Captain Aegis Flare flew through the night sky with a singular purpose in mind: Track down the assailants before the trail went cold.

The moment he received the report of the ponynapping, thoughts of fatigue from the day’s routine fled from his mind. He made a mad dash for the barracks, where royal guards were already moving into their standby positions, and was quite proud to see his subordinates’ readiness in such a short time. Swiftly picking two of his best flyers, he gathered up a few supplies and ordered for their immediate departure.

The city of Canterlot passed beneath him and his wingponies in a blur until they hit the edge of the city and were soaring out into the open Equestrian skies past the walls. He gave each of his wingponies clipped orders to spread out and search for any signs of the fleeing assailants and broke off to search the south while the other two took to other directions. His keen eyes scanned the grounds below him, taking in even the faintest twitch of movement that could be his quarry. However, his search bore no fruit, and frustration was soon starting to set in.

“Captain!” one of his wingponies called out from the east as he flew to get closer.

The younger pegasus stallion flew up until he was only a few wingbeats away and hovered while giving a midair salute. His gold plated armor gleamed in the waning moonlight, including his magically enchanted helm that turned his natural colors to the standard royal white and blue, just like the rest of the Equestrian royal guards in the pegasi unit.

“Report,” Aegis Flare demanded after giving a salute back.

The other pegasus wasted no time and spoke, “Sir, no visual contact on the assailants, but it seems that they were not able to clear up their tracks as cleanly as the last times. Out to the east, there are irregular outcroppings of the same substance that the assailants use in their magic that lead around Canterlot Spire.”

For once throughout this whole mess of beings with magic from another world, Captain Aegis Flare was relieved to hear a bit of good news. Yet, this was no time to celebrate.

“Any sign of where the trail leads?” the captain questioned.

The younger pegasus shook his head, “No sir. At least, for as far as I followed it. The trail continued on further, but I thought it best to inform you before going any further.”

The captain nodded and grunted in approval of the other guard’s sound judgment. However, like before, they did not have time to waste.

“Relay your findings to private Nimble Step and rendezvous back with me to the east. I will go ahead and follow the trail on a gliding path until you two catch up. We’ll then follow the trail until we find more signs of the assailants,” the captain pointed to his subordinate and commanded.

The pegasus guard saluted and flew off to do as ordered. In the meantime, Captain Aegis Flare set off on his own task, beating his wings furiously until he came upon the strange outcroppings that his subordinate came across. Just like he said, the outcroppings were too irregular, and the material contrasted severely against the natural formations and coloration of the mountain’s base. It was a little surprising to know that the assailants were able to scale the steep slopes of the Canterlot Spire, especially with a captive among them. Then again, he was aware of both what they were capable of and his constant reprimanding toward the human back in the castle about his idiotic antics, which were enough to prove him otherwise that they would be capable of such a feat.

Aegis Flare continued to follow the sporadic formations of the rocky outcroppings while tediously gliding until his other two subordinates were able to catch up. With his wingponies back with him, he signalled to them that they were going to speed up to follow the trail faster. The rocky cliff base of the Canterlot Spire slowly transformed into rough patches of shrubbery and then into hilly plains that would lead to Eastern Equestria. The weird outcroppings were becoming very sparse, as the assailants must not have needed to use their magic to traverse the less mountainous terrain.

The trail was looking to be growing cold after this. If the assailants did not leave any more clues as to where they were going, Aegis Flare feared that they might have just lost their first and possibly only chance to track them down.

“Captain, two o’ clock off due east,” the guard on his right called out, also pointing in the indicated direction.

The captain examined the area closely and spotted what the other guard was pointing out. It was faint, so faint and unassuming in fact that anypony who saw this would have overlooked it entirely.

The trio of guards flew in a corkscrew as they descended to the ground below. Their hooves touched down one after the other, and they carefully made their way to a spot among the grassy edge of the plains just off the last of the crags of Canterlot Spire.

The field around them was an untamed portion of Equestrian soil. So, since there was no need to manage the land in a place where no city or settlement existed, any contrast to the untouched land stood out fairly well. That subtle difference in the landscape was that of a set of heavy wheel depressions in the ground. Tracks from the no longer visible cart stretched out into the east, along with what looked like hoof tracks. The captain marched up to the area, tilting his head down to further examine the scene and gather precious clues.

With a careful scoop of his hoof, he dug up a piece of the dirt from where the cart ran over. The upturned soil smelled rich and had a hint of tanginess to it. Sure signs that the tracks were fresh by no more than maybe half an hour at most. It was surprising to not see the cart itself somewhere on the horizon, especially from the air, with such a short head start. Yet, Aegis Flare reminded himself that these assailants were no mere ordinary ponies or griffin, capable of feats that went against everything he knew about his world and magic, much like their own resident human.

Although, with said human’s help, Equestria and the captain were slowly coming to understand how to combat such forces… even if the human’s methods of training and teaching were supremely unorthodox. One day, he would simply spar with the guards, under careful supervision by the captain himself, and show them the best ways to counter combatants with ‘conduit powers’. The next, he would sneak out of the castle and into the city, evading the pursuing parties that Aegis Flare sent out, always giving the excuse that ‘it was to help train his guards in effectively pursuing conduits’.

The captain highly doubted that last statement to be true as every time he said it, the human would grin mischievously. Aegis Flare suspected, as always, that it was just another ploy by the human to get under his hide. So, he learned that he would not give the human the satisfaction of knowing that it did most days, then delivered his reports under Princess Luna instruction of the human’s actions to the princess of the moon herself. The captain could at least take some solace in the fact that at least the lunar princess would not take the human’s antics lightly and doled out regular, fair punishments for his disobedience. However, the human never seemed to be deterred for long from his usual routine and constantly found new ways to aggravate the captain, from which the cycle would continue.

Captain Aegis Flare shook his head to clear it of his musings. Right now, his focus needed to be on the assailants and tracking them down.

“Private Nimble Step,” Aegis Flare called out, with which said mare came and saluted, “tracks are looking promising, but is there any chance that these may be a diversion?”

The captain backed up to allow the younger guard to examine the area herself. Aegis Flare watched as one of his most reliable and promising, if just a little inexperienced, trackers got to work. The other pegasus sifted through the dirt around the wheel depressions, much like how the captain did. She even gave it a deep inhale, determining all the different scents she could pick up from just the sample. The private cleaned her hoof off and progressed to another part of the area. By then, the other guard in Aegis Flare’s reconnaissance wing, by the name of Lightburst, made his way over to watch and wait along with the captain.

Nimble Step paced back and forth a few times within the original area of the the four wheel depressions, carefully picking up and putting down bits of out-of-the-ordinary things that she found. Once she paused halfway through her third lap, she nodded her head and turned to the captain.

“Sir, the area indicates that the assailants were in a hurry. In fact, it looks like one of the two hitches they used for the two-pony cart came loose a few steps away from not being secured properly,” Nimble Steps pointed to a spot further along where the tracks led and continued, “See there? That divot is where the hitch came loose and tore a piece of the assailants uniform off. Looks like it even cut into his hide a bit. The blood trail drips in the same direction of the tracks we see and nowhere else, so it’s a safe bet that that is the direction they headed in.”

Aegis Flare grunted in approval at the private’s conclusion. It was a sound explanation and the best lead they had. His wings unfurled from his sides, as did the other two guards as they knew what they were about to hear next.

The captain tensed his leg muscles for a quick take off as he gave his orders, “We’re following the trail then. High altitude to maximize recon sweep. If we come across the assailants along their path, we are not to engage directly unless we can confirm their abductee is in imminent danger. Whether or not we see them, as soon as we can confirm their location, we’ll send a message back for reinforcements. Understood?”

The two other guards saluted and echoed a response of “Yes, sir”s and prepared for their own take off. As one, they kicked off the ground and gave a few powerful flaps of their wings to get back up in the air. The three then angled off and climbed higher steadily in the direction of the trail until they could just make out the tracks clearly. Additionally, rather than waste their energy by sprinting to possibly intercept the assailants halfway to wherever they were going. They did not want to be winded should they find themselves swept up into a fight as soon as they found their quarry. So, the three guards glided on as many updrafts as they could while only giving their wings a quick flap here and there to maintain their altitude.

The minutes ticked by, and soon, they were on their fifteen minute mark without any sign of the assailants directly. The tracks led them across more land than they would have expected the assailants could cover in such time, yet they pushed on. Their persistence endured, and the royal guards could now see the Geode Caverns mountain range. Though, ‘mountain range’ was a bit generous for the name. The landscape was more of like a small group of short massifs formed from the earthen magic running through the land and creating many faults in one area.

If an aspiring gemologist or gem farmer wanted a challenge, the constant influx of magic here produced distinct and rare seed gems for them to find. Though gem hunting in this region was out of season, so the lands would be often devoid of pony life. Noticing the assailants tracks lead straight into the territory definitely protested against that notion, and the three guards tightened their formation as they dropped their altitude. Vegetation was limited here, but there was enough to create patches where the ground could not be seen from above. So, the guards came in for a landing just outside the mountain range to track on hoof.

Captain Aegis turned his head to address his guards behind him before they set hoof within the mountain range, “Eyes and ears open. If you think you see something, call it out, but quietly. We don’t know how far in the tracks lead or if the assailants are set up outdoors. Same as before as well. Do not engage unless the abductee is in imminent danger.”

Nimble Step and Lightburst merely nodded their heads, adhering to their order of silence. Aegis Flare nodded in return and took the lead. Their steps were as light as possible, but with the tension of the moment, each sound seemed to echo noisily. The captain remained as stoic as possible. His ears swiveled to and fro, searching for any sounds that were not his or his guards’ muted shifting of armor and hoofsteps.

Behind him, Nimble Step drew in deep, slow breaths to combat her rising nerves, watching the moonlit shadows around them for any unordinary movements. Next to her, Lightburst did the same in his visual inspections of the surroundings, carefully eyeing each crevice, shrubbery patch, or tree for any deviations that stood out, in case there were traps or the like.

The three pony scouting party suddenly came to a halt at the command of Aegis Flare’s raised left wing. With a smooth, almost-soundless series of movements of his wing, he signalled for them all to get lower to the ground and hug the left side of the open path they were on as they continued.

Beneath their hooves, the one set of cart tracks had now grown to several, along with more hoof, claw, and paw marks. Many of them were fairly old, with only a scant few seeming to be recent. What’s more, there was only one set that was definitely fresh, and they just so happened to be the same ones they had been following.

Aegis Flare moved up slowly, his fellow guards falling in right behind. The tracks curved to the left sharply behind a winding path, with the view blocked off by a small rock outcrop. As he got closer to the bend, Aegis Flare’s movements slowed to a crawl. He was not about to let his adversaries know where he was because of a misstep.

Hugging the left side of the path as closely as he could, Aegis Flare teased his muzzle around the corner of the outcrop just enough to bring the land beyond into view. To his relief, no ambush was lying in wait that he could see. In fact, what he could see brought him some satisfaction.

More tracks, both fresh and old, led straight into a partially hidden cave entrance within the offshoot of land that the elevated terrain around it created. The two-pony cart, just like Private Nimble Step predicted, was parked off to the right of the natural enclosure, underneath some large saplings. Besides those two things, nothing much else stood out, so the captain signalled for the other two guards to back up and out.

Once they had put some space between themselves and the area, the captain relayed his findings, “The assailants have appeared to set up their base camp here. Nimble Step, good job on that prediction. I’ve confirmed their cart that they used, though there was still no confirmation of anypony in vicinity. However, there is a cave entrance to what most likely is their base of operations.”

Lightburst cut in quickly with a bit of nervousness in his voice, “Does that mean that there might be more of them, sir?”

“I can’t confirm that, so we’ll have to assume that there is a possibility that there are more adversaries than just the three,” Captain Aegis Flare swiftly replied, “There was also no sign of the abductee, so we must also assume that they have taken her into their base with them.”

“At least we were able to track them down to this location. Perhaps this is our chance to finally apprehend these crooks,” Nimble Step pointed out.

Aegis Flare grunted in confirmation, “Yes, but first things first. Nimble, the dragon-fire letter.”

Nimble Step’s eyes lit up with recognition of what the captain was asking for. She fiddled with one of the few pouches on her armor on her right side under her wing, fishing out a piece of red colored parchment, a shatterproof inkwell, and a quill with her mouth and laying them all out on the ground for her superior. She helped out once more by unscrewing the cap of the inkwell, which earned her a pungent whiff of the black substance that tickled her nose. As the captain laid down to write against the uneven road, Nimble Step eyed the piece of the parchment.

Equestria, and for that matter all the other countries of Equus, knew of only one method of communications that was faster than all others, dragon-fire transmission. It is a strange and very seldomly researched magic that only the ancient race for which the magic was named after possessed naturally.

A dragon’s flames were known to burn or be hot enough to melt through just about anything that was put in front of it. Yet, there was another property that the magical breath of a dragon carried besides barbecuing ponies to a crisp. If a dragon choosed to do so, their breath would still burn any item their flames touch. Though, instead of the item turning to nothing but a pile of slang, ashes, or the like, the item was converted into a state of pure magical energy. From there, the magical energy, usually characterized by what ponies describe as a puff of floating dust on the wind, finds its way to the recipient of who the dragon intended it to. The magical energy then reconstitutes itself back into the form it was right before it was burned.

Little is known about the ‘how’ that the creatures that can produce this feat naturally, seeing as no pony is brave enough to ask a dragon down for tea and talk magic with them. Plus, most of them tended not to like the company of other creatures or even their own kind.

Though, there had been a story of how one pony in a time long forgotten had once actually convinced one of these scaly beasts to use its fire to send him from one side Equestria to the other. Rumors say he did it just to see if it could be done. Others say that he was late for a very important date, and there was no other way to make it in time. Whatever the reason ponies seemed to think the fable was founded on, the story remained just that; a story. Nopony was brave, or quite frankly crazy, enough to test this out for themselves. So, the story remains a myth with only one common theme. That upon the reappearance of the pony that traveled by dragon-fire, there was the sound of jingling bells.

In the now modern days, dragon-fire transmission is still an elusive magic that the dragons seldomly shared, but the ponies of Equestria discovered after decades of research by the higher institutes in Canterlot that there is a way to replicate the phenomenon with a high rate of success. Though the spell was fairly very difficult to learn and unreliable with anything other than a special parchment enchanted with the spell made from the Bitter Oak tree that was very hard to cultivate outside its natural territory. This, in turn, has made the material and spell possessable only to the most elite families and the military forces of Equestria.

Aegis Flare had just finished putting the finishing touches on the letter as Nimble brought out a candle and a box of matches. The captain swiftly rolled the letter up and brought out a wax seal, specially enchanted with the royal guards’ deployment center magical signature, to send the message directly to them with his request for reinforcements. A match was struck, and the candle was lit, so Aegis Flare let the tip of the letter catch the flame so that it soon engulfed in fire. The fire, surprisingly, didn’t burn as it touched him, but he already knew it wouldn’t and didn’t flinch as he watched the wisp of colored dust zip off back to Canterlot. With that done, he eyed the other two guards.

“I’ve given them our location, but stated for our reinforcements to meet halfway back up the path we took. There is a good landing zone there, so we’ll backtrack to that spot and set up our operating area there. Any questions?” Aegis Flare finished off with his question.

“No, sir,” Nimble Step immediately replied.

Lightburst, on the other hoof, did have a question, “How many troops are we to expect?”

“Two chariots, so twelve guards, including ourselves,” Aegis Flare replied.

With no more questions left to be answered, the scouting party followed their steps back to the area that Aegis Flare had talked about. On both sides of the open area were narrow paths leading back to the assailants’ hideout and another to leave the massifs. The three guards busied themselves by inspecting their equipment and guarding the paths leading into the cleared spot. It took about twenty minutes until Nimble Step caught the first sight of the incoming chariots.

“Captain! Inbound on the west,” she called out just loud enough for Aegis Flare to hear.

Aegis Flare squinted until he saw the silhouettes of the incoming chariots in the distance. He let himself have a small smile of approval before his stoic expression returned.

“Nimble Step, keep an eye on the path to the cave. Lightburst, with me to guide them in,” he said and took to the air once more.

Lightburst was right behind him, and the two circled the air just high enough for the incoming chariots to spot their location. Once the good captain saw that the chariots were descending, he signalled for Lightburst to land and watch the area with Nimble Step. Aegis Flare circled the area some more, but as he was banking so his view of the chariots returned, he swore that he saw something fall from the second one and touch the ground. The chariots did not turn around, so it couldn’t have been one of the guards onboard. It might have been a wheel falling off, but it was nagging at him too much to just brush it off. He would have to get his answers once the chariots arrived.

Which they did, and within the next minute, they were following the captain as he guided them down to the area that they secured. The two chariots creaked and bounced off the ground, but the noise was unavoidable, so Aegis Flare checked over his shoulder to Lightburst and Nimble Step, who gave no indication that their adversaries had heard it or coming.

The first pegasus from the chariot pulling teams quickly unhitched herself and marched up to the captain and rendered a salute.

“At ease,” the captain said, “Status?”

The pegasus mare let her hoof fall back down, and she relaxed her stance as she spoke, “All guards and equipment accounted for. Hit a small rough patch just outside the city walls, but nothing serious.”

The captain found this to be odd, as she made no mentions of the thing that fell from the second chariot.

“What about the second team? Did they, by chance, drop something on the descent here?” Aegis Flare inquired.

One of the other pegasi from the second chariot had just joined the first, and both looked just as confused as each other at the question. At this, the captain became anxious. If they did not know what he was talking about, then he may have just been seeing shadows that weren’t there. However, his gut was telling him that this was not the case, that it was sign of something much worse. Though before he could inquire into it further, he and many of the other guards unloading the chariots heard the distinct noise of a twig snapping coming from the shrubbery on the path leading out of the mountain range.

Swords, spears, and other weapons that the guards carried were suddenly leveled in the direction that the noise came from, and the air grew thick with the mounting tension. Nopony wanted to get closer to whatever might be lurking within the shadows, so they stood their ground and waited. Aegis Flare glared hard at the spot as well, anticipating whatever that was trying to sneak up on them. His gut was screaming at him that this had to do with the something that he saw fall off the chariot earlier. The only question that remained though was ‘what?’. The underbrush shifted, and the thing that laid within got closer. It was time to find out what it was.

Two furless hands slowly raised from the shrubbery growth, and Aegis Flare felt a headache coming on. The two hands stood erect and still, and a voice finally called out with the pitch that made Aegis Flare want to bang his head against the ground.

“Don’t shoot… I’m, um, pregnant!” Sam called out to the weapon wielding guards.

It was easy to tell which guards have had the unfortunate pleasure of becoming accustomed to the conduit’s sense of humor, as they simultaneously facehoofed and groaned. The other guards who have either not been around Sam for very long or even met him before just looked on in confusion.

“Human, what in the name of Harmony are you doing here?!” Aegis Flare grumbled, repressing the urge the shout at the top of his lungs.

With his hands still in the air and the rest of his body still hidden in the foliage, Sam gestured wildly as he spoke, “Funny you should ask that, Cappy. You see, there was this incident back in Canterlot, and I-”

“Human,” Aegis Flare suddenly cut him off.

“Yes, Cappy?”

“Get out of those bushes and get over here right now!”

“You got it, Cappy,” Sam’s final reply was punctuated with a snap of his fingers, which ended up pointed toward the captain as a pair of finger pistols.

Sam hands sunk back into the shrubbery which shook as the conduit moved to disentangle himself from the foliage. He soon emerged from the greenery, patting stray leaves and dirt from his clothes. Most of the guards went back to what they were doing with only the few exceptions having to be guided back to their tasks, as they knew what was to come. Aegis Flare squared up his frame up, set his expression into the sternest look he could muster, and marched straight up to the conduit. With the two now face to face, Sam wearing his usual smirk with crossed arms and the captain giving him a scowl, they sized each other up for a moment.

“Human, I am only going to ask this once,” Aegis Flare declared with barely contained seething anger, “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

Sam looked away from the captain to survey the other guards, who were just finishing up unloading all of their equipment. Although he still had a light smile on his face, remembering the reasons that made him sneak his way out here in the first place made him grind his teeth in anger. So, for the first time since the two met, Sam gave the captain a straight answer.

“Because I want to take these D.U.P. wannabes down just as much as you do,” Sam replied with all seriousness, “I don’t know exactly what they’ve been doing with the ponies they’ve been kidnapping, but if it’s anything half as bad as what I’ve been through, then they’re about to see why they shouldn’t have gotten on even just one of the ‘Four Aces’ bad side. Plus, I want to know where exactly they got their gear from in the first place. Don’t know about you, but I don’t think the D.U.P. has branched out into Equestria officially.”

Aegis Flare was a little taken aback from this surprisingly straightforward reply. Though, it still left him with a number a problems that the human had just brought with him.

Aegis Flare took a slow and steadying breath, “Human, for once, thank you for not making me have to drag the answer out of you. However, you should not have come here.”

“Oh, come on, Cappy. Please don’t give me this speech,” Sam groaned, letting his arms slump to his sides.

Aegis Flare shook his head and continued, “I am serious, human. Further into the Geode Caverns is the entrance to the assailants base of operations. This is a dangerous mission, and it is my duty as a captain in the royal guard to both bring them to justice and safeguard civilians like yourself from having to face these endeavours themselves.”

Sam threw his head back and laughed, “Civilian?! Oh, that is rich, Cappy. In case you forgot. I’m not exactly what you could call a civilian. In fact, who was it that helped trained your guards in combating a conduit?” Two thumbs flew up and pointed inward toward Sam, “This guy.”

Aegis Flare did not like being mocked like this and stepped back up.

“That is irrelevant. I can’t have you jeopardizing this mission through your interference, no matter how much of a potential asset you may think you’ll be. You are not under my chain of command nor a sanctioned sellsword for the Equestrian realm, so technically that still makes you a civilian. However, I know better that you will not simply heed my order to stay here and not get involved if I say to, but I also can’t spare any of my troops to sit back and play babysitter for you.” Aegis Flare said, trying to think of a way to solve this dilemma.

“Then, don’t,” Sam countered, “Seriously, I came all this way out here to kick some ass, and you’re thinking about benching me? Just think of the advantage you have from me just being here. I hate to bring this up, but your guys still aren’t exactly up to snuff when it comes to bringing a conduit down. Even these D.U.P. wannabes, and they’re basically the stormtroopers of conduits. Face it, Cappy, you’re gonna need me.”

The more the conduit talked, the more Aegis Flare hated to admit that he was making some rather valid points. Quite frankly, it was astounding to hear the human talking with such seriousness at all. Even his usual carefree demeanor that the captain had come to associate with the human was being overshadowed by a rigid intensity hidden behind his smile. There was a fire in his eyes that said that he was here for a purpose, and he was not going to be denied.

The captain sized the human conduit up once more and found no doubt in his features that betrayed his words. So, with a heavy sigh, Aegis Flare conceded to Sam’s reasoning.

“You’re not going to stay here, even if I ask nicely, are you?” Aegis Flare tried one final time.

Sam crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head back and forth while chuckling, “Not a chance, Cappy.”

“Very well,” Captain Aegis Flare groaned internally, hoping he would not come to regret this decision, “Human, I will allow you to join my squad in assaulting the assailants’ hideout. That being said, you are now hereby directly under my command. That means that you will follow my orders. Or as Celestia as my witness, I will have you thrown back in the dungeons until Tartarus freezes over. Am I clear?”

Sam beamed with a triumphant smile, snapping into a mock salute while putting on a terrible french accent, “Aye aye, mon capitaine!”

Captain Aegis Flare groaned outwardly this time, but it seemed that the point was made. He only hoped that, again, he was making the right decision and that the princesses would forgive him for putting the human in danger like this. Turning on his hooves, Aegis Flare led the human back to his squad, who were just finishing up their preparations and were lining up at attention for their final briefing. One unicorn guard carried some extra equipment and an extra spear in his aura and hoofed them over to the captain, who placed them all in various pouches on his armor and hefted the spear under his wing. The captain marched up to stand in front of the awaiting assembly of fellow guardponies and swept his hardened gaze over the even mixture of different races of guards.

Speaking up just loud enough for everypony to hear, he spoke out, “Equestrians! There is a group of assailants who think they have taken refuge within the rocky terrain of the Geode Caverns. There have been multiple reports of ponies going missing over the past months, but until recently, were unconfirmed to be abductees by this renegade faction. You may have heard of what they are capable of, but do not let presumptions cloud your judgement of them being predictable. They are dangerous individuals, who have committed heinous crimes against Equestria and her ponies and must be brought to justice. If possible, we will seek to apprehend these assailants and put a stop to whatever is that they hoped to accomplish with their crimes. If not, then we must put a stop to them ourselves, even if it means that we must end their lives.

“This operation will be a covert approach. Standard breach and sweep once we reach their base of operations, so do not engage the assailants until the most opportune moment or on my signal. We do not know how many assailants are actually here, but the fewest we can expect to encounter are three. Also remember, they have at least one confirmed abductee, so watch who you encounter and be prepared for evacuation of any noncombatants in area. Finally,” the captain paused as he chose his words carefully, “the human is now officially a part of the operation. He is to stay within the second group and not engage in any way unless told to do so. Questions?”

Aegis Flare waited for a few moments, but nopony spoke up. He took this as their final word and nodded in affirmation.

“Good. Break into your respective groups and be ready to move out. I will take the lead.” All the guards saluted as one and moved to take up their positions for the formation to move out, while the captain turned to the human to address him one last time, “You will be with Sergeant Amber Cross in her group over there. Like I said, Human. Do not iengage or interfere unless she or I give the word.”

Sam turned to look at the pony that the captain had pointed out. It was a bit hard to tell at first, as most of them looked the same with their ‘magical fur color changing’ armor, but he soon found the right one by the mare who was giving her own orders to the other guards as they lined up.

“Sounds good to me,” Sam said and stuffed his hands in his pockets while he walked off.

Underneath his laidback persona, Sam was anticipating the upcoming battle. His hands balled up into fists tightly within his pockets. The captain may have said otherwise, but he was not about to sit this one out while he was here. He wanted answers about these D.U.P. wannabes and make them pay for hurting not just some innocent lives, but for making those he was growing attached to upset.

Author's Notes:

Whether by coincidence or sheer luck, Sam has made it to exactly where he wanted to be. Ol’ Cappy may not like, but he’s there to stay. Plus, who knows? Maybe they will need the human conduit’s help for the upcoming infiltration of our antagonist’s hideout.

Next time, on Dragon Ba- I mean, CiE:Wire-Fray. Operation: Kick-Those-Sorry-Wannabes-Where-The-Sun-Don’t-Shine!

Ha, bet you were looking forward to a fight. Welp, that will in fact certainly be in the next chapter. Though like I always like to think 'the build up always makes the climax better' (get your minds out of the gutter)

Thank you Regreme, as always. Your editing position is firmly secure with all the help you give.