Thorax walked cautiously through the hallways of the Crystal Palace. He was being led by a pair of guards to... somewhere. In truth, neither of the guards told him where he was going. They just said to follow them.
He was vaguely aware they were somewhere near the throne room, but were not heading there; they turned in the opposite direction just a little before the hallway where it was located. Instead, they were heading to a part of the palace where what he now knew were called offices were located. These small rooms were where members of the royal staff conducted business within the empire, specifically the kind that the princess herself was too busy to contend with, such as tax collection.
The guards came to a stop at a door and the lead guard knocked three times. A second later, and the door opened for the changeling, who was forcefully gestured into the room. Obeying the command, he went inside to find a window overlooking a desk and two chairs. In one of them was a pony that he hadn't seen since before he began his asylum.
"Princess?" he asked her, but was then smacked in the backs of his forelegs, causing him to drop into a kneeling position.
"Bow to the princess before addressing her!" the guard barked.
"That is unnecessary, guard", Cadance said in an even tone,"I am sure he would've bowed as soon as he realized he forgot to."
The guard looked as though he wanted to say something, but chose not to. Cadance looked at Thorax with a neutral expression. "Please rise and take a seat" she told him, moving towards the chair facing away from the window. Thorax obeyed her command, and rose to his hooves and found his seat across from her.
"That will be all I require of you guards", she spoke to the two who had brought Thorax to her,"You are dismissed for the day. Custos, you shall remain to keep watch over myself and the changeling."
The guard, who Thorax now recognized from his first night in the Crystal Palace, gave a salute and returned to standing stone still beside the doorway. The shuffling of papers caught his attention as he turned to face Princess Cadance.
"Thorax", she addressed him,"today marked the first day of your fourth month here in the Crystal Empire, which means you've already spent three full months here, which is half of the agreed upon time frame for your asylum here."
The princess paused as she grabbed a writing quill in her magic and dipped it into an inkwell.
"I have called you here to interview you about your time so far. I ask you to answer all questions with nothing short of the whole truth. If you attempt to withhold anything from me, I will find out or know already. I have conducted interviews with several guards as well as the other ponies that have either been around you or have interacted with you in any capacity."
Thorax gulped and fidgeted nervously in his chair, and for good reason. Even without having his ability to sense emotions that grand majority of the time, he knew that almost everypony here hated him, and hoped the princess would go back on her deal and make him nothing more than a pile of dust on the ground. He had no idea what kind of things the other ponies could've said that would get him in trouble for telling a different story. Of course, there was also the chance that the princess wouldn't believe what he said anyways and just punish him for not saying what she wanted to hear.
"To begin", Cadance continued,"I would like for you to describe what a full day for you here in the Empire is like. Leave out no details please."
"Of course", he began,"I'm woken up around seven, and I'm taken to the low balcony where they remove the ring on my horn and I feed on the Crystal Heart."
Cadance paused him for a moment and gave him a stern look. "Just the Crystal Heart?" she questioned.
"Yes, just the Heart", Thorax replied,"I try very hard not to draw from any of the ponies around me."
"So I've been told", she stated,"You've told me the truth. None of the guards or Sunburst have complained to me about fatigue, nausea, feelings of unwellness, or headaches. I'm sure you recognize those as symptoms of a changeling feeding on a pony's love?"
"The fatigue, I do", he admitted,"but the feeling sick and headaches I can't recall hearing before."
"That's a moot point", she told him,"Continue, please."
"After that, they reapply the ring and take me to Feather Duster, Elbow Grease and Brass Polish to start my day. It usually starts with changing the used linens on the beds and putting clean ones on. After that, we clean the restrooms on our assigned floor, then we clean the dining room after you and the captain have breakfast. After that, I go to Sunburst so he can teach me."
"Good", Cadance nodded,"That matches up more or less with what the other ponies have told me. Now, describe the teaching that Sunburst does."
"He's a very good teacher", Thorax told her,"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised that if he ever left here for any reason, he wouldn't get hired by a town to be a school teacher or even a university to give lectures. He's taught me a lot already. I've learned about all the countries in the world, all the oceans and seas between them, all the wildlife in each continent, the history of Equestria and a few of the other nations, and some science and spellcraft."
Cadance went wide eyed upon this new revelation. "Spellcraft?" she said loudly.
"Um, yes", Thorax replied sheepishly, but quickly added,"but it's what you're allowing him to teach me. Most of it is stuff I can use to make performing my cleaning duties easier."
"And the parts that aren't?" she questioned.
"Simple things like making an orb of light to light up dark spaces, a spell to find magnetic north for navigation, and copying text from books onto scrolls so that you can study something without having the actual book there. Of course, he told me that there's some books with wards to prevent that spell, like the really expensive magic textbooks he used when he studied under Princess Celestia."
Cadance processed the information in her mind and then let out a simple sigh. "I suppose all of those are harmless enough, though I'm not wild about you learning the text copying spell."
"I don't mean to overstep my bounds, but may I ask why?" Thorax asked her.
Cadance replied "A changeling having that spell at their disposal and sneaking into a royal guard barracks and copying guard patrols and procedures to take back to the hive to plan an attack on the Crystal Empire? That sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen."
Thorax then became even more nervous than before. Now he wished Sunburst hadn't shown him that spell.
"Moving on", Cadance continued,"describe the remainder of your day."
"After my lessons with Sunburst, I'm returned Feather, Elbow and Brass and we continue working until six. That usually involves cleaning the restrooms again, dusting tables and polishing the candlesticks and candelabras, and scrubbing floors. Once I'm done for the day, the guards take me back to the balcony to feed again, and then I'm taken to my room where I stay for the rest of the night."
"Do you do anything in your room besides sleeping?" Cadance asked him.
"A few things", Thorax answered,"Sometimes I write stuff down, like keeping a journal. Other times, I read some of the books that Sunburst loans me from the library, or I just lay there with my thoughts too."
"You read?" Cadance asked,"What kinds of books do you read?"
"Sunburst usually gives me a topic to read about in a book, so that's what I'm usually reading. Other times, he gives me a novel to pass the time with." Thorax smiles a little and admits to Cadance "Personally, I really like the Daring Do books."
This caught the Princess's attention. "You like Daring Do?"
"Oh, yes!", Thorax said rather excitedly,"I can't imagine a pony that wouldn't. I mean, she gets to go on so many cool adventures, find lost civilizations, dig up important relics AND fight off bad guys. Who wouldn't like reading about a pony like that?"
Cadance couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm Thorax had for the novels. It reminded her of Twilight and her love for books. But her smile faltered when her brain considered what he was saying to potentially be a trick to gain her trust. "Tell me", she continued,"What has been your favorite part of the books so far?"
"Hmm", Thorax hummed putting a hoof to the muzzle on his face,"I guess it's whenever she's confronted with a trap and she has to use her wits to avoid setting it off. Some of the more complex ones really test how clever she can be."
"You like when she has to be clever?" Cadance asked.
"Yeah, I guess", Thorax admitted,"Honestly, I like everything about them so much, it's hard to pick just one thing."
"It is" Cadance admitted. "Now, everything you've told me so far has been truthful and matches what other ponies have told me so far. Now, I'd like you to tell me what your interactions with other ponies have been like."
"Well, not all of them have been as pleasant as I would've liked", Thorax admitted,"In fact, most haven't been as accepting as I hoped for them to be."
Cadance made no comment but jotted his response down. "There is one incident I would like to discuss with you", Cadance continued,"Would you tell me about the altercation between you and Elbow Grease on your first day."
Thorax fidgeted in his seat. "He told me to clean one of the tables in a hallway with a feather duster. I did it, but when I went to move on, he told me to redo it and claimed I did it too poorly to be considered a proper job."
"Did you do a proper job?" Cadance questioned, eyeing him warily.
"I most definitely did", Thorax said a little defensively,"but when I turned around to see what he was talking about, the table was covered in a new layer of dust. It was like I hadn't even touched it!"
Cadance gave a hum and wrote down the answer, but gave no other response. Thorax continued the story.
"I redid it, but when I turned around, he told me to do it again. It was the same thing after the third time, and the fourth. After about the sixth time cleaning the same table, I got fed up and refused to do it another time."
"And that's when Elbow 'disciplined' you?" Cadance inferred, to which Thorax nodded. The princess wrote his responses down.
Thorax sat there as the princess read over her notes, then compared her notes from earlier. Without his ability to sense emotions, he couldn't get a feel for what might be going on in the princess's mind. Changelings could make pretty good guesses as to what ponies were thinking about if they could sense their emotions; a helpful tool that infiltrators relied upon heavily.
Cadance finally looked up from her notes and addressed Thorax. "All the other notes I have here from previous interviews claim that you refused to perform your duties outright, with the exception of one - Brass Polish. Her story and yours match. Why would that be?"
Thorax could tell now that the princess doubted his story. That likely meant that the outcome of this interview would not be favorable for him, and the worst part was that it would be through no fault of his own. His only chance was to try and convince her that the story he and Brass were telling were the truth, a monumental task considering the mistrust that he would have to push past.
Ultimately, Thorax decided that the truth was still his best option, even if Princess Cadance had doubts about it. "Brass Polish caught Elbow Grease in the middle of 'disciplining' me", Thorax answered,"They got into a heated discussion and eventually Elbow decided to just leave me with her."
Cadance jotted the answer down and made some other notes. Thorax simply sat there and waited for her response. Surprisingly, the princess looked up at him with an expression he hadn't expected: reluctance.
"I have no reason to believe you about the job you did with the dusting of tables", she told him,"but I have an interview here, the very first in fact, that says you have a strong work ethic and have not refused commands given by any of the ponies you've been placed under direct supervision of. Madam Ammonia has actually conceded that you are an ideal worker, and one of the best that she's had since she started working here at the palace, and she's been here since the empire returned some time ago."
Thorax blinked. "Madam Ammonia said that?", he questioned,"About me?"
"She did", replied Cadance,"and she's also said some things that, combined with claims from some of the other interviews, have led me to cast doubt about what truly happened that led to that incident. I'm going to conduct my own investigation into it."
"Now then", Cadance continued,"Getting back to the topic at hand: Your interactions with ponies. As you've said, most haven't been pleasant, but I know that there's two that have been more positive. Care to discuss your goings on with Brass and Sunburst?"
"My time with Sunburst has been great", Thorax replied a little more enthusiastically,"It was a little difficult at first because he was unsure of me, but as time's went on, he's overcome that and we've gotten to know each other better. After she stood up for me, Brass and I talked and I learned a good bit about her too. Did you know she wants to start her own business in silver smithing?"
Cadance shook her head. "No, I did not know that" she replied.
"Well, she has real talent", Thorax continued,"She even brought a small ingot of silver in and she showed me how her magic could craft it into a utensil like a spoon or fork. She said the spell is really simple, but then she went even further and put all kinds of ornate designs on the handle. It really turned out wonderfully. I wish I had it, or at least a picture so I could show you."
Listening to the changeling go on about the mare's talents made Cadance smirk a bit. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were taking a liking to Brass Polish", Cadance remarked,"Do you have any affections for this mare?"
Initially, she had intended to make Thorax squirm just a bit; make him feel uncomfortable by calling out a crush he had on a mare. The reaction she got, however, was not what she expected. Rather than be embarrassed, Thorax thought to himself for a moment before giving her a response.
"I don't know", he admitted,"I honestly never thought about that before, but if she was interested in me, and wanted to give a relationship like that a try, I guess I would be willing to. I'm not sure how it might go though, especially when it comes to love."
"What do you mean 'when it comes to love'?" Cadance asked him.
Thorax thought about how to answer for a moment before he gave his explanation. "There's a few general rules that infiltrators have to follow on their missions, and one of them is 'when in a relationship with a pony, nothing beyond simple kissing'."
Cadance made sure to jot these notes down clearly and concisely, as she intended to share this specific information with her husband. "Why nothing beyond kissing?"
"Think of it like dangling food in front of a puppy." Thorax offered as an analogy. "A kiss would be just out of the puppy's reach. Anything more would be getting too close, and the chance of the puppy grabbing the food from you becomes too great."
"If an infiltrator were to go beyond simple kissing, the chance of being unable to resist engorging themselves and draining a pony completely and blowing their cover would be too great."
"That makes it sound like stallions and mares with reluctant partners should be suspicious" Cadance observed.
"Not necessarily", Thorax countered,"Most of the infiltrators I've overheard talking say that the best route to go is an already established and previously physical couple. They replace the mare and rebuff the stallion's advances with claims of 'having a headache', and then they just stay with them for two or three weeks. When they need to head back to the hive, they stage some kind of an accident where it's plausible for the mare to have lost her memory of those weeks, and nopony is the wiser."
Cadance was writing very quickly, not sure what to think of this offering of information, but also not so naive as to just let it pass. "So, mares claiming a headache when their special somepony wants to get physical could mean that one of them is a changeling?"
"Again, not necessarily", Thorax again countered,"Infiltrators often spend weeks studying the ponies in an area before selecting a target to replace. They need to know everything from daily schedules and routines, observing the interactions between two ponies, the target's own behavior, some reconnaissance to try and account for any suspicion another pony may develop when they do finally replace a target. There's a lot that goes into a successful infiltration, and the return is often not much; just enough for a few changelings to last a week or so. That's why there's so many spread out all over Equestria and beyond."
"Beyond Equestria?" Cadance questioned.
"Equestria is the preferred location for infiltrations", Thorax answered,"mainly because of how easily friendship comes to ponies and how much love ponies can create, but there's plenty of other species that create love too. Griffons, for example, love gold so much, infiltrators often pose as business partners and present large sacks of gold to extract love from them."
Cadance continued jotting down notes. If this information was accurate, it would go a long way to helping protect ponies from coming to harm from changelings. As she thought that, she stopped writing. "What if it isn't accurate?" she thought to herself. "What if he's feeding her things she wants to hear to gain favor with her?"
Deciding to get back to the main part of the interview, Cadance set aside the notes detailing what Thorax had said about changeling infiltrators, electing to show her husband and see what he thought about it.
"I have just one more question I'd like to ask you" she said, wishing to conclude the interview. "What reasons can you give me that you think I should allow you to stay here in the empire beyond the six months?"
Thorax thought for a long time on the answer, but eventually looked up at the princess with a frown. "I don't think I can give you an answer that would completely persuade you", he admitted,"but I can tell you why I would like to stay here."
Cadance blinked. This was not something she was expecting, instead looking for the changeling to try and lead her into some kind of empty promise about being a wealth of information on changelings that was simply too good to let go. "Okay", she conceded,"Why would you like to stay here?"
"Having been here for just these three months", Thorax began,"I've felt something that I've never felt for as long as I've been alive: happy. I had no idea what it was when I first realized I was experiencing it for the first time, but when I told Sunburst what I was feeling, he knew right away."
Thorax then gestured towards his restraints with his hoof. "I'm not really a fan of having to wear these", he admitted,"and a few ponies have also told me that they're not fond of me having them on either. The main reason I agreed to wear them was to prove to everypony skeptical of me that I can be trusted not to hurt anypony here, but I'm also showing all of you a great deal of trust as well."
This comment took Cadance by surprise. "How are you showing us trust?" she questioned.
Thorax took the time to compose his answer. "Since coming to Equestria and ending up here, I've been constantly afraid of being found out for what I was and either being caught and imprisoned or ran off to who knows where and have a terrible fate befall me. That all changed when you allowed me to stay here. I don't have to hide anymore, and I don't have to be afraid that I'm going to be hurt just because I'm different."
"From the first day, I've been allowed to be myself, my true self. The changeling you see before you is the same one that only wanted to live amongst ponies in peace, and he still wants that, but I can only do that with the ponies here in the palace so far."
"I want to stay here past the six months and show all the ponies here in the Crystal Empire that I don't have ill will or malicious intent towards them. I want to be able to walk in the streets and greet ponies with a 'Good day!', and they return it back in kind, without fear that I might drag them off and suck all the love out of them, or worse."
"I know it was a lot to ask of you for the chance to live here with all of you, given what happened back on your wedding day. But you still gave me that chance, and I can impress upon you enough how truly grateful I am that you did."
"You asked me earlier why you should let me continue to stay here, and I didn't have an answer then, but I do now. I think you should let me stay here so that I can continue to repay all of you for the opportunity and friendship you've given me."
Cadance took a moment to consider his words before writing down more notes on her papers. When she finished, she rose from her chair and looked at Thorax, who then copied the gesture. "You've given me a lot to think about", she told him,"Of course, a decision won't be rendered today about whether or not you'll be allowed to stay indefinitely. The point of these interviews was to get an idea as to what your presence in the Crystal Empire, and more specifically the Crystal Palace, has been like and the effect it has had on the ponies living here. We will meet again at the end of six months and have a final determination. For now, please return to your room, and good night."
Thorax gave no vocal response, but simply bowed and followed the guard out of the room. Once gone, Cadance let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Examining her paperwork, she came to the conclusion that, more and more, she might actually and legitimately be giving Thorax a more permanent residency in her territory, or at least extend the invitation to do as such. Right now, she had two matters to address: The information he'd given her in regards to changeling infiltration of Equestrian society and the disciplinary and vandalism incidents from Thorax's first day in the empire.
Cadance was not the sort to drink, but she had elected to have a night cap before retiring to bed.
Princess Cadance was now sitting in her throne in the Crystal Palace with her head in one hoof, eyes shut and letting out a hum twinged with pain. Her night cap ended up becoming several drinks in a row, all thanks to her husband.
Before retiring for the evening, she had showed him the information that she had been given by Thorax during their interview. When presented with it, he simply remarked that he would investigate it in the morning and set it off to the side. Cadance had looked at him indignantly, wondering why he was acting so blase about what could end up being important information.
His reply? "And that information could all be one big, fat lie to send us on a wild goose chase looking for changelings based on bogus information."
She called for Andesite and requested the mare go into the personnel files for the palace and call up the guards assigned to watch Thorax around the time the disciplinary incident happened, as well as ponies who worked in the incinerator that day so they could get a potential lead about who could've carried out the vandalism incident discovered by Thorax and Brass Polish later that day. She also requested a mage be present for questioning as well. The mare agreed and promised a list for Cadance in the morning. Once all was said and done, the princess drank until feeling a tad woozy, then proceeded to bed.
Now, Cadance was nursing a small hangover. While being an alicorn helped with such ailments, it did not prevent them. Naturally, the princess requested the shades in the throne room shut, and she be brought a tall glass of water with an analgesic tablet. At the moment, she was waiting for the medicine to perform its miracle upon her.
As she sat there, Andesite quietly approached Cadance with a list in her hoof. "Your highness", she said quietly,"I have the list you asked for. I can call the ponies on it whenever you are ready."
Cadance wished to postpone these interviews until after lunch, but she was interviewing quite a few ponies throughout the day. She'd have to put on a brave face and soldier on through her duties. "Very good" Cadance praised the mare. "Please call the first pony to be interviewed."
"Of course" came Andesite's reply, and the mare left and returned with the royal guard watching Thorax yesterday afternoon. The guard gave a salute, which Cadance acknowledged.
"Good day, guard", she greeted,"please take a seat."
The guard dropped the salute and took a seat on the floor across from Cadance.
The princess got right to the matter at hoof. "As you remember, I interviewed you yesterday about the changeling and his time in the empire, but I have heard some information that has led me to believe that there may be some wrongdoings that have occurred, and I intend to investigate these claims."
"I am asking you to cooperate to the fullest extent, and to impress upon you the seriousness of the matter, I have requested a royal guard mage to be present for this questioning. They will be conducting a truth sensing spell, so as to ensure that I am getting one hundred percent truthful responses to my inquiries."
"As you are aware, with usage of a mage in these interviews and their spells, I have to present you a consent form that says you agree to having this spell used on you. You can refuse, but if you give an answer that is later found to be untruthful, then you will be subject to court-martial for insubordination. If you agree to this, then please sign the form."
Cadance offered the form to the guard, who cautiously took it in his own magic grip. He read it over and gulped nervously, but took a quill and signed the form on the appropriate line. Cadance took the form back and gave it to Andesite to put on file. "Now then", Cadance continued,"since we have the appropriate paperwork on file, we need only wait for the mage to arrive and we can begin with this interview."
The ponies waited not even a total of five minutes before another pony joined them. A unicorn mare with a light blue coat, dark blue hair, and yellow eyes approached the two. After giving a salute, the mare introduced herself.
"Recruit Night Divining, 3rd Mage Corps, at your service" she spat out. Cadance nodded in recognition, then directed the mare to the seat beside her. As she sat down, Cadance took note of her cutie mark: A divining rod pointing at a moon and stars.
"Please, Night", Cadance addressed the mare,"Explain to the guard here what you will be doing during this interview."
Night nodded and addressed the guard. "I will be conducting a spell on you that will determine whether or not you are being truthful or concealing something. A grayish aura will become visible around you. If you're being truthful, it will become a green color, and it will turn red if you are hiding something. Years and years of usage have allowed the mages of the royal guard to perfect this spell, and I've been taught the newest and most accurate version to date."
Cadance gave a short thanks to the mare, who nodded to her in recognition. With all the necessary steps taken care of, the princess began the interview proper.
"Please recount exactly what happened during the disciplinary incident involving the changeling that identifies himself as Thorax and the member of the palace cleaning staff named Elbow Grease."
The guard took several moments before replying, visibly nervous, but eventually gave a response to the princess.
"The changeling was brought by two other guards to be watched by myself and the cleaning crew he was assigned with. Elbow Grease was part of that crew. Once he was left there, Feather Duster instructed him to clean the dust off of tables in the hallway with a duster. She then left him in the care of Elbow Grease while she went to attend to another duty." The aura gave off a green glow as he spoke.
"Okay", Cadance said as she jotted down notes on a fresh parchment,"please continue."
The guard did as asked. "The changeling then got to work, and-" The princess interrupted with a raised hoof.
"Excuse me", Cadance said,"but yesterday, you said that the changeling refused to do the task, and that is what led to the disciplinary incident. Why the change?"
"Well", the stallion replied,"he didn't refuse initially. He did perform the task as requested, but Elbow had apparently judged the task performed as unsatisfactory, and made him do it over again." Interestingly, the aura of the spell shifted red.
"Guard", Cadance addressed him as he became visibly more nervous,"the aura of the spell just changed red, which means either what you've told me is a lie, or there is something you haven't told me. Now, which is it?" She punctuated the question with a stern glare.
The guard fidgeted in his chair for a moment before letting out a breath and coming clean. "The changeling performed the job well. Even I could see that. Elbow used a spell to make more dust from somewhere and had the changeling keep cleaning the same table over and over again." Green aura enveloped him.
"Really?" Cadance said, still maintaining her glare. The stallion simply nodded, and the aura stayed green. "I take it that after enough times of cleaning the same table, the changeling got fed up with the task and maybe even caught on to what was happening?" she inferred.
"He did get frustrated and refused to do it after several times", the guard admitted,"After that, Elbow decided to enact punishment for refusal." Again, a green aura.
"And what did he do?" Cadance asked.
The guard was silent for a moment before finally replying "He beat the changeling in the horn with the feather duster." Green aura again.
Cadance had an unreadable expression, but behind it was anger. Earlier, she was told by both Elbow Grease and Feather Duster that the discipline used in that incident was 'Nothing she or Shining would use if deemed necessary'. Now, with this information, she knew just how unnecessary the discipline really was.
"He beat the changeling in the horn with the feather duster?", Cadance repeated with an edge to her voice,"Did it not occur to you to intervene in that situation at all?"
"I did think so originally, your highness", the guard replied,"but after a moment, I decided it wasn't my place." Green aura.
"Wasn't your place?" Cadance said, the edge in her voice becoming more pronounced. The guard nodded with nervousness, and a small twinge of fear.
"As I thought about the situation", the guard explained,"I realized that nothing was being done wrong, per se. The changeling had been ordered to perform a task, and he was refusing, so it was only reasonable to expect him to be disciplined for not following orders." Green aura.
Cadance became rather cross with the guard and his refusing to admit the obvious truth. "Answer me this, guard", she said with venom in her voice,"just when do we punish palace staff using corporal methods?"
The guard did not have a reply. As he tried to think of one, his mistake struck him: The Crystal Empire, as well as Equestria, did not practice corporal punishment. Even the royal guard did not resort to such methods in regards to disciplinary matters. Now, he was being asked why he allowed Elbow Grease to resort to such methods, which he now saw as what they should have been: physical abuse.
Immediately, the guard began groveling in shame. "I'm sorry, my princess!", he apologized profusely,"I failed to uphold my duties to both the guard and the crown! Have mercy upon me!"
"And what exactly was your mistake?" Cadance asked, driving home the point.
The guard shuddered at what was to come next, but replied "I allowed an act of violence to take place here in the palace and did nothing to stop it."
"You are correct" Cadance told him, her demeanor now changing to one that was much kinder. The guard looked up at her as she motioned for him to stand.
"You admit to having made a mistake, and for that you will receive a punishment" she told him. She motioned for Andesite to step forward with a parchment and quill, the princess about to make a royal decree. "For failure to stop an act of violence on palace grounds", she began,"You are hereby ordered to write a letter of formal apology to the changeling known as Thorax. You are also to no longer be allowed to guard the changeling, and will instead be assigned to the guard station in the incinerator area for a period of no less than one month." Andesite finished writing the decree and hurried off to file it in the records.
"Now, guard", she looked at him with a smile,"This shall remain between the ponies in this room and the office of records. You are being given a small amount of leniency since you admitted to and apologized for your mistake to me. Next time, I won't be so forgiving." The guard looked up at her and gave a small nod.
"I have one last question before you leave", Cadance said to the guard,"Did the changeling receive any injuries?"
The guard answered, albeit reluctantly. "He did, your highness. The strikes were strong and repeated, and eventually cracked the horn and caused bleeding."
Hearing that did not sit well with Cadance. "My original punishment stands, but I will make a note of this for future reference. While you will no longer be assigned to guard the changeling, if you fail to report any future abuse of him, it will lead to a court-martial and will likely end with you being dismissed from the guard with an unfavorable letter for failure to properly perform duties. Am I understood?"
The guard nodded and visibly gulped. "Good", Cadance said with a smile,"You are dismissed."
The guard gave a bow and quickly exited the throne room. Cadance sat back in her throne and considered what she had learned from the interview. Clearly, Elbow Grease was going to be punished severely, perhaps even dismissed. Before she could do that, however, she would need to investigate the vandalism incident. The next pony she was going to talk to would go a long way to resolving that.
"Andesite", Cadance spoke to the mare,"I do not need to interview any more guards regarding the disciplinary incident, so they may be allowed to return to their duties. Bring Magne Phos to me, please."
Magne Phos, whose full name was Magnesium Phosphorus, was an earth pony stallion who stood fairly short compared to most, but was gifted a great deal of muscle that was placed to work in maintaining the palace incinerator. His chestnut coat was spotted with a few white patches alongside some dirt, most likely soot and ashes from the burning of trash on a daily basis. He headed toward the throne room after having been summoned to answer questions regarding an incident that would require complete honesty. That was something he never had any trouble with; he was approximately 1/64th Apple.
"Good afternoon, Magne Phos" greeted Cadance. The stallion gave a bow to his sovereign.
"Good afternoon to you as well, your highness", he returned.
"Please, take a seat", she offered him, gesturing with a hoof. The stallion made his way to the offered seat and sat down. Cadance took a quill and some parchment and looked Magne in the eye.
"I have called you here today to question you about an event that happened a few months ago" she told him, then gestured to Night Divining. "This royal guard mage will be conducting a truth sensing spell to ensure that the information you give us is the truth as you know it. Since we will be using this, we must have your written consent, so if you would please sign this paper acknowledging that I have informed you about the use of a mage during our interview, we can begin."
Magne signed the form with a quill in his mouth. Cadance double checked that the I's were dotted and the T's crossed. "Excellent" she said, then gestured for Night to begin her spell. Immediately, Magne was surrounded in a grayish, fog-like aura.
"Now, three months ago", Cadance began,"You were working in the incinerator disposing of garbage, as per your regular duties. Did anything happen that day that was either unusual or not very common to happen?"
Magne thought for a few moments before coming up with an answer. "I don't remember the specific day, but I do remember a member of the cleaning staff coming down to the office with a request from a palace guest to look for a lost item." A green tint to the aura confirmed his truthfulness.
Cadance jotted the answer down. "Do you remember which of the palace staff came with this request?" Cadance asked him.
"Miss Feather Duster, I believe" he replied. Green aura again.
Cadance wrote the answer down. "I trust that a form was filled out in regards to a request for search of missing property?"
"Yes, your highness", he replied,"I took it and filed it with our other requests in the office." Green aura.
"Very good" Cadance replied as she jotted down the information. She would have the files brought up so she could search them herself. "Now", she continued,"What did you do after filing the request?"
"I went into the collection area and found the garbage that had been collected on the requested day", he answered,"We always make sure to keep it sorted by date, in case a pony loses something in the trash and doesn't realize it until a few days later." The aura was green.
"And did you help her sort out the garbage to find the missing valuables?" she asked him.
"Actually, no", Magne replied,"Elbow Grease had came down and offered to help her search." Green aura again.
Cadance had no visible emotion on her face, but inside she was livid. Elbow had not only elected to commit a violent act in the palace, but also had vandalized property, and worst of all was the fact that he had conspired with Feather Duster on the second count. The course of action for the princess was quite obvious.
"Thank you, Magne", she told the stallion,"You have been a great help in this matter. I shall now allow you to resume your duties. Please, feel free to visit the throne room anytime you have any concerns."
"I thank you kindly, your highness" he said in reply, then gave a bow and left the throne room.
Andesite, who had been standing off to the side, had walked up to the princess. She knew exactly what the princess was going to ask of her. "I will make the request for the files from the incinerator be brought up", she said, then asked,"What should be done about Feather Duster and Elbow Grease?"
Cadance looked to Andesite with a serious expression. "I wish to review the documents first. Once I have finished with them, I will ask you to call for them."
It was nearly dinner time when Cadance had finished reading through the documents from the incinerator. Most of them were reports on the amount of garbage being burned, as well as descriptions of what was being burned. In short, the garbage was primarily food waste and miscellaneous used sanitary products such as tissues and feminine products; the palace had a high number of mares working within its walls.
She had nearly given up when she had found what she was looking for. Inside a file from approximately three months ago, sat a request for search of lost property. The name of the requester was Plumeau. Cadance had to smirk upon reading that: The prench word for Feather Duster. "The best lies are the true ones" she said to herself.
Reading over the rest of the document, she saw that the lost item was a pair of glasses. Again the princess had to chuckle. She deduced this to be a jab at herself, as glasses were required to see more clearly, and this indicating the mare thought the princess was blind. At least, the princess thought it was a jab at her.
A set of hoofsteps caught the princess's attention as she placed the request into a separate folder, along with the request for replenishment of first aid supplies used to treat Thorax's injured horn from Elbow's attack, as well as copies of the original interviews for both Elbow Grease and Feather Duster. Looking up, she spotted both Elbow Grease and Feather Duster entering the throne room together. Both had confused looks on their faces, clearly unsure as to why they were being called here so late.
"Feather, Elbow", Cadance greeted them,"Sit down, please." The stallion and mare both took seats in front of Cadance. Feather took a moment to adjust her hair, while Elbow checked his breath by holding his hoof to his face.
"I'm sure you're both curious as to why I called both of you here" she said to both of them.
"Yes, we are" Feather answered for herself and Elbow.
"Well, I'm simply following up on some things in our interviews from yesterday" Cadance informed them. The version of events you told me of seems a bit skewed from what some of the other ponies have told me, so I've decided to set the record straight."
Cadance levitated a piece of paper to her face. "Elbow", she addressed the stallion,"you said that on the changeling's first day here, you had to discipline him for insubordination. How did you go about performing this disciplinary action?"
Elbow rubbed his chin thoughtfully before replying "The approved methods as told to me by Madam Ammonia."
"Could you please be a little more specific" Cadance pressed him.
"Specifically", he replied,"I used the spells that were taught to us by the royal guard for in case the changeling either got violent or made an attempt to escape our custody."
"You did?", Cadance asked in a tone that made the bottom of Elbow's stomach drop out,"Was this before or after you asked the changeling to repeat the task of dusting the same table for the fourth time in a row?"
"Princess?" Elbow asked, both nervous and confused.
Cadance brought up another paper. "According to a follow up interview with a guard earlier today", she began,"you made the changeling clean the same table over and over again, eventually leading to him becoming frustrated with doing the same task again and again and making him refuse. It was at this point, according to the guard, that you took the feather duster he was using and repeatedly beat him in his horn until you cracked it and it started bleeding."
"So, Elbow", she concluded with an icy glare at the stallion,"when did the guard teach you spells that involved beating other creatures with cleaning implements?"
Elbow had no answer. In fact, he was doing all he could to not look Cadance in the eye. The princess decided to leave the stallion to stew in his shame for a moment.
"Now, Feather", Cadance turned to the mare while producing another document,"According to this request for search of missing property, you were helping a mare named Plumeau find her glasses." Cadance leaned in with a knowing smirk and asked her "Did you find your glasses?"
Feather had no immediate reaction, but eventually became defensive. "Your highness", she said a tad more curtly than a normal pony would've said while addressing their sovereign,"just what exactly are you implying?"
"Well, Feather", Cadance began in just as curt of a tone,"The report from the incinerator said that several bags of refuse were taken from the storage room to be searched. However, those bags were never returned."
"That same day, a vandalism incident occurred in a set of bathrooms that were being attended to by your cleaning crew, which included the changeling staying with us. Brass Polish discovered this vandalism and reported it to your superior."
"The vandalism was the deliberate dumping of rotten garbage through both the stallion's and mare's restrooms, including the stuffing of paper and feminine products into toilets so as to make them clog. From what I understand, it took a good bit of time for your crew to clean it."
"Your highness", Feather interrupted,"I don't mean to speak out of turn, but could you please get to whatever point it is you're trying to make?"
"Very well", Cadance continued,"I have testimony from a guard, as well as Magne Phos from the incinerator crew that you two were responsible for the vandalism incident."
Feather looked rather offended by the accusation. "How do you know that those two weren't lying?", she countered,"How do you know they weren't responsible for it?"
Cadance gave a smirk before replying "Because they gave that testimony while under a truth sensing spell."
The color in Feather's face was quickly gone, and Elbow looked down to the floor in shame.
Cadance lost her smile and adopted a more stern expression. "Now, these are some rather severe accusations, so you two will be given the opportunity, here and now, to defend yourselves from them. I will submit you two to the same truth sensing spell as the guard and Magne Phos were subject to, and to do that, I ask you both to sign consent forms. If you refuse, then I will only have the testimony of the guards and Magne Phos to go on, which will more than likely mean your dismissal."
Cadance then presented two papers to the stallion and mare, as well as a quill and inkwell. The two unicorns took the offered items in their magic, but what happened next took the princess by surprise; Feather flipped her document over and started writing on the back of it rather furiously. When finished, she used her magic to fold it up into a paper plane, threw it at the princess's hooves, and stormed out of the throne room.
A few moments passed before Cadance picked up the paper and unfolded it:
I resign. I refuse to work with that parasite anymore. I will leave tomorrow morning, and I am returning to my quarters to pack.
Cadance let out a huff as she crumpled the note and tossed it aside. Her attention was turned now to Elbow Grease. "Do you refuse to sign as well?"
Elbow looked as though he were going to say something, but instead signed the document. A few minutes later, and had confessed to his actions. He also admitted no remorse, believing that he was within his right to treat the changeling as poorly as he did.
"I'm sorry to hear you feel that way", Cadance told him,"You are hereby dismissed from your duties here in the Crystal Palace. I will not offer a letter of recommendation for you. You will be permitted to stay the night, owing to the lateness of the hour, but you will be escorted out in the morning."
Elbow had nothing to say. He simply bowed his head and left the throne room. As he did, he thought back on whether or not he should've acted the way he did. He hated changelings, that was without question.
But should he have reined in his contempt? Probably. If he had, he wouldn't be jobless now.
"Elbow"
The stallion turned and saw Feather Duster standing in an alcove wearing a very displeased look. "What did she do to you?" she asked him.
"What do you think?!" he shot back angrily, but keeping his voice low so the conversation was still private. "She canned me! I have to be escorted out in the morning."
"And whose fault is that?" Feather asked him with a glare in her eye.
"It's my o-"
A hoof to his muzzle interrupted him.
"The changeling", she answered for him,"If that bug had taken the hint a few months ago and scampered off, we would still have our jobs now."
The stallion looked at the mare with unease. "Elbow", he said uncertainly,"Nopony forced us to treat him as bad as we did."
"And nopony had our backs!", she shot back at him,"The princess has been forcing us to play nice with that overgrown tick for the past three months and I'm sick of it!". She then looked back and forth before leaning in closer to whisper. "And I think I know just the way to get back at him."
Elbow looked at her with a questioning look. "What are you talking about?"
Feather levitated a box from behind a statue. Inside it was a bundle of black cloth and a bottle with a pinkish liquid inside. "Getting some revenge" Feather replied, wearing a particularly evil grin.