48: Realizations
Hunter made for the front door while Wrath ran ahead and opened the front door to allow him to walk in. The Overlord said nothing in praise of the minion as he passed by him. He walked into the front room of the castle and his magic opened the next set of doors to reveal the purple Alicorn sitting on her throne going through a packet of documents. She smiled as her minion ran up to her and then her head gave a slight tilt as he began to point and screech. She looked up and a look of glee crossed her face at the sight of him.
“Hunter!” She said as she got to her hooves and trotted to greet him. “You came.”
“I had nothing better to do and I was about to send you a letter anyway when I received yours.” He admitted as she reached him and hugged him gently.
“I manage to have good timing sometimes.” She said with a chuckle as he let go of him.
He chose not to say anything about the hug in greeting since that was new of her to do. “What did you need to mention to me?”
“Have a seat.” She said to him as her magic called on a plush chair to appear next to her at the table.
Wrath took a seat by the chair as Hunter sat down and waited for her to speak further. The purple mare said nothing for a moment as she seemed to work out what to say to him.
“Have you found anything from Creed and the others?”
“I just finished interrogating him when I received your letter.” He said to her.
“And my good timing strikes again.” She chuckled.
“For once anyway.” He teased back.
“Hey.” She yelped and pushed him with one wing. “I’m not that bad… Normally.”
“Normally?” He teased her further as she got more flustered.
“It’s just that I tend to… Well… Never mind… You were saying?” She said as a slight blush crossed her face.
“Anyway, I had finished with him when I was called on by you. Basically, I had him confirm a few things for me and learn a few new things. But your letter said you wanted to keep me abreast of a few things on your end.”
“Yes. I’m not sure you will like what I decided to do though.” She admitted with a sheepish look.
He said nothing for several seconds as she looked more nervous. He was pretty sure he knew what she had done but seeing her squirm made him chuckle. “Let me guess?” She nodded. “You told your fellow Princesses what we have been doing.”
“Basically.” She said to him and looked down at the packet in front of her. “I kind of schooled them on everything, well almost everything that we had been doing behind the scenes.”
“So they are aware of the growing rot in the kingdom?”
“For the most part.” She said to him as she edged the packet close to him.
He sighed and hid magic gripped the packet and he opened it to the first page and his eyebrow raised at the table of contents that listed out their plans in chapters. “Are you serious?” He said to her as a laugh threatened to grow in his throat.
“What?” She said to him, her voice going a bit shrill.
“A table of contents?”
“What about it? I figured laying things out in that way would prove easier to follow.”
“By the Netherworld.” He cursed under his breath as the laughter he had been trying to hold back finally broke from him and he found himself laughing aloud at her.
“What?! What's so funny?” She demanded as he held onto the table as his magic held the packet.
A minute passed as his laughter died out and he brought the packet to hover in front of him once more. “You’re too funny.” He finally breathed out as he finished laughing at her expense.
He looked at her and nearly began to laugh once more at the pouting Princess beside him. He reached over and ran his hoof down her mane and then patted her shoulder. He flipped to the first page and found himself looking at a list of their movements in chronological order. He tilted his head at the list for a moment before a chuckle broke from him.
“Now what’s funny?” She snipped at him.
“Nothing.” He quickly said in reply as she looked at him, still pouting.
“Really? Because you laugh so much for no reason.” She said back to him, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
That nearly set him to laughing once more. In all the time he had known her she rarely used sarcasm. He chose to let it go and instead focus on what he held in his hooves.
“So they now know most everything that we have discovered?”
“Yes.” She said to him, her tone sharp.
He grinned at her response and he looked over to her to see her still fighting back from pouting. “Okay, so we can know trust that they will be looking into it as well?”
“They didn’t say to be honest.” She admitted.
“Really? I have to say that surprises me. I’d have leaped onto that information like a wolf on a piece of meat.”
“I know I was shocked.” She said to him. “They just thanked me for letting them know and said nothing else. Well actually.”
“What?”
“Luna seemed ready to leap on it but Celestia said a few things that quieted her down.”
“Hmm… And?”
“She said that it was known and they were looking into it. At first, I thought that would be the end of it but she didn’t ask for the packet to keep for the information. That was why I made one for each of them so that they would have all the information I did.”
“Really?” He asked her as he listened closely to her speak, his own mind whirling on the possibilities.
“It was so strange.” She said to him. “I asked her if they knew more than what I had said and she kind of danced around the question without giving me a concrete answer. Luna seemed to wonder what she was doing as she kept looking between us when I kept asking for a more concrete answer.”
“I have to wonder what that means.” He said to her as he set the packet down in front of him. “Normally a ruler is kept abreast of things in their realm and they can then react to them. I keep ponies in place within parts of my kingdom to ensure I know what is happening both in the light and in the shadows.”
“I don’t know if they have ponies like that,” Twilight said to him, frustration in her tone. “She wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“Any idea why she refused to clue you in?” He asked her.
“Am I too inexperienced?”
“I don’t think that is the reason, to be honest.” He replied. “Experience can only come with experiencing things as you have already done with me. You have grown beyond what she was probably thinking you would and you have learned beyond what she was ready for in my opinion.”
Frustration crossed her face once more as she huffed a breath and looked at him, her eyes searching. “Maybe she can’t trust me?”
He opened his mouth to argue with her when he realized she might have hit the nail on the head. “That could be.”
“WHY!?” She shrieked. “I’m still her…”
“Easy Twilight.” He said as he pinned his ears. “Let me explain before you shatter my eardrums.”
Her hooves went to her mouth and she cringed. “I’m sorry.”
“Forgiven.” He replied quickly to ease her mind. “You have shown that you will lean a bit more to my side of things than theirs.”
“What do you mean?”
“The land that was contested. Yes, you went down the middle and it benefited both parties, but to them, you were toeing the line between us. The time they tried to take land from me. You alerted me to it and I was able to move due to that warning from you.”
“Oh… I forgot about that.” She said as she cringed. “So they don’t trust me anymore?”
“I don’t think that they have no trust in you at all. It’s just that they have to wonder who you’re more loyal to in the end.” He pointed out. “I know your loyalty lies with doing what is right for those involved. It always has.”
“See you know that and we have only known each for a year or so.” She said to him. “Princess Celestia has known me since I was a foal. She was like a second mother to me.”
“Again I don’t think she has no trust in you at all. She simply is realizing that you have more of a mind of your own. You interpret things she says in your own way and use them in ways you see as being right or just. For example, she wanted you to befriend me and use that to get me to do you a favor and let the land go.”
“But I chose to be a real friend to understand you and your position instead.” She finished for him.
“Exactly.” He said to her, his tone gentle as he patted her shoulder as the mare seemed to be becoming a bit depressed. “I can understand why you do the things you do, for the most part.” He admitted and she chuckled gently. “But to them, you are not acting in the way they wish you to or think you should.”
“I am still a Princess of Equestria. I will do what is best for the ponies.” She said to him.
“I know that. Hell, you’re not a noble or a Princess of my ponies and you act to watch over and protect them. That tells me who you are in my opinion. And that is a pony to trust and place belief in.”
She smiled and her eyes fell on him as she nodded as he finished speaking. “Thank you.”
“I can’t lie to you. You have been honest with me and you deserve that courtesy in response.” He assured her. “I know that you will do what is right and act in the best interest of the ponies around you. Even if they are not directly yours.”
“How do they not know that though?” She asked him as her eyes fell to confusion.
“I think that is the thing though. They do know that but you have a mind of your own and will act in a way that might not be the same as they would do.” He said to her. “Now this is just an outside perspective since I am not them and I think of things in a very different way due to my own life experiences. But I do have a thought that I feel you need to hear.”
“I’m listening.”
“I need you to not panic and fight with me.”
“I’m not going to like this am I?”
“It’s a stray thought that came to me as you explained how things were when you asked your questions of them.”
“Okay. “ She said as she sat upon her throne. “I’m guessing you think I will overreact?”
“A bit. So I need you to listen and not react and deafen me.”
She giggled at his jab at her as she nodded. “Okay, I will try my best to keep an open mind.”
“That’s all I ask.” He said to her as he leaned back in his chair. His armor creaked a bit as he moved and he breathed in a bit before he went on. “When you mentioned all the things we had found what her reaction was? Not Lunas, but Celestia’s?”
“She didn’t seem shocked or even uncertain. I mentioned how we had been looking into what the shadow group was doing with the chimeras and she just listened, there was no expression.”
“Okay. And Luna?”
“She was going through the list I had made and kept interrupting me to ask questions. It took an hour to get through the first half of chapter one.” She admitted.
“Okay, now I need you to think hard about what I am about to ask. You are a brilliant mare and I want to put that mind to work a bit.” He said to her and she nodded and trained her gaze on him. “Do you think you were telling Celestia anything she didn’t already know?”
He watched as Twilight’s eyes went wide at the implication he had put in front of her. “Why are you asking that?”
“Think about it for a minute.” He encouraged her.
He watched as she looked away from him and he could almost see the wheels in her mind whirring. Her eyes searched the table in front of her and she eventually looked back at him after a minute of thought.
“No… There is no way.” She said to him, her voice desperate.
“I could be wrong and if I am I will apologize.” He assured her. “But her reaction to what she had been told strikes me as boredom, not interest in what she had been told. You exposed a site of rot in her kingdom and she seemed to have almost yawned at you. Luna reacted in a way that tells me she is concerned about what she had learned. Luna is the one that would fight to see it fixed while Celestia… didn’t.”
“But she… She couldn’t…” Twilight nearly babbled before she shut her mouth with a click of teeth.
“I know it’s not something that you would have considered before I mentioned it. But still, think it through.”
She was silent as she got to her hooves and began to pace just behind him. He stayed still as he looked at the packet in front of him once more. He opened it to the next page and it showed the timeline of when he had been attacked to when they had found out who had supplied the information and where it was located. There were spaces missing that simply said that Hunter had found the information outside of Equestria.
“You’re serious about this?” Twilight suddenly said to him.
“I am saying it’s a possibility. That possibility could be very wrong. That is just where my thoughts go when I was told how she acted. If I am wrong then I am happy for you to point it out to me.” He quickly replied.
He knew that he had thrown her for a loop with his thought and it had most likely upset her to think of her former mentor in such a way. She came back and sat down, he could see shock and anger in her eyes as she looked at him. He felt a moment of trepidation lance through him before he felt it fade as her eyes fell into sadness.
“You're right.” She said to him. “How she acted is… So wrong. It tells you how she might have known exactly what I was telling her before I even opened my mouth. But for now, I am going to hope that you’re wrong.”
“Agreed. I am not going to be thrilled if I turn out to be right. But I will be happy to say I am wrong if it is proven to be that way.” He agreed quickly with her.
“So what did you find out from Creed and the others?” She asked him, her voice quiet.
Hunter tried to think of a way to cheer her up but nothing he thought of would help. He simply decided to move on and see if he could overwrite the sad information with something new. “Nothing huge compared to some things. Turns out that his wife is the one that knows more about the business itself while he was a breeder.”
“His wife?”
“Yes. She is the tougher of the two of them apparently.”
“So why did she stop?”
“She had a foal.” He explained. “She decided to take a step back and concentrate on her family. So he was forced to take her place for the time being. I assume that she would have retaken her place once she felt she was in the right place for it.”
“I see. So did you question her?”
“No, I have not.”
“Why not?”
“He gave me the connection to the shadows that I was asking for.”
“He didn’t lie to you did he?”
“If he did he is the best liar I have ever been in the same room with.” He admitted. “He tried to once. I caught him in it and advised him against doing it again.”
Twilight chuckled at his wording and he was pleased to see that she seemed to be recovering her humor. They fell into silence as Spike came into the room. The drake smiled at the sight of the stallion and Hunter gave him a nod.
“Hi, Hunter.”
“Hello, Spike.” He greeted in response.
“Do you guys want something to drink?” He asked and Twilight looked at him. “I’m getting myself something so I figured I would ask Twilight if she wanted something. You know best Number One Assistant stuff.”
Hunter tilted his head slightly at his proclamation but Twilight smiled warmly at the drake and he went with the flow. “I’m fine Spike. But I thank you for the offer.”
“I’ll make some tea,” Twilight said to him as the baby dragon smiled and went to his task.
Hunter watched him leave and his eyes fell on Twilight as she gave him a quizzical look. “Number one assistant?”
She chuckled at the look he was giving her and nodded. “It’s what he is.” She replied with a giggle.
“Seriously?” He said to her. “So he’s not a pet?”
“NO!” Twilight nearly shrieked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. “Why did all of you think he was my pet?”
“It’s a normal assumption to make.” He argued. “For the first time, I am unsure what to call him. Normally it’s just spoken of the two of you as one unit.”
“Really?” She asked him. “You never thought to ask about what title he prefers?”
“Why would I ask?”
“You’re the Overlord!” She shouted at him. “You’re big on the titles and… You would never ask that would you?”
“Of course not,” Hunter said to her, his tone affronted. “As you pointed out I’m the Overlord. Why in the Netherworld would I ask that?”
Twilight stared at him for a moment before a smile went over her mouth and she broke out into laughter. “Gnarl didn’t ask either I don’t think.” She giggled.
“I never asked him and pet is what he called him to me so it never came up to ask about it.” He admitted.
“Gnarl… There are times I wonder how such a smart minion functions on so many guesses.” She laughed out.
“He manages.” Hunter agreed. “I have to set him right every now and then but not all that often.”
She breathed for a moment before a laugh broke from her again and she held her sides. “Oh by Equestria.”
Hunter shrugged as Spike came back into the room and gave the mare her tea on a platter. Both ponies watched as he left the room after giving the mare what he thought was a sly wink. Hunter raised an eyebrow at the drake but he seemed to have not seen it as he left them behind. Twilight stared at him and a slight flush appeared on her cheeks. She looked down at the table as Hunter tried not to tease her about what he had seen.
“Anyway. What else did he have to say?” She asked.
“Not a great deal. I got a timeline for how long they have been working with the shadow group in Canterlot.”
“Which was?”
“About ten to fifteen years.”
“Wow.” Twilight mouthed. “That long?”
“Yeah. Apparently, Sunder approached them with a proposition and they ran it through a test sale and then moved forward to work with them after that proved lucrative.” He explained and the mare motioned for him to go on. “So they went into business with the shadows and it has been that way ever since. They operate as both a group and alone at times depending on the client.”
“So when we approached them we did it through the shadow organization but they can operate alone as well?”
“Correct. As much as I was able to glean from Creed that is how it is set up for the most part.”
“Interesting.” She said opt him as she put a hoof to her mouth. “So when the Governess asked for a Chimera she went through that first pony at first?” He nodded as she went on. “So what made her decide to stop going with him?”
“Top Quote?” She nodded. “That I am not sure of. She might have done it to spite him or try for a better ideal without him involved. Typically when there is a middle pony they take a portion of the sales as a commission.”
“Right, that makes sense.” Twilight agreed.
“The Governess was many things but she could be a very shrewd pony when the need came for it.” He said to her. “So when it came down to signing the papers she balked and then cut him out of the deal directly.”
“Wow. She did so many things right but did the one big thing wrong.”
“She did.” He admitted with a sharp tone. “But that shrewdness did not save her. If she had been buying the chimera for the arena by itself with the intent to use it in shows then I might not have batted an eye.”
“Right since the arena was in use as a means of entertainment.” Twilight agreed with a nod.
“Had she not attacked me then I would have been none the wiser. But she chose the ultimate betrayal and it cost her dearly.”
Twilight gave him a sad look as her eyes fell on his armor. “Yeah. It’s amazing how she thought it work.”
“Had the situation been different it might have?”
“Huh?”
“She let me have the minions. Not armored ones but still. With them, my ability is higher and they are stronger than I think she thought they were. So with their abilities and my own, it made the task of killing me much harder. They tried to wear me down with the many fights and had the fights lasted longer than it might have worked.”
Twilight gave an unhappy look as she reached out and set her hoof on his shoulder. “I’m glad it failed.”
“So am I.” He said with a cheerful expression to make her smile.
She smiled brightly and he leaned back in his chair as the silence spread between them.
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Yeah at this point there is not much Reason to trust Celestia, She seems to happy to just let the nobles do as they please
You can just call.me Admiral Q i added the ponyform because Admiral Q was claimed already...i think
l don't know why.... but l am faintly starting to hear drums of war and rebellion, if Celestia keeps up with her shit.
I suspect Celestia is giving them enough rope to hang themselves, I doubt the shadows know how much she actually knows, since she's very carefully doing nothing at all.
Neutral jing?
Celestia grow to accept corruption. Luna needs to take the reins in Equestria and remind Celestia that she can not allow that!
11223186
You know i think it's something far worse, I think the Reason Celestia has not done anything to them is that she is using them her self, For with how she has been so far in the story it will not surprise me if she is working with them
And the only reason she is not doing it more openly is that she is trying to get Luna into it aswell but its not going so well on that front
Nice
Yay new chapter!
11223138
I will remember to correct that. Thanks again for your help!
You’re
This is a really, really excellent fic. I haven't played any of the Overlord games before, but that's been no hindrance to my understanding of the story. Seriously, this is very well done. It's interesting, dramatic, and very intriguing.
But you do need an editor. There's repeated erroneous usage of "their, there, and they're", as well as "your and you're". There's also some odd phrasing in a few places, but that's about it.
Seriously, well done. I can't wait for more.
11245399
I have been trying to find an editor but as I am low on funds I have not been able to afford one. I try to use Grammarly as much as I can but it only picks up so much on the free version. Lol. Thank you for pointing things out. I have been trying to correct them as much as I can.
11245714
Well if you're looking, I could do the editing.
11245717
I would appreciate it. So far I have had no luck on my search and I can't afford most of the software that does the editing as well.
11245722
Send me a PM and we can work out the details. I of course, don't charge anything.
This is amazing story
11271205
I'm glad you are enjoying it.
I suspect Celestia has the impression she knows the Organisation plans, but underestimate their Ego and greed.