//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Banners Which Flew Without Wind // Story: Dragon Age: Equestria // by OkemosBrony //------------------------------// Mahanon heard knocking from the door to his cottage, shocking him out of sleep. Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his temple; he had not gotten a good night’s sleep since escaping Canterlot, and the work of an Inquisitor was starting to catch up to him. Groggily, he slid out of bed and hobbled to the door, where he opened it and found Twilight on the other side. “Good morning!” she beamed a little too excitedly for him. “Good morning,” he moaned, pushing a few stray hairs out of his eyes. “You’re eager today.” “No more than normal,” she said, looking up at him worriedly. “Everything okay?” “Just tired,” he replied, stretching. “What’s on the agenda for today?” “The Rebels have just started arriving,” she said, turning back to the town. “And now that they’re here, Fancypants said we can start preparing for the Minotaurs.” “Lead the way, then,” he said, walking out behind her and closing the door. She lead him through Neighven and into the command center, then straight ahead through the main hall into a large room with a large, circular wooden table in the center, with all the Inquisition’s advisors as well as Cadence, Gilda, Bzkdlina, Cassandra and Iron Bull seated at it. “Good, you’re here,” Fancypants said, looking up from the papers he was reading. “Inquisitor, if you would, please sit between me and Spymaster Lulamoon.” Following his orders, Mahanon moved to the other side of the table and sat down between them, while Twilight took the only other open seat between Shining Armor and Cadence. “How come you’re all here?” Mahanon asked, looking at everyone seated. “It’s a bit of a diverse group.” “We’re all your allies,” Fancypants said proudly. “We’ll all be marching with you into the Minotaur summit, to show the Inquisition’s strength.” “But why all of you, in particular?” “Minotaurs value allies,” he explained. “Only Spymaster Lulamoon and I will be with you to represent the Inquisition.” “I would be going, but I can’t make it that far,” Shining Armor interjected. “Cassandra, or Divine Victoria, will be representing the Andrastan Chantry, whatever that is,” Fancypants said, moving down the table. “Iron Bull will be representing the…?” “For the last time, Qunari,” he replied impatiently. “Iron Bull will be representing the Qunari, Bzkdlina will be representing the Changelings-” “Are you sure?” she asked meekly, putting a hoof up. “One of the Generals would be better for this than me.” “The Changelings have decided to let you represent them at the summit,” he said comfortingly. “And then Gilda will be representing the Griffon Rebels, Princess Cadence the Crystal Empire, and Twilight will be there for Equestria.” “And so they’re all going because it will show the Minotaurs we already have significant political power?” Mahanon asked to confirm his thoughts. “Indeed,” Fancypants nodded. “You’ll want to appease the Emperor himself; they all have an equal say in the summit, but being the head ruler, he’ll be able to sway his compatriots easier than one of them.” “How do you propose getting him on our side?” “I don’t really know that,” he admitted. “He’ll probably want the Inquisition to do something for him in return. Do whatever you think is right, but obviously nothing too bad. You could consult with any one of us if you’re unsure of what to do.” “Anything else?” “There is one thing,” he said, becoming more somber. “The politics of the Minotaurs is run by the Paichnidi, but none of them would ever admit it.” “‘Paichnidi’?” Mahanon echoed. “Yes, some of your companions say it is similar to the Game of Orlais. The Minotaurs have a deeply-rooted tradition of spying and covert operations against each other, but unlike what your companions described of the Game, it is not public. Being accused of partaking in the Paichnidi is very bad; being found guilty of it is political suicide, if not actual.” “So I should be on the lookout for aspects of it?” “You should partake in it,” Fancypants said painfully. “Believe me; nopony would ever suggest taking part of the Paichnidi if there were better options. One wrong move, and the entire court turns against you. That being said, they all are a part of it, but publicly, they deny it and say they’re the only ones that don’t. You will try to be pulled into it, and you should try and use it to your advantage.” “You played the Game well in Halamshiral,” Cassandra joined in. “Even Josephine praised your performance. I was the one who suggested you play this game with the Minotaurs.” “Deep down, they’ll like to see an Inquisitor who can fight enemies and work a system to get his way,” Fancypants said. “Even if they won’t admit it to the public.” “We’ll keep all the Minotaurs busy while you can go off and play politics,” Gilda said. “Anything else?” Mahanon asked. “Don’t die?” Iron Bull suggested. As the Inquisition walked through the streets of the Minotaur capital of Minos, individuals of all species, from ponies to Minotaurs to what looked like sentient dragons, watched on from the outside of the gated area created specifically for dignitaries going to the summit. Some of them were cheering and pointing excitedly, some were glaring, and others seemed to be studying the Inquisition and its allies. “Certainly a lot more than just Minotaurs here,” Mahanon noted as he walked down to the street and waved back to a cheering pony, who fainted at his acknowledgement of her. “Minos is home to more than just Minotaurs,” Twilight said. “And a lot of others travel just for these. Especially for a cause as important as this one, ponies and all other creatures from all over travel for the festivities and to hear the news right as it breaks.” “Plus, some of them are probably spies trying to decide which ones of us to go after,” Trixie said, glaring at everyone they passed. “They don’t look that tough,” Iron Bull laughed. “Except that one,” he said, pointing to a massive white pegasus with tiny wings and pronounced veins all over his body. “He looks like he’d be fun to fight.” “Maybe not the best attitude to have at a diplomatic summit,” Cassandra pointed out. “Come on,” Bull laughed. “When was the last time we went out with the Inquisitor and didn’t have a ton of shit trying to kill us?” “Doesn’t mean you have to invite it to,” she quipped back. When they got to the courtyard of the enormous palace towering over the rest of Minos, the party stopped as a Minotaur holding a scroll came over, followed by numerous pairs of Minotaurs, each pair holding a folded banner. “You’re the Inquisition and all its allies, right?” the Minotaur asked, looking down at his scroll. “We are,” Mahanon confirmed. “Alright, uhh…” He looked down at his scroll. “You’re going in this order: Chantry, Qu...Koo...Koo-nary I guess, Griffons, Changelings, Crystal Empire, Equestria, Inquisition.” He looked up at them. “Got all that?” “Means you first,” Bull said, gesturing for Cassandra to lead them. “And it’s Qunari,” Bull corrected, slightly angry. “Maybe I should just starting a nametag around everything here.” “Right,” the Minotaur said, equally as bitter. He turned to the pairs holding the banners, then pointed at one of them. “You guys are up first. You ready?” They both nodded, then walked to Cassandra and stood on opposite sides of her. “Looks like it’s your turn,” he said, looking ahead at the palace entrance. Looking back to his scroll, he cleared his throat. “Tonight, the Inquisition and all her allies will be represented,” he proclaimed loudly. “Representing the Chantry, Divine Victoria.” When he announced her, the Minotaurs flanking Cassandra raised their banner high, revealing a perfect rendition of the Chantry emblem and started walking forward towards the place with Cassandra. “Representing the Qunari, Iron Bull.” The Minotaurs that had appeared besides Bull lifted their banner, again with a perfect replica of the Qun’s emblem. “Representing the Griffons, Rebel Leader Gilda. “Representing the Changelings, Bzkdlina. “Representing the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadence. “Representing Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle. “And representing the Inquisition itself, Inquisitor Lavellan and his advisors, Diplomat Fancypants and Spymaster Lulamoon.” Cheering erupted as Mahanon walked towards the palace, where the rest of his companions had arrived and were waiting for him. “Sounds like you’re quite popular,” Bull joked. “Everyone’s looking up you now,” Twilight said happily, trying to downplay her smile. “You stopped the Breach, cured the Changelings and showed them mercy, and stopped the war between the Griffons, all in a short time; you’re bringing hope to us all.” “Inquisitor!” they heard a voice from behind them call out. When they turned around, they saw a tall Minotaur, wearing off-white battle robes, walking towards them. “You must be the Emperor,” Mahanon replied with a bow. “Indeed I am,” he said, returning the bow. “I am pleased that you have come to our summit; no better to advise us on what to do about the Breach than the one who stopped it.” “Unfortunately, it is not stopped yet,” he reminded him. “Alas, we know,” he said with a pained smile. “Otherwise would not be having this meeting.” After looking off to both sides, he looked back to Mahanon. “May I speak with you in private?” Looking back to his companions for advice, he saw Fancypants gesture his hoof towards the Emperor. “I suppose that will be alright,” he said, looking back to the Emperor. “Excellent,” the Emperor said happily, stepping to Mahanon’s side and putting an arm around his shoulder. “Are the other Kings here yet?” Mahanon asked. “Not yet,” he shook his head. “They arrive last; for now, it is the other parties arriving.” “I find it odd you involve so many other outside parties in your summits,” Mahanon admitted. “We are citizens of this world!” he said powerfully, raising a fist. “We cannot sit around and discuss something as momentous as the Breach without making sure every voice is heard.” “An admirable quality,” he praised. “We like to think so.” As they got to a large set of wooden doors overlooking the grand foyer, the two Minotaurs guarding them opened them, letting the Emperor and Mahanon walk into a throne room with multiple braziers lit along the carpet leading up to the throne, which had two large bonfires roaring next to it. When the doors closed, the Emperor looked back down at Mahanon and took his arm off him. “You must forgive the secrecy; many of the visiting parties send spies. You never know who is listening.” “I was warned about that,” he replied. “Don’t worry; our homeland is much like that, and I know a thing or two about navigating my way through such a game.” “That is good,” he said somberly. “You may need to. I will be blunt with you; I have a few spies running around, making sure everything is running smoothly. I do not have as many as the other Kings and do not use them maliciously, but I must stoop to their level if I am to keep them in check.” Mahanon nodded, skeptical to how truthful the Emperor’s claims were. “I take it your spies have uncovered something?” he asked. “Indeed,” he replied hauntingly. “One of the Kings is not who he appears to be; he is a servant of the Breach.” “Do you know which one?” “I do not,” he admitted. “My spies report that one of them has started worshipping the Breach and intends to sabotage this summit tonight. I do not know which one, when they will strike, or even what they plan to do, but be wary of them.” “I will try to keep my eyes open.” The Emperor bowed. “Thank you, Inquisitor. I alerted my guards beforehand about this, and have told them to give you access to the Royal Wing of my palace. I believe there is something there that will give you an idea of what to do. The Kings stay in that Wing during these summits, so look diligently; one of their own spies has likely placed something at a dead drop there.” “Thank you for this information, Emperor,” Mahanon said with a bow. “Go forth with vigilance,” he said, holding his hand up. Mahanon turned back around to the doors, and when he opened them to the grand foyer, he saw that everyone he came with had split up, each of them in their own small groups. Seeing that Iron Bull and Cassandra were talking to the same mare, he walked up to them. “Mon dieu!” the mare cried out when she saw Mahanon approach. “You are the Inquisitor, no?” she asked, with an accent that reminded him of the Orlesian accent. “Indeed I am,” he confirmed. “And where are you from?” “We are from the Regal city of Mareis,” she said with her head up high. “We have long allied ourselves with the Emperor; we strongly suggest you do the same tonight and for the future.” “Perhaps we can discuss that later,” he said, pointing to Bull and Cassandra. “I need my companions for a little while.” “Au revoir, Inquisitor,” she said with a curtsey. As she walked away, Bull and Cassandra turned to him. “What did the Emperor say?” Iron Bull asked. “He said nothing important,” he said, avoiding the issue in public. “We need to go to the Royal Wing, however.” “You’re the boss,” he shrugged in response. “I’ll meet you there,” he said as he saw Bzkdlina standing next to Cadence and talking to a dragon. When he walked up to them, the dragon beat his chest with his claw. “So you are the Inquisitor, then?” he asked. “Indeed,” he replied. “I wish I could stay and talk, but I need Bzkdlina for the time being.” “You will have to come back and tell me of the dragons in your homeland,” he said with some curiosity. “These two here were telling me you mentioned you were a dragonslayer; I should hope defeating a dragon in combat is as much an accomplishment there as it is here.” “I’ll tell you all about them later, I promise,” he said, trying to break away from the conversation. “What is it?” Bzkdlina asked worriedly, looking up at him. “I’ll explain later,” he dismissed again. When he walked up to the entrance to the Royal Wing, he found Iron Bull and Cassandra waiting there for him. Without a word, the guard opened up the door he was guarding, then stepped aside to let the party through. Once they walked through the doorway, they found themselves in a large hallway, seemingly going forever in both directions and with nearly hundreds of individual doors along both sides of the hallway. “So why are we here?” Bull asked, looking down one direction. “The Emperor says that one of the other Kings has started worshipping the Breach and plans to sabotage this summit,” he informed them. “I’m afraid that’s all he knows.” “Or all he told you,” Bzkdlina suggested. “So we’re suppose to search everywhere?” Cassandra asked, looking at the hallway they were in. “That would take hours, if not days!” While the others debated the best place to start, Iron Bull walked up to the statue in front of them, depicting a Minotaur with one hoof on a rock, and a sword in one hand with a scroll in the other, both triumphantly raised. Reaching inside the statue’s scroll, he pulled out a real scroll. “Guess this is as good a place to start as any,” he said, tossing the scroll to Mahanon. As he broke the stampless seal and unrolled the scroll, the rest of his companions gathered around him as he read the note aloud to them. ”To the one who wears Vallaslin,” “‘Vallaslin’?” Bzkdlina repeated. “The name for my tattoos,” Mahanon said in shock, running a finger slowly across one of the tattoos on his face. “It’s odd he would know that. I don’t think I’ve ever discussed them with anyone since getting here.” “Keep reading,” Bull said impatiently. ”I am sorry for the secrecy, but as I have probably informed you, we can never be sure of who is watching, reading, or listening. You are here, and I hope it is you who is reading this. If so, make your way to the thirteenth door on the left, down to your right as you face the statue you found this in. This is a common dead drop for one of the Kings, and I would be shocked if he did not have something there tonight.” Sincerely, Who am I kidding? You know who I am. “Why couldn’t he have just told you that when he met with you?” Bull asked. “Guy seems to going through a lot of hoops.” “It’s understandable,” Cassandra said. “Never tell someone everything in one place if you are not sure of its security.” “Why didn’t he just address you by name?” Bzkdlina asked, still wondering about the opening of the letter. “So nobody knows it’s me if it got intercepted,” Mahanon replied, putting the letter in his jacket. “I’m surprised even he knew what Vallaslin was. It’s unlikely that any normal spy would know of it, so they wouldn’t know it was incriminating against me.” “I guess,” she said, starting to walk down the hallway. “Well, what are we waiting for?” The rest of the Inquisition followed her down the hallway until they got to the mentioned door. When the door would not open, Mahanon looked at Iron Bull, who took the hint as he walked up and kicked it in. “We’ve really got to stop using kicking doors down as our first plan,” Cassandra noted as she walked into the room. “But where’s the fun in that?” Mahanon joked as he followed her into the room, which had many crates stacked up high, as well as many shattered and splintered across the floor. “Could be in any of these,” Bzkdlina noted as she looked at some of the stacks. Looking at the wall, Mahanon walked over to a loose brick and removed it, revealing a small bottle in an expertly-chiseled alcove behind it. “Not that hard,” he noted as he opened the bottle and took out the letter inside. “What’s this one say?” Cassandra asked intently. ”Dear-” He stopped reading and made a confused face at the letter. ”Dear Cutebutt…” Iron Bull laughed, Cassandra groaned, and Bzkdlina simply blushed. “What are you waiting for?” Bull asked, laughing. “See if it gets good!” ”Dear Cutebutt, “Card Sharp here. So in case you weren’t briefed, watch out for that Inquisitor; we have no idea what he could do. He probably doesn’t even know about Minos politics, so he’ll mess everything up we know about the other Kings if he sides with them since we don’t know how he works. “Anyways, look for a way into the Emperor’s study. Rumor has it he’s got a key stashed away in his meditation garden somewhere. It’s under something that never moves at all and has a mighty roaring call, but no lungs or throat. You’re smart; you can figure that one out. “After that, meet me in the East Reading Room when the clock strikes eleven. You know the one; you get there through the tunnels, where we-” Mahanon cut himself off and grimaced at the rest of the letter. “I’m...not finishing that,” he said with a twinge of disgust. “And I will be trying a few of those out as soon as I find someone adventurous enough,” Iron Bull said, taking the letter and putting it in his pocket. “We have no time to waste,” Cassandra said urgently. “We must first find the garden, then figure out what that’s supposed to mean.” “It’s under a waterfall,” Bzkdlina proclaimed. When they looked at her, she smiled meekly and blushed slightly. “I...always liked riddles.” “Good enough,” Bull shrugged. As they exited the storage room, they all looked down both ends of the hallway to try and figure out where they were supposed to head. “Any ideas?” Mahanon asked. “Besides splitting up and searching them all individually?” Iron Bull asked. “This one says ‘Storage Room’,” Cassandra noted, pointing to a plaque by the room they just exited. “Hopefully, we can jut read those and not have to actually search every room.” “I guess that’s our best option,” Mahanon said. “I’ll take this side of the hallway, from the statue down. The rest of you can divide the other quarters up however you want.” When they agreed on a search pattern, they all split up and began making their way down the hallway, reading each plaque as they went by. Mahanon passed many different rooms: numerous storage rooms, a bathing room, an armory or two, but none that lead to a garden. When he got to the end, he saw a large set of doors with the sign ‘Garden’ hanging above them. When he opened the doors, he walked into a room as dark as the outside, but he could make out the shapes of many trees and stones, as well as see the night sky through the numerous windows that created the ceiling of the garden. “Fascinating,” he whispered to himself. When he noticed the waterfall, he began walking towards it, taking in the smells as he did; it smelled exactly like the wild outdoors, right down to every perfect detail. As he got up to the waterfall and put his boots in, he took his staff off and looked at the bottom of the small pool, but could not see anything due to the darkness and the rush of water churning everything. Taking a deep breath, he stuck his head underwater, looking at and feeling everything he could, but not finding anything resembling a key. After a few more tries, he gave up, pulling his sopping head out of the water and trying to squeeze some water out of it. “You look ridiculous,” he heard Iron Bull laugh. “I can’t find any key down there,” he panted, exhausted from being battered by the waterfall. “Could be the wrong one,” Bull suggested. “Or maybe we’re looking in the wrong place. They’re spies; they probably have some secret meaning to everything in that letter.” “What do you suggest, then?” “I say we stake out the entrance to that Reading Room. Whoever got that letter has to go there eventually, and it’s not eleven yet; we can try and run around and catch up to this spy, or we can jump in front of them.” “I guess it’s as good an idea as any,” he said, squeezing some water out of his coat. “Come on, we should go get the others.” “How do you think one of the Kings is even going to sabotage the summit?” Bull wondered. “Not like he can just take the others out, people would get suspicious. Maybe he plans to get the others possessed? But still, you’d think someone would notice.” “That’s what we said about the Lord Seeker, remember?” Mahanon reminded him. “Servants of the Breach can be pretty good at hiding themselves when they need to.” “I suppose,” he agreed, opening the door for Mahanon. When they exited into the hallway, they walked down the long stretch of doors to the statue, then continued walking again for a few minutes before coming across Cassandra, who was reading a plaque intently. “We’re skipping the searching,” Bull announced to her. “What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “We’re going to try and intercept this spy,” Mahanon explained. “They’re probably ahead of us already; if we try and follow them, they’ll just get further and further ahead.” “We need to find the tunnels then, don’t we?” she asked, trying to recall the letter from before. “Probably somewhere near here,” he said, looking at some of the plaques. Finding one that said Dungeon Access nearby, he shrugged. “Convenient.” “I’ll go find Bzkdlina,” Cassandra said as she walked away from them. Mahanon tried the door, and unlike the previous one, it was unlocked. They waited at the top, and when Cassandra returned with Bzkdlina, the four all walked down into the dungeon. When they stepped down into the sewer-like tunnel, Mahanon grabbed a torch and looked around. “Anybody see anything about where we’d need to go?” “Over here,” Cassandra said, calling him over. “Looks like a maintenance map.” When he walked over, Mahanon shone the torch on the plaque on the wall, which had the entire tunnel map etched into the metal. “Looks like we just have to take this main one,” he said, putting his finger on the map and tracing a route across the map. “Well, what are we waiting for?” Iron Bull asked eagerly. Putting the torch back, Mahanon took point in front of them. “It didn’t look like it was very far from here.” “Do you think we’ll be able to close the Breach soon?” Bzkdlina asked optimistically as they made their way through the tunnels. “I should hope so,” Mahanon responded. “With the Griffons and hopefully the Minotaurs, we should be able to push through the Crystal Ponies and get back up to the Breach.” “Which King do you suspect is behind this?” Bull asked. “I don’t know any of them,” Mahanon replied. “I don’t really know what they stand for or believe in, and since I’ve never met any of them, I wouldn’t be able to tell you if they were acting oddly.” “Didn’t know if the Emperor told you if he had a hunch or anything, that’s all.” They walked a few more minutes in silence until they got to a dead end with a ladder at the end, with Grand Library written in a small plaque near it. “So...what now?” Bull asked, looking around. “We wait,” Cassandra said. Turning to the tunnel they just came from, she turned her head to position her ears to better hear the faint sound coming from far down the tunnel. “Everybody hide,” she whispered, disappearing into an alcove in the wall. The rest of the Inquisition did the same, and when the clopping of hooves got louder, Mahanon exited his alcove and came face-to-face with an earth pony wearing a cloak and a hood pulled over her forehead so her eyes were barely visible. “Oh, ponyfeathers!” she cursed under her breath, immediately turning around and trying to run but instead seeing Cassandra and Iron Bull waiting for her. She turned back around to Mahanon, but he had crossed his arms and Bzkdlina had moved next to him. Clearly nervous, the pony turned again and ran, only to be grabbed by Iron Bull as she tried to run by him. He moved a hand to her neck, then held her up off the ground. “Who are you?” she demanded. “You should probably be telling us that,” Bull pointed out. “We’re not the ones who just got caught.” She struggled to move his hand from her throat, but was unsuccessful. “I’m not telling you anything!” “The note in the storage room was meant for you, wasn’t it?” Mahanon questioned her. “No!” she quickly snapped, quickly turning a deep crimson. “...Why? Did you read it?” “Only the first part. The last part got a little too…” “Erotic?” Bull suggested. “I guess that’s a good way of describing it.” “Well, I’m not telling you anything!” she said sternly. Noticing something, Bull started rooting around in her bushy tail. “Not even what you hope to uncover?” Mahanon asked. “Nothing!” She stayed silent for a few moments before yelping and clenching her back legs up into her chest. “H-hey, watch where you’re rooting around back there!” “We don’t work for anyone,” Mahanon lied. “We’re not here to incriminate anybody; we’re just here to make sure none of the Kings are trying to sabotage this summit for the benefit of the Breach.” “That’s ridiculous!” she scoffed. “My King certainly doesn’t want that.” “Who is your King, anyways?” “Like I’ll tell.” “Do we really need to know?” Bzkdlina asked. “Ow!” she screamed as Iron Bull pulled a key out of her tail, taking a few hairs with it. “Found what we’re looking for,” he said happily. “You could’ve been gentle!” she yelled down to him. “Please,” he laughed. “If I wanted this to hurt, you’d be hurting a lot worse right now.” “Speaking of such, what should we do with her?” Cassandra asked. “We can’t let her run around and let her know what we’re up to.” “They’ll have you kicked out of Minos in a heartbeat!” she laughed. “Keep talking and you won’t have a heartbeat to measure that with,” Bull scolded. “Would you consider joining the Inquisition?” Mahanon asked. She laughed again. “What, and play errand filly for your Spymaster, an egotistical traveling magician past her prime? I’d rather die.” “That can be arranged,” Cassandra said coldly. “Do it, then!” she dared. “Bet you’re too weak to.” “Put her down,” Cassandra said emotionlessly, pulling out her sword. Bull shrugged, then placed her on the ground and used a hand to expose her neck. “Wait, what?” she asked as Cassandra placed the tip of her sword on her neck. “Fine, you’ve proven yourselves, now let me go! That’s what you do, right? You spared the Changelings, now spare me!” Cassandra looked to Mahanon for guidance. He thought the situation before him over. “The Changelings wanted to change,” he said calmly. “This is not the same situation.” He looked at Cassandra, who took the hint and plunged her sword into the mare’s throat. “Guess we really are into cutthroat politics,” Bull smirked. “How long have you been waiting to say that?” Cassandra asked. He laughed. “Bit longer than I’d like to admit.” “We should search her for anything important,” Mahanon said, walking over to the corpse. “There’s still that other spy in the Reading Room,” Bull pointed out. “We’ll have to see what he knows.” Without saying a word, the rest of them all looked to Bzkdlina, who flinched and pointed at herself. “Me?” she asked. “Clearly, not just Minotaurs are spies,” Cassandra said, gesturing the the pony corpse in front of them. “You could act as one and see what the spy up there knows.” “I guess,” she said uneasily. “What would I do?” “Just see if he knows anything about who’s planning on sabotaging the summit.” Taking a deep breath of confidence, she stood tall. “Okay, I’m ready.” “I’ll listen in to the conversation and jump in should anything go wrong,” Mahanon said as he stood up. “Cassandra, Bull, you two can search her for anything that may be of use.” “Let’s do this, then,” Bzkdlina said confidently. She flew up next to the ladder to the trapdoor and waited at the top for Mahanon to climb up. When he did, she opened the door and walked into the room above them while Mahanon pressed his ear against the door. He heard nothing but Bzkdlina nervously pacing for a few minutes until he heard a door open in the distance and Bzkdlina stop seemingly mid-step. “Cutebutt?” a male voice called into the Reading Room. “Just me,” Bzkdlina said, clearly trying to remain strong. “What?” the other voice yelled. “What did you do to her?” “I didn’t do anything to anypony!” she defended. “Was she an earth pony, bright red coat and white mane?” “So you do know her!” “No!” she said, seemingly taking a few steps back. “I saw her dead as I came here. Someone cut her throat.” “What?” the other voice asked, quivering from sadness. “...No, it can’t be.” “I’m sorry,” she said sympathetically. “Why did you kill her?” he yelled, suddenly turning back to anger. “I didn’t do it, I swear! I think she was hunted down!” “Well, of course she was, then slaughtered!” “No! I think one of the Kings is here to sabotage the summit, and I think he sent someone to hunt her down!” There was silence. “...Go on,” the other voice said after a brief pause. “One of the Kings is trying to sabotage the summit,” she pleaded. “I think he’s taking all the other spies out one by one so we can’t undermine him.” “I see,” the voice said softly. “Did you happen to see a key on her, by any chance?” “No,” she lied as convincingly as she could. “He must’ve intercepted our message,” he mused. “Well...I did, too. You didn’t hide it very well. That’s how I knew to meet you here.” “Oh.” There was a pause. “I don’t suppose you’d be up for-” “I’m seeing somepony,” she quickly cut him off. “Well, I don’t think he’s seeing you right now, so who would know?” There was another pause. “Fine. Offer’s still open, though.” “Do you have any information you could share?” she asked. There was another break in the conversation. “I have to admit, I’m a little skeptical of all of this.” “I don’t serve any of the Kings,” she said. “I just want to make sure none of them try and take over this summit. You don’t have to disclose anything incriminating about your King, and you don’t have to share anything about other Kings that you think your King should know but nobody else should.” “I sense sincerity in you,” he said. “Fine. My...friend, she was supposed to get a key and give it to me, then we’d spy on the Emperor. He’s apparently meeting someone before the summit, but that’s all I know. We didn’t get assigned to many high-profile tasks, just ones like this to gather information and relay it to our King so he could use it as leverage.” “That all?” she asked. “That you’re getting from me.” “So you know nothing about the Breach?” “This is the first I’m hearing of it. And believe me, I’d tell you if I knew one of them was working for it; I’ve still got family in Canterlot. I’d serve no King that supported their captors.” “Thank you,” she said warmly, backing up over the trapdoor and hitting it loudly with her hoof a few times. “Yup, I should be going,” she said loudly, obviously trying to make Mahanon move from right below the door. He took the hints and climbed down a few rungs, and the door soon opened as she flew down next to him. “You heard all that, right?” she asked. “I did,” he said, sliding down the ladder onto the ground. “Cassandra, Bull, find anything?” “Nothing,” Iron Bull responded. “Looks like this key was the only thing on her.” “It’s as good a lead as anything,” Mahanon said, walking up and grabbing it. “You’re telling us to spy on the Emperor?” Cassandra asked in shock. “He is the one who is telling us to go spy on the others!” “If the other Kings think it’s important, it might be important enough for us to listen in on,” Bzkdlina said. “And there might be other spies there with the same idea, we could see what they know.” “It’s the best idea we have,” Bull agreed. “Do you know how to get to his chambers?” Cassandra asked. “The dragon I was talking to was bragging about his fire making all the glass in his chamber’s skylights,” Bzkdlina spoke up. “That probably means we can get onto the roof and listen from there.” “I think there were stairs at the end of the hallway we were in before the tunnels,” Cassandra said, trying to recall. “Yes, there were. We could see how far up we can go with those.” “Let’s go, then,” Mahanon said, walking back the way they came, stepping over the dead mare in the process. When they got to the stairs, they went up into the long hallway, then turned left and went up the second set of stairs. The hallway they entered was much shorter, with a pair of Minotaur guards stationed at a ladder on the opposite end of the hallway from them. “Hello there,” Mahanon said, trying to pass them and go the ladder, but the Minotaurs crossed their spears in front of him as he attempted to pass. “You do not have permission to go up there,” one of them said. “The Emperor let me into the Royal Wing,” Mahanon said. “Well, this ladder is not part of the Royal Wing,” the other Minotaur said curtly. Scowling at them, Mahanon quickly grabbed his staff and slammed it into the ground, casting Horror on them and causing them to flee. Cassandra and Iron Bull pulled out their weapons, as Bzkdlina jumped on one of the guards and began biting into his neck. Mahanon saw Bull run with Charging Bull towards the guard that Cassandra was slashing with Lunge and Slash, so he turned to the guard Bzkdlina was biting and cast Winter’s Grasp on him, freezing him solid. When his mana regenerated, he cast Spirit Mark on the guard, who soon thawed out. He reached back to try and grab Bzkdlina, but she exploded in a burst of green magic which knocked him on the ground, then reappeared next to him and sunk her fangs into the arm he was holding his spear in. After launching a few regular spells from his staff, the guard turned into a blue spirit and stood up. Seeing that the other guard was dead, Mahanon dismissed the spirit, then turned back towards the ladder and started climbing up it. When he got to the top of the ladder, he opened the hatch above him and walked out onto the roof of the palace, where he could see the whole city of Minos, brightly illuminated for the festivities of the night. “Crouch down!” Cassandra whispered as she neared the top of the ladder. “Someone might see you!” Following her orders, Mahanon crouched down and waited for the rest of his companions to join him on the roof. When they all had, they slowly and quietly made their way across the roof to the other end of the palace, where the could see a roof made of windows. “Be very careful,” Cassandra warned as they reached the skylights over the grand foyer. Mahanon crouched even further down, trying to stay out of sight of anyone peeking up from below. He caught a glimpse of the foyer, where all the ponies and other assorted creatures seemed to be laughing and enjoying the party. When they reached the other side, Mahanon put a finger over his lips as he pointed to the pony lying next to an open window over the Emperor’s private chambers. Tiptoeing, Mahanon snuck up behind the pony and sat on top of her, pushing her into the ground. “Celestia!” the mare cried out. “Who are you?” She struggled to turn her head, but she could not get a good glimpse of Mahanon. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “What’s it look like?” she rudely replied. As the door to the Emperor’s private chambers opened, Mahanon instinctively put a hand over her mouth to silence her. “Just stay quiet,” he whispered to her. “And stop licking my hand!” The mare rolled her eyes, then they both looked down into the Emperor’s chambers. “Dihiryn?” the Emperor called to the empty room. “Dihiryn?” Mahanon whispered to himself. “Where have I heard that before?” “Yessss…” a voice hissed from inside the room. Out of the shadows in one of the room’s dark corners, a Crystal Pony stepped out, which Mahanon instantly recognized as the one who attacked them on the summit when they were attempting to close the Breach. “I have dispatched the Inquisitor,” the Emperor said proudly. “He should be wreaking havoc amongst the other Kings’ spies; they will not be able to uncover our plan.” “Eeeeexcellent,” Dihiryn hissed with a malicious smile. “He’ll find me enough secrets to blackmail them into siding against the Inquisition,” he chuckled. “The Inquisition will be its own downfall.” “Peeeerfect,” he replied. “I must go greet the other Kings now,” he said. “Do not worry; these summits may take all night, but the reward will be worth it.” The two laughed, then the Emperor walked away as Dihiryn retreated to the shadows again. Shocked, Mahanon let his hand fall off the mare’s mouth. “You talk a lot for someone who tries to shut others up,” she chided. “I apologize,” he said, getting off her. “Which King do you work for?” “None,” she said, turning over. When she saw Mahanon, her eyes opened wide as her jaw dropped. “You’re the Inquisitor!” she said in shock. “And don’t tell anyone I was here,” he threatened. “No, I’m on your side!” she said. “Special Agent Sweetie Drops, Equestrian Special Tasks. I used to be on the Anti-Monster division, but when the Breach opened, I got reassigned as an Equestrian spy here.” “How come I was never informed of your presence?” he asked suspiciously. “Hey, don’t blame me,” she said defensively. “I just do what Princess Celestia tells me to. She probably didn’t tell Princess Twilight, that’s why you don’t know.” “From the Lands to the East, the East-King!” Mahanon heard the Minotaur in the courtyard announce powerfully, which was soon followed by an enormous round of cheering. “The Kings are arriving,” Mahanon noted. Suddenly, he turned back towards the ladder they used to get on the roof. “We need to go warn them before the Emperor can do anything!” he said before sprinting away from them. Not even bothering to sneak past the windows overlooking the grand foyer, Mahanon ran to the ladder and quickly slid down it, then continued running down the stairs and through the Royal Wing of the palace. When he got to the statue that had contained the scroll, he quickly opened the door and burst through to see the East-King walk up to the Emperor, who was surrounded by three more Minotaurs who looked equally as important as the Emperor. “I would like to thank each and every one of you to coming to our summit tonight,” the Emperor proclaimed with a big smile. “This will truly be a turning point in the fight for the safety of our world, and I am confident that by morning, we will have soldiers in Canterlot,” he said, gesturing towards Twilight, who smiled and waved. Panting, Mahanon walked up towards them, and when he was closer to the Kings than any of the other visitors, the Emperor looked over to him. “Is something the matter, Inquisitor?” he asked. “I found the King responsible for the sabotage of the summit tonight,” he announced. “Perhaps this is not the best place to discuss rumors,” he replied, seemingly ignorant of Mahanon’s knowledge. “They’re rumors no longer,” he said, pointing a finger at the Emperor. “I overheard the conversation you had with Dihiryn; you’re planning to blackmail the other Kings into doing nothing about the Breach.” “Preposterous!” he yelled as a wave of whispers rolled through all the visitors. “Is it?” one of the Kings asked, turning and looking at him. “You are honestly suggesting I would sabotage a summit that I called for?” he yelled back, stepping up and staring the other King down. “These are serious accusations nonetheless,” one of the other Kings announced. “You are accused of sabotage, blackmailing, and bringing that abomination Dihiryn into our city; that is nothing short of treason.” “Why would I alert you of a traitor if I myself was one?” the Emperor asked, turning back to Mahanon. “You were in on this?” one of the Kings asked angrily. Remembering what he had been taught about the Game in Orlais, Mahanon tried to hide a smile. “It seems foolish, yes,” he said, putting his hands behind his back and taking slow steps up to the Emperor. “Which is the perfect disguise; I’ll admit, I never suspected you since you were the one to alert me to the plot. You decided to hide in plain sight by telling me your plans, assuming that I would think that you were on my side.” He broke out into a devious smile. “Have you ever heard what we say in Thedas as to why you should never assume?” He turned to the King who accused him, who seemed now to be deciding whether to be angry or confused. “And yes, I was a part of it. Because I want the Breach to close, and anyone who stands in the way of that must be exposed.” “The city of Mareis officially denounces the Emperor of Minos!” the Maresian mare called out from the crowd. “The Dragon Confederacy does, as well!” One by one, all the visitors at the summit began yelling out their denouncements, until the interior of the palace became a gentle roar. Mahanon smiled. “It was a good plan, if that’s any consolation.” Two guards came up and grabbed the Emperor and dragged him away, but before he could celebrate, two guards came and grabbed Mahanon, forcing him onto the ground. “Why me?” he cried out. “I’m sorry,” the King he recognized as the East-King said with legitimate sorrow. “But we have to confirm these accusations before we can officially do anything.” He gave him a comforting smile. “But I believe you; I never liked the Emperor, anyways. Like a snake in the grass, he was.” The East-King gestured away, and the guards started dragging him across the floor. They brought him to a door that lead down into another part of the dungeons he had not visited, then walked to a jail cell, walked him in, then walked out and locked the door. Still excited, Mahanon sat down on the rickety stool that was provided for him and smiled. Within a few minutes, Twilight came to his cell and ran up to the bars, looking worried. “Are you okay?” she exclaimed. “They’re just confirming what I told them,” he smiled back at her. “Is it true?” she asked worriedly. “Every word of it.” She sighed and shook her head before putting a hoof on her forehead. “Why is nothing ever easy?” “This is just the start,” Mahanon laughed. After a few minutes, the East-King came back down and looked in the cell. “Well?” Mahanon asked. The East-King smiled. “Let him go; everything he said is true.” “Really?” Twilight beamed as one of the guards began unlocking the cage. “We found a few plans of his, and they may potentially still be battle plans the Crystal Ponies are using, as well as some of that ‘red lyrium’ stuff,” he confirmed. “Unfortunately, no signs of Dihiryn; he probably fled knowing that his cover was blown.” “We’ll be visiting him soon enough,” Mahanon said triumphantly. “I imagine we will,” the East-King laughed. “Now, there is still a party to be had, Inquisitor, and you’ve worked hard tonight. I advise you to enjoy yourself while I and the other Kings confer with each other on what to do.” Mahanon smiled as he watched the sun rise over the tall buildings of Minos. He hadn’t realized it in the darkness of the night, but everything in Minos was dull gray, from the roads to the buildings to even the plants somehow. Even the tree he had his back up against was a dull, stony gray. “So this is where you’ve been,” Twilight smiled as she walked up to him. “Just needed some fresh air,” he smiled back. “Not that the party wasn’t enjoyable.” “I don’t know if you heard, but pretty much everyone in there has agreed to support you,” she said, pointing back towards the palace. “They’re all really scared of the Breach, and they want to get behind something that can stop it.” “I just hope we can succeed,” he sighed. “Last time we thought we had won, the Crystal Ponies showed up.” “Pretty much every nation we know of is accounted for,” she said optimistically. “Inquisitor!” a voice called from the entrance to the palace. When they looked over, they could see all four Kings walking towards them, each with a smile of varying intensity on their face. “Have you decided on something?” he asked hopefully. “We have,” the East-King confirmed. “All of us have decided unanimously to pledge whatever it is you need to the Inquisition.” “I’m glad you made the right choice,” he said, relieved. “Welcome to the Inquisition.” “There’s more,” he said, putting a hand up. “Our Emperor was found guilty of treason; needless to say, we will be needing a new one. We spent a lot of time, and we all agree we would like that Emperor to be you.” “Me?” he asked in shock, making sure he heard correctly. “I’m not even a Minotaur.” “As you can see, races other than Minotaurs have a place in our politics.” He raised an eyebrow at him. “Well?” After thinking for a few moments, Mahanon shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I cannot accept this position.” “But you could help lead the Minotaurs in a good direction!” he protested. “The Inquisition needs me more,” he replied firmly. “I see,” the King replied. “Even if I do not like your answer, I respect it; you know who your people are, and you’ll stand by them until you die.” He extended a hand. “I’m glad you came, Inquisitor.” Mahanon walked up and shook his hand. “And I’m glad that we’ll be fighting alongside you.”