The chapter begins with Shining and Bond (in a less suspicious outfit) leaving the embassy. Shining will also get the next day off but even he wonders if he manages to survive that long. So Ace will continue to keep this position for a while and it seems that Twinkle Shine starts to admire the pegasus. Their plan is simple: At first the hoofmaidens have to go to bed and then Shining and Bond will claim to leave for a party. Cadence will sneak out in her disguise and will meet up with them at the end of the street. Outside Bond goes to get their cart and Shining wonders what kind of cart it will be and who will have to pull it. Suddenly he hears a deep and loud noise behind himself but thankfully it just turns out to be Bond inside a black car and not the wolf that is hunting him. From his description it seems that Shining had never seen anything like that and Bond tells him that it is a Gaston-Maretin. At first the unicorn doesn’t think that this car is inconspicuous enough for the mission ahead but then the entire town seems to be filled with even more expensive cars. How could he overlook all of them so far? Shining slips into the back and thinks that it might be the best choice to hide there from Mr. Makarov. Meanwhile Cadence disguised herself as a purple pegasus and also wears a hooded shirt. Twilight’s brother does notice that the horn of the Alicorn seems to be merely invisible and suspects that it is some sort of glamour spell. So far the plan works flawlessly and they manage to get to the apartment without alerting anybody.
As the preparations go on, Shining can see the ominous location through a window. The snipers and the Unit Metal are ready for the big scene. Bond is about to give Shining his equipment and Cadence jokingly suggests a tuxedo for this spy mission. It seems real spies absolutely hate Con Mane for getting about everything about their work wrong.
His possible equipment contains clothes that will hide the stab-vest and under armor, a saddlebag for his other gear, Night-vision goggles, a flaregun and a selection of knifes. He doesn’t think that he will need these items but they could be very useful to conserve mana and he doesn’t want to mortally wound anybody. Bond points out that he needs to be able to survive in combat without magic. And Mr. Makarov fights so dirty that he can’t afford to hesitate if he wants to come out of it alive. Shining can’t always rely on his friends saving him. Then Bond lists all the weapons Shining could take and the unicorn is shocked of how he as a Captain of the Royal Guard can not know all of these things and developments in weaponry. Eventually he decides to take a revolver airgun with him. The spy also gives him the advice to aim for the neck of a Deer if he has to shot, anything else would not work since Shining is so horrible with aiming and the body is usually protected. They also prepare him with the layout of the hospital and Bond admits that he thinks the entire thing is very strange. The radio stops anybody from listening in but has a very weak reach, on the other side he still has a normal radio but that isn’t as secure. He also has his flaregun, which often makes a decent emergency weapon.He will meet Reznov in the main lobby, which is easy to cover but the rest of the abandoned hospital is a broken maze. There is also another way inside in the form of a tunnel that was once used to remove bodies discreetly. But even that will be covered by the snipers. Baseplate is with him over the radio and suddenly Reznov is standing in the main lobby. Shining doesn’t know how this could be possible and reminisces how the Deer changed from nature-loving people to pioneers of technology over time. There doesn’t seem to be a weapon on Reznov and by now Shining wonders if it is Mr. Makarov using shapeshifting to lay a trap. But he keeps walking forward to finally learn what all of this is about. Having this entire backup including snipers and an Alicorn manages to calm Twilight’s brother down.
Finally he is standing before Reznov. The Deer knows exactly that he is carrying a transmitter and tells him to drop it. There seem to be no ambushes hidden nearby and Reznov even knows about Princess Cadence’s presence and is quite happy about that. Eventually he drops the transmitter and Reznov blocks it. Then when asked he reveals that he is here to warn them about a large-scale attack Mr. Makarov had planed on his enemies both in the Hooviet Empire and outside of it. He sees Mr. Makarov as a global threat and considering what we already have seen about him so far that might be true. Reznov claims to work for all the Deer that are unable to move on to the afterlife as they were not buried and suffer now a fate worse then death. Eventually he says that to understand the full truth Shining shouldn’t trust him. It involves the ley lines, the mana-flow of this world, and standing where such lines cross can allow people to make incredible discoveries and gain hidden knowledge. Zebras, Minotaurs and Deer all know about this technique. There are only two other such places: The old castle of Celestia and Luna within the Everfree Forest and Chernobull (Chernobyl).
Shining wonders if it is somewhat like what is rumoured to be under the Canterlot Castle. Reznov seems to even know about Truth but says that this is something very different. Instead of showing a wide spectrum of time and space, ley lines work with time and show you all of its current existence. But most ponies and griffins see shades of the past or of what they could have been, like an incomplete look into Truth. This was the origin of the ghost stories of this hospital since delusional unicorns are very susceptible to such visions. Reznov tells him that Shining is blessed with strong mental defences against deceptive magic. But Reznov explains that under eye contact or horn contact such magic could still work on him. Shining doesn’t quite know how much of that is actually true. So his mistrust and resistance means that Reznov has to show him the truth but he could still show him an incomplete picture by not explaining certain events that only make sense if you combine them with something else. Now more then ever before Shining wants to know about the Defiant, Mr. Makarov and the wolf that is chasing him.
To fully understand what is going on, they will have to start with Chernobull. It was a magical research facility that exploded 13 years ago and Mr. Makarov’s career started there when he rescued many trapped deer and secured key resources. Chernobull was also the place where unicorn-deer hybrids with exceptional talents in both kinds of magic where created. By now Mr. Makarov is the only hybrid left alive and Shining suspects that he might be responsible for that as well. But there is more to Mr. Makarov then that. Reznov claims that the Defiant was shot down over the jungles of Kundu. Shining takes the chance to mention what Mr. Makarov told him and Reznov admits being partly responsible for that. Mrs. Bond was the agent who oversaw Reznov’s activities of sending information about the Hooviets to the Columbians and from there to the Equestrians. He claims that most of the spies and agents who died because of Reznov were Hooviets or their allies. But with the loss of Mrs. Bond, Reznov lost his connection to Equestria.
But it could have been differently, the Defiant could have never been shot down, Mr. Makarov not even be born and Chernobull would have exploded at a different time. Shining’s first suspicion is that time travel could have been involved but most of the time that thankfully only ends in a stable loop. Here a new timeline was created that was open for later changes, including sending something that shouldn’t exist at all into this world. The original date on which Chernobull should have exploded is very close to Shining’s birthday and that is surely more then a coincidence.
Then the topic shifts to Shining himself. Reznov knows that he is an incredibly loyal soldier both to his friends and his nation. His worst fear is failing to protect others and he is willing to sacrifice his own life for that. Shining admits that if that would happen he wishes to be remembered and that it would have been for a good cause. The unicorn sees this as selfish but Reznov thinks this is a very small prize in return for offering your own life. He understands that better than Shining thinks, since he was raised in the belief that the Greater Good was worth any sacrifice and that they would have been remembered for that. But the truth is very different. In the name of the Greater Good horrible atrocities were committed and those who sacrifice themselves are forgotten. To be remembered is a right only for Generals and Roe Deer. Reznov summarises that Shining can feel that he was BORN as a shield to protect others, especially his sister. But such belief can be exploited like the Hooviet Empire shows.
Suddenly Reznov speaks about Basilisks and Shining remembers hating Cockatrices. This intrigues Reznov and he asks the unicorn why he hates them so much. As far as we know he never encountered one but somebody else had a very unpleasant encounter: Twilight. And the agent even knows about Shining’s obsession with Hoofball. Suddenly the unicorn has a flash back to Twilight’s experience. At first she was frustrated that it was nothing like what the books told her but then she realised that it couldn’t affect her mind since she was trying to cast a spell. Only then did she realise that most cures for this case involve waking her up and since she is already awake that doesn’t work. Even worse her magic is still drained away. Shining does not understand why he feels such hatred for these creatures and suspects that the story of the pegasus who was turned into stone and had become addicted to the state is responsible. In the end the soldier ran away to return to the state. But he was never found again. According to him the story that Celestia did grant him his wish of becoming an immortal observer was wrong. Basilisks work similar but their gaze is instantly fatal and leaves only lifeless rock behind but there is no zenlike state if you are a Deer. Trying to cast a spell or having an immunity like the constant flow of mana in the antlers means that the soul doesn’t reach inner peace but the body is still petrified with the soul inside. And this incomplete union drains the life-force to keep the soul-binding running until it is gone completely.
In the Hooviet Empire the fittingly named Department of Truth changed the books to hide the fact that every Deer that is petrified is doomed to a slow lingering death that can takes several decades. Instead they are told that it is instantly fatal and that they will be placed as monuments. Instead they end up decorating the lawns of dachas of higher Generals and politicians. Shining sees it as a horrible mockery of their sacrifice. The unicorn interviewer brings up cases where elderly monks do this willingly to inspire younger generations but the difference is that they know exactly what is happening to them and surely manage to reach the zenlike state. These soldiers are just pawns that are mocked in their long suffering afterwards. It would have been kinder to just smash them to pieces to kill them and then burry the remains afterwards. The pegasus interviewer can understand why Shining is so angry. She knows what it is like to struggle for a noble goal only to find out that you were doing the exact opposite of what you wanted to achieve. The strong venom was meant to become part of a dragon-slaying superweapon and since its shelf life was so short, many, many, far too many lives were sacrificed. In the end the project was a failure and all the horrible and slow deaths were in vain. Nothing was accomplished besides amusing a few Deer with a very sick sense of humor.
While talking Reznov moved closer to Shining so that right now his antlers are almost touching his horn. Since the unicorn will resist this, it will be more painful then it has to be. The Deer mentions that he should start a stopwatch, likely this is one of these events that seem to take very long while outside only a second passes. Twilight’s brother reminds him that an Alicorn is watching him but Reznov takes this with humor and seems to already know about their connection. Then everything goes white.
The chapter continues with a vision of Reznov’s past. He was apparently sent to kill his own father for betraying the empire. At that moment he though his father had betrayed his own family and his country for his greed, just like he was told. His father doesn’t put up any resistance against his son trying to kill him but begs him to read the book he has. It is about basilisks and Reznov would love to reject this truth and take the easy way but he is unable to do that. They lost thousands of soldiers to a slow and horrible death, including several of Reznov’s brothers. As horrible as it is to say that but the one that died from the bite was lucky compared to the others who got a fate worse then death followed by actual death. Both know that Reznov has to shoot his own father no matter what choice he makes. Otherwise the empire will instantly know that he is a traitor as well. Reznov had always admired his father and how far he managed to get inside the Hooviet system. He knows that there is no way out of this. In a heart-breaking scene his father tells him that he will never hate him no matter what choice he makes. After shooting his father Reznov decided to take revenge for the family he lost because of the Hooviet Empire. Since killing his own father proved his loyalty he was sent to Chernobull to search for spies. He quickly found Mason and used him to follow his father’s footsteps. He saved spies and sabotages the Hooviets. This continued until the fateful day when Chernobull exploded.
Reznov helped two other Deer (Dimitri and Victor) to break down a door since they suspected a survivor behind it. His name is Sokolov and he was able to prevent worse damage by stopping a machine from overloading and exploding. Inside the unicorn Sokolov is trapped behind a machine that shots out dangerous arcs of lightning. It was created by another scientist named Zelinski and was supposed to be an Imagination Engine that would allow the user to turn dreams into reality. They decide to evacuate carefully over the gantry over the test chamber. The others managed to escape over it but as it is Reznov’s turn something takes shape in the machine, it looks like a deer made out of lightning and fire. The walkway Reznov was on collapsed and…
The being responsible is a shadow of something that shouldn’t exist, sealed inside the box of the Draconequus Pandora. The desire for strength and power for the empire, the wish for a perfect Deer to lead them out of the disaster of the dragon war guided it into this world. The shadow feeds on optimistic hopes and dreams to journey backwards in time to fill the role of the ultimate soldier. It eventually grants one of the hybrids true power in a misguided attempt to create independent perfection. Eventually Reznov finds himself back in the altered present when the air is filled with screams.
The entire process was very painful and understandably Shining has trouble to believe all of this. But since he is immune to Mr. Makarov’s magic, he might be the only one either able to kill him or to lead the Blank Wolf to him. Reznov fittingly calls him the stalker. Shining is shocked that he knows about that but Pandora did reveal that to Reznov to be able to make up for the suffering she had caused. To not confuse Shining further with the existence of the Draconequus the Deer skips to the next part. He gets the unicorn to tell him who he is and Shining tells him his names, information about his family, his position in the military, his love for a certain sport and his dream of writing a novel one day. But nothing of that is certain, time is not merely a linear path. Should the stalker be able to get Shining, then both his future and his past would disappear into nothing. It sees Shining as a foreign matter and is determined to erase him completely. But even Reznov doesn’t know why Shining is here exactly. It does very likely involve Twilight and his role as a protector. And the unicorn isn’t completely helpless, being near the Alicorns protects him. The stalker does not know the true cause of the damage of the timeline but it does know that Shining doesn’t belong here.
As long as an Alicorn expects Shining to be in this world, the wolf can't simply delete him. Celestia is powerful enough to protect him anywhere in Canterlot but young or weakened Alicorns can only protect him in a very limited manner, in their direct sight and about 10 meters from that. This means that if Cadence would have not followed her instinct to come with him, then the wolf would have attacked him already. These are some very specific information but considering that Pandora is involved, she might have given Reznov the details. Unfortunately Cadence is just now looking somewhere else and the wolf is standing behind Shining. Its first target is the dropped radio and soon that is completely gone. The unicorn panics completely and tries to use the second radio but while he actually reaches his team, they no longer recognise him. The entire preparation is completely worthless against an enemy that attacks not Shining's life but his very reality. His allies don't even seem to remember him anymore. Then Shining hears the voice of "Eagle Scout" - a person that he saw dying. Reznov tells him that he is hearing an echo from the world that could have been. The Deer tries to calm him down by talking about Princess Cadence but Shining has lost it completely. He tries flares, the flaregun and his airgun but the wolf just erases them effortlessly. In his total panic Shining runs away, further away from Cadence's influence. The dog is behind him and around him, constantly removing everything that Shining does. Eventually the unicorn runs into the tunnel, he never wanted to enter. Shining does manage to escape the abandoned hospital but a short moment of carelessness in his panicked state leaves him trapped. It is impossible to talk the wolf down but Shining realises that Reznov said the truth about the stalker. But as suddenly as the creature came, it vanishes again.
Then things become really weird. Think about that for a second. A unicorn filly is there and she reminds Shining of his family. He tells her that he is an Equestrian Guard and what is name is. But she never heard of him, yet strangely her next question is what rank he has. She says that her father is Major Cool Sun Sparkle before having apparently a nervous breakdown and running away. Then suddenly a police officer is there and he doesn't know who Shining is as well. And that despite the fact that his name should be all over the news after the diplomatic disaster with Mr. Makarov. In fact this person seems to bring back memories of Shining's uncle and for a moment the unicorn thinks that he must be his uncle. It might even be him and either he doesn't even recognise his own family (not too unlikely, considering that Twilight didn't recognise her brother either) or it is an echo from the other timeline created by the ley lines. The girl might have been also one.
Suddenly Cadence is standing behind Shining and shocks him again. She really likes to do that. And thankfully with her around things become a bit less confusing. The Alicorn did notice that the others did act very strange which is understandable since Shining was the entire reason they were there, without him that would be quite a gap to fill. Cadence was terrified by that strange behaviour and her fear what might happen to Shining. The rest of the group follows later and Bond doesn't even get Shining's rank right. The Alicorn apparently knows that he had a radio with him but Bond doesn't even know that anymore after the wolf had erased the radio. Only now does Shining realise that thanks to the interference of the wolf and his panic there were a few things that he didn't learn. Like the exact location of the Defiant or more about Mason. And he simply can't tell them about the stalker. They would never believe that. Eventually it is decided to take care of that tomorrow.
For now Shining can relax a bit and visits a Griffin museum (unfortunately not as funny as Griffin religion) and civilian shipyards alongside Cadence. The Ministry of Defense answers to the earlier events and suggests promoting Audience and Apple. Both Cadence and Shining do that without any hesitation. The pegasus interviewer is slightly annoyed that Thunderchild doesn't get a promotion for saving Shining's life in epic fashion but that battle never happened officially. The party at the Neighponese embassy is also relatively calm and quiet. Twinkle Shine is even able to have her chat with Princess Euphie. The inauguration parade is as impressive as the unicorn hoped it to be. And he sees no chance that Mr. Makarov would be insane enough to attack Columbia. Considering that he was insane enough to attack the personal guard of a Goddess, that seems very possible. Minuette wonders why the Griffins even use such ground weapons. It turns out that they understand the tactical advantage such weapons can bring, especially to break ground defences. And Griffins love driving big and dangerous vehicles. But the new ones are slightly smaller to be more moveable. They have also tank destroyers, faster and with more firepower to take out other tanks but Shining seems more interested in their color.
They stay for another week which is more what a diplomatic visit should be like. The SAS did already leave and Mr. Makarov left and took his gigantic Flying Golden Brick with him. There was only minor trouble when the Hoofmaidens and the other civilians were allowed to visit the city. Princess Cadence, Shining and Misfit Actual visit a nice afternoon garden party. Garnet is happy to do something else but to wait for ponies to get injured in the embassy. Shining jokes about her being lucky to not get a Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome from not being needed in her current position. The cynical pegasus interviewer apparently noticed that it was a (somewhat cynical) joke, the earth pony didn’t. Shining muses about the nonsensical organisation when Detective Payne arrives. Cadence’s hoofmaidens were involved in a rather energetic discussion about vegetarian and carnivore values in the middle or a restaurant and… accidently doing a musical number. The Princess will handle the civilians while Shining has to talk to the soldiers that should have protected the hoofmaidens… from doing a musical number.
The unicorn sends Thunderchild ahead to figure out what happened. As they arrive the responsible ponies are extremely nervous and slightly embarrassed. The soldiers did try to warn the hoofmaidens but when Jenkins was sung at, she couldn’t control herself and Lance-Corporal Pony fell victim as well. They couldn’t resist the power of music. Jenkins almost has a breakdown for singing along instead of following orders but still does try to defend the Lance-Corporal for doing that as well. Shining shows his leading skills by calming her down with a clear order and sending her back to her quarters to await her punishment. Neither the Princess nor the hoofmaidens had ever seen Shining so serious. Soon the hoofmaidens also take responsibility and the Alicorn reminds them how important it is to follow the local laws on diplomatic missions. In Zebrafrica they will be shown less tolerance for Equestrian quirks. It all ends with public apologies, paying the fines and Shining being almost happy to have at least one normal diplomatic emergency after the total insanity he encountered before that.Their next target will be Zamunda and they will go to the royal wedding. No, not that one. The crown prince of Zamunda will marry his fiancé. Not only that but the President of Columbia would join them with his own flotilla, as well as the Neighponese. Shining is happy for the company and the additional protection. And he is still (understandably) paranoid but has at least the hope that the tour through Zebrafrica will be peaceful. That is extremely doubtful.
