"Epona," Princess Celestia started, "the royal carriers are very reliable. You can trust them." She looked at the two pegasi hooked to Link's transport. "Fly swiftly to Link's destination." The two nodded. Then she looked right at him. "Stay calm, be safe. And as always, be perceptive."

Both Celestia and Luna watched as the two transports carried Link and Epona their separate ways. "Sister," Luna began, "I must ask... Shouldn't we be helping him find the keys he needs?"

"No, Luna. This is his mission. He alone, must break the seal placed on the door, for he alone, can reap the reward." Celestia turned and walked inside.

Luna looked at the fading transport that carried Link, then at the two guards that followed her sister. Quickly, she caught up to them. "Sister..."

"Yes?" Celestia replied, turning to look at her with a slight smile.

"May I ask, why do you have - no, place - so much faith in this ... this child?" Luna questioned, keeping pace with her elder sibling.

Said sibling turned forward and a corner. "He's earned it, wouldn't you agree? The completion of every task I've sent him to accomplish, he's done so. Most notably: rescuing you." She paused. "Do you recall why he seeks the keys?"

"The Sword of Masters in Castle Everfree. To obtain that which can destroy ... well, it will help in his future task." She glanced at the guardmare at her side, then back to Celestia. "But I feel I must counter: while you may have faith, founded as you claim it to be, I have yet to see any actual proof of his ability."

"What do you mean?"

Luna inhaled deeply and cleared her throat. "He may have blocked my spell, with that shield of his, but I'm starting to believe it was a fluke. Those still exist, do they not? He may have blocked it once, but from what I remember, only barely. His threat afterward was a bluff. He had no real power behind those words."

Celestia sighed. "What about his mission to the north? Did he not rescue the Second Commander from her prison?"

"An unmistakable success. Though I must question how much heavy lifting he actually did. If I recall, he requested Ruby's assistance for her prowess in the flame arts. She alone would have been successful; his attendance was next to meaningless in the matter." Luna looked at her sister once more. "Please. As our forces' former tactician, let me provide him with a test."

"A test, you say?" The idea was pondered while Celestia opened the doors to the throne room. "Suppose I agree to this... What would you have him do?"

Luna continued in after her sister. "I would task him with rescuing a royal guard from our prison. Then, with that prisoner, make his way to the throne room to confront another royal guard. They will fight. He passes, if he makes-"

"When, you mean," Celestia interrupted. "He will pass your silly test."

"I said IF, he passes..." Luna gave Celestia a small glare. "If he passes, then I will acknowledge his overall ability."

Celestia turned to face her sister. "If he somehow fails, then I will strip him of his place in the guard. If he cannot pass your test, then there is no use for him among the ranks. I will stand by my word."

Luna fell silent for a minute. Then, she quietly spoke. "I must proffer stakes as well. Should he pass, I will doubt him no longer, and never again will I question his ability. This I swear." The princesses shook hooves in agreement. "Good. Now, I will need all of the guard under my temporary control." She looked at the guardmare beside her. "That includes you."

The guardmare looked from side to side. "Me? Uhm..." She cautiously glanced at Celestia. "Are you okay with this?"

"You are a guard are you not? You are included in this plan. You are but a token in her game of chess, and you too must play your part to perfection, no matter what it may be." Celestia sat on her throne.

A slow smile graced Luna's face. "I have the perfect position for you. You, dear 'guard', will be the captive he is to rescue. Do not worry. You have ... my temporary trust. Know that if you betray me, we will all hunt you down." She forced her smile into anger at the guardmare.

"However..." Celestia brightened, "If you perform adequately, then we may just grant you some leniency. Consider it... incentive." The guardmare smiled and looked away for a moment.

"The question then becomes... Who do I choose to do combat with him?" Luna slowly paced in thought.

"You want it to be a challenge, right?" Luna nodded, continuing her motion. "Then may I offer Steel Saber to fill the role? She has fought him and won more times than anypony in his graduating class. She, if nopony else, will provide the challenge you require."

"Steel Saber... Has beaten him? And you offer her to me knowing this?" Celestia nodded and smiled. "You have a high volume of faith in the boy."

"You are not wrong. He has ... something, about him that makes you want to stand in his corner..."

Luna halted her pacing and looked at her. "The Triforce of Courage, you mean... I've heard it's a powerful force. Imbuing its holder with an unbreakable will. But mark my words, I will see his will broken."

The following days were spent planning out each move carefully. Celestia agreed to help in some places, but the bulk of the plan fell on Luna's shoulders. Luna had to put his face on wanted posters all over Canterlot. Then, secure a prison hall for just two prisoners: Link and the guardmare.

Luna had set up the prison he was to be held in so he could at least try to make a plan. She set a few piles of pebbles everywhere in the cell; something he could use to plan advances and scenarios, as she had done. The princess gave strict orders to a particular group of guards at least 20 strong.

"Listen up. You're going against Link. Some of you may know him. Some of you may not. When he touches down, unit one will separate and attempt to apprehend him. Should that fail, unit one's back-up unit will make the same attempt. Should they fail, unit two will go in all at once. He may try to outsmart you. And he may even succeed. But, there's no way he can take on all 12 members of unit two at the same time. Nopony can split their focus that many different ways.

"Once he is in custody, unit two's vanguard will remove his gear: his sword, shield, and uhm... Belt with pouches. He may have back-up stores of weapons. They will place it in the first armory they come to, guarded by a unicorn and an earth pony. He may come for his gear if he escapes. Not that escape is likely... Please note that if he is not accompanied by the other prisoner, you are to use more force to apprehend him than previously agreed upon.

"If he succeeds in getting his gear back, he will likely come for the throne room. Steel Saber will be the last line, as she has dueled with him and won, on multiple counts." Luna stepped to the side and allowed Steel Saber to join the group. "Just so we are clear... This is a test. He is not actually a traitor. But, in order for this to go smoothly, he must believe he is in real danger. Everything must go as it would if there were a traitor in our midst."

Steel Saber stepped up and bowed before talking. "Princess Luna... Would it be alright if I use my ... well, my talent against him?"

Luna shook her head. "No. We would need him alive for the trial he would have to go on if he were a threat. Your skill would surely kill him, if you meant it." She turned to the group as Saber fell in line. "You have your orders. Dismissed!"

Saturday night came much faster than Luna had anticipated, but with all her prep work done, she was ready. As one final piece, she produced a scroll to be sent to Link's transport. "Sister," Luna began, "I have completed my work. Now, this is to go to the one transporting him. They are orders for the stallion to return at once, forcing him to leave his pegasus companion behind. this will ensure that only Link returns, as the mare remaining ... isn't a strong flyer. Everypony in the city has seen the wanted scrolls and have taken to boarding themselves in their homes. this is looking well for me."

Celestia took the scroll in her magic and poofed it away. "You did not take as long as I expected. Clearly, your skills are not rusty in the slightest."

"I was on the moon for the last one thousand years. I had to do something with my time." Luna shot Celestia a harsh glare, who in turn lowered her head and closed her eyes.

...

Silence hung in the air for several minutes before Luna cleared her throat. "A-anyway... The pieces are in place. Now, the execution." She walked to the balcony and gazed out at the setting sun. "Let him come. Let him try. I cannot possibly lose a battle in which I hold all the pieces."

Celestia sighed and shook her head. She whispered, "You will come to know that just because you have all the pieces to the puzzle, it does not mean you know the end result. To me, your pieces are merely... colored. Without proper form and alignment. If you saw all the pieces for what they truly are, you'd never have made this bet."

The following morning, a scroll appeared before Celestia, who turned it over to Luna, who looked rather tired. Luna looked it over, and suddenly felt awake. "So... It begins."

Fun Fact: Originally a prequel to 'The Traitor'.

Figured I'd let you think he was in serious trouble. After all, you don't say the punch line before the joke, do you? Link fully thought, until he started going with it, that he was in danger. And I had to get you all to believe that too. Somehow...