The streets of Boralus teemed with life as the citizens walked about doing the daily tasks that made up their life. Going to the market, picking up food for dinner later that evening, chatting with friends and loved ones along the way, or even heading out to one of the many restaurants of their fancy to satisfy their hunger. All was as it should be in their minds, while all of them carried on as if nothing was wrong with the picturesque setting that they had grown accustom to over the years of peace. Though for one colt, he was looking through a different pair of spectacles as he walked the streets as the sun started to make its way to bed.

Iron had gotten off his shift, and before the zebra could even collect what he had produced that day, he was out the door. Walking amongst those in the streets, the colt acted as normal as he possibly could while avoiding as much small talk with any other that crossed his way. He was on a mission, one that he devoted his entire focus to, and one that he was hoping would bring to light what really had happened the night before.

“And possibly put a sock in that mares’ mouth,” Iron grinned while he continued to walk past others in his way.

Going against the flow of traffic like a trout swimming upstream. He knew what he saw yesterday, and regardless of if the princess believed him or not, he would find something that would prove his own words.

Passing by a destroyed vegetable stand, Iron listened in to the bickering of the couple that owned it as they tried to figure out who would do this sort of thing to them. Lowering his gaze a bit to avoid any awkward eye contact. Iron continued past them, walking right by the hay cart that caught him and his friend just before the mare made off.

“This all started at the wall…” Iron summed up, following the street as it broke off in between a few of the stands and went down an alleyway. Looking down at his hooves, any of the ice that was left over from her little trick was long gone as it melted from the day.

Tracing his steps further, Iron finally caught sight of something on the ground just ahead of him. The droplets of dried up blood that had fallen from Frees’ nose gave away where this whole debacle started off. Looking up at the wall, Iron couldn’t see a single trace of where the mare had left the castle walls from. “Not a claw mark, not a hoof print, not even a scrape…” he noted while examining the stone up and down the best he could from his vantage point.

Looking around him to see if anypony was watching or not, the colt quickly lit up his horn, and in a dazzling display of light. Iron found himself atop the wall in a mere second. With one quick check to see if any guard was near, he started to check over where the mare would have had to climb over the edge.

“There you are…” he eyed a single object.

Caught between a gap in the mortar, a piece of cloth laid. Wedged there from the night before as the mare scurried herself over the edge and the fabric ripped itself free. Plucking the piece from its home, Iron started to grin a bit to himself, “I knew there was somepony here,” he silently cursed the princess. ‘This will never convince her though that we weren’t just making this up,’ Iron put the fabric in his satchel pocket, ‘She wants something more telling than just a piece of cloth.’

Lighting his horn up once more, Iron found himself in a flash back on the ground amongst the city dwellers. The colt was on the right track, and he knew it… taking out a flask from his satchel, the colt took a swig before going on his way down the alley. “Where did we go…” Iron tried to remember as his mind fought through the haze created by the previous nights’ drinking. Piecing together the little bits and fragments of memory, he put together the picture in his head.

“Along this alley after she socked Free in the face,” he pictured once more, “the mare cast an ice spell… I slipped,” he trailed off as he talked to himself, ignoring the occasional glance from a passerby that he would get. “When I righted myself back up, she was grinning at me… and I bowled her in to the market…” the colt stepped foot back in the clearing, “Where she hit…” he looked ahead at the oak tree that was planted in the center of the market area.

Having been placed years ago to give shoppers much needed shade in the summer months as they went about their day, the tree found itself naked in the coming winter as all of its’ leaves have left it early on and it remained just a barren wooden fossil of its’ summer self. Iron walked calmly up to the tree, avoiding the occasional filly that would run between his legs as a group of them played while their parents shopped.

Looking along the trunk, he could see clearly where the mare smacked it, the broken bark that had fallen off giving clear indication as to where her back made contact, “How she didn’t break anything I don’t know…” he muttered to himself.

“Mister?” Iron looked down to see a wide eyed Pegasus filly inquisitively looking up at him, “who are you talking to?”

“Just myself, that’s all.”

“Isn’t that a bit odd though?” she asked, “why not talk to someone else?”

“Because sometimes yourself, is the best person to talk to when trying to figure something out,” Iron answered without missing a beat. Having gotten that question numerous times in the past growing up.

“There’s another colt that does that in my class,” she continued to chat as she followed Iron around the tree, while he looked for something to show for his efforts, “He’s kinda strange… always talks to himself and such. Barely to any other pony.”

“Well…” Iron continued to chat with the young one, while multitasking on his own, “have you personally ever tried walking up to the colt and having a conversation?”

“Well…no…” she plodded her hoof against the brick.

“Then how do you know he’s all that weird?”

“He just is,” she pushed while trying to see the point in the adults’ words, “I mean who would want to spend their entire day alone, and not talk to anypony else but them self?”

Iron had himself propped up against the tree with his fore hooves as he caught the kids’ words. ‘Sounds kind of familiar, don’t it?’ he asked himself for a moment before turning his head to her, “A pony who may not be comfortable talking to ponies he doesn’t really know… one that’s a lot shyer than he lets on,” he muttered out just loud enough for her to hear, “try casually walking up to him and start a conversation, see where it leads…”

“Why would I do that?” she cocked her head to one side.

“To see if he really is as weird as you say he is,” Iron humored the filly, “some of the strangest of ponies, can be the most interesting to talk to.”

“I… guess I never thought of it like that,” the filly pondered for a moment, “Whatcha looking from anyway?”

“… Oh… just a something to bring back to the princess, that’s all.”

“Really? You work with Princess Grace?!” she beamed wide while looking at the unassuming colt.

“Sadly…” he muttered, “Yes I do, in a way.”

Iron loathed to say it, but it kept his mind busy here while at the castle at least. Running his hoof across the missing and broken section of bark, it hit a snag. As he removed his hoof, the colt started to grin as he used a spell to grasp on to what it had caught.

Pulling at the object, a single metal barb jerked out from the wood. “An odd thing to find in a tree…” he mumbled while the filly looked at what he could be so interested in.

While the young one may have not known the significance of this to the colt, Iron knew full well what it had to be. The dull iron talon guard was filed down to a pristine sharp edge, perfect if one were to lose their main weapon. While holes were bored in to the side to create a hinge effect so it could bend with the wearer as they tried to grasp an object. The armor maker has seen this before, many times actually, while making the various suits of armor to outfit the princess’s variety of soldiers.

“What is it?” the filly asked.

“This child, is what the princess will have on her desk when I see her next,” he started to grin.

“A hunk of metal? Princess don’t like that,” the filly lifted up her wing, producing a small gem from it, “Give her this instead.”

Iron looked down at the pony, noticing the gem though, he instantly recalled the words that Free mentioned to the princess, ‘There were several gems that went up along the side of it, like a gauntlet or something.’ The colt looked closer at the gem, it wasn’t completely cut, the rough edges along its’ side would allow it to be more easily fastened in to a piece of armor as decoration. Plus, it was far too big to have come from some piece of jewelry.

“Where did you get this?” Iron asked as he accepted the gem from the pony.

“I found it by the tree, just like you did the metal,” she explained, “it was underneath some of the leaves that fell…”

“Well child…” Iron turned his attention to the filly, “I believe you just made my day…”

“Really?” she questioned, “will you bring it to the princess?”

“Oh I sure will…” Iron answered as he dug in his satchel, and produced a few bits, which he tossed over to the young Pegasus, “Here you go kid. The princess will be very pleased with your gift.” He answered sincerely, while the Pegasus fluttered away to what he could only assume would be her parents, and Iron put an extra pep in his step back to the castle.

With the plate of food before her gone from dinner, the princess sat back in her chair, hooves resting gently on her stomach as it settled down and she relaxed for a bit. Using her wing, it outstretched to grasp the glass of wine that sat just at the edge, before downing the rest of it in a single gulp.

“A second glass can’t hurt,” she said out loud as she attempted to grab the bottle with her other wing.

Though sadly to her dismay, the light weight of it told her only one thing, “Damn…” Grace looked down the neck of the bottle, seeing only a few sips worth left in the base. Tilting it back, the mare lapped up what remained, before setting it back down, “Empty… did I really finish all that in one meal?” she asked herself.

Looking around, there were no others there to dine with her. The table for only a couple dozen laid empty except for her seat, while those that would normally dine in her company had gone about their own matters. Namely, Silvertongue. The drake had an early dinner, and decided against coming along and giving her some company as she munched on the plate of roast eggplant and cabbage casserole.

Left to sit there on her own, Grace sulked in her chair, propping her head up on a hoof, “I suppose I should leave then…” she picked up her plate and glass. Leaving it on the dish cart that was ready to bring it to the wash room, before she headed back to her own quarters.

Walking through the castle on her own, she nodded gently to each of the passing guards as they went about their business and started to bow at her presence. Paying more attention to her surroundings, the mare lost herself in the many memories she had while growing up in this place. From running around the halls with her father chasing after her when many others had gone to bed, or when he would carry her on his back while he talked with the few dignitaries that had visited over the years.

Passing by one of the main kitchens, her nostrils flared open when she caught the whiff of fresh pastries being baked, sending just another group of memories her way. Graces’ mother may have been the queen, but that in no way shape or form meant she didn’t know her way around a kitchen. On many occasions the princess had been in the kitchen, learning from her mother how to make simple dishes like the one she just ate.

Even on occasion they would get together and personally bake a cake for her fathers’ birthday when it would come around. As she grew older, Grace found herself getting more and more in tuned with the culinary arts, and even on more than one occasion would make a cake for her mothers’ own birthaversary.

“And then… just like that,” Grace stopped midstride in the middle of the hall, trying to fight back a tear the begged to fall from her eye, “…They were gone.”

The mare had just come of age. No longer considered a child or a teenager by any, she was an adult in the eyes of all those that surrounded her. Yet soon afterwards she found herself going from being a princess of the king and queen that blessed her in being her parents, to being the one in charge in the blink of an eye.

Standing there in the middle of the hallway, with all the lights around her dimmed down. Grace found herself unable to find solace in her position, while she allowed the hot tears of mourning to drop from her eyes. It may have happened several years ago, but living in the place with all these memories that were held here still drove a knife deep in to her heart when she has nights like this to herself.

“Grace, are you alright?” Free asked from behind her, having seen the smile on his princess’s face wiped away.
Surreptitiously getting rid of any remnants of the tear, Grace turned her head to the guard, returning the smile to her mouth, “Of course, Freefall… just living in the memory.”

“I understand…” Free said, having been around for some of Graces’ life as she grew up, “Though I was wondering actually, have you seen Iron?”

Tilting her head for a second, Grace grew puzzled by the question, “I have not, though why would I know where he was?”

“Well you did give him a challenge last night,” the Pegasus answered her, “And I hadn’t seen him sense. Iron reported for work, but after his shift I went down there to meet up with him, and he wasn’t anywhere around.”

‘I’ll give that colt he’s determined, that’s for sure,’ her mind wandered as she wondered what the colt could have been up to all afternoon, “I’m sure he’ll turn up… if I see him in passing I’ll let him know you were looking for him.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Free bowed as more of a show of gratitude, and went about his evening while Grace did the same.

Slowly but surely making her way to her bedroom, the princess passed by her office, noticing something askew, “I could have sworn I turned the lights off…” she remarked at the ambient glow underneath the heavy wooden door. Pushing it open, she saw only one figure there in the light, sitting calmly at her desk, with his fore hooves behind his head.

“You know I was starting to wonder if you’d ever show up…” Iron said sarcastically as he leaned up from his seat.

“Mister Knight,” she acknowledged him, “May I ask what you are doing in here?”

“Well you have an open door policy, so I opened the door,” he grinned at her, using her statement prior against her, “though I will have you know, I did knock this time around.”

“The room was empty…”

“Still knocked.”

Shaking her head, Grace ignored him for the most part while she went to the side of the desk, and motioned him to get up with her wing. To which, and her surprise, Iron did without fuss, and simply met her on the other side.

“I’m assuming this is not a chance visit?” she inquired, “You must have something to show for it, otherwise you would have been out at a tavern by now.”

“Well that comes after…” Iron reached in to his satchel, producing a small piece of cloth as he dropped it on the surface of the desk, “That is a piece of cloth… duh. I found it on the wall where that figure crawled over top, probably ripping it from their cloak on their way down.”

Grace looked momentarily at the fabric. Yes, it could have come from a cloak of a spy making their way through the castle, though then again it could have come from a number of other things as well. “You have to do better than that, this doesn’t prove anything,” Grace deadpanned to him, “you should have probably grabbed Freefall to help you look, he was looking for you just now… this could have gotten stuck from someponies own piece of clothing as they stood to close to the wall.”

“I figured you might say that…” he rummaged through the satchel after putting the torn piece back, “You see I knew that wouldn’t be enough to convince you. So I kept looking, as I walked through the market and retraced me and Frees’ steps, I remembered hurtling the figure in to the oak tree in the center of the market.”

With that, Iron placed the gem on her desk. Giving her a moment to look over it, Grace didn’t really know what to say. It was a rough cut stone, surely not a fashion statement. No, it was one cut for function, not form. “Okay this is odd… I’ll admit that much,” the princess said while holding it in her hoof, “though I don’t know what to make of it really.”

“Don’t worry Gracie, I do,” Iron grasped the gem in magic himself, before quickly smacking it against the desk.

For but a second, it sent sparks surging out of its’ sides and across the air between them. Not enough to cause any damage to the ponies, but surely enough to give the princess a startle while she sat there glaring at the colt. Who just held a simple grin on his face, “Don’t worry I did the same thing when I dropped it on the desk when I first got in here…” he sat it down gently before continuing, “This gem has been charged with just pure magic, not any spell really. Just the simple essence of what is used to make spells, energy if you would,” Iron went on talking, as Grace started to look at the gem with a new set of eyes.

“Any unicorn who passed basic magic theory in grade school, can tell you that a unicorn can charge a gem with a spell, and have it released later with a simple stimulus,” the teacher in Iron came out for but a moment, as he relived the experiences of charging the gems on his suit, “such as smacking it on a hard surface. It’s not a hard thing to do, and it can help those unicorns that have issues controlling their magic by draining off some of it. Though I think I have an answer to what me and Free encountered.”

“And what might that be…?” Grace asked, still taking more interest in the gem itself than what the colt had to say.

“If they were in fact a gryphon, and I’m saying if,” Iron emphasized the word, “then they might have had a few of these charged gems at their disposal, that would explain how they were able to cast spells.”

“So regardless of the pony tail that you saw…” Grace sat the gem down gently, “you say now that it’s a gryphon?”

“Well sorta,” Iron levitated out the talon guard that he found, “This though is more telling… and I know you know what this is.”

Looking at the piece of metal, Grace in an instant knew what they were dealing with, having seen them in the armory. “A talon guard?” she questioned, “You found this in the tree?”

“Absolutely…” he answered sincerely to her, “although you have your own gryphons in your army, they would have no reason to leave that wedged in a tree. So now what does that tell you?”

“That…” Grace blinked a few times to get her thoughts in order, “there was really something that you fought out there, and not just a delusion.”

“You bet your sweet ass there was,” Iron said triumphantly, making it as obvious as possible that his eyes were wandering across her figure.

“Mister Knight…”

“Yes?”

“My eyes are up here,” with a wing and a swift slap to the side of the face, Iron brought his attention back to her, “now no matter what my plot has to do with any of this… I have to give you the benefit of the doubt.” Getting up from her seat, Grace stood up on all fours as she righted her crown atop her head before addressing the colt.

Iron however, never left his place. Keeping his hooves planted as the princess swallowed what pride she can, and looked him directly in the eyes. Calmly a hoof extends out to him, as Iron cautiously takes it, “You did good work… and all I can say is that they gryphons have been keeping an eye on us, and…” she lowered her head a bit after letting go of his hoof, “you were right…”

“Excuse me…” Iron leans in.

“You were right.”

“One more time,” he grinned, “I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said you were right!” Grace shouted out louder than she expected to, and quickly covered her muzzle with her hooves. Looking up at the colt, all she can see is the smug grin plastered all over his face.

“Well you don’t have to yell…” Iron said while cleaning out his ear with a hoof, “I heard you the first time.”

With her jaw nearly hitting the floor, Grace calmly stood there as best she could given the circumstances. Blowing a lock of her hair out from her eyes, the princess recomposed herself, “the gryphons… have made a move, which cannot go unanswered,” sitting back down in her chair, Grace broke out a pair of quill and parchment as she started jotting down orders.

“Whatcha doing now?”

“Two can play this little spy game,” she muttered out to him, “they know what we’ve been up to, now it’s our turn to kick the ball. I’m giving the order to set up a small team of infiltrators to get in to their kingdom and find out what they have been doing all this time.”

“A worthy goal, yes,” Iron pondered it for a moment, after all, knowing is half the battle.

“As for your part in what you just gave me,” she glanced up at him, “that will be all… Mister Knight. I thank you once again for proving me wrong, so that it may help us in the future.”

“Always a pleasure to stick it to the crown,” the colt took an ever courteous bow before backing up towards to door to take his leave. Who could blame him? It was Thursday, and he had the whole weekend to himself. Though before he could get away, one pony called to him.

“Iron Knight…” the princess said softly, hoping that he would still hear her. As the colt turned around to face her, she swallowed once to clear her throat, “as for my comments yesterday. Calling you a drunk and such… I apologize, that was uncalled for.” The mare sniffed the still air once more, “It seems even with the drink in you, you are still quite the capable colt…”

Breathing in to his hoof, Iron smelled it quickly before reeling back from the stench of his nostrils as they burned, “I didn’t think I had that much,” he questioned. Checking his flask that he carried, the colt found that it was bone dry from the days’ work, “Well damn…”

“Empty I take it?” Grace asked, recalling the similar event minutes ago with her wine. Watching the colt nod, she simply smiled at him, “there’s a liquor store right next to the market that you mentioned. They’re usually open later during the day than most, I’d grab a bottle while you can and go celebrate in your room.”

“Greatly appreciated, Gracie,” Iron playfully answered back to her. Leaving the princess to find a way to settle the score, and himself to enjoy a bottle on his own.