Beneath the Surface

"Of course." Celestia beckoned for him to go ahead. "Why wouldn't I want to see it?"

"They're taking their sweet god damn time with rewards... I just wanna get drunk after a long while. Desert without a drink didn't help a single bit."

"You want to get drunk again, do you?" Ician smiles. "I can think of the perfect Bar to go to, once this is all over."

He closed his eyes and his horn started glowing. Around the outer wall, runes burst into life, glowing either same blue as an enormous shield grew around the outer wall and then the city proper, protecting it. "T- there we... There we go... Woooo..." He gasped heavily.

Celestia watches as the shield forms, a small grin on her face. "Well. That's going to take a little explaining for the Day Court. But very impressive. Does this shield work the same way as Shining Armour's did?"

"N- No... It protects the city, but it's primary purpose is to... To remove any enchantments that conceal the identity... I.e, changelings... And... I can make it invisible..." He kept panting, aware that the changelings spell had been activated.

"Invisible, please." Celestia observes the shield, not noticing Paladin's apparent distress. "Interesting. So any changelings who pass through will be... how should I say this... de-illusionised?"

"Correct." He smiled slightly, letting the shield glow clear. "There..."

"Interesting, interesting." Celestia murmured. "And to think you called yourself worthless just now."

"Heh..." He smiled, seemingly having the worst of it under control. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Yes, do let's." Celestia glances at the invisible shield one last time before resuming her journey to the Palace.

Paladin cringed, before following her.

Divine and Ruby nuzzled each other as they listened to Ician and Griff.

Ician looks up into the sky. "Did you just see something? Some kind of... shield?"

"And so it begins." Griff says. "Major protection to the walls, while not a single care is being put into taking out the other major threat."

"We'll get a law passed." Ician said defensively. "All I have to do is flesh out the details and persuade the Court to go over it. Somehow. That'll give the army more authority."

"If they're smart enough, they'll first take care of the threat inside before moving to the threat outside the city."

"Nopony ever said the Court was smart." Ician sneered. "Just self-centred. They need to be coerced into taking a decision that's right for the ponies rather than themselves."

Divine grinned. "Does it annoy you Griff? That ponies carry weapons in the city?"

"No, nothing annoys me as I simply couldn't care less about Canterlot's fate. I am just merely commenting on its terrible security." Griff spits on the ground.

"Just you wait, then, Griff. One day, I'm going to change things." Ician smiles proudly.

"As will I. I will make the day court pay attention."

Storm emerged from the cabin area of the Crystal Viper where he had managed to drag himself before passing out and sleeping. He'd been so tired and slept so deeply that short of a long fall into cold water very little would have woken him. He rubbed his face as he sat up and yawned. Not hearing the engines any more he guessed they'd landed back in Canterlot. Storm stood up awkwardly as his ribs and legs were still tender and walked to the gangplank. He stopped and stared at the dock, and everypony gathered there with a few guards cleaning up the remnants of a fight. "What happened here?" He asked as he walked down the gangplank and onto the dock.

"Just a little tussle." Ician waves his hoof nonchalantly. "Nothing particularly unique. But welcome here anyw-"

He is cut off mid-sentence as a scroll materialises in the air before him in a wisp of dragon fire. "Huh. Would you look at that." He grabs hold of it and reads it.

"What does it say?" Sky wondered, still leaning on the fence of her ship.

"Allotted Rewards." Ician reads out. "Oh, it's what you all will be getting as payment."