The presidential palace. Sebastian was never quite sure how to feel about it. He found that most he asked were fond of it, reassured by its marble and gold towers looming over the skyline. As a piece of art, and a centrepiece of New Canterlot, it was exquisite.

Yet as he stared at the plush carpets, the fine art, the balconies and galleries from which you could watch the common masses below, the very name... it felt so separated from the realities of the wasteland that he couldn't help but wonder at the feelings it inspired from those who worked there. He had been told that Velvet Promises had built it that way to inspire the rulers of the NCR to greatness, but sometimes he wondered if it wasn't hard to see the common pony from a throne so high.

"And here you see the battle harness of Gawdyna Grimfeathers, worn at the Battle of Sunshine and Rainbows. Wearing this she held off a hundred of the Enclave's most elite, back to back with Blackwing and her team."

Sebastian looked towards the tour group as he walked the corridors, letting his eyes wander across the artefacts there. The Battle of Sunshine and Rainbows... he saw there, Strawberry Lemonade's helmet, Blackwing's rifle... a dozen reminders of brave warriors now gone to their graves.

"And here we have the famous... or same say infamous Serendipity Strokes gallery, one of the three depicting the arbiters of the NCR. Though Serendipity has painted portraits in the other galleries, this is the one most associated with her, and the most true to her style. When she was commissioned to paint a portrait of Velvet Promises, the reclusive artist only requested the opportunity to paint another as payment, with the composition chosen by her alone. This was the result, and though Velvet had it hidden away the picture was later retrieved and placed here, alongside pictures Serendipity had painted of the other arbiters."

Sebastian looked across the portraits, feeling a grim, heavy weight in his heart. They were gloriously painted, beautiful in their own way. All naked, all vulnerable. His grandmother, heavily scarred, muscles already starting to decay, her guns fallen beside her and shed feathers from increasingly threadbare wings littering the ground. Her eyes stared into the distance, the shadows not hiding the fierce determination and pride there.

Then there was Velvet Promises, one of the only depictions of her without her red dress or make up. She looked pale, thin and vulnerable without it, her nervous, angry expression highlighting the lines of age that she had always tried to hide. The shadows of marching ponies covered her, the ground littered with torn posters of the old world.

Olden Times looked even older than normal, like the others unadorned. His body sagged from bony shoulders, grey facial hair drooping and eyes heavily bagged as he wearily trod through a field of blood.

And Flowing Script, small and almost lost within the painting, standing atop a pile of crumpled suits and screaming to he heard as the shadows of arguing ponies fell all around him, the four pillars of the Presidential Palace rising up into the sky.

An empty space awaited his mother's picture. No pony hurried Serendipity Strokes. He wondered what the mare would see in his mother's tenure.

He sighed as moved off from the public area towards a door to the side, watched by a keen eyed griffon in a smart black and pink suit. He flashed his badge and the griffon wordlessly opened the door, Sebastian hurrying inside before he was noticed by the crowds.

It was quiet here, soundproof windows looking out onto bustling government offices. A statue of the Lightbringer rose above them, a miniature of the SPP balanced in her hoof. The symbol of the Office of National Infrastructure.

He moved forward, hesitating slightly as a door in the glass opened ahead, two ponies angrily stepping out and closing it behind. They faced each other down with open hostility, the first a thin stallion with a reedy voice, "You can't just leave the Southern Reaches cut off."

"I'm sorry, but they're on their own." The other, a bulky mare replied, shaking her head, "They have generators enough for vital services, hospitals and water purifiers."

"We could send out a team right now...!"

"No." She firmly replied, cutting him off, "It's an orange area Withers, I can't send engineers out without military escort. Until we get that..."

"The Hooffurrow Chapter has disbanded and headed east Iris!" The stallion protested, "It could be months before we get a military unit out there to replace them!"

"There's nothing I can do. Red Eye has been spotted in the area and I won't..." She turned her head, acknowledging Sebastian, "Master Grimfeather."

He hated it when he was called that, "Trouble?"

"The Southeastern Relay station has failed." The mare explained, her matter cool and efficient, "With Sun Tower inoperative they rely on that Relay station to provide power to the whole area. Unfortunately it lies within a zone marked as hot for bandit and monster activity, so we are forbidden from operating without military escort."

Sebastian couldn't believe it. In all the NCR, they couldn't get a few ponies with guns to escort some engineers? "Can't you hire the Talons?"

"We don't have the budget for the Talons, besides they're already filling in for the dozen other Steel Ranger chapters that have ceased operations." The stallion explained, "And General Brigandine has ordered the regular military back to garrison for 'operational restructuring'."

Sebastian had no idea how they have lasted this long if this was all it took to break the NCR, "I'll speak to my mother about it."

"Your mother doesn't have any authority over the military." The mare replied, shaking her head and opening the door again, "And neither do we."

He made his apologies and moved on, his mind racing. Clearly things were getting worse despite his mother's reassuring words on the radio. Given what he had been told this morning he wasn't sure how they had lasted this long...

He turned a corner, hearing familiar voices up ahead. He was glad to hear them too, one of them a voice he knew he could trust.

"Well even as more exiting topics crop up and Regina's attention is demanded by the angry masses, the simple matters of the long term future of our industries still have to be considered. The administration of our fields and plantations may seem to some to be a most dull task, but those who find it so tiresome may do well to remember where the food on their table comes from."

"Thank you Twilight Frost, a pleasure as always. Clipped Frequency, did we get everything?"

"Looks good boss. I'll have it ready for broadcast by tonight."

Sebastian walked towards the three, Swift Feather as groomed and poised as ever as he dusted off his microphone and handed the equipment over to the pony accompanying him. Sebastian didn't pay him any mind, the griffon wasn't who he wanted to speak to.

The alicorn he was interviewing on the other hand instantly spotted Sebastian, giving a warm and regal smile and trotting over with her perfectly practiced elegance. She looked straight out of the pictures, her frosty, twinkling mane billowing over her lavishly designed dark blue suit, "Sebastian, it has been far too long. I was only just talking to your mother about you."

Sebastian felt his heart warm, not realising how much he had missed the alicorn. He had always been amused by tales of her grace and poise, to him she had always been a slightly kooky grandmother, "It's good to see you too Twilight Frost."

"And this is excellent timing." Swift Feather declared, fixing Sebastian with a winning smile as he made his way over. A microphone was quickly shoved in his face, Swift Feather smoothing out his suit before speaking, "And I also got to speak with Sebastian Grimfeathers, Regina's second oldest son. Tell me, how do you think Regina is holding up through the present crisis, speaking as someone who knows her intimately?"

He stammered, not remotely prepared for this, "Um..."

"I'm afraid you'll have to excuse us Swift Feather." Twilight Frost stated calmly as she walked past and extended her wing above Sebastian, "I need to speak to Sebastian in private."

"If I could just have a short interview..."

Sebastian finally found a smile as he was ever so politely swept away from the officious griffon, soft, well maintained feathers tickling at his fur as Twilight Frost calmly escorted him down the corridors. He looked at her, offering a smile, "Thanks Twilight Frost."

"Oh, how you've grown..." She stated distractedly, looking a little mournful, "I remember shielding you like this when you were such a little thing. You were always so curious, and your poor mother already had enough on her plate with Arick and Kerida. You were forever wandering off..."

He turned his eyes away, feeling the blush. She was lovely, but she really could reminisce for hours if you allowed her, "May... I speak to you? In private?"

She paused, looking surprised and searching for meaning in his eyes. Then she gave him a serious look and nodded to a door down the corridor, "Let us take my office."

Twilight Frost's office was a busy place, necessitated by the fact she was both Councillor for the Lost Reaches and informal representative for the alicorn race. Pictures of alicorn children took up all of one shelf, a photo of every child born to them.

Less than four dozen, to his count.

"Please Master Sebastian, go ahead." She said as she levitated some glasses off her desk and settled them upon her nose, "You seem distressed."

"I..." He wasn't sure how to start, "I know my mother's job involves a lot of difficult decisions." He looked up at her quizzical, searching expression and continued reluctantly, "Has she ever done anything... dishonest?"

"A loaded question Master Sebastian." She replied, with a tiny edge of bite, "If one were to claim that my dress at the Hearth Warming party last year was flattering, one would be possibly considered dishonest, yes? I do remember your mother assured me that it was lovely."

A fair point, "Illegal then?"

"Master Sebastian, this topic of conversation is pointless. You are asking the wrong question." She stated firmly, looking him straight on now, "Lady Regina has as long as I have known her held the wellbeing of the republic and its population first in her heart. If she has ever done anything for personal gain I have never seen it."

He already felt guilty, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted her."

"No... no." She sighed, "It is your right to question us. But your mother does a good job, with what little she has to work with."

He looked over at the memorabilia on the walls, "It was easier when she was a wasteland hero..."

"Master Sebastian, are you truly telling me that you felt more comfortable with her career when she went around shooting people?"

He looked at her. Her eyes were deadly serious, "I... don't..."

"The arbiter is not a leader." She stated sharply, adjusting her glasses slightly with a hoof, "They are a diplomat. They tell pretty lies, they smooth egos, and they allow a lot of different creatures with a lot of different viewpoints to stand in the same room and make rational decisions together. We diplomats have stood on many different sides, good and bad, but at the balance of it I believe we have made a contribution to the world worthy of respect. And yes we lie and deceive on occasion, but we rarely gun each other down in the street."

Sebasitan wanted to argue. Wanted to state that Littlepip was the Lightbringer for a reason. But... Twilight Frost made a very good point, "I guess..."

She sniffed and turned away, fussily shifting some her papers around as she continued speaking, "Oh, you young folk! Always reading all those terrible Red Sorena comics and listening to that silly radio show... what's the name?"

Sebastian paused for a second before hesitantly answering, "Warriors of the Wasteland?"

"Yes, that's the one! All those guns and violence, it's rotting your brains." She turned, giving him a pained, doe eyed look, "Your sister was always getting into fights, but I'd always hoped you were more sensible Sebastian."

“I...” He struggled for a way out of this. He had obviously blundered into a sore spot, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Eventually he just remembered what he was, “I’m not really very diplomatic Twilight Frost. I’m a scientist, I deal in certainties...”

“And an artist.” She replied with a nod, “It is what we do with words Sebastian. We paint emotions and opinions, turning them into scenes that others can find meaning and purpose in. We paint lies, but lies can lift and inspire."

A 'technical' artist he was tempted to correct, but that would be low of him. He got her point, and he supposed he could agree with her in part, "I'll remember that Twilight Frost. And thank you."

"No problem." She replied with a cheerful trill, her expression opening up in a big smile, "Now hurry along. I'm sure you have places to be."

¬

His mother was in the red room next door to her office, a rectangular hall dominated by a large table where several monitors and large maps had been set up, various groups of government officials chaotically networking between groups. Sebastian worked his way through the room as hooves were stabbed at maps, charts were aggressively displayed and policy was debated, eventually locating his mother walking over to Life Bloom. She gave a quick salute, her tone weary, “Yo, Bloom, how are you doing?”

“Regina.” He looked up, smiling warmly, “I presume you’ve heard the same thing I just did, about the Twilight Society?”

“We’ve got to stop them doing this shit Bloom.” Regina stated with a sigh, digging her claws into the table as she lent her weight against it, “They’ve got what they want. What the fuck do they think this filibuster shit is going to accomplish?”

“Oh, I have no doubt.” Life Bloom chuckled, “They stand to gain a lot of money from reconstruction of the military, but first they need to position their assets. It’s merely a stalling tactic, gives them time to set up plans for gaining lucrative government contracts.”

Regina snorted, her wing feathers ruffling, “They don’t get any.”

“They’re not going to give you much of a choice Regina. In my experience, it’s best to roll with these things.”

“I hate this crap…” She looked up, finally noticing him standing there, “Sebastian?”

He felt himself hesitate now he was here. She looked busy, and stressed, "It's crowded in here today."

"Yeah. With the Rangers pretty much abandoning their posts on mass and running to their bunkers, to say we have a hoofcount issue would be an understatement." She sighed, tapping a claw against the side of her head, "I swear half the regular army doesn't even know what end to hold a gun. I have the whole talon company deployed and we're still dangerously exposed."

It looked like what the ponies had said before was right, "To who? Red Eye?"

"Oh no, Councillor Bitter Lemon of Fillydephia made sure his assets were well protected from Red Eye." She sighed, looking deeply stressed as she inspected the map, "But now numerous weapons stashes have disappeared onto the black market, I've got widespread desertions, and several outlining settlements have gone off the grid. General Brigandine has spread them too thin, the command structure is breaking down. We've got idiots who paid for their commission commanding important fronts."

"Lady Arbiter!"

They all turned an eye as a pony hurried up, wearing a white and green badge that designated him as a member of the Office of Science. Regina nodded to him, "Go ahead."

"Lady Arbiter, I have a message for you from the Gardens of Equestria Society." He stated, looking a little nervous, "They said it was important."

Regina rolled her eyes, "I seriously doubt it... but go on."

He cleared his throat, "They report that the garden is reacting to the element of magic again."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. The element of magic? He turned to Life Bloom, "Again?"

"This is the forth surge since Xephyr's disappearance." Life Bloom explained, "And the second this month."

Regina still didn't look very excited, despite the gravity of the news, "But they can't tell me what it means?"

"They believe the element is... displaced. Trapped on another plane of reality." The scientist explained, "They now believe the surges are an attempt by the element to rephase itself back into existence. A... controlled attempt."

"Controlled?"

"Somepony is commanding the element Lady Arbiter."

Life Bloom's smile grew wide, his mother simply shaking her head with numb disbelief, "Xephyr?"

"We... presume so." The scientist hesitantly replied, before holding out a clipboard, "With your permission Lady Arbiter, the Gardeners... ahem, the Gardens of Equestria Society would like to requisition some specialised equipment, to make it easier to lock in on this plane from the other side. Weaken the barriers, make it easier for the element and it's bearer to return."

"My, that is a lot of money..." Life Bloom commented, adjusting his glasses nervously, "And are you sure they know what they're doing? The last time I checked, the only theoretical physicist on the team was Jade Tesseract. And I have to use that term loosely, consider that whole scandal with having to give back his doctorate and all..."

"Um... are you asking me?" The scientist questioned, looking evasive, "Well... to be honest their message was written on treated tree bark, decorated with pictures of flowers, and not a single person in the office could make head or tails of the science they described... and you know, they've already had a reputation for being a bit... odd..."

Regina grabbed the clipboard, scrawled her signature and shoved it back against the pony's chest in one sharp movement, "There."

"Regina?" Life Bloom questioned, raising a quizzical, yet not entirely unamused eyebrow, "I'm already trying to find funds for the army you know?"

"Well tell them the truth." Regina stated sharply and unapologetically, "This is to find Xephyr. If they can't show a bit of charity for that, print their name in the papers and find me somepony who will."

"Never cautious are you Regina...?" Life Bloom chuckled, shaking his head, "Very well. Thank you young man, you may tell the Gardeners that we will do our best to get them the equipment they need."

"Thank you sir!"

Regina on the other hand looked to Sebastian, giving him a weary, affectionate glance, "You wanted to talk to me about something, I can tell."

Sebastian sighed, it was now or never, "In private if possible. It's important."

¬

"I... have records here. Records of government money being given to wealthy business ponies throughout the NCR, with your signature on them. Records of the NCR dropping criminal charges, of contracts being awarded based on donations to your election campaign. I... have other things here too..."

He stood there in the middle of his mother's office, heart breaking as the words tumbled out and his mother's face flew through a dozen expressions in a series of moments, from anger to shock to grief. He felt like he had reached across and tore her heart out, and his emotions ground against his ideals.

But it was done, and there was nothing he could do to take those words back.

His mother eventually closed her eyes, face tightening in frustration. It was a while before she spoke, voice cool, "Who told you this?"

"Does it matter?"

"No one in politics is looking for justice Sebastian." She turned one eye to him, "If someone told you this, it was for selfish reasons. You really want to be someponies weapon?"

Sebastian hated it when his mother tried to avoid the issue, "This is between us mother."

"Then someone is trying to turn you against me."

He felt his sinuses narrow, trying his best not to dig his claws into the carpet. He had feared this would happen, had felt the horrible inevitability. Why couldn't she just answer the question? Realise that the motives of others didn't matter? "Was it worth it?"

"Yes." Regina stated firmly and coldly, "It solved problems. Do you think getting into fights with the richest and most influential figures in the NCR would serve the common pony? Or would it have just resulted in us wasting our time and money on long drawn out court cases that would have achieved nothing but hurting all those caught in the middle? Flowing Script tried to do something about the corruption in the NCR, and look where it got him."

"What about burying Arick's rape charges?"

His mother froze, trembling slightly, "I didn't bury it. She didn't press charges."

"Because you paid her."

"And she took the money. I hear she's very happy with her new house." Regina looked across at him, genuinely angry. He couldn't say it didn't scare him a little, especially as she continued in an increasingly low growl, "Look at you, so self righteous. You don't know anything Sebastian. All your life you've been my son, you've been rich and respected, sent to the best schools, given the best food. You say Arick is privileged, protected? Do you believe you're any less sheltered, with your chauffeurs and bodyguards?"

But he was angry too, and he wouldn't take this without comment, "I know what I am! That's why I've always tried to act with dignity! I can afford to be honest, fair, respectable! My privilege shelters me from the consequences of my actions yes, but that in turn requires me to live in accordance with my station!"

She smirked, "Did you learn that at university?"

He felt himself stiffen, finding it more and more difficult to think coherently, "You disagree?"

"I owe it to those less fortunate than me to make the sensible fucking decisions!" She suddenly shouted, sharp and firm, pacing around the room in an angry stride, "To be pragmatic! To avoid scandals that damage the proper workings of government! To avoid dragging your name through the mud!" She extended a pointing claw at him, glaring intently, "You're a Grimfeather! You think Arick's actions wouldn't reflect on you too?"

"I would accept those reflections! I have a duty to the truth!"

"You're allowed to. Isolated behind stone walls in that fancy university." She retorted, "I on the other hand have to live in this world. If I'm to keep them safe, I've got to compromise a few principles!"

It didn't sound right. It didn't sound fair. It wasn't how this was supposed to work, "How can you go out there and lie, every day?"

"It's not easy. No one ever said it would be easy!" Regina stated with a cold firmness, "But a Grimfeather has a duty. We get our claws dirty, lead at the front!"

He turned his head away, snorting. He wasn't sure what to say. He obviously didn't know his mother at all, "I hate this. We shouldn't be fighting..."

His mother of all things actually smirked, "You're just not used to it. My mother and me used to have blazing rows all the time."

He dropped his head, feeling bitter. He hated it when his mother turned to humour in inappropriate situations, "So how did you get past them?"

"Generally I would punch her, she would punch back harder, then after I'd picked myself up we would hug and forget about it."

He looked up, brow furrowed, "I'm not going to hit you."

Regina grinned at him, "You're as bad as your father. He always had a weak wrist too."

"More to the point, you would flatten me."

She shrugged, "That's how it works. I swear, young griffons today... I always held back in fights with my mother, at least when I became an adult. She was supposed to win."

Primitive fights for dominance among pack hunters, now turned into complex social ritual. The anthropologist in him was fascinated. Emotionally, it only made him feel worse, "I've... never understood you less." He sighed, "Are our worlds so different now?"

"I hope so." His mother stated with a soft, gentle tone, "You've come back home your own griffon, with your own opinions. Heh, it will do you good to be disappointed in me."

He wanted to tell her he wasn't disappointed in her... but that would be a lie. He brooded on another angle for a moment or two before finally trying to voice his thoughts, "I shouldn't be so hard on you. You're right. Your own honor isn't as important as the stability of the NCR."

His mother sighed, "Sebastian... a lot of those decisions I made just because... I'm lazy, and I hate dealing with smug business types. Don't you go start agreeing with this shit just because of some dumb speech, I'm a politician remember? Making myself look good with well dressed lies is part of my job."

And that just made him feel so much better, "Do you want me to hate you?"

"I want you to see the world for how it is." She shrugged, "You've always had too high an opinion of me, just like your father. Both of you are better griffons than me."

No. No, she wasn't going to say that, "You're a hero mother, and you won't deflect me like that." He gave her a desperate, pleading look, "Just... be honest with me."

"Honest?" She smirked at him, "Honestly, I try to get through the day, slap down anyone doing anything stupid and take the least bad decision when given a choice. And... really I just try not to rock the boat too much." She sighed, looking across at him with a weary expression, "I have as much power as the others want me to have. If I unite the factions against me, I'm a roast turkey. And those factions? They either feel the same way, or they're actively corrupt and ready to resist any attempt on their powerbases hoof and claw."

Sebastian wasn't sure what to say, "How can it be this bad? How can you be a part of something so broken?"

"But it isn't broken." She shrugged, smirking lightly, "Generally things get done, and the lives of those within the NCR get better. Yes, some of our tax money goes into the pockets of council members, pays for their mansions. Still the majority goes where it's meant to, and I believe the NCR is a nicer place to live than it was ten years ago."

He grimaced, "So it's good enough?"

"It's better than it was before." She snorted in amusement, "Councillor Bitter Lemon is an outright criminal, and doesn't even try to hide it. Yet he still consistently wins fair, democratic elections. What the hell am I supposed to do in a world like that, except keep my head down and do whatever Velvet Remedy tells me to do?"

Sebastian looked away, "This is why I wish you were still a wasteland adventurer..."

Regina remained silent for several moments before finally speaking, voice soft and gentle, "I'm not going to claim it wasn’t' easier, but being out there... we made some hard decisions, and we weren't averse to taking the pragmatic route when it made sense. Littlepip has a lot of blood on her hooves, and... hell, she supported a unrepentant murderer like your grandmother.”

Sebastian felt something ping in his head, turning to his mother and giving her a sharp look, “Now that’s going too far. Your mother founded the NCR, she’s a hero!”

“Because she won.” Regina chuckled, “And we wrote the history books.”

He took a deep breath. He swore, for all that he loved his mother she could be insufferable sometimes, “You’re so cynical.”

She grinned at him, “I’m old.”

“You’re 32.”

Her face fell a little, lifting her crippled claw and trying to flex the talons there... with little success, “I feel old.” She turned her head to Sebastian, giving him a sincere look, “Who sent that information to you?”

“It was... anonymous.” He reluctantly admitted, “I tried to have it traced, but it used a... Pinkie 2 hub?”

“Those are government use only. Only a couple of ponies in the NCR should have access to them.” His mother’s brow narrowed, “Do you have a print out?”

He nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling out some sheets of paper, “Here.”

She took one look at them before her expression soured completely, placing a claw on his shoulder and moving towards the door, “Come with me.”

¬

"Is this a little hypocritical?" Sebastian protested as he trailed behind his mother, Regina openly seething as she made her way through the corridors with clear purpose in her eyes, "I thought you told me everyone lied?"

"It's not about the lies." She answered in a mutter, slowing a little so he could draw up alongside. She looked over at him as she did, fixing her gaze on him before speaking, "They had to have pulled that information off our restricted servers, it's even formatted the same way."

Sebastian thought that sounded a little odd, "You keep a list of all your corrupt transactions on the server?"

Regina gave him a half smile, "Would you believe that Life Bloom audits them, same as anything else?"

Sebastian turned away. He really shouldn't have been surprised, "It really is endemic to the system."

"But for obvious reasons, we keep those servers very secure. They cannot be accessed outside the building, and the data storage is locked tight."

"So..." Sebastian followed her into what looked like a computer lab, lots of computer parts disassembled around the room and lines of cable everywhere, "...what does all that mean...?"

"Server 26." Regina barked at the surprised looking ponies in the room, "Open it up."

A young female earth pony with ratty hair quickly hurried over to a box at the corner of the room, searching around for a moment before pulling out a rather shiny looking key by its lanyard and trotting over, "Ifths you justh..."

Regina snatched the key from her mouth, her eyes glaring holes in her skull, "You didn't attempt to verify my identity."

"Um..." She froze, looking understandably terrified, "We all know who you are..."

"And you keep it in a box!?"

She quickly slammed a hoof into her chest, voice high and squeaky, "Scouts honor sir, one of us is always in this room! Only the six of us know which key is which!"

Regina's gaze cooled... slightly, "Who has requested this key in the last six months?"

"Well, we've unlocked it six times of course... and..." She looked round at the other techs, none of which looked very helpful, "Phillipe of Doc Slaughter’s also made an inspection three months ago. And Smokey Smores of the Followers looked at it two months ago, as part of her report in government networking."

"Show me." Regina stated grimly, opening the door to let her past.

¬

"Oh my... I don't..."

His mother was very calm now, worryingly so. She calmly stepped back to allow the mare entrance into the cabinet, allowing her a moment to inspect the device before addressing the poor girl, "You are required to make inspections precisely to stop these things from happening."

"I'm so sorry!" She pleaded as she stepped away from the cupboard, eyes wide and shaking. After a moment she fell to her knees, holding her head out, "Please, punish me for my failure, I... I honestly never realised it wasn't part of the original hub!"

Regina placed a claw against her head, sighing gently, "We all make mistakes it seems... I guess we should have given more training in dusting for bugs."

Sebastian looked round at the innocuous device, stuck inside an empty compartment in the server hub. It was made of the same material, was the same colour and had no flashy lights, just a dull cylinder of metal plugged into a jack and ending in a tapering spike, "How did you spot it?"

"One of your father's many careers was as a communications engineer." She looked across at the device, glaring at it, "It's miniaturised, but that's clearly a transmitter on the end." She looked down at the technician, "Please tell me you can trace this?"

"Um..." She looked around, eventually hurrying away and opening up a nearby office with a key before pushing it open. They followed her as she went inside, turning on the lights to reveal a fairly large if bare and generic looking space with the only real thing of note being the Followers symbol on the wall. The technician was more interested in the computer though, turning it on before studying the back and sides intensely, poking and prodding before opening up a network hub below with a screwdriver pulled from her saddlebag. Her eyes widened, reaching inside and pulling a similar transmitter from inside the case, "Oh no... I knew a little transmitter like that couldn't broadcast far..."

Regina moved over, eyes scanning the room, "This room is only occupied when Velvet Remedy needs a place to work at the palace."

"Or one of her staff, yes." She moved to the keyboard, fiddling around for a little while before her hoof hesitated and she took a deep breath. She glanced at Regina's cold, firm gaze, steeled herself and finally spoke in a small, strained voice, "This terminal was pulling information off the server hub and transmitting it to the New Canterlot Followers Facility... about two weeks ago... and again four weeks ago... and... um, quite a few times."

Regina closed her eyes, her voice still very calm, "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll kill you myself."

"...eep..."

Sebastian just didn't know what to think. He had lost track of this whole thing a long time ago, "But what does this mean? Velvet Remedy is spying on you?"

"The Followers sent that information to you Sebastian.” Her claws tightened, “And this whole mess with the zebra? It started when a fake message was sent from my office to the Golden Coast diplomatic mission, ordering Caesar's assassination. We've spent weeks trying to work out how they managed to fake my electronic signature." Regina waved a claw at the terminal, "Could this be something to do with it?"

"I don't..." The mare's eyes suddenly widened, "Possibly?"

"Explain."

She gulped, "Well... the signature is generated based on a random code, which is created by a sealed machine and verified by another code provided by Life Bloom. But there are lots of old messages of the same alpha-1 priority stored on the server, so I guess somepony smart enough could... well, if you were to hack into your terminal Lady Arbiter, and Life Bloom's terminal, then you could use an archive of old codes to reverse..."

Regina glared coldly at the mare, "I can spot a transmitter, that doesn't mean I know jack about computers."

The mare squeaked, "I'm sorry Lady Arbiter, but... yes. Yes, someone with access to this information could have faked the message!"

Regina nodded softly, "I see."

Sebastian shook his head, "I don't understand. The followers are trying to provoke war with the zebra empire? But wasn't it their idea to make peace with them in the first place?"

"It was their idea to contact them too." Regina answered, squinting in pain and rubbing her head with a claw, "No contact, no war."

"But why war?!"

"I've no idea. But all this... I don't like it one bit." His mother didn't look angry. Indeed, he swore he saw something broken behind her eyes. Her voice was dull and hard, "We already know the destruction of the Rangers is suspicious. Their headquarters is destroyed, Peach Trees is assassinated and a third of their forces just go missing in the space of a few days? And that happens just as Velvet Remedy is talking to me about a need to increase the role of the regular army, after I put into motion her plan to have them take on new funding... justified by the threat of zebra invasion."

Sebastian shook his head. Velvet Remedy was not a super villain, and that whole plot was just... "That's insane mother."

"I know. But everypony always says that Velvet works on an entirely different level to the rest of us poor fools." She chuckled mirthlessly, "And we've also known for months that Red Eye must have and influential backer. He's too well equipped, his organisation too slick and well supplied. He's also expressed knowledge of secret government information, things only me, Life Bloom and Velvet Remedy are privy to. He's also never, ever attacked one of their facilities, even when it would make sense."

Sebastian thought his head was about to explode, "You think she's bankrolling RED EYE!?"

"There's also the Single Pegasus Project." Regina continued in a low steady voice, "If it was sabotaged from the inside, there's only a dozen folk in the world who could easily gain access."

"That... no..."

"And Zenai and Star Swirl both work for her."

"She's your friend!"

"That's how I know she's capable of something like this." Regina gave a quick, sharp gaze at both of them, "Tell no one of this."

Sebastian didn't intend to. He really didn't want to believe his mother had gone nuts, "What are you going to do?"

She grasped the door handle with her claw, digits scraping along the metal as her muscles bunched. Her expression didn't change, bar a slight tightening under her eye, "I'm going to unravel this thread to the end, and find out who my friends really are."

He watched her go, sparing the briefest of glances towards the poor tech. He wanted to scream, but feared to lose his composure like that.

It might have been warranted though. Because if his mother went to war with Velvet Remedy, they could well bring the whole NCR down with them.

_____________________________

Level Up - Level 2 Reached
Perk Gained – Observant
You have gained a keen eye for details. Objects of interest are highlighted on your HUD.

Quest Perk gained – A Little bit of Cyncism
You gain a +1 bonus to charisma when attempting to resist the charm attempts of others, but your maximum relationship cap is reduced by 10%.