1-8: Conclusive Evidence
“SHINING ARMOR!!!” Twilight shouted, magically amplifying her voice.
“You bellowed?” Shining Armor questioned as he walked over to Twilight. Twilight simply levitated the remote, “So you found out about that, huh?”
“I’m not mad that you gave somepony a manual remote to Damselfly’s shock collar,” Twilight said before she gave a stare that would melt an iceberg, “I am, however, angry that you went behind my back to do it!”
“I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t have approved of its use,” Shining Armor explained.
“First of all, don’t make assumptions about whether or not I would’ve approved!” Twilight exclaimed, “Secondly, whether or not I would’ve approved is irrelevant! Because I’m in charge of the investigation, the use of this remote requires my approval! Thirdly, there were two oth-”
“Don’t overstep your authority, Twilight!” Shining Armor exclaimed, interrupting Twilight. Shining Armor was about to take the remote. But Twilight crumpled it into a ball of plastic and metal, “Twilight Sparkle! That remote is government property! Destroying government property is a federal offense!”
“That brings me to my fourth issue! As I was looking for you, I was studying this remote! And do you know what I learned?!” Twilight growled. Shining Armor realized what Twilight was talking about, “I realized that this remote is out of date and discontinued! That means that the government wouldn’t be using this model! And since the remote correlates to the collar, that means that the collar you used was NOT government-sanctioned! This model was banned because of the lack of power control, always being set on max power! You knowingly used an illegal device!”
“It’s not my fault that we were unaware of those models being in our storage!” Shining Armor said.
“Even if I grant that, I need to return to my third point that you rudely interrupted!” Twilight continued, “There were two other guards on that search. But rather than give the remote to one of them or me, you gave it to Rainbow Dash, who is NOT a guard and is NOT an official member of the investigation team! She was unauthorized to be in charge of that remote!”
“It’s disappointing that you don’t trust your friends enough to be in charge of a device like that,” Shining Armor said, dropping into a calmer demeanor, “And it’s clear to me that you’re not thinking straight. That monster clearly has been manipulating your mind. Perhaps you should consider that fact and realize you are unfit to continue this investigation.”
“You may be the Captain of the Royal Guard,” Twilight said, “But on this investigation, I outrank you, and I will have you reprimanded.”
“This is a matter of national security!” Shining Armor asserted, “That makes me the ultimate authority of this investigation!”
“You are the captain of the guard! I am the commander of the investigation team!” Twilight explained, “The reason I outrank you is because Princess Luna concluded that you would be too emotionally compromised! The reason I outrank you is because unlike you, I actually think with logic and reason rather than emotion! And since I outrank you, I’ve concluded that your emotional fortitude on this case makes you unfit! So as you’re superior on this case, you’re off the case!”
“You don’t have that authority!”
“Bring it up with Princess Luna!” Twilight said, “But until you’re willing to put your emotions aside, I don’t even want to SEE you!”
After her rant, Twilight headed to the holding cells. Shining Armor watched her walk away with concern. But he had his own business to take care of.
Twilight had arrived at Damselfly’s cell carrying a saddlebag. She entered the cell and put the saddlebag to the side. She then asked the guard if they could have some privacy. Once the guard gave them some distance, Twilight began.
Twilight looked towards the Changeling, “As I’ve already pointed out earlier. I saw where you were actually leading us,” Twilight explained, “What you’re not aware of is that I knew where you would lead us even before you did.”
This caught Damselfly’s attention, “How could you have known?”
“You said it yourself,” Twilight said, “Sweetie Belle couldn’t have escaped on her own. To be more accurate, I knew you would head in one of two directions. And to be honest, I thought you were going to lead us to Sweet Apple Acres. In any case, I can assure you that Sweetie Belle is in safe hooves.”
“But why would she have been at Sweet Apple Acres?” Damselfly asked.
“Both Fluttershy and Applejack had been asked to protect Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said, “Sweetie Belle had already been found innocent. However, Shining Armor clearly isn’t thinking clearly and is too emotionally invested. It doesn’t matter if she was found innocent or not. There was no way he was going to let either of you go. That’s why she had to be broken out.”
“That’s why you didn’t reveal that I was lying about losing the trail, wasn’t it?” Damselfly asked, “You helped Sweetie Belle escape, didn’t you?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny any involvement I may have had in assisting in Sweetie Belle’s escape,” Twilight said, “I’m surprised you didn’t question why I know so much about changeling transformation magic and your temporary inability to use it. After all, you never told me about it.”
“How much do you know?” Damselfly asked, “And how do you know it?”
“I know all I need to know. And that’s the only thing you need to know,” Twilight answered cryptically, “I’ve gained enough information to make a decision about your situation. However, there’s just one more thing that I need to be convinced without a shadow of a doubt.”
Twilight grabbed the saddlebag she had put to the side. She removed its contents, revealing it to be the Element of Generosity. She then placed the Element of Generosity onto Damselfly’s neck. The purple gem let out a soft glow, revealing that the Element recognized Damselfly as its wielder.
“That’s the last piece of evidence I needed,” Twilight said before taking out a scroll. She wrote something down on it before rolling it up and teleporting it away, “All that’s left is to get you out of here.”
“But… won’t you get in trouble if you release me before the Captain of the Guard clears it?” Damselfly asked.
“Considering that I’m the leader of this investigation, I have the authority to make the decision that you are free to go,” Twilight explained, “And because the current Guard Captain is too emotionally invested, there’s no chance that he’ll let you go. So, I’ve been granted the authority to release you myself. And it’s evident that not everypony can be trusted to be unbiased.” Twilight then asked for the guard.
“What about Rainbow Dash?” Damselfly asked, “Do you not trust her?”
“Do you really think Rainbow Dash is the type to put aside her emotions and be unbiased?” Twilight asked as she led Rarity out of the cell, “You may not be aware of this, but Captain Armor gave Rainbow Dash a manual controller for your shock collar. That shock you were given on the way back was her doing. And though Rainbow Dash couldn’t have known this, that specific model was banned for always being set on its maximum output. I trust Rainbow Dash’s loyal nature. But I can’t trust her to be unbiased.”
Meanwhile, Shining Armor went to speak with Rainbow Dash. He’s been keeping an eye on her and liked how she handled herself during this case. Her loyalty to the safety of Equestria was admirable.
“Miss Dash, may I have a word with you?” Shining Armor asked.
“What do you want?” Rainbow Dash asked, clearly grumpy for being removed from the case and escorted out.
“I wanted to speak to you about Twilight,” Shining Armor said, “Have you noticed that she doesn’t seem to be thinking rationally?”
Hearing this caused Rainbow Dash to start laughing, “BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Wait, you’re serious?” Rainbow questioned after regaining her composure, “Do you really expect me to believe that out of all ponies, Twilight isn’t thinking rationally?”
“I don’t like the idea any more than you do. But haven’t you noticed how willing she is to defend that monster?” Shining asked, “It’s almost like blind faith. She doesn’t even have a reason for defending that imposter. And if there’s anything my little sister is known for…”
“…It’s doing things with a good reason,” Rainbow Dash finished.
“I’m not suggesting that it’s Twilight’s fault, though,” Shining continued, “That Changeling must be controlling her mind like Chrysalis did with me.”
“But that doesn’t make sense,” Rainbow Dash said, “Twilight said that since she was never alone with her, she couldn’t have had her mind controlled because somepony would’ve noticed.”
“Perhaps not. But who’s to say Twilight is the only one being controlled?” Shining asked, “Applejack was also with her. And she just happened to wake up before everypony else to take her sister home because she wasn’t feeling well. And the younger Changeling just happened to go missing.”
“Where are you going with this?” Rainbow asked, hoping that she was misinterpreting what Shining Armor was saying.
“What I’m saying is that she claimed Applejack couldn’t have been mind-controlled,” Shining said, “But what if they were both mind-controlled? That Changeling probably just had Twilight say what she wanted you to hear. And that includes telling you Applejack couldn’t have been mind-controlled when, in reality, she could’ve.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t know what she hated. The fact that Shining Armor had the gall to say these things about Twilight and Applejack, or the fact that it made some amount of sense. Enough sense that it made her think. But her loyalty to her friends kept her from believing Shining Armor’s words.
At least, she didn’t believe them yet.
Sweetie Belle was surprisingly good at helping Fluttershy. Specifically, she was good at feeding. It’s ironic that she was horrible at preparing food, yet she was doing such a good job of making the animals happy.
This was no coincidence, however. Sweetie Belle had become more attuned to her Changeling senses. She’s always been able to sense what others were feeling. But now that she understood why that was the case, she could focus on that sense. In doing so, she knew exactly how much food would make the animals happy.
However, this didn’t make Sweetie Belle feel any better. Although her ability to sense emotions was helpful, it also reminded her just how alien she was to herself. Once again, it was ironic how an action that was calming Sweetie Belle’s mind was also worsening her existential crisis. And she was insistent on proving to Fluttershy that she was not like those other mean Changelings.
“You’ve done a very good job feeding the animals,” Fluttershy said as she walked up to the Youngling, “And it seems that all of the animals are pleased with the food. Perhaps taking care of animals is your special talent.”
Sweetie’s ears folded back as the thought disappointed her, “Do monsters even get cutie marks?” Sweetie Belle asked dejectedly, “Do monsters even deserve to get cutie marks?”
“Listen to me, Sweetie Belle,” Fluttershy asserted, “You are NOT a monster!”
“Bu-But…look at me!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, motioning to her body, “How can I not be a monster?”
“Do you know what I see when I look at you?” Fluttershy said gently, “I see a creature that’s far too young and caring to be a monster. And that creature just happens to be a Changeling.”
Sweetie Belle often could sense if somepony were lying. In hindsight, she realized that she was sensing that the pony’s emotions didn’t match their words or expressions. But as she used this newfound ability now, she could detect no deceit from Fluttershy. What she said and what she felt matched almost perfectly. Almost was the operative word, since there was a feeling of unease in Fluttershy. But that seemed unrelated to what was being said, and was shrinking every moment.
“Do you know who I see when I look at you?” Fluttershy said, continuing her speech, “I see Sweetie Belle, who’s scared and confused about learning that she’s a Changeling and distraught about being put into a dungeon cell by the Royal Guard. I see the same little filly that I knew for so long who was willing to help me with my chores as a way to apologize for the crimes of the Changeling race, even though she is not guilty of those crimes herself. I see a Sweetie Belle, who needs to know that I don’t blame her. A Sweetie Belle with such a large, caring heart.”
Needing comfort, Sweetie Belle pushed herself against Fluttershy’s fur as the Pegasus hugged her. “You…You’re the bearer of the Element of Kindness,” Sweetie Belle said, still unsure of herself, “It’s your job to be kind and loving.”
“If you can sense emotions, then I’m sure that you can sense that my emotions are genuine and not from some magic rocks,” Fluttershy said, “I also saw how much fun you were having feeding the animals. Do you think a monster would have fun like that? And do you think my animals would play with a monster?”
There was an unease in Sweetie Belle’s mind that wouldn’t go away that easily. However, Fluttershy’s words were exactly what she needed to hear.
“Now, how about you go get washed up while I get dinner ready,” Fluttershy said. A rumbling came from Sweetie’s belly, agreeing with the idea of food. With a bashful blush, Sweetie Belle went to the bathroom to get washed up while Fluttershy went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Twilight had just finished writing a report, which she had Spike send to the Princess to inform them of her decision about Damselfly. It was late, already well after Celestia had lowered the sun.
“If I’m free to go, why did you insist on waiting until nightfall to leave?” Damselfly asked.
“Your ability to transform has been incapacitated,” Twilight explained, “For this reason, it’s best if we leave under the cover of night so as not to alarm the public. Just because you’ve been legally found innocent, it doesn’t mean the court of public opinion will judge you the same.”
“But it’s late,” Damselfly said, “Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m used to all-nighters,” Twilight explained, “But I suppose it’s safe to leave now if you wish.”
Damselfly nodded. The sooner she could leave, the sooner she could go home and see her little Sweetie Belle. As they headed out of the guest room and headed down the hallway, they bumped into a rainbow-maned Royal Guard…
…Wait, what?!
“You were removed from the premises, Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed, “Did you really think dressing up like a Royal Guard was enough to sneak in?”
“I’m not just dressing up! I’ve been recruited as a temporary guard!” Rainbow Dash explained, “You know, I didn’t want to believe your brother! But it looks like he was right all along! You were planning to help the prisoner escape!”
“I don’t know what my brother told you,” Twilight said, “But he no longer has any authority on this case. For that reason, he doesn’t have the authority to recruit new guards.”
“Shining Armor’s authority is with the safety of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash explained, “And this case stopped being an investigation when it was revealed that Rarity had been manipulating your mind! And it may be temporary, but Shining gave me authority that outranks yours.”
“Wait, you think I’ve been manipulating Twilight?” Damselfly questioned.
“Shining doesn’t have the authority to give somepony the authority that outranks me,” Twilight explained, “And Shining is clearly too emotionally invested to think clearly. That’s why he had to be removed from the case.”
“This case isn’t finished until a conclusion is made, and that thing fesses up about what she’s really been planning this whole time!” Rainbow Dash commented.
“Did you really just call me a ‘thing’?!” Damselfly asked offendedly.
“The investigation has already reached a conclusion,” Twilight explained, “This Changeling and her daughter have no ill intent. Furthermore, the Element of Generosity recognizes her as its bearer. And you can’t lie to the Elements of Harmony. Now if you’re done playing Guards Pony, I’d appreciate it if you’d get out of our way!”
“No can do, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, blocking Twilight and Damselfly’s path, “Captain Armor instructed me to keep you from aiding in the escape of a wanted criminal. And he recruited me because he know that you can’t outrun me. And you know it too.”
“Both you and my brother must be pretty slow if you think I’d have to rely on my speed alone to outmatch you,” Twilight said. Twilight then closed her eyes and lit her horn, creating a blinding flash of light to blind Rainbow Dash temporarily. She then grabbed Dasmelfly and lit her horn again, teleporting the two of them away.
A moment later, several Royal Guards, as well as Shining Armor, came running into the hallway to see Rainbow Dash furiously rubbing the spots out of her eyes.
“Rainbow Dash, what happened?” Shining Armor asked.
“Twilight used her magic to blind me to get away!” Rainbow Dash said, her vision returning to her, “I’m sorry I let them escape.”
“Don’t be. It’s my fault for not taking her magic into account,” Shining said before turning to the other Guards, “We’ve got a dangerous criminal on the loose who has brainwashed my little sister! Avoid harming Twilight when taking her in. As for the Changeling criminal, use any force necessary to bring her in! Lethal force should be a last-case scenario, but if necessary, use it!”
“Yes, Sir!” the Guards saluted before heading out to search.
“What about me, Captain?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“If I know my sister, she’ll likely be either here in Canterlot Castle, at Canterlot Library, at our parents' house, Ponyville, and anywhere in between,” Shining Armor explained, “We’ve got Canterlot covered. So, I’m entrusting you to be my eyes and ears in Ponyville. What I told my Guards applies to you as well. Avoid hurting Twilight. But bring in that Changeling by any means necessary.”
“Aye, aye, Captain!” Rainbow saluted before dashing off to head to Ponyville as instructed.
Everycreature was completely unaware of a tuft of purple just down the hall and around the corner.
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[Dr. Wolf]: "SHINING ARMOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I was willing to forgive and overlook some of this nonsense, but why haven't Twilight or Shining brought this up to Celestia or Luna yet? Authority this, authority that. None of them outrank Celestia and Luna. Frankly, this is ridiculous.
Rainbow Dash is to report to the WonderBolt Stockade for pending actions and a rank reduction to Private.
Shining Armor Captain of the Guard you are stripped of your duties and rank pending incarceration at Fort Levenhorse Military Prison Kansas
Further investigation into your actions is warranted for insubordination to a Royal ,
Improper detention without trial or hearings on a Natural Born Citizen of Equestria,
Sabotage of the Elements a weapon concerning National Security,
Use of torcher devices outlawed for use on prisoners,
Unlawful Recruitment of personal and bypassing the training and recruitment department of the Royal Guard
You are to be remanded into custody and taken to Levenhorse at once...
I'm willing to bet 5 bits that this Shining Armor is a Changeling in disguise, because in my opinion that's the only way most of this creating conflict for conflict's sake nonsense could be believable.
11968111
Luna has already made a mistake by giving Twilight this assignment and designation because she has broken the chain of command. If Luna's authority is not stronger than Celestia's, then Shining Armor's authority is equal to, if not the same as, Twilight's. This seems like something Luna made up on the spot. If she's the one who gave Twilight these powers, Celestia is equally responsible for allowing it to get this far.
Because the Royal Guard is a title given by Celestia, Shining Armor's words hold as much weight as Twilight's. But let's set that aside for a moment. Why are they being so sneaky about this? If they were going to set Rarity free and bind Sweetie Belle, they could have just given them a royal pardon. Twilight could have easily done this, and even if Shining Armor was mad, he couldn't have done anything about it.
Sneakily breaking a prisoner out of their own dungeons without informing the Royal Guard, including Shining Armor, is already problematic. This would be like the President of the United States breaking someone out of a federal prison instead of using his powers to pardon them. It's unnecessary, disrupts the chain of command, and leads to avoidable issues.
Now, Shining Armor is unaware of Luna's plan and believes his sister has somehow been mind-controlled. Twilight not coming out and explaining what's going on is making the situation worse. So, if you're looking to blame anyone, it would be Luna and Celestia for this massive breach of military etiquette and unnecessary disruption of higher military command when they simply have the power to say "you're free," and no one would have the power to stop them.
11968102
I have my reasons.
11968111
The Wonderbolts have no authority, seeing as Rainbow Dash isn't a member yet. This takes place BEFORE she was accepted into the Wonderbolts.
11968182
The fun thing about watching people trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle is when they assume they've been given all of the puzzle pieces.
But to address your point about who has higher authority, it's not about who gave who what authority. Shining and Twilgiht's authorities are basically comparable to the Military and the FBI. If you remove context, then they more or less have equal authority. But the fact that this is an investigation is why Twilight is the higher authority. That's why the other guards were listening to Twilight's orders. She's the one in charge, and they know it. They are helping her INVESTIGATE.
I can't give away too much, though. I'm willing to accept some hate at the moment if it means not giving anything away prematurely.
11968182
Are you Prisoner Shining Armors Legal Counsel ?
Twilight are you finished now?
Wut?
It's lunch time
I work too hard
Will this hurt my chances getting into the Wonderbolts?
From Royal Guard to Wonder Bolt? That's a move up isn't it? Pryor military service...
Chain of Command - Know it well. (Any military service personal gets a taste)
Government seat = Commander in Chief , Celestia
Government seat = Intelligence / Special Operations . Luna
Government seat = Special Appointment Investigation, Twilight Sparkle
Officer Military = Royal Decree , Subordinate to Government also constrained by Procedure Protocol Policy
Air Force , Army, Navy chain of command don't mix.
Shining Doesn't out rank Princes appointed Twilight Sparkle -
Shining has no "Need to know" powers beyond his station, Rank or National policy in Security.
11968330
I understand the situation, but there's a problem here. This is a dual monarchy, and most of the terms you're using are American, where there's usually only one Chief in charge. The main issue here is that one side of the government isn't communicating with the other. Shining Armor doesn't have to know everything, you're correct about that, but it's a mistake not informing someone in charge of national security about something as important as releasing or breaking out a prisoner.
The problem here is that one person is performing their duties as expected, while the other is acting behind their back. A perfect example would be a general ordering a staff sergeant to do something off base without informing the military police that the sergeant has permission to leave.
11968327
I understand this is used to move the plot forward but Luna Celestia and Twilight are hatching a secret plan without telling signing armor. Right after a major attack on the capito they are sneaking around and doing weird stuff if I was captain of the guard I would think something's wrong
11968382
It works in any country/nation with a functioning government - It's not an American concept
I'm sad I caught up. It's a very interesting premise, and pretty well written. I will also say that Shining is acting out of character.He wouldn't have reached his station if he couldn't prove that he is able to be logical, and follow the chain of command even under immense duress. He shouldn't be going behind Twilight's back to sabotage her, he should be whining to Princess Celestia like a child.
By this point, we need the frickin Parents ( Twilight Velvet and Night Light. ) to finally SLAP some sense to Shining before he stupidly break Twilight's trust in him FOREVER!!!!!
11973705
Yeah Shining should have been taken off the job the moment brainwashing was mentioned and sent to a professional shrink.