I sat quietly in the seat of the train, the Royal Car quietly bouncing on its well-maintained shocks. The train ride from Canterlot to Ponyville was, while not long, quite twisted and winding. Though the town was only a few kilometers from the Capitol, it was nevertheless fairly backwater, all of the major roads and railways long-since rendering it out of the way. Across from me, Barb sat reading some sort of picture book about ponies with superpowers or the like, something that had never terribly interested me. Looming in the back of the car were two guards in full armor, rifles fitted with bayonets and slung over their backs. At my insistence, Fleeting Look was one of them, still a bit out of sorts in his new armor. Still, I liked ponies who did not trip over themselves to please me. Studying took alot of time, and the fawning compliments and empty promises of most folk took far too long to get by, especially since I was required to at least nod and acknowledge them.
Still, the most out of place thing in the car was the shackled and hobbled Rainbow Dash, a muzzle over her face and both wings clipped behind her back. Saw Bones, the Royal Doctor, had stated in no uncertain terms that she was lucky to keep her wings. Her magenta eyes were currently closed, enjoying the first bit of uninterrupted sleep she must have had in a week or so. I could still not believe that I had avoided having to kill her... but I knew she could still suffer that fate if I could not get her to speak.
The sudden screech of the brakes shook me out of my reveries, and I looked up. Barb stood, stretching before stumbling to the side and catching herself on one of the poles meant for just such a purpose. "Ponyville, Last Stop on the Line! Royal Car First, then All Others! Ponyville!" came the call overhead from the Conductor. Fleeting Look and his companion, whos name I had not gotten, both went to the door as the train pulled into the station. Pulling it open and stepping out, they nodded to me to follow, which I did after picking up my bag.
Outside on the station was an unexpected site, for me at least. Ponies lined the station, all with hats off, while four soldiers from the Ponyville Millitia stood at attention, rigidly saluting. An elderly mare with a scroll for a Mark bowed deeply as I exited the train.
"Your Grace, your visit is a surprise! I am Mayor Mare, the elected leader of this town. If it pleases you, we have prepared lodgings at the Town Hall or the Rich Estate, whichever you would prefer. I must admit, we are unprepared for a noble of your status here!"
She slowly looked up from her bow, and I struggled to remember my schooling in social graces. "Thank you, Mayor. I, ah, would prefer to choose my lodgings so as to not inconvenience anypony. I am here by order of the Queen to... um..." What was a good word for it... "investigate..."That's it. "rumors of suspicious activity here. I hope not to be here too long. Not that your town is a bad place to be, I... I'm just really busy."
I could feel the tension in the air, and a nearly audible exhalation from the crowd as the guards dismissed the onlookers. Many ponies still craned their necks to get a look at me, but they slowly dispersed as I walked alongside the mayor. "Sorry, I am not much of a public speaker. Ni-, er, the Queen told me to investigate rumors of Solar Cultist activities in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash has been convicted of associating with them and helping to smuggle supplies or something like that, but I am hoping I don't find anything here. Do you have a Tower, or some place of study I can stay?"
She looked surprised. "We have a library here, but it really is not fit for one of such stature as yourself, Your Grace."
I tried to avoid rolling my eyes. "Please, Dusk Shine works fine for me. I'm not one of the weird nobles from Canterlot... well, I guess I kind of am, but I don't really stand for titles and such when there are things to be doing. Like I said, I hope to just be in town for a bit to confirm everything is fine here." A short cough from behind me interrupted my attempts to play nice, and I turned to Fleeting Look, who was currently holding the chain connected to Dash's manacles. "Sir, with your permission we will take her to the Stockades or the Prison here."
I shook my head, instead nodding to Barb, who opened a wooden box and pulled out a collar. Nightmare Moon's words came to me as Barb reached up to fasten it around Rainbow Dash's neck.
The school of Enchantment, while often overlooked, is one of my personal favorites. While most mares will study it to become better housewives, I find the subschool of Charms to be of particular interest. For example..." she said, opening the wooden box she had brought with her when she appeared in my study, "This little device is a favorite in the Inquisition, a new toy they came up with a couple years back. It is meant to inspire obedience, and contains a complex enchantment that prevents the wearer from undertaking forbidden actions. While it cannot force a confession, unfortunatly, it can inflict pain until they speak. It can also stop them from speaking, force them to obey basic commands, and generally give you peace of mind. You will use it on Miss Dash should you ever let her off her leash. And before you go..." she said, her eyes narrowed, "I DO know of your past history with her. I look forward to seeing what little game you play... but compassion is a weakness, my student. I hope you learn it before she stabs you in the back, as training a new student will be most... tiresome.
Rainbow flinched as a spark shot down her spine, and after a moment the glow settled to near-invisibility as the magic took hold. "Whaaaa-" she said, or tried to say as the magic sealed her vocal chords. Her sound ended in a choked gurgle as she shook her head, looking dazed while Barb nodded. "Looks right, Dusk. I can take her to the library, if that is where we are going to stay."
Mayor Mare still looked hesitant. "There hasn't been a librarian there for nearly a decade since Elder Scroll passed away. Since then, ponies volunteer once in a while but I am sure the living space is dusty, and the books are probably all out of order and the like. Are you sure you would not rather stay at the Rich Estate?"
Barb rolled her eyes as mine lit up at the "books out of order" remark. If I had a weakness, it was organizing. I could (and have done so) spend days, or even weeks sorting things. Alphabetical, subject, color, size, mass, weight (don't ever mix those up around me, for your sanity's sake), or author. It didn't matter how, just that I could categorize everything in my life. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? I think it is weird NOT to want to keep things neat! "Actually, that sounds perfect. I really don't want to inconvenience anypony, and would very much like the chance to sort- er, do something useful while I am here. Barb, can you see to getting our things to the library, and maybe get a start on dusting?"
With a long-suffering sigh, she started off with the other guard. Fleeting Look, however, stayed with us. Mayor Mare lead my half-sized party toward the city hall. It was not long before our trip was interrupted once again, this time by a mare with a flat, bubblegum-pink mane. While her face and manners said "party-goer", her uniform said "military". Mayor Mare groaned, trying to hurry along before she spotted us.
She spotted us.
With a gasp, and a logic-defying bounce, she was instantly in front of me, vigourously shaking my hand. "Hia! I'm Lieutenant Pinkamena Diane Pie, at your service sir! Welcome to Ponyville, where the smiles are brightest and the pies are the best! I'm with the Office of Inquisition, Morale and Propaganda branch, and I am pleased to let you know that under my watch as Ponyville Morale Officer, morale has never been higher here! When did you get here, sir? Nopony told me we were going to have a noble! Ooh! We should have a party for you, unless that is not your thing in which case we can have a celebration! Then again, you look REEEEEEAAAAALLLLYYYY busy, so maybe we can just get a cake and a pie or two for you. My job is to know everypony, and I mean EVERYPONY in Ponyville, and since you are here that makes you one of them! Wait... if there was a crowd at the train station, that means it was YOU everypony was talking about the last few hours! And if you came here without warning, that means you are doing something REALLY important. Is it really important? I can help! I'll be back!" she said, before departing at a dead sprint. Before Fleeting Look could even open his mouth, she was gone.
"Who... what was that?" I ventured, looking at the Mayor.
"Lieutenant Pie, Office of Inquisition. She is our Morale Officer, your Grace. Before you ask, yes, that is normal for her. She tends to be... rather exuberant around newcomers, and takes her job very seriously. To be honest-" she said, beginning to drone on while I nodded politely. I fell back a few steps until I was beside Fleeting Look. "Uh, Corporal? Can I ask a question?"
He looked surprised. "Of course sir! What can I help you with?"
"I have met a few Agents Inquisitor, and a couple of Morale Officers. I thought they were all a rather grim sort... the "I will shoot you if you run away, or disrespect the Queen, or are a coward, or cavort with the enemy, etcetera."
He shook his head. "No, your Grace-"
"Dusk Shine. Or Dusk, please" I interjected.
"Er, sorry. Uh, what I meant to say is, you are thinking of Commissars. They are also Morale officers, but are front-line combat units. They enforce discipline and order amongst conscripted or... bonded... units. They have a military code of 0201 Armed Morale Officer. Lieutenant Pie is probably an 0614, Public Morale Officer. Non-Combatant. Both are under the Inquisition, though she answers to the local Morale Commandant, which defaults to the highest military office in the local area in lieu of a designated Peace and Propaganda Corps."
I nodded. "I see. So, her job is...?"
"In a nutshell, her job is to spin news in favor of the Crown. If the economy slows down, she is to reassure everypony that everything is under control. She is also responsible for making sure ponies are happy with things as they are now, and to report any rebellious or insurrectionist activities. She might actually have her fingers on the pulse of any problems here in town, and could be a good place to start asking questions, sir."
I nodded again. "That... is actually a very good point. You sure you are not with Investigations?"
He grinned. "My father was. Military Police for sixteen years, then served another Thirty in the Special Weapons, Arcana, and Tactics unit for Deertroit."
"Well, perhaps we should go speak to her later. In the mean time, I need to meet everypony on the City Council."
He nodded and saluted, falling into step behind me as we entered City Hall.
Six boring hours later...
I shook my head as I left, rubbing my temples alongside my horn as Fleeting Look tried to conceal a yawn behind me. The poor stallion had struggled to stay awake while several bureaucrats had droned on and on about the state of affairs in Ponyville. Evidently, my father had checked in twelve years ago and had ordered them to compile a full report for his next return. Since he never did, I got to listen to them compress those twelve years into a "few hours", as stated by Mayor Mare. Never in my life had I wanted to kill somepony, but I was heavily tempted to whistle up a legion of The Crown's Finest to put an end to them and their... their paperwork. I LOVED writing, but my wrist felt like overcooked spaghetti. REALLY overcooked.
Still, this late in the evening Ponyville was rather quiet. An element of Cadets were in their uniforms, proudly saluting the Flag while another pony played the final notes of Taps. Corporal Fleeting Look eyed them, before remarking "Seems like it was not all that long ago that I was doing that. Library's this way, according to one of the attendants at the hall, sir."
I nodded and followed him. Soldiers, no matter their rank, occupation, or nationality, hated being stuck with bodyguard duty it seemed. I would have thought that doing nothing but standing, looking at the environment would be comforting, but all the soldiers I had known (all twelve of them, if counting more than ten minutes of interaction) hated being what I had heard them call 'glorified babysitters'. Thus, to keep them happy, I learned that it was best to make them feel like they were doing something worthwhile. In this case, letting him show me the way satisfied his need to be dutiful, and to fulfill his assigned duties (e.g. escorting one unicorn stallion) without diminishing him in any way. I had heard that Queen Moon was wont to occasionally ask guards to attend to her personally, but I could not for the life of me figure out what they were to help her with.
The library was even quieter than the town, just as it should be. For the moment, at least. I swear, I could not help myself as I shrieked, preparing to unleash a world-shattering spell as what sounded like a twenty-one gun salute went off in the foyer the moment I flipped on the light. A double line of soldiers, including (somehow) some of the same ones I could have sworn I just saw lowering the flag, were standing with the ends of their rifles smoking. Thankfully, they must have been firing blanks (a dazed corner of my mind realized), as there were no shredded books. A Lieutenant, the same one from before with the pink mane, stood there grinning like an idiot. My brave escort was currently trying not to wet himself as he picked up his rifle, trembling with shock and nerves. After a moment, Lieutenant Pie stopped smiling, her brow furrowing.
"Um... I guess you were right, Sergeant" she said, looking at an older stallion. "A bit over the top. Still... Welcome to Ponyville, your Grace... Dusky! Shiney? Dusk Shinier? Everypony in town gets a nickname of some sort, what w-" she said, before stopping. "I... um.... oh dear..." she said, her physics-defying mane deflating.
My jaw finally unclenched. "T...thank... you?"
There was a long, awkward silence before the young lieutenant dismissed the other soldiers, who seemed eager to be gone. Finally it was just us while I finally got my bearings back. "Uh, Miss... er, Lieutenant.... what was that?"
"Oh! I... I just wanted to welcome you to Ponyville. As morale officer, it is my job to... make sure everypony... has high morale?" she said, uncertainly. After a moment, I could not help but smile. Here was a pony who tried to make the best of her job. Though I wanted to be angry at having the third-greatest scare of my life, I could not help but admire her resolve.
"Thanks. Look, just... no loud, unexpected noises. Particularly indoors. ESPECIALLY in a library, okay? Other than that, I feel very welcome. I am, however, rather busy. Though I guess I really did need you for the next bit. If you don't mind, I would like to get settled in and then talk to you for a while."
She nodded, and I went upstairs to take care of business.
"-and that about sums up why I am here, Miss Pie. Any questions?" I finished, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head. "I will see what I have at the office, and send 'em your way, Dusk!" she said, grinning. Her attitude was a bit contagious, and she was the first pony other than Nightmare Moon who seemed remotely comfortable with losing my titles in regular speech. She gave a smart salute (that served well to emphasize her chest, I could not help but notice) before heading out, whistling some tune of her creation. With that, Barb approached.
"So... there is only one other matter to deal with this evening. What do you want to do with Miss Dash?" she asked, looking at me. I sighed. This was really the thing that needed the MOST attention, but that I least wanted to deal with. "Can I talk to her?"
She nodded, and a minute later Dash was sitting on the chair opposite me, glowering. The swelling around her face had gone down a bit, but her wings were both still tightly bound in a cast. After a few moments of silence, I sighed.
"So... um... hey, Dash. Long time no see?" I started. She made a gagging noise, and I remembered quickly to add "Oh, you can talk. Sorry about that."
She seemed to work her tongue around a bit before replying. "Yeah. Long time... Dusk."
"I heard you were weather captain here."
"I heard you were Nightmare Moon's bitch."
I winced. "I am the student of the Queen of Equestria."
"Still a bitch. I'm not about to make nice. I don't care what you want, Duke, but I don't rat on my friends. Especially to an Enemy, like you. Us being friends was a long, long time ago."
I shook my head. This was going nowhere, quickly. "Dash... I'm sorry for what they did to you, but they caught you red-handed with half a ton of gunpowder! What were you thinking? What good could possibly have come of that? They think you are part of the Solar Cult!"
"For your information, I AM a part of it. And proud to be so! You have NO idea what kind of shit is going on in most of Equestria! Manehatten's crime is out of control, Las Pegasus has a fucking NECROMANCER experimenting on ponies there, and Grypony is smuggling slaves out of Equestria with the blessing of the crown, Dusk! Open your eyes! Something has to change!"
I reeled from her unexpected tirade. In the doorway, I could see Corporal Fleeting Look try to avoid hearing any of this, while Barb quietly slipped out. Rainbow Dash seemed to struggle internally, before blurting "You are not like her! Dammit, Dusk, we used to be friends before Blueballs had your dad killed! My dad and yours were friends! Why the hell are you helping that bitch on the throne! Heaven's sake, Dusk, you have more reason than most to hate them! Why ain't you HELPING us?"
Why not?
It took a moment for me to collect my thoughts, but my mind was a fortress. "Dash. I don't like some of the things that happen either. However, the trains run on time, there is food for everypony, the nobles are kept in check, and terrorists have a hard time getting gunpowder. Nightmare Moon may not be perfect, but she is a fair sight better than what would happen if the throne were empty!"
There was a gleam in her eye. Rainbow Dash may be far more physical than most, but she was also a pony who loved to win... and was very good at it. "Who said anything about an empty throne, Dusk? Nopony wants that. I suggest you get a copy of the Elements of Harmony, though."
I frowned. "That book was banned a thousand years ago. What would I want with it?"
She smirked. "For a bookworm like you, I figured you wouldn't need a reason to read. Unless you wanna turn up the pain on my leash, though, I'm done talking."
She proceeded to spend the next ten minutes ignoring my every question before I gave up, deciding to give it a rest for the night. I had done quite a bit that day, and needed some rest. Tomorrow would be a busy day.
Corporal Fleeting Look checked in one last time, glancing at his charge before sighing with relief. Finally, I can get some work done he thought to himself, checking his pocketwatch and winding it up again. As he stepped out through the door of the library, he rippled and changed, uniform and all, into an average looking stallion in a nondescript outfit. Checking the time again to be sure, he moved around to the back of the library, pulling a bush aside. Where is it...
Finally finding what he was looking for, he smiled. The small two-way radio was one of the most expensive things the local Harmony cell owned, and several ponies and half a changeling hive had paid with their lives to get it. Brushing off the handset, he lifted it to his ear. Tapping the static button, he waited for the correct pattern that would let him know it was safe to speak. The small bands between the channels the military used were safe, but off limit to civilians, hence useful for sending forbidden messages.
There it is! "Harmony Actual, this is Looker. Codename Usual Suspects is safe and sound. The package is in Partytown, and we are looking for the rest to RSVP. How copy?"
The voice, distorted, came through. "Looker, this is Harmony Actual. Copy Five-by-Three. New orders: Usual Suspects is to be protected at all costs. We cannot start the party without him. Follow its interactions with Spectrum. If satisfactory, we can move on to Phase Two. How Copy?"
"Harmony Actual, Copy that. How do I get Uniform Sierra to meet with the others?"
"That's need-to-know, Looker. Codename Hive is ready to go on our mark. Canterlot will not be able to respond with any degree of military force when the Party starts. Continue as ordered, Looker. Copy?"
"Copy, Over and Out."
Looker, Changeling Spy and agent of the Rising Sun, smiled as he re-assumed his guard identity and returned inside. One Thousand years of tyranny was about to end.