Arc 2 - Part 2: When it Rains...
When it Rains...
Active Log: 42 of 50 - Day 65 A.E.
Present location: Huerta Memorial Hospital, Presidium
Status: processing data
“Excuse me. I need to pass.”
*Archival browsing discontinued*
The sudden illumination of Forty-Two’s optics took only a fraction of a second, shutting out the memories and bringing his current circumstances back to the front of his processors. A quick check of his chronometer indicated that his review of the archived data thus far had taken longer than was expected as he shuffled through every detail. Nearly a full eight seconds had passed, during which time his external sensors had been all but dead to his surroundings.
This was something he regretted for a millisecond as he came to recognize that he was looking dead ahead into the midriff of a bipedal alien. He brought his head up to get a better look, and was now able to put a face to the voice that had roused him from inactivity. A quick skim of the hospital’s public employment roster immediately identified the asari.
*Identity confirmed, [Amauria Capahalo, Doctor, XB-MP, Certified Xenobiology Medical Practitioner; Huerta Memorial]*
“Excuse me,” the asari repeated, somewhat more forcefully, as if speaking louder would make the command any easier to understand.
While the mech could consider the gesture to be rude, it was not as if he expected her to show any particular concern for him. After all, in her eyes, he was just another machine, and one that was blocking her path, at that.
Without any challenge, Forty-Two side-stepped, clearing the way for the doctor to pass through. Behind him, the door’s holographic lock buzzed and disappeared, the glass panels sliding into the walls and unsealing the room beyond.
The reaction was immediate, Forty Two’s audio receptors instantly picking up the voices of several of the mares inside and identifying them.
“Oh my goodness. Doctor, is she alright?”
“Are y’all gonna tell us what the hay’s goin’ on?”
“She’s going to be okay, right? She has to be okay!”
“Girls, please don’t crowd her! Just give the doctor some space and let her talk.”
“Thank you, Director, but I understand all of your concern. This must be a trying time for all of you,” the doctor stated, her tone calm and professional. “I only wish I had better news... I’m afraid that the damage to your friend’s--”
The door suddenly slid shut behind the changeling, who wished for nothing more than to join them in hearing more of the conversation.
But unfortunately, “mere” mechs couldn’t show that level of curiosity or initiative. To do so would invite a certain level of scrutiny that he, and the Equestrians more broadly, couldn’t afford. Especially at this time.
Unable to do anything more at the moment, Forty-Two returned to his investigation, quickly tabulating the events following Dr. Hern’s reveal so that he could move on to the next day’s events.
Director Applejack had been all but heartbroken when the Madam President issued her decision to immediately inform New Ponyville’s C-Sec liaison of the situation. The ensuing argument and claims of betrayal did nothing to sway Twilight’s course of action, and while Forty-Two was glad to see his mistress committed to her decision, the pain that came along with damaging her friend’s trust in her was all too evident.
He had not been present for the quickly called meeting between Twilight, Applejack, and an agitated, sleepless Lt. Pyres, having been given the task of ensuring Dr. Hern’s continued comfort and safety while the situation was resolved. While he could only guess at the turian’s reaction to being woken in the middle of the district’s “night cycle,” he had predicted a high probability of raised voices and disparaging remarks involving the varying levels of intelligence of those involved.
While his vigil over the comatose human had been (as anticipated) uneventful, he had still not been looking forward to Twilight’s eventual summons. But in the early hours of the morning, come it had.
Her instructions to bring Dr. Hern to New Ponyville’s docking area had been more clipped than he expected, her tone bordering on exhaustion. And while he wasn’t sure what he should be expecting as he and Nine of Twelve made the repulsor lift ready, they had proceeded to cart the human out of the Administration Building and down the stairwell into New Ponyville itself.
Little did he know at the time that the Equestrians’ troubles had only just begun.
——————
Archived Log: 42 of 50 - Day 61 A.E.
Location: New Ponyville Docks
Status: Guard Mode
The Citadel was a place filled with distraction and spectacle. Things that simply reached out and grabbed at the attention of otherwise jaded passersby with bright colors and flashing holograms. More often than not, these were advertisements used to try and market products and get those viewing to part company with their hard-earned credits.
Any individual that had been on the Citadel for even a short time quickly became accustomed to this slew of distraction and simply tuned it out, paying the adverts no mind. An enviable state of affairs, considering what Forty-Two had to deal with now.
He found himself wishing that this could be a situation in which everypony not involved would simply ignore it and go on with their daily business, paying it no more attention than they would for projectors trumpeting commercials for Fish-Dog Food Shack or Asari burial robes.
But for Equestrians, as it was with nearly every species in advanced society, few things could draw attention quite as well as a security cordon.
“Please move along,” Forty-Two repeated yet again, feeling fortunate that he could mask his growing annoyance under a layer of mechanical indifference. This was the fourth time he had logged Featherweight, a lanky young pegasus colt, approaching the cordon. Like all of the others, he turned away almost immediately, but not before stealing a peek behind the mech, a mix of concern and perplexity on his features as he was clearly trying to piece together what was going on. But as with all those other times, the scene hadn’t changed: a number of dark blue C-Sec cruisers flashing their red and blue lights amid a crowd of officers attempting to keep things orderly.
Seven changeling mechs stood sentry, maintaining a boundary line between the rest of the lower level and the cordoned portion of the Docks, more out of a desire to prevent C-Sec’s proceedings from being interrupted than out of any real security concern.
And in the center of it all were four Equestrians, including the Madam President herself and Director Applejack, and of course the unwitting cause of the unexpected disturbance: Doctor Patricia Hern. Already, rumors were rushing around the district, running the gambit from the mundane, to the macabre, to the downright comical. The current prevailing theory was that someone had again stoked the Madam President’s ire, and that the following biotic event had led to the compacting of some unfortunate soul’s expensive transportation.
While he was not currently privy to the ongoing discussion between the Equestrian leaders and the Citadel’s investigators, he did not have to have a full accounting of the details to recognize what was sure to be the first real scandal and shame of New Ponyville.
And as he took notice of a new shuttle approaching, the mech realized that the already tense situation was about to become far more volatile.
——————
“WHERE IS SHE!?”
“Invalid inquiry. Please specify.”
“Get outta my way, mech!”
“Authority not recognized. Request denied.”
“Fuck you! Move over!”
“Warning: Attempts to circumvent this unit will result in discouragement measures.”
“I said, move--"
*BZZTT*
"AGH!”
“The next discharge will contain increased voltage. You have been warned.”
Twilight Sparkle moved as quickly as she could towards the edge of the cordon as soon as she took note of the raised voices moving in their direction. While C-Sec was doing an admirable job in maintaining the peace, it was clear that none of the responding enforcement officers were interested in getting overly involved with the clearly distressed human.
"Forty-Two, enough!" The familiar voice of the Madam President came up from behind the mech, who had remained motionless throughout the incident. "Let him pass."
"Complying," the changeling stated simply, stepping aside and earning another glare from the human male who was now nursing a slight electrical burn on his hand to go with his bruised ego.
Unfortunately, the pain seemed to do little to dissuade him from his justifiable outrage as the human immediately stormed past the cordon of metallic ponies and all but charged the relatively small lavender unicorn.
"You! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?"
"Mister Hern," Twilight replied calmly, her tone astonishingly neutral in the face of the alien's wrathful one. "First things first, I want to apologize for--”
“What’s the matter with you!? You damn horses are the reason she’s like this in the first place, and then you go and snatch her right out of the goddamn hospital! You’ve done enough harm already! To her, and her family!”
"Joshua, please, I am just trying to--"
“And don’t you dare try to pull any of that cutsy sweet-talk bullshit! The Asari and those idiots in Alliance Parliament might buy that crap, but if you think your charms will work on me, you’ve got another thing coming, you cow!”
"Mister Hern!" Twilight stomped a hoof before pushing herself up, seeming to surprise the human as she put herself up to his eye level. “That is quite enough! I’m trying to resolve this situation as best I can, but I can only do that so long as everypony involved can behave like an adult!” That last word carried enough force behind it to make the human flinch just a bit. Having sufficiently made her point, Twilight snorted brusquely went back on all fours. “If you would just calm down, we can work out an arrangement that will leave all parties satisfied.”
“Oh, hell no! You’re not going to get away with this with just some half-assed apology!” Joshua Hern trembled with indignation, his hands balled into fist as he held Twilight’s intense purple glare. “And if you think for one second that I’m going to--”
“Mr. Joshua Hern, I presume. Good of you to join us," a new voice broke as the blue and black-garbed turian moved up between the human and pony. The calm, confident sense of authority he projected made it clear that he wasn’t going to be messed with.
"What the... Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Joshua started, still in a state of outrage, but of his wits enough to know that lashing out at a C-Sec officer would not be in his best interests.
"Lieutenant Taxar Pyres, C-Sec Enforcement Division, Tayseri Ward." Pyres nodded. "I've been put in charge of your wife's kidnapping case.”
“I thought Detective Westmoreland from Investigations was handling my wife’s case...” Hern’s eyes narrowed suspiciously on the turian, who was an uncomfortable departure from the slightly husky human investigator with the Bronx accent who had initially informed him of his wife’s disappearance.
“The situation has changed. Detective Westmoreland’s skills were required elsewhere, and frankly, this case didn’t require his expertise. Don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control.” Pyres nodded, the human taking note of the distasteful expression the turian cast at Twilight, who was now looking dejected.
"Then you're just the... man... I want to see." Joshua returned the nod, his eyes hard although his voice seemed to waver as he hesitated in his choice of words.
"First off, I am happy to inform you that your wife has been recovered without incident and is now being examined for signs of trauma by our precinct specialist,” Pyres explained, motioning over to one side and drawing Joshua’s attention to his wife, who was laying on a cot with a salarian in a medical uniform running an omni-tool over her. There was no mistaking the look of relief and the sudden relaxing of his posture as he saw the dark-haired woman laying there unharmed.
“The guilty party, Miss Applejack of the Equestrian Herd, has been apprehended and has issued a full written and verbal confession of the abduction. As far as Citadel Security is concerned, this investigation is closed, which just leaves one outstanding issue: Do you wish to press charges?"
"Damn right, I do!" Hern all but shouted, throwing an arm animatedly towards Applejack, who had until now tried to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible. She was currently doing so from behind the forms of Director Rainbow Dash and another pony: a mint-green unicorn that he was utterly unfamiliar with. "I want that furry orange bitch arrested."
"Hey!" Applejack nearly reared, insult and pain clear in her eyes before a glare from Twilight set her back. "Y’all take that back, or--"
"Applejack, I thought we went over this. No talking," the green unicorn snapped, as she preemptively held a hoof up to bar the Director’s path.
"That's your prerogative, sir," Pyres said with a straight face, drawing a horrified look from Applejack while Twilight moved away from Hern and back towards her friend. The turian produced a thin datapad, tapping on it casually with one finger. "We'll get the process started. Given the nature of the confession, I believe a guilty verdict and sentencing is a guarantee. With luck, the first hearing can take place in as little as eight months."
"Good! Maybe these animals will learn that--" Hern stopped, turning his head so quickly that Twilight nearly winced just from watching it. "Wait, eight months?"
"Well, since the suspect was apprehended by her own government, that means we have to go through the extradition process. Seeing as there isn’t yet an extradition treaty between the Equestrians and Citadel government, I hope you can appreciate how much of a legal setback that is."
“But… she’s right there!” Hern’s temper started to flare again.
“And in the custody of her own government in sanctioned Equestrian territory. C-Sec doesn’t have the authority to remove her from that custody without an extradition process any more than we would be able to remove a human from an Alliance colony or an Earth city, our own personal proximity notwithstanding,” Pyres explained. “Doing so would set a dangerous precedent for alien interventionism in interspecies judiciary affairs, assuming it didn’t get the case thrown out of court entirely.”
“And you can bet that I’m going to make them fight for it,” Twilight called out as she put herself between Hern and Applejack, her tone rock hard with certainly as she managed to stand firm against the withering glare sent her way by the human.
Hern growled in his throat, sounding more than slightly predatory to Twilight’s sensitivities before he issued a single guttural statement. “Fine…”
“I’ll get started on the paperwork...” Taxar sighed loudly and began to tap the datapad. “Of course, the victim will be required to remain under Citadel Security protective custody until the hearing commences, but that shouldn't be an issue. We can have a medical professional on call around the clock in order to--”
“Wait, what?” Hern took a step back, physically reeling. “No! My wife… We have a shuttle scheduled to take her directly to Earth in less than two hours! I’m taking her home!”
“Mr. Hern, your wife has just been the victim of a heinous crime,” Taxar explained in a factual manner. “And as unfortunate as it may sound, she herself is evidence in that crime. So long as that’s true, it would be against C-Sec regulations to release her from protective custody. For any reason.”
There was a moment of utter silence and tension between the two, Pyres continuing to tap away at his datapad while his face remained a mask of professionalism and Hern’s eyes darted back and forth.
“...And if there were no pending charges?” Hern queried cautiously, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.
“If no charges are filed, there would be no reason for the protective custody and the case would be closed for all intents and purposes.”
Joshua Hern spared Twilight, then Applejack one more dirty glare before lowering his head, mumbling under his breath.
“I’ll drop the charges.”
“I’m sorry, sir, what was that?” Taxar asked, and were it not for his demeanor, one might almost think he was making sport of the human.
“I said… I’ll drop the charges,” he repeated through clenched teeth. “As long as my wife gets to come home, I don’t care what happens to the damn horses.”
“As you wish, sir.” Pyres waved over one of the other officers, who came up to him with another datapad and traded with the turian, who pressed several keys before offering it to Hern. “This affidavit will release yourself, the Alliance, and its representatives bodies from involvement in Case File: Tayseri-Kapton-Twelve two-four-six-oh-one, leaving the suspect in the custody of her home government.”
“And then my wife will be allowed to return to Earth?” Hern leveled a suspicious glare at the turian, taking the offered datapad and looking over the contents, although his eyes were almost immediately scrambled as he tried to interpret the fine print and legalese of the document.
“She’ll be free to leave as soon as she’s cleared by our medical officer.”
“But she--” Applejack started to get up, but was quickly put back on her haunches by a hoof from Rainbow on her right and the white and teal-maned unicorn on her left, cutting her off with a look from each of them.
Hern shook his head, clearly not pleased with the alternative but seeing little other option as he pressed his thumb to the device’s pad, applying an electronic signature to the document.
“Is that it?” Joshua asked as he handed the pad back to Pyres.
“Almost. It just needs to be certified by an accredited Citadel litigator.” The turian turned towards Applejack and the other two mares. “Miss Heartstrings?”
Hearing her name, the mint-green unicorn approached, and the human could finally get a good look at her. She was wearing what appeared to be a kind of two-piece suit made out of thick, burgundy fabric over a white button-down shirt. Pinned into the suit’s fleshed-out collar was a small golden pin in the shape of a lyre.
The mare’s expression blanked for a moment before a light green aura wrapped around the datapad and brought it over to her eyes.
“And just who are you supposed to be?” Hern scoffed, unsure what this unicorn thought she was doing.
“Lyra Heartstrings, District Attorney for New Ponyville,” the mare indicated, waving a hoof as she scrolled down the document. “Everything looks to be in order, Taxar.”
“This has to be a joke, right?” Hern shook his head. “You expect me to believe this horse is a lawyer?”
“Not a horse, a pony,” Lyra corrected, a hint of her own annoyance bleeding through. “And no, it’s no joke. I was accepted to the Bar of the Citadel’s Litigation Association a week ago. As it is, Lieutenant, with this affidavit, I assume that the Herd will be given full judicial authorities in this case?”
“As far as C-Sec is concerned, the case is closed. We don’t make it a habit to tell governments how to punish their own transgressors.” Pyres folded his arms together. “Will that be everything?”
“I think so.” Lyra nodded, pressing her hoof against the datapad, which beeped condescendingly at her for a moment. “Come on, work you piece of...” She huffed before trying again with the tip of her hoof, attempting to apply a biometric signature on the proper spot, again to no avail. “Ugh!” Lyra shook her head before leaning forward, touching her horn to the screen and drawing an “X” across it.
This time, the pad flashed green and chirped acceptingly.
“Aha! I win!” Lyra beamed proudly before floating the datapad back to Pyres, who in turn handed it off to an asari that was passing by. With a few words, he sent her off in one of the C-Sec shuttles in order to bring the report to be filed at Headquarters.
“Are we done here?” Hern kept his arms crossed, tapping one finger on his bicep in an impatient manner. “My wife has a transport to catch and I still need to get my son from our hotel.”
“Of course. I’m sorry for the delay, sir, and thank you for your cooperation.” Pyres nodded before he turned towards the salarian doctor tending to Patricia, who deactivated his omni-tool upon their approach.
“It’s about time,” Hern stated, not sparing so much as a glance at the alien ponies as he turned to follow the turian, quite glad to be done dealing with the Equestrians.
“Dr. Tulsie, is your patient ready for transport?” Lt. Pyres asked, Hern quick on his heels. Then the human froze in his tracks as the salarian spoke up.
“Most certainly not, Lieutenant!” Dr. Tulsie shook his head fervently. “Interstellar travel is absolutely out of the question at this time.”
“What!?” Hern all but rounded on the smaller salarian physician, a surge of anger on the rise again. “But I signed the damn paperwork and dropped the charges! What do you mean she can’t leave!?”
“Legalities aside, Mr. Hern, this has nothing to do with your wife’s kidnapping,” the salarian explained, his frog-like eyes blinking rapidly. “As I’m sure you’re aware, she’s suffering from extensive neurological damage.”
“THAT THEY CAUSED!” The human pointed a spiteful finger back at the assembled ponies.
“If you would be so kind as to let me finish...” the salarian cut him off, running his hand along his neck. “I’ve never seen a case quite like hers before, but I have reason to suspect that close proximity to powerful mass effect fields could potentially exacerbate her condition. I cannot, in good conscience, allow her to board any ship bigger than a standard shuttle.”
“Oh, no you don’t! I have documentation straight from the Alliance Embassy superseding Huerta’s medical staff! I’ve had a specialist in human neurology personally sign off on her ability to travel, and--”
“I am not part of Huerta's staff, Mr. Hern,” the salarian declared, growing impatient. “I am a member of the Citadel Security Medical Emergency Response Corps and this is my final word on the matter. She will not be leaving this station until her condition improves. An ambulance will be here shortly to return her to her room at Huerta. If you have a complaint, file it with the Executor. My work is done here.”
“...Fucking aliens!” Hern nearly spit, his temper finally getting the better of him while Dr. Tulsie calmly walked away from the encounter. “Always thinking you know better! I’m her goddamn husband! What the hell do you know!? You’re all just working against me to...”
His eyes widened as realization set in and he turned on Pyres, who was standing unmoving, and not seeming too surprised at the way things turned out.
“The lawyer... she called you Taxar... You had the forms all ready to go-- Son of a bitch, you set me up!”
“I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean, sir.” Pyres shook his head. “All I did was notify you of the situation and present your options. It’s not my fault that everything didn’t go according to your expectations… But if you really want to press the issue, there are other avenues we could take...”
“I--” Hern started, but was cut off as Pyres took a step towards him, lowering his voice slightly but maintaining a professional tone.
“And the first step would involve getting a full and detailed background check of everyone involved.” Pyres none-too-subtly cast a glance in Patricia’s direction. “Contacts… travel itinerary… work history… known associates...”
Taxar leaned slightly closer, dropping his tone by a single octave.
“Associates that may or may not include organizations that aren’t really considered ‘accepted’ in most parts of the galaxy. Your wife strikes me as a dog person.”
For his part, Joshua Hern suddenly became very, very pale, his antagonism suddenly buried under an expression that looked an awful lot like fear.
“I assure you, Mr. Hern: C-Sec will be very thorough, should you go down this road.”
There was a tense quiet between them for a moment as a hospital shuttle lowered itself to the docks, a pair of paramedics stepping out from the opened doors and moving to assist Dr. Tulsie with ever so carefully maneuvering the listless woman.
“God damn you…” Hern managed weakly.
“Which one?” Pyres said, letting a tiny bit of humor pass through his mask of stoicism. “Anyway, seeing as you’ve decided to take the smarter route, you should consider yourself lucky.”
“...How do you figure?” The human tried to choke back the bitter bile in his throat as his fist remained clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
“Because from where I’m standing, those ‘horses,’ and the very fact that they care enough about Patricia to do what they did, taking that risk, is about the only reason such an investigation isn’t already taking place.” With nothing much left to say, the turian stepped to the side to clear a path for the deflated human. “Feel free to accompany your wife back to the hospital. And please, have a nice day.”
After a moment of silence, Joshua Hern turned away, his head hanging in defeat as he started towards the ambulance and cast a glance over to the quartet of Equestrians, each of whom was eying him with concern. Particularly, his gaze fell on the orange-coated mare in the center, who had been sitting back on her haunches throughout the entire exchange.
“I hope you’re happy,” he managed in a growling tone, barely above a whisper.
“If ya really care about her...” Applejack managed, her voice sounding strained. “Then one day, you’ll thank me.”
Hern seemed to bristle at the comment, but quickly let it slide when he noticed the ambulance staff preparing to leave. Without another word, he ran over to the shuttle just in time to climb aboard and take a seat next to Patricia. The ponies watched as Joshua reached over to take his wife’s hand in his own and grasp it tightly, just as the doors slid shut.
With a slight distortion in the air, the ship took off from the docks, departing for the Presidium.
“Yeah, that’s right. You’d better just walk away--” Rainbow started, rising a meter off the floor to speak up only to be yanked painfully by the tail and back to the metal panels of the dock.
Turning with a surprised expression, Rainbow couldn’t suppress a cringe as she found herself nose to nose with Twilight, whose horn was glowing in the same aura that was now wrapped around the pegasus’ multi-colored tail. Of all of the intense emotions that were etched over the Madam President’s face “victory” was not one of them.
“What the hay, Twi?” Rainbow protested, one hoof going back to rub her rump as she started to pull herself to all fours.
“Not one word!” Twilight huffed in agitation as Pyres approached the group, Applejack immediately looking down and away from the disapproving turian while Lyra kept a supportive hoof on her shoulder.
“Is it over, then?” Lyra asked, her earlier bluff and bluster gone as her first “case” seemed to come to a defined close. Oddly enough, she also did not feel the sense of accomplishment at the outcome that she had expected.
“Yeah, it’s over.” Pyres nodded, his expression grim. “I had to cash in some pretty hefty favors, but between Hern’s affidavit to drop the criminal charges and the Director’s confession, C-Sec will officially close the case and ‘transfer’ Applejack to your charge.”
“Transfer?” Applejack tilted her head, clearly confused. “Wait, wasn’t Ah already supposed ta be under arrest? Y'all told Joshua that Ah was… uh… apprehended in Equestrian territory. What was all that talk about ‘extradition’?”
“Applejack, New Ponyville isn’t a sovereign state!” Twilight snapped, amazed how a pony with as much horse sense as AJ could have so much trouble keeping up with things. “All of this is still Citadel property, which means all crimes are under C-Sec authority. There’s nowhere for them to extradite you from. Taxar was bluffing. If it wasn’t for Lyra being accepted to the Bar, any other lawyer on the station would have blown that cover wide open!”
Applejack swallowed hard, her throat still sore from the long night and the very detailed confession she had given Pyres, going all the way back to when she first met Patricia in Equestria.
“There won’t be a trial, Director, but it’s still officially a guilty verdict on C-Sec record,” Taxar explained, although his tone was hardly relieved. “And it should go without saying that you will not be going anywhere near Doctor Hern or her family for the foreseeable future. Aside from that, Madam President, sentencing will be at your discretion as her primary authority.”
“I understand.” Twilight nodded, relief beginning to seep into her voice as the C-Sec officers in the area started moving into their cruisers and taking off from the dock, their duties done. “And thank you, Taxar.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re gonna owe me big for this,” Pyres stated with a humorless voice. “And just so we’re clear, Madam President, I only did this in the first place because you were so forthcoming. You get this one for free, but endangered species or not, good intentions or not, if anything like this happens again…” The turian left the implications hanging thick like a noose dangling over Twilight’s head.
“I understand.” Twilight’s ears and eyes lowered. “And it won’t, I promise.”
With a curt nod to the Madam President, and then another to Lyra, Pyres stepped away and started to leave.
“Hey, wait up, Pyres…” Rainbow moved up alongside the turian at eye level, her wings flapping lazily in the air. “The way you stared that guy down was… I mean, the whole time, all I wanted to do was stomp him into paste, with how he was talking about us.”
“Then it’s a good thing you were paying attention, Director, because that’s exactly the wrong way to handle these kinds of situations. If you’re really serious about doing this job right, one of the most important things to remember is to never let your emotions get the better of you. Got it?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes as she shot a glance behind her to the lavender mare who was watching their conversation. The look she was giving her made Rainbow harken back to the talk they’d had earlier about her reluctant attitude where the turian’s “tutoring” was concerned.
“Yeah, yeah…” Rainbow sighed, rolling over and maintaining her altitude as she moved alongside Pyres. “I hear you.”
Watching the pair move off, Twilight couldn’t help but sigh, showing her concern with Rainbow’s still flippant attitude being worn on her faux-leather sleeve. She may have heard him, but Twilight had her doubts as to whether the pegasus was really as committed as she claimed she was.
“Uh...” Applejack stepped forward, drawing Twilight’s attention. She stood with her hat held in one hoof against her chest and looked more dejected and defeated than the unicorn had ever recalled seeing the earth pony mare. “Twi, Ah…”
Twilight merely huffed, shooting an icy glare over her shoulder that caused Applejack to cringe even more before the unicorn stepped forward and away.
“Just… get back to work, Applejack.” Twilight skulked away, afraid of saying anything more to the mare as she called out to her assistant, telling him to reassign the drones that had been maintaining the cordon.
Forty-Two immediately set to doing so, but as Twilight continued on past the security line, his audio sensors picked up the choked, almost silent whisper that followed her.
“...Ah’m sorry.”
If Twilight had heard her, she gave no indication.
*Codex Update*
*Notable Individuals: Dr. Patricia Hern - updated*
*Equestrian Culture: Law in New Ponyville - updated*
*Notable Individuals: Lyra Heartstrings - updated*
——————
Archived Log: 42 of 50 - Day 61 A.E.
Location: Office of the Madam President
Status: passive observation
Twilight had come to one conclusion over the course of the past two hours: the fact that Lieutenant Pyres had lied.
It was not over.
In fact, it had only just begun less than half an hour after the events on the dock, when Twilight had received mail on her omni-hoof directly from Captain Arlin Inastri, the head of Tayseri Ward’s C-Sec office.
The wording had been pleasant and discreet, but Twilight was intelligent enough to read between the lines and realize that she was now on thin ice with the local constabulary. Clearly, the asari captain didn’t care for the idea of a “minor” government manipulating law enforcement officers in order to get their friends out of legal hot water, and made it very clear that her department was not going to accept “we didn’t know” as a defense from this point on.
And that was just the first notification in her inbox.
Within moments of the story breaking, media groups ranging from CNN to local Tayseri news outlets descended like pack animals on a hunk of fresh meat. Twilight’s omni-hoof was constantly being updated with requests for comment; every time she deleted one without reading it, half a dozen more would pop up. It also didn’t help that in between all the junk, there were messages from her own people, either commending her for sticking up for the Herd, or expressing their belief that Applejack deserved more than a slap on the fetlock for her actions.
Twilight’s eyes were starting to sting as she quickly read over a hastily drawn up report about how Applejack was having issues keeping the press away from the work areas in Tayseri before she finally reached her breaking point. She mentally commanded her omni-hoof to shut down, becoming aware of her own body’s mounting fatigue.
“This is a nightmare...” she moaned piteously, putting her head down on her desk as she tried to ignore the slight ringing in her ears; yet another sign that she was long overdue for some shuteye.
“I agree, Twi. However, considering how last night’s and this morning’s events might have turned out, things could be far worse,” Forty-Two tried to reason, which might as well have fallen on deaf ears. “Director Applejack has returned to her duties, and the political fallout from the crime itself has been overshadowed in the news by the unfortunate events developing on the planet of Taetrus.”
“That’s true… though it’s hard to feel thankful, given the circumstances...” Twilight admitted, reminding her of the recent headline that had broken earlier that day. A turian transport had been hijacked by terrorists, who overrode the ship’s safety protocols in order to use it as a missile, ramming it into the aforementioned colony world’s capital city at near-FTL speeds.
The casualty numbers alone nearly made Twilight sick to her stomach, but what made it hit particularly close to home was the fact that Taetrus happened to be the place where Lieutenant Pyres was born. The turian himself had been understandably upset by the news.
Unable to keep a sense of melancholy out of her tone, Twilight spoke up to her assistant, already dreading what he would have to say. “What else will I have to deal with today?”
“Golden Harvest of the Agricenter wishes to speak with you about the events of this morning, and the potential damage that could be done by--”
“It can wait.” Twilight put her forelegs over her head, intuition telling her that Applejack’s most prominent rival was probably just jockeying to gain leverage over her position.
“D.A. Heartstrings has requested some time to propose a codified set of laws adapted primarily from the Systems Alliance Constitu--”
“Reschedule her.” Twilight huffed again, raising her head and glaring at the changeling, who showed no reaction to her ambivalence. “Is there anypony on the schedule that doesn’t have an issue related to Applejack? I’ll take anything. Anything, just so I can focus on something other than this!”
Forty-Two hesitated for a moment as he ran over the records, attempting to filter the recent requests for the unicorn’s attention and only coming up with one that fit her stated criteria.
“Mrs. Mallene Calis, an asari corporate representative, has made repeated attempts to set up an appointment over the last four days. My records indicate she is present in New Ponyville as we speak,” Forty-Two answered.
“Fine… Contact her and tell her that I’ll see her immediately.”
“If I may make a suggestion, wouldn’t you rather get some sleep? You look like you could use it.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the changeling. “Really, Forty-Two? I have serious doubts in my ability to sleep with all of this going on. At least let me focus on something that will take my mind off of Applejack.”
Forty-Two’s eyes narrowed on the unicorn, the illumination thinning. “As you wish, Madam President, as long as you promise to at least try and get some rest afterwards.”
“Or what? You’re going to shut me down again?” Twilight breathed out heavily, clearly annoyed. “I have a job to do; responsibilities to keep up with! This isn’t the first time I’ve pulled all-nighter, Forty-Two. I’m fine… Just bring in Mrs. Calis.”
Forty-Two paused, keeping a close watch of the unicorn’s vitals as her heart-rate spiked and her irritation indicated more at work on her frayed nerves than simple fatigue.
For the time being, the changeling considered that it would be best to acquiesce and began to compose an invitation for the impromptu meeting.
——————
Twenty minutes later, Twilight was sitting back in her seat, going over the data packet that Forty-Two had prepared for her in regards to this meeting. She claimed it was because she literally had no idea who this woman was or what she could possibly have wanted to speak with her about, but it was just as much an attempt to keep her focused on something in front of her, lest she start nod off before the meeting began.
There wasn’t much to go on, other than basic biographical information. Mallene Calis was an asari businesswoman under the employ of the Armali Council, a biotics research enterprise. Over the past few days, she had been logged as visiting New Ponyville on a number of occasions, and it didn’t take much digging to find out why: Armali Council was just one of a number of R&D firms currently in talks with Fluttershy over some kind of business arrangement, the details of which were apparently private. Beyond that, there was no indication of what the asari’s intentions were, but Twilight would soon find out.
At some point while reading, Twilight’s eyes started to itch from her prolonged staring at the holographic display of her omni-hoof, and she reached up to rub them tiredly.
She shouldn’t have been this tired, Twilight thought. Sure, she was under a lot of stress at the moment, but this was similar in a lot of ways to her late-night study sessions back when she was studying in the Academy in Canterlot. Or more recently, when she would come across an intriguing piece of literature on the extranet that she absolutely could not put down until finished. She just needed to power through.
A pleasant chime from near her office door brought Twilight’s attention back to the present, and she switched off her omni-hoof while she reached down to smooth out her suit-coat.
“Come in,” she said, trying to banish her drowsiness through sheer force of will and project an alert and calm manner.
The door’s holo-lock turned green, sliding open to reveal the light blue asari woman, her outfit fully encompassing with a bright canary yellow along her sides and a thick stripe of red running down from the top of her neck to the bottom of the dress, which covered her feet.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Calis. Welcome to New Ponyville.”
“Madam President Twilight Sparkle, the pleasure is all mine.” The asari nodded as she moved to the small chaise placed on the other side of the desk, sitting down and crossing her legs in a polite manner. “Thank you again for agreeing to speak with me. Would you by any chance know why I am here?”
Twilight gave the alien a slight sideways glance at her forwardness. “Not specifically… But I assume it has something to do with the Armali Council, and the talks they are involved in with my Director of Interspecies Relations.”
“You’ve done your research. I’m impressed…” Mallene folded her hands together on her lap, straightening her posture. “Indeed, I currently represent the Armali Council in a joint conglomerate venture between them and the Serrice Council, in regards to a possible business arrangement with the Equestrian Herd.”
“Would you care to specify what kind of business arrangement?” Twilight asked suspiciously.
“Of course. As you well know, both Armali and Serrice are big names in the field of biotics; specifically in regards to biotic amplifiers and related products. To put it simply, we want to begin a research initiative into the biotic potential and utility of your people.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed and her expression soured a bit. “You mean you want to study us.”
“Oh, Goddess forbid,” Calis spoke up, raising her hands defensively. “Nothing so banal, I assure you. All we are asking for is to be the first to gain exclusive rights to the development, production and distribution of products tailored to your species’ unique attributes. I might also add that we are hardly alone; several of our competitors are also interested in the same.”
Twilight blinked a few times, fending off her drowsiness while attempting to sort through what it was the representative was telling her. “I… see. And I trust that Fluttershy is aware of this as well?”
“That is correct. Talks with your Director are currently ongoing.”
The Madam President shifted back in her seat, raising her chin at the asari. “Then why are you coming to me? Fluttershy should be perfectly capable of making an informed decision about who and who not to do business with.”
“Not to insult your friend’s business savvy, but I must disagree with you on that,” Mallene put bluntly. “To be perfectly frank, I believe the Director is in danger of… I believe the expression is: ‘having the wool pulled over her eyes,’ so to speak.”
“Just what are you implying?” Twilight asked, wondering what gave the asari woman the audacity to insult her friend’s diplomatic abilities.
“I’m saying that Armali-Serrice’s competitors, if you could even call them that, will no doubt resort to any number of underhanded tactics to make them seem preferable over ourselves, and each other. They are no doubt filling your friend’s head with empty promises and bluster for what will inevitably end up in an inferior product.”
Twilight crossed her hooves together. “And you aren’t?”
“There is no need. Our reputation for quality and unmatched performance speaks for itself,” Calis went on to explain, a touch of pride entering her voice. “The Asari have had centuries to perfect this sort of research. We are simply the best in the business.”
The businesswoman then looked around casually, before leaning forwards slightly and dropping her voice just a tad. “A majority of our competition are human-based firms. Not to sound speciesist, but the Humans didn’t even know what biotics were until forty years ago. Companies like Kassa Fabrication used to deal exclusively in high-end engineering and technology, only jumping on the biotics bandwagon when they thought they could corner the market on amps designed for human physiology. If you need any further convincing, take a look at their L1 and L2 model implants. You’ll see exactly what I mean. These are the sorts of things our competition will try their hardest to keep from the Director.”
The Madam President merely stared through the asari woman’s pitch, fighting the urge to yawn. “This is all very fascinating, Mrs. Calis, but what, if anything, does this have to do with me specifically?”
“The reason I’m telling you this, Madam President, is because you are in the unique position to affect the outcome of this venture,” Calis stated. “Director Fluttershy will eventually make a choice… but you are her superior; the Equestrians’ highest authority. You can help her to make the right one.”
Twilight had to resist the urge to bring her hoof to her snout as the asari’s motivation became fully apparent. “...You want an endorsement.”
“That’s not how I would have put it, but if that’s how you wish to interpret it, then yes.” Before the unicorn could say anything to follow up, Calis continued, able to sense that her initial pitch was not terribly successful. “Before you dismiss this out of hand, at least let me present my case fully. I am not looking to coerce you; simply to make sure that you have a clear view of all of your options… You have as much at stake here as Armali-Serrice does, perhaps even more so.”
The Madam President stared hard at Mallene’s practiced poker face, which not once during the encounter had faltered even in the slightest. Either she honestly believed what she was saying, or she was good. Really good.
As much as she wanted to simply end the meeting right then and there, something in the back of Twilight’s mind made her pause. She supposed… what was the harm in hearing her out?
“...Alright. You have five minutes. Talk.”
“More than I’ll need.” Calis got to her feet, and began to slowly pace back and forth in front of the desk as she went about explaining. “Should Armali-Serrice be successful in securing the contract, our finest and most qualified researchers will begin working immediately to develop Equestrian-specific biotic utilities, in conjunction with your own scientists, if you should feel so inclined. Given the resources and experience at our disposal, such research should produce tangible results far quicker than our competition.”
“True, there is a price to pay for quality, and our services do not come cheap. But rest assured, you will get what you pay for.” The representative turned to face Twilight directly, and her features lightened into a practiced, disarming smile. “In addition, the moment our efforts bear fruit, we are prepared to offer below-market rates on the resulting biotic enhancements as part of the agreement.”
That got Twilight’s attention. For all Calis’ talk about her company’s pedigree for excellence, it could be argued that they very much deserved it. Off-the-shelf biotic amps were one thing, but if it were possible to outfit the Herd with the best of the best for less than it would cost otherwise…
“We would also be willing to cover all costs related to surgical implementation and recovery for those inclined to participate,” Mallene added. “As a courtesy, of course.”
Twilight held a hoof to her chin. She couldn’t deny the potential gain here, but she still bore some apprehension. Something about all of this still made her uneasy. “And you’re going to do all of that… as long as I agree to give Fluttershy my recommendation?”
“Whether or not you do so has no bearing on the terms of the contract; everything I’ve just told you is already part of the agreement. I am not here to try and bribe you, Madam President.” The asari turned around, facing the desk and leaning slightly forward as she lowered her voice. “Everyone else will be making similar offers, but we are the only ones that can make good on it. With so much at stake… are you truly prepared to make an unwise choice?”
The asari’s question struck a chord with the unicorn, causing her to tense as she looked away. The simple answer was no.
The Reapers were coming. Weeks, months, perhaps years down the line, but Twilight had no doubts about the fact that the clock was ticking. When that day arrived, the very survival of her ponies could hinge on them getting every advantage they could get their hooves on. And augmenting their already prodigious biotic abilities with top-tier technology had the potential to make a major difference.
But it couldn’t just be that simple. Nothing about this world was. One thing was for sure, though: She was definitely going to give this some serious consideration.
“You’ve given me a lot to think about...” Twilight said, taking a breath as she struck a fine balance between denial and acceptance of the proposal. If the blue woman was feeling any sense of victory, she kept it well hidden behind a straight face. “I think that will conclude this meeting. I appreciate you coming to meet with me, and I’ll be sure to look into the matter further.”
“Of course, Madam President.” The asari bowed her head slightly to the unicorn. “Thank you for your time, and I hope that you will be willing to give the situation the proper consideration it deserves.”
Without another word, the asari swept out of the room, the door admitting her before closing and sealing itself behind her.
Forty-Two, who had stood mute and still as a statue at the side of Twilight’s desk throughout the entire exchange, suddenly blinked and turned towards the unicorn, who was now laying back on her chaise lounge on her back, her forelegs folded up against her chest.
“That was… unexpected,” Forty-Two started, his tone hesitant and unsure. “Regardless, will you be heading back to your apartment shortly?”
“Forty-Two, get me everything we have in regards to these biotic research proposals.”
“I’ll prepare an information packet for your perusal tomorrow morning, once you’ve gotten some proper--”
“As soon as possible, Forty-Two. I’m not going to sleep yet.” Twilight shook her head, again forcing the gnawing exhaustion down. “This is important.”
“I…” Forty-Two paused, taking note of the determination in his mistress’ eyes and the sudden spike in her vitals. In particular, the sudden off-kilter surge in her adrenal levels, which indicated she wasn’t going to be sleeping any time soon. “...As you wish, Madam President.”
——————
Archived log: 42 of 50 - Day 61 A. E.
Location: outside the Madam President's apartment
Status: idle
At some point later in the day, Twilight eventually conceded that her lack of sleep might have been affecting her cognitive faculties, and Forty-Two was more than relieved to see his mistress to her apartment suite for a well-deserved break. He bid her goodnight, then assumed his dutiful guard position outside her door as it closed shut.
Some time later, he was in the exact same position, waiting. But much like Twilight herself, Forty-Two found himself having a hard time getting away from the strain of the day. Just like Twilight, he couldn’t help but be preoccupied by the status of the Herd as a whole, and how comparatively little he could do on his own to better the situation.
And as he usually did in order to escape the pressures of his position (as long as it was safe to do so), Forty-Two turned his attention inward. To an archived memory file that never failed to cheer him up whenever the need arose…
“What are you doing out here this early, filly?” a familiar, deep and authoritative tone spoke out with some amusement. “You should be in bed.”
“I’m not sleepy. I want it to be tomorrow faster.” Another voice. Pure, innocent, and with a slight lisp. “So I’m pushin’ the moon with my bioticals!”
Forty-Two’s vision turned to the side, looking upon the cerulean-coated filly who was standing with her hooves on the balcony rim.
“The effective range of a five year-old equine’s developing biotics is one-point-five meters. Such an action is impossible for you, Mistress Astrolia,” he remembered saying. His tone so jagged, so certain…
So wrong.
“Nuh-uh! Watch!” the little one shot back. She clenched her eyes shut as the tiny spiral poking out between her mane glowed weakly with an azure light. “Unnnngh… See? It moved!”
“This unit recommends you not strain yourself over--”
“It’s fine, Unit Forty-Two...” The elder tone tapped the mech on the side, indicating for it to cease, which the changeling obeyed without hesitation. “Well now, Little Moon… Do you really think you can push that big ol’ rock across the sky before dawn comes?”
“Sure can!” the filly responded enthusiastically.
“And all of the stars too?”
“And all a’ the stars too!”
The changeling stood mutely, its astrometric sensors trained on the planet’s moon to ensure that, despite its mistress’ declarations to the contrary, the satellite was still orbiting at its normal velocity within a .0000003% margin of error. Yet, as it was bidden, the mech said nothing.
And as the night went on... the changeling watched over the pair as the little filly’s horn continued to glow, and slowly but surely, the moon and stars--
*Archival browsing discontinued*
Forty-Two was shaken from the long since archived video log by a series of alerts that asserted themselves into his priorities. After a second to review what had so suddenly ended his playback, he found that the alerts had been sent via a program that he himself had designed and inserted onto the extranet.
Specifically, it was a benign autonomous function, created to monitor the Equestrians’ public extranet site for unusual activity. Most of the time it served its purpose in thwarting run-of-the-mill viral attacks and deleting the occasional inflammatory comment on the site’s message boards, but a quick review of the current situation revealed it as anything but “run-of-the-mill.”
Right now, as he skimmed through hundreds upon hundreds of threads and comments made over the past half hour, the mech found himself shocked by the sudden increase in negative feedback and irrational statements. The sheer volume of activity alone was taxing Forty-Two’s logical matrices, and it took longer than it should have for him to narrow down the root cause of all of it.
A few pages of navigation later, and Forty-Two came across what it was that had stirred up the extranet into a frenzy: some kind of documentary that had just finished airing on multiple sources across the Citadel and beyond.
After finding and downloading a bootlegged video-link, and playing the first five minutes of content, Forty-Two was aghast at what he was seeing. And the longer it played, the more his eyes would have widened, had they not been fixed in place.
With reluctance, he realized that this was something Twilight had to be made aware of… regardless of its unsavory nature and the fact that he very much doubted her ability to sleep afterwards.
“Madam President--” Forty-Two stated over an audio-link to the Madam President’s omni-hoof. He was not surprised when he was immediately interrupted.
“For the love of Celestia… WHAT!?” the disgruntled, rudely awakened unicorn on the other end shouted with such vigor that the changeling could hear it through the plastisteel door.
“We have a new problem.”
——————
Two hours later, the video feed downloaded off the extranet was playing on the modestly large holographic vid-screen inside the Madam President’s apartment. Sitting in front of the screen were three mares, each in various states of dishevelment and none of whom having had the time to dress properly when they received the urgent summons. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity all remained stock-still as they watched the video play on with all of the horror and fascination of a trainwreck.
A well-made and very sharply edited trainwreck, at that. The video took on the premise of a documentary; one that focused almost exclusively on the Equestrians as a species. But it was soon clear that being informative was on the lower end of this broadcast’s priorities, as just the first few minutes of the video revealed it to be a shameless, blatantly critical series of conspiracy theories and dubious “facts” pertaining to the Equestrians’ origins and motives.
But while there had indeed been radical theories posited before, in the dark corners of the extranet where such ideas were given voice and acceptance, this was the first time that such ideas were meant to be seen and heard by major populations. It had all the hallmarks of a typical documentary; interviews with experts, presentations of evidence, and video mockups of “how it could have happened.” But while it was all disgusting and inflamatory on its face, the assembled ponies couldn’t deny that it was at the very least convincing.
“And in the end, what you must ask yourself is…” a mockingly serene asari voice announced as the vid drew to a close, the final images fading to black. “...is it worth the Cost of Grazing?”
There were no production credits, as the vid simply ended right there. The silence in the Madam President’s apartment was deafening for several moments before the first of the three mares managed to find her voice.
“I am going to destroy them!” Rarity declared, trembling from tail to withers with sheer indignation.
“Get in line, Rarity. You can have what’s left of them when I’m done.” Twilight’s glower was nearly the same intensity as it had been the night before about this time, when Forty-Two had brought the issue with Dr. Hern to her attention. Of course, the fact that she had had a grand total of seventy-one minutes of sleep in that timeframe likely didn’t help, and it was beginning to show.
“Just what in Celestia’s name was that supposed to be? Was that what passes for journalism in this galaxy?” Fluttershy stomped her hoof, her own agitation just as apparent, but more muted than her friends as she shook her head, as if trying to dislodge some of what she had just watched from of her brain. “This is fiction! How was this even made? Who could do such a thing?”
“Good question. Forty-Two?” Twilight turned to the mech, who had been waiting for the inevitable request. “Please tell me you have something.”
“Data compiled,” the changeling chirped, trying to retain a neutral tone.
“Okay. First off, what is this?” Twilight asked him as he stepped forward and into the impromptu meeting that was being held near Twilight’s bed.
“Aside from a complete and total insult to our entire species,” Rarity added, as if expecting that to be the mech’s first observation.
“The Cost of Grazing was produced by a turian-volus centric media outlet known as Hard-Press Media, which operates out of Aroch Ward on the other side of the Citadel. Their portfolio and previous works indicates an excessively conservative-aggressive viewpoint on the vast majority of galactic political subjects.”
“Previous works? You mean they’ve made other things like this?” Fluttershy asked, disgust clear in her voice.
“Previous works attributed to the studio’s production centers include Relay 319: The True Story, which appears to be a historically inaccurate reimagining of the Human First Contact War; The Coup, which offers circumstantial evidence indicating that Saren Arterius was a patsy, and the Systems Alliance purposefully instigated the Battle of the Citadel in order to seize power from the Council ‘appeasers’; and Locusts, a three hour feature detailing the threat posed to the galaxy’s working class by quarian migrant workers.”
“Well, nice to know we’re not the first species to get this treatment,” Twilight all but sneered.
“So they’re just a bunch of xenophobic conspiracy mongers...” Rarity seemed relieved. “Good. With that kind of reputation, I find it hard to believe that anypony would take them seriously.”
“Hard-Press Media is counted among the top ten highest-rated media production outlets in Citadel Space,” Forty-Two informed the mare, whose head snapped towards him at the announcement. “And among the top six in Turian Hierarchy-controlled territories. Locusts premiered ten years ago, going on to win multiple awards from the Irune Cinematic Society.”
At this news, the Director of Culture let out a gagging, disgusted sort of sound. “How could those responsible for this manure possibly find an audience, much less win awards for it?”
“It’s repulsive, is what it is.” Fluttershy shook her head, bitterness clear in her tone.
“I have to agree, Fluttershy.” Twilight closed her eyes, her voice surprisingly calm. “And the worst part about it is… it carries just enough truth to make the rest of it seem plausible.”
Rarity did a double-take. “W-what was that? Twilight, do you have any idea what you’re saying?” The unicorn cast her hoof at the dormant display screen that had hosted the vile imagery. “That was nothing but two hours of lies! Lies and slander!”
“It was, don’t get me wrong,” Twilight put her hooves up defensively. “But almost everything they mentioned is related, however lightly, to some very real facts about us.”
“They claimed we were genetically engineered in a lab!” Rarity pointed out, drawing on the rumor that the Equestrians were the result of a secret human biotic super-weapon initiative.
“But… we are genetically engineered,” Fluttershy pointed out demurely. “...Kind of.”
“They said we were placed on the Citadel in order to infiltrate galactic society!” the mare went on, breathlessly turning to her pegasus friend. “That we are nothing more than part of a human plot to supplant the Council and take over the government!”
“Rarity, we came to the Citadel on a Cerberus ship,” Twilight spoke up. “It also doesn’t help that we share common DNA with Earth species, and that the system we originated from was ‘conveniently’ destroyed by the explosion of the Harmony Core. As it stands, there’s plenty for these people to use as ammunition against us, even if their take on the situation is an outright fabrication.”
“Bu… but…” Rarity stammered, looking between her two friends as she inevitably conceded that they indeed had a point. She sighed, her ears drooping down. “It’s still not fair…”
“You’re right, it isn’t,” Twilight said consolingly, placing a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “But it’s done, and it’s out there on the extranet. There’s no stopping it now.”
“What I want to know…” Fluttershy started. “...is why? Why do all of this? What could anyone possibly stand to gain from stirring up fear and suspicion about us?”
“Based on available information, this unit has formulated a hypothesis,” Forty-Two answered the Director, making it seem like he was interpreting a command instead of speaking of his own volition. “Hard-Press Media is a publicly owned enterprise, and a majority of its financial backers are businesses originating from Hierarchy and volus territories.”
“Wait, don’t tell me…” Twilight’s expression soured, and she grit her teeth together.
“Among these, Expanding Reaches is the largest, with a fourteen percent stake in the company,” Forty-Two confirmed in spite of Twilight’s explicit desire for him not to do so.
“Jex Kailer.” Fluttershy gave a disgusted huff that easily matched Twilight’s expression. “It seems so obvious now.”
“I’m sorry, who?” Rarity looked between her two friends, clearly in the dark.
“Long story. Let’s just say that Jex is a volus big-shot with a lot of money and a particular dislike for the Herd.” Twilight shook her head again. “Do you remember the grand opening? There was that salarian we caught trying to smuggle in monitoring equipment.”
“Oh, yes… Something about corporate espionage, wasn’t it? Rainbow and Lt. Pyres arrested him.”
“And that’s not the worst of it,” Fluttershy mentioned. “It seems like every other day, Expanding Reaches is harassing me. Either asserting that we’ve gotten ahold of their employee roster and are discriminating against their employees, or filing legal notices and trying to evict us from the district.”
“Seriously?” Rarity levelled a surprised glance at the pegasus. “Based on what?”
“Everything from asserting that animals can’t own property, to something about habitat requirements for herbivorous quadrupeds, and some sort of tax issue I didn’t really understand.” Fluttershy shrugged. “Nothing they’ve tried to levy against us has stood up in court so far, especially since Lyra’s been helping me sort things out on the legal end. I’m not surprised that Kailer’s resorted to a smear campaign.”
“But none of that really matters at this point,” Twilight interjected, trying to shift the issue back to the present. “What we need to figure out is how we’re going to respond.”
“Do we really need to respond to something like this?” Fluttershy suggested, which drew ire in her direction from both mares. “I mean, maybe we should just wait and see what happens.”
“It isn’t that simple, Fluttershy,” Twilight countered, slightly disappointed yet not terribly surprised by the pegasus’ suggestion. “Sitting back and watching everything play out wouldn’t have worked with the krogan a few weeks ago, and it’s not going to work here.”
“This is different.” The Director of Interspecies Relations shook her head. “And it calls for a different approach. This video wasn’t meant for us, it was made for a very specific audience.”
“Idiots and bigots?” Rarity crinkled her nose in disgust.
“The ignorant and the spiteful,” Fluttershy corrected, although in her currently fuming mood, Twilight couldn’t say she saw much difference. “Do we really want to dignify this with a response?”
“But we have to respond,” Rarity stated immediately. “I’m not about to just let these hate-mongers sully our good names! I won’t stand for it!”
“So what do you suggest we do?” Twilight asked, trying to keep her expression neutral in an effort to hide her exhaustion.
“I say we call a press conference in response. Get ahead of the story, as it were,” Rarity continued as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Fight fire with facts. We’ll route them off at every lie. If they think they can get away with this outlandish scheme, they have another thing coming!”
“I admire your passion, Rarity, but I don’t think that’s the best way to handle this,” Twilight cut in, halting her friend’s momentum. “A lot of the things we would need to clear up reach into some… sensitive topics.”
“You mean like our need to clothe ourselves in public? We’ve been down this road before, darling.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Not that kind of sensitive… I’m talking about our origins, the reason we’re here in the first place, the reason behind a lot of our admittedly porous history. The Council’s warned us about making too much of our “claims” public knowledge, even if it is the truth.”
“So you’re going to agree with Fluttershy, then?” Rarity sneered, clearly not pleased with the idea. “You can’t honestly be suggesting we simply let this go, are you?”
The Madam President’s eyes narrowed aggressively, making the tired lines around their edges even more pronounced. “Buck no… I say we sue them.”
Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Forty-Two turned to look at the lavender unicorn, who was strangely calm in spite of the malice in her tone.
“Sue? As in… take Hard-Press to court over this?” Fluttershy tilted her head worriedly. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Of course it is. You all saw what they said! If that isn’t outright slander, then I don’t know the definition of the word.” Twilight pointedly folded her forelegs across her chest. “At the very least, they’re guilty of incitement! They pretty much stopped just short of calling for an armed insurrection to oust us from the Wards!”
“Twilight,” Rarity cautioned, able to tell that the lavender unicorn was starting to sound a little sensational. “You really should think this through. Hard-Press Media is a large corporation that no doubt has an army of lawyers at their disposal.”
“Your point?” Twilight snapped.
“To put it bluntly, all we have is Lyra, unless we can find the credits to hire someone else.”
Twilight was about to retort, but Rarity was right. It just took her a few seconds to realize it. Her bravado sufficiently punctured, her tone shifted to a more somber one. “Yeah… I guess you’re right…” she sighed, rubbing her face with a hoof.
Both Rarity and Fluttershy gave each other a worried look, apparently coming to the same conclusion.
“Are… you feeling okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.
“Of course I’m okay,” Twilight said defensively. “What makes you think I’m not?”
“Twilight…” Rarity started, worry apparent in her eyes. “When was the last time you slept? Really slept I mean, not that ‘study-time’ power napping you used to do.”
“I… It doesn’t matter. Look, maybe sueing isn’t the answer, but perhaps a public denouncement… Come at them aggressively and show that we aren’t going to--”
“Twilight, you're starting to ramble.” Fluttershy moved up to Twilight’s side. “We’ll still wait on you before making a decision, but right now, you’re not thinking clearly.”
“You know that you don’t always make the best decisions when you’re emotional, Twilight,” Rarity continued. “Adding on top of that everything you’ve had to handle today regarding Applejack...”
Twilight’s ears flattened as she fixed the other unicorn with a stern look. “Yeah, thanks, Rarity. Because I really needed to be reminded of that.”
“This can wait until morning, Twilight. Please, try to get some sleep,” Fluttershy implored, getting to her hooves. “As it is, I think I’m going to turn in as well.”
“But--”
“In the morning, darling. Clearer heads will prevail, and all that.” Rarity yawned daintily into her hoof.
“I…” Twilight sighed, feeling her body relax, joints burning painfully as she did so and her head feeling like it was full of cobwebs again. “A-alright. I’ll see you girls in the morning, first thing… so we can address this issue.”
“We’ll wait for your call.” Fluttershy nodded as she turned and moved to the door, which slid open immediately.
“And don’t worry, Twilight,” Rarity assured her friend. “Tomorrow will be a better day.”
The two ponies, having bid their goodnights, proceeded home to their own apartments, leaving Twilight alone with her assistant. The silence was nearly deafening, but it did nothing to help quell the maelstrom of thoughts in her head, demanding her attention.
“Twilight, perhaps I should--” Forty-Two started.
“Outside, Forty-Two,” the unicorn said blankly, picking up her heavy hooves and making her way to her bed.
“But…”
“Please…” The Madam President dragged herself on the bed, drawing the sheets tightly around her and curling up with her legs against her chest. “I want to be alone.”
Forty-Two spent a number of seconds searching for the right words, but he came up with nothing. He lowered his head, the illumination in his eyes dimming.
“Complying, Madam President.” He stated simply, turning and moving out the doors himself. The moment he passed the threshold, they snapped shut, the red hologram lock buzzing as it went into place.
As he stood vigil that night, Forty-Two kept a constant watch on his Mistress’ vitals, disturbed by the fact that, in spite of her blatantly obvious exhaustion, it was plainly obvious that she wasn’t resting. Clearly, the events of the day and other heavily weighing burdens had pushed the unicorn harder than anypony had realized.
Tomorrow will be a better day.
If Forty-Two didn’t know any better, Rarity’s words sounded an awful lot like tempting fate.
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The Deal with Biotics:
Option C: Do Not Interfere. Contrary to Mrs. Calis' fears, Fluttershy is a smart cookie, and more than capable of making an informed decision. This is just another case of "We are older and wiser, so we know better." If she's so confident in her company, then she'd better hope they really can deliver.
The Mudslingers:
Option C: Do Nothing. Do just like Fluttershy said, don't dignify them with a response.
Ah geez. This is a hard one. I need time to think
Option B: Inform Fluttershy - While no attempts were made at bribery or coercion, Mrs. Calis’ attempt to sway the Madam President personally might be a sign of desperation. It is clear that Armali-Serrice wants this deal and wants the exclusive rights to the Herd’s biotic potential as much, perhaps more so, than their competition. Informing the Director of the attempted appeal to her higher authority will likely sour her own view of Armali-Serrice’s offer. While the effort is not morally questionable in and of itself, Fluttershy might not see it that way, and will likely find it grounds for immediate rejection.
Aggressive Approach
This is revenge, isn't it? I just get off work so I can start working on MY next chapter, then I see this posted. I can write later, I must read this now!
And I agree with an earlier poster, going to reread before I finalize my decision, I'll edit this comment with my final choices.
Edit:
After reading through once, checking the options and then re-reading, my choices are as follows;
C: Do not interfere
Endorsing or condemning the Asari's behavior to Fluttershy might be interpreted as undermining her authority. If word is spread that Twilight's influence so greatly controls Fluttershy's decisions then she might find herself second in the decision making process of her own department. As the task was delegated to her, Twilight has to trust that she can make the decision herself, unless she asks for help specifically.
Public Awareness Campaign
Attempts to ignore the smear campaign will only be detrimental as it will be interpreted by the ultra-conservatives as a lack of defense, ergo there is no defense to the claims. Responding aggressively will trigger the reactionary martyr/false victim reaction from the same instigators of the smear campaign. The only response is to acknowledge the information that is currently being spread as incorrect, and gently provide the correct information. Such bullies are looking for someone they can push around, or trick into pushing THEM around while the world is looking. They are ill equipped to deal with a calm, stoic and well-informed response.
TL;DR? Love and tolerate them until they stop resisting.
Option C: Do Not Interfere
This isn't canon!Fluttershy, after all.
Public Awareness Campaign
There might be some facts that people wouldn't like, but thanks to those jackasses, there are already "facts" that people don't like. Might as well tell them what the REAL facts are.
The Deal With Biotics:
Option A
The Mudslingers:
Open Media Access
Wow. Pyres really pulled through.
As for my choices...
The Deal WIth Biotics
I say Endorse the Armali-Serrice deal.
Normally, someone taking that kind of approach, going above someone's head to their superior, would immediately have me saying "haha- NO!" However, I actually like Armali and Serrice in the actual ME games, so I think it might actually be a good call here.
The Mudslingers
This was an easy decision for me. I say the Public Awareness Campaign.Taking the aggressive route would come off as insistent denial, which would probably push some people into believing the vid even more. Refusing to respond might come as dignified - refusing to be bothered - but some would also see the lack of denial as admitting what was on the vid to be true. So I feel the middle road is the best option here.Strike that from the record please. I'm changing my vote to Option D - Open Media Access.
With the Public Awareness Campaign, some might accuse Our Little Ponies of falsifying facts just to make them look good. With open access, people can judge for themselves what the Equestrians are like. Even considering that some nay-sayers would still try to wrangle things to their twisted view, I'll bet that the number of media outlets that report the truth will far outnumber the rest. Also, get Emily involved!
3135747
Goin' with this.
The Deal With Biotics:
Option C: Do Not Interfere: Right now things are tense between Twilight and the Directors, after the incident, With so much on her plate, the time to delegate is now.
The Mudslingers:
Option D: Open New Ponyville to the Media: There are facts that can be told without any mention of the Reapers. Honesty and telling the whole truth are two different things. Half-truth with facts that they can corroborate without breaking their deal with the Council is the way to go.
The Deal With Biotics:
Option C: No interference, Fluttershy is smarter than credited, and deserves to make an impartial decision
Mudslingers:
As tempting as A is, C is simply more sensible, it will take more time, but letting reality handle things is often the only way to let the truth be known without people claiming it's the lie for contradicting what they already agree with.
EDIT: I change my answer to the newly introduced option D, Wong to the rescue.
also a recommendation to Twilight, Delegate more, you are only one Pony, start by reaching out to Applejack, partly to ensure she can make more tactful decisions in the future and also to get the current baggage out of the way, instead of letting bitter feelings fester.
For the first option I have to go with
B) Inform Fluttershy.
As smart as Twilight is she is only one pony. She can't handle every little detail herself or she will have a major melt down, but she can't just leave Fluttershy out of the loop either. She needs to inform her of all that is going on if she wants to make the right decision.
Second I would have to go with
A) Public Awareness Campaign
No matter what, there are going to be people who will take what the mudslingers say to heart without ever really looking too deep into it. Unfortunately that's just the way things are. But really, would the Equestrians want the support of such people. No, better to try and win over the hearts of people who actually use their brains. In the long run their support will be more important.
b and c
Glad to see this updated
Here are my choices
OPTION C
Public Awareness Campaign
I decided against option A specifically because twilight does not have all the information regarding the biotics deal. After considering the last two choices I don't think that it would be a good idea to taint flutershy's opinion, especially with the deal that Armali-Serrice are offering.
as for why I picked the public awareness campaign, see megahog's comment
The Deal With Biotics: Do nothing. If Armali-Serrice is as good as they say they are, Fluttershy will choose them.
The Mudslingers: A public awareness campaign. The documentary may be full of crap, but there's some truth in it and the Herd should take that and use it to their advantage. See the McDonald's UK division press statement about Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me.
Shades of Twilight? Stop everything, read space opera ponies!
Hah! I knew getting Pyres involved was the correct decision.
Even better! That said, I'm suddenly waiting for the other shoe to fall...
Ahh, I see, it was a bluff to get the charges dropped. Not bad.
Lyra as a lawyer? Interesting. Ooooo, and now we're not going to release her out of protective medical custody, so no Patricia for Cerberus! And that should buy time for an investigation to find out what was actually going on. Nice. They seriously owe Pyres for this.
A smear campaign, eh? Well, the problems with Jex Kailer were going to come to a head at some point.
Directive Decision The Deal with Biotics
My gut feeling on this one is to go with Option A: Endorse the Armali-Serrice Deal, but I can't say that I have particularly good logic for it one way or another.
Directive Decision The Mudslingers
Same thing here, with Public Awareness Campaign as my choice.Scratch that, going with Option D: Open Media Access to New PonyvilleI'm hesitant to give a monopoly to any one company. Giving exclusive rights to one single group might not be the best idea. If they don't come through with the goods, then the herd is screwed. However, I'm not going to make a vote on this issue.
Number two, however, I'm going to go with
A) Public Awareness Campaign
They also need to just happen to mention that "The producers of the film are heavily invested into by a company that has been attempting to evict us from the citadel ever since we arrived."
Many Conspiracy Theorists seem to love that kind of money trail thing.
The biotics thing is easy, endorse Armali-Serrice. They are the forefront of the biotic industry after all!
Screw my choice, get Emily Wong and open up New Ponyville to the media!
Biotics:
Option B: Inform Fluttershy. This is apparently Fluttershy's job, give her all the information and let her decide.
Mudslingers:
Option C: Do Nothing. The guy's a troll, don't feed him.
Update?
Awww, yea!
Do Not Interfere
Do Nothing
Open Media Access
The only reason not to do it in the first place was to avoid antagonizing the Council with the inconvenient truth. If we more or less have a handle on that it's really the best option.
Choice 1: Bah. Armali-Serrice has all this bluster about them being biggity-badass, but since Flutters seems to have taken that assertiveness training to heart, then let's see if they can back it up.
Choice 2: PA campaign. Doing nothing only furthers the conspiracies, and the aggressive approach confirms what they've said. As Twilight says, the only way to beat down ignorance is with facts.
For tbe first I would say option A because it is a known fact that the first few modles of human Amps weren't exactly... stellar. If nothing else the asari do have centirues of working with biotics to help them out and even if it is expensive then it stands to reason that quality is greater then cost.
Edit! I choose the new option 42 get me Emily Wong
A great chapter overall Loyal!
Ps. let me know when you're free
Dealing With Biotics: Option C, Do Nothing.
The Mudslingers: The Silent Judge
Edited to use new option.
YES! you finally updated!
Deal with Biotics:
Option B: Inform Fluttershy. Giving the monopoly to one company is never a good idea since that closes a lot of opening later on. Even more so since if you wish to move away from them your at a disadvantage to deal with them since they hold a lot over your head and can control thing since they control other things you need.
Mudslingers
Option A: Awareness Campaign. There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance
On the Biotics, I vote option A. Lets go whore ourselves to corporations.
EDIT
I am changing mine to the Open to the Press Option. Get counter press there, pronto!
The Deal with Biotics: Option C- Do Not Interfere. Allow Fluttershy to make her own decision on the matter. She was given the job of inter-species relations, and she is fully capable of performing that duty without outside interference.
The Mudslingers: Aggressive Approach. This one really had me going back and forth between "Public Awareness Campaign" and "Aggressive Approach". I've literally changed my decision on which to vote for
twothree times by the time I finish typing this sentence. However I'm going to go with Aggressive Approach. No organization, much less an entire species, would sit back and wait for this kind of slander to blow over, so "Do Nothing" goes straight out the airlock. That leaves us with PAC which apparently will lead to questions the Herd is literally unable to answer about their origins, less they draw further ire from the Council, C-SEC, or any other lawfully affiliated organization after the scandal with Applejack. Or, we go down Twilight's AA and take the bastards to court where(I'm assuming) the Herd can properly defend itself without being compelled to release a few key sensitive bits on information related to the Reapers and the Herds multimillion year time frame of stasis. Obviously the drawback here is one cute pony lawyer vs a legion of lawyers funded by a pissant of a volus, but I have to believe that at the end of the day all the money in the galaxy can't stop slander from being slander. Edit: Assuming it gets enough attention to actually be put in as an option, consider "Allow Media Access" my preferred vote over "Aggressive Approach." But really, I don't believe this situation calls for anything less than a biting response. This isn't actually Mass Effect people! We don't have to lean towards being Paragon or Renegade all the time to get a solid ending. Let Twilight be pissed off once in a while as long as nopony dies over it!As to the actual review of this chapter, it was great. I'm glad AJ got to have her cake and eat it too, even if she walks away with frosting on her face, so to speak. Obviously she better have the good goddamn sense to keep her head down and toe- err hoof the line from now on. She put the entire Herd in an awkward position, and put Twilight on the spot with the entire Citadel. Where Dash is concerned, it doesn't look good but I'm still of the mind to wait and see how her attitude pans out. Hopefully the situation with AJ helps her to realize the precarious position of her species is and she starts taking her job seriously. Go Pyres!
Update again. NOW!
Another excellent chapter... definitely worth the wait. As for choices:
Dealing with Biotics: Do Nothing - Allowing Fluttershy to make her choice without any interference (be it from Twilight backing Armali or informing Flutters about the attempted backroom dealings) would be the smart thing to do, allowing one of her cabinet members to do their job without micro-management. Fluttershy, like Twilight and the other Elements, has the best interest of the herd in mind: if she backs Armali or goes Kassa-Fabrications or someone else, it will be because she thinks it is what is best (remember, THIS is the same pony who helped hammer out that deal with the Elcor foreman a few chapters back that was better for all parties involved).
The Mudslingers: Public Awareness Campaign
- This choice isn't going to win over those who view them negatively; in fact it will make them cling all the harder to their false beliefs.Remember the movie Dogma when Chris Rock as the 13th Apostle Rufus said about beliefs: I just think it’s better to have ideas. I mean, you can change an idea, changing a belief is trickier. People die for it, people kill for it.However(!!!), it will make those who firmly believe these lies look less and less credible and more like conspiracy theorist wackos while giving those who are more independant minded AND those who support the Equestrians further info about who they (the Equestrians) really are.I actually change my idea on how to handle mudslingers by going with this dude's --> 3136404 option. Why? Because even Loyal2Luna said that with enough votes a new choice can be made that 42 didn't predict. 3136464 So yeah, allow media access.
Another time jump opening, followed by recap. Meh, not a huge fan of those. They are good for getting a decent amount of story out quickly, since by it's nature it's just a quick recap but, just kind of feels weaker to me to not be seeing the story as it happens.
.. and really hate seeing that sort of distrust and drama between the Mane 6, always makes me afraid of what's going to end up happening.
Another reason to not like these sorts of opening, to teasing. Just skipping rather important bits, plus that last line.
Little did he know at the time that the Equestrians’ troubles had only just begun.
In the words of Sweetie Bell. "OH COME ON!" Can't they catch a break? Seriously. Plus well yeah it helps to set things up, add some suspense as to what's going to go wrong, but at the same time leaves you simply waiting to see, anxious, worried, to tense to really enjoy what's coming out of worry over what's about to happen. As well as dulling any surprise of something bad happening.
Yeah, nothing draws attention quite like a potential crime scene. Though that prevailing theory... I could really see that happening.. and now I WANT to see it happen...
Oh yay, pissed off idiotic family member, who is most likely either in Cerberus' pocket, or their pawn. This is going to be fun... though nice dealing with him Twi.
Oh.... OHHHHHHHH gotta love those legal loopholes like extradition., Very nice move. AND get an iron clad need to keep Patches out of Cerberus' hands? Oh that is freaking awesome!
Well crap, there goes that chance to keep her safe.. guessing the opening catastrophe involves him trying to get some kind of payback... though that might be a bit to obvious.
Wait, LYRA is the Equestrian's head Lawyer? That... that.. how... why.... and yet, nothing is really surprising when it comes to Lyra.
OH, OHHHH Hell yeah. Pyres is actually getting pretty damn close to Garrus levels of unmitigated awesomeness.
PLUS making clear they know about his BS all being about getting her to Cerberus, yeah this isn't going to end well, he's got to try something, wither him or Cerberus.
Damnit RD... you were doing so well till now.. but at least she held it this long.
AND THEY WERE BLUFFING!
That... that.. words cannot describe how epic that was...
And cue the political BS.. really feel sorry for Twi having to deal with that. She does the best she can but... just how much, and all riding on her.. do NOT envy her. Though random meeting woth someone out for something while tired, exhausted, and not in the best state of mind.. might not be the smartest idea.
Biotic Research firm.. with an interest in ponies.. hmmm, this could go very badly...
Damn it Twi, there is a HUGE difference between just staying up all night, and doing so while dealing with all this stress. You're supposed to be smart.
Okay, not study them.. hopefully, simply sell them stuff. Though, if ponies are that good as is without biotic amps... if those are developed... holy fuck...
Well.. yeah I really could see Fluttershy simply being to willing to believe anything. To nice to really handle that kind of situation and not get taken advantage of.
Okay, so, cut them a deal, cheaper amps, free implantation, care... seems to good to be true.. what's in it for the Asari company?
Twi... sleep... now.. at least a nap while he gets things ready... finally..
Ohhh okay that little memory thing looked interesting... hmmmm
well, this is just great... seriously.. they can't get a break? Now what.. and why do I think Cerberus is behind it..
Okay... not Cerberus, but that asshole that thinks he owns their town...
Ohhh nice Idea Twi. Hey I'm sure you can find a few decent lawyers willing to take the case just for a cut of the settlement.
Oh great.... NOW what the hell are they going to end up dealing with? Seriously, it's getting ridiculous just how much shit they end up going through..... I get conflict, drama, that whole schtick but.. just the shear unending amount of bad news gets way to overbearing. It was starting to look up after the end of part 1, then right back to doom and gloom every five minutes.. struggling is one thing, this.. just tends to go a bit to far IMO. Anyway onto the choices.
(And don't get me wrong still LOVING this fic and looking forward to what's coming next, just.. seeing the unending parade of crap they get thrown at them, over and over and over.. barely any good news, and what we get quickly just getting overwhelmed by more bad stuff. There HAS to be some good news, positive things happening, would just be nice to see those too, see that it isn't hopeless, that ponies aren't stuck in an unending circle of suffering and needing to worry about everything... )
For the biotics deal, I'm pretty ambivalent. The Armali-Serrice deal is likely to lead to the best products for the Herd in the shortest time, but the cost is an issue. Especially with the hit the Herd's reputation has taken with the Patricia Hern scandal. On one hand, getting the best amps possible is going to be important by the time the Reapers come, but on the other I want to say that Fluttershy should make her decision without Twilight telling her what to do. She's in a position of authority and responsibility, and to an extent, that means trusting her with that responsibility. I guess in the end, I'm going to vote Do Nothing and trust in Fluttershy to do what she thinks best.
For the Mudslingers, I'm going to vote for theAggressive Approach. Unfortunately, as Twilight pointed out, the PA campaign could tick off the Council regarding certain Reapery topics at a time when they're already on thinning ice with Lt. Pyres's sketchy (but awesome) legal shuffling. Taking legal action in such cases is more a matter of course in the real world, and would be a way of denouncing the slander without remaining on the defensive. It may make the Alex Jones types go 'See? They're just hiding the truth behind their lawyer', but those same types would just as easily go, 'See? They aren't denying it, so it MUST be true!'Edit: I'm changing my vote for the Mudslingers to Allow Media Access to give the populace a more candid third-party look at Equestrian life. There may be new risks, but it'll be very interesting to see how it plays out, and I'm hoping that we get to see Jex when he finds out that the Equestrians aren't going to be fighting on his own terms.
Im Gonna say option B, simply because if Flutters has all the info then she could make the same choice, she a smart one.
As for the campaign, THis is a tricky one and should be handled VERY delicately. I want to say A, but thinking how good the galaxy was to shepard when he tried to let people know, it will be a hard way to go. So A but im worried.
The way Pyres handled the issue was BADASS, and Rainbow Dash finally swallowing her pride was awesome :D
As for the choices,
The Deal with Biotics: This is a hard choice. She could be honest, but it could also be desperate. I say Option C because at least Fluttershy can do her own homework into Armali Serrice and determine if they're that trustworthy and if their products are as high quality as they say.
The Mudslingers: pick the fourth option, because Emily Wong is likely to help :D
Option B: Inform Fluttershy
Get Emily Wong!
A) Endorse the Armali-Serrice Deal: If we're going to have aliens designing biotics for the Equestrians, I trust the Asari most with this task. (As long as Baria Frontiers isn't involved. Remember that time they wanted to dissect the Feros colonists?
)
A) Public Awareness Campaign
This will win the support of the people who matter. Any of these options, really, will just confirm the paranoiacs' suspicions. They will believe what they want to.Edit: D) Open Media Access to New Ponyville. Hopefully there will be plenty of journalists that come looking for the truth. I think this option strikes the best balance between letting them know too much and letting their claims stand.
A word of warning, though: This lets slanderous journalists attack Ponyvilleans directly instead of just through a screen. If the ponies can't handle them, the process of going through loaded interviews will be just as damaging to them as watching their responses twisted around onscreen. I hope the ponies can take them head-on.
...I'm not sure what would be funnier, Big Mac going through an entire interview saying 'Eeeyup' and 'Eeenope' or amicably talking a yellow journalist's ear off.
A point demonstrated by Hern's hubby, and pretty much every human that isn't Shepard, is that humans are less respectful of aliens than other races. When it comes to their interactions with ponies, they are turning around and bullying the newer race, just as the other races bully them. I know that you can't generalize an entire species, but you can still bet on the odds that humans won't see eye to eye with ponies in their dealings. The other Citadel species, at least, are more experienced at dealing with "younger" races.
INCOMING VOTE EDITS
The Deal with Biotics:
After looking at other people's votes, I don't know what to say. Obviously, we all know that Serrice Council is the best, but at the same time, Fluttershy deserves to be able to make her own choice. That said... gah, I'm changing it to C: Do Not Interfere.
The Mudslingers:
B is tempting but suicidal, C is just suicidal, and A is okayish but still not the best we could do. While allowing the media in will allow for less control, at the same time it lends everything they say a sense of veracity. As such, I'm changing my answer to D: Allow in The News Media.
Note: edited after new option was made available.
Option C: Do not Interfere
Fluttershy is a director for a reason. As such, she should be trusted to make an informed and fair decision without Twilight taking time to interfere to influence the outcome. Plus, if Twilight spends time on fewer issues, she can better gain more rest.
Open Media Access to New Ponyville
First and foremost, while to fight ignorance with facts fits Twilight's character, she has been getting spread very thin lately and they are already on thin ice as it is with the Citadel. Second, even if the Herd defeats Hard-Press, the film has already left an affect on their audience. Third, with so little information on Equestrians available to the general public, the "facts" from Hard-Press and other conspiracy groups will be the only thing filling in the gaps of the Equestrian story for the general public, so the average opinion of the Herd will continue to lean towards suspicion until the Herd puts forward a detailed official story. The only okay option is Opening Media Access to New Ponyville because it wont directly give sensitive information to the public, will allow an outside media to fight Hard-press, and give a professionally produced answer to the public's questions.
Directive Decision: The Deal with Biotics Well, they are right about being the corporation most likely to get results quickly, and most importantly safely. Given one of the other leading offers is the group of assholes that made the L1 and L2 implants.. and just how well those things worked.. really not a good idea to risk letting them screw up ponies. Biotic implants are a pretty risky thing, and given the rather precarious position of the herd, not something to take a risk on, or to settle for less then the best. So, provided Twi does a bit more research, and that there is nothing else that can be found to suggest they are less then on the level.
Option A: Endorse the Armali-Serrice Deal
Directive Decision: The Mudslingers Well, trying to fight back with just facts will be useless. The type of people who believe shit like that are not the kind that will listen to reason. It might help somewhat, but will be far less effective then Rarity thinks it will. Plus it could make The Herd appear to be on the defensive, weak, vulnerable, or like they are trying to hide something. not to mention all the stuff they can't tell the truth about without pissing off the Council meaning they WILL be hiding things. Ignoring it is a better option then that one, though still far from ideal. Eventually this will blow over, but as with going on the defensive, it could make The Herd look weak. plus there could be quite a few major issues rising up from it, yeah ignoring it is also a bad idea. Which leaves fight back. Show them and the rest of, well everyone, that The Herd will not lay down and take it, that they WILL defend themselves, will fight back, while also fighting in the one place where logic reason and the truth might stand a chance of winning, The Courts. Again, sure they can find some lawyers willing to help, that have a personal axe to grind with that film company, already support the Herd, and/or would like a cut of the settlement. So..
Edit: given the new choice, a free open airing of what The Herd is and simply letting reports, especially Mrs. Wong in the talk to them, show Ponies in their day to day lives, that would work far better then a targeted government led PR campaign. While I still think they should pursue legal action, if not as aggressivly, at least test the waters, see if any lawyers or firms would be willing to help them out. Overall letting the media in freely would have beter short term gains
Allow Full Media Access
Decent choices this time, though, still seems to me fairly obvious which will end up getting chosen. Even if any of the options might work IRL, in story, people will be genre savy enough to know which is more likely to be the 'right' choice, and again for the most part, no one is going to chose anything that stands of chance of hurting The Herd, or anypony we care about. Or maybe I'm just assuming most people will think like me, maybe I'll be surprised. But for me, none of these really seem like any possible choice but the one I went with.
Further edit: Wow actually seeing far more variety and debate over these choices then before, seems you made a good selection, can't wait to see the end result.
Endorse the Armali-Serrice Deal
Open New Ponyville to Emily Wong
3136266
well you know how most bullies were bullied themselves, now the humans have a smaller kid to pick on, not all humans of course, but enough to be a problem
First Decision: C. Do nothing. The time to delegate is now, and this is the worst possible moment to undermine Fluttershy by trying to nudge her into one decision or another. Trust your friends.
Second Decision: EDITED: D. Open media access. An aggressive response would be too easy to dismiss as an attempt to deny the statements made by Hard Press; total silence, on the other hand, could be misinterpreted as shamefaced acquiescence ("I won't even dignify that with a response" is usually taken to mean "It's all completely true, but damned if I'm going to admit it!"). A measured response, letting those on both sides in to get the story, would be the best, and leave fewer obvious openings for a PR counterattack -- since the stories wouldn't be coming DIRECTLY from New Ponyville, all the pro-pony journalism would be hard for the cynics to peg as "propaganda". All the same, proceed with caution... there's no telling how far Kailer is willing to dive if he can take New Ponyville down with him.
Biotics deal: Do nothing. Twilight put Fluttershy in charge, either she believes in her and will let her do the job, or she doesn't which shows she never had any faith in her to begin with. Plus if something seems too good to be true, it always is.
Smear Campaign: This one is trickier. Fighting their falsehoods with facts seems like the smart choice, but a lot of information about the ponies the Council wanted kept quiet if I recall. So I'd say do nothing.
The Deal with Biotics:
Option C, I trust that Fluttershy can handle the responsibility. If Armali-Serrice is the best choice, Fluttershy would pick them
The Mudslingers:
*Edit*
gotta go with the new option it makes since to allow the media in, I completely forgot that they were not allowed in
Hooray for an update after so long.
Directive Decision: Deal with Biotics:
Endorse the Armali-Serrice Deal -
As much as Fluttershy will likely do what she believes is right, or the company may be desperate to appeal directly to Twilight, creating implants catered to the Equestrian species will likely require high quality. With this in mind, it would be far better to trust in a company with experience with biotics and styling them for different species.
Directive Decision: The Mudslingers:
Accept Emily Wong's interview proposal and allow the media into New Ponyville -
Upon direct access by reporters to of New Ponyville, the media attention will likely begin to reflect a more positive image in addition to the benefit from Emily Wong's interviews. Currently, the aggressive campaign would not be feasible as the herd cannot afford a protracted legal battle with a successful corporation (especially considering that in order to prove that the statements in the video were false, they would need evidence that was lost with the destruction of the harmony core. And the do nothing option is unappealing as the smear campaign and the Applejack scandal are in full swing, meaning failure to act would only allow the negative image to fester. As for the public awareness campaign, it may not endear the Equestrians to the public as it will appear as if they resort to targeted attacks against criticisms, and if that is not the case it will cause problems with the Council over their "suggestion" for discretion.
The Deal with Biotics:
Option C- I'm fairly confident in Fluttershy's ability to pick the right company to produce the amps. She knows what's at stake. Also, she has been the one dealing with the other competitors, while Twilight only has one reference to take from and of course they are going to say everyone else is a poor choice, it's business.
The Mudslingers:
Option Open Media Access to New Ponyville- I had to think a bit more due to adding a new option to pick from but this seems to be a better idea than just a public awareness campaign. Instead of refuting over facts and playing defense, like the Herd has something to hide, we get a look into the lives of the ponies. It would help alleviate the tension of doubt but it would, also, allow others to finally have a chance at having their say, for better or for worse. It would also draw off focus of what questions were "answered" in "The Cost of Grazing" by not focusing on just arguing over details but providing a different perspective to look at the Herd from. Family oriented and a closely knit together community are big ones, even if a bit mysterious, but hiding something and plotting isn't in their agenda. They're good ponies *assertive nod*.
The Deal with Biotics
Option C: Do Not Interfere - The Madam President can simply decide not to act on this information. As a result, Fluttershy will make her decision given her own understanding of the situation and purely on her own judgment. All offers will be given equal consideration, regardless of their specifics.
the madam president has enough to deal with and should trust her friends to do there jobs.
The Mudslingers
accept Emily Wong's offer form before and Allow Media Access. and allow things to take it's course.
a mix of options A/C
straight fighting will make you look guilty as sin.
straight countering will not help much but hiding will not help any.
and in law lawsuit only the lawyers win.
Well, I can easily see how it took so long to get this chapter up. Apart from your time at your job, you clearly put an effort in order to property incorporate your logos with your pathos in order for everything to work through perfectly. You made it clear that the herd managed to work their way through the Applejack situation by the skin of their teeth but NOT without consequences including making a dent in AJ's and Twi's friendship and the ponies gaining some disreputable attention due to this incident. Also, you've also successfully managed to make the decision choices more challenging. Making us use guts and brains before making the proper choice rather them just being no-brainers. But any-who, here are my decisions...
The Deal With Biotics-My Decision: C
In order to re-emphasize my distrust with corporations, giving monopoly rights to Armali-Serrice is not particularly a good idea. In business, you NEVER bet your entire stock into one thing. However, Serrice DOES make good biotic equipment, if not, the best. Telling Fluttershy about how the representative tried to over her head will only sour her mood against the company and striking a deal with them will be far from possible. Therefore, we should entrust the decision to Fluttershy and to her alone. It's what she was assigned to do and she needs to make this decision in order to foster her growth as a director with no outside help or supervision, even from her closest friends.
The Mudslingers-My Decision: Public Awareness Campaign
Reacting with legal action will only bring the herd down even further since everypony's still healing from Applejack's actions. Hard-Press Media is the equivalent to Fox News, unfair and unbalanced but completely powerful. One lawyer [Lyra] just won't do against the legions of attorneys that know every loophole and dirty trick that a broadcasting corporation has, no matter how disreputable it is. Taking the thing lying down might not be wise because the lack of response might just confirm the gullible's fears about the herd. If they do Public Awareness Campaign is done, make sure that Pinkie's involved in it. After all, you gotta fight hate with humor.
3136404 I would like to point out that given enough support, an option like this may be written in. In this case, the Madam President may defy all of 42's predictive models.
yay! update ;) For options - I say let Fluttershy make the decision on her own, and Option C: do nothing, as in our own media, responding to something like this is only likely to draw more people to it.
The Deal With Biotics: I'm going to say Option B: Inform Fluttershy as I feel informing her is the most balanced decision to make.
The Mudslingers: Automatic goign with Optiona A: The Public Awareness campaign as it is the smartest move to make and helps get the real facts out there.
I really had to think about these options. The previous ones seemed pretty obvious but this one really required a lot of thought.
The Deal with Biotics:
Option C: Do Not Interfere. Mrs. Calis had a very good argument for her company. While this Fluttershy isn't nearly as meek as the canon version I still think she is just as naive when it comes to trusting in individuals. Be that as it may Fluttershy probably has the best understanding of the situation. Twilight has way too much to deal with right now and should trust her friend to do her job. Fluttershy may still choose Armali-Serrice or she may make a better decision such as not giving exclusive rights.
The Mudslingers:
Open Media Access to New Ponyville. As much as I want to see Lyra kick the legal ass of some slanderous businessmen, I don't believe she would win. Lyra has only just become a lawyer and according to the codex ponies don't really understand complex legal matters. Lyra herself specializes in human law and she isn't against human law but intergalactic, possibly volus or turrian. While it is possible that she might get some pro bono help I still find it hard to believe she would win against a corporation that has made several similar documentaries and continues to make them, implying nobody has sued and won against them. While the PA campaign is better it will do very little to change the opinions of the general public but would allow for a story that doesn't have contradictions. Wong can at least get the facts out as a neutral party which is better what would seem like a cover up with a PA campaign but isn't aggressive and likely to lose like a lawsuit. Still Twilight needs to be sure that the Herd's story, while Reaper free, is as honest and consistent as possible and idk how that will happen without talking to the community about it before letting the reporters loose.
But if there was anyway Lyra would win I would totally go the Aggressive Approach! I would love a good courtroom drama like what Pyre pulled in this last chapter!
Deal with Biotics-
Fluttershy is trusted and knew deceptive animals back during the simulation. They may have acted 'on order'..but she's very good at trying to do whats best for the Herd. Still, they do indeed have very good Biotics. It would garner a few chances to make headway and help them against the Reapers. Long Term wise- They are preparing for that. So it may have to be A with me.
Mudslingers-
Emily Wong has helped Shepard and Shepard has helped her. She'll help kill over 75% of the bad press. I'm going Emily Wong for her help she's done before.