//------------------------------// // 15 Debriefing // Story: The Time Ponies and the Cutie Mark Thief Vs. the Queen of Hearts // by My name is R //------------------------------// After they had all passed through the portal back to their own world Inky was surprised when Perfect Pace stepped forward and embraced her. “It’s good to see you’ve returned safely. I’d have hated for our last parting to have been such a terse one.” “And I’m sorry if I worried you.” Inky sighed. “I’ll try to avoid leaving on such short notice again.” “Yes, I do believe Miss Timing would appreciate that.” “Did everyone but me know that she would be angrier about my hiding it than the fact I left in the first place?” “I don’t know how angry she would have been if you had told her, but I saw the state she was in after you left.” Perfect pace leaned in and whispered softly. “And you might want to check how your standing is with the other council members. I don’t know exactly what the situation’s like, but I know you’re supposed to give warning when you leave town.” “As long as nothing leapt out of nowhere, this… Wait, how long have I been gone?” “Only four days. Our second expedition was hurried along so that you could be swiftly returned.” “Well, that’s good. There shouldn’t be any problems with town hall. Do you know when the next expedition will be?” “At least two weeks from now, I should hope. The last week has been quite adventurous enough, and I look forward to a few weeks in Canterlot, where the greatest stakes are an expensive commission or an invitation to a party. I’m far more accustomed to the games of high society than holding lives in my hooves.” Inky snorted. “Can’t handle it when you’re doing something that actually matters?” she ribbed. “Not everypony aspires to civil service. I may not normally save lives with my clocks, but my joy in my customer’s satisfaction is no less just because they wanted them, rather than needed them.” “What happened to Chrysalis?” “Chrysalis?” Perfect Pace repeated. “She was locked in Tartarus. Why do you ask?” “There are a few things I’d like to ask her. I figured out a lot in there, but a few puzzle pieces are still missing.” “What did you find?” And for several minutes Inquisitor and Perfect Pace spoke, catching each other up on what had happened. Inquisitor glanced over at Perfect Timing several times, and occasionally their eyes met. Timing’s gaze was hurt, but the anger was quickly draining, much to Inky’s relief. When she finished talking to Pace she walked over to Timing. “Hey.” “Hi Inky.” “Do you mind if I stay for a while to tell Extra Time what I saw?” “No, I don’t. I hope you found out plenty that can help us on your mission.” “Look.” Inky opened her mouth, then closed it again with a sigh. “This evening, I’d like to talk with you about… What happened, and I… I want to apologize.” Perfect Timing smiled. “I’d like that.” That evening Perfect Timing made waffles for dinner and set the table for two. After two and a half hours Inky had popped by, grabbed her vest, and told Perfect that she would be at town hall, but that she would be back around six. Sure enough, when six o’clock came it was mere minutes until Inky came home. She took off her vest and put it away before sitting at the table. “Thanks for making dinner.” Perfect nodded. “How was work?” “They asked me not to leave on such short notice next time, and not during a major event, but I still have my job.” “And you won’t be leaving so quickly again, will you?” Perfect said, tone sharp and brow raised at the last bit. “To them, maybe. But I promise not to leave you secretly again. If there is time to tell you, I promise that I will.” “Pinkie promise?” Inky tilted her head and raised an eyebrow of her own. “You know I think that rhyme is silly.” “Yep! But you’re gonna say it anyway, aren’t you?” “Fine, I suppose I got myself into this mess.” Inky took a deep breath. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” “And next time you try to avoid telling me about something you don’t think I approve of, try to remember that I do sometimes pay attention to your ramblings about how to be a detective. I’ll find out eventually, so it’s best if you tell me yourself, Sowvown.” “Yes M; I’ll remember that,” Inky said with a snicker. “M?” “Double O Seven’s boss.” Queen Chrysalis woke up in a stone cage in a greenish blue bowl. Ahead, there was a hole in the rim which led to a staircase. Aside from a cliff with a peak at the end of the stairs, she appeared to be in an empty cavern. “Insufferable peasants! How dare you cage me like some common circus beast! Do you mean to leave me here to starve?! I suppose you can’t stomach killing me yourself, and somehow thought this was more merciful!” “Oh relax, you won’t starve,” a soft voice said from the peak. “Though you might find you would prefer if you could.” “Are you to be my jailer?” “Not at all. I am but a fellow prisoner. I humbly welcome you to Tartarus. I hope you enjoy your stay, for it will be a long one.” The voice was clearly amused by her plight, and doing a poor job of pretending to be friendly. “My hive will crush those ponies and find where I have been hidden, then they will release me, and I will have my revenge!” “Crush the ponies? And how exactly did that turn out last time?” “We were ambushed by their strongest mage and some jungle monster. When we find them again, they won’t have that advantage,” Chrysalis snarled. “What are you on about? You infiltrated the ponies, despite your terrible acting, and still failed to defeat them with surprise on your side!” “Silence! We won at the wedding, and have been mopping up the sad remains of the ponies for months! The ponies must have lied to you to make you think they were strong.” “That’s impossible. I was free when your little kidnapping scheme fell through.” “It did not fail!” Chrysalis snapped. “It went perfectly! First I replaced the bride, then I subverted Shining’s sister to my side while draining Shining Armor of any complex thoughts.” “Great, I finally have someone I can talk to, and they're insane.” “Next thing you’ll tell me is that the eternal sun is because Celestia wanted to increase pineapple production? Or that the windigoes returned because Manehatton had a Hearth’s Warming Eve sale break into a riot?” “…You really believe that, don’t you?” the voice asked in disbelief. “Of course. Perhaps you have lost your mind stuck in this monotonous prison.” “Why don’t you tell me more of what you believe has happened in the last decade?” After several days in Tartarus Queen Chrysalis and Lord Tirek had roughly pinned down the differences in their stories. They were too far reaching to be mere boasting on the part of Tirek’s new acquaintance, but they all happened in the last three years. She claimed that she had never witnessed Nightmare Moon, Discord, or Tirek’s own return to the land, and the Elements of Harmony had never been gathered. Tirek suspected she was from another world, and that she had been transported back to this world while she was unconscious. She insisted that he had been brainwashed by the ponies. Tirek was contemplating whether there was any way to leverage the fact that the strange changeling royal was a secret when he heard the door grinding open. He looked up to see the night princess making her way toward him. Cerberus came forth, sniffed her, and headed away deeper into Tartarus. When she reached the summit where he was trapped he spoke. “Ah, the princess of nightmares. What can I do to be of service?” He grinned, hoping to hurt her feelings by reminding her of her past fall to darkness. It was petty and of no benefit to him, true, but it wasn’t like he had anything better to do than lash out at his jailers however he could. “Keep quiet about this to the guardian and his masters, or you will have the wrath of the hive to contend with on top of your current struggles,” Luna hissed, her eyes flashing briefly with a green light. Tirek looked to where Cerberus had wandered off, seeing that he was still gone. “A changeling? I think I know why you’re here.” “I’m sure you do,” she said, walking around him and heading for the stairs to the queen. As she descended from view he saw a green burst of light. Queen Chrysalis woke when somepony cleared their throat close by. She opened her eyes to see that it wasn’t a pony at all, but one of her changelings. “Excellent work finding me. Now let me out and report on how the hive is faring in my absence and what the ponies have been up to.” The drone stepped back awkwardly. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” “Are you disobeying an order from your queen?” she asked, tone icy. “Not at all!” the drone assured, forelimbs flailing in panic. “I mean that I can’t. I don’t know how to get this cage open.” She reached a hoof to the latch and pulled, but it did not move. Much as it had not when Chrysalis had tried. “Fine,” she growled. “Then tell me what has happened in my absence.” “I can’t do that either.” “Why not?” Chrysalis asked, eyes narrowing. The drone gulped. “Because I am not of your hive, Queen Chrysalis, but of another.” “Impossible! There is only one changeling hive! I have made sure of that.” “Your Highness, I am very sorry to bear such news, but this is not the Equestria you know.” “I’ve been telling her that for days,” Tirek called. “Please be quiet!” the drone hissed. “I would rather not have to deal with Cerberus today.” “Are you alone?” Chrysalis asked. “Yes. I was undercover when I saw two ponies carrying you off in a cart. I made sure that my queen was still well and at the hive before investigating your appearance. I managed to temporarily pass myself off as the blue unicorn and gather information. That is how I learned where you were and where you had come from.” “Princess Celestia has a magic key that allows the bearer to open the cages of Tartarus. In my world she kept it in the Canterlot Tower vault.” “It won’t be easy to get in there,” the drone thought aloud. “Twilight Sparkle has the key in my world. If you go to her and tell her where I am, I’m sure she will free me.” “Twilight Sparkle? Did you really manage to get one of the Elements of Harmony to help you in your world?” “What are you talking about? The Elements don’t act on their own, they are tools Celestia once used, nothing more.” “The Elements of Harmony have chosen new bearers in this world. Six mortal ponies, and their leader is this world’s Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic.” “She is an impressive mage, second only to Celestia and myself. She is my royal wizard and civil organizer, and I am confident she will not betray me, no matter what this version of her might be like. I spent months pretending to be her closest confidant, poisoning her mind. I haven’t needed to rely on magic to keep her bound to my will since the original attack.” “I will seek her out.” The drone turned to go, but then turned back. “If I may, how did you dispatch the princesses? Are they dead, or captured?” “That is a secret, even among my hive. All you need to know is that they have both been dealt with.” “Very well. Do you have any other messages you wish for me to relay to your hive?” “Tell Pharynx to have a squad of elite guards to accompany her in disguise.” Chrysalis paused. “Are ponies likely to recognize her?” “Indeed. I shall suggest she don a disguise.” The drone turned around one last time; and let out a squeak at Cerberus’ three heads letting out a silent growl, slowly becoming audible. Inky’s blood felt like ice as she stared at the guardian of the underworld. Minuette had said that Cerberus had acted mean at first, but was really just a sweet puppy underneath. When Inky smelled him there was no doubt in her mind that he didn’t want kind words and a scratch behind the ears; he wanted her blood. “I don’t suppose you can fire through the bars?” she asked Chrysalis. “They block any outgoing magic,” called Tirek. “You’re on your own, changeling. Though, if you would like, I can offer my significant knowledge of this beast. I think you’ll find it rather helpful.” “That would be appreciated!” “Enough that your Twilight will release me?” 'Ah, so that’s his angle, I figured he would have one.' “I don’t speak for her, but I can certainly tell her that you helped me find her to rescue her queen. I think she would appreciate it.” “That will do. It gives me a lovely chance to get back at this oaf too. First off, don’t fly over the abyss; bad things dwell there that you don’t want to alert.” “Well, there goes my easiest solution.” She didn’t want to imagine what sort of things he could be referring to. She considered that he might be lying to try to stop her. He always smelled of deception, since he was always scheming, so she couldn’t tell if this was a lie. In the end she decided not to risk it, since he had no apparent reason to fight her and every reason to hate Cerberus. “What you should do is run along the ground until you are almost within reach, then fly over him, getting enough clearance that he can’t bite you.” “Why not fly up now?” “Because if he sees you preparing to fly over him he’ll run back to the door.” She began stretching. 'Ok. All I’ve got to do is slip past an ancient guardian with as little room as I can manage, reach the door, and then open it before he eats me alive. No problem, right? I mean, Tux did it; how hard can it be?' She gulped, took a deep breath, and slipped into a ready stance. 'I have so much left to live for, and I refuse to let it end here! I AM THE INQUISITOR! I survived a week of infiltration in the very core of my greatest fear. I will NOT be eaten by a glorified watchdog! I will survive this, and I will do it for my family!' “Alright Cerberus! I don’t care how hard you want to protect this place, I refuse to die here! I’m going home, and you can’t stop me!” She was well aware that shouting at him had no effect on him, but it helped ease some of her nerves, so she did it anyway. This was going to be a close thing, and she needed any help she could get. She transformed into Tumbleweed to help with her flight and began running up the stairs. When Cerberus began to lunge forward she kicked off the ground and beat her wings as fast as she could, barely clearing the vicious snap the left head made. As soon as she was over she angled down to the line where the door met the floor without slowing down at all. She flew as fast as she could, hearing Cerberus turn to give chase behind her. Getting to the door first was easy. Getting there in time to open it would not be. Usually a pegasus had to come to a stop at least somewhat gradually. With her blood pounding in her ears and growls echoing through the cave, Inky chose not to. Instead she transformed into an earth pony right before the collision and simply took the impact with a roll. It still hit hard enough that she thought she felt bones breaking in her back legs, but she couldn’t stop. As she fell to the ground she dropped her disguise and channeled her changeling magic through her horn, willing the door open with every fiber of her being. As it began to creak open she looked back and saw Cerberus quickly closing the gap between them. She couldn’t run like this, but as soon as the door was wide enough to fit her she crawled through with her forelegs. She felt the wind as Cerberus snapped right where she had been and immediately shut the door behind her. Then she started up her wings and floated away, barely keeping her limp rear legs up off the ground. That afternoon Cranky was walking through the woods on his way back to his house. He had spent his morning out shopping for the groceries he and Matilda would need for the week, and he was looking forward to doing some scrapbooking when he heard some rustling coming from one of the trees by the path. “Hello? Is somepony there?” he called gruffly. Probably either the wind or Pinkie. He wasn’t sure which he would prefer today. “Hi Cranky. How have you been?” He looked up and saw a changeling laying on one of the lower limbs. At this point most ponies would run screaming for town, but Cranky stood his ground. Not just because he wasn’t about to be intimidated by something smaller than he was, though you don’t make it long as a wanderer without learning how to defend yourself. No, the main reason he was unmoved was because he knew this changeling. “Hi Whirligig. Haven’t seen you for a few weeks.” “Yeah, well, I’ve been busy. You know me, always doing something.” “I’m surprised you showed up looking like that. Something wrong?” Whirligig sighed. “I busted up my back legs pretty bad, and I was hoping I could stay with you for a bit?” “Fine kid. But you’d better not break anything.” “Of course not, I enjoy still having some working limbs.” Cranky started walking towards his house once more, Whirligig following behind him in the air. “This is so weird.” “What, asking me for help?” “No, flying like this.” Cranky opened his door and they both came in, Whirligig sitting on the couch. “I hate to impose, but could you send a message to my deputy? I don’t want her to worry about why I’m gone so long.” Cranky slowly nodded. “Sure thing kid. I’ll invite her to come by and we can have a nice dinner too. But first let me see your legs.” Whirligig obeyed, stretching out on the couch. He leaned in to examine them, gently rubbing them with a hoof. She hissed. “How bad is it doc?” “You managed to sprain both your rear ankles. What did you do, have a skydiving accident?” “Sort of. I’m glad they’re just sprained though.”