“Alright,” said Babs Seed, letting the large duffel bag drop to the floor as she kicked the door shut and clicked the lock, “All clear.”
The young stallion that had accompanied her for the past day let out a very relieved sigh and erupted in green fire, leaving Bright Eyes in his place. The changeling stretched and buzzed his wings as he stood, making the sound a hornet produces as it angrily buzzes against a window seeking freedom. He made it look as if it took effort to remain in disguise or at the very least it was uncomfortable to walk around in the guise of a pony. For whatever reason, Babs settled on the notion that it must be like clenching a muscle.
One heck of a useful talent, though. Wish I could be somepony else for a while…
She thought about the near four hours she had spent in the room with Starlight while Bright Eyes patiently studied the wall. “Sorry ‘bout that, Bright Eyes,” she said passively. “I’m curious, by the way. What makes you choose the appearances you pick? You have favorite colors?” She paused, finding the notion rather funny for some reason, “Favorite race? Gender?”
He was silent as always and answered with an oddly confused furrowed brow. He didn’t seem bothered by the question in any way, but rather like he didn’t understand the significance of such things to begin with. His gradient eyes darted left and right as he contemplated an answer, but ultimately just shrugged and headed for his couch.
Her musings only delayed the inevitable; she quickly felt the all-too familiar feeling of dread take hold as she stared into the duffel bag that had been delivered to her by Harrier and Pavot. It contained everything that had been found in Apple Bloom’s home in Broncton. She had to face facts: her cousin was involved in all of this and staring at her from across the divide, alongside the same ponies that rallied against everything she stood for. She wanted to believe there was something she missed, but that little shred of hope was becoming harder and harder to hang onto as Rumble’s cold words from the other night echoed over and over.
Ponies change. But even then: what’ll I do when I come face to face with her? Am I strong enough to do what I might have to do?
She told herself over and over that it was her only lead as she dug through the bag searching for clues, despite being well aware that deep down she just wanted to find her cousin and know the truth. Know why. “Even then, she said aloud to herself as she tried to focus her thoughts, “What other choice do I have? I got nothin’ on the Cake twins and Spoon might as well be a ghost. That thing they escaped in could be miles away in any direction; can’t count on chasin’ it down anytime soon.”
The bag she dug through was that of a professional, consummate soldier; it only contained issued gear and nothing in the way of personal effects or knickknacks. It held several uniforms that bore a foreign emblem of a jackal and were colored to match the drab sands of a desert. A knife, haversack, canteen, a belt pouch that carried what was undoubtedly ammunition and a cleaning kit for the gun she used, and the all-important tin cup used for everything from boiling stew, drinking water, or brewing coffee. It was frighteningly similar to the issued gear Babs carried in her Stormfront days, yet so different at the same time with their cloth and leather gear that emphasized mobility and flexibility in a hot environment rather than heavy defensive armor. Babs shuddered at the thought of facing an entire regiment armed with this kind of gear; she never wanted to be one of the unfortunate souls facing an army of foes each carrying accurate distance weapons that had been powerful enough to actually damage the black armor the royal guard wore.
So deadly that the users didn’t bother with armor; the enemy couldn’t get close enough.
All that was left in the bag were a pair of pendants, obviously dog tags, with one reading ‘Peppercorn, 07031983, Zebra, E.D.F’ and the other with similar information and the name ‘Sunflower’, and a strange gemstone that immediately caught her attention. She put the tags aside and studied it closely; there didn’t seem to be anything special about it and yet it felt so out of place compared to the bags contents that it seemed important. Babs held it up to the light and, as she studied the way it refracted through the small stone, she began to feel strange. Everything around her began to feel out of sync, like she was falling asleep yet fully aware at the same time. She stared and stared and quiet, strange-sounding hoofsteps began to echo louder and louder from a source she couldn’t pinpoint.
“I’m not happy,” said a deep voice she instantly recognized as Rumble’s, despite it sounding distorted like it was underwater. It seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
“Yes…” said a feminine voice, dripping with anger. “I swear that one is like a little gray cockroach. Never in my life have I hated a pony so much as Silver Spoon. Just… hearing that name offends me in a most sickening way.” The sound of that angry growl just barely masked by the all-familiar elegant tone told Babs Seed this voice belonged to the Princess, and she did not sound happy. “Oh how I wish your ex had just twisted her head clean off when she had the chance, for all the good it did us to take her alive.”
“Nopony has ever done a stunt like this before.”
“Yes. And that little escape of theirs was disgustingly easy thanks to it,” said the Princess, followed by the trademark heavy exhale she did when she collected herself and quelled her temper. “We’ll have to have a word with that company; until they install some manner of lock-out device to prevent such insurrections again those vehicles will be disabled. What do you think? A key, perhaps?”
“Focus,” scolded Rumble in a way that chilled Babs to the bone. He sounded furious; much angrier than she had ever heard him before.
“Very well. What do you think?”
“I think the Queen should get involved.”
“No,” said the Princess. “No, there is no need to disturb her rest over this. Though a serious blow to our credibility, and even considering my personal investment in Silver Spoon for the neck ache she gave me, admittedly they were low-value prisoners to say the least. Let them crawl back into their hole and cower for a while; chasing them down will give Lightning Dust and her minions something to chew on. Heh… at the very least, their escape did save me from having to give the mother of all awkward explanations to Babs Seed.”
Explanation…?
“What’s the plan, then?” asked Rumble curtly.
“Stay the course,” said the Princess, “I can suffer a blow to my ego from time to time. All I truly care about is preventing collateral damage and keeping the hoi polloi in line while the Queen prepares her little solution. We each have our part to play, my friend, and we cannot lose sight of that just because some grains of sand got caught between the gears.”
“The Queen taught you well.”
“Taught us well. The Queen’s going to do what those spineless royal sisters and their crew of bobble-head element bearers never could, and we’ll be there every step of the way to help her drag this mess of a nation, kicking and screaming if necessary, into a golden age. One where two little foals don’t have to watch their families die right before their eyes because one princess had a tantrum and decided our hometown was a great place to settle it.”
“Suppose the grains of sand find the rest of the elements,” interrupted Rumble. “Contingency?”
“We won’t have to worry about that,” said the Princess in a smug tone, as if she knew something she wasn’t letting on, “Provided they don’t pull anymore stunts like the Canterlot debacle and make us look incompetent, which of course encourages bandwagon jumpers and more collateral damage, then they can feel free to scurry like lice to the tip of the longest hair and claim victory for all the good it will do them. Perhaps we’ll get real lucky and your ex will capture the one who pulled Silver Spoon’s strings to boot; she’s quite good at that sort of thing it seems.” She sighed heavily with frustration, which sounded like a demonic growl due to the distortion, “You truly are the smarter one. Oh how often I wish I had been the one to renounce my title and leave such headaches to Prince Rumble.”
“You weren’t run over by a truck.”
Like abruptly waking from a nightmare Babs Seed fell limp to the ground and cried out, clutching her hooves to her forehead trying to soothe the throbbing headache the assault to her senses had given her. She clenched her eyes shut to bear the pain and blindly waved her hoof around, finding somepony to hang onto who helped pull her back to her hooves. “Thanks,” she said, absentmindedly assuming it was Starlight as usual until she looked and saw gradient blue eyes staring at her with confusion and concern, “…partner,” she added. Bright Eyes released his gnarled grip on her and she went to retrieve the gem, stumbling once from her still-pounding headache as she picked it up. She had only heard of these things up until now. They were something the crystal ponies had come up with to store information; although Babs wasn’t clear on how they worked these gemstones could store sound and play it back like a record. Of course Equestria had appropriated them for use after the invasion, but despite their usefulness these stones hadn’t caught on due to the headaches they caused. “This ain’t somethin’ Apple Bloom would’ve been carryin’, Bright Eyes,” said Babs as she studied the thing, “and none of this adds up.”
Bright Eyes cocked his head to the side, apparently not understanding what she meant. Rather than return to his couch, though, he took a seat attentively like a dog awaiting an order.
“Somepony else planted this there, pal,” she said as she was lost in thought, “Somepony who knew I would find it. Wanted me to find it. The question is who?” She didn’t like this one bit. What possible reason was there for some unknown pony in the palace to be slipping her this information? If the Princess was right and there was a spy in the palace, why would he or she be helping her? Did that mean she was being used, and is playing into the spy’s hooves by continuing her investigation? Perhaps it wasn’t a spy at all; perhaps it was just one random pony in the palace who wanted to help her on the sly, but again the question was why? Why help her, and why keep it a secret?
And why send me this of all things?
The entire conversation she had listened to had disturbed her in a multitude of ways she couldn’t understand. She had no clue what that conversation was about and yet it had sounded so threatening and ominous. And why would this unknown benefactor send her this recording at all? “And for that matter,” she said the unusually attentive Bright Eyes at her side, “how did they get this?” Babs Seed wasn’t sure what the range of these gemstones was, but it made logical sense that they could only record things within earshot. Sneaking up on Rumble and the Princess just to eavesdrop, or even slipping it into their clothing, is a pretty bold move for somepony to make just to give her a recording of a conversation that meant very little to her to begin with. As fond of Rumble as she was, and as pleasant as the Princess is when she’s in a good mood, those are two ponies no sane pony would ever cross in a million years without a very good reason.
Just who is this pony?
Babs Seed sighed as what was left of her headache finally subsided. As things stood right now, everything seemed to hinge on these ‘Elements of Harmony’. If these ponies, her cousin included, were indeed seeking them, then her best C.O.A. seemed clear. She had to find them. That would aim her right in the direction of these ponies. The problem was that all the records were incredibly vague; many of them didn’t even mention the elements and none gave useable details. Even Starlight, who could have easily been a historian with his knowledge on such subjects, knows little about them. “However,” she said as she recalled the names Starlight had listed off, “I do know of the ponies who had them.” As troubling as Rumble and the Princess’ conversation was, she had no choice but to just trust them with that end of things. She had a plan of her own—
BANG BANG BANG!
Babs Seed and Bright Eyes both jumped at the abrupt knock on their door and the changeling hurriedly disguised himself before Babs answered. A young pale yellow stallion stood at her door that she instantly recognized with his bandaged shoulder and one leg curled against his chest. “In… uh… Inspector,” he said nervously, “Uh… Captain Sky, ma’am, he sent me to get you.”
Babs patted the nervous little thing’s shoulder and tried to reassure him with a smile, “Easy there,” she said softly, “I don’t bite. What do you mean ‘get me’?”
The young pegasus took a deep breath and meekly dabbed the sweat from his head. “We, I mean some of our fliers, they found the… uh… the thing the escapees uh, escaped in. Uh, the tracks it left anyway. The unit’s deploying in 15, on hoof so they’re not seen above the tree line.”
“And you want me to come along?” asked Babs curiously.
“The Captain does. Uh, ma’am. Truth is, none of us really know about ground tracking. We… we could really use the help. Ma’am.”
“What about Me— I mean, the Lieutenant?” said Babs Seed, “Me and her don’t exactly… click. Might cause problems if we’re both along.”
“Uh… none of us know where she— I mean, the Lieutenant is… uh… out right now. Unavailable. She won’t be along.”
“Fifteen minutes?” confirmed Babs. “Tell your captain to wait for me.”
The young pony perked up, “Yes, Ma’am!” he said as he turned and limped quite quickly down the hall on three legs.
Paydirt.
With any luck this meant things were starting to look up. Hopefully they’d track them down and she could face her cousin one-on-one. “I just have to know why,” she said as she latched the door and winked to Bright Eyes, signaling it was all-clear to return to his true form, “It’s true what Rumble said: ponies change. But for what reason, pal? Maybe she has a good reason, or maybe she is just a victim of circumstance. No matter what, as long as I can help it, nopony’s gonna lay a hoof on her ‘till I find out the truth behind all this.”
Bright Eyes only blinked twice and made an odd warbling noise; Babs couldn’t even tell if he was agreeing or not.
“Now then,” said Babs as she turned to face the changeling, “I need to ask somethin’ of you, but before I do, you remember your first day here? When I told you I expected you to do as I said?” The changeling eagerly nodded. “Well, this is nothin’ like that. I got a job for you, but let me make it clear I’m not tellin’ you to do it. I’m askin’ you.”
The changeling was perplexed. He didn’t understand at all what she was getting at and simply shrugged in silence.
“I have no clue where these elements could be, Bright Eyes, but I know of the ponies who originally had ‘em. I also know the R.E.A.F’s first mission was to apprehend those ponies. It ended in failure; not a single one was brought in, but there would be mission logs. Logs that explained where they searched, perhaps even logs of encounters or chases. The problem is those logs are way above my pay grade and they’d never lend ‘em to a guard.” Babs Seed rested her hoof on the changeling’s shoulder, smiling to reassure him as he flinched slightly from the contact. “What I’m askin’ you to do is disguise yourself as my cousin Merrilay, go in there, and swipe their oldest mission log. Pretty sure the fliers are all out right now but if any happen to spot you, you gotta just say nothin’; from what I hear she’s pretty abrasive to her comrades and they won’t suspect a thing. Let me make something perfectly clear before you even consider agreein’ to do this, though: if you get caught, you’re toast. There’ll be nothin’ I can do to protect you and whatever they’ll end up doing to you won’t be pretty.” She took a moment to stare into his worried blue eyes, “So I’m askin’ you if you’ll do it. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I wouldn’t wanna do it either. I’ll figure out somethin’ else; I always do. It’s your choice, Bright Eyes. Your call.”
Bright Eyes nervously bit his lower lip and sat down for a moment as he thought. Without much hesitation he looked her in the eyes and nodded. Babs Seed lunged and scooped the changeling up in a big bear hug which made him panic. She refused to release him as he struggled and kicked his gnarled hooves against her and cried out in a fearful hissing chatter. In a moment he began to relax; he stopped struggling and very hesitantly put his hooves around her back and returned the hug, gently nestling his head against her chest as he did so. Babs took a moment longer to cradle the little black creature; his vaguely equine face was so full of sorrow as he stared off into nothing with his head against her that she couldn’t bring herself to let go quite yet.
“I’ll be back in a little while, Bright Eyes,” she said softly as if he was a foal, “You head out whenever you’re ready.”