Two days before meteor…

Manehatten, Equestria…

Waves gently lapped against the finely ground sand. Only in bad weather did they ever become more violent than they were today, their power broken by the island in the center of the bay. With the addition of the beautiful summer weather, the beaches a short flight from Manehatten were currently crowded with its citizens.

But somehow Gilda had found an area without snooty sunbathers and fillies high on their youth. Merely a clawful of beach goers dotted the stretch of sand to her left and right. She sat with her wings extended to their fullest and closed her eyes.

The path that took her to this moment flashed in her mind, as it often did while idle. It had been months since she had visited, and subsequently left, Ponyville. From that stinging moment she had decided to go back to where she had grown up: Manehatten. The city had changed some in the years she had been gone. Still, she reconnected with an old friend and tried to forget her past.

Cool water hitting her chest brought to the present. Signy laughed from where she stood with her legs in the ocean. “The point of coming to the beach is to enjoy the water, you know.”

Gilda smiled at her griffon friend. The two of them had grown up on the same street, but Gilda’s parents had sent her to Cloudsdale’s flight school to escape from the city’s escalating violence at the time. After flight school, Gilda had moved to Fillydelphia, eventually moving her family there even when Manehatten’s crime problem had started to get better.

And though she had a home and family waiting for her in Fillydelphia, Gilda had found herself in the “Twin City”, nicknamed because of the city of clouds above the city on the island. Wandering the streets, trying to figure out what to do with her life, she had stumbled upon Signy. The other griffon took Gilda in and the two had become inseparable.

Signy splashed Gilda again. “Alright, alright!” she said, warding off anymore splashing with her claws. Gilda walked on her lion paws towards her friend. Signy had been born with similar markings to Gilda, but only one spot blotted the area around her right eye. The spot’s color was comparable to the blue of the ocean she stood in.

The water was colder than Gilda thought it would be. She waded into the gentle blue waves and stood beside her friend. For the naturally mountain born griffons, beaches were a wonder they enjoyed for the simple pleasure of them. Gilda herself had been born overseas in griffon lands, immigrating to Manehatten with her parents long ago.

Again, her thoughts were pushed aside by Signy. The blue spotted griffon threw her arms around Gilda and tackled her into the water. They both came up laughing. “I remember a time when you would be furious at me for doing that,” remarked Signy.

“Would I have?” Gilda wiped water from her face with a claw. “I guess I changed.”

Signy pressed her beak to Gilda’s chest and nuzzled her. “I guess so… ”

Blushing, Gilda wrapped her arms around Signy and buried her face in the griffon’s feathers.

The tour bus squealed to a stop outside the royal guard compounds gate, high walls surrounding the rest of the complex. The vehicle’s outside was covered with advertisements for “tours of Equestria’s greatest city”, along with a few minor sponsors. Ponies, griffons, tigers, and a few horses peered out the large windows on either side of the bus.

Quick Fix, a rust colored unicorn with white mane standing at the front of the bus, cleared her throat before speaking into the microphone. “Before we begin the tour, I would like to thank the local royal guards of Equstria for keeping our city safe.” There were a few claps among the current crowd. Many seats on the bus were empty. I hate beach days, Quick Fix thought.

Warm, sunny days like that day saw many citizens of Lower Manehatten fleeing the heavily cloud covered city to find refuge at the beaches. “Beach days”, as they called them, were the bane of every tour guide in the city.

A tapping on the closed bus door made Quick Fix jump. She pulled a lever beside her and the door slid open. Royal guard armor shining in the afternoon sun, Steady, a brown unicorn with gray mane, smiled up at Quick Fix. “Hey Sis, could I get a ride into Little Rock?”

“I’m working, Steady!” the tour guide hissed at her brother. “How’s it going to look if I keep giving you rides into the city?”

Steady put a hoof onto the first step into the bus. “That you’re the best big sister ever?” The door started to close and caught him half in, half out of the bus. His front legs wiggled widly. “Hey!”

Sighing, Quick Fix pulled the lever again and let her brother in. “Just don’t-”

“Welcome to the finest bus tour in Manehatten!” boomed Steady into the microphone, making the tourists jump. “You’re all in for a treat today because you’ve got the best tour guide Sights of Lower Manehatten has to offer! Sit back, relax, and enjoy!” The stallion sat with a large smile at the front of the bus, the tourists behind him clapping.

Quick Fix glared at him but couldn’t bring herself to scold him. He always knew how to impress.

She sat in the driver’s seat and released the parking break. “Our tour will take us through the Royal Guard District into Little Rock, where we will stop for lunch!”

The stairs going down into the basement creaked under the griffon’s weight. He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it to the bottom and set down the box in his arms. “You sure this is ok?” he asked to the stallion carefully descending behind him.

“I told you, it’s cool,” the dark gray earth pony with grayish mane said. He bent his back legs and slid the saddle bags of clothes off his back. “You can stay here as long as you need.” His horn glowed and flipped a switch on the wall, turning on the light hanging overhead.

“Just ‘till I get a job.” The griffon scratched at his dark purple spotted cheek. His feathers were missing in patches all over his body. Bloodshot eyes darted around the basement, taking it in. “I don’t want to be a burden or anything.”

“Armod, we’ve known each other a long time,” the stallion assured his friend, pushing the saddlebags to the side of the basement. “If you stay here a month or two or three, that’s fine.”

Armod sat on the box he had just brought down. “Thank you, Graphite.”

“There is one rule: don’t touch the boxes over there.” Graphite pointed to a stack of unmarked boxes in one corner of the basement. “I’m holding some stuff for a friend.”

“Sure, sure,” the griffon nodded repeatedly. His scratching claw had moved down to his chest.

The unicorn smiled meekly and looked over the nearly empty basement again. His eyes fell upon the wall clock set near the ceiling. “Ah, shit! I’ve got to get going! Can you bring the rest of the stuff down yourself?”

The griffon stopped his scratched for a moment to wave the pony off with both claws. “I’ll take care of it; you’ve done more than enough for me.”

“Alright.” Graphite ascended the stairs. “If you need anything there’s a grocery store down the street. Don’t wander around though. This is the Upper East Side, not West Village!” He slammed the door closed behind him.

Armod spent a few minutes scratching himself. He turned and knelt by the box he had brought down, peeling the tape off and opening it. Inside was an alchemist’s inhaler along with a small bag of pellucid. “I’ll bring the other boxes down later… ”

Little Rock was the Lower Manehatten griffon district, although very few griffons actually lived there. Many of the streets were nothing but shops and restaurants hawking “authentic” griffon goods and foods. And many of these were nothing but fronts for the griffon clan running much of Upper Manehatten.

Steady reminded himself of this as he stepped off the tour bus. It was easy to forget how much of the city was out of royal guard control when the streets were bustling with happy, oblivious ponies.

The stallion waved goodbye to his sister and started down the street. He was still a block from his destination so he tried to enjoy the walk. Still, his job had put a permanent voice in the back of his head that commented on everything he saw.

Check his permit. Illegal vehicle stop. That kid looks shady.

“Come on, I’m on lunch,” Steady chuckled to himself. He took an oath to maintain peace in the city in the name of the princess, but he never knew how his outlook on the world would change. His friends said he was just paranoid. His superiors said he was one of the best guards they’d ever seen.

A corner restaurant named Avilash was his destination. Its name was displayed in gold letters set into the stone building. They would have shined if more than patches of sunlight could make it through Upper Manehatten.

“Steady!” a middle-aged, white unicorn with blond mane in a royal guard uniform waved. He was seated outside the restaurant at an old looking table. “You took long enough! You take the subway?”

“On a beach day? Nah, I hitched a ride on the tour bus.” Steady bumped shoulders with the other stallion and sat across from him. “Still wondering why you wanted to meet so far from the base, Bright.”

Bright levitated his menu and tapped it on the table. “Is that any way to speak to your superior?”

“Chief Regulator Bright,” Steady corrected. “Why in Equestria did… ” The griffon waitress brought him a menu and glass of water before hurrying off. The pony started again, “What’s up, Chief?”

The older stallion set his menu down and looked over the first page within. “You’re always so serious. That’s why you haven’t been promoted, you know.”

“My boss likes serious.” Steady opened his own menu but barely looked at it. Griffon food is griffon food.

Chuckling, Bright pointed out, “And that’s why he hasn’t been promoted. You need to lighten up around your fellow guards like you are when you’re off duty.” The waitress returned. “Ah! Can I get the mushroom stew, please? Water is fine, thanks.”

“Snaggis, please,” Steady held his menu out to the waitress as he spoke. “And water is fine as well.” The griffon took their menus, Steady’s with a little more of a twist in her wrist, and walked away. He couldn’t help chuckle.

“When I was young, that kind of disrespect wouldn’t have been allowed.” Bright took a sip of his water before continuing. “Then again, no royal guard would have dared eat in Little Rock in the first place.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Steady said, “They’re not going to do anything.”

“Just because they don’t doesn’t mean they can’t.”

A group of teenage griffons shoving and hollering at one another walked by the restaurant. One elbowed another and pointed out the guards. The group quieted as they passed, avoiding the officers eyes. Steady heard them resume down the street.

“Did you bring me here for a history lesson and to tell me I’m never getting promoted?” he asked Bright.

“No, actually, but you younger guards do sometimes need a ‘history lesson’.” The unicorn pointed his horn at a griffon standing inside the restaurant. His unstained formal attire indicated his status above the waitresses bustling about. “See him? I knew him back when the sun would touch a body before these streets every morning. He helped change that, and that’s why we can eat here right now without worrying about a claw in the back.”

Steady stared at the pointed out griffon. “I’d heard rumors about informants and clan traitors quietly rising up.”

“And rumors are all they’re going to stay, got it?”

“Who’s being serious now?”

“Ha!” Bright barked out a laugh. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have told you if I didn’t trust you. And I do trust you, Steady. You’re a good kid.” The waitress came by again and refilled their drinks.

Steady noticed Bright’s eyes lingering on her as she walked away. A grin spread across the younger stallion’s face. “I think I’m starting to see why you chose this place.”

Without missing a beat, Bright said, “The mushroom stew is the best in Little Rock.” He took a large sip of water and cleared his throat. “Alright, before our food comes and distracts us any longer, I’ll tell you what’s going on. You know about the red cloaks?”

Steady shrugged. “There have been reports of a group of ponies in red cloaks gathering in the middle of the night, usually in the Upper and Lower East Sides. That’s all I know.”

“Good, that’s all anyone your rank should know.” He ran a hoof through his blond mane. “From what we can gather, it looks like this group is stockpiling weapons on the east side of Lower Manehatten.”

“What?” Steady realized he had yelled and attempted to cover it up with a cough to attract as little attention as possible. “Why aren’t we raiding houses right now?”

“Because we don’t know where they are, how many members they have, or the scope of their arsenal yet.” Bright’s nonchalant tone made Steady more curious than worried. “We’ve been trying to track them for weeks but they always seem to just disappear.”

“Should… should we inform the princesses?” Contacting the princesses was always a last resort even though they were always happy to help. Steady figured that even princesses could get bored cooped up in their castle all day.

“Normally I would have by now. But with the meteor coming down in two days, the princesses have their hooves full.” The older stallion sighed and stirred his water idly in the air.

“So… again, why aren’t we kicking in doors? We have the ponies for it.”

“And how would that look: royal guard invading the lowest of Lower Manehatten?” Bright grimaced at his own words. “We’ve increased patrols of those areas, but we can’t do anything until the princesses are free.”

The two stallions were quiet for a moment.

“Now that you’re up to speed,” Bright said, “I want to inform you of another problem we’re having: retirements. Many older guards are leaving the force at the moment and leaving their positions open.”

Steady was still trying to digest the previous news. “What does that have to do with me?”

The waitress came by again and placed their food on the table. “Guess I tend to ramble,” sighed Bright. “Steady, I’m promoting you. You’ll be reporting to me from now on.” He levitated the spoon provided by the waitress and took a sip of his stew.

The food in front of Steady smelled great but his appetite was gone. If they’re promoting while this red coat scare is going on, they must expect something to happen…

“Hey!” Steady looked up from his food to see Bright trying to get his attention. “You’d better head back to headquarters and move on over to your new area. I’ll have the waitress bring you a box.”

“Sure… ” The younger stallion kept his misgivings to himself. Equestria calls, and I answer.

High above Lower Manehatten floated an equally bustling city of clouds: Upper Manehatten. Founded a short time after the island city, Upper Manehatten was the primary home of the city’s pegasus and griffon population. The two races, however, lived together only in the sense that they made their homes in the clouds.

The pegasus ponies controlled the west side while the griffons controlled the east, with a gap between them over Central Park. Conflicts often arose between the two races whenever one strayed into the other’s territory; however these amounted to little more than scrapes.

Both sides were content to let the other live peacefully as long as neither made any big moves. And while they silently watched one another, Upper Manehatten had grown a sizable tourist crowd. The sky casinos and floating amusement parks on either side built as fronts brought in enough money that neither of the two wanted to jeopardize it.

And though loud gang violence gave way to quieter, shady business practices, the past aggression felt by the sky dwellers still burned inside.

“B-but the sign says-”

A yellow claw grabbed the light blue pegasus pony by the neck. Her voice was cut off with her breath. She struggled and tried to call out. No pony or griffon stopped to help her.

“I don’t care what the sign says, pony.” Gulla lifted the pony up to her face. Behind her, the neon lights of the casino blinked on, casting the griffon in deeper shadow as the sun set. “We’re closed.”

“Mama!” the filly beside the pony cried out and tried to reach for her mother. Gulla’s lion tail flicked the filly across the face, knocking her down. Bits of cloud trailed up where she fell.

“Take your kid and get lost.” The griffon tossed the pony away like she was weighed nothing. A line of dissipating cloud marked where the pony slid before coming to a stop. The clouds beneath them were so thick that Gulla thought she could toss dozens of ponies before breaking through it. That image made her smile.

Coughing, the pegasus scooped up her child and scurried off. Gulla picked the inside of her beak with a claw, watching the pony until she turned the corner of a cloud building.

Two muscular, feathery arms wrapped around Gulla’s neck from behind. The griffon tensed up, claws reaching for the invading limbs before stopping. “That doesn’t look good when you do it so out in the open, Gulla.”

Gulla closed her hazel eyes. “Forgive me, Mother.” She said quietly. Her right claw shook. Again, those walking by seemed to notice the two griffons but not acknowledge them.

Ulfied the Clan Mother, the most powerful griffon in all Manehatten, towered a head and a half over her underling. It was said her height was due to mixed heritage of giant and griffon. Her brown lower half was darker in color than most, and her white feathers were spotted with black. The griffon’s most terrifying trait was not her size or appearance, but the way she seemed to move with absolute silence. When angered, however, her rage could shake the heavens.

The Clan Mother’s claw rose and caressed Gulla’s cheek. “I do not repeat myself.” She snapped at the smaller griffon’s feathers, yanking out a beakfull. Gulla clacked her beak in pain. Ulfied spat the feathers out onto Gulla and pushed her away.

Fearing her punishment was unfinished, Gulla laid completely still.

Ulfied was already walking back into the casino.

The Star’s Reach, the largest casino in Upper Manehatten, took up almost a third of the griffon clan’s territory. With a two floor gambling area and rooms above and below it, the casino saw use at all hours of the day. Nearly every member of the clan had previously or was currently working within the casino. Completing and keeping one’s job was seen as a rite of passage for rising clan members.

The Clan Mother regarded her casino as she entered. The first floor was a gambler’s paradise of cloud machines and tables. Griffon waitresses delivered drinks to betters so they never had to leave their spots, throwing more money at the house than they ever would on a drink. Above them floated the second “floor”: floating cloud islands connected by thin walkways of even more cloud. The ceiling was painted to permanently show a dark sky filled with twinkling stars.

With the constantly roaming guards ready to kick anyone out in an instant, order was kept and patrons stayed content. And best of all, thought Ulfied, I stay rich.

She was about to duck through an “employee only” door to circumvent the crowded casino floor when a male griffon approached her. “Clan Mother,” he acknowledged her and tilted his head.

Ulfied knew very few male up-and-comers by name, but she remembered that this one was reliable for sending messages quickly. Though it would have been easier to call her mobile phone, sending runners like this built up trust within the clan. “Speak.”

The male lifted his head, eyes never meeting hers. “The royal guard, Sidereal, is waiting for you in your office.” Ulfied’s wings twitched with sudden agitation. Ponies and griffons nearby tensed up. Realizing he had delivered unwanted news, the male took an involuntary step back.

However, the Clan Mother kept her anger in check. “Take the rest of the week off,” she said to the male. What she meant was inside her head, stay out of my sight or I’m going to rip your wings off.

He took the hint and quickly rushed out of the casino.

The batpony tried to sit comfortably on the clearly made-for-griffons chair while she waited. She couldn’t stretch her wings because the arm rests were too tall, and sitting on her rump left her back legs dangling comically from the seat. Her final choice was to rest on her stomach in the massive chair. The saddlebags she carried weighed her down into the plush.

As if the chair wasn’t insulting enough to her, the office around her was overflowing with griffon pride. Posters stuck to the cloud walls depicted griffons constructing Upper Manehatten alone. Awards behind the desk congratulated Clan Mother after Clan Mother for their bravery in the face of adversity. The desk itself was covered in small trophies made of crystal and etched with gold. There was a feeling of immense pressure seeping from every object demanding anyone who entered to have a good reason for being there.

But the batpony found herself yawning. It was early for her to be awake. A majority of her kind waited until the sun was nearly set before they opened their eyes completely. The chair, the room, and the hour compounded together, and the pony found her mood as dark as her fur.

There was a wisp of wind behind her as the door opened. Ulfied walked into the office and around the chair the pony laid in with two other griffons entering to stand to either side of the door. “Sidereal, you’re up early. Catching a show before your nightly skulking?” the griffon said half mockingly as she sat.

Before she even finished, Sidereal reached into her saddlebags and tossed two pony shoes onto the griffon’s desk. They were bright blue and made to cover the wearer’s entire hoof. “What the fuck are these?”

Ulfied kept her eyes locked onto Sidereal’s. “Leave us.” The griffons who entered hastily exited and closed the door behind them. “You know better than to act this way in front of my clan,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I’m not in the mood for games, Ulfied.” The batpony pointed to the shoes with an extended hoof. “I scraped those off the pavement of Lower Manehatten yesterday night. It was the second earth pony stain on the ground to be wearing these garbage cloud shoes.” She raised her hoof towards the griffon. “The ones your clan sells.”

“My clan doesn’t sell trash like this.” Ulfied used a single digit on her claw to turn one of the shoes onto its side. There, as clear as day, was the symbol of her clan stitched into the side of the shoe. Someone’s been taking shortcuts.

Sidereal bared her fangs. “Someone did.” She stood and hopped off the chair to the floor. “Get your clan under control or the next time you need a permit renewal on this dump you’ll have to go through me.”

Unable to take the continued insults, Ulfied stood so quickly her chair tumbled backwards into the wall. A few of the awards hanging there fell. “If my clan stood before us and you spoke as such-”

“Save the theatrics for them,” said the pony, bat wings unfurling slightly. “I’m sure you have some griffons to punish, so I’ll leave you to it.” She turned towards the door.

Ulfied couldn’t stop herself from one last remark. “Do not forget who holds ‘the spear’.”

Sidereal turned her head slightly till only one eye was looking at the griffon. “Threaten me, and you threaten the star watchers. You can’t hide behind your spear forever.”

With that, Sidereal pushed the door to the office open and walked out without closing it. The Clan Mother screamed at her underlings to close the door before proceeding to destroy the office from the inside.

Steady’s new office was located on the tenth floor of the royal guard compound’s main building. Personal offices lined two walls of the floor, while the center was devoted to open work stations. The windows lining the two remaining walls showed Lower Manehatten lit up in the night on one side and Equestria on the other.

His old office had been similar, if smaller and closer to the ground, so the lack of privacy was nothing new. What struck him was the lack of ponies rushing around. He was the only one there. In fact, most of the workstations appeared to be cleaned out. Steady dropped his saddlebags beside one of the empty stations and started to unpack his things.

The bell above the elevator rang out. A pony stepped out and whistled, saying in a male voice, “I knew this was a step up but by Tartarus what a view.”

Steady turned towards the newcomer. It was a brown pegasus with short black mane wearing flashy red and yellow saddlebags. He had trotted over to the windows looking out onto the city. Raising a hoof, Steady called out, “Hey!”

“Hey, hey!” the pegasus turned his head. “Thought this big office was all mine.”

Steady trotted over. “Oh? Thought they taught us to share at the academy.” He lifted his front leg, hoof extended. “I’m Steady.”

The pegasus smiled and bumped hooves with Steady. “I must have been playing hooky that day. Laund Ray, but just call me Ray.” Ray looked back out onto the city. “Never thought I’d have an office with a view like this.”

“Laund Ray… ” Steady repeated under his breath. That name sounds familiar…

Ray interrupted Steady’s thoughts. “You figure out where you know me from yet?” The unicorn still looked confused so Ray continued. “I was all over the news for about a week because-”

“You kicked the shit out of a batpony.”

Both stallions at the window turned towards the new voice. An earth pony with grayish gold fur and dark red mane was standing next to the stairs. She eyed the stallions while they eyed her and her burlap saddlebags.

“I was going to say because the media knows how to twist a story,” Ray finished from before. “You are?”

“Amaranthine.” The earth pony walked to one of the center work stations and dropped her bags to the floor. “You two are Laund Ray and Steady, both promoted to this unit within the last few days.” She looked over her shoulder at Ray. “I didn’t know they promoted racists.”

“That pony had it coming,” the pegasus said, taking a step towards the mare. “He and his buddies were harassing some poor griffon. If I hadn’t stopped them-”

“And did you tell them you were a royal guard before you stepped in?”

Ray gnashed his teeth and looked down; as if this wasn’t the first time someone had used this argument against him. “No.”

Amaranthine started unpacking her things. In-between mouthfuls of objects, she said, “And that’s why you were tucked away into a dark corner of the compound.”

“If you know all that already, why did you fuckin’ ask,” Ray stomped to the nearest workstation and tossed his saddlebags onto it with his wings.

“Because Steady didn’t know the whole truth, did you?” The earth pony looked to Steady.

The unicorn looked from Ray to Amaranthine. “What departments are you both from?”

“Star Watcher Relations,” Ray said before Amaranthine could speak. “They thought it would look good to the press. Been twiddling my hooves down there for a year.”

Both stallions turned to the mare. She was putting file after file on her desk. Steady cleared his throat. With a sigh, she said, “Internal affairs.”

Ray let out a laugh. “So that’s why you think you know everything about everything, huh?” He lifted his saddlebag from the end and dumped his belongings carelessly onto his desk.

“It doesn’t take a scientist to watch the news,” the earth pony huffed.

“Relax you two.” Steady moved his saddlebag to a desk between the two other ponies. “If we’re going to work together we might as well get along.” He went to move the rest of his things but stopped. “Do either of you know what unit this even is?”

Ray looked up from his desk. “I was about to ask you the same. Do you know, snitchy?”

“No, racist, I don’t.” Amaranthine sat to get to the cabinet attached to her desk. “All I know is our new boss, Bright, is supposed to be the head of traffic regulations.”

“That hardly seems like the kinda thing you need ponies from a bunch of different departments to do.” The pegasus slid his saddlebags off his desk to make room. “Where did you come from anyways, Steady?”

“Patrol,” Steady answered. “In any case, we’ll find out tomorrow morning. I’m calling it a night.” As he started towards the elevator, he looked back and said, “Try not to kill each other!”

A small cockatrice clock on the mantle began to cluck. Shadows on the painting covered wall behind it bent and shifted. The fireplace burnt low, but enough for the single stallion within the room to see the cockatrice peeking out from the clock. He knew it would cluck for some time. Midnight had come.

Two large, glass double doors stood open, letting in the cool night air. White curtains gently billowed inwards from the breeze. Bright stirred his levitating drink in the air, the ice cubes within tinkling against the glass. The cockatrice clucked. The stallion stared into the fire.

He could see much of the city from his high-rise apartment in West Village, but the night had swallowed up many of the sights. If he stood out on his balcony he could sometimes make out the dark shapes swooping silently through the night. When the royal guard rests, the star watchers rise.

The cockatrice clucked for the final time and retreated into its wooden home.

“I thought all royal guards had a bedtime.”

Bright turned from the fire to the open doors behind him. The silhouette of a batpony stood inside the doorway. “And I thought all star watchers were supposed to stay in Upper Manehatten during the day.”

“There’s no rule against us coming and going as we please, like any other pony.” Sidereal walked further into the room, the firelight illuminating her features.

The unicorn took a sip of his drink before floating it to the side table beside his chair. “There is, however, a rule against you conducting guard duties during the day, as you have twice in the past week.” He saw the batpony flinch. “You think I don’t see everything you do, Sidal?”

“I didn’t know a traffic regulator was so well connected.”

A white hoof rose to rub one of Bright’s eyes. “Let’s cut out the minotaur shit. It’s late and I need to give a briefing in the morning.”

Sidereal moved deeper into the room and sat on a darkly colored cushioned pillow set beside the fire. “I had to clean up Ulfied’s mess, but it won’t happen again.” She lifted a dark hoof and nudged a metal poker laying half in the fire into a smoldering log. It crackled and broke in half. “The griffons are just acting out a little. It’s none of your concern.”

“It’s my concern when I have to tell ponies it isn’t their concern.” The drink on the table glowed softly and lifted again.

Sidereal said under her breath, “Lying was always your specialty.”

“As was trying to do things under my nose yours,” Bright quietly retorted.

The mare and stallion watched the light from the fire continue to die in sudden silence. A pop from an unbroken log was followed by the top half of it collapsing inwards. Sidereal nudged the metal poker again, this time a bit more forcefully. It jabbed through the previously broken log completely.

There is nothing to be said that hasn’t been said before.

“Why are you up so late, anyways?” Sidereal asked. “What was wrong with meeting at sunset?”

“Nothing, I’m just waiting for a call and since we had to meet here… ” Bright hesitated.

The batpony looked over at him. “What?”

“… Nothing.”

“… Alright.”

They sat in silence a few moments longer, both turning back to the fire.

“If it’s settled, then there’s nothing else.” Bright drained the rest of his drink in one swallow.

Sidereal turned her gaze from the embers to Bright. “Are you going to tell ponies the truth tomorrow?”

“Some of it. No pony needs to know the full truth. Not yet.”

“’Traffic regulator’,” the batpony laughed softly.

“Chief traffic regulator. Never half lie about something; that’s how you get caught.”

“You don’t have to tell me… ” Sidereal stood. “Are we done here?”

Bright slid off his chair to his hooves. “Yeah, we’re done. Come back again tomorrow night, same time. I’ll have everything in motion by then.”

The batpony nodded and started walking to the open double doors. The unicorn stayed where he stood, eyes watching the fire. “Wait.” Sidereal stopped and looked back at him. “If you want to stay… a bit longer… ”

An awkward half-smile was all Sidereal could manage. “You know it wouldn’t be for just a bit. I’ll see you tomorrow, Brighty, in your new office.”

“Yeah… see you, Sidal.”

He didn’t turn from the fire or hear her take flight, but he knew she was gone. Bright inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. Normally, he met with Sidereal in his office, but with his station changing his new office would most likely still have his promoted officer buzzing around. The stallion knew it had been a mistake to ask the batpony to his apartment.

Too much temptation…

Magic candles lined two of the large chamber’s walls. Mares and stallions in red cloaks stood side by side in personal discussion. Roots stuck out from the earthen ceiling above them. The door at the top of the stairs at the far end behind them opened and another cloaked pony entered.

“You’re late, Graphite,” a mare’s voice chided him from the bottom of the stairs. Her features were lost in the shadows of her hooded cloak.

“Better to be safe than rush, Quick Fix,” the stallion replied. He walked deeper into the room, the mare following beside him.

The mare shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s how the saying goes.”

The two of them melded into the crowd and continued their conversation. More ponies slowly entered the rooms, pairing up before joining the crowd. Set up against the opposite wall of the underground chamber was a raised stage where several ponies in gold trimmed red cloaks were speaking to one another. Some ponies seemed tired due to the late hour but none were sitting. An electric feeling was running through them all.

This was the first time they had all been gathered together in one place.

A unicorn entered the chamber with his hood down and surveyed the crowd. His wavy, sky blue mane was offset by his red fur. Of the dozens gathered there, he was the only one with his hood lowered. He walked forward and the crowd parted for him, quieting as they noticed him.

Red magic engulfed him a moment before he teleported onto the stage in a flash. He turned around and faced the hooded ponies before him. “Red cloaks,” he spoke with conviction, “the time will soon be upon us when the tyranny of the princesses at last comes to an end!”

The crowd stomped their feet in applause. Dust from the ceiling fell but no pony seemed to mind.

“We have risked much in our planning, and we risk more gathering here tonight,” he continued from the stage, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. “However, it was necessary, as all things we do are necessary to free Equestria.” The stallion paused a moment, eyes staring into the shadows of the cloaks listening to him. “In the coming days, many lives will be sacrificed. Ours and innocents. Most will fall without knowing the reason for which their lives have ended, but know that it is never without cause.”

Shouts from those assembled echoed forward. “Celestia be damned!” “The alicorns must fall!” “Freedom for Equestria!”

“All of you have been wronged by the princesses, but especially by Celestia, who has ruled these lands for far too long!” The stallion’s words charged the crowd up further. “Within days, when she ascends to the sky to break the meteor falling from the heavens, she will perish!”

A new feeling washed over the crowd: shock. Yes, my children, the time has come, the unicorn thought. “And when she falls, so too will her sister! From their ashes, a new, free Equestria will rise, led by not a weak willed princess, but a queen!” His horn glowed brightly. Behind him, red banners with gold trim appeared along the wall. In their centers was stitched a brighter red circle with orange lines running to its center, where a smaller orange circle was stitched. “Behold the banners of the red queen, Sucre Flourish!”

The ripples running through the crowd ranged from shock to disbelief now. This was the first anypony low ranking in the red cloaks had heard of this.

“Red cloaks,” the stallion on stage spoke in a softer tone, “I know you are fearful of a new ruler taking the place of the old one. But fear not: the red queen does not wish to rule forever. When her life comes to an end, as is natural for all beings, the ponies of Equestria will appoint a new ruler. They will serve at the will of the ponies, not the other way around.”

“Insanity!” a pony at the front of the crowd screamed. “I didn’t sign up for this just to be under another pony’s hoof again!”

Before anypony else could chime in, a red glow lifted the speaker into the air, slamming him into the ceiling. His cry of pain was cut off as the glow crashed him down to the ground a moment later.

“A spy, from the royal guard,” explained the stallion on stage. “I had hoped my words would reach him, as they no doubt have reached the rest of you.” No pony else stepped forward to challenge him. “Know that, regardless of any mixed feelings you may have, the princesses will die and the red queen will rise. And we red cloaks will follow her into Tartarus itself if that is her will.”

The gazes of the crowd moved from the broken body of the challenger to their unicorn leader and back.

“My final orders to you before our work begins are this: do not go near your stockpiles again until the signal is given. When we take this city for the queen, we will be swift and precise.” He waved his leg out. “Go now and prepare yourselves physically and mentally for the challenges ahead!”

The ponies assembled moved to exit, but they were somewhat slower than before. The electric feeling, however, still lingered.

With a smile, the stallion watched them go. It won’t be long now, my love.

One day before meteor…

Though clouds came in only shades of gray naturally, unicorn magic and special practices helped bring color to the homes of the griffon neighborhood floating above Turtle Bay. Many clan members made their nests in more conventional four walled homes as opposed to outdoors.

This allowed Ulfied to feel an extra ounce of satisfaction as she kicked in the door to a cloud home as the sun was just cresting the ocean behind her. Half-asleep griffons cried out and reached for their weapons to fight off the shadowed figure before them. Ulfied raised the spear in her claws, displaying the electricity crackling along its length. Her underlings realized who was before them and calmed before true understanding hit.

“We did not want to betray you, Clan Mother!” one pleaded. “Please, we had no choice!”

The electricity along the spear intensified. Sparks lit her features for brief moments. Ulfied showed no mercy in her eyes. She lowered her spear and called upon its power.

Electricity arced from the clouds around the griffons into them. Their bodies convulsed, frying, charring. The smell always made those around Ulfied gag but she relished it. This was the power of the Clan Mother passed down through the years.

This was Leiknir, the lightning spear, one of the most powerful magic weapons in Equestria.

In the cloud city of Upper Manehatten, Leiknir’s power was multiplied exponentially. The griffon clan would have completely wiped out the pegasus ponies and any other from the sky if the royal guard and star watchers weren’t around to keep them in check. Still, the power of the spear had allowed them to carve out a piece of the pie larger than the other races living above Lower Manehatten.

When Ulfied had sufficiently vented her anger, she ceased the lighting magic. She always wondered after using the spear if this is what unicorn’s felt all the time. Godlike. The Clan Mother turned from the corpses and walked out of the home.

“Clean it up,” she told the griffons standing outside the door. They bowed silently before entering the home. No other griffons had come with her.

I need no one else when I wield the spear.

Flying low over the Upper East Side homes, royal guard armor shining in the morning sun, several pegasus ponies scanned the ground and skies. Gilda watched them through the kitchen window from her modest apartment. The building she was in was set on a hill overlooking the rest of the area.

A yawn behind her told her Signy was up. “Coffee better be brewing.”

Gilda pointed a claw at the coffee machine without turning from the window. “Brewed and ready to serve.”

Signy wrapped her arms around Gilda’s neck from behind. “I hope coffee isn’t what took you from me so early.”

“Have you noticed more royal guards around here lately?” The griffon scanned the rooftops, finding a few more patrols.

“Let me see.” Signy wiggled herself closer against her companion. Her cheek rubbed against Gilda’s as she looked out the window as well. “Huh, maybe.”

“I wonder if something’s going on… ” Gilda was cut off by a peck on the cheek by Signy.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t have to do with us.” The blue spotted griffon smiled and released Gilda from her embrace. “You’d better have some of this before I drink it all!” she teased.

Reluctantly, Gilda turned from the window.

His cup of coffee levitating next to him, Steady stood waiting for the elevator to reach his floor. He had told himself he would never become addicted to coffee but the early hours of his job demanded made it a necessity. “No pony else is even here yet, I bet,” he complained to the empty elevator.

The machine chimed and the doors opened a moment later to reveal how wrong he was. The previously empty office he had moved his things into yesterday was bustling with activity. Mares and stallions of every race except bat were setting up at every station available, many wearing royal guard armor. He noted Amaranthine and Ray were missing.

A green earth pony mare rushed over to him, shoved some paperwork against him, and rushed off. He caught the falling paper with his magic before it hit the floor. “What is all this…?”

“Confidentiality agreements,” Bright responded, standing in the doorway of one of the outer wall offices. “Anything that happens inside these four walls never leaves.”

Steady scanned the documents as he walked over to his superior. “Don’t our original contracts already cover this?” A royal guard was sworn to never discuss matters of Equestrian security with the public. Still, situations like the one yesterday, where Bright had discussed delicate matters with Steady in the open, happened all too often.

“I’ll explain in a moment.” Bright stepped fully out of his office and started walking straight through the room. “Attention, everypony,” he said loudly. “Meeting in the conference room in five minutes.” Everypony began looking around the large office. “It’s over here,” Bright said with a sigh, waving a hoof by a door.

Steady walked to his desk to sign the confidentiality papers while he waited. The ponies along the way greeted him and introduced themselves. “Hey, I’m Peppermint Crunch.” “Nice to meet you, I’m Sea Swirl.” “Name’s Cloudy Haze, how’s it going?” “Morning, Bushels the name.” Several more ponies acknowledged him with nods or waves before he made it to his desk. He set the papers down to read them.

A few minutes later, Laund Ray sat next to him with his own papers. His mane was a mess and he smelled like he hasn’t put enough cologne on. Steady took a moment from reading to look him over. “Geeze, what happened to you last night?”

“Whatcha mean? Nothing happened last night.” Ray ran a hoof through his mane nervously. “What’s with all the paperwork?”

The unicorn raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. “It’s new confidentiality agreements. I’ve looked them over and the only thing new about them is the punishment.” Steady pointed to a line on the last page of the documents.

“’Terrorists’?” Ray read aloud. “That’s a word you don’t hear often.”

“Almost as often as racist,” Amaranthine said from her desk beside Steady. Steady jumped at her sudden appearance. Ray acted like she had been there the whole time, giving her an upraise hoof in response to her comment.

Steady couldn’t help but notice that the mare also looked like she had a rough night. She smelled strangely like Ray’s cologne.

A banging turned everypony’s head. Bright kicked the wall again to make sure they were all paying attention. “Time’s up, come on!” He turned and walked through the doorway he had been standing beside. Everypony moved to follow.

Inside the meeting room were four rows of cushioned pillow seats set before a large flat screen monitor. To either side of the screen were empty tack/white board combos. The windows had been completely covered up by two sets of curtains. Once everypony was inside, the green mare that had handed Steady his paperwork closed the door.

“Take a seat.” Bright stood beside the flat screen. “Some of you know me, but for those who don’t: my name is Bright. I’m sure you’re all wondering why you were suddenly promoted. Would anypony care to venture a guess?”

Amaranthine called out from beside Steady, “Is it due to the red cloaks, sir?”

The white unicorn nodded, looking pleased. “As expected of you, Amaranthine.” He waved a hoof towards the back of the room. The monitor behind him turned on; displaying a symbol no pony there had ever seen before. “This, mares and gentle colts, is the symbol of the red cloaks.”

“Excuse me!” a stallion seated at the front said jokingly. “Aren’t the red cloaks just a rumor?”

Smiling, Bright nodded again. “That’s certainly what we wanted ponies to think. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The red cloaks are real, and we believe they are preparing for some kind of terrorist attack on Manehatten.”

“Lower or Upper?” Ray asked offhandedly. Steady nudged him in the ribs but Bright had already heard the remark.

The unicorn’s smile was gone. “Does it matter?” he asked loudly. The ponies assembled seemed to snap to attention reactively. Bright looked them over. “I hoof picked every single one of you because not only are you good at what you do, and not only are you loyal to our princesses, but because you love this city. Am I wrong?”

“No, sir!” they said in unison.

“This threat,” Bright banged his hoof against the monitor, “is real! And we will face it, together, for all of Manehatten! Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good!” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Now, then, let’s start by introducing everypony. Steady, come on up.”

The early afternoon sun had difficulty piercing Upper Manehatten on most days. Still, shafts of light were let through the floating city to Lower Manehatten, giving it an almost heavenly appearance.

Blue mane brushed straight, unlike its normally wavy appearance, the unicorn leader of the red cloaks sat on a cloud, his gaze on the city around him. He floated just below Upper Manehatten but above the royal guard patrols. On his hooves were the knockoff cloud shoes he had forced the griffons to make. They glowed red faintly, reinforced by his magic.

As he looked onto the cities radiance, he thought, it pales compared to her.

The cloud above him parted and a yellow earth stallion poked his head through. “Sir, Trim is requesting a word.”

The unicorn nodded once. The stallion disappeared back into the cloud. A moment later, a blue pegasus stallion came through the hole and landed lightly beside the unicorn. “Sir,” he said with a bow.

“Speak, Trim,” said the unicorn, not turning from the sight of the city.

Trim raised his head. “Forgive the intrusion, sir, but I wish to express misgivings on the way our plan was revealed last night. I do not believe it was the right time.”

At this, the unicorn did turn from the city. “You believe the recruits did not take it well?”

“I believe we should have held off on announcing the entirety of our plans.”

“Until when, exactly?” The unicorn’s mane blew across his face but he made no move to part it. “Until the princesses were dead? Until the citizens rebelled? Until the royal guards attempted to take control of the city?” Trim winced. “It is better they learn to live with the fear of tomorrow today and not when the sky is falling around them.”

“That is… ”

The earth stallion poked his head through the clouds once again. “Sir, forgive the interruption, but there is a messenger here with urgent news.” A red hoof motioning forward from the unicorn indicated acknowledgment, and a moment later another pegasus dropped down to the cloud. His light blue fur offset his blond mane.

The newcomer bowed before speaking. “Sir, yesterday it was reported that a royal guard was speaking freely about us.”

Both Trim and the unicorn’s ears bricked up. “Who?” demanded the unicorn.

“A unicorn named Bright.” The pegasus looked excited to be of use. “Strangely, the only information we could dig up on him was that he is the Chief of Traffic Regulations.”

“Bright?” The unicorn started laughing softly. “Traffic Regulations would certainly be a good cover… he could roam the city as he pleased, directing other guards and sitting in on meetings between officers… ”

“Sir?” Trim and the pegasus now both looked confused.

“I’ll discuss it with you later, Trim. For now, let’s go back to our previous discussion.” He turned to the blond maned pegasus. “You were at the meeting last night, were you not?”

“Ah, of course I was, sir!” the pegasus said proudly. “I was unable to meet with you then to tell you of Bright.”

The unicorn simply waved away the pegasus’ concerns. “It’s alright. He was just fishing for a reaction from around him, no doubt. There’s little anypony can do to stop us now.” He looked the pegasus in the eyes. “I want to know how you feel after learning the extent of our plans.”

The pegasus looked from Trim to the unicorn, unsure.

“You may speak freely, here,” the unicorn assured him.

After taking a moment to consider it, the pegasus spoke. “I… I’m not sure what to think. I do not wish for Celestia or Luna to rule any longer, but if somepony else simply rises to take their place… ”

“The red queen is not ‘simply somepony’,” frowned the unicorn. “I see now I should have shown you all what you are fighting for. Bow your head.” With a worried expression, the pegasus bowed. The unicorn leaned forward until his horn was touching the pegasus’ forehead. “Gaze upon your queen.”

A memory bloomed inside the mind of the pegasus. Standing before her banner stood what he could only assume was the red queen: an earth pony with pale fur and fiery red, flowing mane. Light radiated from behind her, giving her an almost angelic aura.

The unicorn pulled away as soon as the memory was transferred. He watched as the pegasus gasped and his eyes filled with tears. “She’s beautiful… ”

“She is. Now go and tell any red cloaks you cross what you have seen.”

“I shall, sir!” With that, the pegasus leapt up though the cloud overhead and was gone.

For a few moments the two stallions sat in silence. Finally, Trim asked, “Do you think that will be enough?”

“Honestly, Trim, if even half of the red cloaks follow-through with the plan, they will be more than enough. We need only keep the city in chaos until the red queen and her army arrives.”

They continued to stare out onto the city below them. The red unicorn imagined the city would look very different when he was done with it.

“Who is this Bright?” Trim asked.

The unicorn couldn’t contain his chuckle. “Traffic Regulations… Bright is more than likely putting together a plan to stop us without realizing he’s kept to the shadows too long.” He raised his hoof. “He is one of the most powerful ponies in this city: a hoof of Princess Celestia herself.”

“Now that we all know one another,” Bright announced as Ray sat down from introducing himself, “I’ll officially explain why we are here.” The monitor beside him changed from the screen saver back to the red cloak’s symbol. “The red cloaks have been classified as a threat to Equestria unlike any we have dealt with in many years. As such, a task force has been assembled to root them out and combat them... you.”

Steady gulped. This was beyond the scope of what he had originally imagined. Those around him also shifted nervously, suddenly realizing the weight being placed on their shoulders.

“I understand your nervousness, but it will pass.” Scanning the room, Bright seemed to reassure a few ponies with his gaze. “Do not focus on the pressure being placed on you, only on your task.” The image on the monitor changed again to show a red unicorn stallion with wavy blue mane. “This is Arc, leader of the red cloaks. The goal of this department is to find him and capture him.”

“Sir!” Steady called out. Bright nodded for him to continue. “What department are we?”

Smiling proudly, Bright answered, “The A.T.D: Anti-Terrorist Department.”

Armod’s eyes shot open. For a moment he forgot where he was and panicked. The smell of pellucid beside him calmed him, reminding him he was in the basement still. The griffon reached for a slice of day old pizza from the night before and scarfed it down in a few bites.

After he had eaten, he brought the alchemist’s inhaler up. “One more, then I’ll bring the rest of them down,” he said groggily. He grabbed a match from his matchbox, noted it was the last one, and lit it. Holding the dwindling matchstick, the flame heated the drug through a hole on one end of the inhaler while he breathed in the smoke through the top. As had happened numerous times before, the flame eventually reached his claw. Armod swore and tossed the match away.

It landed near a pile of others close to the boxes he had been told to stay away from. For a brief instant the pile smoked, ready to ignite. But the flame died out before they could.

“I need more matches.”