Deceitful Royalty

Deceitful Royalty is an alternate-universe adventure drama story by Thunderblast. It is the fourth and final installment in The Veins Run Deep series, and the second side story of the series. It is a direct sequel to The Veins Run Deeper.

Summary
On a lunch break from work, Night Shadow plays chess with his unicorn guard friend, Sharpblade, whom embarrassingly beats him while other guards observe. At the end of their break, the guards return to their duties, and Night heads back to the Canterlot Palace, where he comes across two of his subordinates, Lodestar and Skye Racer, packing up the Zodiacs' meeting hall ahead of already-ongoing renovations of Princess Luna's wing of the castle. Stellar Star arrives late with a cart, much to the dismay of Lode and Skye.

The next day, Night Shadow orders Stellar to a private meeting in his quarters, where he tells him that he is going to temporarily demote him and let him work his way back up to earn his rank due to recent incidents. Stellar reluctantly agrees to training sessions with First Sergeant Stormfire, supervised by Night himself.

Zodiacs

 * Night Shadow: Night is a bat pony-pegasus hybrid, who was born and raised in a family of full-blooded bat ponies. He became Captain of the Lunar Zodiacs, one of Princess Luna's personal guard wings, and is presumably the last of his kind.
 * Scarlet Iris: Scarlet is a bat pony mare and a corporal in the Lunar Guard. She is a flirtatious, bubbly mare who takes great enjoyment in karaoke, especially while drunk, and annoying Night Shadow. During the events of The Veins Run Deeper, she reveals her feelings for Night, and after the story, the two develop their friendship further, and the two have yet to have a "second date".
 * Lodestar: Lodestar is a dark cyan earth pony stallion and a sergeant in the Lunar Guard and is the third highest-ranking member of the platoon behind Stormfire. He is Night's second-in-command, he has a strong sense of justice and the ingenuity of building up a modern Equestria.
 * Zipline: Zipline is a white pegasus and a corporal in the Lunar Guard. He is a prankster sometimes around co-workers, and is a highly trained individual with a likeness for ranged weapons, specifically crossbows. Despite being a pegasus, he has a fear of heights.
 * Skye Racer: Skye is a pegasus and a lance corporal in the Lunar Guard, assigned to Princess Luna's observatory.
 * Stormfire: Stormfire is a pegasus and a first sergeant in the Lunar Guard, replacing Lodestar as the second highest-ranked member of the Zodiacs. He is brought to the team as an archery instructor.
 * Rescue Sunstreak: Rescue is a brown draft stallion and former firefighter from Ponyville, having transferred to the Lunar Guard as a medic specialist. After the Battle of Hollow Shades, Rescue is adopted into the Zodiacs as the platoon's first medic.
 * Midnight Blade: Midnight is a bat pony mare from Night's home of Batsburg, and is the friend of Stellar Star and Eventide, whom also enlisted directly into the Zodiacs. She is a lance corporal in the Lunar Guard.
 * Stellar Star: Stellar is a bat pony stallion from Night's home of Batsburg, and is the friend of Midnight Blade and Eventide, whom also enlisted directly into the Zodiacs. He is a private in the Lunar Guard, demoted from a specialist.
 * Eventide: Eventide is a bat pony mare from Night's home of Batsburg, and is the friend of Stellar Star and Midnight Blade. She is a private first class in the Lunar Guard.
 * Halfmoon: Halfmoon is a bat pony mare from Hollow Shades, ranking at specialist in the Lunar Guard. She has an intense fear of spaghetti.
 * Duskbloom: Duskbloom is a bat pony stallion from Hollow Shades and Halfmoon's love interest. He ranks at lance corporal in the Lunar Guard.

Shadow Company

 * Thunderblast: Thunderblast is a grey pegasus stallion, as well as Night's good friend and former mentor at the start of Night's guard career. Some time after the Battle of Hollow Shades, he jumped the ranks to Captain of the Shadow Sentinel Regiment, a confidential task force unit combined of members from the Royal and Lunar Guard.
 * Crescent Sword: Crescent Sword is Thunderblast's lieutenant.
 * Thunderbird: Thunderbird is Thunderblast's first sergeant and former Lunar Marine.
 * Overwatch: Overwatch is Thunderblast's sergeant with a high knowledge of magic and spells.
 * Shuriken: Shuriken is Thunderblast's corporal and a long-time friend from the Royal Guard, whom he recruited into Shadow Company.
 * Aeris Moonshield: Aeris is Thunderblast's lance corporal, the lowest ranking member of Shadow Company.

Other

 * Princess Celestia
 * Princess Luna
 * Sharpblade: Night's unicorn guard friend and a first sergeant in the Royal Guard.


 * Skywatcher: Skywatcher is Night's father, formerly a major in Fang Legion and the current Governor of Batsburg.
 * Midnight Dusk: Midnight is Night's mother, a gentle, loving bat pony mare and a former stay-at-home parent.
 * Dawn Blossom: Dawn is Night's younger sister, an energetic, spunky mare, who once had a crush on Night's friend and former mentor, Thunderblast.
 * Silent Knight: Silent Knight is a lieutenant in the Lunar Guard, and the pony in charge of Luna's House Guard. He is the main character of Memoirs, Secrets, and Trials of a Royal Guard, written by Anzel.
 * Working Mechanism: ???

Reception
Deceitful Royalty has had a successful start, currently with 8 likes and 0 dislikes, and has 386 views, as well as over 1,100 total views. The story itself has received critical acclaim and is praised for its world-building, timeline continuation, and portrayal of OCs submitted by other users before The Veins Run Deeper was published. However, it is criticized for a slow introduction.

Trivia

 * Due to the cancellation of Rise of Shadow Force, which was a part of the Thunderblast Chronicles, Deceitful Royalty is the first story to feature the character Thunderblast in his high-ranking position, as well as his squad mates.