Trixie sank like a stone into the deep, soft seats of Duchess Demesne’s chariot. Almost immediately, she was about to either drift off to sleep or just daydream due to the sheer comfort of what was under her rump. Keep your head, GP! she admonished herself.
The inside was appointed well enough to be fit for a Princess—aside from the ceiling being too low for Her Highness to fit. The chariot was adorned with plush black cloth and real polished mahogany accents, and it had champagne chilled in an enchanted permafrost bucket, a sunroof, and even a bowl of molasses candies that Trixie totally didn't immediately avail herself of.
The stallions sat across from them, and with enough space between to have a large kitchen table set up if they'd wanted it. The one who spoke earlier still had a bit of a smile, which seemed to be hiding some relief. The other one was stone grey, garbed in a tan suit and wearing sunglasses, and may as well have been carved out of granite for how stiff he was.
Not to mention those muscles. I may not be into guys, but I can still appreciate the kind of work it takes for even an earth pony to basically be a mound of strength.
“So,” Twilight began as the chariot took off into the sky. “What urgent matter does the Duchess want to discuss?”
Mr. Clock shook his head. “I am not privileged enough to know, Lady Sparkle. It is not my job to ask questions, but to obey.
“However, I am also not a complete idiot. Given what's been in the papers and what has been discussed in the office lately, I'd imagine it's the changelings you've been chasing up and down Manehatten. You have this city worried, and let me tell you, ponies in this city don't worry easily.”
Twilight nodded slightly. “That's fair. I aim to keep everypony safe, though, so with any luck, I should be able to alleviate those worries. Moreover, I have every confidence in this city's resilience. It will take more than a few changelings to rattle it.”
Mr. Clock bowed his head. “On that, I agree.
“Ah, look, we've arrived.”
The chariot pulled up to the Empyreal building, a giant gold skyscraper that was a testament to not only the prosperity of the city, but the skill of its engineers. The arches at the top were engraved with images of the Princesses, though one had to be close to tell. Had this been night, it would have been lit with purple to honour Princess Luna. In the sun, though, all one could see was gold-tinted stone.
They weren’t at the very top of the structure, as it would have been silly to pull up to a dome with nowhere to stand. Rather, they were at the base of the dome at the top of the building, where a small landing area jutted out from the edge to service priority chariots.
As Trixie exited after the others, she took in the somewhat chilled air and listened to the sound of tiny fountains sloshing their water about. Potted plants and small patches of impeccably-manicured grass were strewn about in a symmetrical enough fashion to keep anypony's OCD from going off. The landing pad felt more like a luxurious garden than anything else.
Inside was the starkest possible contrast with San Palomino. Air conditioning was there to greet them with a kiss of ice on her nose. The walls were painted a warm off-white that put the idea of gold in her head without actually being gold. The carpet was likely clean enough to perform operations on, and each light fixture was ornate wood and glass.
The elevator was hushed into library silence and silken movement, and the reception area it opened into was furnished with plush couches and a secretary’s desk made of deep mohagany with a subtle gold trim only visible from the correct angle.
“Memoranda?” Demesne stopped just before entering her office. “Could you be a dear and get us some coffee?”
The secretary pony bowed her head. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
Trixie kept her eyes on Twilight, stopping when she came to a stop. She noticed the Grand Mage’s ear flutter and a tiny glow in the runes of her torc. It faded after a moment, and she followed the Duchess into her office.
“Trixie, I need you to stay out here for a bit. I'll call you if I need you.”
“Um, sure, if that's what you want.” Trixie looked over to the couch and an end table with a donut box. “Can I—”
“Clean her out if you want.” Twilight winked before closing the doors behind her.
I hope you know what you're doing, Twilight. Trixie plopped her rump on the couch and proceeded to decrease the Duchy's official donut supply.
Twilight sat back in the guest chair, wondering if she should have stolen a few of those donuts herself. There was, however, business to attend to. “So, Duchess, how may I help you? Certainly you didn't send out a search party to offer me coffee.”
“No, I didn't,” said Demesne. “Tell me, when do you plan on leaving Manehatten?”
“When I'm done with my mission. Is that a problem?”
“Frankly, yes.” Demesne took a sip of her coffee. “I've noticed a concerning pattern, Lady Sparkle. Wherever you go, upheaval follows. Sometimes you bring cleansing fire in your wake, and other times, you just bring fire. You're even worse than the Princesses, and I have a duty to protect this duchy. So, I called you here to ask of you this: Go. Home. Leave the changelings to me.”
“Allow me to answer that with a question: how long have you known the changelings had infiltrated your city?”
“Six months. I was trying to keep it quiet to avoid a panic among the populace, but thanks to your bungling methods, I fear mass protests are inevitable.”
“Okay, first of all: if you knew you should have reported it to the—.”
“And have those gasbags leak the issue immediately? Please. Canterlot is a sieve, and information flows like water, if not from the Crown itself, then from other dukes who would love to break that story wide open.”
“Whether that's true or not is immaterial. The law and Compact mandate this cooperation, Duchess. You are duty bound to inform us.”
“Forgive me if I put my duty to my duchy over a duty to an ineffective Crown.”
“Really? You know, I seem to remember the previous renegotiations of the Compact being little more than the Council doing their best to hobble the Crown at every opportunity so they could take power for themselves. Your argument is specious, Duchess. You don't get to take a carpenter’s tools and then complain when their work isn't up to snuff.”
Demesne huffed. “How things were in the past isn't of much use now. The fact of the matter is that preventing panic is critically important, and your efforts have undermined that. If you really want to help, tell the press that you're done with your mission and will be leaving immediately.”
“No. The only reason I'm here is because you kept this information from the Crown, Duchess. When we saw the pattern we came to the conclusion that it could be only one of two possibilities. One was that you were unaware and needed help. The other was that you were unlawfully withholding this military-grade intelligence. I see that the latter was correct.
“Had you been forthright, odds are the Princess would have only sent me if the situation was dire. Even then, in such a situation, I would have integrated my approach with the Manehatten PD. Instead, when I discovered what was happening, I came of my own volition to take on a potentially city-sized infestation with nothing but what I could carry and a single member of the Evening Guard.
“Complain all you like, but this situation is entirely of your own making.”
“No, this is still largely on you,” Demesne countered. “You came here to investigate my city, my Duchy, and didn't even come by for coffee until now. Lady Sparkle, had you sought me out and asked me, I would have been happy to clear my calendar and give you my undivided attention.
“But I see that the Princess has rubbed off on you too much.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked.
“Attempting to solve these issues on your own when it's better done through cooperation and trust, and in the process leaving a trail of ash and destruction in your wake. When called out, you blame others for not being in on the know when you've made no effort to include them.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “How am I supposed to include the ponies who are quite literally trying to kill me? I don't know if you've noticed, Duchess, but one of your number was caught literally being a traitor, and another? Mind controlled into it. I have every reason to be guarded. “
“We're up against a geas, Lady Sparkle. You can either get paranoid for the rest of this, and trust no one while you slink into a hole like Celestia, or you can reach out and gain the strength of others.
“And, quite frankly, Artfeather was corrupt for ages and the Crown begrudgingly accepted it in favour of stability. It was only her idiot husband that destroyed the city. Even in her treason, Artfeather never would have been so insane.
“As for Badlands, he's a moron. I'm not surprised he was sucked in. I'm only surprised that he didn't literally have strings attached to his legs leading to every corporation and con man within a thousand miles of a desert. The Princess knew this as well. She didn't move against him until he was ready for a hard fall, and she used you as the instrument of that fall.
“She's playing by her own rules, Lady Sparkle. We're just game pieces to her. Ones that disappear over time, to be replaced by others who will also disappear. An immortal in a match against opponents who have to hand off their games when they inevitably wither away.
“But when she takes a piece, ponies die, cities crumble, eras change. She doesn't like to call herself a goddess, but she is one in all but name, and if we don't keep her at bay, it endangers all of Equestria.”
“Now that I don't buy at all.” Twilight folded her forelegs. “I know the Princess. She helped raise me. She genuinely cares for ponies. I know this because I've felt her love, and it's warm and kind and nurturing.”
“You know the mask, Sparkle,” Demesne countered. “The avatar she uses to interact with us. But her true self sees us all as blurs, as blips in time. A mess of little lights she just wants to put in place to make her painting. But I and the rest of the actually competent members of the Council know one hard truth: life doesn't let you do that.
“Life, Sparkle, is messy and chaotic. It will never be the paradise the Sisters want. If we are to make the world a better place, it will be up to ourselves to do it together, on our own.
“More importantly, we need to establish an order that removes the Princesses from control.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Careful, Duchess. You're treading dangerously close to treason with this talk.”
“It's not treason to discuss where the Compact should go next, Lady Sparkle, especially for Council members. Princess Celestia herself made that ruling. Look up Crown v. Barnyard. Besides, I'm saying that absolute control should be removed, not that they should lose their crowns. There's a difference.
“I'm not stupid enough to think it wise to try to completely depose a goddess. Besides, we need them to move the sun and moon, and there are plenty of ponies that revere them. That's fine. I've no problem with them getting to be symbols and living in a palace with nice things and servants. I would encourage it, in fact, as not allowing it could lead to Armageddon.
Demesne poured another cup of coffee and stirred in some cream. “But therein lies the problem.”
Twilight put an ear down. “I don't entirely follow. You say it's a problem, when in the previous breath you said you encourage the Princesses to be princesses.”
“The problem is their tight hold on control, their need for it. Not just that, but for love, adoration, validation, all while holding absolute power.
“A decade and a half ago, an immortal goddess returned to us with hurt feelings and immediately tried to murder us all. Had you not stopped her, we’d all be dead right now.
“Then, because she's immortal and more powerful than all of us put together, we have to accept her as being cured and a new, secondary ruler. One we know full well has a history of trying to end the world when she gets depressed.”
“That's not—”
“It is the truth, Lady Sparkle, and it extends to Celestia herself. When she is angry, she can't help but set fire to everything around her. Did you know that Council regulations mandate that all our equipment, tables, and chairs have to be fire resistant? Or that Celestia herself ordered that firefighters be always on standby near the Empyreal Hall, just in case?
“We're at the mercy of gods with the emotional stability of teenagers, whose feelings disrupt the environment around them. My goal, as is the goal of most of the Council, is to disconnect the Princesses from ruling, not just because it is the right thing to do to let us mortals choose our course, but to relieve them of the stresses of being rulers. Once they are free of that ability, of that responsibility, they can go about doing whatever else.
“Princess Luna can dive headfirst into her painting, her music, even messing around with the stars for all I care. Princess Celestia can be a teacher full time, or eat a mountain of cakes. But they cannot be allowed to keep us at their mercy.”
If Twilight raised her eyebrow any more it was pop off her head and hit the ceiling. “You know the Princesses aren't that stupid, right? They know what you are doing.”
“Considering the fact that we cannot move the sky without them, nor can we hope to stand up to them by force, we have little other recourse. Besides, if all ponies, or at least enough ponies, all demand freedom, the Sisters will be left with but one choice to make: acquiesce, or be left with nopony to rule anyway.”
“And yet, without them we would be nothing,” Twilight countered. “We beat Discord with the Elements of Harmony, but what of the Titans? And don’t forget that we lost the Elements in the coup attempt and that they still haven’t been recovered yet. What do we do if another mythic-level threat emerges? Luna is our only hope at this rate.
“And what of that immortality? Thousands of years of experience and knowledge! What madness would we have to have to not take advantage of that?
“Not to mention Princess Celestia's track record. Over a thousand years of managing the sun and moon without fail.”
“Certainly they have useful perspectives, Lady Sparkle, but that's no reason to dominate us mortals. One of the purposes of government is to protect the weak against exploitation from the strong. And, quite frankly, I can think of no extremes that rival the gulf in power between an average pony and an alicorn.
“That's one of the reasons the Compact exists. It doesn't just outline the sharing of power between the Crown and the nobility, it outlines what neither has the legal power to do. An example is the freedom of speech and worship. It protects the commoners and nobility from Celestia, and the commoners from nobility.
“But that protection is woefully incomplete. Power must shift to the Council, if not for the freedom of mortals, then to relieve Celestia from the sheer organizational nightmare that is running such as large country as a powerful monarch.”
Twilight’s mind flashed back, and she was under her mentor's wing, looking over the ruins at the heart of the Everfree Forest. It all just burns. “If there's one thing I can agree with you on, Duchess, it's that Celestia does have too much of a workload. Perhaps it's time to allow Luna more responsibility?”
“I see what you're doing there, although you certainly expected as much. But no, I am not ready to give such power to a goddess that nearly destroyed us all, even if she was supposedly cleansed by the Elements of Harmony. And even if I was ready, I rather doubt she would be useful in such an area. She has little patience for protocol.”
Twilight opened her mouth, then paused as her comeback died on her tongue. “True, and she's heavily focused on finding Titans at this point.”
“A role which I believe she will excel in. I honestly do sleep better at night knowing we have Her Highness to counter that threat, if they are as bad as advertised.”
“They're worse. Trust me on that one.”
“I shall. But beyond all this philosophy, Lady Sparkle, I need to know what, exactly, you plan on doing in my Duchy. If for no other reason than to keep the citizens safe.”
“That much is simple. You have a changeling problem. I'm here to fumigate.”
Demesne paused mid-sip. “I was hoping for specifics, honestly.”
“If I had specifics, I might share them. Unfortunately, it looks like the hive mind of the changelings is more powerful than I thought, which means that my prior plans aren't especially tenable. I found that out just before your hired guards caught up with me.
“That being said, I see some time in the City Archives coming up.”
Demesne sighed. “I see. And I can't convince you to leave this to my police?”
“No. You decided to keep quiet about this, so you get me. Whether you like it or not.”
Duchess Demesne narrowed her eyes. “Understand, Lady Sparkle, that if I had any political leverage at all I could use to kick you out right now, I would use it. In fact, I know for certain I have certain favours I could promise or call in to get that done. Celestia herself would be here to recall you.
“But I see no way that doesn't ultimately backfire politically. It would be a short-term solution, with eventually far more dire long-term costs than I'm willing to pay.
“So, let me make this as clear as possible. I will use the bully pulpit to its greatest effect against you if any of my citizens die because of your actions. Clear?”
Twilight nodded. “What was your secretary’s name?”
There was a pause. “Memoranda.”
Twilight turned and yelled at the door. “Trixie! Memoranda! Could you come in here please?”
As the two entered, Twilight unlatched one of the side doors that led to an outside patio, leaving a clear path to the outside.
The Duchess stood up. “What's this about, Lady Sparkle?”
“You'll see.” Twilight grabbed hold of the two, manoeuvring them so Trixie was to her right and a shaking Memoranda her left, the latter being next to the door. “There, that should do.”
Trixie looked around. “Uh… What?”
Twilight flopped back in her seat, resting her head on her forelegs. “I'll make this simple, ‘Memoranda.’ If you release all the ponies being held by the changelings in Manehatten, I'll grant all the changelings in the Duchy safe passage back into the Gold Desert.”
The Duchess slammed her forehooves on her desk. “What?! A changeling couldn't—”
Twilight silenced her with a held up hoof.
Memoranda was backing herself up, and eventually her rump was kissing the wall. She was shaking so hard the rubbing against the wall was readily audible.
Twilight continued, “Of course, this assumes you remove every member of the Hive from the Duchy. Do that, and I'll stop looking for your local hives more than long enough to get them all out. That's the deal.
“If I find out you didn't fully follow through, of course, the Bellerophon and I will go hunting for your hidey hole in the desert, and you and I will have words. Whether mine are written on explosive shells will depend on how well you behave.
“If you reject my offer, I'm going to keep going until I find every last hive in the city, and at each one I find, I might just send my brother in. You remember him, don't you, Chrysalis? The one you hurt. I happen to know for a fact that he's itching to pay you back. He'll exterminate every changeling he finds just in the hope you can feel their pain through the hive. Clear?”
“This…” Duchess Demesne marched around her desk to Memoranda, looming over her like a storm cloud ready to drop a tornado. “How long? How long have you had her?!”
Memoranda squeaked and slid along the wall, backing up towards the door. “I— I—”
“Spit it out! Where is she?!”
Memoranda’s rear met with the open doorway, and she tumbled haunch over fetlocks twice before coming to a rest on the patio. After a flash of green, ‘Memoranda’ was no more, replaced with a changeling.
The concrete floor of the patio cracked and groaned from the Duchess’s stomp. Little bits that shook loose flew back behind her as she pawed the ground. “Give her back, insect! Tell me where she is! Right now! Or I swear I will make your whole hive regret it for decades!”
The changeling yelped, then zipped into the air, zooming away in a streak of green.
“Sparkle!” Demesne roared, shaking a pen all the way over on the desk. “What in Tartarus were you thinking?!”
Twilight shook her head. “Trust me when I say that I just saved you from a very expensive cleaning bill. There's no way to intimidate or hold a changeling for interrogation. Chrysalis’ command over them is so great that she can order them to self-destruct.
“What I did was give Chrysalis a way out that didn't involve the loss of untold numbers of her hive. But I meant every word I said. If they take my offer, I'll let them escape under guard, and sweep the city for stragglers and any further ponies that are still captive.
“If she cheats me, I'll launch an expedition to hunt her down. If she rejects the offer—heck, even if she accepts it too slowly—I'm going to bring all the forces I can muster to extinguish every last hive in the city.”
The Duchess folded her forelegs. “And how do you expect to find them all?”
“I'm working on it. There's a few lines of inquiry I'm about to jump on. If I'm right, I’ll need to borrow some of your officers to pull this off.”
“Oh?” Duchess Demesne huffed. “I'm not particularly inclined to help, given the destruction you seem to leave in your wake.”
Twilight shrugged. “If you don't want to, I won't make you. But I’d think your police would lead to less destruction than my backup plan.”
“And what is your backup plan?”
“I'm not particularly inclined to divulge that information, given how prone to changeling infiltration your office is. If you change your mind, send the castle a telegraph. In the meantime, I'm going to go ruin the day of some poor ponies at the Manehatten Hall of Records by deluging them with information requests.
“Trixie? Let's go.” Twilight hopped off her seat, leaving the fuming Duchess behind in her office. She paused briefly next to Memoranda’s desk. One more to rescue. Hang on, Memoranda. I'm coming.
The early afternoon sun was beginning to bake the atmosphere properly by the time Twilight and Trixie arrived at the Hall of Records, and for not the first time, Twilight was wishing for a mission somewhere that wasn't baking hot.
“No clouds,” Trixie said after downing water from her canteen. “No Cloudsdale, no weather resources plentiful enough to micromanage the weather, no cloud cover for hot days.”
“Yeah. It's easy to forget that a little inconvenience like this isn't something to really pout over. Ponies lost their lives in Cloudsdale.” Twilight pulled open the glass and brass door to the Hall of Records, and stepped inside. She was greeted with a rush of arctic air conditioning, and then a knot in her stomach. “Is it wrong, then, to enjoy a building’s HVAC this much?”
“Nope,” Trixie said while making a beeline for a water fountain.
Twilight rolled her eyes and made for the front desk. Like much of the city, it was adorned with gold, or at least brass pretending to be gold. Behind the gilding was dark, heavy, old wood, large enough for three different lines to the counter. At the moment, though, nopony was in queue.
Behind the desk, to both the left and right, were curving staircases going both up and down, as well as hallways leading further into the main floor. The only city that kept better records than Manehatten was Canterlot, and the national capital was much smaller than the sprawling supermetropolis she was currently in.
“May I help you, Miss?” An elderly pony with glasses and a mane done up in a bun was behind the front desk. Her blouse had a green ribbon on it that said “VOLUNTEER,” and she appeared armed with more pamphlets than a doctor’s office.
“Yes, hello.” Twilight had to stretch her neck a bit to get tall enough to look official. The mare behind the desk was old, but tall. And a Grand Mage shouldn't look like a foal when demanding records. It could help cut down on paperwork. “I need access to historical maps of the city, especially of the shelter tunnels underneath it.”
“Ah. Upstairs, your left side. Make sure to be gentle with the papers and put them in the return stack when you're done, or ol’ Hairy will get upset again.”
“Well, that was easier than expected.” Aurora murmured to herself. “Maybe what we're looking for has already been removed?”
Nah, probably just Manehatten’s open records habit. Twilight gave the lady at the desk a polite nod. “Thank you, ma'am. And I'll be careful. I used to be a librarian, so I know how it works.”
The upstairs gave Twilight a tingle at the back of her mind. It was a library. It may have been specialized to specific, dry tasks, but the rows and rows of books and scrolls couldn't be wrong. The brown carpet and boring white industrial walls aside, she felt at home.
The opening area had another front desk, but it was empty, so she let herself in. Snaking through the bookshelves, she cursed the lack of a Dewey Decimal system, but found the maps quick enough regardless. She certainly didn't stop to breathe in the utterly delightful scent of many books brought together in one place, because that would be silly and unprofessional.
“What do you want me to do?” Trixie asked with her ears back, having returned from refilling her canteen. “I'm not so good at book research…”
“Remember, maps, not books. I need to compare what we had mapped out underground in years past to what we have now.”
“Sure. Uhhhh… Why?”
Twilight cracked a smile. “It occurs to me that, over the years, parts of the underground shelter tunnels have likely been closed off and sealed, but not necessarily filled in or thaumically vitrified to be unusable. If I can find where they are, I can find likely changeling nests.
“After I send in a couple squads to those spots, we'll know if I'm right. If I am, it'll show Chrysalis that I'm serious, and able to find her drones.”
“Ah.” Trixie tilted her head. “That's still trying to do something like get a kink out of a rug. To get them all we need a better way of finding them.”
Twilight froze for a second, then pulled a meter-wide map out of the shelf. “Yeah, what I need to do is figure out a way to expose them all in one go. All the hiding spots and all the drones hiding amidst the populace.”
Trixie looked like Twilight had asked her to put a hoof on a lit stove. “Haven't the Crown agents and the defence industries all been trying to do that for something like seventeen years?”
Twilight chuckled. “Beating insurmountable odds is basically my job description. For now, let's focus on this. Go commandeer a big table, and get us some coffee. This is going to take a while, so when you get back, I’m going to message the castle with an update.”
“Table, coffee. Got it.”
Cloud Burner banged his head on the table over and over. Donut Joe’s had the absolute best tables for that. You could always smell the coffee and baked goods, which meant you were awake and hungry and focused on the pain you were punishing yourself with.
“Been a while, Burner,” a voice that Cloud Burner assumed was from Donut Joe said. “I also haven't seen you bang your head that many times in ages. What's wrong?”
“I'm a moron,” Cloud murmured into the table.
“What was that?”
Cloud lifted his head up and growled, “I'm a moron!”
Donut Joe blinked and looked at the other customers in the shop, along with the employees, who were all staring at Cloud.
Cloud Burner banged his head on the table again. “Moron. Moron.”
“Hey, hey, quit that.” Joe put a donut in the path of his head-desking, which stopped him, but only because he couldn't do that to the poor donut. “This isn't like you. What happened?”
Cloud sighed and eyed the donut and it's chocolate frosting with sprinkles. “I'm so used to being able to more or less waltz into the castle. But I'm a civilian now. I tried to go see Princess Celestia and was told to make an appointment.”
“Oh, ouch. How long?”
“Five years.” Cloud grumbled and inched his head closer to the donut, absorbing more of the cold from the new spot on the table. “Her backlog is nuts. I could send a letter to speed up the process but that would still take at least a week. I don't suppose you have a time machine? Or a place to crash? The hotels around the city are always full.”
Joe slid into the other side of the booth. “Okay, what happened? Hate retirement that much?”
“You could say that.” Cloud stretched a wing, nudging the plate with the donut a few inches closer to his mouth. “Wanted to come back. Or at least get away from Jazzy. Had a job offer from Twilight Sparkle.”
Joe’s eyes lit up at the mention of Twilight. “Well now, that's high praise. She's a smart filly. Well, “mare”, I suppose. Though I'll always remember her as that awkward night-owl filly of Celestia’s that would come in here and study all night.”
There was a bite shaped piece of the donut missing. Where it went was a mystery, and it certainly wasn't Cloud’s stomach. Couldn't be. “Yeah. She asked me to be her charioteer in the Evening Guard. Jazzy ruined my dessert, so I stormed out to go take her up on it.”
“Uuuhhhh…” Joe scratched his head. “Seems kind of extreme for a dessert.”
“Just the latest in a long string of abuses.” The donut in front of Cloud had another piece missing from it. Joe should really look into that. Disappearing confectionery couldn't be good for business. “But when I got to the castle, she wasn't in, so they couldn't clear me. And even if she was here, I have to talk to the Princess before I can accept.”
“So no Twilight, no queue jumping.”
“Yep.” The donut had completely vanished without a trace.
“Well,” Joe said, pulling out a newspaper. “You could always try to find her in Manehatten. Seems she's been chasing changelings.”
Cloud Burner’s ears stood up, followed shortly by the rest of him, and he grabbed the paper. “Twily is in Manehatten, huh? And changelings?”
“I wish her luck. I still remember the attack on Canterlot during the wedding. Dealing with those horrors? Game of whack-a-parasprite.”
Cloud clopped his forehooves together with a devilish grin. “Oh, she can do it. I believe in her. And I think I know how she'll do it.
“I have to get going, hire an express chariot. If I'm lucky, I'll be there in a few hours. Thanks, Joe; you're a lifesaver.”
Joe chuckled and stood up. “Nope. I just sell donuts.”
I only vaguely remember this character. But he's a charioteer ... who needs to hire a chariot? Does he just want to keep himself fresh for when he arrives?
But Life Savers are doughnuts. Hard candy mint doughnuts, but still . . .
9265255
He's just done a LOT of flying. He'd be totally KO flying all the way to Manehatten. He was in the fourth mission (the one to Zebrica) and the sixth mission (in Cloudsdale).
Nice update
I love the way you wrote the Duchess, she actually has some good arguments!
9265456
Huzzah! I'm very happy it is well received! I tried to make it so that neither side had a clear victory in the argument.
Yay another update.
I've found this story about three weeks ago and basically spent all my free time since then reading it. It's marvelous.
My favorite mission so far was the Cloudsdale mission. The way you describe the city is so unique and interesting, but still close enough to the show's version of it to fit the story.
I'm excited for this new mission. I loved the original changelings in the show. Maybe this could become my new favorite mission.h
Thank you for this great story
Yay! What a perfect Halloween treat! 👻
Notice anything? Also . .
Meant to be "If" i'd guess?
Now english is not my native language, german is but . . . that there sentence doesn't make a lick a' grammatical sense there to me pardner O.o
Otherwise:
More please? Really enjoying this story ^^
9265481
You definitely succeeded. It was well balanced, but I see it bit more in Twilight's favor. The compact is to keep the Princesses in check and balance her workload. But they fail to realize the reverse is true; to (supposedly) prevent the corruption of the council. Since we've seen what corrupt sacks of s*** they are, and that they've shown that they are corrupt sacks of s***, I think it justified. And we've seen just how well they've done, I believe Charlamane called it, 'policing their own.'
They also seem to forget that Celestia mentioned that the council persuaded (forced) to give a lot of latitude to those duchies. That gave them a wide opening for such treasonous acts to occur, both in Cloudsdale and San Palomino. Then they hobbled Celestia's means of investigating such things, the things they are supposed to be self policing. Since they are corrupt, they have good motive for her not to, despite the fact it harms Equestria and likely know it. They claim to be doing it for the good of their (heh) domains, and that's the problem; they don't look at the whole. Which the Princess does.
Demesne did make a lot of good points, I'll grant her that, but she'll never come around; she is a traitor, after all, and can't. I do believe that she truly believes in this course of action, for the good of her (heh again) domain. But their are too many questions of underlying motive that may be harmful, rather than helpful, despite her words. Then again, we've seen nothing of Demesne before, so she could truly be a true believer under Charlamane, and have no such motives.
I will say that the duchess does have a heart; she was extremely concerned about Memoranda. That shows to me that she may truly care, honestly care. I judged her too hard my first time through the chapter, forgetting this is the first time we've seen her. And hearing her reason about the leak in Canterlot, her motive of hiding the Changeling problem does have some weight.
The language is borderline treason, and with two traitors already found on the council, the crown will have strong argument about giving up any more power to the council. How can we trust so many possible traitors, since it is obvious they cannot, again, 'police their own?' Combine this with Bismare's recent Censure about hiding military secrets, and that Demesne broke the Compact by not revealing the presence of Changelings, its giving it even more weight.
I've been really waiting to see this argument. I love that Demesne basically gave away their entire plan/motive behind what the Council is doing. I'm sure Charlamane is not going to be pleased with that little fact. Hope my analysis isn't too disruptive.
9265481
It was better, but she still has room for improvement, though the unmasking of her secretary was a rather fitting capstone to her argument. Still, for all the compact is supposed to prevent abuses by the Alicorns, it's seems more and more that the majority of the dukes/duchesses are criminally corrupt, some potentially to the point of treason. By all rights, withholding of military grade information should have been an immediate call to simply replace the Duchess on the spot, though she would no doubt have not gone quietly.
Still, adding examples of her massive, and yet still building case against the whole lot should have kept the duchess a bit more circumspect, but she's clearly arrogant, like the rest, and assured of her own power.
I'm curious just how embedded these Dukes are in their locals. Other than their private forces, how much control do they have over the local government and police forces? How long have they held these positions, are they indeed hereditary or have they been changed out? I can't imagine most of them engendering any sort of real loyalty, but I've no clue what sort of local government exists or if there's any sort of representational/democratic government in place locally or nationally.
I totally want to see the changelings become Twilight's allies for some reason maybe it's just cuz I've read a lot of Twilight Sparkle changeling fics
I like the interaction between Twilight and Demesne. At least Twily still had the scanning spell ready when she met 'Memoranda'. It looks like Demesne is going to have a bad time after it was revealed that the Changelings had already subverted her office security.
9265554
I question what points she actually had because let's look at Equestria's situation. Many towns are just short of leaving Equestria all together and that is not because of the Princesses but because of the Noblility. Demesne have there heads so far up their rears they can't see THEY are the problem not the Princesses. And do we know the full reasons why Luna went NMM. Could it be Demesne that your predacessors may have had a hoof in that wars creation? the comapact was made to check and balance BOTH sides and they fact you all threw Shining under the bus becasue you wanted to blame someone for Towers betrayal.
"whack-a-parasite"
Also, must give Twilight credit for not bucking that whorse in the teeth!
9266059
This is an example of being overworked. One of Demesne's points is that Celestia is overworked, and that the council should take that work off her shoulders. Do I believe that's a good idea? Yes. Should it be the council? Hell no. Not with how corrupt they are with no one to keep them in check.
The other point with Luna and NMM? Those are valid points from the point of view of those who don't know any better. We know. They don't.
The other major one, that mortals should rule themselves? Well, they should consider the question ponies will ask later; 'should the nobility rule now?' The council is short sighted to realize their own argument might one day be used against them. Given the situation, that could be very soon. Were they not corrupt, or if there were solid check in place, I'd consider it.
Honestly, Demesne's arguments, for good or ill, true or fiction, cannot be trusted for the simple fact that we know the council is corrupt, and thus have to lump her in with the others. It is interesting to see an outsider's view, someone without the knowledge Twilight has, and that the gap in information in of itself is a problem, just as much of it being known.
9266326
she is overworked because the Council will not allow Luna to take some of it. Hell Luna is not allowed to run any military and after ten years of doign good plus the thousands of years before that should be taken into account. Sadly Cadance isn't an alicorn in this universe or she could help. Likely Twilight will when she is finished her transformation. The key thing is she doesn't want to be a check on the Princesses power. she and the others want to rule and make the Princesses just figureheads.
9266386
With Luna, it goes back to what Towers told Twilight: Celestia is compromised and are afraid Luna. Its not just the council, Luna is still feared in general. Its the reason (one of them, emphasis on one) that the council won't let her share the load or run the military.
You caught what I missed. I'd forgotten that the motive was figurehead, not sharing.
A great deal of everything comes down to lack of knowledge. The other being simple lust for power. Or being controlled, in Badlands case.
9266411
Yeah I wonder what they would think of that map in the war room that shows the fire situation and shows the most oral areas are ones Celestia can keep in eye on while the worst are all noble control
I really do love this story. Have a question though, curious about how much time has lapsed in the world since all of this has begun? From the time Twilight was spirited away to Canterlot by Celestia to what is currently happening? Or is that currently hard to quantify?
Is there a difference
Demesne is correct about her "enemies" failures, but blind to her own.
I hope her reaction to Memorandas replacement shows her true character. An actual friend or even ally in the council would be good for Twilight.
Demesne annoys me a great deal. Is every politician in this world a hypocrite? She talks grandly about trust, and how Twilight should trust her, and things would go so much better. Yet, that same trust is nowhere to be seen coming from her. Her lack of trust was so great she all but broke a law.
She touts about wanting to protect her ponies and avoid a path of destruction left in Twilight's wake, but her withholding the information she should have shared, she missed out on a much greater chance to avoid it, much like what Twilight mentioned.
She's a hypocrite, and having her secretary outed as a changeling was a humiliation I feel she fully deserved.
Edit:
And yes, she had some good arguments, but ultimately she comes off as a power-grabber who, might once have been genuine, but has become that which she fought against. She might believe what she's telling, but a part of me doubt that it's what she's acting on.
Edit #2:
I just want to underline that my annoyance at Demesne is not to be taken as dislike of the story. Rather, it's more of a testament to your (CV's) ability to write someone who's both right, wrong, and thoroughly annoying all at once. I enjoyed the chapter, but damn does 9/10 Council Members annoy the shit out of me
Joe, did you invent some self-eating donuts?
"Demesne stopped just bettor entering her office"
"Demesne stopped just before entering her office"?
Also, where did the duchess come from? Did text covering her greeting Twilight and Trixie get left out?
"The secretary pony bowed her head. “Of course, Your Majesty.”"
"The secretary pony bowed her head. “Of course, Your Grace.”"?
"sure, I'd that's what you"
"sure, if that's what you"?
"any more it was pop off her"
"any more it would pop off her"?
"that is running such as large country as a powerful"
"that is running such a large country as a powerful"?
"keep going until find every last"
"keep going until I find every last"?
"I happen know for a"
"I happen to know for a"?
"send the castle a telegraph. In"
"send the castle a telegram. In"?
Sorry about the panic attacks; glad they didn't hurt your month too much.
I wonder if it's possible Memoranda was never a pony to begin with. I'd imagine Chrysalis has more than a few fake identities changelings can assume for deep cover. Also wonder how the Duchess would react if she knew Twilight was ever more like the princesses than she ever dreamed.
That's what he said.
Still an engaging read. One of my comments is even about the story itself! (And yes, some of these have been noted by others, but not much reason to leave them out of my list.)
This use of quotation marks is technically correct, but jarring. With paragraphs so short, it might be better to combine them.
if that's
Oops. Quote mark needed.
Non-copy-edit comment: Huh! I did not know that about this timeline! So, near as Twilight knows, the changelings had the Elements last?
until I find, happen to know
Again, technically correct, but I'd move "Trixie? Let's go." to before the paragraph break.
a grate chapter i really love how Duchess Demesne just dug her own grave nice and deep.
this is going to be O so fun to see play out.
Yay! Awesome story is awesome. Love the political battles that keep coming up like this
I kind of hope the Demesne is still duchess when Twilight completes her ascension. I want her to remember what she said to the alicorn ascendant.
This amuses me.
Ah, someone after my own heart. Nothing like walking into a place with lots of books and breathing in the smell.
I want to know how she'll do it! Maybe she'll want you to let her know how she's going to do it.
Sometimes it is worth waiting to read a new chapter. I liked the banter between Demesne and Twilight. I'm sure the Duchess believes a lot of what she is telling Twilight. But Twilight makes good points. There were ways to let the Crown know about the changelings involving the fewest number of ponies. Reminds me of state rights vs federal rights arguments. :)
As has been noted, Desmesne does have some good points. She's just using them to prod ponies into giving her what she wants rather than actually try to find the best solutions to the problems at hoof.
In other words, she's a politician. Shock and horror. Hopefully the fact that Chrysalis took her Memo will make her a touch more cooperative.
Looking forward to more. I can only hope that Cloud Burner can get his idea to Twilight becore she makes the changelings dig in even deeper.
9269327
Right. I think changelings would prefer original disguises whenever possible. When there's no pressing need to replace a pony, they're the better long-term strategy.
Maybe Vinyl is also original, and this arc will end with her free of the hive, much like Moon Petal. (I don't think it will end with the hive free of Chrysalis, that seems more like a multi-arc thing.) A long-term infiltrator Vinyl could have Become the Mask, but she's still under threat of instant death for disloyalty.
Man, blood magic is always fun. I'm thinking trying some scrying for changeling locations using a map and changeling blood.
I wish fimfiction would keep track of my reading so when I move to a different book I wouldn’t need to go look for the chapter I was on before
9265255
He is no use to Twi if he arrives himself si tired he falls asleep. Most pegasi are fast but lack endurance.
Indeed, that was a good back-and-forth argument. It’s kind of rich for Demesne to justify withholding information from Celestia because of leaks and then say that this is Twilight’s fault for not sharing her own mission, but then Twilight doesn’t seem to grasp their similarity either.
The thing that makes the Duchess' arguments a load of hot air (though that's not surprising, considering her position is an entirely politically motivated and a self-serving one) is that, from what we have seen, your average Duke and Duchess is so far removed from your "normal citizen" in concerns, desires and priorities that they may as well be literal aliens to the rest of the populace.
If the argument is that she doesn't want the alicorns to rule because they are so far removed from the average joe's perspective - congratulations, she just made an argument as to why the council and herself is as equally unsuitable. They have as much common with the "normal citizens" as a pack of timberwolves have with a community of squirrels.
The Alicorns at least try to do the right thing by their citizens - the council members and their ilk don't give a damn and spend their days scheming, plotting against each other and the crown, engaging in treason and blowing up their own cities and plunging the country in famine as they compete for interpersonal prestige and wealth. They'd burn the country down around them if it meant they could rule the ashes. And, unlike the alicorns who are in it for the long haul, the far of future is literally not their problem so long as they get to reap temporary benefits to squander during their lifetime. Celestia knows how much better the country would be off if they spent half as much energy managing their duchies and actually caring about their subjects instead of playing their stupid games in their precious ivory towers and the empyrial hall.
There is not a single word coming out from her mouth that isn't self-serving and motivated by the same petty and greedy goals as the other council members. The council, as we see it in the story, has looong since ceased being a representative of the ponies and their concerns before the eternal sisters, and is but a narcissistic pit of vipers that exists for its own sake and serves no purpose besides furthering the wealth and prestige of its members with absolutely zero concern for whom and what they trample along the way.
The world would, literally, be a better place without them. If the hall went up in flames tomorrow and took every last duke and duchess with it - Equestria would end the day being better off than it started it. The whole organization will have to be dismantled and started over from scratch, if Equestria is to ever crawl out of the pit it has slowly been sliding in to and if it's ever going to fulfill the purpose their propaganda says they are meant to fulfill.
9308606
You make some valid points, but the existence of the Royal Quarter implies that he would have political power. They said during his trial that he would've been sitting next to Cadance if he weren't the defendant. If, on any other circumstance, he would be presiding over a grand tribunal, why would he be present if he were only a figure head? Also, him surrendering himself to Celestia after Luna returned and saying Cadance ordered him to go to Ponyville in the flashback to avoid persucution by the Inner Council, all points to him having a political mind. Not to mention his 'special talent' is protecting people; while generating shields and reducing casualties does this, compromise and political deals would do this better. So him being incapable or unwanting of being in a position of actual political power would be uncharacteristic of him.
I think that the Shining Armor in this universe joined the military so he could protect the people in the most danger. Not to mention that Captain of the Royal Guard is both a martial and administrative position, means that he couldn't rely solely on his magic. He would also have to develop a political mind since he answers to a government body that is comprised of people who are distrustful and disdainful of him, due to him being a commoner before his marriage to Cadance.
When do I not enjoy these updates? These are always so enjoyable to read. Always leaves me wanting the next chapter. Like right now, I want the next chapter. Lol
Can’t wait
We know that the amount of magical force Celestia uses and the strength of her emotions are one in the same, but anyone outside of Celestia's closest circle of confidants don't. It would look like she was losing control of herself when she, in fact, only allowed herself to feel, and not express, emotion. Suddenly, the Inner Council's motivations are more understandable.
Case file number 443: Vanishing donuts.
Detective on duty: cloud burner
Status report: donuts and other confectionary sweets keep going missing. Have attempted multiple patterns of trap to thwart and/or capture the culprit. No success yet. It has also become apparent this confection caper has it in for me, personally. No matter what i do, the villain always manages to leave his calling card at the crime scene...sprinkles on my muzzle...not sure how they do it.
Further recon and information is required. Also, another dozen or so donuts...i could have swore i have five more in the box.
finally! I was waiting for when someone would call out the power of celestia,and her cabinet. and its nice to see it coming from someone not insane.
You mean the exact thing you've been doing
Yes, because if she hadn't you and the Council would have just replaced him with another puppet, while simultaneously doing everything you could to take more control over the country
No, for starters she doesn't see this all as a game.
And she does not play by her own rules, she plays by the rules others change, cheat and enforce whenever they get the chance.
Others who then complain when she does the same.
No, Twilight knows the real face of Celestia while the rest of you only sees masks.
I suspect you look at Celestia and imagine what you would be like if you were in her position and have decided that who you would be is who she has to be.
The Sisters knows this far better than you, that doesn't mean one should not strive to make the world a better place
No, you are not saying that "absolute control should be removed", as neither the Council nor the Crown has it and does therfore not exist at the moment.
You are saying that "absolute control" should be given to the Council.
It would not, because they care too much.
They don't need it, they don't even desire it, both Celestia and Luna have tried to create a more democratic system.
Luna was the one who originally hade the idea for the Council and Celestia tried to make San Palomino a more autonomous Duchy (If i understood what Celestia tried to do right)
So instead you want all of Equestria to be at the mercy of adults with a morality that let's them torture, experiment, enslave, assassinate and mind control whoever they please to achieve their goals
You know that word is funny coming from you, or any member of Majestic really, given your propensity for using things like geas to control others
Not to mention that she and Luna lead Equestria to the prosperity it currently enjoys
Now while the dear Duchess has a few points, she never once adresses the problems within the Council and the various members failure to do their own duty.
Cloudsdale was a powderkeg and had been for years and it was kept that way by the Duke and Duchess for their own goals and greed, not the prosperity and happiness of either their Duchy or Country.
San Palomino was a place where criminals like Farrier did what they pleased.
Homes could collapse on their inhabitants at any moment and the very air in some towns was hazardous to breath.
Companies worked their employees to death, and there were rumors of secret mass graves.
Not to mention that debt and poverty ran rampant which forced more citizen to work for those companies even with this terrible conditions.
One Duchy (Germany run by Bismare if I remember correctly) has such heavy taxes that entire towns have left Equestrian control entirely to join neighboring countries.
And we know that at least two more Duchesses, Suisaiga (I think was the name, I know that Charlamane called her Watercolor) and one more (who I do not remember the name of at the moment) has a strong connection their Duchy's criminal element (The Yakuza and Triad respectively).
Oh of course not, I don't understand why you would even mention such a thing
Is there a difference
It really seems like when the next Compact comes up the Council is gonna lose a lot of ground with so many of their members being ousted.
9265316
Your comment is 4 years old but it grates on my soul in an indescribable way.