Short: Night Files
There are some things in this world, and more importantly beyond our world, that not even I will adventure to discover. I know a great many truths that I must ensure remain hidden from the populace at large, for their fear would be matched only by their horror to understand what lurks beyond our own safe sphere of influence. Celestia knows more than I, and I dare not ask. I only wonder- do the watchers think as we?
Star Swirl the Bearded, 255 After Harmony.
We are not alone.
CANTERLOT: SEPTEMBER 12th 1001, 9:47AM
NATIONAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS, BASEMENT
Detective Stargazer sat pondering at his desk, which was covered in literature of questionable sourcing. Equestrian Weekly News, Files of the Unknown, Changeling Report Monthly, the sort of tabloid sensationalism that made the general publics eyes roll. The room was otherwise mostly bare, except for the boiler and a corkboard with blurry photos of 'flying saucers', newspaper clippings of ghosts, and other paranormal stuff.
The only other thing adorning the wall was a poster of the earth, orbiting the sun; and around it- the moon. Along the bottom the bold words 'I WANT TO BELIEVE'.
The detective himself was a younger stallion unicorn, whom was thankfully excepted from the draft by sheer luck of the draw- S happened to be the first letter of his name, wasn't called in the draft lottery. His cutie mark, although he preferred to refer to it as a 'talent mark', was a pair of binoculars atop a starlit sky. As was traditional it represented his destiny- to watch the stars. Not even he truly knew what he was watching for, but he would know it when he found it. His build was average, and his mane was slick black on a tan coat. He almost always wore a black suit under a trenchcoat, with everything he could need in the field carefully assembled in it's pockets. The usual stuff, like a notepad and his badge, but also a magometer.
He was, like the rest of his peers, both old and new at the policing game. The old guard had taken care of those duties, but with the war came a need for a dedicated civil police force- and thus the National Police Force was born. It took it's structure from the Manehatten Police Department, and usurped the national jurisdiction of the guard. Anything that went beyond the borders of a single town became their domain, or else they could be called in to help with serious matters that a local police force couldn't. Normally they would be in charge of Canterlot security too- but the Night Guard overtook that duty now. Stargazer himself had been a detective with the guard for a dozen years before, and was moderately versed in his art.
Stargazer was taken by a series of articles about disappearing griffons that centred around a region called Souththrop-Grumman, reports that had cropped up time and time again, but never in any of the major papers. Equestria Daily hadn't even reported on it, which was unusual considering they normally reported on anything under the sun- fact or fiction. It was clear then, that somebody was censoring the media and only the less... reputable sources... managed to get through. They had all been written by one "C. Sunspot" whom had been a good source of information in the past. He had no idea who she was, but she seemed to know what was going on behind the scenes somehow.
Each case was a clear example of an 'abduction'. The victim would leave home, mostly around nightfall, and would never be seen again. In each case there was a large amount of lights reported in the sky in the area, and frequently there was even sighting of aircraft. Aircraft, in West Equestria. The government refused to even speak on this, deepening his suspicions. He had read enough, and today he was going to get to the bottom of all this. If he could get to the bottom of this, then he would finally have the proof he had always been looking for. His first stop would be the archives, perhaps there were historical cases that could provide some clue.
NATIONAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS, ARCHIVES
A few minutes later Stargazer arrived at the archives, which was representative of the fact the "National Police Headquarters" used to be just that- the archives of the 'old guard'. The actual HQ of the old guard was now the nerve hub of the war, a signals centre connected to a vast network underground. None of the officers were allowed inside, or even near, that building. The Night Guard did not respond politely to any questions either- something Stargazer found out first hand when investigating the theft of spellbooks from Celestia's School.
Just inside the doors, with nearly endless shelves behind her, a bat pony sat at a long document-littered desk, capped off with a red phone. She didn't seem particularly enthralled at her job, and had her hooves up on desk while she flipped through papers. Stargazer noted that it was odd to find a bat pony here- shouldn't she be out with the Night Guard? Thinking on it, they seemed to do a whole lot more then just guard the night now, you couldn't swing a stick outside without one seeing you- day or night.
Hearing him approach she put down the newspaper she was reading- but not her hooves. Her grey coat and dark purple mane was rather striking, as was her lack of the usual Night Guard armour that betrayed her cutie mark- a spear.
"Need something, officer?" She asked, disdainfully.
Stargazer frowned inwardly, and hoped to get this done quickly. The Night Guard was everything he hated- insular, secretive, and with eyes everywhere.
"I need the key for major crimes, I have some abduction reports to look up," He explained, halting before the desk.
The clerk leaned back and opened one of the drawers. "Abduction cases were moved to the third floor, along with all the unsolved Night Files," She said, and pulled out a keychain.
"What's your clearance?" She asked, somewhat flummoxing Stargazer- since when did he need clearance?
"I uh, I don't know... top?" He tried.
The clerk sighed and picked up the phone, spinning the dial. "What's your name?" She asked.
"Detective Stargazer," He replied.
The clerk, whom Stargazer began to wonder about- why a bat pony? Why here? - put the reciever to her ear and he twitched his ears to listen in on one half of the conversation.
"There's a 'Detective Stargazer' here to see the Night Files... Oh is that right?... Well I won't worry then, I'll send him right in..."
She clicked the receiver down and handed Stargazer the keychain, grinning.
"E-12, third floor," She said. Wasting no time Stargazer strode off behind her into the archives proper, glancing back to hear a stiffled laugh.
A minute later he was before the door to 'E-12', and had a thought as he stood before it. Abductions had always gone to major crimes before, why would they be moved to, what he assumed was, the files of the Night Guard they had inherited?
Fumbling with the keychain for a moment he found the key, and opened the door. To his surprise he was met with the cool mornings breeze- and a rather dizzying view of Canterlot from three stories up. The room was, in essence, gone- along with the ones below and above. Only a thin sliver of floor ran along the outer walls. He knew the HQ was attacked, but he had assumed it was some important room, the armory or something- why would this be attacked?
Gingerly stepping outwards onto the remains of the floor he slid along the wall and reached for what appeared to be the only file cabinet left. To his dismay, it was melted so badly that it wouldn't open. However, he noticed a single document on the floor, covered in a bit of rubble as it flapped in the wind. He levitated it fourth and grabbed it, quickly backing out of the room lest it prove unstable.
Dusting it off, Stargazer read what he could of the burnt document- greatly intrigued.
NIGHT G--RD REPORT. TK422 AUGUST 27TH 970
TYPE: ABDUCTION
CASE CODE: MAGNIFICENTHOSPITAL IN V------ REPORTS A CHILD WAS ABDUCTED. CHILD WAS PHYSICALLY 'DEFORMED' AND SUSPECTED TO BE A CH----
[Unreadable burns]
CHANGELING INVOLVEMENT -----
[Unreadable burns]
POSSIBLE -------
Stargazer grinned to himself and pocketed it. For whatever reason somebody had gone through some lengths to hide this, but he had it. Changelings behind the abductions, that could be it. If the Night Guard was covering that up...
His ears perked up as his eyes widened, in a mixture of excitement and horror.
Infiltration?
Quickly darting down the stairwell, his mind ran wild with the possibilities. With the Night Guard in it's pocket the changelings could abduct whomever they wanted, and replace them with their own agents. The entire government could be infiltrated by now- how high did this go?
Surely the Princesses would be safe, nobody could touch them. What of their advisors, and their assistants though? If the Changelings had the ear of the Princesses, then they could bend the nation to their own will before invading it. Chrysalis could even bend the military, s...
The majority of the military was over the ocean.
They could colonize us and we wouldn't even realize it. The war would be over without as much as a shot- and the Wonderbolts would never even know.
Slamming the door at the bottom of the stairwell open, he darted through the aisles of reports and tossed the keychain back at the clerk before darting outside into Canterlot proper.
Next stop: Changeling Embassy. Perhaps if he put the screws to the 'ambassador' he could find out more. He could also case the place in case he needed to do anything further.
CANTERLOT: SEPTEMBER 12TH, 10:32AM
CHANGELING NATIONAL EMBASSY
It took Stargazer a while to find the new changeling embassy, finding out it had been moved from a tiny office in Canterlot Castle to an old library, long since abandoned when the Crystal Empire rose again, with it's own great library in need of an update. Outside on the street entrance a changeling stood guard beside the heavy metal doors. Above him was a sign flanked by the flag of the Hive.
CHANGELING NATIONAL EMBASSY
Stargaze put a hoof on the doorway, and immediately a pike gently fell on top of it.
"Name and Purpose," The guard demanded, blinking both eyes rapidly as he did.
Stargazer turned and glared at him. "Detective Stargazer, police business," He said.
The guard paused, and then pressed the pike a little harder. "Amnesty, we have amnesty," He said.
Stargazer was somewhat surprised, changeling warriors were supposed to be dumber than this.
"Only for crimes committed before coming here, not after," Stargazer said, staring him down.
Another pause, another increase in pressure. "Warrant," The guard stated simply.
Stargazer hid his shock. "I don't need a warrant just to talk, now let me in or I'm going to get a warrant and find out where you live. I..."
He was slammed back by the pike, the guard moving in the way of the door glaring down at him. Stargazer deeply regretted mentioning 'police' to a changeling.
"Warrant," It repeated, hefting the pike in both hooves.
Stargazer sighed and accepted his defeat, brushing himself off as he came to. This was going to take more work then he had expected, but he know who to talk to next.
CANTERLOT CASTLE, CELESTIA'S OFFICE
Getting into the castle was much easier, Stargazer just had to flash his badge at the guards. No pony had ever threatened any of the alicorns before, and so long as you had some sort of reason to be in the castle nobody really questioned it. His was to seek audience with Celestia, and get her to force that guard to let him in. The embassy was sovereign territory, sure, but it was still within Equestria and thus her jurisdiction. Diplomatic immunity is one thing, abducting citizens and infiltrating the government was another.
Outside her office he was relieved to find a regular pony guarding it, in the old armour of the guard. Stargazer was filled with a feeling of nostalgia for a simpler time as he approached.
The guard noticed him. "Afternoon, can I help you?" She asked. Her pink/blue mane was quite fetched and went with the armour.
"Is Celestia in? I have police business," Stargazer said, flipping out his badge.
The guard smiled at him. "She'll be happy to see you, I think she's starting to get bored," she said, and stepped away from the door.
"Thanks," Stargazer said, and pushed the door open.
As it closed behind him, Stargazer saw the former de-facto ruler of the nation staring out the window, pondering some thought greater then his own imagination. A low circular bed lay in the centre of the room, surrounded by books and scrolls. He felt kind of sorry for her, she had done her best to lead them- but ultimately failed. Now here she was, relegated to a small room in the corner of her own castle while her sister saw them off to war.
Perhaps Luna was in on all this, and had worked with the changelings to take over. Perhaps the griffons themselves were infiltrated, and this was a conspiracy on all sides. Perhaps, but without proof nobody would believe him.
Thinking on it, where exactly was Luna and the Night Guard the day the changelings invaded Canterlot a year ago? Rather odd that they happened to not notice- or help- at all.
"Your Highness? My name is Detective Stargazer- are you busy?" Stargazer addressed.
Celestia took a deep breath and turned her head, looking at him with a tired expression on her face. "Not at all." She said.
"Your Highness..." Stargazer bowed before continuing. "I suspect the changelings of playing a part in reported abductions in the west, and have been prevented from seeing the ambassador about it," He said.
To his surprise Celestia perked up, and stood. "It's about time somebody started looking into that, what do you know?" She asked quickly.
"Well..." He produced the burnt report from his pocket, seeing it immediately fly through the air towards Celestia. "... I found this in the archives, the only remaining abduction report after both they, and the old Night Guard documents, were destroyed in the attacks a few days ago. I don't have to tell you that something is strange about all this, and I'm determined to find the truth," Stargazer said.
Celestia's eyes widened when she read the document, flying it back over as she spoke.
"You said this was with the files of the Night Guard?" She asked.
"That's right, I think the changelings..." She hushed him with a hoof.
"The changelings are our allies, don't forget that. If they dared abduct any of our citizens I assure you I, and my sister, would know about it- and justice would be quite harsh," She said.
Stargazer was about to argue the point, but was hushed once again.
"You're on to something here, detective, but you've got your sights on the wrong villain. Talk to the changeling ambassador, he can explain better then I can." Celestia said.
They're watching me, I can't say more. A voice rang in his head. It almost seemed to ingrain itself into his memory without him actually hearing it, and he had the sudden desire to quickly leave.
Stargazer pocketed the document, and looked at the Princess as he tried to sort the confusing information.
"I uhh, thank you your highness.... I'll do as you ask," He said, unsure of himself.
"Good, but promise me one thing- come to me when you find the truth, and nopony else," She ordered.
"Not even your sister?" Stargazer asked.
"You would never make it that far," Celestia said ominously. "Now go, before prying eyes notice you were here," She warned.
Stargazer bowed and made a hasty retreat, a cold shiver of fear going down his spine. Just what had he uncovered?
CANTERLOT: SEPTEMBER 12th, 11:02AM
CHANGELING NATIONAL EMBASSY
Arriving again at the embassy Stargazer was pleased to see the guard nod and silently step aside, allowing him to breeze past inside with not more then a nod. A green coated mare sat behind a desk immediately inside, the flag of the Hive behind her. She was typing something, surrounded by thick stacks of paper.
"Detective Stargazer?" She asked, not looking up from whatever she was typing.
"Yes," Stargazer said, glancing around. A rather nice lobby with a soft carpet. The clanging and grinding of some sort of construction echoed down the hallway to his side.
"Third door on the right," She said, pausing to gesture down the hall.
Stargazer thanked him and trotted down the hall. Glancing beyond it he saw a work crew renovating the great open space that used to be a library- now bare and rather strange looking. It was odd to see the vast space of a library empty of shelves. Black marks on the marble floor represented where they used to be.
Turning his attention to the door, he noticed the placard said 'Duke Wildcard' instead of 'Ambassador' strange that he should choose to go by that, but no matter. He knocked on the door and almost instantly it swung open.
"Detective..." The changeling said, seated behind a bare (and rather nice) desk- except for a bottle of cider, his hooves tented over it. "...have a seat," He said.
Before he could reply Stargazer found himself pulled in by a green field, and the door slammed behind him. Held in stasis, unable to even scream, he was forced into a chair across the desk while his pockets opened- and the document he had found floated out.
"Tell me what you know, detective," The changeling ambassador said, reading over the document.
Still held in the field, but able to speak, Stargazer did so.
"I know you've abducted people in the past, and I have good reason to think you're doing it now. Tell me ambassador- how many have you replaced?" He asked.
To his horror the document he had found vanished in a green flame, covering the ambassadors desks in it's ashes.
"You can't do that!" Stargazer shouted, futilely struggling against the field.
"Some truths are meant to remain hidden, Detective. I can't allow this document to exist," Ambassador Wildcard said.
"You think the changelings are abducting ponies, which would make sense given what you know- but have a look at this," He said, and dug in his desk for a manilla folder- which he slid across the desk.
"I can trust you not to do anything stupid, right?" Wildcard asked.
Stargazer nodded, and the field dissipated. He flipped open the folder and found a few letters inside, which he quickly skimmed over.
Each was a letter written from a changeling 'eta' in charge of a work group in Equestria, reporting one or two missing workers. Each was from western Equestria, close to Southrop-Grumman. The pattern was the same throughout- a denial by the local guard of any knowledge, searching that returned no results...
...and lights in the sky.
His face grew pale and he turned it up to the ambassador. "So, something is abducting ponies and changelings... this goes deeper then I thought," He noted.
Wildcard nodded and sat back in his desk. "I have a pretty clear idea of who it is, but I can't do anything about it. You though, you're a nobody. If you can find proof and deliver it to Celestia then we can put an end to this crime," He said.
Stargazer cocked an eyebrow, wondering what the Ambassador was playing at. "You're a changelings, changelings are getting abducted- why not use your own people, or even investigate this yourself?" he asked.
The ambassador laughed. "You're kidding right? They have me under constant watch. If I sneeze, they get a report. If I was to start getting up in their affairs you can bet I'll end up the same place these poor souls went," He said, tapping the papers on his desk.
"I understand, I suppose. I resent being called a 'nobody' though," Stargazer noted.
The changeling laughed again. "Embrace being a nobody, you don't have to worry about the stuff I do," he suggested.
"Now go, go and find proof that they're behind this- or if not just get to the bottom of it before the changelings at home start getting involved- none of us want that," He said.
"Who's they?" Stargazer asked.
"Who else? The Night Guard." Wildcard replied.
CANTERLOT: SEPTEMBER 12TH 1001, 12:12PM
CANTERLOT TRAIN STATION
Stargazer grabbed a quick lunch before taking off to the train station to head for Southrop-Grumman, the next destination in his investigation. He also made sure he was armed, his service weapon holstered at his side under his coat. It was a dangerous world now, and all signs pointed to this being anything but a peaceful outing.
Stargazer used his badge to get on board the noon train, and perused a copy of the latest edition of Equestrian Weekly News. He got some odd looks, but didn't care. As expected there was another article about reported abductions around the area he was heading, following all the regular patterns. To his surprise he found a green coated mare took a seat beside him just as the train got moving.
Feeling her gaze on him Stargazer put down the tabloid and turned to her, recognizing her as the secretary from the embassy.
"Can I help you?" He asked.
"I doubt it, I'm here to help you," She replied.
Stargazer squinted at her, unsure of her motivations. "How...?" He asked, as he looked her over. She wore a peacoat slightly darker green then herself, and a saddlebag with her lyre insignia on it.
"Wildcard told me to go with you, name's Lyra Heartstrings." She said, reaching out a hoof.
Stargazer shook it, and figured he should accept her company. It was rather obvious she was here to keep track of him for the Ambassador, but having an extra pair of hooves couldn't hurt.
Still, there was something he had to check. When he released her hoof he reached into a pocket and pulled out the magometer and flicked it open, passing it over her amused face. A green light lit up, and a dial moved to a bit over half way.
"Well you're not a changeling, and you scored a seven out of ten," he explained.
"Well of course I'm not silly, do I look like a changeling to you?" She asked.
Stargazer stared at her while he closed up the instrument.
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Right, changeling... Is seven good?" She asked.
Stargazer shrugged. "Pretty good yeah, I only score a six myself," He admitted.
Lyra laughed, and nudged his shoulder. "A little old mare like me, more powerful then a brave police stallion like you? Oh that's got to hurt the ego," she said.
"Don't let it get to your head, the scale is logarithmic- and do you know what Celestia scores?" He asked.
Lyra shook her head.
"She scores twenty," Stargazer replied.
The ride was almost painfully long, as the town was quite a ways from Canterlot and the new Crystal Imperial trains were anything but fast. Stargazer took the time to study a map of the area they were heading, while Lyra paced around the train. Southrop-Grumman was a a small region to the west of Canterlot inside the mountain forest, along the Vanhoover line. The highlights of the area were the village of Southrop, and Grumman lake just to the north of there. It was an area of peace and quiet, so the sudden rash of activity in the area added to the mystery. The only reason the area was populated at all was a factory for military arms and a small aircraft testing facility, why would all this centre around there?
Griffons and Changelings, as well as a pony here and there. Some...thing... was out there.
Lyra returned to her seat, startling Stargazer whom was staring out the window, pondering what he would find at that town.
"You alright?" She asked, prodding him on the shoulder.
Stargazer sighed and stared out the window at the passing trees, the setting sun covering it all in a warm orange light. He stared at the clear sky, a cloud here and there contrasting the darkening blue sky. What lay beyond that sky?
"Lyra, do you think we're alone?" Stargazer asked.
"No? There's plenty of other people on the train," She responded, unsure.
"I mean, us, all of us. On this planet- Look out the window, past the sky, what if there are others?" He tried again.
"Space ponies? Sure, why not- I've never seen one though, you're saying they kidnapped those people?" She asked.
Stargazer frowned, and turned to meet her gaze. "Maybe, I intend to find out."
SOUTHROP-GRUMMAN OUTSKIRTS: SEPTEMBER 12th, 7:37PM
Disembarking the train station in the late evening, Stargazer stared out at the forest road ahead of them. Southrop was about a mile down the road from the station, which lay at the head of a large lumber mill- which had been abandoned for years. They were the only ones getting off at this stop, and before he could even collect himself the train rumbled off.
Lyra came to his side, and looked down the path. The word that came to her mind was 'spooky'. Tall evergreen trees on either side shadowed the dirt road, while on the left distance mountains rose up as vast shadowed monoliths. The sun slipped below them just as the train left, leaving the pair in the dim twilight. It was quiet, save for the squeak of a sign on the road and the rumbling train.
"Kinda spooky out here, dontcha think?" Lyra asked.
Stargazer took a deep breath of the crisp country air, and put a hoof on her shoulder as he pointed towards the path.
"Ms. Heartstrings, welcome to my element. Spooky is my specialty, and it's been a while since I actually got out," He said, and trotted a bit forward.
Lyra remained where she was, questioning her own sanity for coming out here. Wildcard had 'asked' her to follow him to 'remind of who the real enemy was', which she found rather ominous and cryptic. She was also supposed to send a quick report on his investigation when she got a chance. They would go straight to Celestia, which was a rather rare honor for a unicorn. Normally any attempt to teleport something to The Princess of the Sun would be met with it flying back at you and an angry visit from the guard.
The Duke had done enough for her that she figured she owed him this much, and if Princess Celestia was in on this then it must really be important. So with the sun going down, and the night coming in, she swallowed her anxiety and steeled herself for her mission. Oh how she wished Bon-Bon was here with her, but she was doing much more important work at home. Lyra was luckier then most ponies, only her position had saved her from the trenches in the south, or the islands in the east.
Stargazer noticed his companion lagging, and looked back. "You coming?" He asked.
Lyra nodded, and quickly caught up.
"Lead on, detective," She said. "Let's see how far down this rabbit hole goes," she suggested.
Stargazer grinned and led her on down the path, together they sparked their alicorns to provide light as they went onwards. Lyra's a hue of green, and his own a deep blue. As they walked, Stargazer explained the history of the area to Lyra's curious self, managing to keep back the creepy feeling of the trees that hung over them as twilight gave way to night, and the creatures that roamed it started to fill the forest with sound.
Southrop-Grumman was originally inhabited by two feuding families- the Southrops and the Grummans. The Southrops owned a large area of farmland just south of a lake owned by the Grummans. Eventually, after a a violent confrontation, the two families put aside their differences and merged. The two family patriarchs used their control of the region to turn it into their own private ground, and had recently built a factory complex staffed by changelings. The government had contracted them for a large amount of military supplies, making them quite wealthy indeed. Not much news had come out recently, other then the tabloid reports of abductions and propaganda about the latest war machine being built.
Could the Night Guard be abducting these people, using some secret technology, and keeping them at Grumman Lake? The idea was so horrible to consider that Stargazer would much rather changelings, or even beings from outer space, were behind it. There hadn't been any Equestrian on Equestrian violence in a thousand years, not on that scale.
"It's no more or less crazy then a war with the griffons, the whole world is going insane," He mumbled to himself.
Lyra glanced back for the fourth time in a few minutes, and he looked at her quizzingly. "You all right?" he asked.
"We're being followed," She said quietly, shuffling closer to him.
"I know, he's been there for about an hour," Stargazer said, glancing back at the dark figure moving through the trees. Pulling out his magometer he confirmed his suspicion.
"Changeling, friend of yours?" Stargazer asked.
Lyra shook her head, and trembled with fear. "It can't be, so who is-"
To their shock a vast rumbling noise came to the sky, and Stargazer pulled Lyra to the side as they dove into the bush. Overhead a blinding light lit up the path and lit up the dark figure that had been shadowing them in the light, blasting dust and leaves into the air. The sound was near deafening, and neither of them could speak as they watched stunned as the figure was lifted into the air, and then vanished.
Only a few seconds later it roared off into the sky, and was gone.
"What the buck was that?!" Lyra exclaimed, shaking with fear.
Stargazer gazed up at the stars, watching as one of them faded into the sky.
"The truth," He said, and turned to find a dozen green eyes glowing in the darkness behind her.
He drew his gun, "Lyra, get down!" He shouted. She did, shuddered with fear as he extended a blue shield around them both, revealing a half dozen heavily armed changelings in tattered work uniforms.
"Put it down and shut that off before they see us!" The leader, with eyes of blue, demanded.
"Before who sees us?" He demanded, pointedly gesturing at them with his gun. Upon further inspection he probably didn't have a chance even with his shield- they all had back mounted machine guns. This group wasn't messing around.
"The bats, you fool! turn off that light before we make you turn it off, we're not your enemy but we won't let you get us all killed," The leader said, and backed his point by revving the gun on his back up, his horn lighting dimly as it did. Stargazer noted his horn appeared to be covered with cloth to contain the glow.
Stargazer sighed, and holstered his pistol as he lowered the field.
"Alright, just..."
Lyra spoke up and broke him off. "Did you see that thing?" She said, darting back behind Stargazer.
"What thing?" The leader demanded, as he gestured his troops to circle the pair. "All I've seen is you two with your stupid lights, you're lucky we found you,"
"Now," He said, coming muzzle to muzzle with Stargazer. "Who are you, and why are you here?" He demanded.
"Detective Stargazer, on assignment from Princess Celestia to find out what's going on out here," Stargazer replied.
The group all laughed, glancing back and forth at one another.
"Oh, so Her Highness finally decided to care? Do you know how long we've been stuck out here, living in fear of those bats?" The leader asked.
"No,"
"Three. Bucking. Weeks," The leader said.
"Well then," Lyra said, coming up to Stargazers side. "Let us help you and we can fix this, we're your friends," She said.
"Oh really? What can you two possibly offer?" He asked.
"I can ask the Princess to send help, she'll be furious to find out what's going on out here," Lyra suggested.
"I think your oligarchy has helped enough already, lady. You two come with us, you two don't get to leave," He said. Two of his men behind prodded them in their flanks.
"Look, we just want to help. Princess Celestia is on your side, and the Ambassador is interested in this too. We can get help!" He argued.
"Do you think I'm stupid? Those bats could just claim we 'revolted' or something and cover the whole damn thing up. We'll just go from being kidnapped and held here, to being held in the Canterlot caves. No, we're taking matters into our own hands," He said, threat almost visible in his voice.
"What do you mean by that?" Stargazer asked.
The leader looked back at him and grinned, his blue eyes glowing in the darkness.
"We're going to attack, we're going to level that base of theirs," He said, and turned his attention back forwards.
Stargazer was experienced enough to hide his fear, but Lyra was quite unused to these kind of stakes. He glanced back at her, she stared forward vacantly.
"Just let me contact the ambassador, we can fix this!" Stargazer argued, knowing it was vain.
"There's nothing he can do, and the bats are probably just waiting to connect him to a 'revolt' and throw him in prison with the rest of us. We're on our own, and you're coming with us," the leader said.
The group carried on silently, soon coming up to the town. Bright spotlights lined it, illuminating everything as if it was day. A few more pointed towards the sky, changelings swiveling them too and fro as they scanned the night.
"They only come at night, and we've been able to keep them out of the town- with a price," The leader said, gesturing to a ruined building just beyond an archway that marked the entrance to the town. The road was littered with overturned cards, the buildings of the small town boarded up.
Welcome to Southrop
SOUTHROP: AUGUST 27th 1001, 10:02PM
POLICE HEADQUARTERS
The leader of the changelings sat them down in the basement of the town's police headquarters that he had made into his own. The changelings were friendly enough, and offered them food and drink as well as a pair of cots. He went into detail over the last few weeks resistance against the bat ponies, whom had removed the pony inhabitants of the village to a 'secure area' in the base itself. They had done this under the pretense of a faked griffon attack, thus the collapsed building outside. Shortly after this the towns griffons were rounded up and moved to the base as 'suspects', and not long after that changelings begun to disappear from the nearby factory barracks at night. When he, the 'eta' of the group, complained the bats responded with violence, and the workers revolted. Since then the two sides had been at a stalemate.
"That all ends tomorrow, we completed the weapons they had us working on in the factory in secret, and we're reading to move on that place in force," He said, sitting across from the pair at a same table in the dimly lit basement.
"That's suicide, even if you manage to beat them they'll just call Canterlot, say it was a revolt, and take you out. There's no winning here, not that way," Stargazer said.
"We've got an ace up our sleeve," He said, and tore his changeling medallion from his neck, placing it on the table.
Lyra gasped. "You can't do that, it's a treaty violation!" she exclaimed.
The leader laughed. "You're kidding right? I'm pretty sure that was violated when they started kidnapping us," He said.
"She's right, they'll know to check for changelings- you're playing right into their hands," Stargazer argued.
The Eta slammed his hooves on the table. "So what would you have me do, rely on the same ponies that left us out here to rot? No, we're going to take them on, all of them." He growled, and then leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
"You're right though, they'll be expecting us. I highly doubt we'll survive, but we'll fight anyway and take as many of them down with us as we can. We'll free as many as we can, and take their leader out, " He said.
"It doesn't have to be this way, let us help. At least let us send a message home," Stargazer pleaded.
"Fine, send your damn message. Whatever the reply we're still attacking that base at noon tomorrow. You're coming with us, so I suggest you get some rest," Eta said, and pushed off the table.
"Why do you need us?" Lyra asked fearfully.
"You two will go in first and make a scene, while we move our force inside. With the security distracted by two unicorns raising hell, we'll be able to take the outer defenses and work our way inside." he explained.
Stargazer glanced at her as the blood drained from her face.
"Look, Eta, she's just a secretary. Can't you let her go?" He pleaded.
To his surprise it was Lyra that spoke up next, angrily.
"Just a secretary? I might be scared, I might be wishing I was back in Canterlot, I might wish I had a hot bath- but I am not 'just a secretary' detective." She glared at him and turned to the stunned Eta.
"I'll help however I can."
SOUTHROP: SEPTEMBER 13th 1001, 8:02AM
POLICE HEADQUARTERS
A restless nights sleep, and quick breakfast, later, the Eta bid them upstairs where he had assembled his force. Two dozen of them, back mounted weapons gleaming in the light, were lined up in the street. The first thing Eta had them do was send that message to Celestia, in the vain hope she might help them somehow.
Her reply, was this.
"Proof."
Eta rolled his eyes. "I told you it was useless, what did you expect?" He complained.
"Oh think about it for more then a few seconds. If she moved on this the Night Guard could just say you kidnapped us and forced us to send that, without solid proof there's nothing to go on. She's watching now though, and she's probably got the centurions waiting on the sidelines," Stargazer said.
"So what do you suggest I do? How exactly am I going to get proof without storming that base, by which point it's already too late?" He asked.
"Give us two hours inside, you said they're leader is there?"
The eta nodded.
"If we can get to her, we can find some proof and send it to Celestia," Stargazer said.
Eta nodded again. "Fine, we'll get you to the tunnel we've dug to get in- and then you've got two hours on the dot before we charge, got it?"
Lyra laughed. "A deadline to save the day, I can't wait to tell Bon-Bon about this!" She exclaimed.
The group all laughed, and set off with their heads held high. They had a chance now, as slim as it was.
GRUMMAN LAKE: AUGUST 13th, 10:30PM
TUNNEL UNDER BARRACKS
Outside the base was a tiny wooden lean to which concealed the entrance to a tunnel the changelings had slowly dug under the defense perimeter. Their plan, apparently, was to surface in the barracks and come out disguised as whoever they found- after tying them up. They would try and get as deep as possible before breaking cover and attacking openly. Stargazer knew that wouldn't take very long, the bats probably had the same type of device he had for detecting changelings, it was standard issue after the events a year ago.
"Two hours!" Eta reminded them, and shuffled off backwards down the low tunnel. Stargazer turned to Lyra, stooping down as she looked forward towards the exit- shivering. If the changelings positioned it right, the exit was a storage room in the cafeteria, but they hadn't moved out behind make sure it was inside.
"Ms. Heartstrings, you still have a chance to back out if your scared," Stargazer reminder her.
"Detective, I'm terrified, but if we all stopped as soon as the going got tough, we'd have a Griffon king," She said, swallowing her fear and ceasing to shudder.
"Ms. Heartstrings, you're one of a kind," Stargazer said, and patted her shoulder.
They crawled through the end length of the tunnel and,with a glance at each other before pushing the tile that marked the exit off, Stargazer emerged.
Sticking his head out of the hole Stargazer released a sigh of relief. It was as the changelings had planned- a supply closet stacked with bags of flour and other assorted things. He pulled himself out, and Lyra after.
"Well we're in, now what?" She asked.
"Can you message Celestia again?" He asked. Lyra nodded.
"Why?" She asked.
Stargazer whispered something in her ear, and she grinned.
A few minutes later they had their response, and pushed open the doors without fear to find an empty cafeteria. Departing from there into the hall they found a pony that happened to be wandering along, and shouted at him.
"Hey stranger, can you give us a hand?" Stargazer shouted.
The pony froze in place, and slowly turned to look at them. He wore a labcoat, and giant spectacles. He was, for lack of a better word, an egghead.
"W-who are you, and how did you get here?" He asked.
Stargazer made a show of rolling his eyes and Lyra, and a great sigh. "Look at this, nobody got the memo. Government contracting, I swear," He said, and pulled the scroll they had just received from his coat.
"We're from Vanhoover, here to help with your project- I've got the paperwork from Princess Luna right here," Stargazer said.
The pony didn't seem convinced and quickly came forward, grabbing it from him. He read it over and then looked at them incredulously.
"We have a space program?" he asked.
Stargazer sighed. "If you don't know, then you don't need to know," He said, and took back the scroll. "Now where's the person that runs the show around here?" He asked.
"Mezza Luna? She's in the main building, obviously," He said.
"Wait a second... why wouldn't you kn-"
Wasting no time Stargazer clonked him on the side of the head, knocking him out cold.
"He'll be fine," He said to Lyra. "Now grab his legs, we'll put him in storage," he added.
"You're sure?" Lyra said, picking up his legs.
"Positive."
Once they had hidden their friend Stargazer bade Lyra wear his labcoat. They could probably move around easily now, and had a target. Government agencies, even evil ones, always kept good paperwork.
They just had to find it.
GRUMMAN LAKE: SEPTEMBER 13TH, 10:50AM
COURTYARD
As expected nopony gave them any mind as they departed the barracks into the base proper. The highlight was an incredibly long bit of pavement that seemed to stretch for as long as the eye could see, bordered by a trio of huge steel sheds with giant metal doors. To their far side was a tall building with a glass top that held a commanding view of everything, and on the other a generic looking administration building. That, they suspected, was the 'main building'. Far and away, barely visible, was a wooden stockade surrounded by Night Guards, which they figured was where they kept the prisoners. Not wasting too much time lest they look suspicious, the pair trotted towards the main building, with the best likeness of 'knowing what their doing' that they could.
"You think this is going to work?" Lyra whispered.
"All we've got to do is find evidence and teleport it to Canterlot, we've got a good chance," Stargazer replied.
"How are we going to do that?" Lyra asked.
"Improvise," Stargazer said.
Soon enough they came before the building, and a bat pony standing guard came to attention.
"Halt, what's your clearance?" She asked.
"Top," Stargazer replied, perhaps too quickly because the guard clicked the safety off on her rifle.
"Give me your ID," She ordered.
Lyra glanced at Stargazer, whom took out the scroll again.
"We haven't gotten our proper ID yet, we've just been sent her from Canterlot," He said, reaching out with the paper.
The guard read it over. "Space Program? That's run out of Camp Llamos," She said, and crumpled it up.
"You've just made a bad mistake," She said, and pointed the rifle at Stargazer.
"Look, it's Celestia!" Lyra exclaimed. The bat pony was stunned for a second and strained her neck to look past.
Stargazer took advantage of that moment and launched himself forward, headbutting the night mare in the chest. He flew backwards and rolled, her rifle flying off to the side.
"Get the gun!" Stargazer exclaimed, wrestling with her on the ground.
Lyra dove and grabbed it, just as the mare kicked Stargazer off herself. Before she could follow up and pounce on him, the threatening click of Lyra running the bolt stopped her.
"Bon-Bon showed me how to use these, don't make me, please," She said.
The guard glanced around, but there was no help to be found. Their defenses were focused outwards, or surrounding the prisoners.
"What do you two flankholes want? Don't you know this is treason?" She said.
"I bet Celestia thinks the same," Stargazer said, and reached in his coat for a pair of zip ties. One didn't get to be a detective without being a street cop, and a street cop knew to keep a pair handy.
"Wait, you're working for her? Do you even know what you're doing?" She asked.
Stargazer walked around behind her while Lyra continued to point the gun at her.
"Do you?" Lyra asked.
"We're protecting Equestria! The Griffons, the changelings, they're all out to get us!" She said. "Celestia let them in, she'll doom us all with he-"
"Shut up," Stargazer said as he clonked her on the head.
"That's two, going for a record?" Lyra asked.
Stargazer smirked. "High score."
They laid her to the side of the admin building, both somewhat surprised nobody had seen their little scene. Stargazer was able to liberate a keychain from her, and they went around the back of the building to find a pair of locked doors, which they used to gain entry. Inside was a stairwell.
"If you were crazy, where would your office be?" Stargazer asked Lyra, clutching the rifle like it was her only lifeline.
"Top floor, obviously," Lyra said.
So to the top floor they went, pausing outside a pair of metal doors.
"Give me the rifle," Stargazer ordered. Lyra handed it over.
"You got a plan?" She asked.
"Yeah, I do."
A moment later he kicked the door open and swung the rifle around inside while Lyra galloped forward, screaming.
Inside were a few rows of cubicles, at the end a large office that had a view of them all, although it's blinds were drawn at the moment.
"Nobody move!" Stargazer shouted, the dozen or so ponies in the room turned their attention to the crazed stallion hefting a gun in the doorway, while a scared scientist ran for cover.
They sat in fear, unsure what to do.
"Stay where you are, and nopony gets hurt! My demands are simple- release the changelings!" He shouted, while Lyra slipped to the side of the office doorway just as the blinds flew open. A bat pony stared out at him.
"You're a changeling?!" One of the workers wondered.
"I sure am!" Stargazer shouted, firing the rifle at the glass- missing the bat pony inside by a mile, but still shattering it.
"You're messing with the wrong ponies!" Mezza Luna shouted, and came screaming out of the door with a pistol blazing. Stargazer dove back outside the door, while Lyra slipped in the other door.
"Alright, I surrender!" Stargazer shouted, and threw the rifle in the doorway.
There was a moment or two of awkward silence, as the ponies wondered if he was a bad terrorist or just insane.
"You surrender?" Mezza Luna asked.
Stargazer braced himself and stood in the doorway.
"I surrender," He said, glancing behind her to see Lyra holding up some document triumphantly. It vanished in a wisp of green smoke a moment later, with a bright enough flash that Mezza Luna glanced back- to see her holding Stargazers pistol.
"Who the hell are you?" She demanded, turning her attention over. Stargazer dove forward and grabbed the rifle on the ground, pointing it upwards from his prone position.
"Lyra Heartstrings!" She shouted. "Just a secretary, ma'am!" Pointing the pistol with shaky hooves.
Stargazer racked the slide of the rifle.
"It's over. Celestia knows all about your little adventure out here, just give it up!" Stargazer shouted.
Mezza Luna glanced back at him with the fire a thousand bursting suns.
"You can't stop me, nobody can stop me! I am the night!" She shouted, and dove forward.
Stargazer shot, but missed. Before he could run the bolt she had already sprinted into her office and fired a few times forward at the outer window, shattering it. She leapt forward and kicked off Lyra to launch out the window, leaving her crumpled in a pile.
"Ms. Heartstrings!" Stargazer shouted, darting forward. He skidded to a halt when she rose, wiping a bit of blood off her noise.
"I'm fine, takes more than that to stop me," She said, giving him a weak grin as she brushed glass off herself.
Stargazer sighed with relief, and looked around the room.
"It's over, go home," He said.
The workers glanced at each other, and shrugged. Stargazer stepped through the window of the office to look outside. A scroll appeared in the air before Lyra, and she caught it to read.
"The cavalry will be here in half an hour," She said.
Stargazer sighed with relief. It was over.
That thought was put on hold as the ground rumbled and an explosion rocked the building from outside. Sticking their heads out the window they turned to see a black shape emerge from one of the large buildings, the steel doors having been flung across the pavement. Dozens of ponies ran out in terror as it turned down the runway.
"What is that?" Lyra asked.
Stargazer watched it in awe. It was huge, and looked like something out of a science fiction comic. As it turned to point down the runway the circular tails on the rear lit up blue, and it flew forwards. Only a half minute later it was gone, lost into the blue yonder.
"The truth," Stargazer replied.
A half hour later, just as expected, a great number of airships appeared on the horizon. Heralding them was a wing of pegasi that flew over the base, dropping leaflets. Stargazer caught one, and read it to Lyra.
"Stand down or be assumed to be an enemy combatant," He said.
Lyra looked outside towards the towers lining the outer fence.
"That's rather direct, doesn't sound like anything Celestia would say," She noted.
Stargazer stared out at the approaching vessels, and noticed two specs above them.
"I think we're getting a two for one deal on princesses today," He said.
GRUMMAN LAKE: AUGUST 13TH, 11:40AM
COURTYARD
Stargazer and Lyra stood outside of the admin building as the Night Guards were rounded up by the legion force that the Princesses had brought. The changelings came out of the barracks as well, forming up outside with their weapons still ready. Looking to the sky the airships came to a hover over them, and three figures descended. Two headed for them, the other to the changelings.
When Celestia and Luna landed before them both Stargazer and Lyra bowed.
"You two have done a commendable thing today, I thank you," Luna said, biding them to rise.
"I leave you two with my sister, and assure you that the penalty for treason is... most severe. Mezza Luna and anypony that supported her will face justice, oh yes they will face justice," She said, and quickly departed for the rounded up group of bat ponies.
"You've done well, better then even I had hoped for," Celestia said.
"Thank you, Princess," They said together.
Celestia gestured inside. "Let's talk inside, I have a fe-" She was interrupted by the incredibly loud voice of her sister shouting at the bat ponies, whom were all cowering in terror.
"HOW DARE YOU INSOLENT FOOLS EXPECT ME TO IGNORE THIS! YOU HAVE SHAMED EQUESTRIA, MYSELF, AND THE VERY IDEA-"
They quickly went inside, lest they lose their hearing.
Celestia sat them down in the lobby, around a short table to hear their report. She was quite pleased not only that they succeeded, but managed to do so without any real violence.
"This could have gone quite badly for all involved, but thanks to you the worst was averted. I owe you a great deal, and so I ask if there's anything I can do for either of you," She asked.
Lyra and Stargazer both took a moment to consider, Lyra spoke first.
"I suppose becoming an alicorn is out of the question?," She asked.
Celestia laughed. "You'll have to save the day more than once for that, I'm afraid," She said.
Lyra shrugged. "Well, I had to try. In that case, I think I would prefer to think about it," She said.
Celestia nodded and turned to Stargazer.
"The Night Guard files were destroyed when the Police HQ was hit, but shouldn't they have copies in the mountain, or elsewhere?" He asked.
"I'll look into it, but why?" she asked.
"Princess, I'm a detective. Finding the truth is what I do, and I have a feeling this isn't the only time the Night Guard has done evil. I'm going to make it my mission to find how deep this rabbit hole goes," He said.
Celestia smiled, and nodded. "I was hoping you would say something like that, I wanted to ask you to become chief investigator as we look into the damage Mezza Luna did," She said, reaching a hoof.
Stargazer grinned, and shook it.
"I accept,"
H.M.S IRON SADDLE: SEPTEMBER 13TH, 6:30PM
EN-ROUTE TO CANTERLOT[- HOLD 7
Detective Stargazer and his partner caught a ride home on one of the airships, and brought the changeling ambassador up to date. They sat together in a small room towards the back of the ship, while the two princesses debated how to proceed with the Night Guard elsewhere. Luna had worked quickly, sending a message out declaring Mezza Luna to be an "Enemy of the State". Wherever she went, Luna would find her eventually.
"So, Wildcard, you sent Yin out after us too?" Lyra asked, clutching a cup of tea in her hooves as she sat at the wooden table, the ship gently rocking in its flight.
"That's right, I figured it would be wise to have a contingency if you ran into trouble. Too bad he never made it though, probably got lost on the way," Wildcard said.
Lyra glanced at Stargazer uneasily.
"Uh... ambassador... we saw him last night, he was abducted by the Night Guard," Stargazer said.
"That's impossible, he wasn't with the prisoners," Wildcard said.
"Then what did that hovering thing abduct last night?" Stargazer asked.
"What.. hovering thing?" Wildcard returned.
"Last night, this huge black craft hovered over us, just before your fellows found us. It's the same as that ship Mezza Luna stole, right?" Stargazer asked, feeling a shiver of unease up his spine.
"Detective, the Night Guard was using basic airships with spotlights, and the Phoenixes can't hover. What the hell are you talking about?"
Lyra and Stargazer shared another look of unease.
"Ambassador, do you think we're alone?" Stargazer asked.
H.M.S IRON SADDLE: AUGUST 28th 1001, 6:30PM
EN-ROUTE TO CANTERLOT- BRIDGE
Celestia and Luna stood side by side, staring out at the setting sun as the vessel slowly made its way towards Canterlot.
Luna spoke first, after a long period of silent unease.
"I.. I'm sorry sister, I should have seen this. I put my faith in her, and my foolishness jeopardized us all. Now, thanks to her treason, I have to babysit the Night Guard and root out those that followed her, dividing my attention from more important things. I was wrong to give her so much power, I take the blame," She said.
Celestia gently twisted her face, smiling against her frown. "Luna, everypony makes mistakes- we just make bigger ones then normal. I have an idea that can help us both, if you want," She suggested.
Luna cocked an eyebrow. "What would that be?"
Celestia grinned widely. "Allow me to lead the Night Guard," she stated bluntly.
Luna smiled. "They would hate that, I think it would be a perfect punishment. They abused their position, so now they get to be sent back to school, with you as their teacher," She said.
"Hah, hold on a minute. You do just realize that we've swapped roles, right?" Luna laughed.
"Want to bring it full circle?" Celestia asked.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked.
"Lower the sun..." Celestia suggested.
"...raise the moon." Luna added.
They shared wide grins, and for the first time Luna lowered her sisters sun below the horizon, and Celestia immediately rose her moon.
Shortly afterwards a small, bright, speck was visible on the horizon. The pair watched as it veered over the sky, increasing and decreasing in brightness before seeming to dart straight upwards into the night.
It was not the first time, nor the last time, they would see something like that. They had learned not to question it, some mysteries not even they knew the answer to. Some things were meant to remain unknown.
We are not alone.
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Is it aliens?
I was starting to think it *was* changelings, and this was going to have something to do with the half-breed "adoptions." Nope, gotta be aliens!
(Actually I'll put my real bets on batponies being involved.)
Ha! I was right.
town's
you're
Center tag needs fixing.
Wasn't his name Stargazer?
Center tag again.
Should be just "changeling" I think.
It WAS aliens!
Center tag again.
speck
4135477 Fixes fixed.
I'm glad that you posted this as such, you followed the line of thinking I was hoping to lead the reader on (hopefully without being stupidly direct or obvious) I actually cut a lot from this since it broke the mystery, which may have led to some turbulence near the end.
This was, also, a stealth pilot. It's been pretty well received so I'll carry it forward into it's own story post-ACHNE.
also, unrelated, new monitor today and ponies look so good
hey this is a cool read! i've been chugging right through these chapters. just finished trial by fire and looking forward to reading more!
4164130
Well thank you very much kind sir. Glad you've enjoyed it so much, and there's plenty to look forward to!
4164524
4136182
Pinging you. He's got some legit points of concern here, and combined with a spate of other complaints I'm doing some rethinking.
Feel free to continue reading, if you so desire, and any other thoughts of yours will be considered. I appreciate the feedback, and apologize for any inconvenience.
E: Wait a second, I never caught that before- Holy Griffonic Empire? Did you even read my stuff where did that come from
4164541
sure will!
not trying to be a dick, i was just rather jarred by the abrupt change. i'll let you know if i have any more feedback.
4164569
Oh no don't worry about it all. Criticism is how we improve as authors, nobody is going to improve without knowing what they do wrong. Everything is appreciated.
It's also made me think about some things.
4165405
I'm glad you approve, I saw today coming and decided I would try something different- straight comedy.
4165752
Glad you approve, it was a heck of a lot of fun to write.
4181215
Goddangit, who said you were allowed to use rational science and math, and apply it to this? I'm not a maththinker I'm a liberal arts major!
This is also why I always love your comments, you're thinking about things in a way I'm basically incapable of.
4199889
Sorry, still don't buy it. NONE of them have ever had a non-fatal injury? EVER? No wounding shots to the flank? And no support crew have ever fished one out of the water? None have EVER landed near shore? None have EVER gotten in the leg or arm or somewhere other than the wing and made it back? None has ever gotten it in one wing and managed a heroic glide down? Or been saved be a fellow? The show canon clearly establishes that one pegasus can carry another. Nobody has ever tried to save a buddy? Saying that they've never had an injury, only fatalities, is nonsensical, sorry. I mentioned the pacific theater for a reason, those were pilots who went down that thousand feet in the water, surrounded by enemies, and plenty of them still made it back. This is an assertion that's going to get anybody who knows anything at all about real military combat to roll their eyes and go "yeah, right" at it, not to mention anybody who's watched the show and seen what pegasi are capable of surviving.
I will admit that one terribly inaccurate and utterly wrong line in the whole story won't completely ruin it for me if it's otherwise good, so you can keep it if you insist, but it is an inaccurate and utterly wrong line.
4199924
Goddamnit, who told you you were allowed to critically force me to think about things, and hold my feet to the fire?
Now I have to actually accept I was wrong, that you were right, and adjust that line. My ego... my ego is imploding.
thank you
4200257
You are a way better person than most for not freaking out at this kind of thing, which I appreciate.
4200331
EGO ANALYZING
SCANS INDICATE COMPLIMENT
EGO REPAIR COMPLETE
Srsly though, I love everybody that's willing to fight me in order to improve my work. I'm a big imperfect dummy, and sometimes I think I'm a genius when I'm really not! We're all big imperfect dummies, but if we take the time to help eachother, we can become a more perfect whole.
I want more from the aliens!