Picking Up the Pieces

by Evilhumour

Chapter Four: Gentle Step, Sweet Surprise

Chapter Four

Gentle Step

The house of the governmental heartbeat of Equestria was a massive marble structure at the Top of Canterlot, only a bit smaller than the castle and the headquarters of the Royal Guards. It was a sprawling structure, with elaborate pillars and statues of past heroes, the Virtues and the Goddesses. An army of artisans and craftsponies had spent years building the parliament forum and it was almost as spellbinding as the castle was. It was, however, where the phoenix Philomena tended to roost most of the time, her favourite place was the head of her former master.

It contained the largest number of courtrooms in Equestria and they were almost always bustling with decisions that could affect the nation, though today it was central chamber that was the eye of the storm as all the senators of Equestria, governors of Canterlot, Captains and the King were attending this session. The noise inside the main chamber was near deafening, though it was a reason why certain spells were invented for such certain circumstance.

Regrettably, Gentle and four of her Captains knew that they could not do so as this was a very important event and it would look horrible on them if they were discovered not to be listening to anything that was said. Besides that, Gentle was very interested in the outcome of the vote.

The senate vote had gone as well as she could expect; the fourteen senators that had voted against the Pardon were from cities that had either very notable changeling problems or relied heavily on illegal labour from changelings. She had to admit that she was impressed by their belief in their convictions that were not swayed by King Well Banded, her fellow Captains and herself voting for it, showing that they were dedicated to what they believed in and would not become sycophants in the future provided that they were not actual bigots.

The Upper Canterlot Governors had voted predictably; following the King’s actions. She had been surprised when Governor Bright Pledge had voted against the Pardon, causing an uproar and the hints of an actual fight could break out. She was briefly wishing for it as she could have a reason to actually do something proactive in this vote beyond standing next to the King with her Captains flanking them. She could see Captain Sweet Surprise getting more annoyed each passing second despite how well the mare hid it behind a strong blank mask with only flicks of her eyes showing any emotion.

After the announcer regained order in the room, Record Melody cleared his throat to address the Lower Canterlot Governors who had something planned for their vote and Governor Fer De Lance was going to do another speech. This damnable vote could have been finished hours ago if everypony hadn’t made a speech about their decisions before making their decisions.

Thankfully, it was not long winded like the others and the Lower had voted in unison for the Pardon and she had to hold herself back from smiling broadly at this turn of events. As she had done before and tuned out the speech save for keywords, she began to think of how much better things would be for her oldest friend now.

Based on the smiles her fellow Captains weren’t even bothering to hide, she was obviously not the only one who felt that way. Violet and Sweet had high hooved each other with Blazen smilingly widely and Standing was clearly itching to bring this order into effect in the West. Gentle on the other hoof had far more important things to do once she was out this forum.

---

Gentle Step walked through the halls toward her office, which Memorizing was using temporarily before they could requisition a more permanent one for him. She was eager to tell him the news personally for reasons she could not fathom at the moment but that could wait until after.

Opening the door, she saw Memorizing near a box of his personal effects while in the midst of unpacking when he looked up at her.

“Memorizing, I trust you have heard the news?” she asked as she came in, closing the door behind her.

“Yes, I have and I-”

“Must celebrate, I agree,” Gentle said as she walked towards her own desk, glad to be wearing her dress uniform instead of her armour. “In fact, I believe we have some free time this afternoon before your fellow Captains would like to meet with you again and I do have several years of personal days, vacations and the like.”

“Gentle, I-”

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud knock on her office door.

Frowning, Gentle Step turned to the door and opened it with her magic. “Can I help you?” she asked the ponies in the Internal Affairs uniform stepping into her office. She kept her face neutral while she tried to think of what exactly Internal Affairs would want with her. Her record was impeccable and highly recommended by her Captains who had voted into her position and the instructors who had given her the needed knowledge to operate her office properly.

“Step,” the leader of the ponies said with a shallow nod of his head. “We are-”

“My apologizes for interrupting, but I am Captain General Gentle Step,” she told them, narrowing her eyes slightly. “I am to be referred to by my title or sir.”

“Step,” the pony pressed, flicking his eyes from her to Memorizing. “We are not here for you today. We are here for the drone.”

“I-” Memorizing began.

“Why are you here for Captain Memorizing Gaze,” Gentle asked as she moved in front of her captain. “Also, I would like to have your names and numbers to lodge a complaint.”

“Strict Code, Four Three Two Four, Narrow Script, Three Eight Four One and Abiding Bylines, Eight Two Three Five Six,” he said. “As I was saying, we are here for the drone for breaking Royal Decree Two One Seven Five that prohibits members of the Fourth Tribe from any form of employment and it comes to our attention that he has broken this law. We need to question him for how long this crime has been ongoing and how many knew about it to bring those individuals to justice.”

“Perhaps you have not heard, but all laws regarding the prohibitions against Changeling employment have just been overturned,” Gentle said carefully, still trying to understand what exactly their plan was.

“We understand that; we were present when the vote was cast in favour of the Pardon. Internal Affairs is not against the Changelings redeeming themselves, we just have issues with individuals breaking the law.”

“As you yourself just said that the law has pardoned them.”

“And as you are no doubt are aware, Step, that the law does not protect those who have broken the law before the Pardon was passed. As such, the drone here is charged with a serious crime due to the murders of the Goddesses, the Virtues and the individuals attending the Demi-Goddess of Love’s Wedding that his ancestor’s Queen perpetrated and the sanctions against his tribe, his military record as a Captain notwithstanding.”

Gentle Step’s blood was now boiling as she saw what this was; an attack on him solely because they could. “Do you mean to tell me,” she asked in quietest of tones, “That you are here to arrest a good stallion merely for being a changeling who is holding down a job, when King Blueblood the Great himself created the Hidden Guard and declared their Captaincy would always be held by a changeling‽” she hissed the last word, her rage seeping into his voice.

“Indeed and-”

“Furthermore,” she barged her way back into the conversation, not allowing him to get a further word out. “In the thousand years since then, the Crown has upheld his declaration, and by royal decree have ensured that even when Changelings could not seek employment elsewhere, there would always be a place for them in the Hidden Guard.” Gentle Step’s voice was as cold as iron as she spoke. “As such, your attempted arrest of any of its Guards, merely for being changelings who are employed, goes against this royal decree and thus is an illegal act and could result in your own arrests if you attempt to press it.” She gave him a look. “Do I make myself clear?”

“With all due respect, Step,” the pony said. “This supposed royal decree, if it does exist, would need to be proven to back your claims. Would I be correct to assume that this decree was sealed as not to reveal the Hidden Guards to the public and would still be sealed? Such an action is a serious offense, Step.” Gentle frowned inwards, knowing he was absolutely correct. He saw this and pushed on. “As I thought. Until all matters are resolved, the drone is to come with us for questioning-”

“He is Captain Memorizing Gaze, not the drone,” she spat out, causing them to back up in defense. “You-”

“I’m not the Captain anymore,” Memorizing said abruptly causing her to do a double take. “Nor with the Guards. Due to matters relating to my Tribe and Hive, I have been in touch with King Well Banded and we, the King and I, are to meet shortly to go over the finer points of re-education regarding the changelings.” He then pulled out a letter and gave it over to the Internal Affairs agent who examined it before nodding his head.

“This appears to be legitimate,” the pony said. “We will wait for when you are done with your meeting with the King. Good day, Gaze, Step.” They then stepped out of her office.

“Memorizing, you’re quitting?” she asked as she turned around to face him. “But-”

“Gentle, I have always been your friend, and it will always be an honor for me to have worked beside you,” Memorizing Gaze said quietly as he placed a hoof on her shoulder. “But with everything that’s happened in recent weeks, I’m needed elsewhere now.” He smiled at her, causing a flurry of emotions in her heart. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving Canterlot or anything, just this position.”

“I-I,” she struggled to come up with a proper reply with Memorizing giving her an odd look at her inability to speak. Finally she managed to say, “I understand.”

He continued to look at her before nodding his head slowly and teleporting out of her office, leaving her all alone. She tapped her desk before walking out of her office and into Lieutenant Flight, her long time second in command who was giving her a much worried look.

“Gentle, is everything okay?” the black-and-white-furred unicorn asked her as he placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop those damn IA agents from barging in. What did they want with you?”

“It was Mems,” she said softly, looking at the ground before shaking her head. “They wanted to question him but he quit… I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

He looked at her incredulously but before he could say anything, she teleported away.

Sweet Surprise

Of all the things she had been expected to do in her life, looking for her Captain General was the last one she had ever dreamed Lieutenant Mist Flight would ask of her. Tartarus, Gentle Step leaving work early was something she’d never expected the younger mare to do, as dedicated to her job as she was. But now she’d done just that, and Sweet Surprise had been the one chosen to go find her as Gentle lived in the South too.

The first place she had visited was Gentle’s home, opening the door with the spare keys the Captain General had given her in case of emergencies while making absolute certain to stay on the pathway as she remembered how touchy the mare was about her private property not being damaged. Those poor drug makers were still probably regretting crossing her backyard as a shortcut, especially after how Gentle scared them into turning themselves in by sharing her experiences in Tartarus. And of course, Sweet still remembered how annoyed her superior had been after the incident with the skimmer…

Poking her head in cautiously as not to make herself a target, she called out for Gentle Step. Hearing nothing, she stepped into her boss’s house and found the first floor exactly as she expected it to be; bland and spartan. Of course, she didn’t snoop around as she knew how upset Gentle would be if she had found out and it wasn’t her place to pry into her superior's private life.

She still went up the stairs to knock on the heavily ward protected doors. She was a bit alarmed to discover that Gentle had added her unique aetheric signature, and those of the other Captains, to the alarms as a non-threat as it meant Gentle had taken a snippet of their magic in the past without their knowledge. But on the other hoof, it meant that Gentle trusted them enough that they could go into her private studies where she no doubt kept her personal trinkets and artifacts she had collected. Luna Herself knew that Sweet Surprise kept several dangerous items in her own study at times that were potent enough that she refused Hot Rod and Sound Mind from entering on the off chance that something could happen despite the fact they knew it could be very dangerous.

After she had made her round through the entire house, she began to rethink her approach. She went over what Mist Flight had told her and replayed it in her head as well as how Gentle reacted. She snickered to herself, it almost sounded like Gentle was acting like-

She let out a gasp with a smirk growing onto her face. She knew exactly what was going on and where she could find Gentle.

---

It had taken some time to find the right one but there she was, the Captain General sitting at the bar with a drink in her hooves. Shaking her head at the sight, she cleared her throat loudly as she trotted over to Gentle and sat down beside her, ordering her own drink and told the bartender to place it on Gentle’s tab.

The mare gave her a look that lacked the usual sting and Sweet Surprise pushed her luck further by refusing to answer until she had taken a drink.

After a long drink, she placed her arm over Gentle’s back and said, “So Gent-”

“Take your arm off of me before I shove it down your throat,” Gentle growled, letting Sweet know she was going a bit too far. “Why are you here? How are you here?”

“I’m here because ol’ Misty was worried about you when you left this afternoon.”

“First off, you know he hates that nickname,” Gentle replied stiffly. “Second, I am a grown mare, I can leave whenever I feel like it provided I have alerted somepony of my departure,” she added before blinking, sighing and taking another drink from her alcohol. “You have yet to explain how you found me.”

“Again, it was easy,” Sweet Surprise said. “I just needed to think how you would react to what happened with Memorizing and as you were not home, it would make sense you’d be bar hopping.”

“That does not make sense,” she said. “The news was very distressing but how do you know I would not vent my frustration in the gym or by teleporting myself to the gates of Tartarus to vent my anger that way.”

“Come off it, Gentle,” Sweet scoffed, shaking her head. “You know why you’re so down that Mems temporarily left us.”

“Yes, he is my oldest friend, of course I am upset-wait did you say temporarily?”

“Uh,” Sweet Surprise trailed off as she tried to process the fact that Gentle Step was majorly crushing on Memorizing Gaze and had no idea about it. “Yeah, after his meeting with the king and several changelings, they’ve realigned his position to be the bridge between Equestria and the Queen of the Badlands Hive and by proxy the Fourth Tribe.”

“I see…” she trailed off, tapping the counter while looking off to the side. “Do you know where he is now? I would like to speak with him, I think…”

“He’s still in Great Library, I think, setting up his offices there; he is going to be working with a representative of their Queen. Not sure of her name.”

Gentle Step straightened up at this, finishing her drink off in a single shot. “Excuse me, I have to go,” she said before teleporting away.

Sweet Surprise just chuckled to herself. Little miss Bane of Tartarus really needed to open her eyes and admit her real feelings about Mems, in her opinion.

“Ahem.”

Sweet Surprise looked up to see the gruff-looking bartender. “Yes?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Your friend’s tab.” He slapped a piece of paper down on the bar in front of her. “Somepony’s paying this, and since she left and you didn’t…”

Sweet groaned, rolling her eyes. “Fine, but she owes me big for this,” she muttered, digging her coin bag out.

Comments

[Copper Springs]

Oh my gosh!!! She likes him!! That is so freaking adorable!!
Also buck you internal affairs! You bigoted a-holes!!
I really like that we are getting to see more of the captains this time around.