! What's the big i-!" exclaimed the guard before Orion quickly jabbed his hoof into the guard's solar plexus, causing him to gasp in pain and double over unconscious while his comrade brought down the tip of his spear to take a thrust at the intruder.

Orion easily dodged the clumsy lunge, making a complete turn around before rearing up and bucking the guard into a nearby wall. With a sickening crunch, the guard fell to the floor with a moan, quickly checking out of reality and into dreamland. Satisfied that he had dispatched both guards, Orion continued to gallop until he stood in front of what he was risking life and limb for - the Starswirl the Bearded Wing.

He began to tinker with the lock, grunting with annoyance as it refused to yield. "To get this far, only to be stopped by a simple lock!" he muttered, smashing his hoof against it in frustration. He reached behind him for his saddlebags and was met with nothing but air before he remembered he had hidden both his bags and his clothes under the bridge leading up to the castle entrance. "Oh, for the love of-"

His swearing was interrupted as he heard hooves clop noisily down the hallway. As the echoes of shouts in the far distance grew closer, Orion quickly surveyed the entire area around him to find a way to avoid getting captured before the might of the Guard came down upon him like a mighty hammer blow. With time working against him, Orion quickly resorted to a drastic measure after spotting the armor of the guards he had just knocked out half a length down the hall. He would eventually look back on this event one day and laugh at the fact that he even considered doing it.

When 2nd Lt. Falcon arrived on the scene, his anger had reached a boiling point. Tonight had been his night to prove himself to his superior, and here he was facing an unknown intruder that had assaulted not one, but three of his men - rendering them both incapacitated and unarmored. "When I get my hooves on you, whoever you are, you're going to regret the day you decided to cross 2nd Lt. Falcon of the Royal guard," said Falcon, his face a picture of barely contained rage.

As he scanned the dimly lit area leading up towards the wing, one of his subordinates ran up to him holding a helmet in his mouth. "Sir! We've found the scattered pieces of one of the armor sets missing from a guards pony outside the wing, with another set littering the anteroom past the gate inside!"

"What!? That's impossible!" howled the lieutenant as he glared furiously through the bars. Inside, the familiar glint of golden armor shined at him with a mocking wink. "How did he get in!?"

"He must have tampered with the locks, sir!" another guard volunteered, peering closer to examine the one in question. "It appears to be the case that he unlocked and relocked the door behind him, sir!"

"That cheeky-!" Falcon scowled, turning to face his regiment. "Open up the door, now! We'll search the wing from top to bottom and flush him out!" Turning to face another pair of guards, he gave them an angry stare. "You two! Alert Captain Shining Armor at once!"

As soon as a guardspony arrived with the key to the wing, they all flooded in like ants to a sugar pool. None of them noticed a figure dropping down from the ceiling above them that joined them under the cover of chaos. I'm glad that ponies rarely choose to look up, Orion thought to himself as he blended in with the busy guards. It had been tricky forcing guard armor in between the bars of the gate leading into the wing - trickier still to undo the bonds attaching his chest plate to him and flying up to balance on the rafters that crisscrossed above the hallway (he re-did his armor while the guards sent for a key). Now another face in the confusion, he began searching the shelves for the prize he had been working for all night. Where is that bloody scroll? he wondered to himself before he felt a feeling of dread hit his gut.

Hearing a small gasp from behind him, his blood ran cold as he found his premonitions to come true. He quickly turned to find himself face-to-face with the librarian he had run into earlier. Oh, hell. How much worse can this possibly get?

Any hope of not being recognized flew out the window as he watched her face change from one of worry to fear. "Y-you're-!" she managed to exclaim before Orion forced a hoof over her mouth (again) and tried to keep her from alerting the other guards in the wing.

It was too late. The piercing cry she had given out attracted the attention of the entire regiment, and Orion found himself backed up against a bookshelf while keeping an iron grip on his hostage. Spears lowered everywhere as the guard formed a pointy wall of death between himself and the exit.

"Unhand her, you fiend, and face the justice of Equestrian law!" commanded 2nd Lt. Falcon as he stepped out in front of his men.

Orion remained silent, his gaze wandering from guard to guard until he spotted a nearby window. He began to form a desperate plan of escape, although he gave no indication of it and decided to tighten his grip on Aurora by throwing a second hoof around her waist, keeping her in front of him like a shield. In that position and in the darkness that flooded the wing, neither Orion nor the guard could see the violent blush that began to tinge her sky blue coat.

I-I've never been this close to a stallion before...do they all feel this warm? she thought, the absurdity of the situation affecting her mind. Has she been in a more pleasant situation, she suspected she might have enjoyed the embrace she currently found herself in. Now she was only in a strange state between being embarrassed and downright terrified at being in the hooves of a strange pony who could match the strength and prowess of a guardspony one for one.

"This is your last warning - Release her!" Behind the lieutenant, guards prepared to run Orion through with their spears if he failed to comply with their leader's command.

I'm not going to enjoy this, Orion thought darkly to himself. In one swift motion, he drew out a standard issue commando knife from it's niche in the guard armor and held it tight against Aurora's throat, eliciting a small eep of terror from his captive as he kept it gripped between his teeth. "Shtay back or de lady getsh it. Alsho, drop your weaponsh," he said, the knife inhibiting his ability to finer speech.

Instantly, the lieutenant's face transformed from enraged to doubtful as the anger from his eyes melted away to be replaced with...worry? "Let's be reasonable here. Let the miss go, and I promise your punishment will be lighter than it already is. I give you my word as a lieutenant of the guard."

I wonder what caused the quick turn around, thought Orion curiously as he glanced between Falcon and Aurora. Perhaps our lieutenant harbors certain feelings for the librarian? he conjectured before returning to the reality - and wall of spears - that awaited him. "I'm not a fool. If I gave her up, you would doubtless command your men to run me through, and I have no particular wish to be an over-sized shish-kabob," he answered, quietly undoing the straps to his chest plate with his hoof that was wrapped around Aurora's waist. "I can't allow myself to die until I finish what I've set out to do."

The chest plate burst off without warning as Orion forcefully spread his wings outward, the metal ricocheting off the bookcase behind him to hit a royal guard in the forehead. As the guards were momentarily distracted by their fallen brother, Orion grabbed both of Aurora's forelegs before jumping out the window he had eyed earlier, much to the disbelief turned rage of Falcon.

"Faust damn it!" Falcon bellowed, rushing towards the window to see his prey and the librarian fly into the night. "After them! Now! Rouse the rest of the Guard if you have to, I want that stallion found and punished for his crimes against the state!" As his regiment scuttled to do his bidding, he could only glower at the shadowy figure of the pegasus pony carrying his captive into the distance. "Just you wait; I'll tear this city apart if that's what it takes to find you, and when I do death would be too sweet for you," he avowed darkly under his breath.

Welcome to the Guard

Up until a couple of moments ago, Aurora had been too overwhelmed by the surreal circumstances of her situation to notice what was going on around her. The transition between being a responsible royal librarian to being a submissive hostage was a jarring experience for a pony who lead an extremely dry day-to-day lifestyle. In fact, it was only when she felt her hooves leave the ground that Aurora was brought down to earth - in a manner of speaking, of course.

"Hey!" she protested, struggling against Orion's iron grip on her forelegs. "Put me down or I'll- I'll-!"

"You won't want to be doing that, miss. I don't want to drop you," came Orion's quiet reply, barely audible over the midnight breeze that enveloped them. His eyes were focused on the ground as he watched for any projectiles that might be flying up to meet them. As luck would have it, the Guard was in turmoil from the confusing orders of the officer in duty Falcon, and the guards that would normally be posted on the walls surrounding the castle were absent carrying out some other tasks.

Aurora had no intention of listening to the pony who had held her at knife-point, and continued to her efforts to free herself when a particularly strong gust of wind chilled her to the core and caused her to shiver violently. "C-could we at least get down lower? It's freezing up h-here!" she yelped as another icy blast of win hit them from the side.

The unexpected chill managed to penetrate Orion's concentration enough for him to realize that if they didn't drop to a lower altitude they would both freeze to death. He also became aware of the fact that the mare he was carrying was shivering violently, something he should have noticed since she was an earth pony and probably not used to the temperature drops that were liable to occur at higher altitudes. "Do you live close by?" he asked coolly, intending to drop her off where she lived as a sort of 'sorry for your troubles' gesture.

"W-what does that have to do with anything!?" Aurora exclaimed, trying to conserve any body heat she had left. "I'm not telling my k-kidnapper where I live!"

Realizing that in her current state of mind she was unlikely to believe any gestures of goodwill he might offer her, Orion decided to bank downwards towards the bridge where he had hidden his clothing and saddlebags from earlier in the night. "Make sure not to struggle, we'll be landing now."

Orion glided them under the bridge, their hooves lightly making contact with the ground. Gently lowering the rest of the mare towards safety, he plopped himself to the ground in exhaustion. Being fit was a must as a mercenary, but his wing power was nothing impressive since he spent most of his time on the ground; that being said, while his body's constitution could be comparable to that of an extremely fit earth pony, his wings - with a wing power of 5.1 - were hardly prepared for carrying the weight of two ponies over an extended period of time.

Shaking off the frost that had accumulated on his body over the short flight, Orion began to remove his helmet and armored gauntlets when he noticed that Aurora had retreated to a corner and was shivering terribly. Her yellow eyes were filled with fear and wariness as she regarded him as some sort of monster.

Well, I suppose I am, in a fashion, he mused to himself, a grim smile briefly flitting across his face. Reaching for his saddlebags, he pulled out a woolen travel blanket and dropped it over the mare. "Here," he said with sincere remorse in his voice. "I...am sorry. I did not mean to drag you into this mess."

Aurora looked up in surprise before tightly wrapping the blanket around her, reveling in the sudden warmth that blossomed throughout her body. To say that she was astonished by this action would be a fairly large understatement; up until this point she had thought of her captor as a cruel and heartless fiend that would eventually do unspeakable things to her (or maybe that was all the romance novels she had read talking). "Thanks..." she mumbled, taking a deep breath into the fuzzy warmth that surrounded her. It smelled of the sharp tang of explosives mixed with the dizzying sourness of ale, creating a confusing yet somehow soothing combination. "Uhm..." she started before stopping herself. Truth be told, she didn't know what she was supposed to feel now. In her mind she was supposed to be terrified out of her wits, but instead she felt confused and curious about the strange situation she found herself in despite everything. The life of a librarian was not especially exciting for a pony, and the adrenaline that pumped through her veins made her feel a raw sense of vivacity that she had never experienced before. He does look like he's sorry...maybe he's not that bad. Wait, what am I thinking!? He held me captive with a knife at my throat, then kidnapped me! But he doesn't seem like a bad stallion... Aurora continued to grapple with her conflicting emotions until she had worked herself up a notch. Why do I feel so confused? Shouldn't the answer be clear? she wondered to herself. Shaking her head to clear her mind of such thoughts, Aurora saw something from the corner of her eye that drew her attention.

Standing in the moonlight fully dressed in his stetson and duster, Orion stared towards the horizon as silvery beams highlighted his red-streaked grey mane. Seemingly deep in thought, he failed to notice the scrutiny he was being placed under by the mare he had brought with him. Aurora allowed her eyes to drink in his fit figure, drifting over him until they rested upon his cutie mark that was partly visible through the ruined cloth of the duster. It looked like half of a cloud with a tornado, which she assumed had something to do with a special weather talent. Lingering over his mark, she had perhaps stared too intently as Orion stirred and turned his head to focus on her. As she moved up her gaze to meet his, she could see the contrition that was evident in his eyes.

"Are you unhurt?" he asked neutrally, his tone staying level and unchanged while his eyes did all of the talking. Then again, most eyes did all of the talking in front of Aurora. Her special talent involved judging a pony's character through their body language and their eyes, and in that moment Aurora knew that the stallion in front of her was at least not purposely malicious. Still, being held captive had mortified her to some degree, so she wasn't quite ready to forgive him yet.

"I would be if I were sitting at home right now, nestled comfortably under my bed covers. Instead, I'm sitting under a bridge after having been kidnapped and held captive against my will, and I almost froze to death earlier," she said with as much indignation as she could muster, considering the circumstances.

Orion gave an imperceptible bow of the head. "No amount of apologies will express my regret in allowing an innocent to get involved, and you have every reason to be hostile towards me if you are so inclined. But right now, I cannot afford to die or become captured - not until I can find what I'm looking for," he avowed with such conviction that Aurora had the impression that he very well intended to see his plans to the end - whatever they may be. Shifting his hooves awkwardly, he addressed Aurora , "Do you wish to return home? I will place my wings under your service to see you safely back where you belong."

Taken aback by the honesty of his intentions, Aurora displayed a brief moment of hesitation before shaking her head vigorously. "Oh, no. That's not necessary..." she said demurely, casting her eyes towards the ground. "I can walk home from here."

"Farewell, then. I'm sorry we had to meet like this; I've given you a rather bad first impression." With a powerful flap of his wings, Orion launched himself into the sky without a glance backwards.

Aurora watched him go until she could no longer make out his form against the nighttime sky. "This was by far the strangest night I've ever been through," she mumbled, trotting out from under the bridge before heading towards her villa in the upper tier of Canterlot (it pays to be the royal Librarian, after all). Interestingly enough, she could not bring herself to hate the stallion; she could only wonder at who he was and if she would ever find out.

As a golden dawn slowly cracked the horizon, Orion was already briskly making his way towards the recruitment office as per instructed the previous day. He had replaced his considerably ruined duster with a spare he had back at his hideout in lower Canterlot, and he strode forward in relative haste so as to avoid early morning traffic. Now and then, his wing muscles twinged painfully and caused him to grimace; the strain he had placed them under last night was starting to affect them, and Orion had no choice but to bear with each painful spasm as it came.

As he entered the office, Orion raised an eyebrow upon seeing that the guard from yesterday had been replaced with somepony else. "Excuse me. I came in yesterday to apply for the recruitment program, and-"

"Oh, so you're that odd one that Heartstrings told me about!" laughed the guard, his jovial expression catching Orion off guard. "It's your lucky day! The Cap's agreed to take you on for a month trial period, ain't that a gem?"

"Lucky indeed," Orion agreed, feeling a sense of bittersweet satisfaction. With this, his plans were now put on hold - potentially for good. Despite the guarantee of food and housing, he started to question the wisdom of his decision to join the Guard so soon after arriving in Canterlot when the guard interrupted his thoughts.

"In fact, the Captain wants to see you as soon as possible for an interview. He's intrigued to see the kind of stallion you are, and he also wants to make sure he's not hiring a changeling" explained the guard as he levitated a map of the castle with an emerald green aura. "This circled area is the captain's office. You'll need this to find your way. Also," paused the guard as he reached for a scroll resting on his desk," these papers are a temporary visa to allow you access to the castle. Your permanent one won't be issued until after the trial period is over."

After briefly consulting the map and the visa, Orion gave the guard a curt nod before trotting out the office. Preparing himself for the pain that was to follow, he took to the skies with one swift flap of the wings, enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing through his mane even as his wings complained all the while to Canterlot Castle.

As he arrived at the gates, he lightly touched down in front of two pegasi guards. "Here on Guard business. I'm to meet with Captain Shining Armor as soon as possible," Orion stated, his voice serious and unfaltering under the scrutiny of the guardponies.

"Papers, please," the guard on his left responded, holding out a hoof for Orion's visa.

Hoofing over the precious document, he waited as the guard skimmed over the scroll and grunted his approval. "Everything is in order. You may pass," intoned the guards, simultaneously raising their spears while the guard returned the visa to it's owner. Orion was now (for the second time) in the boundaries of the royal castle.

He let loose a low whistle. His late night excursion had left little time for him to enjoy the sights, and now Orion fully drank in the grandeur that surrounded him. Tall, sweeping arches held up a ceiling that seemed to breach the heavens themselves, supported by pristine pillars of marble tinged with gold dust. His hooves sank into the soft red carpet as he walked past priceless paintings by Hoovinci, Ventus, and John Joseco. As he came upon the door to Shining Armor's office, he heard a familiar voice through the walls.

Placing his ear against the door, Orion could barely make out the words. " - had the Guard combing the city since the incident. I swear that I'll bring the stallion who did this to justice," 2nd Lt. Falcon maintained, his voice a mass of barely concealed anger.

An authoritative voice whom Orion assumed belonged to Shining Armor gave a heavy sigh. "Falcon, I know that you are a capable officer, but isn't this a bit much? Three of the Guard when down on your watch, and the perpetrator escaped with the royal Librarian for Celestia's sake! Thankfully, she showed up for work this morning in one piece, but she said she couldn't remember anything after the rogue jumped out the window. Tell me, Falcon," the voice addressed to the unfortunate lieutenant,"what would you do in my position?"

When Falcon remained silent, the voice sighed again. "Maybe a reassignment would be more befitting for you until you've gained more experience as an officer. Expect to be notified of transfer by tomorrow morning at the latest. Dismissed."

"But sir! I-" contended Falcon, clearly unhappy with the way things were turning out.

"Dismissed, 2nd lieutenant," the voice said quietly with the weight of finality.

Pedaling backwards at the sound of stiff hooves marching, Orion barely managed to avoid being hit on the snout by the door as the lt. stomped out. Falcon hardly gave him a second glance as he disappeared down the hall muttering curses under his breath. "Damn. Damn!"

Well, at least I don't have to worry about him for a while, Orion thought, knocking on the door frame with his hoof as he peered inside the room.

Shining Armor glanced up from his paperwork. "Ah, come in! You must be the mercenary who wants to join the Guard," he said warmly, offering Orion a seat with his free hoof as he shut the door with his magic. He pulled out a sheaf documents as Orion settled into his chair, reviewing them with an appraising eye. "Pretty interesting resume if you've done what you say you've done, Orion," observed Shining Armor as he read into the top sheet. "It says here that you've fought against diamond dog raiding parties back in the Diamond Dog conflict five years ago before being hired as a border guard at a fort on the Equestria - Badlands border, where you've served ever since. You've also collected a couple bounties on dangerous Equestrian criminals," he commented, receiving a nod of confirmation from Orion. "However, you've declined to mention anything towards education, parents, and the like. Any particular reason why?"

"A stallion like me makes a lot of enemies over the years, Captain," replied Orion in a gruff tone.

"Understandable," said Shining Armor with a nod. "Can you hold on a moment? I want to check something really fast." Without waiting for a reply, Shining Armor blasted Orion with a matrix of light that lasted for half a second before dissipating into the air. "Well, at least you're not a changeling."

Orion's skin felt tingly after the sudden exposure to magic, but he was not angry. After all, if he was captain of a military force that was recently infiltrated by changelings, he'd have done the same thing.

"Now, in regards to your lack of personal history; it is not possible for me to admit anypony to the Guard based solely on qualifications, so you'll understand why I had this made," he explained while placing a hefty file onto the desk in front of him.

Orion eyed the file with suspicion, not liking the direction where this conversation was heading. "What is 'that' exactly, Captain?"

"It took me quite a while to find your legal name, Storm Cloud, son of the famous Rain Cloud and Thunder Cloud. An entire day, in fact, which shows how thoroughly you tried to hide your tracks." At this point, all the previous friendliness had dropped from Shining Armor's voice to be replaced with a questioning tone that expected answers.

While Orion made no movement to rise, his shoulders suddenly tensed. "I don't know where you got that information, but I'm not the stallion you think I am," Orion responded cautiously, keeping his face devoid of any emotion other than assumed nonchalance in front of the bemused captain.

"There's no sense in denying it; I'll admit that the depth to which you had your past erased is quite something for a civilian pony, but you couldn't get rid of the documents stored by the Ministry of Public Records. It was no easy feat to dig back twenty years ago to find your birth certificate, but everything falls into place after that. This file contains everything from childhood address of residence to grades received during your time at the Long Island Military Institute on Manehattan," Shining asserted with a tone of certainty. "Photos, new articles, everything has been recorded and filed. Everything except the period of time between your disappearance from the institute and your reappearance as an accomplished mercenary at Fort Knox." Finally raising his head, Shining rested his gaze onto Orion's still form. "I called you in to fill in this gap."

"Is that so," Orion growled, unable to hold back his anger completely. "By your leave, Captain." Orion rose out of his seat and gave Shining Armor a curt nod before exit the room as as Shining rose after him.

"Stop right there, Storm," commanded Shining sternly. "I'll have you answer my inquiries before you leave if you intend to serve in the Guard."

"With all due respect, Captain Armor, my name is Orion," Orion insisted through gritted teeth. "You have the wrong stallion."

"Do you really expect me to believe that? With the way you're acting right now combined with the information in this file?" Shining said incredulously. He softened his tone of voice. "I just want to know what happened to your paren-"

"At risk of disobeying a superior officer, I'll have to stop you from going further, Captain Armor," Orion said quietly but forcefully, slowly turning to face the captain. "Who I was in the past is irrelevant; I am Orion and I have the qualifications to assist you in your training program. If doing so requires me to reveal my past where it is completely unwarranted to do so, then I don't wish to be employed. My history is mine alone; it is not yours nor anypony's place to dig into it." The intensity with which he said this statement was enough for Shining to be taken aback.

Flabbergasted, Shining Armor made no attempt to question any further. In his heart, he knew Orion was right; it was wrong of him to invade another pony's privacy only to sate his own morbid curiosity. Opening his mouth to speak an apology, Shining was interrupted by a light blue pegasus who burst his way through the door. His mane gave signs of a rushed flight over, and his eyes still held the bleariness of sleep. "Wonderbolt Soarin, reporting in sir!" he said emphatically, his eyes trying to readjust to his surroundings. "My apologies for being late-" Soarin's eye's widened as he recognized the second individual in the room. "You!"

Orion turned his head, staring in semi-disbelief. He gave a surprised grunt. "What's the drunkard doing here?"

"What!? I oughta-!" Soarin angrily advanced towards Orion before Shining Armor stepped between the two of them.

"Calm yourself, Soarin! There will be no fighting amongst comrades, in my office no less!" Shining barked, serving Soarin with a withering glare until the pegasus stepped down.

"He isn't a comrade of mine," Soarin muttered darkly, shooting Orion a dirty glare.

"Actually, effective now, he is; you're both going into the Guard Academy's training program, so start behaving like an adult rather than a spoiled child!" scolded Shining Armor.

Orion remained calm through the proceedings, as if he found the outburst made against him insignificant. "May I have my leave, Captain? I've things to prepare for the beginning of my tenure."

"Of course. Visit the royal quartermaster down the hall; he'll assign you to your quarters. As for our earlier discussion, if you ever feel like divulging anymore details I would be utmost grateful. It will have to wait for a more...opportune moment, however." Shining now openly grinned at the newly hired mercenary. "Welcome to the Guard, Orion."

"Sir." With a salute, Orion briskly trotted out of the room, leaving Soarin alone with the captain. "Why in the hay are you hiring that guy? He's a maniac!" Soarin moaned, remembering what happened yesterday at the bar.

"He is a professional, albeit with a strange past," Shining Armor sighed, massaging his temple with a hoof. "Unlike another stallion in this room."

"Bu- he- I mea-" Soarin stuttered incoherently.

"Look, Soarin, whatever there is between you and him had better not get in the way of your duties. I won't allow dissent in the ranks of my Royal Guard," admonished Shining sternly. He had the look of a pony who did not want to be argued with.

Soarin vented out a heavy sigh, the anger seeping out of his body. "If you say so, Captain Armor."

"Good. Anyhow, you were supposed to be here yesterday with Spitfire for a joint briefing - now you'll simply have to learn it as you go."

"That was my bad. Things came up and I forgot to check the letter until his morning," Soarin said apologetically.

Shining Armor shrugged. "Well, you showed up. That gives you some merit. Just don't make a habit of it, alright?"

"Yessir. So, what am I here for? I'm guessing that I'm being assigned to the Academy training program?"

"Yes, you and Spitfire will be responsible for teaching our pegasi guards coordinated flight formations, finer aerial maneuvers, and the basics of air tactics. I've instated both of you to the rank of 2nd Lt. officers to reflect your new responsibilities."

"Wait...2nd Lieutenant?" Soarin asked, a look of worry entering his face. "What about the Wonderbolts? What will they do while me 'n Spitfire are gone?"

"Rest assured, Soarin. You're only being assigned to teach the recruits some stuff about flying, so you'll have plenty of time to balance between your Wonderbolt duties and Guard duties," Shining Armor chuckled, grinning at him for the first time. "After all, having the Wonderbolts decommissioned for the sake of revamping the Guard would hardly reflect well on my records, wouldn't it?" he said, giving Soarin a friendly wink.

"Sir, no sir!" Soarin shouted, reciprocating the grin. Maybe this new job wouldn't be so bad; he'd get to hang out with Spitfire more, and that's always a plus.

"Alright then, 2nd Lieutenant. You're dismissed. Be sure to report to the barracks at 0600 hours to get a quick briefing before the day begins." Noticing the blank expression on Soarin's face, Shining relented. "That's 6 AM in civilian time."

"Oh, I can do that!" Soarin nodded his understanding. With that, he bolted out of the door in a rush. "Got to get to practice now. Thank you, Captain!"