The Vanguard
Chapter 3

(One hour after sunrise, the day after the kidnapping of Princess Celestia.)

Twilight was rummaging through her library and was throwing around books, scrolls and other objects of her possession. Spike could only watch in dismay. It had been a few hours since he had received a letter from Princess Luna informing Twilight about the abduction of her teacher.

Twilight:" Spike! What are you doing standing around, I need you to get those spell books for me! We don't have time!"

Spike:" Twilight, what about Princess Luna's orders to stay here?"

Twilight:" Do you honestly think I'm going to stay here and do nothing? What do you think could be happening to the Princess?"

Spike:" I know, but aren't the royal Guards looking for her? I don't think it's a good idea to go out …"

Twilight snapped around to look spike in the eyes. She was on the verge of rage and tears were flowing down her face.

Twilight:" So I'm supposed to just sit here and let the guards look for her? They can't even do their job protecting her! I'm going to look for her and that's final! If you want to stay here and do nothing then fine! Maybe I don't need you're help!"

Spike glanced down with a frown and tears started rolling down his face too. He stood silent for a moment and then grabbed some books off a shelf. He stuck them in Twilights saddle bag and closed the straps.

Spike: "If you want to go out and get hurt too… then that's up to you. I just didn't want to lose you either, but it looks like you don't care about that."

After Spike said this, there was a moment of silence between them. Then he walked into another room to start cleaning up the place.

Twilight Stood there letting what Spike said sink in. Twilight thought to herself, "Oh Spike, I'm sorry! Maybe you are right, maybe I shouldn't go; but I can't sit here and do nothing. If I don't look for her…"

Twilight couldn't finish her thoughts when there was a knock at the door, soon after spike came in yelling for her.

Spike:" Twilight! Twilight!"

Twilight:" What is it spike?"

Spike:" Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are back, they said that they found somepony in the ever free forest and that they need you at the hospital!"

Twilight:" Who?"

Spike:" some stallion unicorn, he's badly hurt! They said he might know something about The Princess"

Twilight:" Ok, ok! Let's get going then!"

Twilight and spike raced over to the town clinic. When they got there, every pony in the town was gathered in and around. Twilight had to push through the crowd to get close. Rainbow dash was flying over the crowd outside looking for twilight. It wasn't too long before she spotted her.

Rainbow Dash:" Twi! Get in here; you have to check this guy out!"

Twilight:" Ok just let me through every one!"

Twilight made it into the room that this new unicorn was in. The grey and green stallion was laid out in a bed with IV and an oxygen mask. The Doctor was still trying to stabilize his new patient. Maverick was out of his armor and cloak which was piled in the corner of the room and it was still covered in blood and mud. Twilight looked at the still unconscious unicorn and noticed he had something extra; a pair of wings. "…an Alicorn?" Twilight thought to herself.

Twilight picked up Maverick's garments and armor with her magic and began to inspect them. There was an emblem on the breast plate. She recognized it as The Guilds emblem. There was also a strange amulet.

In Princess Luna's letter, she had mentioned that the suspicions for the kidnapping had been given to "the Guild." One of the guards had reported that he was thrown off the train that Princess Celestia was aboard by a Pegasus with a dark cloak.

Twilight dropped the garments and trotted out of the room. She trotted up to Fluttershy who was just outside the room.

Twilight:" Where did you find him?"

Fluttershy :" Oh The Poor stallion crashed into a stream in the ever free forest."

Twilight: " did you see where he came from before that."

Fluttershy : " No, but I did see a flash up in the sky."

Twilight: "Was there any pony else in the sky?"

Fluttershy : " No. "

Rainbow dash had made her way into the hallway.

Rainbow Dash:" So who is this guy twilight?"

Twilight: "I don't know, But I do know he's part of the guild."

Rainbow Dash:" "The Guild?"

Twilight: " yes, it's a mercenary organization that takes contracts from all around ponydom. Princess lunas letter to me states that they are responsible for Princess Celestias Kidnapping. "

Rainbow Dash: " oh great we saved this guy."

Twilight: "Actually that might be a good thing Rainbow Dash. He's one of them and if The Guild did kidnap the Princess, he might be able to tell us where they took her. I wonder what happened to him"

Rainbow Dash: "What if he doesn't want to talk when he wakes up?"
Twilight gave a Rainbowdash a frown,

Twilight: "We'll make him talk!"

Rainbow dash and Fluttershy both looked at Twilight with looks of shock. Twilight didn't seem all right at all. She had a determination that worried both of them.
Twilight walked into the room with the doctor who finally had the " alicorn" stable.

TWilight: "Doctor, how is he doing?"

Doc: "He's stable now, but his condition is tentative. We'll have to keep him here for about a week."
Twilight: "When will he be awake?"

Doc: "I don't know, He's lost a lot of blood, and has many lacerations and a couple of broken bones. I wouldn't count on him being awake let alone walking around any time soon."

Twilight: "Thank you doctor."

Twilight went back into the hall way. She was frustrated at the fact that the Stallion wasn't going to be of much use to her on the account that he was unconscious. She paced back and forth for about an hour trying to figure out what to do. She thought to herself, " if only I can wake him up…." Then Twilight had an idea. Earlier that year she had learned a memory spell that would allow her to go through the memories of any pony. "That's right! I don't need him to be awake, I can just look through what he remembers from last night! Twilight you are a genius!"

Twilight was about to walk back in to the room when she saw out of the corner of her eye spike spitting out a scroll. "What could it be this time?" Twilight thought to herself.

Twilight grabbed it off the ground and levitated it up to her face as she unrolled it. It Read,

"My dear student Twilight Sparkle,
I'm happy to let you know that I'm safe and that I am back in my palace. I couldn't be happier to be writing to you again, yet this ordeal isn't over; not for some of us that is. I have a task for you and your friends. As you already know, I was kidnaped by the organization known as "The Guild." They had intended for me to be killed and they would have been successful if it had not been for one Pegasus who despite his loyalty to The Guild, liberated me from them. During our escape we teleported over the ever free forest, unfortunately he was too injured to see my rescue through all the way to canterlot. I need you to search the Ever Free Forest for him, for he truly is the one who saved my life. Please bring him to Ponyville. He is Grey with a green mane and tail, he's also wearing a black cloak and armor. I will arrive in Ponyvill as soon as I can.
Your faithful teacher
Princess Celestia."

Spike: "Twilight, what is it? Anything new about the search?"
Twilight held the letter to her face still reading it over just to make sure what she read was true.

Spike: "Well?"

Twilight: "It's a letter….from the …..Princess….Princess Celestia!"

Twilight said it loud enough for everyone to hear in the hallway. Ponies were repeating her words, most of them in disbelief. Every pony was shocked to hear that their Princess had returned, but then there were cheers and sobs alike.

There was a lot of commotion outside and twilight was fighting back tears as her friends were gathering around her. Twilight then told everyone about the letter and what they were expected to do.

Pinkey Pie: "So He's the stallion we need to find right? Okie dokie…. Mission accomplished."

Apple Jack: " I recon he's the one, but maybe we should double check to make sure."

Rareity: "His cloths look so dreadful! I wonder what he went through to get so ruffed up."

Fluttershy: "The poor guy, , he was probably too tired and he crash landed through the trees?"

Rainbow Dash: "Sorry Fluttershy, I don't think branches gave him those cuts. "

Twilight: "I don't know if it is him, Princess Celestia called him a Pegasus, but he's an alicorn. Whatever the case is, If he's the one we need to find, then we better let the princess know…. Spike please take a note."

Spike: "You got it!"

Spike was smiling, he was glad twilight didn't have to do anything dangerous.
Before twilight could start off the letter, a flashed appeared next to her and soon out of the flash of light appeared Princess Luna.

Twilight: "( gasp) Princess Luna? What are you doing here?"

Princess Luna: "Twilight Sparkle, Thank goodness you are still here! We were afraid you had already left"

Twilight: "How is she? Is she hurt?"

Princess Luna: "Not too badly, She is very tired though."

Twilight: "Princess Celestia asked us to find someone out in the ever free forest, I think we already have him."

Luna: " Let me see him!"

Twilight lead Princess Luna into the room where the unconscious Maverick was laid. Twilight trotted in and moved to the wall on the right as Luna trotted up to the foot of the bed. The Doctor was using his hoof to check Mavericks pulse in his left hoof and was looking at his watch. After he was done, the doctor then stepped to the side and bowed his head to Luna.

Luna: "Doctor, these wounds, what do you think made these?"

Doc: "Your highness, There's a whole story to be told with all the injuries this young stallion has endured. The young mare that brought him in said he had crashed into a stream in the Ever free forest; which would explain his state of hypothermia and his broken femur, but he has many lacerations around his face, legs and his wings. I suspect he was cut with some sort of blade. I also suspect that he has suffered from smoke inhalation due to his labored wheezing and also because his mane and tale have scorch marks. To be frank, not too many ponies, even his age, would be able to suffer what he has and survive."

Luna was shocked at the injuries she had missed, usually she was very observant. Maybe she was starting to feel fatigue from raising the sun.

Twilight was starting to feel bad for this stranger. Until this point, she was only concerned for Princess Celestia, Little did she notice Mavericks pain, if he could still feel anything. She thought to herself, "What happened to you? Did you really save the princess: what did you do to get so hurt?"

Luna: " We'll stay here for the day Doctor. He is asleep, correct?"

Doc: " um.. yes your highness. We will have the nurses bring in another bead for you."

Luna: " Thank you Doctor but that Will not be necessary. We will be awake."

Doc: "Well if you need anything just let one of my nurses know."

Luna: "Thank you Doctor."

Luna trotted to the opposite side of the bed from where the Doctor was; she knelt down and lay on the ground next to Maverick.

Luna: "Twilight sparkle, my sister will be arriving soon. Will you welcome her please?"

Twilight: "Yes Princess, I will. "

Twilight took one last look at Maverick before she trotted out of the room. Princess Luna started focusing and her horn began to glow. Twilight wondered what she was doing. Twilight then went to the lobby of the clinic where Spike and the others were waiting. She had spike send a letter to Princess Celestia notifying her about their premature success in finding Maverick. She was saving most of her emotions for when the princess arrived. From there Every pony worked to make preparations for the arrival of Princess Celestia.