//------------------------------// // New Developments // Story: The Ties That Bind // by Scyphi //------------------------------// Gallus ultimately had to hand it to Princess Twilight—the gal sure knew how to get a great bed. Even though he was sharing it with another creature, Gallus never once noticed throughout the remainder of the night, no matter how much either of them twisted and turned. The warm covers cocooning around him also helped whisk him away into metaphorical isolation for sleep, shielded from any and all outward disruptions. Though to be fair, he’d slept so soundly due to how exhausted he’d been upon finally crawling in that he might as well have been dead to world, not stirring once throughout. In short, it was a rejuvenating and blissful sleep. And when morning eventually arrived the following day, seeping peacefully into the room, Gallus would’ve preferred to stay there and sleep in for as long as he could. Given he’d had yet another late night and stressful day before for the second time in a row, surely he more than deserved to by now. But unfortunately he was once again lulled awake early by nature calling. This time it was due to his gut rather rudely insisting an eviction take place, forcing Gallus to begrudgingly drag himself out of bed and retreat once more into the bathroom so to deal with it. Turned out Ditzy’s rations from the night before were just as heavy and dense coming out as they’d been going in. But despite that unpleasant start to his morning, once Gallus had finished and briefly freshened up at the sink, he felt in surprisingly good spirits and ready to start the day. That did kind of surprise him, considering he didn’t have any real reason to be. He had creatures try to kill him three times in two days, all of whom got closer at doing so than was comfortable, and may still be plotting to kill him even now. He’d been effectively forced into protective custody as a result and spent the night in an unfamiliar room and bed because of it. He’d learned the frankly horrifying tale of what had happened to his apparent parents just the night before, as well as how much he’d been ripped away from a loving life with that family. And all of it weighed so heavily on him that last night he had an emotional breakdown over it. He still didn’t feel all that great thinking about the whole thing now, in fact. And yet, he was in a good mood. Or maybe “good mood” wasn’t the right term…perhaps what he was feeling was more optimistic. Maybe it would be as Princess Twilight said last night and things would start turning around from here. He did feel like everything was more under control now than it’d been the past two days. He could only hope he was right with that assessment, but he felt like things would be okay, at least for the moment. Maybe all he needed was a good night’s sleep in order to see it. Whatever the reason, he found he couldn’t complain—feeling upbeat about something seemed like a nice change in comparison to the past couple of days. Finished then, he exited the bathroom only to find Spike was awake and waiting outside. He bid Gallus a polite “good morning” before exchanging spots with him in the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Gallus decided against asking it was for similar reasons as him and instead wandered into the middle of the floor, stretching each of his limbs in turn while taking in the room once more. None of the lights were on, but there didn’t need to be as the mid-morning sunlight streaming in through the window lit things adequately enough. Thanks to that light, Gallus spied it glinting off of something metallic in one corner of the room, near its entrance. Having not noticed it the night previous, Gallus moved closer so to take a better look. It proved to be a brass speaking tube with a switchboard mounted to the wall directly underneath it. Having heard of these but never actually seen one, Gallus couldn’t help but look it over. It appeared to work exactly as one would expect—you speak into the mouthpiece and the sound would be carried by pipe to where it’d be heard at its intended destination. Gallus figured it was used mostly for service requests by the princess as the knob-like switches all listed various staff locations throughout the palace, with the exception of the very first switch which was also the only one currently on: “Mute,” presumably so to close off the speaking tube and keep it from transmitting any sounds it shouldn’t. A couple of the listed locations were important, such as “Guard Office” and “Infirmary,” but most of them were more commonplace, like “Advisor Office” or “Housekeeping.” The one that especially caught Gallus’s eye though was “Kitchens,” and looking at it reminded his stomach of how empty it felt at the moment, especially since he had just, well, made room a few minutes earlier. The idea of asking for a meal, a real meal, grew more appealing upon seeing a pamphlet dangling from a nearby hook. It proved to be a room service menu, giving a list of common meals the kitchens could be asked to prepare, only adding to his growing hunger. Gallus recalled Twilight saying last night they were free to use whatever they needed in the room during their stay, but he wasn’t sure that really included room service. But then, not certain of any reason why he couldn’t, since he and Spike would probably be staying here long enough to need meals, he decided to put it to the test anyway. Switching “Mute” to off, he was rewarded with a soft click and a faint puff of air as a hidden mechanism opened up the tube for use. He then switched on “Kitchens” and was rewarded with another click followed by a faint whistle noise. He initially wasn’t sure why, but reasoned it must have been to alert the kitchen staff that someone was on the line because a moment later he heard a voice answer from the other end. “Hello?” the voice of a mare spoke through the tube. “Uh, hi,” Gallus responded into the speaking tube sheepishly and somewhat unprepared. “Is, uh, is this the kitchens?” He immediately wanted to facepalm after he said that. Of course it’s the kitchens, you idiot, that’s what you set it to! The mare was unperturbed though. “Yes it is!” she confirmed helpfully. “How can I help you?” “Uh, well, okay,” Gallus blundered along, trying to get his thoughts together. “So, uh, I’m staying in the princess’s private quarters, and uh…wait, you know about that, right?” “Yes, Princess Twilight did alert us of the situation,” the mare assured with a very understanding level of patience. “Oh good,” Gallus said with a breath of relief. He picked up the menu pamphlet again, looking it over. “So, uh, I found this menu thing in here and am I correct in assuming that means I can ask for some kind of meal to be delivered?” “You certainly are!” the mare replied. Gallus wondered if she was asked questions like this on a regular basis because she certainly seemed practiced at doing so with an audible smile on her face. “Was there something in particular you wished to ask for? And will that just be a meal for you or for the both of you?” Gallus remembered Spike still in the bathroom and thought ordering a meal they both could share might be fun. “Well, I could check,” he said, starting to turn from the tube before stopping himself. “Uh, you mind waiting just a second while I go do that?” “Not at all! I’ll be right here waiting.” Gallus nodded (even though the mare obviously couldn’t see that) and, switching “Mute” back on as a precaution, he went over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “Hey, Spike?” “What’s up?” Spike called back through. “I’ve got the palace kitchens on the speaking tube thing, and they tell me we can have them bring some breakfast. I wanted to know if you were interested.” “Sure! Tell them I’d like some gem pancakes heavy on the syrup and an egg muffin. They know how I like them.” “I’ll tell them,” Gallus assured and went back to the speaking tube, switching it back off of “Mute” and resumed speaking. “Okay, yeah, you still there?” “Yup!” the mare affirmed. “Okay then, we do want two meals, one should be gem pancakes heavy on the syrup with an egg muffin, and the other…” Gallus thumbed through the menu pamphlet in his talons for a second. His eyebrows went up when he found an unexpected section within. “Wait, I could order something with fish in it?” “Yes, we’re equipped to prepare meals to the tastes of various visiting dignitaries when needed, which includes some fish based meals,” the mare reported. “Okay then, in that case, I’ll…I’ll have the poached cod and egg for my meal.” Gallus had never had cod poached before, let alone with egg, but it certainly sounded good to him. “Right then!” the mare said before repeating back his order. Once Gallus had confirmed it was accurate, she continued on. “We can have that ready for you in a few minutes. Also! While you were away from the speaking tube, I was reminded of the princess requesting that, instead of delivering any meals to you, you join her in the private dining hall to eat with her there. Apologies for that inconvenience, but…” “No, it’s okay, I’m sure she’s got a reason for it,” Gallus assured her and was, in fact, already considering a number of possibilities on what it could be. “We’ll see about heading down to the dining room as soon as we can.” Of course, as he switched off the speaking tube again, he had no idea of just where this private dining hall was, let alone how to get there from here, but he was hoping Spike would know. He had to wait until Spike finished in the bathroom first, but that only took a couple more minutes. “You ordered us breakfast then?” the dragon asked upon exiting said bathroom. “Yup,” Gallus confirmed, “But apparently Twilight asked them to have us meet her in the private dining room to eat it.” “Mm, probably wants to talk to us about the state of things,” Spike reasoned aloud. “Probably, but I don’t know where that is or how to get there,” Gallus added. “So do you know the way?” “Yeah,” Spike said with a nod, leading him to the door. “But that doesn’t really matter with us under protective custody, because we’ll probably have to be escorted there anyway.” He pulled open one of the double doors and glanced outside. As there had been when they’d entered last night, two guards were attentively stationed on either side of it. However, the two guards that had been standing there last night had since been replaced by new ones, both wearing the familiar deep blue armor of the Night Guard. Both of them glanced at Spike and Gallus as they stepped into the doorway. “Hey, Twilight wants us to join her for breakfast in the private dining room,” Spike explained to the closest of the two. “We okay to head down there?” “Certainly,” the guard replied, nodding to the other and motioning them forward. “We’ll escort you there.” “Told ya,” Spike said Gallus with a smirk as they started down the hallway, flanked by both guards. “I’m not complaining,” Gallus responded, who wasn’t used to the protective attention but appreciated it anyway. “I get why Twilight would want to be so cautious, given circumstances.” They walked in silence for a few minutes. Gallus eyed some of the sights they passed along the way. The hallways were relatively empty still, but there were clear signs the palace had been resuming work for the day as normal, despite circumstances. “Did you sleep well?” Spike asked spontaneously. “Yeah, I did,” Gallus replied, pleased that he had, “You?” “Pretty good,” Spike likewise responded before wrinkling his brow, “Though I did have this weird dream.” “Let me guess—about mad creatures chasing and trying to kill us?” “No, actually,” Spike seemed just as surprised by that as Gallus was. “It was actually about…well, you know how I first met Thorax, right?” “The king of the changelings?” Gallus quickly racked his friendship lessons. “Wasn’t that when you vouched in his defense when he came seeking shelter in the Crystal Empire?” “Exactly, and that’s what I was doing in my dream. Except this time, instead of everybody trusting me at my word, they all refused to believe me and banished Thorax from Equestria. But because I wasn’t going to just stand there and do nothing, I chose to go with him. So we put on disguises, snuck onto a train and fled all the way west to Vanhoover, where we assumed new identities and proceeded to try and lay low, living a new life working in this books and stationary shop we got jobs at, all the while Twilight’s turning Equestria upside-down trying to find us.” “Huh…almost sounds like the premise to some dramatic tale or something…” “Maybe, but who’d ever want to hear a grief-filled story like that?” They continued debating the narrative merits of Spike’s dream until they arrived at the dining hall in question, their guard escorts opening the doors ahead of them. Inside was a round table seated at which was Twilight Sparkle along with Gruff and Ditzy to her left and her two advisors, Kibitz and Raven, on her right. Twilight was alert and wearing a friendly smile, but she also looked ready to get to business. Gruff looked like he’d just woken up a few minutes earlier and was nursing a big mug of coffee, suggesting he’d been asked to join them rather than coming of his own volition. Nevertheless, he looked resolute enough to want to be awake for this. Ditzy, meanwhile, bore the same chipper persona as always, though since Gallus had last seen her she had exchanged the more casual jacket and shirt she’d been wearing last night for more formal and official Night Guard armor and regalia. Her magicked eyepatch was in its usual place over her right eye, something Gallus now knew was a sure sign of her being in full Night Guard mode. By contrast, Raven was the friendliest face as she brightly smiled and gave Spike a welcoming wave. Kibitz, however, continued to be the most difficult for Gallus to read, as his reaction to their arrival consisted only of a slight raise of his eyebrow and a small, but professional, nod of acknowledgement in their direction. All of it gave Gallus slight pause as he slowed his approach to the table. “…is something wrong?” he asked warily. “Oh, no, no,” Twilight swiftly assured and motioned for him and Spike to sit. “We just have a lot to discuss.” “Some of it is good news, even,” Ditzy added with a grin as she picked up a bran muffin from a plate of several other varieties of muffins and took a bite. Gallus supposed that was one character trait that definitely hadn’t just been part of her cover. “…and the rest?” Spike meanwhile asked uncertainly, fearing the bad as he and Gallus sat down across the table from Twilight. “Not really good or bad news,” Raven summarized, “Really more just…news. But that’s why the princess opted to have us all meet here, as that seemed like a good way to discuss it all while we ate.” Speaking of, a pair of servants arrived as they spoke and delivered the requested plates of food to Spike and Gallus. Both looked pretty good, and Gallus’s stomach rumbled in approval just at the sight of it. But before he could even pick up a fork to dig in, Twilight snatched both plates with her magic and moved them across the table towards her. She then spent a good minute examining each dish in turn both by sight and by magical scan twice before she finally relinquished them back to their intended patrons. “Don’t worry, both meals are fine,” she assured simply upon their inquiring glances. “…fine how?” Gallus asked skeptically. “What was with all the scanning?” “I was simply ensuring neither meal contained any foreign contamination that may otherwise cause bodily disruption upon consumption.” Both Gallus and Spike stared at her blankly. “She was making sure they weren’t poisoned,” Gruff summed up flatly before taking a long draught of his coffee. “Wait…what?” Spike asked, now looking at his gem pancakes with alarm. “If it helps, she did that with my coffee too,” Gruff added. “She checked all of our meals,” Raven added, motioning to her own already empty plate. “I know, I know, it’s probably just paranoia on my part,” Twilight admitted sheepishly. “But…after everything that’s happened and knowing we haven’t brought this affair to a definite close…I feel I can’t be too careful. These creatures managed to strike where I least expected them enough times already, so I am somewhat worried they will try it again.” Watching Gallus and Spike poke at their meals warily now, having lost faith in the food, she sighed. “But again, I’m hopefully just being paranoid. The meals are fine, I can promise you that.” “Only after you gave them a strip search,” Gallus grumbled but relented and took a tentative bite of his poached cod. The meat was exquisitely savory and all but melted in his mouth, but it was only upon taking two or three bites without any ill effects that he started to relax and take the princess at her word. “So…I trust you two slept well?” Raven prompted after a moment of the two eating their meals. “Pretty good, yeah,” Spike replied after a second of thoughtfully considering the question, chewing on his pancakes. “I mean…all things considered. But how about you guys? How did you all sleep?” “Not flipping long enough,” Gruff grouched before taking another swig from his mug. “Mister Gruff, please,” Raven hissed, shooting the old griffon a sour look for his language, which was completely ignored. Gallus knew it was a lost cause anyway and instead rolled with it. “Had an even later night than we did, huh?” he asked knowingly. “We were very busy trying to get things sorted out,” Twilight replied. “Not helped by the fact that new developments kept coming up all throughout,” Ditzy added, more amused than annoyed by the new topic. “But like Twilight said, it’s paying off.” “At least a little,” Gruff relented but also somewhat downplaying. “Well, after everything we’ve been through lately, it’s certainly good to hear that,” Gallus remarked, spearing another piece of his cod with his fork for emphasis. “Speaking of,” Twilight tone began to show clear hesitation, “How are you two handling all of…this?” Spike swallowed before replying. “It’s all still…kinda a lot to wrap my head around but…I think I’m… starting to?” He didn’t seem entirely certain. “But…” “…finding out your parents were killed just because they were in a cross-species relationship isn’t something you can adjust to overnight,” Gallus finished. His tone as he said it was…mixed…and it frustrated him that he was frustrated about it. A part of him thought he should be coming to terms with this by now. “And that’s not even the most shocking part of all of this.” “Mm, yes, there is the implication of you two being hybrids to consider as well,” Kibitz remarked with a hum, speaking for the first time since Gallus and Spike arrived. There was an awkward silence for a moment. “Yeah…that too,” Spike agreed in a wooden voice. Gallus suspected that he, much like himself, hadn’t really been giving that matter as much thought but now the reminder of its implications wasn’t exactly helping. Spike bowed his head, letting out a heavy sigh as he stared at his half-eaten pancakes before continuing remorsefully. “I suppose that’s what helped get them killed too…wasn’t it?” “What happened with Gwen and Spark wasn’t right,” Ditzy stressed seriously, in a tone suggesting it wasn’t open for debate. “And neither are these attempts to kill you two now. Neither should have happened in any way, and no one here should be feeling okay about it because it’s not.” “And we’re not saying it is,” Gallus stressed. “For Grover’s sake, of course we’re not…it’s just…” he trailed off, unable to put it into words, and heaved a heavy sigh. He felt like he was getting dragged down by the subject still. “We understand, Gallus,” Twilight contributed when Gallus didn’t continue. She then paused awkwardly, looking a little guilty. “Honestly…the real shocking part is it happening at all managing to escape our notice for so long.” Another awkward silence fell among the group, broken only by Gallus and Spike continuing to eat their meals with a bit less gusto now that the mood had gotten so much heavier. Eventually, Gallus decided to change the subject. “So anyway,” he prompted as he motioned for the others to get on with it, waving his fork at them. “What are these new developments you mentioned?” “Well, shall we begin with the good news?” Twilight offered, likewise eager for something more positive as she pulled out some notes and tapped them neatly on the edge of the table. “Perhaps starting with what Gruff also hasn’t heard yet so to make it worth his while, hmm?” She shot Gruff a teasing look. Gruff just let out a mumbled growl and waved for her to continue. “Put succinctly then,” Twilight continued, flipping to a specific page of her notes while keeping her gaze on Gruff, “Ember has gotten back to me about your dragon suspect, Rhyolite.” This indeed drew Gruff’s interest, who perked up along with Spike and Gallus. “…and?” Gruff prompted. “Apparently there’s a track record amongst the dragons for trouble caused by Rhyolite,” Twilight explained while referring to her notes. “That’s mostly how Ember had already heard of him—his reputation preceded him.” “So he is a real creature then,” Kibitz confirmed tonelessly. Gruff shot him annoyed look for his implied doubting. Twilight nodded. “According to Ember, he often used his trade as a printer, producing hardcopy messages or texts for other dragons, to distribute inflammatory opinions on varying subjects regardless of whether or not they were based in fact. She also confirms that recovered copies of these opinion pieces prove he spread ridicule and venom towards Spark specifically, and that former Dragon Lord Torch long suspected him of being the prominent ringleader of it, using his printing skills to distribute propaganda so to organize dragons against Spark.” “Okay, so let’s snag this guy and grill him for what he knows,” Gallus suggested, tapping his fork resolutely on his plate as he said it. “Clearly he’s gotta be involved at least a little.” “Just because he sported a negative opinion towards the dragon Spark doesn’t necessarily mean he was involved in his death,” Kibitz reasoned logically, glancing in Gallus’s direction. “Nor is it definite proof that he’s directly involved in the attempts on your own lives now.” “And Kibitz has a point,” Ditzy agreed with a reluctant nod. “Just because he happens to fit the role of the culprit doesn’t actually make him one.” “But surely bringing him in for questioning is still a good idea, if just to confirm one way or another, right?” Gruff challenged before glancing in Twilight’s direction. “Assuming the dragon lord hasn’t already done it herself?” “I’m sure she’d love to,” Twilight said but let out a sigh. “But she can’t.” “And why not?” Gruff asked hotly. Twilight looked him in the eye. “Rhyolite, unfortunately, is dead. He died of old age nearly six years ago, so he can’t possibly be involved in the conspiracy we face now.” Gruff, frustrated, slapped the table loudly while the mood around the table drooped with this unfortunate news. But Twilight wasn’t finished. “His son Diorite, however…” The mood swiftly perked up again. Even the stoic-faced Kibitz seemed surprised by this announcement. “Rhyolite has a son?” Spike repeated, intrigued. Twilight nodded. “And apparently, Diorite inherited all of Rhyolite’s possessions, including his trade as a printer, having continued it in his father’s stead. Ember further says that while he’s quieter than his father, he definitely shares nearly all of the same opinions, making it likely he takes similar issue with cross-species relations too.” “Yes, but can we prove he’s in anyway involved with all of this?” Raven prompted, remembering Kibitz’s earlier point. “Ember had the same thought and met with Diorite so to try and find out,” Twilight explained. She tapped her notes with one hoof. “She explains how she did it in great detail in her letter, but to summarize, she approached him in his cave and simply asked if he knew anything about the conspiracy.” Gruff scoffed. “I’m sure he denied any involvement on the spot.” “Oh, naturally,” Twilight agreed. “But never let it be said that Ember isn’t crafty, because when he did, she casually got him talking about his thoughts on it instead…up until he let slip his support for the attacks on Spike and Gallus.” Slowly, a smirk formed on Gallus’s beak as he understood. “Oh, that cunning little dragon,” he breathed in approving awe. “…little?” Spike hissed, shooting Gallus a glance. “Have you seen Ember?” “Better—Smolder’s told me how much bigger her parents are, and they aren’t even the biggest full grown dragons around,” Gallus pshawed with a smirk. “Ember’s tiny in comparison.” “Anyway,” Twilight continued, ignoring their banter, “once caught in his words, Ember cut the games and ordered he submit to a search for any clues of his involvement, not really giving him a choice in the matter. Though Diorite has refused to admit his guilt, she’s found sufficient evidence to incriminate him of secretly relaying messages between conspirators for coordinating plans and attacks, which I have verified.” Twilight pulled out two slips of paper, sliding one into the center of the table so all of the others could see too. “As Kibitz and Raven will recall, we found this note among Gene Type’s belongings while searching his office. It strongly appears to pertain to the plan trying to determine Gallus and Spike’s true lineage but nothing truly incriminating.” Everyone leaned closer so to read the message, typewritten in plain and unremarkable lettering so to make it seem as generic as possible. It said: Spike scratched at his temple. “Out of context, it really doesn’t tell you much, does it?” he reasoned aloud. “You can’t even be sure it is talking about me or Gallus specifically.” Twilight nodded. “Part of the reason why we were frustrated at the time we found it, because it didn’t really tell us anything new let alone explain what was going on.” She then pushed the second paper forwards so it lay next to the first. “But now Ember’s sent us this note.” Typewritten in identical plain and unremarkable lettering, this note read: Gruff snorted. “And there are the true colors of these fools,” he mumbled, scowling at the blatantly more obvious nefarious intent. “The printing method matches that of the first message almost exactly,” Twilight explained as the others took in the implications. “Even down to the unique mechanical imperfections of the typewriter it was produced with, proving both were printed with the same one. Ember says she found it in a discreet corner of Diorite’s workspace and surmised it was a spare or backup copy in case the original copy failed to reach its destination. She did not find anything to suggest where it would be sent, but she found the materials needed to send it by firebreath, and given the clear context, it was almost certainly for Gene Type.” “So that’s it then,” Gallus concluded. “Diorite’s definitely involved in all of this.” Twilight nodded. “And we’ve got him. Ember’s keeping him detained until he can be extradited into our custody.” “At which point I intend to question the hay out of him,” Ditzy promised resolutely, “and get whatever other information I can out of him.” “Ember has also promised to give us all of Diorite’s work belongings for examination, in case there are any other clues hidden among them that she’s missed, which I’m hoping there are,” Twilight added. “I don’t want to leave any stone unturned or anything to chance on this, which leads me to my other bit of good news.” She grinned optimistically, surveying everyone at the table. “I’ve continued to be in contact with Lord Gestal with due caution,” she emphasized that bit before Gruff could voice any misgivings, “and he has been nothing but cooperative throughout. He is, in fact, frankly horrified that a griffon of such high rank and standing like Commodore Garrett would not only be conspiring behind the backs of the griffon lords but also secretly plotting the murder of innocent creatures, let alone stage a direct attack on the embassy of a prominent and important ally to the Griffon Kingdom.” “Actions speak louder than words though,” Gruff pointed out though, still skeptical. “Indeed, we know full well Gestal could always just be telling us what we want to hear,” Raven agreed reassuringly. “And to his credit, Gestal knows that,” Twilight added. “So to prove his allegiance, he has sworn his full cooperation with our investigation. To that end, he has secured Garrett’s office and sealed it off from any outside access, so to shield all clues hiding within from tampering. Like Ember has with Diorite’s things, he’s agreed to turn over everything in that office to us. Considering what we found among both Gene Type and Diorite’s things, this leads me to believe at least a few clues could be awaiting us within.” “Well, that’s great,” Spike said, brightening considerably. “With a little luck, this’ll all be enough to figure out how deep this conspiracy goes.” “And hopefully put an end to it finally,” Gallus added, more interested in achieving that goal, though he too was heartened by this metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel. “First, however,” Kibitz interjected here, “we need to get our hooves on all of this evidence before any examinations can begin, and currently both are far outside our borders.” He turned to Twilight. “Your highness, to that end, shall I arrange for the Royal Guard to go and collect these items?” Ditzy shook her head. “No need,” she explained. “The Night Guard has dispatched two Night Guard airships to both locations and are already well on their way there. They should be over the Celestial Sea by now.” Kibitz eyes bulged, stunned. “You…you have?” he asked, clearly not aware. “When did you do this?” “I asked Ditzy to make the necessary arrangements almost immediately after I got the final confirmations from Ember and Gestal since she was already nearby at the time,” Twilight quickly intervened. “So don’t worry, the Night Guard is acting completely at my request.” “And you did not inform me of this, your highness?” Kibitz pressed, bothered he’d been left out of the loop. “Time was of the essence,” Twilight replied, not appearing to understand the issue. “I didn’t want to wait and we were about to meet to discuss it here and now anyway, so I figured I could fill you in then.” “…unless there’s a problem with all that?” Ditzy pointedly asked, sensing Kibitz’s obvious discontent over this. And knowing she was taking offense, Kibitz attempted to placate. “I did not mean to question the capabilities of you or your cohorts, lieutenant commander,” he began tactfully. “I simply think that…given circumstances…” Ditzy decided she didn’t want to hear the rest. “Sure sounds like you’re questioning the capabilities of the Night Guard,” she interrupted darkly. Though Gallus chose to stay out of it, he secretly had to agree—Kibitz didn’t seem to care for the recent favoring of Equestria’s special forces faction. Raven seemed to think similarly. “Kibitz, this has already been discussed,” she told him in an apparent attempt to stop the impending argument. “The Night Guard is the one equipped and trained explicitly for situations such as this.” “That does not mean them exclusively heading the investigation is also the correct choice,” Kibitz replied a little hotly, shooting Raven a small glare. “It is not like the Royal Guard isn’t just as equipped or capable of assisting in this affair too. Given what happened, they should’ve been involved from the start and maybe helped to prevent all of this now.” “I know that, but as I already explained before, Kibitz,” Twilight interjected here, confirming in the process that this hasn’t been the first time the topic’s been broached, “the Night Guard arguably had jurisdiction from the start and already proven themselves trustworthy…” “So far as has been demonstrated,” Kibitz reminded. “I understand there have been compromised associates of the Royal Guard in this already, but that does not mean the whole of it is now enemies nor that the Night Guard is any more immune to such compro—” Ditzy suddenly slammed her hooves on the table and furiously stood, pulling everyone’s attention onto her. “Just admit it, Kibitz!” she snapped at him, done mincing words. “You don’t trust us! You don’t trust ME! Worse, your reasons why are because of mere stereotypes that don’t have any real basis on reality and I am sick of it!” “Ditzy…” Twilight attempted to intervene, reaching out with one hoof. Ditzy swatted it away. “Don’t pretend this isn’t infuriating you to Tartarus also!” she said to the princess then, before Twilight could recover from the outburst, the pegasus whirled back onto Kibitz. “Like your thoughts on it matter anyway, Kibitz, because it’s not your call to make!” “Perhaps not!” Kibitz replied, raising his own voice. “But I worry the secretive Night Guard will not be upfront enough when it comes time to…” “We keep secrets only for everyone else’s protection!” Ditzy again interrupted. “And I can’t tell you just how many of us actually hate it, because we don’t want to have to! The moment we don’t anymore, we stop, which applies here too because we have withheld nothing from anyone sitting at this table since the moment Gene Type went rogue and have likewise shared everything we knew about it as soon as we could!” She slammed her hoof onto the table again. “Dang it, Kibitz, one of our own has already died because of all this, so I don’t take kindly to your implicating we shouldn’t be included when it most certainly involves us as much as everyone else here!” She narrowed her uncovered eye darkly at the unicorn. “If you can’t stop your biases from interfering, then to be frank, you are no better than the biased creatures that killed Gwen and Spark to begin with.” That cold statement hung heavily over the table for a long moment. Going from his stern expression, it was clear to Gallus that Kibitz not only still wasn’t swayed but also took issue with Ditzy’s words. But, seeing he’d nevertheless crossed a line he shouldn’t have and not wanting to instigate a major fight over it, he backed down, dropping the matter while resettling himself in his seat. When he did, Ditzy likewise thumped back into her own seat and immediately stuffed another muffin into her mouth, apparently needing the comfort food so to cool off. Gruff glanced between the two ponies with his good eye for a moment, waiting to see if they’d start back up again. “We’re getting off topic,” he reminded sternly when they didn’t. Twilight nodded and reshuffled her notes once more. “Quite,” she agreed, taking a deep breath before continuing like the dispute hadn’t happened. “In any case, airships have been dispatched to retrieve the new evidence and, if all goes as planned, they should be back with it before the end of the day.” “So what do we do in the meantime?” Gallus asked, thankful to be getting away from the argument. “In the meantime, we continue to try and learn what we can about all of this,” Twilight said and motioned a gentle hoof towards Gallus and Spike. “Given all the evidence we’ve found supporting it, I’m sure you two would like to know everything you can about your lineage, correct?” Gallus glanced in Spike’s direction who glanced back. They seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. “…I suppose I would like to know more, yes,” Spike admitted slowly, his cautious tone managing to sum it up for Gallus too. “I’d like to know how Equestria managed to get their grubby hooves on Spike’s egg in the end,” Gruff grumbled. “There must be a reason for it, given everything else that happened.” Twilight held up a hoof and started sorting through her notes again. “Actually, I wondered the same thing, so since she was still in power at the time, I sent a letter asking Celestia about it.” Withdrawing the former princess’s response from her papers, Twilight skimmed over it quickly. “She admits that she doesn’t recall anything meaningful about Spark’s asylum request, probably because he never turned up to meet with her about it, and since she otherwise had so little involvement in it all, she fears there’s not much she could tell us. But she can confirm that Spike’s egg was turned over to palace authorities by a traveling merchant, who claimed to have found it tucked between two boulders while traveling.” She looked to Gruff. “Gruff, if I can ask this of you, about where did you find Spark’s…remains?” Gruff furrowed his brow slightly, not seeing how it connected, but he pondered the question for a second. “Near the mountains a few miles inland from Baltimare,” he recalled finally. “Why?” Twilight pulled out a small map of Equestria, holding it out for Gruff to see. “So right around here then?” she asked, pointing with her hoof. Gruff leaned closer, squinting his eyes at the map before nodding. “Pretty much—it was basically in the middle of nowhere, at least.” Twilight looked at the map herself, a faint grin forming on her lips. “Not quite,” she said and motioned to a thin line that ran close to but not over the spot Gruff indicated. “As it happens, a notable trade route runs past that same general area, traveled by merchants going back and forth transporting their goods.” “Explains how that one merchant happened to be around to find Spike’s egg,” Gallus reasoned aloud, looking at the princess. “Do you think he saw anything of who attacked Spark?” “Doubtful,” Ditzy admitted, having started in on yet another muffin. “If what little we know about these attackers is true, they were professional enough to wait until they were sure no one else could’ve glimpsed it.” “Besides, it was too far away from this trade route for anyone to have easily seen it,” Gruff added, likewise doubtful. “That’s actually what I’m getting at though,” Twilight said. “The attack may have happened away from the route, but traveling in the direction he was, Spark had almost certainly flown over it some moments before.” Gallus abruptly sat up, understanding. “You think Spark deliberately hid Spike’s egg there, don’t you?” he surmised. Twilight nodded. “And he hid it there specifically in hopes a passing merchant would find it and take it somewhere safe if he couldn’t come back for it.” She lowered her head slightly, solemn. “I can only speculate as to his exact reasons, but my best guess is that he suspected danger, so…” “…so he did it to protect me, make sure whatever harm that might happen to him didn’t also happen to me,” Spike murmured, his gaze distant as the implications sank in. Gallus, understanding all too well what it felt like, draped a comforting wing over him by way of reassurance. Gruff let out his breath in a slow whoosh, his gaze also far away. “Those two would’ve done anything for you,” he mumbled, glancing at Gallus and Spike. “Even put themselves in the line of fire for you.” Raven visibly winced. “I just wish they didn’t have to,” she remarked. “Then maybe things could’ve been different.” “At least they kept these nutjobs from completely succeeding at their goals,” Ditzy added, trying to point out what upsides she could. “And in so doing, have given us a fighting chance to get them some long overdue justice.” Gallus, however, couldn’t help but regard the stumbling blocks still standing in their way. “It’s not going to happen unless we can figure out who everyone involved was,” he pointed out. “Or who the nutjobs were that attacked Spark,” Gruff added before leveling his gaze at Twilight, “particularly how they were involved with the Equestrian military, regardless of what faction it was.” “That’s one of my big concerns as well,” Twilight agreed and glanced at Ditzy. “Have you managed to find out anything new on that?” “Not as of yet,” Ditzy admitted, “but I’m set to meet with a few key contacts so to discuss it today, which I can do while we’re waiting for Diorite and the rest of the new evidence to arrive.” She shifted positions before continuing. “In the meantime, whoever they were, they likely were part of the Royal Guard at some level, because it seems clear that despite whatever suspicions Spark may or may not have held, he was still taken off guard when they fired their killing shot, as well as how they had access to the level of equipment used to do it.” She bit her lip. “The real implication that worries me though is that whoever those attackers were, they were almost certainly just the hired help.” “Which means there is someone still higher up the chain giving the orders,” Kibitz concluded swiftly. “Someone who, as I understand it, we have no meaningful clues about their identity…correct?” There was some head-shaking all around the table. “Whoever they are, they must really hate hybrids,” Spike grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself, though whether it was out of self-comfort or annoyance, it wasn’t quite clear. “More likely they see hybridization as unnatural,” Kibitz offered in an apparent attempt to be helpful, though it wasn’t really. “It would at least give the motivation to go to these lengths trying to…discourage it…from happening.” “Doesn’t make it feel any better, dude,” Gallus sassed, shooting Kibitz a look, though he assumed Kibitz didn’t mean anything by it…probably. “It’s a foolish cause anyway, this anti-hybridization attitude,” Twilight then contributed. “Historically, cross-species hybridization isn’t new—the natural magic of the world allows it to happen more easily than most think, according to research. It’s just not very common because there’s still something of a lingering taboo to it. But despite the stigma and fears surrounding it, hybridization is mostly harmless more often than not, so long as the resulting offspring is viable. There’s no real reason to oppose it with violence like this except out of an aversion to anything perceived as…different…as these sorts of things always seem to be.” Seeing Gallus and Spike both flinch slightly at her choice of words, she quickly backpedaled. “Not that different is a bad thing, of course. It’s our differences which make us special, after all.” Twilight then rolled her eyes. “For that matter, we can make the technical argument that most ponies are hybrids in a way, at least in the sense of interbreeding between tribes.” “That’s true,” Raven agreed. “My father’s family line was mostly earth ponies, but the other side of my family were usually pegasi or unicorns.” And so to prove it, she motioned to her own unicorn horn. “I’m half-unicorn myself,” Ditzy also offered, “Though admittedly it’s more obvious with my sister than me.” “…you have a sister?” Gallus asked, raising a surprised eyebrow at the mare. Ditzy didn’t reply though. “And my own grandfather was a pegasus,” Twilight likewise offered. “The point being is that there’s no need to feel ostracized just for being of mixed breeding.” “With respect, your highness,” Kibitz said, “I am not sure your example is quite the same thing.” “He’s right,” Spike agreed. “This goes a little beyond having families of more than one tribe.” “Fair,” Twilight conceded with a sigh, “though that does bring me to one final point I want to discuss.” She gazed in Gallus and Spike’s direction. “I know we already have photographic evidence, an eyewitness account,” she motioned to Gruff, “and the bloodline stone to top it all off. But Gene Type had all of that too and yet he still felt obligated to do his own testing to confirm it. So, unless there’re any objections…I’d like to do the same with you two today.” Gallus sighed, already starting to picture what that would probably entail. “I’m guessing that means seeing a whole bunch of pokey and prodding doctors, doesn’t it?” he asked wearily. Twilight nodded sympathetically. “One of the things I was busy with last night was scrutinizing enough of the medical staff that could be entrusted with such a task without fear of them causing you harm, and I feel quite confident I have done so.” She again motioned in their direction. “So if you two feel up for it…” “I also helped with the vetting and can back the princess up on that,” Ditzy volunteered, also looking in Gallus and Spike’s direction. “Personally, I think you two should, if just to get a better sense of what this may or may not entail now that you know about it.” Spike shrugged, indifferent. “I guess that makes sense, so sure,” he concluded. Gallus heaved a sigh, not quite so eager, but he also relented. “All right, I’ll humor you on this,” he said. “I suppose I would like to know how I can possibly be crossbred when I’ve only ever shown griffon traits.” Twilight nodded, pleased they had agreed. “Ditzy and the other guards can escort you down in just a moment,” she said before surveying the table, noting that everyone had finished eating. It was around then that Gallus realized he’d finished his poached cod sometime back, but was so caught up in the conversation that he hadn’t noticed he’d cleared his plate. Twilight meanwhile gazed at everyone in turn. “Unless there was anything else anyone wanted to say before we adjourned?” she prompted. Raven and Ditzy shook their heads no. “I don’t have anything to say that I wouldn’t rather discuss in private with you, your highness,” Kibitz remarked, which Twilight wordlessly signaled she’d taken note of before turning her attention to Gruff. Gruff raised a brow back at her in response. “I’d prefer it if I can be kept involved with the happenings of all this somehow,” he remarked, “If just to appease myself that things are really under control like you claim.” “I…don’t know if that’s really necessary, Gruff,” Twilight admitted. But Ditzy pointed her hoof at him. “I can’t give you anything too major since you’re a civilian, but I think I can still come up with something for you,” she promised the elderly griffon. “I’ll talk to you about it after Gallus and Spike are seen to here in a second.” Gruff, appeased, likewise nodded his consent and didn’t speak further. “Right then,” Twilight concluded, gathering her notes and rising from the table. “We’ll all meet up again once we have something more to report. Until then, I hope everybody has a better day today than we’ve had the past couple.” “Hear, hear,” Gallus cheered sarcastically as they all got up to leave. They proceeded to go their separate ways after that. Twilight was fairly quick to leave, which Gallus noticed seemed to disappoint Spike a little—the dragon had probably hoped to visit with the alicorn one-on-one for a bit. Gallus supposed he could sympathize with that, but also figured the princess had her hooves more than full with everything and too much to do to stop and chat. At least Gallus was fairly certain that Twilight probably wasn’t super happy about this arrangement either, but it was what it was. Ditzy, however, was fully available and waiting to escort them to the medical staff for their examination (though Gallus still wasn’t super eager about it). So once they were ready, they headed off, with her leading the way and the two guards that’d escorted them down to the dining room protectively flanking them again. It was during the walk there that Gallus abruptly noticed something else different about Ditzy besides her change of attire, something he was shocked he’d failed to notice sooner. “The heck happened to your wings?” he blurted out, staring at the mare’s wings, which were no longer feathered like before but now instead leathery and webbed, like bat wings. “I thought you were a pegasus!” “Huh?” Ditzy initially grunted, not immediately understanding before extending a bat-like wing and caught on with a grin. “Oh that. Heh, no, rest assured, I am still a pegasus—the bat wings are just part of the uniform.” Seeing Gallus still didn’t understand, she demonstrated by unlatching the saddle-plate of her armor and lifting it just slightly off her body. The moment it no longer touched her back, the bat wings visibly flickered then shifted forms back into the feathered pegasi wings Gallus was more familiar with. “It’s an illusion spell on the armor,” she explained before Gallus could form any exclamations of surprise. She plopped the armor plating back in place and her wings immediately changed back to the bat-like shape. “It just makes my wings look like bat wings while I’m in uniform.” Gallus furrowed his brow as he worked to process it. He chose to ignore Spike snickering on the sidelines, apparently already familiar with this quirk and thus finding his confusion humorous. “But…why?” he asked Ditzy. “You have to keep in mind, the Night Guard was originally founded by bat ponies more than a thousand years ago,” Ditzy explained as she refastened her armor with one hoof, “Hence, of course, the name. As the centuries went by, other tribes of ponies started getting admitted too, but by then, the bat wings had become so iconic to the Night Guard it’d just become part of its look. So, with a bit of crafty magic placement, it was decided to make the bat wings…part of the uniform, like I said. I mean it does vary on the specific division—some sections of the guard don’t mandate it as much—but you get the idea. The Royal Guard uses something similar for their uniforms too. You didn’t think they all just happened to have the same coat colors, did you?” Gallus averted his gaze and didn’t answer that question, since doing so wouldn’t exactly help him to save face at this point. “Anyway, don’t fret about it,” Ditzy continued. “Every pegasus Night Guard gets asked that question at some point—comes with part of being one. And I suppose it makes sense, since the more famous Royal Guard is better known than the Night Guard is.” “…is that why Kibitz was so troubled by the Night Guard being involved with all of this?” Spike cautiously asked. Ditzy sighed. It was clear she didn’t really want to talk about it, but perhaps feeling they were owed an explanation, she continued anyway. “Look, for the record, I’m sorry for exploding about that earlier,” she started by reassuring. “And don’t get me wrong, Kibitz is a fine stallion who does his job well. He’s just…old and traditional, having started working here at the palace at a time where the Royal Guard was more the public face of Equestria’s military than the Night Guard.” She rolled her uncovered eye. “Honestly, I think most of the issue is just him being bothered about all of these…unfavorable…implications about the Royal Guard’s involvement in this conspiracy, making them the less favored group currently. And I can’t blame him for that, as it’s horrible that anyone associated with the guard, even a civilian contractor like Gene Type, could be involved in something like this.” “That doesn’t mean he’s justified in opposing the Night Guard’s involvement though,” Gallus reasoned. “Darn straight,” Ditzy readily agreed, but then forcing herself to look at it more subjectively, she also relented, “though I suppose he’s also right in that this doesn’t mean the whole of the Royal Guard is untrustworthy because of it, or that there can’t be any conspirators within the Night Guard either.” She fluttered her wings anxiously. “I just…didn’t like him talking smack about us when we haven’t done anything to deserve it.” “Unfortunately, Spike and I can sort of relate currently,” Gallus mumbled, seeing the attempted attacks on themselves was similarly done out of unfounded and biased hatred. Ditzy huffed at that. “I suppose you would,” she agreed before giving them a heartening glance. “But let’s see if we can still change that for ya.” They continued on for the palace’s on-site medical facilities, which Gallus quickly realized upon arrival was somewhere between a doctor’s office and a miniaturized hospital. Since she was the one leading, Ditzy spoke with the desk clerk about what they were here for, the clerk having already been forewarned they were coming and was anticipating them, before they were directed to a particular pair of examination rooms where the planned testing would take place. Before entering, Ditzy turned to face them so to give some final instructions. “Okay, this is where we’re going to have to split up again,” she explained to the pair. “For the sakes of your own privacies, the doctors will be examining each of you separately, so Spike will go in that examination room while Gallus goes in the other.” She straightened slightly. “I wish I could stay and oversee things, but like already discussed, I have other things I need to attend to, precautions I want to take, etcetera. But these two fine guards will be staying here, making sure no one tries anything funny with you like Gene Type had. Speaking of…” she turned her attention to the two Night Guards. “You two are to stay here and stand guard over these two creatures. No one is to enter their examination rooms while they’re here except for the approved medical staff, and when that staff does enter, I want a guard in the room with them. If anything untoward happens to either Spike or Gallus, or you suspect any creature approaching them of malicious intent, you are authorized to act however you feel necessary so to preserve their well-being and shield them from harm. Am I clear?” The two guards jointly saluted. “Yes ma’am!” they chorused together. “Then I’ll leave you to it.” Ditzy nodded in approval before giving Gallus and Spike each reassuring pats. “Good luck, you two. I hope this helps settle whatever uncertainties you still have. See you later.” And with that, she trotted off. Left with their guards then, waiting for them to proceed, Gallus and Spike turned to each other. “Well…guess I’ll see you once this all over,” Gallus remarked half-heartedly. “Guess so,” Spike agreed, giving him a hopeful grin. “Hopefully these examinations go better than the last set we had.” Gallus snorted in agreement. “Still not really looking forward to it, but yeah, I definitely hope you’re right,” he said. He hesitated a second then gave Spike a pat on the shoulder. “See you on the other side, then…hopefully with a few more answers for all of this.” “Yeah, you too,” Spike agreed, reaching up to likewise pat Gallus’s paw. He then turned and entered his assigned examination room, with one of the guards taking position at the door. Having seen the dragon safely into his room, Gallus took a deep breath and turned to enter the other. Inside were all of the usual things you’d expect to find in a doctor’s examination room. But there was no medical staff here yet, so, deciding it would probably be a moment, Gallus seated himself on the examination table, crinkling the protective paper covering it as he sat down, and proceeded to wait.