The Best Night Ever (Private)

"Yeah... I guess not." Harmony shrugged. "I'll just head off to the Guild headquarters. See if they've got anything for me to do." She levitated her guitar over to her, then looked down and blanched. "After I clean myself up."

"Yup~ Well, I better get going." He pulled his armour on and hurriedly rushed out the door.

"See you!" Harmony waved as he departed, then set about cleaning herself up and preparing herself for the day at the Musician's Guild.

He hurried down the street, running through the castle gates.

The soldiers at the gates saluted him as he passed. For the first time in forever, it seemed like they had broken their stoic demeanor to give him a smile.

He smiled back, panting as he raced through the corridors. He reached her door and burst inside.

((By her I assume you mean Celestia. And by her door I assume you mean her chambers. So...))

The room was empty. The bed was cleanly made. All signs that Celestia had slept there recently had been removed, likely by the palace servants. Wherever she was, she was not here.

Paladin cursed and yawned, before spinning and walking out again. "Where is she...?"

The guards lining the sides of the hall were gone today, and the whole scene was uncharacteristically quiet. There didn't seem to be anypony at all in these corridors.

Sighing, he turned and walked to the throne room.

The scores of guards gradually reappeared as Paladin neared the throne room, and the concentration only got higher as he progressed. There were a lot of them here.

He frowned and opened the door to the throne room.

Celestia sat at on the throne, a look of horrified wonderment on her face. At the forefront of the action, however, was Ician, a scroll in his telekinetic grip as he read off of it.

The day court was present, albeit greatly diminished; many nobles were missing from their usual spots. Many had gone white as sheets.

Beside Ician, a squad of guards stood stoically, weapons raised menacingly into the air.

"... Do I even want to know what is going on here?" He asked quietly.

None of the nobles turned to face him. Their petrified and infuriated gazes were fixed on Ician as he scanned the next line on the scroll.

"Morning, Paladin." He muttered absently. "Now, where was I? Oh yes. Lord Worth." He jabbed a hoof at a noble in the crowd. "You are placed under house arrest and stripped of your position, pending trial for charges of corruption." He turned to the guards. "Seize him."

"Yes, sir." Two of the guards detached from the group and headed towards the noble, carrying him away amidst his cries of outrage.

"... Ician. The actual hell are you doing?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Hm?" Ician tore his gaze away from the scroll. "Oh, I'm clearing out corruption from the Court. It looks like a whole host of new evidence came in implicating them." He snapped the scroll shut. "Alright, that's all of today's business. Investigations will continue into the day. You will be resummoned in the evening." He stomped his hooves. "Dismissed!"

In a daze, the nobles all but fled out of the throne room, past Paladin.

Paladin very slowly walked towards Ician. "You... are incredibly stupid. Incredibly stupid." He sighed. "What do you hope to accomplish?"

"Hope to accomplish?" Ician blinked. "Look, Paladin. By the end of tomorrow, there will be no more corruption in the Day Court. For good, if I may venture to say so. That's what I hope to accomplish."

"You... Oh my god. You're actually insane." He walked up to Ician, looking him in the eye. "Who did you accuse of corruption?"

"Well..." Ician glanced down at the scroll. "About half the Court. It wasn't hard. They're all actually guilty anyways. All it took was uncovering the evidence." He gazed at Paladin. "Why?"

He shook his head and walked past him. "It's hard to explain Ician... But, you have unintentionally... ugh. Just get out."

"What?" Ician turned on the spot, staring at Paladin. "Why? Tell me. On what grounds do you tell me to leave?"

"On the grounds that I outrank you." He snarled.

"Oh?" Ician gave a toothy smile of his own. "You may be the Princess' bodyguard, but I am Head Strategist. Technically, I outrank you. If-"

"Enough." Celestia said hoarsely. "Could you... just leave for a moment, Ician? I need to... think."

Ician blinked, then bowed. "It shall be as you wish, Princess." He turned to the guards. "Let's go."

"Yes, sir." The guards followed Ician in his quiet march out of the throne room. The doors swung shut.