//------------------------------// // Part II, Chapter 5 - Interviews and Interrogations - Part 1 // Story: Fitting In Is Hard To Do // by origami //------------------------------// Princess Cadance strode confidently through the halls of the Crystal Palace to the throne room. There, she would go about her daily tasks until lunch time. As she entered the throne room, she took note of her assistant waiting at the bottom of the dais. "Good morning, Andesite!" the princess greeted. "Good morning, your highness", returned Andesite,"I trust you slept well?" "As well as a mother with a newborn child can", Cadance replied,"Now, what business do we have today?" Andesite looked over the paperwork she was holding in her magic. "To start with", she began,"You have an offer to travel to Yakyakistan for a formal dinner and to discuss possible trade between them and the empire, and they are requesting both you and your husband. Besides that, well..." Andesite shuffled the papers nervously before finishing with,"today is the day." Cadance looked confused. "The day?" Andesite looked nervously before replying "The interviews with the cleaning staff. The ones about 'you-know-what'?" Cadance remembered what Andesite was talking about almost immediately. Today marked three months since she and her husband had given Thorax, a changeling, the status of political refugee and offered asylum in the empire for a period of six months. Of course, refugee was just the official term. In truth, he was more of a prisoner on work release; The wording of the deal was never made public, much less the knowledge that a changeling was residing legally within the Crystal Empire. Since this was the halfway point of the terms, she would be conducting interviews with the ponies that had the closest association with the changeling since he was allowed to stay here. "Yes, well", Cadance replied,"I suppose we should attend to the invitation first. Where is my husband at the moment?" "He's in the guard barracks", Andesite replied,"They've begun PT drills with some new recruits." Cadance facehoofed at hearing that; Shining Armor was very particular in his PT drills, and would not want to be disturbed for something like this. "Okay", she relented,"I suppose we will start with the interviews. Who is on the list?" Andesite referred to her paperwork again. "The head of the cleaning staff Madame Ammonia, the three unicorns that the changeling has been assigned to since the beginning, and also the changeling himself. I believe that the guards are also scheduled to be interviewed, but they're not on the list I have here." Cadance nodded"Send in the first pony for the interview", she commanded,"then call all guards that have ever been assigned to watch him to come for theirs interviews, and also call Sunburst in for interview as well." "As you wish, your highness" Andesite replied before turning to leave the throne room. Cadance sat on her throne going over the thoughts in her head. Since receiving the thank you note and responding back to it, the princess had had no contact with the changeling whatsoever. That had been a conscious decision; The less she saw of him, the better she felt. Today, that would have to change. She just hoped that she could go through with it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the clip clopping of hooves. Looking up, she saw Madame Ammonia walking towards the throne. "Good day, Ammonia" Cadance greeted. "Good day to you, your highness", Ammonia returned, taking a position at the base of the dais,"I hope your day has been going well?" "In all honesty", Cadance admitted,"considering the task that I have before me, I think the day could be going much better. I trust you know why you're here?" "You're to be giving me an interview", Ammonia replied,"but as to what for, I do not know." "Well, let's find a more comfortable spot to conduct the interview" Cadance proposed, and the two mares left to find more suitable surroundings. A few minutes later, they were in a private office that was recently cleaned, and had a plain desk with two padded chairs seated on either side of it. Cadance and Ammonia both took a chair and got down to business. "Okay, before we begin", Cadance said to Ammonia, and then turned to a guard that followed them,"I am going to be conducting my interviews today in this office. Please let all the ponies I will be interviewing know so that they are not late." The guard nodded and exited the room. "Now, to business" Cadance announced. She gathered the documents that she had brought with her and secured a writing quill and inkwell from a drawer in the desk. Finally prepared, she began the interview. "I'm fairly sure that you know why you've been called here" Cadance said to Ammonia. "I do", Ammonia confirmed,"You're going to ask me about the changeling that's been staying here." "Yes, I am" Cadance responded,"I have not made this public, but I have offered him a six month stay here in the empire. As of now, he has been here for three of those six months. What I wish to know is what his time spent here has been like and how he's been behaving. So to start with, could you please describe what a day for him would be like?" "To start", Ammonia began,"he wakes up and gets taken to that low balcony near the front of the castle to draw love from the Crystal Heart, which leads me to a question I'd like to ask, if it isn't forbidden?" "Besides state secrets that could compromise the security of the empire, you can ask and get an answer for whatever question you wish to ask" Cadance told her. "Isn't it dangerous to allow him to drain from the Crystal Heart?" Ammonia asked. "If he was left to drain it for as long as he should desire, yes it would", Cadance answered,"but he is only allowed a half hour, twice a day. I have all the confidence that the ponies of this empire could make up for any amount of diminished love a single changeling could draw from the heart in that span of time. Now, would you please continue describing the changeling's day?" "Of course", Ammonia acquiesced,"After his 'breakfast', he is taken to the cleaning crew he's assigned with and performs duties with them. This goes on until a bit before noon, when he's taken to the crystaller for some kind of teaching until around two. He's brought back to us to finish his duties until six, then he gets another meal and is taken to bed." "Okay" Cadance said as she scribbled down the mare's answers on a paper. "Now, how would you describe his behavior?" "He has behaved much better than I expected" Ammonia answered. "Better than expected?", Cadance asked,"would you care to elaborate on that?" "I had expected him to be more hostile", Ammonia answered,"but he hasn't shown any aggressive tendencies. In truth, he acts rather meekly most of the time." "Interesting" Cadance says jotting down more notes. "What is your opinion of him? Both his work and himself." "Honestly", Ammonia answered,"his work is impeccable. I never expected to hear myself say this, but his cleaning is some of the best I've seen since I started working here. He outshines nearly everypony currently working under me." "Really?" Cadance replied,"That sounds like praise, Ammonia." "I won't lie", Ammonia responded,"I don't like changelings, but I am also a consummate professional. When a pony does good work, even one I despise, I will acknowledge it." "Then I am glad to hear you carry yourself with such professionalism" Cadance told her, causing the mare to smile slightly at the praise. The princess shuffled her papers and continued with her questioning. "Now, what is your opinion of him as an individual?" Ammonia shifted in her chair for a moment before answering. "I'm not entirely sure", she admitted,"His behavior has been good, but there's a part of me that feels it's just a ruse to lull us into a false sense of security. Did you have that impression of him, your highness?" Now it was Cadance's turn to shift in her seat uncomfortably. "My apologies, your highness", Ammonia blurted out,"I shouldn't have-" A hoof silenced Ammonia. "It's okay", Cadance told her,"To answer your question, I did get that impression. If you're wondering why I still did what I did, then I can only say that Princess Twilight, her assistant, and her new pupil convinced me to give him a chance." Cadance omitted the princesses from mention; she wasn't sure how Ammonia would react, and didn't want to chance the mare inadvertently starting a panic. Ammonia digested the information for a moment. "So it's true then", she said,"Princess Twilight and her friends really did vouch for him to you and your husband." "They did", Cadance admitted,"I trust Princess Twilight's judgement on matters regarding friendship, as she is the princess whose duties revolve around that very concept. Of course, that doesn't mean I fully trust this changeling, hence the six months and the terms attached to them." Ammonia gave a nod in confirmation of understanding. Cadance continued the interview. "Now, I'd like to know about your staff's reaction to this changeling. Has there been any incidents with them involving him?" "Actually", Ammonia replied,"There was one on the first day." "Please, elaborate" Cadance requested. "It involves Elbow Grease", she began,"According to him, the changeling refused to do a task he asked it to perform, and he was forced to discipline him." "And you said this was on his first day here?" Cadance asked for confirmation, to which Ammonia nodded. "There haven't been any incidents since then?" "None like the first day", Ammonia answered,"I get the occasional gripe that he doesn't obey orders given by Elbow and a mare in the group named Feather Duster, but nothing much besides that." "Hmm..." Cadance pondered what she'd been told. Ammonia cleared her throat, getting the princess's attention. "There's one other thing I forgot to mention." "Oh?", Cadance reacted with curiosity,"What would that be?" "There was a vandalism in the restrooms on the floor the changeling was working on, also on the changeling's first day", Ammonia told her,"It actually was discovered shortly after Brass Polish took over watching the changeling. She was actually the first to discover it." "What kind of vandalism?" Cadance asked, interested in what damage was done. "No property damage, if that's what you're wondering", Ammonia told her,"It was somepony on the palace staff. They went into the incinerator room and took several bags of garbage and spread them all over both bathrooms, even stuffing wads of paper towels and toilet paper into the toilets and urinals so as to clog them and make them rather difficult to clean." "I trust that you found which ponies did such a thing" Cadance said to Ammonia, causing the mare to adopt a nervous body position. "Unfortunately, we didn't", Ammonia admitted,"However, we are still investigating it. The problem is there are so many ponies that could be the culprit that it's difficult to narrow down the list." "I can't believe you haven't come up with at least one suspect" Cadance remarked. "It's not from a lack of effort, your highness" Ammonia said, almost pleadingly,"It just... Almost all the castle staff transferred here from Canterlot, and were there during the invasion by the changelings. Almost all of them have displayed either disdain or outright hatred for changelings, which makes practically everypony under my watch, and a great many more that aren't, all prime suspects." Cadance digested the information given to her, then nodded her head. "I understand", she told Ammonia,"Please continue to investigate the matter. If you require assistance in the matter, please don't be afraid to ask for it." "Of course", Ammonia said,"Thank you." Cadance nodded and turned her attention to her notes. "Has there been any positive interactions between any of your staff and the changeling?" "Only one that I know of", Ammonia told her,"Brass Polish. She's one of our newest staff. She is the only one I know of that doesn't show any outward negativity towards him." "How would you describe their interactions?" Cadance asked. "If I didn't know any better", Ammonia replied,"I would say they were becoming friends. Honestly, I have a hard time believing it. I would never have thought in a million years a changeling and a pony could be friends, but everyday I see them together, that's what it looks like more and more." "Interesting", Cadance responded,"He claimed when we first discovered him that he wanted to be friends with ponies and obtain love that was willingly given. It would seem from what you've told me that he may have found what he claimed to be searching for." "Really?" Ammonia said in a small amount of shock,"He still wants to feed off of us?" "I suppose that's a way to look at it", Cadance admitted,"but I'm not sure exactly how their 'feeding' works. I've only ever seen how the queen drained my husband." The thought made Cadance grimace at the memory. She wished that she had been a much stronger alicorn that day. Then she would've turned that overgrown witch into a pile of ash. Cadance had to take a breath and calm herself. As much as she wanted Chrysalis to pay for her actions, it would do her no good to work herself up. Moreover, she kept having to remind herself that the changeling wasn't the one who attacked her husband, a task much easier said than done. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she elected to conclude the interview. "This is the last question I have for you. Do you think that it could be possible for this changeling to be trusted in the empire in the future, without constant guard escort and restraints?" Ammonia looked around nervously. "Um, I don't know. A part of me is telling me that he is trustworthy and could be allowed to walk freely without escort and restraint, but another says to keep him that way since he is a changeling. I don't think I can give an honest answer one way or another." "That's okay", Cadance assured her,"I am looking for honest answers, and you've given them to me. I thank you for coming today. I will let you return to your duties, but please let the ponies on your staff that have interacted with the changeling know that I will be speaking with all of them later today." "Of course, your highness" Ammonia replied, before giving a bow and turning to leave the office. As she walked away, Cadance took a moment to think about what she had been told by her head of housekeeping. She had no doubt that the mare was telling the truth, but the things she said were not what she'd been expecting. The changeling had not even attempted any type of deception whatsoever. Did he well and truly mean what he said three months ago, and was she just being overly paranoid? Cadance called for a glass of water as she waited for the next pony to be interviewed. Several interviews with guards later and Cadance had received more confirmation to the earlier theory that the changeling was genuine in his stated intentions. Even her guards who had admitted that they had no particular preference for him, which was putting it about as politely as could be stated, had no negative things to report about his actions. Cadance was beginning to cast her skepticism into doubt. The princess did receive some negative feedback, mainly in the form of the two interviews from Feather Duster and Elbow Grease. Both the mare and stallion reported their interactions with the changeling to be highly negative, with several occasions of him refusing to perform duties, in which case the ponies would have to enact disciplinary action to get the changeling to obey orders. When pressed for more details as to what kinds of punishments, the only response she had gotten was "Nothing that you or your husband wouldn't resort to if necessary." For some reason, that put a great deal of unease into the princess's thoughts. Her next interview would be with Sunburst, set in the afternoon just after the stallion finished his lesson with the changeling. The crystaller and teacher of the changeling was reported by several of the guards interviewed as having become something akin to a friend as time has went on. They also reported that any and all lessons conducted by Sunburst were within the guidelines that Cadance and her husband had agreed to. "This will be interesting" Cadance thought to herself as Sunburst walked into the office. "Good afternoon, your highness" he greeted the princess. "Good afternoon to you as well, Sunburst" she returned, gesturing for him to take a seat opposite her. Once seated, Cadance prepared her papers and began the interview. "Well, as I'm sure you are aware, it's been three months since we've granted our newest resident in the palace a six month stay in asylum, and I wished to hear from you what your experience with them has been like." Sunburst looked at her with some confusion. "You mean Thorax?" he asked. "Erm, yes", Cadance admitted,"I wanted to find out what the interactions between him and my subjects have been like, so to start, please elaborate on your dealings with him." "Well", Sunburst began,"In the mornings, I am with the guard squad that takes him to feed on the Crystal Heart, and I remove and replace the ring on his horn that controls his magic. Then I see him again at noon for two hours, where we discuss what he knows about Equestria, and I give some kind of small lesson that's allowed within the approved teaching material, and I am present at the nightly feeding to remove and replace the ring as well." "Yes, the feedings", Cadance said aloud,"What can you tell me about them?" "Well, nothing much", Sunburst admitted,"After I remove the ring, he focuses his energy on the Crystal Heart so he can draw the love coming off of it to himself. He has said before that it's difficult to do without drawing love from the ponies immediately around him." "Really?" Cadance says in surprise,"He hasn't actually fed on any of the guards?" "Not as far as I can tell, your highness", Sunburst replied,"I know myself that I haven't been fed on. I haven't experienced any of the weakness, malaise, or other symptoms associated with the reports of ponies that were unfortunately victims of feedings." Cadance grimaced at the memories of those reports. All told, nearly a hundred ponies in Canterlot had fallen victim to being fed upon by changelings. Most were as Sunburst had described, feeling weak and nauseous, and there were some like her husband who experienced persistent headaches, but there were several victims who had lost so much emotion that they were practically catatonic. In truth, her husband would've been the same way had it not been for her own love restoring his own. "Well, then", she responded,"I'm glad to hear you haven't had to endured that uncomfortable situation. Now, please describe the kinds of lessons that you've had with the changeling." "Well, the lessons I've had with Thorax have been the usual sort you'd expect a school age colt or filly to learn about" came Sunburst's reply, with emphasis on Thorax's name. Cadance ignored his insistence upon using the changeling's name and jotted his answer down on the paper. "Okay, so they're normal lessons that would be the same as a colt or filly would learn about. What about the things he already knew about?" "According to him", Sunburst continued,"he's been taught a lot about some of the different cultures in the world, but he knew nothing of the Crystal Empire. He thinks that's because the changelings were living in another part of the world around the time it disappeared." "What other cultures does he know about?" Cadance asked. "Griffins, Zebras, Minotaurs, and Dragons.", Sunburst replied,"There's not much known to the changelings about some of the other civilizations like the hippogriffs and sea ponies, so that knowledge is limited." "Interesting" Cadance said as she wrote down that bit of information. "What is his behavior like during your lessons with him?" "He's quite astute", Sunburst responded,"He pays attention and learns well. We never have to spend much time on any one particular subject. Honestly, I think we'll have given him a full curriculum of Equestrian certified education by the end of six months." "Our citizen's tax money being spent well" Cadance muttered as she wrote down more on her papers. "I have one last thing to ask you. Do you think after six months that the changeling can be permitted to stay here indefinitely, without restriction?" "Thorax" was Sunburst's response. "Thorax?" Cadance parroted in a questioning manner. "Yes, Thorax", Sunburst confirmed,"You keep calling him 'the changeling', but his name is Thorax." Cadance didn't respond immediately, but knew what Sunburst was getting at. She was deliberately avoiding referring to Thorax by his name. "Yes, I have", she conceded,"Please forgive me for that. It's... difficult, learning to trust him, even if his intentions are truly good." "I understand", Sunburst told her,"and I believe his intentions to be pure. To answer your question, I do believe that Thorax can stay here as long as he likes, and without restriction or restraint." Cadance swallowed a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She gave a nod and finished writing on the paper. "That's all the questions I have for you", she told Sunburst,"I hope you'll be able to join Shining and I for dinner this evening. The chef said it will be a casserole based on a dish from the zebra lands." "It sounds wonderful", Sunburst told her,"I will be there to enjoy it." "Wonderful", Cadance replied,"You may return to your duties." Sunburst gave a bow and exited the office. After he left, Cadance sat in the chair for a few moments and thought about what he had said to her. He believed that Thorax could be trusted, but he was so far the only one who could affirm that he thought he could be permitted to stay indefinitely. After another round of interviews with guards, Princess Cadance found herself interviewing the last of the ponies who had been directly involved with Thorax: Brass Polish. The mare was working with him no more than a few minutes ago, and now she was walking into the office Cadance was in for the majority of the day. Owing to the fact that it was now nearly dinner time, the final interview with the changeling himself would be one of the last things Cadance would do for the day. "Good evening, Brass", Cadance greeted,"Thank you for coming so late." "Good evening, your highness", Brass returned,"It was no trouble whatsoever." Brass took a seat opposite of Cadance, while the princess prepared another set of papers to conduct the interview. "As I'm sure you are aware", Cadance began,"I've been interviewing all of the ponies who have been involved with our palace's newest resident within the past three months, and you are the last to be interviewed. While the questions I will be asking you will include the same ones I've asked everypony else, there are a few that will be specific to you." "...Okay?" replied Brass, who began to shift uneasily in her chair. "You don't have to worry about anything happening to either you or our guest", Cadance tried to reassure her,"The point of these interviews is to gauge the reception, as well as attitudes, towards the situation." "Alright" Brass said, a hint of nervousness still in her voice. "Good", responded Cadance,"Now, to start with, tell me what your day to day interactions with the changeling have been like." "They're fairly normal", Brass answered,"He and I will work at a task together, and he's very good with cleaning. If circumstances were different, I could've seen the palace hiring him instead of..." Brass trailed off and began acting more nervous. "Instead of?" Cadance pressed, a soft smile on her face. "...this indentured servitude thing" Brass finished. Cadance became defensive upon hearing that. "Miss Brass, I can assure you that if the changeling did not agree to any of the terms of our granting him asylum, he could've refused them." "But would he still have been allowed to stay here?" Brass countered. Cadance didn't have an immediate reply, taking a few moments to formulate a response. "That is a decision my husband and I would've had to come to agreement on. As it is, the changeling agreed to the terms, and going by what I have written down in these transcripts from previous interviews, he has honored his part of the agreement." Cadance showed nothing outwardly, but hearing the last sentence rolling off her tongue felt rather weird to her. "My apologies, your highness, but this still sounds like indentured servitude to me" Brass stated. Cadance wanted to counter Brass's point, but she had made a sound one. She'd not given it much thought in the drafting of the agreement, but it was essentially indentured servitude. A part of her wished to go back in time for many reasons, specifically to undo her offer to the changeling and leaving him to Twilight. Of course, Shining Armor would never have agreed to such a decision. Pushing the thoughts from her mind, Cadance elected to continue the interview. "Getting back on topic, I'd like to know if there have been any situations in which you've had any kind of trouble with our guest." Brass had shown some irritation during the discussion of the agreement for asylum, but it was now more noticeable. "If I might ask, your highness, but why do you continue to avoid referring to Thorax by his name?" "Have I?", Cadance replied nervously,"I hadn't realized." "If I could make a small request", Brass asked,"Could you please call Thorax by his name? I would appreciate it if you would." Cadance debated with herself as to whether or not she should. Ultimately, she realized she was being dumb. It was a name, and more specifically, the name of the changeling. She could do it for just the bit of time it would take to do the interview. "Of course", Cadance acquiesced,"Have you had any trouble with Thorax?" "When you say trouble", Brass asked,"do you mean trouble caused by him directly, or resulting from other ponies' reactions to his presence?" "Any caused by him" Cadance clarified. "None whatsoever" Brass responded. Cadance made note. "You asked about trouble that was because of how others reacted to him. Have there been examples of that?" Brass gave a soft chuckle. "Have there been? There's been plenty." "Please give me some examples" Cadance requested. "The biggest example would be on the first day", Brass began,"Elbow Grease was having Thorax clean dust from tables in one of the hallways, but he was using a spell to put dust back on the table and making Thorax clean it again and again. When Thorax got fed up and refused, Elbow took the feather duster Thorax was using and beat him with it, so hard that it actually put a crack in Thorax's horn and drew blood." "Really?", Cadance said in surprise,"I was told that Thorax was being disobedient from the onset." "He was following directions as given", Brass clarified,"Elbow decided to antagonize him into giving him a reason to use disciplinary action. Of course, it was less discipline and more a beating that Thorax could do nothing to really defend himself." "He still had use of his hooves, didn't he?" Cadance countered. Brass gave her a stern glare. "Your highness, I know you haven't had a horn your whole life, but a unicorn getting hit hard enough in their horn will be incapacitated, even if just momentarily. I'd say that the same thing probably goes for changelings, and Elbow was striking hard enough to do real damage." "Is there a formal report of this incident?" Cadance asked. Brass's demeanor dropped. "Not a formal one", Brass admitted,"but I did put in a report for expended first aid supplies that is consistent for a wound." "I'm afraid that without a formal report, no investigation can be conducted, which also means potential disciplinary action against Elbow Grease will not occur" Cadance pointed out. "No offense to the administration of the palace or yourself", Brass answered,"but I didn't trust a formal report of an attack against Thorax to bring about either an investigation or consequences for Elbow." "You have so little faith that the palace would not give a proper investigation into a matter such as this?" Cadance asked Brass. Brass shook her head. "It's not so much that an investigation wouldn't have occurred, but that there would've been so much bias against Thorax that I didn't trust any claims made by Thorax or anypony on his behalf to be taken seriously. It would've been like a kangaroo court, just without somepony getting punished wrongfully." "I see" Cadance remarked, making note of then lack of confidence the pony before her had in the palace staff in carrying out necessary discipline. "I will personally see to an investigation once I've concluded with these interviews for today." "Thank you, your highness", Brass said to her,"I'm sure that Thorax would appreciate that as well." Cadance gave a small nod in recognition of the mare's gratitude. "Moving on", Cadance said as she continued the interview,"Were there any other incidents worth mentioning?" "Yes, actually", Brass told her,"Really, it's all part of the first incident to be honest." "This wouldn't happen to be about the bathroom vandalism incident, would it?" Cadance asked. "Yes, it is", replied Brass,"After I took care of Thorax's wound and we cleaned all the tables in the hallway, we went to clean the bathrooms in a nearby hallway-" "My apologies", Cadance interrupted,"but why did you take over watching Thorax when Elbow had been left in charge only a few moments before?" "I called out Elbow for his behavior", Brass answered,"and he stormed off after attaching his feather duster to the ceiling. He's since removed it." "Okay", Cadance responded,"Continue, please." Brass continued her recounting of events. "Thorax and I proceeded to the bathrooms and went inside. As soon as we opened the door, we were hit with the smell of rotten garbage, and every toilet had been stopped up with toilet paper and hand towels. Even the stallion's room urinal bowls were stuffed full." "That sounds awful", Cadance remarked,"What did you do then?" "Naturally, we began cleaning it up", Brass answered,"though upon reflection, I should've left it as it was and got Madam Ammonia to come and see it immediately." "And the condition of the stallion's restroom was the same as the mare's restroom?" Cadance asked. "Absolutely", Brass confirmed,"After seeing that one, I then decided to get Madam Ammonia to come and see it for herself." "What was her response?" asked Cadance. "Honestly, indifferent", Brass replied,"She said that we wouldn't be able to find a culprit, but that she would begin an inquiry anyways." Cadance nodded at her response. "And I suppose nothing came of this investigation?" "Of course not" Brass confirmed. "Madam Ammonia said that nearly everypony on staff was a potential culprit because of their documented attitude towards changelings." "I get the feeling you have a suspect?" Cadance inferred. "Two", Brass answered,"Feather Duster and Elbow Grease." "Why do you believe it was those two?" Cadance asked. Brass responded,"They had all the info needed to set it up. They knew Thorax would be there at that time and they knew where to get a hold of some garbage." "Do you think they had accomplices?" Cadance questioned. "Maybe", Brass admitted,"A pony working in the incinerator, perhaps?" Cadance made a note of what Brass told her. "I thank you for this information, Brass Polish", she told the mare,"I will conduct my own investigation into this matter, and I will also ensure that anypony found to be involved will be punished appropriately." "Thank you, your highness" Brass replied. "Now", Cadance said as she concluded the interview,"I have one last question for you. Do you think that Thorax could be allowed to stay here indefinitely, without any restrictions or restraints placed upon him?" "Yes, I do", Brass answered,"I think a great many ponies can follow the example he's set, especially some of the stallions." Cadance gave a chuckle. "Yes, I suppose", she answered,"I must also admit that your defensiveness of him might be indicative of some amorous feelings for Thorax. That wouldn't happen to be the case, would it?" Brass blushed a bit, but answered,"Not exactly, your highness. I can honestly say that he and I have become friends, but nothing more than that." "I see", responded Cadance,"Well, I have all the answers I need. Thank you for your time." "It was no trouble at all, your highness" answered Brass. Both mares then stood up and Brass left the room. Cadance paused a moment to look over her papers, leaving one paper intentionally blank. To this point, she'd interviewed everypony who had interacted with Thorax. Now, it was time to interview the changeling himself.