Rarely is an informant's job easy. Often, it is shrouded with mystery and secrecy. Except for when the time's are up...
Equus... peace and prosperity, the advent of a new era, one whose effects would last eons on end. And yet amidst it all, amidst an entire world's known history and apparent approach to its golden age, out there in the stars there are beings with ambition born out of ingenuity.
Once creation themselves, humans have become creators of entire galaxies, of entire lives. Defining and building up entire worlds who, like them, built nations and empires under their care. Gods they are not, creators they most certainly are.
But like gods who look down on their creation, so too did humans look down on them, whether it be to observe what their own creation had done, and maybe, just maybe... even learn from them.
All of these events happened before Twilight’s ascension as Ruler of Equestria, sometime after the defeat of the Legion of Doom.
Like my other story, I am doing this on my own and for fun, this was an older story I had written a while back, might improve on it, plus I'll do minuscule edits from time to time.
Edit 1: Did a bit of cleaning up for the short and long descriptions, hopefully, It doesn't look clustered now (IMO).
Write Fountain made her way across the castle hallways, today was one of the most momentous occasions of her life, and maybe even for Equestria’s history as a whole. She had just recently managed to finish her project, which she was specifically selected to not only make but also present to the Equestrian Royals, everyone who was worth gold by their mere presence was going to be at her presentation. This was all in preparation for the eventual abdication of Princess Celestia and Luna to make way for Princess Twilight’s ascension to the Equestrian Throne. And today was the big day that she could make a difference, a difference that she hoped, would change how not only Equestria viewed itself, but also to change the entirety of Equus and the nations that accompany Equestria for the betterment of opportunity.
Entering the room she was assigned to make her presentation and walking up to the podium and board, she looked at the sight before her, only now did it settle into her inner conciseness of the true reach of her presentation. Preparing herself by taking deep breaths, she prepares to do her best and prepared for the worst, after all, the worst that her audience, the ponies of Equestria’s most prestigious and influential city could do was openly reject her proposal and have a completely different opinion and viewpoint as to what she was about to explain. Another deep breath and she was about to let loose, beginning one of the longest and most important presentations that Equestria would see to date.
“Good day to all of you who made it here and those that gave some of your time to view what I am about to share,” this was her opening speech for her presentation while writing an equal sign with the use of her wings (which as admittedly an unhealthy practice) on the chalkboard that was provided for her usage on this presentation, she was thinking of all the possible directions that this could go to, “I ask all of you within here, although you’re not required, to tell me what you see on the chalkboard?”
A sea of silence was what she was greeted with, although she understood that this was to be expected as she was already diving straight for the meat of her presentation.
“I understand that to the greater majority of us, view this symbol, mathematically, as the Equal Sign, being used to represent something of equal value to another,” receiving a few nods amongst the crowd, she continued,
“But I am also well aware that some ponies amongst ourselves know this sign has a much more rooted, real-life meaning, and as such, for those uninformed, (which I doubt would be the case,) the same symbol is what appears when a ponies destiny or cutie mark, regardless of how or why, is taken away from them, in place leaving them without a special ability or destiny, similar to those that would experience the same thing. Its most recent, and might I add the last time, such a case was reported was then, when her highness, Princess Twilight’s first pupil of friendship, now Principal Starlight Glimmer, had made a philosophy centered around equality through the removal of a ponies special ability or talent (and by extension their destiny), and how she went about it completing her goals, no matter how questionable it is, showed both its effect and cause on a ponies mental and physical being, but the most important change would be how her philosophy and manner of which she did this, shows how by removing one’s special abilities, we can create a level of competence where every pony under its effects is of equal skill and value in what they could achieve or give compared to their contemporaries, but I also feel the need to also remind that this all happened before her redemption as Her Highness’s first pupil.” Looking around, she noticed the mixed reactions she was receiving, but she couldn’t tell if it was for what she was explaining now or what she was about to explain.
“Now, I hear you ask, ‘what does this have to do or is of any relevance to your presentation?’ and to that I say, because of what miss Glimmer had done (which might I add is a different subject to discuss and not one I will touch on in this discussion), is creating an entirely new, different, and potentially groundbreaking ideology, or to put it simply, an idea, that we could further research and even adopt into our own current system.” Stopping for a moment, she saw that the crowd was about to speak, but she beat their protest by answering their own questions directly,
“And no, I don’t plan on world domination, and it’s a no by a long shot. What I am after, and what I am asking all in this very room to consider, is an alternative to the current philosophical, social, political, and economic ideology that could substitute or coexist with the current Diarchy, which might I add is about to become a Monarchy, a contingency plan, in other words, an alternative that could influence and spawn plenty others different or like it, minus of course the mind enslavement and stealing of cutie marks, what I am asking all of you in this room to do is consider the possible alternatives as we step into a new era for not only the nation of Equestria but also the entirety of Equus.”
Pausing for a moment, she let the silence hang around for a moment, then a pony amongst the crowd spoke out in response,
“And how could you prove that it is not only a viable but also stable option for us to pursue in the long run of this nation?”
“And here I thought you would never ask,” giving herself a mental pat, she continued, “here, I am about to show and explain the proposal of my project, the meat of this presentation.”
And with that, she began explaining and writing examples for the crowd to follow, whose curiosity is now intent on finding out where this mare was going with her presentation and ideas.
Amongst the crowd, a pony watches with great intent at the new revelation. It was going to be a long while until that mare would finish, but in that time span, this pony already knew where she was headed to. This presentation was about to become one of Equestria’s most influential and controversial idea’s yet, and from it, plenty more would follow suit, chaos and harmony are about to ensue, and questions would be asked, with answers that are waiting to be discovered. All of this, and the pony merely watched, knowing full well and intent on what is about to happen with this presentation and what it entailed for his employer, but he had to stick to his job, that's the job he was given, it's the informant's job to keep track of such things after all, and so, he listened with great intent, like most other ponies within the crowd they were in.
“…And so, I believe that concludes the majority of the point that I am trying to get through, so are there and more questions?” Write asked, receiving mostly gossips amongst her audience, although she couldn’t actually make out what any of them said, she had a feeling it was anything else other than good news for her.
After her audience started to settle down, a stallion, Fancy Pants by the looks of it, stepped up and forwards towards Write.
“No intorduction needed here and staight to the point. As you may know, Write Fountain, your presentation has been one the few that the nobles and other high figures in Equestrian society, myself included, took to be a serious matter as to warrant some changes on our personal schedules just to hear your idea,” he gave a small inhale, he wasn’t sure if he was the right pony to say what’s next, but he pushed through anyway, “and as much as I respect the idea that you have put forth, the same feedback and reactions could not be said for the greater majority that I represent right now.”
“Wait, where are you going with that idea?” Write asked, “You can’t possibly sideline my work? I researched and gave plenty of time, examples, and even reason to prove the simple point that it works, half an entire year, I spent working on this, and you sideline the idea as a whole?.”
“And that is the problem that the majority has concluded,” Fancy Pants replied, “Although granted you gave plenty of time just trying to convince us that it works, it challenges the idea that had kept Equestria alive and running, the proposed changes could be implemented right here and now without the need to resort to an entirely new system that would cost us untold thousands of bits just to maintain its operations, and even without that conflicting argument, the mere fact that it hasn’t been tested for long-term use on a wider scale population only furthers the point that it is a risk that we, who are gathered before you and your presentation, are not willing to take.”
“B-b-but…” Write stammered, as the implications started to sink it, and with it, the general image that these nobles had taken to her ideas.
“I really do apologize Write,” Fancy Pants said, “I really do, but I am with the majority here when you consider the fact that as much as I’d love to support your ideas, We are risking the statuesque that has kept Equestria afloat throughout the most troubled times, but I do have a proposal for you to consider.”
“And what would that proposal be?” She asked, “You already made it clear that you, everyone here, would sideline my work, I hoped to make a change, and it seems to be clear that you aren’t willing to take the chance.”
Everyone in the room flinched in one way or another at that remark, not because it was true, but because everyone had a different motive, it was just that it was never fully realized by the greater majority in Equestria.
“I understand that it may not interest you now,” he said, lifting a small sheet of paper from the inner pockets of his suit, “but I believe I have a good friend that would be interested in your field of work, calls himself ‘Formosa,’ an innovator in politics and business, a very reserved stallion I must say, always popping in and out of the public eyes.”
“Why are you giving me this?” She asked while looking at the card that she upheld and read with the use of her wings, “what could he possibly do that you believe he would find a use for me and my field of study?”
“He had a similar passion to you the last time I met that stallion, probably grew a stronger back bone or something since his last appearance, around four months ago, not sure,” Fancy said, “I believe he has a place for you, he might even consider you a student, should you want to become his apprentice of course.”
“And why is that?” she asked.
“Let’s just say he’s a very influential pony, worth more than twofold of the influence that every pony could gather in this very room,” he replied, “so should anything go astray, I believe he would have a plan and don’t worry, your presentation won’t be sidelined forever, I’m sure when the time comes, it would show its worth, today is just not that day.”
Looking up to Fancy Pants, Write simply gave a smile to his direction, a simple “thank you” was all she said.
“I thank you all for attending my presentation.” Write openly spoke out to her audience and Fancy Pants, “And I wish that this had been an educational subject for all of you, again, I thank you all.”
And with that final closing remarks, the room that was once filled with ponies of nobility and stature, now slowly being devoid of any participants, and soon the entire room was empty, leaving only Fancy Pants and Write Fountain in it.
“I better get going, I still have some other inquiries to attend to.” Fancy Pants said, making his way to the exit.
“Ok, but where do I find him?” Write asked, blocking Fancy’s path in the process.
“He’ll show up sooner or later, I myself am not sure, but I know for sure you won’t find him by staying here any longer.” He replied.
Letting him pass, she simply said to him once more, “Thank you, for offering help to me.”
“Any time,” he replied, “also, I think the diner districts of Canterlot would be a good place to start, heard that stallion liked to see different restaurants.”
“Thanks again.”
“Again, any time.”
As Fancy Pants walked out of the room, Write was the only one that was left in the room, she still had to clean up her presentation, and so that’s exactly what she did.
After finishing her little clean-up, Write headed directly back to her apartment, that day was a tiring day, and although she knew her idea would probably be archived and left to garner dust for the foreseeable future, she still looked up to the sky above. Unlike most Pegasus ponies, Write preferred to walk, to look at things from a grounded view, her destiny, the way she saw it, was to write about ideas, to record them even if ponies didn’t give them a chance. All this, and more, but she really was tired, and she could start looking for that stallion named, ‘Formosa’ some other time, right now, she needs some rest.
As the sun started to set, Celestia looked over the balcony of the castle, a castle that she had stayed in for more than a millennium, it was only now when she could truly admire the twilight that the view provided her. Her fateful student, growing up to take the crown, brought a tear to her eye, hundreds of years’ worth of planning, all lead up to this very moment of transfer in power.
A knock on the door of her room interrupted her sightseeing.
“Come in.” She replied, and immediately, the moment she turned her face to look at the pony that entered her room, a small scowl formed upon her face, it was an “old friend” of hers, one that she never expected to return or even help, not after the time when she sent her own sister to the moon.
Although she knew the pony before she was an integral part of pony (and by extension Equus) society, she knew that this was no ordinary pony but one of many, a pony much more proficient than Star Swirl or even Celestia herself in the arts of sorcery (and unfortunatly not magic), even if they claimed otherwise, she never expected to see them in the flesh, only ever expecting to communicate with them through ink and paper.
All her efforts were to try and divert their attention away from her and her little ponies, but as by the evidence of the fact that she had an unexpected visitor, it would seem otherwise.
“I never expected to see you here, I really expected your employer to help us after the first Discord fiasco, I guess I was a bit too optimistic back then.” She said.
“Skip the introductions please, I merely work formoses, and he personally asked me to send his regards for your soon abdication.”
“And I doubt that’s all you’re here for, correct?” She asked.
“My employer's field of work is complicated, but I assure you, they only ever interfere when necessary, that you clearly know first-hoof.” The pony replied, being encased in a thick hood that covered most of its face, but that didn’t matter to Celestia, partially because she personally knew who the pony she was talking to was and the other part being that they were merely a vassal, an envoy at least, to whom she was really supposed to speak to.
“So tell me,” she began once more, “What is it does Formoses want this time, he never helped during my time of need, why should I help them now?”
“Because it does not concern your future directly,” the pony said, “It directly concerns the actions you have taken, and the future of your apprentice, and as much as I hate to say this, but he had specifically told me that should you say those specific lines, he said that it was, ‘all in good faith.’”
Looking with fire in her eyes, Celestia eyed the pony before her carefully, cautiously making sure not to break eye contact with them.
“Please, take a seat, I am willing to discuss this matter with you, right now.” She said.
“Your plans won’t go unnoticed, your Highness, that’s for sure.” The pony responded, taking a seat for himself beside the windows of the room, where they were able to see the outside view.
“Any preference in music?” Celestia asked, “I’m sure we will be in here for a while, so while we’re at it, might as well make ourselves comfortable.”
“Any will do, I was just sent to discuss a few outlines for you to follow and some possible changes that could follow after.”
“Very well, I hope you enjoy your stay Sunburst.”
“I had to make arrangements after unfortunate events came around in my life, I do hope you understand.”
“No, no, it’s completely understandable, although you are the first that had been very direct to me with these kinds of matters.”
“Well, as you know very well you Highness, someone’s got to pay the bills, and I am merely doing this as part of the informant’s contracts, I assume you know such a thing exists?”
“Of course I knew such thing’s existed,” Celestia said, “it isn't hard to connect the dots and imagine what my little ponies would have to find some other form of income to stay afloat in this ever-changing world, its a miracle as is it stands now and ever.”
Location: Unknown, past midnight
“So,” a voice began, “What’s the news?”
“Nothing much, the usual scramble for power.”
“And the test subjects are doing well under pressure I presume?”
“Yep…”
“But?”
“But what?” He asked, “I got nothing more to say, just the usual.”
“You and I know that’s not true Moses, so drop the act and tell me.”
“Fine James, if you want the short of it, a mare, she just went up gave a lesson for the people in power of the land, she had more than just a very subjective view on the current god complex that the current ‘half-gods’ Equestria had, of course, I’d assume there would be some problems to accommodate it, already sent some of my informants to do some errands for me.”
“So… She has a different view contrary to the majority, correct?”
“Basically the gist of it, yeah.”
“And…”
“I believe she’s going to discover some top-secret bullshit that we would probably have to resolve again.”
“Oh, yeah…”
“What do you think will they say?”
“The higher-ups? Jackshit if I knew, I just want to be on leave. They’ll probably just place someone else on parole while we're on duty or something. Just the usual shit they like to sprinkle on their tests. Although I heard they had big plans for ponies like her, I don’t think this would be the usual thing they have planned since their plans have become much more complicated and messed up from what they started and made them out to be.”
“Welp, guess we got to start moving, orders are still orders, observe the actions of that mare, she’s still a person- er… pony of interest, with the secondary objective is monitoring test subjects codenamed: Helios and Nyx, respectively.”
“Get a better name for your disguise, we still got plenty of time on our working hours, plus, the test subjects had adopted better names compared to yours, not to mention the fact that they already have someone planned for the ascension to their throne, the ‘right to rule’ bullshit as it still stands, so we still have some problems to set straight.”
“Hmph… I’ll see what I could do about that. By the way, what do your subordinates call you by? When they go around doing the bullshit you probably tell them.”
“They usually refer to me as ‘Formosa’, which was supposed to be a slang for ‘For Moses’ but you know, became mixed and matched from one form to another, so I adopted it, winged it for the last name and backstory, then boom! Then came Formosa Box, although admittedly the last name sucks ass.”
“Oh, I see, well… I do believe I’m going to need to work under your brand to have a foot holding for my disguise, we still got more jobs to do, and we still need to get your subordinates to work out some footing for the next part of the plan.”
“…” “…”
“Hey, James… did you want to know something?”
“No.”
“Apparently just saying the word ‘peeve’ is considered as high profanity here.”
“Please, shut the fuck up right now.” Trying but failing to keep a smirk crawling into his face.
“Ok fine.” And the sounds of crickets in the far distance once more resumed.
“So… It really has come to this point, for more around a decade of observation and predictions, we are about to jump into a shithole of a mess, one that will probably get ourselves coated in.”
Giving an audible sigh, James merely replied, still staring at the starry night sky, “Touché…”
That same late-night sky, it was a marvel for those that took the time to look at its silent beauty, but really, it’s just a great excuse for these guys to hang around the ledges wherever it is convenient and safe for them, talking about god or something to their liking. They’d make their moves soon, for now though, it’s nothing personal to them, it’s just good business, the first like another job.
When the morning sun shine finally grew, at the first signs of dawn, Write begrudgingly (and forcefully) woke up from her long night sleep, it wasn’t usual for her to wake up this early in the morning. And that was still something she had to work on, it just didn’t sit well with her, ever since yesterday her time was spent on merely working on figuring out this mysterious figure called ‘Formosa’, who was often mistakenly also referred to as 'Formoses', information was scarce on anything about that stallion, but she still had faith that she could learn something, jackshit really, before she would cross paths with them she was adamant about her goal to learn more and become better.
Raising and giving her wings a stretch, she had grown accustomed to the Canterlot scenery, not something she would wish to live the rest of her life in, but it did well to give the young mare some morning motive, in some form.
Another flip through the pages that she left on the table from her late last night research. She was still searching for spells, books, anything with the author (or at least any mention) of the name Formosa, and it was ticking on her patience that such a stallion even managed to get most of his life shrouded in obscurity, and it was something indeed, considering the fact that her entire life was centered on gathering and writing about information that most would not even consider useful, useful in a sense that it could be used in a consistent manner.
“BUCKING HELL!” She yelled, “WHY THE BUCK ARE YOU BUCKING GOOD AT THIS!? WHY?” She screamed, going into a little tantrum over the fact that someone was better at hiding information than she was, it never sat right with her, and even if she knew that there was a bigger dog on other corners (which she did). She threw books, flipped a table, and even considered lighting her entire complex on fire just to prove a point. Alas, she never went through with burning an entire apartment complex, living under a roof was still a top priority, and she didn’t want to lose the hard work she had spent just to stay dry only to end up bit less. So off to work she went once more, preparing to fly back to the Canterlot libraries for more information, maybe even speak to some nobles to gather information about this mystery stallion of hers, after which she might go find something to wear for their meeting. For now, the morning routine must be done, and more information could wait later, after all, she had more than enough time to find them, although she could see, no, feel, once the morning sun’s light started to shine brighter over her coat that her day was about turn into something she could look forward to, at least she hoped her guts were right this time.
Walking down the Canterlot streets, Formosa and Loose walked through the early morning hours. Barely any pony was out and about, but these two had to make a drop by to some old friends of Formosa, where they planned on dropping some valuable stuff for some future plans. After all of that, they had a meeting with a peculiar mare that Fancy Pants had recommended to him personally, although how that stallion managed to get into contact with him is still something that Formosa both commended and was woried about, since he was still trying to unfold who that stallion works his magic.
“A wonderful day, isn’t it Loose?”
“Shut up Moses, the name you gave me is one of the shittiest I’ve had the privilege to know and receive.”
“Hey, shut up James, I gave you a fucking name and a design for your disguise, have a little faith in my abilities, Loose Screws could have been a better alternative to toy with you, but I digress,” Moses retorted, “Besides, we got to blend in the crowd, Fancy Pants somehow managed to track my ass and give me a note, although I already knew what he had given to me,only ever comming with something interesting.”
“Hard to blend in when we’ve got fedoras on top of our heads and shades on our saddlebags to use,” James (his disguise, Loose Winger) retorted, “the only thing missing are suits, tie, and our guns, which by the way, tell me how the hell do you manage to walk around bare naked? Don’t like ponies have clothes or something, I know biology and stuff, but I really prefer clothes over coat.”
“Ho, ho, don’t tell me you planning on rutting some mare while we're here, Jeez, Loose, have some self-control,” Formosa said, a smirk working its way onto his face, keeping up his act.
“I’m serious here, I don’t like walking nude, even if I have plenty of fur covering my ass.” He said as he gave a deadpan look at the stallion he was talking to.
“Well, we could make a quick detour to a boutique I know, I think its close by in this parts of the city, I’m sure they could make a few accommodations.”
“And you expect me to believe you could not only pay but also remain an 'innocent-looking' stallion?” Loose said, clearly taken aback by the sheer amount of confidence of the stallion he was working with, as if a friend had just asked if he wanted to socialize, saying that he could ‘hook him up,’ or something.
“Who am I?” Formosa asked aloud, clear in confidence, “I am Formosa! I run a railway union that encapsulates continents worth and you expect me to be a poor sod who doesn’t make use of the craft he is most well versed in? Even without my human background, I still manage to impress as is.” He said, prideful at his accomplishments, regardless of form.
“What? No! Why the hell would you think I would?” Loose asked, but he noticed something from the reflection of a window, someone was following them but he was unsure of the possible intents, “actually, let’s cut the chatter and move a bit faster, I want to get something to cover my fur, and I assume that’s alright with you?” He asked, clearly uncomfortable walking nude despite the fur that he boast.
Formosa merely looked at the stallion beside him, giving a small smirk at the discreetness of his colleague, “Nice catch,” he whispered, “I guess that’s alright, but right now” –he did something with his magic and before Loose could ask, a map appeared out of nowhere onto Loose's back– “I have to ask you to go onto the place that I encircled on the map, that should be the place where the boutique should be at.” He said.
“I would really want to question how you did that, but the fact that you had much more time here, timeless practice probably,” –to that, he received a nod from the stallion beside him– “but I’m afraid I can’t let you go unattended to where ever you’re going, can’t break character and you know the rule of two still stands.”
Looking at his colleague, clearly pissed off from being unable to be left alone for a short while, he replied, “Don’t worry, I could handle myself, besides, it would be quicker if you stayed at the boutique and selected something to wear while I handled the delivery, I promise I’ll be there before you even try to buy whatever you have in mind, just tell them you are a friend of the entrepreneur, they’ll know what to do from there, just don't make things complicated.”
“And how do I know you’re going to be safe while we're separated, I’m supposed to act as your bodyguard and all that jazz.” Showing the hidden daggers underneath his wings, although he hasn’t mastered their full use to effectively wield them, he knew a fair bit on how to stab and throw them with decent precision right from the swing of a wing, but that's was all.
Giving a small chuck, all Formosa had to do was cast a spell that he was most well versed in, primarily a manifestation spell with other spell parts in the mix, drawing up three daggers and two of his favorite sidearm to show just a portion of what he could do with the horn he had on his forehead, although it strained him to some extent, it only ever happened when it was used it extensively, which never became the case for him. Once enough time passed, he withdrew what he had cast and found his companion wide-eyed and shocked at what he did. Chuckling once more at the fact that he still somehow knew how to cast those spells despite the times that had passed since their last use at all.
“Luck cuck,” was the reply, “Never thought I’d see the day you’d become a person with questionable to malicious intents, but guess after seeing that display, I’ll trust you and meet up at the boutique, after which we could find that mare that you told me about.”
“Sure, sure,” he said, a grin finally making his way to his face, the reward of his labor he shall harvest, “Stay safe, and to tell the mare the runs the place, ‘Sassy Saddles’ I think was her name, that her employer, a mare named ‘Rarity’, would expect some company in the near future, got it? And that's if you went ahead or something, but again, I digress."
“Yeah, see you at lunch?” He asked.
“Maybe, yeah, sure, just stay near the boutique, don’t get lost in the big city, I’ll bring the lunch and just stay put.”
Loose was about to protest, but he stopped himself and begrudgingly nodded at that remark. And with those final moments, they parted ways, with Formosa walking up towards the high parts of Canterlot while Loose went wherever the map led him. Although as fate would have it, Loose’s afternoon was about to get a little bit more interesting than what he would have hoped for.
After locking the door to her apartment, Write slowly made her way to the main street of Canterlot, she had a lot planned for today, but what she had in mind was to prepare herself for her first impression with the mystery stallion that Fancy gave to her, books could wait later. Extending her wings and preparing to leap off the edge of the building she was on, she watched as the streets started to slowly pick up traffic with the number of ponies slowly coming onto and wherever around Canterlot.
“Now, where was that boutique?” She mumbled to herself as she flew overhead. The sight of Canterlot from the skyline was always one that she enjoyed and wished to write about, she had initially wanted to become a journalist, but once Fancy Pants approached her and offered her a place in one of Canterlots Universities (with a recommendation from himself) she took the opportunity of better education in a whiff. “Hmm, is that the street?” she asked, trying to remember the name of the place of the boutique, “Hey! You, yes, you,” she pointed at a stallion at the sidewalk, “Do you know where the boutique that’s owned by the Element of Generosity is?” She asked.
“You mean ‘Canterlot Carousel’?” The stallion asked, “I think it’s just down the street up ahead, take a left turn after the first intersection from here, then go straight after that, you should find it pretty soon by then, hard to miss.” He clarified.
“Thanks!” She replied, tossing some bits to the stallion as she dashed towards her destination. It became a habit for Write to toss a tip to any pony that helped her, even if it was frowned by that pony in particular or was damaging her own financial situation, she didn’t care, and she would repeatedly say ‘it’s the thought that counts', despite the consequences it might entail, which only fueled her love to sprinkle spite every now and then.
Making her way downtown, the streets and corners she took towards the boutique proved to be a challenge within itself, and sooner, she founders herself landing onto the pavement and begging a trot as she tried to figure her way around the streets that she somehow managed to get herself lost in. Trotting onto another intersection, she faced upwards to see the street sign and figure out where in Celestia’s name she is in Canterlot, unbeknownst to her, she wasn’t looking ahead or around the corners of her path.
Suddenly looking straight ahead of her, she noticed a stallion right in front of her, but she was too late to stop her slow trot to avoid a collision with him.
“Oof!” Both said as a result of the collision, being accompanied by a soft ‘thud’ as they fell onto their flanks.
“Oh! Uh, sorry Ma’am,” the stallion apologized immediately, “Um… Here, let me help you up.” He said, while also extending a helping hoof to the mare that he had just bumped into.
“Ow, ow, oh, um, thank you,” Write said, “and no, I think I must be the one to apologize, it was my fault for not looking in my direction.” Feeling a bit of shame for her inability to avoid this easily avoidable experience.
The stallion, now looking around the streets after checking if the mare was hurt, replied in turn, “Oh no, please, I insist, it was my fault,” he said, showing a genuine smile to the mare he had just bumped into, “besides, it no big deal for me anyway, I was just looking my way around the city.” He then proceeded to trot in the opposite direction that Write had just gone through.
“Wait!” Write shouted, the stallion himself stopping in his tracks and looking back at the standing mare, “may I ask for your name and where you’re headed? I really need to find a place to buy some clothes for an important occasion.” She asked.
“Hmm…” The stallion was deep in thought, visibly debating whether or not to help this mare he had just met, “Loose Winger, and I guess it would be rude to disclose such simple matters to ponies like you,” he said, “follow me, a friend of mine made me a map of the city, I was headed for a boutique myself.”
“OH, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!” Write pepped, clearly overjoyed that, unlike some nobles she had run into, this stallion was actually willing to help her.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, “just around the corner I think.” A few moments passed as they walked towards the boutique, but the silence was broken when Loose spoke up, “So what’s your name?”
Looking at the stallion, Write gave him a cheeky response, “Hitting on mares now are we?” She received the expected response of shock, but she quickly made another reply following it, “but in all seriousness, my name is Write, Write Fountain.”
“I see,” Loose replied, regaining his composure, “Well, we better get going, I still need to accompany some pony and it's best I look dashing for the occasion, the same I would assume would be the case for you?”
“Yes, indeed.” Write replied once more.
The moment both ponies entered the boutique they parted ways inside, with Write saying her goodbyes and immediately searching for an attire to fit a professional look, while the other simply looked around the displays that seemed to intrigue him. Canterlot Carousel was fairly busy today, the manager of the entire place, Sassy (sometimes known as Savvy) Saddles, was attending to most of the other customers, ranging from nobles to the common pony of Canterlot, within the establishment, clearly overloaded with the job she was doing but was did so anyways with a job well-done nonetheless. A few minutes past and that was the entire ordeal, minutes turned to hours, and sooner rather than later, Write realized she hadn’t chosen anything to wear for her meeting, and it was nearing past midday, time was ticking by the second and she somehow suddenly found herself hyperventilating inside the mare’s bathroom.
“ohno,ohno,ohno…” She muttered, she still hadn’t found an attire and now her nervousness was making its way to the back of her spine, not a feeling anyone would enjoy for that particular manner. She mussed over and over again, clearly in denial of the fact that she still had plenty of things to do and worry about while having accomplished very little the same amount of time. Suddenly, she heard a knock from her little cubicle.
“Darling?” A voice began, “Are you alright in there? I was informed by Sassy Saddle that a mare went in here, dearie, and I was wondering if there’s anything you need or if you’re alright.”
Suddenly realizing who she was about to talk too, the voice was all too familiar that it became one of the voices that became synonymous with the word 'Generosity'. So she thought about her words, she had to speak with caution. Opening the door to her stall, she saw the all recognizable white fur of a pony of great privilege.
“Uh, um… No, I’m fine, thank you for asking, Ma’am.” She said she was more than embarrassed to admit that she clearly knew the pony infort of her.
“Oh! But darling, you simply look horrid,” Rarity (obviously) said, showing concern for the mare before her, “not to mention you were on the verge of tears,”
“But-”
“No but’s,” Rarity replied, not allowing a distressed customer to leave her shop in such a horrendous state, “come along long now dear, we still got plenty of things to do to fix you up. And it’s on me darling, so don’t worry about payment, just follow me to my private room, I'll make arrangements from there.” She said.
This brought a tear to Write, still incredibly perplexed at the mare’s generosity, “T-thank you, very much.” That was all she said.
“Oh darling, don’t think of it too hard, after all, I still have some plans that I need help with, and I think you’re the pony that could help me.”
Looking at the mare in her eyes, Rarity gave a soft smile to Write, who returned to gesture with another ‘thank you.’
Meanwhile, whilst all of this went down, Loose could only wait impatiently for the pony he was supposed to be guarding. Then, as if his request had been answered, the doors to the boutique swung wide open, and in came two pony figures, one with a top hat while the other had a fedora. He immediately recognized the pony wearing the fedora as ‘Formosa’ but he completely didn’t recognize the other pony.
“-and then he had to restock the entire bloody supply just because of that one… Never mind, we still have other matters to attend to.” Said Formosa, looking and waving in the direction of Loose.
In response, Loose trotted toward the newly arrived pair, he assumed introductions are underway.
“Ah, Loose Winger, I’d like you to meet another one of my workers, an informant like others, Fatt Hatt, Controller of Equestrian Rails. Fatt Hatt, meet Loose Wing, another one of my workers like you, he is new to the job and serves as my bodyguard as of the moment,” Formosa said, like introducing a friend to another.
“Oh please to meet you, just Hatt will do fine.” Fatt Hatt said, clearly trying to avoid the implications should he be called partially by name (like Filthy Rich). Extending his hoof, Hatt was expecting a hoof-shake with the new stallion.
“Loose, Loose Winger, Formosa never talked about you often, although he did speak highly of you in those small moments when you were mentioned, a great honor to meet someone like my employer.” He replied, returning the open gesture that Hatt gave,accepting the hoof-shake.
But before the two stallions could continue with the formalities, Formosa kicked in, “Oh please, both of you, drop the formalities and just call each other with casual names, just as I insist the both of you to call me ‘Moss’, besides, we came here to discuss future plans and pick up new attires for a meeting, you got the engine ready for departure, right Hatt?” He asked.
“Yes, it’s at the platform waiting with the coaches,” Hatt replied, “But I think buying an attire that fits the occasion is indeed most appropriate for what we are about to do.” Which he received a nod from Loose, but Moss simply gave them an indifferent look.
“You guys would definitely need a few touches and changes, I’m fine as is, and it’s on me anyway, so go nuts.” He said, gesturing the two to go and find what they wanted the most, which they did so.
And after around an hour of waiting and searching, Hatt and Loose managed to find some attires that they liked, something to cover at least some parts of their bodies, which Moss found quite amusing. Approaching the side of the counter where Sassy Saddles was still accommodating another pair of customers (mares, in particular, the boutique offers a wide range of selections, but like most things that Rarity does, she mostly specializes in mares wear), she noticed the stallion approach her and was prepared to tell him off should he cut the line, in the same manner that she had told to others like him, or at least that’s what she assumed and thought. And when the stallion had finally reached the counter (skipping the line entirely), the voice that spoke was one that she had been told to keep a keen watch on and one that demanded Rarity's attention if her connected guess was correct.
“ahm, ahm,” Formosa started, gaining the attention of not only the pair of mare’s that he had seemingly just cut in front of but also the mare that he was about to speak to, “Sassy Saddle, correct?” he asked, complete confidence in his face with an indifferent outlook.
After what could only be considered as a very “lengthy” period of time, Rarity and Write had managed to meet the stallions they were looking for, Formosa Box, an apparently legendary figure with status and (known) history comparable to myth. Who, at the time of their initial meeting, was accompanied by two other stallions, apparently one being his personal guard and the other was a high ranking subordinate in his business.
The initial introductions went well enough in the boutique, with Rarity finally being able to repay Formosa for a very old favor that was long overdue on her part, and Write, well, being able to meet with a possible future employer, one she hoped would land her with great success. And although Sassy Saddle was… initially shocked, to say the least, meeting a pony of mythical status that the nobles of Canterlot would even acknowledge, well, some might say it was a sight even rarer than the princesses themselves, it was well enough that the party of 5 had managed to land on a pretty solid note, with all of them at the train station, just waiting for their ride for Ponyville.
“So, tell me, when will, um…” Write began, but stumbled in her words as she tried to remember the name of the stallion that had left earlier to fetch their apparent ride.
“Hatt, Fatt Hatt, you mean?” Formosa asked, looking at the mare in the process, “He’ll come, no doubt about that.”
“Don’t worry about a single thing, darling.” Rarity interjected, putting a hoof on Write’s coat to ease her up, although she won’t say it, she had experienced her fair shares of anxiety, and she knew what Write was undergoing right now, at least to some major extent, “Besides, If you haven’t known yet, Formosa here is a founder of a very large business organization, I won’t spoil which one, but by the way you act and what is apparent now, you really should be lucky, Write my dear, since this is, as a friend of mine would put it, ‘ah one time opportunity.’ So don’t let it go to waste.” Rarity said with a friendly smile, which seemed to do the trick in easing the tense mare a bit.
But this small exchange was immediately cut short when a whistle was heard, a very distinct whistle only ever heard on certain engines here in Equestria. To us, hearing a whistle from a steam engine might seem like a common occurrence, maybe a treat to enthusiast’s, but to Equestria, and the greater world of Equus, this specific whistle was more than a sound, it was a symbol, a symbol of the future to come, a literal metal beast overshadowing the beauty of woodcrafts, the durability of crystals, and the efficiency of both combined.
What was once a quiet platform was now being filled with smoke, but unlike smoke in the earth we are in, this kind of smoke was harmless for everyone, even the environment, thanks to magic in general. And out of this smoke, the silhouette of a steam engine could be formed, and in the simplest of terms, it was essentially an LNER Class A4 steam engine, a prime example of the innovation could achieve, one of the many heights and powerhouses that fueled our world's industrial might, and this engine, with many more designs like it to come and go, will carry and set the foundation of a new era on Equus soil, just like it had done for our world. All of this was not a too farfetched possibility, of course, considering who would emerge from the smoke, contracts have been made to support this kind of ordeal and expansion.
As the smoke started to lift, the steam engine could now be seen in all of its glory, and Fatt Hatt was waiting by the coaches, seemingly having exited them and positioned himself to greet all of them, who by this time, started to enter the coaches.
And for the first time in Write’s life, she could see luxury beyond what Canterlot’s best could offer, as for Rarity, it was her, say… 5th-ish time riding this kind of train, and as always, it was a treat for her and a privilege she kindly took when given the opportunity, and with them having boarded their ride to Ponyville, the 3-ish hour-long journey began, and the locomotive started slowly but picked up the pace as progress is made, and soon proper introduction could be made.
“So, Hatt, how’s the Equestrian Rail going? Well, I hope.” Formosa said as he made himself a drink, reaching for some bottles and making a unique drink of his own on the bar that was in the dining coach.
“Better than expected, actually,” Hatt replied, fixing a top hat on his head, “but shouldn’t you be speaking to our star guest for today? You know, get the introductions out of the way so that business could be made.”
Before Formosa replied, he took a sip from his personal drink and responded, “I will, I will, no need to rush that part, this is the same gig we have been running, the only difference is the time and things we are going to be allowed to show and exploit to our advantage.”
“True,” was the reply, as Hatt made the final touches to his hat, “but this should still be dealt with before the coronation, after that, it will be another game of outdoing the next in line.”
A moment of silence was shared, but the conversation was never continued, as Formosa started to make his way into the coach where most of their party was at, having left Loose to deal with two mares, well, even if Formosa knew a scandal could literally never happen, it was indeed best to finish his business, especially since humans like him before, and even possibly those of the future, ran on a mostly fixed schedule.
“So, Loose… I see you're having a pleasant time, am I disturbing anything?” Formosa said, interjecting Loose in the middle of his conversation between himself and the two mares.
“A-ah, n-no, actually not,” Loose stammered, being taken aback by Formosa’s sudden interjection, “but, since you're here already… are you going to start with the test and introductions?” He asked, having the feeling that since his ‘boss’ was already here, something was clearly going to be done in the next hour or so.
“Yeah, and you get the gig,” Formosa replied, accompanying with a short nod, as he pointed a hoof for the door to the next coach, “And please keep miss Rarity accompanied, for the time being, you yourself know how tight the requirements could sometimes be.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it,” He said as he stood and started to leave the coach to vacate to the next, “please, Miss Rarity, follow my lead, the boss would just do some… private matters, with, Miss Write, here.”
As Loose said this, Rarity followed his example to vacate the coach, but before she left, she said some comforting words to Write, the mare needed it at that moment, “Write, my dear, you don’t have to worry about anything, Formosa here will just test you on your knowledge, like a… preview, yes, a preview of your talent, a pony of taste, some in Canterlot might say he is.” She said with a final smile, at least until they near Ponyville, truth be told, Rarity knew Write and Formosa’s ‘conversation’ could last the entire trip, and with the short amount of time she had spent with the mare, she hoped for the best for her nevertheless.
And as both pony’s left the door, Formosa and Write were left to each other’s company. And to say that the air both breathed was tense would be an understatement to the true extent of the situation. Write, in that very moment, felt as though the biggest challenge of her life was before her, and she hadn’t even known it to the fullest, but before she could make a move, the stallion before her made his first.
“Let's start with something simple, shall we?” He said, taking the initiative in steering this conversation, his voice, both demanding and soothing in a way, “Are you perhaps, by any chance, familiar with the so-called ‘Big Three of Pop’?”
Write raised a hoof to answer, but was promptly shut down when Formosa suddenly shifted his tow into becoming blunter, “Of course you know about them! They are literally comprised of Coloratura, Songbird Serenade, and the… um… the big shot from Canterlot, um… Sapphire Shores! And when I mean you know them, you know them, Canterlot, Manehatten, Baltimare, Las Pegasus, and on the rare instances of my visit in Ponyville, everywhere I go, musicians from different fields somehow always manage o get at least one of those three mare’s, the apparent ‘Gold Standard’ for Pop music,” He took a deep breath, taking his time to recover from his outburst, “I have no ill will to them, and even if I had any, they are insignificant, at least to my business and its direction, and do you want to know what those three have in common to me?”
Write, initially shocked by the outburst, was now in a deep state of thought, as tried to make a connection, “They made new standards…?” She said, feeling unsure by her answer.
Formosa, who was waiting patiently, smiled at the answer he was given, not what he expected, but an answer he liked nonetheless, “That is correct,” he said as he turned his head to look out the coach window, “and it's not only that, but like them, I also wanted to push, to innovate in the field that I pursue in.”
Write, now feeling the confusion of this meeting, asked the ‘big question’, at least to her, “W-what does this have to do with the test?” She asked, her confusion and curiosity getting the better of her.
“Well its quite simple, really,” Formosa said, the smile on his face never leaving, the scenery he saw as the train raced through the tracks only served to better his mood, “I am what most in Canterlot would consider a ‘third option, a dealer in a game of poker, and pike the ‘Big Three of Pop’, I am setting a new gold standard in this new era, is that a somewhat clear analogy?”
“Hmm… yeah,” Write said as she tried and started to realize the connections, “but then you still haven’t answered the question of… why me?”
A moment of pure silence was shared as both pony's proceeded their next answers. The clattering of chain couplings and the sound that the engine made had a rhythmic touch that seemed to serve as a nonexistent ticking clock for both occupants.
“For a moment there I thought you were going to take the offensive route in dealing and ask why I should hire you or something, but you're smarter than most snobs in Canterlot,” Formosa said, his smile was now accompanied with a sense of pride of this mare, she, in that one sole instance, was able to ask a question most ponies hailing from Canterlot could never even fathom to ask, “and that is why, you, a pony who was able to see her situation and assess it in a reasonable degree, is able to speak to me in the first place. Oh gosh, Fancy Pants sent a good one, *ahem* and don’t even get me started wide your ideas, you are one of the first pony’s to suggest a semblance of a new system, one that even I am very keen on knowing, you are innovating, even if you didn’t fully know it in you own way and field, and pony's like you, innovators in their own ways and respective fields, are the reason for progress, for the dawn of a new era, those that I seek to help me.” He finally said, now facing towards Write, the friendly and prideful smile never leaving his face.
Hatt waited patiently in the coach he was in, he had comprised the train in such a way that they could all make use of all three coaches; as a result of this thinking, he had made sure that all coaches, from the dining coach, standard coach (used for meetings), and a whole coach dedicated as “personal” lounge are in the best conditions form him and the boys, and for their guests.
And as he waited, he could only reflect in his mind the things that had been done. It had been so long, a very long time, since an event akin to this had come to fruition. he reflected on the achievements on this world, and how that would match to him and people like him, not a pony, but people, like him who manipulated small events to better the results, how people of the past had to strive for perfections, and the people of now have to strive for… something.
He looked outside the windows of the coach, the scenery passing by as quickly as he saw it, and he muttered something to himself, “How the fuck did I get here?” He asked to no one in particular, satisfied with being able to indulge himself in the scenery that came and went. Waiting patiently, his time will come, everyone’s time will come, that, he is almost sure of.
But they had plans for this trip of course, with them having planned on staying in Ponyville overnight and resuming their trip to Las Pegasus the next day. Or at least, that was the plan, until circumstances would change that, but that's a story for another time.
After the trip from Canterlot to Ponyville had been made, the party said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, with Rarity of course headed to her boutique with Loose Winger at her side (with Formosa’s permission) to check out different attires and to do a bit of sight-seeing to get used to his job as a bodyguard (knowing the place and such), Hatt on the other hoof was asked to find the three of them (him, Formosa and Loose), plus an entirely different complex for Write, to stay for the night. Unfortunately, plans would change since Formosa would attend a ‘conversation’ concerning legal matters. As for talks about Write’s future and the future of this ‘new’ company, Hatt could only speculate for her, from what Formosa had eluded towards, his company (with others like him) will spearhead and set a new revolutionary standard to follow, at least that’s what Formosa kept on telling (and sometimes changing) to them, but for them too truly know would be delved into in the next chapter.
But let us actually see what went down, let us follow Formosa as he meets some... associates of his.
“Mr. Hatt, could I ask you a question?” Write asked.
The trio had just made their way through the fairly busy town of Ponyville, doing a bit of sightseeing, or at least, it was mostly just Formosa as he led the group, with Hatt and Write trailed behind by his side.
“Sure, go ahead, Write,” Hatt said, the façade of professionalism having never left for as long as Write had known this stallion, “I'm sure I could answer most of your questions.” He said.
“Well, it’s just that…” Write trialed of, reminiscing her life in Canterlot,
How this stallion seemingly out of nowhere had picked her up from what could have been a financial ruin, deep down, she felt as though she wasn’t the right pony, dozens of others like her could have done the same job as she could, even better enough, she felt as though she hasn't proven her worth yet to warrant this opportunity. She remembered what the nobles, individual nobles, said about her presentation back in Canterlot, it was, somehow scary and disappointing at the same time to fail like that, fail in the sense that those nobles would never admit it straight at her face.
“I find Mr. Formosa very… odd, so to speak,” She finally said, a bit of doubt in fear that she may have insulted him, “I still haven’t given him my full capabilities yet and I still don’t have a proper essay and introduction on myself and what I could do for him, and yet he acts as though I could do more than what I could see, not in the traditional way of motivation where we try to encourage better, he’s more of like a pony who tells pony’s they could do better because it was proven, a given, a matter of fact per se.”
Hatt, for a moment, took a moment to remind himself of the first time he had to work with Formosa, and by extension, in Equestria “Oh, your partially correct on your last point, he doesn’t do it just to ‘motivate’ you, he just enjoys stroking the ego of others, a sort of ‘catharsis’ for him, and as for the essays and whatnot, I heard he had a different way of testing those he would eventually set under his wing in business.”
“Really?” Write asked, curiosity now settling in.
But before another word could be spoken, Formosa interjected with a quick message,
“Hey, Hatt,”
“Yea boss?”
“Please take Miss Write here to a place where she could rest properly, I need to make a quick visit with old friends and businesses, concerning the company, nothing for you to worry about of course.”
“Um… fine by me, sir,” Hatt said with a reluctant voice, since usually, those things, especially in the Equestrian branch of the railway, were usually handled by him.
“Good." Was the final response as the trio now became a duo.
“So, Hatt,” Write began again, eyeing her future boss as they parted ways, at least for now, “I must ask another question in regards to the business, what is Formosa’s goal? I mean, no offense and all, but I find it hard to believe this job was destiny for me, and I’m sure there are reasons beyond just ‘expertise’, I really do feel as though this experience would be different.”
“Hmm… yes." He bluntly replied, "there are usually extra layers upon dozen others, but as it stood, it’s up to the boss to tell you those reasons, because once he tells you those, you would be under an oath and a member of the company proper, since right now, your just what most in the company would call a ‘trusted associate with privileges’, and I really do recommend you uphold this oath once that time comes, even if it’s against a royal decree. Then again, the boss is unique in nearly every sense, at least compared to other ponies like him in this business, don't take my word of it, since changes would and could be made, but as the boss always said, 'it would be your choice, remain in the status quo or be part of something bigger.' he'd say.”
‘Oh, oh that’s a massive red flag,’ Write thought to herself, ‘I actually have to use what I’ve learned in school to get the most of this, can’t get tangled up in a shady business.’
Down an alleyway Formosa went until he reached to a door that he knocked, entering when no response came, he entered what seemed to be a maze-like complex, he eventually found himself in the room where, as fate would have it, also contain some familiar faces, one that Formosa knew all too well that their gathering had a reason, one that all four of them in the room, The ‘Big 4’ were all here to answer to a calling, one that, as they hoped, would be resolved.
“Hey! Formosa, over here!” Shouted a voice in a mostly empty room, save for three other ponies, who knew Moses well, and in return, he too knew of them and held them all in high regard.
“Robert! Miles! And looky here, the tired bastard finally returned! What’s up Conner, I see you’ve returned from the trip.” Moses said, as he slowly ignited his horn to make a small illumination to light up the room a bit. A big sly smile formed as he saw his closes friends.
The three ponies, now fully visible to Moses, only smiled as they waited for him to reach them and take a seat beside them at their table.
“Now what did I tell you Moses about using our names while were still in Equestria? Or any nation for that matter? I thought we were only supposed to refer to ourselves when we're at somewhere secluded…” One of them said.
Moses simply laughed at that, true, it was risky to place it as if he held all the cards, but how could he resist it? He was in a world where, for the most part, certain things could be done without getting caught or any serious repercussions from this world. That is not to say he will not face any repercussions at all, since there were humans beyond just those in Equus watching and overseeing this world, and they would give him a lecture on the secrecy of this project in the first place.
“Alright, alright, I get it,” Moses said, once again just being glad that he was able to meet up with old faces, “So I just refer to you under assumed names?”
“It’s more than that, Moses, since this would be another meeting concerning ‘rumors’ between our companies.” One of the ponies said.
“So, when will this pony show up at? The one that asked us, through Fine Print here, to meet us here.”
“She should be arriving juuussst about… now.” Another said.
And the moment he said so, the doors to the room opened to full when two ponies barged in, all for ponies knew beforehand that these ponies were probably in it for a good talking or so, what surprised them, however, was who these two ponies would be.
“FREEZE! NO PONY MOVE, NOT UNLESS YOU WANT A HARD BEATING!” Shining Armor said as he barged into the room, horn at the ready and at a battle stance, ready to take down all four ponies in the room should anything happen.
“S-sir Shining Armor, no need to be brash or to offend, but I had already planned this out with my colleagues, so please don’t get too worked up about them escaping, a trap, or us losing track of them after they leave this time, I’m sure we could speak to them without this becoming violent.” The voice of a mare said, as Bon Bon came into view of the room, or to be correct, Agent Sweetie Drops said in earnest.
“Ah, Agent Sweetie Drops, what a pleasure to meet you again, and Prince Shining Armor, a pleasure meeting you this fine day, glad to meet another pony of royalty once again.” A stallion said, surprising the Prince of the Crystal Empire.
After the initial surprise, Shining immediately went back to being cautious, “Well I'm sorry for being a bit ‘tense’ today, it’s not every day I could go and do something beyond just managing the finances of a nation.” He said with a hint of vigor and venom in his voice, “and by the way, I don’t think we have had an introduction, Agent Sweetie Drops here was very vague when she asked me to join her.”
The last part instinctively made Sweetie Drops hoof her face in annoyance, one that she quickly recovered from, “Yes, let’s get names out of the way, please, state your name and business, this is for the record, you know, Fine Print.” She said as her hoof placed a recorder crystal.
“Of course,” the stallion, Fine Print, said, “so that means I'll go first and set the stage for a quick introduction.”
Preparing himself and a few stretches later, and Fine Print began to speak once more, “Good day to all, I would like to formally introduce myself as Fine Print, a lawyer, amongst other things, in a law firm that I helped create, going as ‘Thee Fine Print Firm’, currently, my firm is one of the top-rated firms out there and I am currently in collaboration with my friend here with a project of his, and the paperwork process and legality of said project.” He said, and as he finished his introduction, pointing towards Formosa with a hoof, who was the second to introduce, interjecting Fine Print by the end of his intro.
“Thank you Fine Print, as for myself, I am Formosa Box. Former designer and Engineer for the Crystal Express and is currently the Director for the High-Bridging Railway company which ran from the Crystal Empire to Griffonstone across many bridges, lovely sights such as Rainbow falls, amongst others branch lines. After the expansions and merging of several other national railways, not only here in Equestria mind you, I am currently in the paperwork process of making the merge official and have recognized as such, the new company would be named the ‘United Intercontinental Railway Networks’, or UIRN for short. I am, of course, going to be the Head Director of the new Company, but this is just one of many jobs I have performed throughout my careers.” He finished, a gleeful smile as he was clearly proud of the fact that he could brag about his achievements, it’s one thing to stroke an ego, it’s another if you have evidence and a right to backup that ego.
After his speech, the next stallion came forth, “I guess it’s my turn,” he said as he wore a fairly modest suit of his own, a smile adorned on his face, “I am Turncoat, but please refer to me as ‘Mr. Turncoat’, I am the owner of the ‘Phantom Fortune’ casino in Las Pegasus, as well as being the current designer and head engineer for the Flim Flam Brothers and their projects based in Las Pegasus as well. I also manage several other businesses, all under my supervision, and the same as Mr. Formosa here, I too am currently in the process of uniting my business under one parent company to ease the flow and progress of it all, but as it stands, progress on that subject matter is slow and won't see any real fruition as it stood now.”
The final stallion to speak looked as though he was really weak and meek, but the former 3 knew better, as he simply waited, the stallion in question was, of course, putting up a front, a facade that was, for the most part, pretty good to fool probably most ponies, maybe even the princesses.
“Good day every pony,” the stallion said casually, clearly uninterested, despite arguably having the most controversial position out of the big 4, “I am known as Hard Flick, director of the Private Military Company known as, ‘The Flickers’, we handle several different operations, including but not limited to counterinsurgency, search and rescue, and escort. We do everything for the right price, and legal reasons, as it stands, my company is currently in a contract with the ‘High-Bridging Railway’ to secure and escort their goods work, although, as you could probably guess, in due time that will change.”
“Oook, I think we have everything down for the induction on your part, so a quick introduction to myself and Sir Shining here then we're going to discuss matters concerning the current holdings of all four of you, fine?”
A multitude of nodes was what Sweetie Drops received as she spoke onto the recording crystal, “For myself, I am Agent Sweetie Drops, currently lead-investigator for the case of the ‘Rising 4’ and the rumors and legality of their entire operations under direct orders from both the crown princess of Equestria and international requests concerning such.” A short pause as she breathed a heavy sigh, and she continued, “With me is Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire, to serve both as a bodyguard and partner for the duration of this meeting and any future operations concerning them and this recoding, furthermore, this recording will serve as the baseline for comparison of any testimonies, be it for or against any motion later on. Such claims must, of course, be related to this case and any that may arise soon after this recording.”
“Well, since we are done with our introductions, what’s the business exactly?” Fine Print asked as he raised his wings to write with a notebook and quill that he brought with him, and with surprising dexterity, rivaling that of a unicorn using their magic, began to write and listen with intent.
“Well, I’m sure that with your time in the Law industry Mr. Print, you could say that some, if not most, unfortunately, of your competition, amongst other individuals, suspect false play between all 4 of you, and are trying to invalidate, or more properly, incriminate, well, the progress of your group as a whole, despite having a…” She stopped for a moment as she reviewed a folder she brought with her, most likely known information about the companies and of the Big 4, “mostly sound and, as far as the most of your competition is concerned, legal and lawfully abiding rules, that even I must admit, surpass the current international guidelines in place, not to mention the lack of any false play, at least compared to those that we were initially asked to investigate.”
“So what’s more to ask them?” Formosa asked, clearly unable to follow the line of thought of the agent.
“What Agent Sweetie Drops is saying that although you are, as far as we could tell, in the clear, the fact that most international figures, such as the Prince Rutherford of Yakyakistan and Princesses Ember of the Dragon Lands, strongly support the idea of false play or sabotage, well, let's just say that for me, it really is surprisingly as is. In short, the powerful and nobility of several different nations abroad have both been strongly against the supposed ‘Rising 4’ movement that you 4 have seemingly ignited for yourselves, stating that it is unlawful, and as of the moment, they are sending us to investigate and find anything incriminating.”
“Hmm… well, what is it that you would actually want to see or even hear from us?” Turncoat asked, speaking for all four of them this time, “because from what I could assume from the progress, all you have are loose ends, nothing solid to go by, and even then, all four of us have proven ourselves in both legality and our abilities of service, amongst other aspects.”
“Well, that’s the thing, we don’t know enough to justify all four of you going free without supervision, at least proportionate to what you 4 are cable of, meaning if even the basic information’s are available, it won’t be enough to cover the entirety of your operations, and if it ain't us, someone else probably will find something to use against you.” Shining Armor said, although knowing their background, he was a little bit more passive in his stance against them.
“No offense, your Highness,” Fine Print interjected, but his voice becoming a bit more assertive, before, he was clearly being patient, now he was clearly losing it with the insistence of false play or sabotage on their parts, “but if I remember correctly, it is up to the individual to choose what they see as fit in both business and management, correct? And only when evidence that is both compelling and sufficient for the prosecution will they be taken to court, or am I wrong on that assumption?”
“Oh, no no no, as far as we should be concerned, instead of the usual lacking business information, the problem with the 4 of you is lacking information proportionate to the available and needed information.”
“Meaning?” Hard Flick asked, unable to follow where the conversation is going.
A sigh was shared between them before Sweetie Drops continued, “I don’t know how to simplify it for you, sir, but I do know this, the majority of those in the who are in business and law are against the expansion of all 4 of you, even if you aren’t going for 1 particular market”
“So what’s the problem?” Formosa asked as he for the notebook that Fine Print held with his wing and read it, “because as far as we could tell, all our assets, individually to our names, are under any known limit, be it international law or otherwise, and the services we provide are excellent compared to the standard that most had given or are competing against us.”
"This is exactly the problem, as officials, we are facing, all 4 of you who are in businesses that are either in the bottom half of what generates the entire international economy before you arrive or had a sufficient standard before then. Now, when all 4 of you arrived and ‘officially’ took hold of your businesses, you have propelled your individual sectors to new heights, setting a golden bar that is yet to be reached by any competition.”
“And so?” The 4 stallions asked.
“And so with the merging, and assumed mutual alliances between all four of you, the business sectors felt threatened as a whole that they started merging their own businesses to have a chance to rival any of you four.”
“Wait, so hold on,” Turncoat said, displeased by this revelation, but one all 4 of them had expected, “let me get this straight, you fear where we are because we seem to be creating a monopoly?”
A quick stare and nod from Sweetie Drops and Shining Armor and they both responded, “Yes.”
“That’s the general gist of it.” Sweetie Drops continued.
“Well, I'll say, you don’t even need to worry about that because even if we make use of services of other business, we still need to make a profit, that’s the basics of our motto. And really, businesses compete for all the time, this time, our business just needed an extra layer and help to improve upon.” Formosa remarked, a smirk formed as he spoke, although internally, he had hoped that this meeting could have lasted a lot quicker.
A short moment was shared between Shining Armor and Sweetie Drips as they discussed and whispered to each other their next moves.
“Alright, I think we could wrap this little meeting of ours.” Shining Armor said, a bit hesitant about letting these 4 ponies go, he had wanted to take them into custody, but he knew public opinions are very… sensitive, especially when there is a change of power in Equestria, the leading nation, about to happen, and for now, he knew there were other things to worry about.
“But before we let you go,” Sweetie Drops said as she gave the notebook to Shining Armor to keep for later, and the crystal she used for the recording, tapping it a few times as the crystal dimmed in the light it emitted, presumably being turned off, “I think it is in the best interest of everyone that we know what all 4 of you have planned, nothing confidential in nature I hope.”
“Oh, no no, it would be in our pleasure to inform the both of you, if it would help ease your minds.” Fine Print said, “But in truth, there isn’t much to talk about, Mr. Formosa and I would be working in his own project and legal matters, while Mr. Turncoat and Flick would are in a little, shall we say vacation, away from their jobs for now, of course after Mr. Formosa and I finish the majority of the work, we would join our friends in catching up, the business and industry haven’t been kind to kind with our time.” He said as all 4 of them went into a brotherly embrace, one that Shining Armor and Sweetie Drops respected for a moment.
“Oh, that’s completely understandable, and we hope you have a fine stay here in Ponyville, and thank you for your time and sorry for the inconvenience and short mattered nature of this meeting.”
“None taken.” All 4 said, but a hint of bitterness could be noticed, one that Sweetie Drops failed to notice, but Shining Armor did, although he did not acknowledge it.
After this, they all exited the room, going their own separate ways, but before they did so, some small talk was shared.
But as Formosa trotted to… somewhere, doing a little sightseeing he had initially hoped, he was still unsure of something. Sure he could have everything, the ‘Big 4’ could take everything, but why was he hindering himself? Why are they hindering progress? He really didn’t know, initially, it was the feeling of doubt, but then reasons started to arise, these ponies, they are a reflection of what humanity in some ways, one side of the same coin, they are mostly harmonic in their nature, while humanity was chaotic.
Reason… reasons, he had to think deeper, but he hoped this won’t turn him into a philosopher.
“Oh goodness me, I really do need to prepare.” He said, a bit somber, but it was too early for that, so he decided to try and find something to do, at least before sunset.
While Formosa trotted around Ponyville, a relatively small town in comparison to most other cities of Equestria, it still surprised him that plenty much happens around here that are… well, unique to this particular town. Although that is to be expected when this is entire world is a ‘unique experience’ within itself, to begin with, there are always minute details of change that add a bit of touch in the greater scheme of things, something that he had learned to appreciate as he grew older and experienced in the field he had been gifted.
Trotting to who knows where, he, by some chance, just happened upon to stumble and regroup with Hatt and Write, who seemed to be having a pleasant time with each other’s company.
“… and that’s as far as the history we both share in his company, at least from a mostly public perspective,” Hatt said, his professional tone being replaced with a much more casual one as he got to talk and got know to Write better, the fruits of a growing friendship perhaps? “Of course, Winger is still new to Equestria, having been through much worse I hear, so you know… give the lad some time to adjust, just like you.”
“Wow…” was all Write could say, impressed at both the knowledge and considerably ‘long’ history that both stallions have shared and been let in the know, “I… never even thought the business could be that overly complicated, no wonder he hired you to manage the Equestrian branch. Life really is much simpler here in Equestria…” She said in a somewhat somber tone as she, again, reflected on the whole of Equestria.
And as the pair walked, they just as quickly noticed the stallion with who they were supposed to meet up. Although they had parted way a few hours ago, it turned quite to be a surprise for all of them as they approached one another. The only one missing from the original group was Loose Winger, but he could arrive at another time, no doubt taking his time.
“Ah, I see you two are having a lovely time, I assume we have somewhere to stay?” Formosa asked, eyes darting around in case he was being followed, but still listening with intent should something interesting arise.
“Well… Yes, sir, we have somewhere to stay…” Hatt said, hesitation now setting in as he hesitated to break the news while his boss was away.
“Well, since I assume Write is with you, I guess it’s a matter of space, yes? Or is it something much more severe?”
“Well, yes but actually no…” Hatt said, trailing off as his eyes darted around, be it out of fear or ingenuity, his brain was trying to find ways on how to drop the news to his boss without it seemingly being a big deal, which of course, it was one, “as it stands, sir, um… the Royal Guards kinda had a ‘hit n run’ session today in town, and they just so happened to stumble across and ‘inspect’ our original safe house…”
“Of course, you found a solution, correct? It would really real unfortunate if you didn’t.” Formosa interjected, his voice becoming a bit sinister as he said this. He had trusted Hatt on the fact that this setback would not be a major one, and really, he had other things to do apart from just teaching his soon-to-be new protégé the ropes of his business.
“Of course sir,” He responded, finally regaining the confidence he needed to say it bluntly, “And the Royal Guards, thankfully, didn’t find anything incriminating in the safe house, although they had apparent orders to keep in ‘under-investigation’, so for the time being, the princesses, I think, had provided us with some… places to stay for the time being… I think the Princesses of Friendship wants to talk with you sir since she insisted we use the extra rooms in her palace and dorms of her school…” trailing off, hoping his boss wouldn’t fully notice the tone he had as he trailed off and quickly said the last bit.
Breathing a sigh of annoyance and quick death glare that faded in a near-instant, Formosa didn’t let this completely slide, although this change of arrangement was mostly an inconvenience, if it meant things would remain and proceed smoothly as before with limited change from the original plan, then so be it, he’ll just have to adapt.
“Also, I think the Royal Guards had suspended your ID for transportation! So leaving Ponyville by train, or any form for that matter, I think, won't be an option, I even overheard say that you were under a list of some sort.” Write said glee, thinking it would most likely help to say that to him, unable to catch the surprised and pained glare that Hatt gave to her direction as she said this.
But thankfully for the stallion, Formosa seemed to know more and understood this before hoof, “I guess finding incriminating evidence in a safe house isn’t enough for them, they’ll probably say it’s a ‘safety inspection’ for the engine or something. Really, they’re just trying to one-up the company. Then again, it isn’t really the first time this happened, so different reason probably.” His voice was more of annoyance at the fact this seemed to have happened more than enough times for him to try and resolve.
Although to his pleasant surprises, he won’t be the only one out of the group to bring in new news.
“YO! Formosa!” A voice called out, the voice belonging to a familiar pegasus who was waving a hoof up to gain the group’s attention as he hovered a few inches off the ground, “Check this out! I can fuckin FLY!” he said with pure joy in his voice, without care to whoever heard him despite deep down knowing he had the ability to do so in the first place.
Loose Winger was for the most part of his life, “grounded” and mostly glided when he had the opportunity while he stayed and served with “The Flickers” from Equestria and beyond. Of course, that all changed when he got the switch to becoming Formosa’s bodyguard, and while he was away doing a bit of sight-seeing with Rarity, he had the opportunity to come across the Rainbow Pegasus herself, Rainbow Dash, who, after finding the stallions predicament, took a bit of kind laughter and had a little banter with him (after all, she did know someone with a similar predicament and inability to fly like him), although much to his surprise, through visual learning and a bit of word advice and encouragement from her, somehow managed to take a few inches off the ground, something he knew he could do but never had the proper opportunity to practice and improve upon, being a bodyguard for caravans and other important creatures, and recently having to stick close with Formosa to protect him, it usually entailed him to stay grounded as he went around in buildings with tight turners and limited space as he did his job.
“Sh-Shh-Shhh,” Hatt said, forcing the pegasus to ground himself as he motioned him to keep down, which the pegasus obliged with, sudden embarrassment at the fact that he was essentially acting like a foal in public, even if it was just for a short moment.
Now looking around, and thankfully, although their group received a bit of attention earlier, it had mostly dissipated and everyone (there was the occasional yak, griffin, or something) had just resumed to what they were doing as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, and for the most part, the group remained silent as they trotted from place to place.
But alas, it would be interrupted by the grumbling of a stomach, signaled the group that one of them was hungry, and when all eyes landed on the most unexpected of ponies, a flustered front was all Write could give before she tried but stammered her reasoning,
“I-I haven’t eaten anything since the train trip… ok…” she said, face staring down out of embarrassment, “I-it was very tiring, I usually eat when I’m this tired…” although she knew she can’t help it, just the 1 on 1 session with her new employer aboard the train had drained her more than what she was willing to admit.
Giving sympathetic vibes, Hatt and Winger practically felt this mare’s plight on a much more personal level than they realized, they themselves undergoing the same process of employment under Formosa. And with a quick glance to each other and a united look towards their boss that screamed of pleading “sorrow”, they all silently agreed to treat this mare to some food, even if Formosa was reluctant to attend such matter, but he still understood and had nothing better to do, so he allowed it.
Arriving and entering an establishment called “Sugarcube Corner”, and the group found it both welcoming vivid to look at. Indeed this was a unique take on the bakery idea, taking it to the next level. And as they entered, the iconic ringing of a bell that signaled the arrival of new customers was heard, and to Formosa’s surprise, the bakery was larger than what it appeared to be, and a decent selection of treats was, surely in his mind, the most diverse that he has seen, after all, he hand been around Ponyville much, but to see this much, well, he greedily eyed a box of brownies that were at the display counter.
Something Formosa would never admit was his keen eye for chocolate treats, he enjoyed the flavorful taste and he would not deny, vanilla came in a close second. And to indulge in his greed was something he moderated at a constant, knowing full well the importance of his mostly obscured history that should remain as is. But, his thoughts would be halted as the group approached the counter and began to order whatever caught their eye.
And surprisingly, the owners were actually very nice, with the introduction between new faces in town being quick and apparently a heads up about one of the element bearers in town, Formosa would also find some good deals that, as he would simply put it, were well worth it. Evermore so when the group got several free cupcakes from the Cake’s as a “welcome to Ponyville” kind of gift.
After what seemed like a couple of minutes after they had ordered at the front counter, the group had found themselves settled in a table for 4 outside the bakery, chatting about history and the fields they occupied, fulfilling Write's curiosity as she greedily consumed the knowledge and information that they told her as they waited for their simple orders to arrive.
“… Well, speaking of adventures…” Write interjected Loose, who was in the middle of recapping the history behind one of his many grounded adventures, “if memory serves right, we still haven’t talked about the big event that happened recently.”
This remark instinctively made Hatt and Loose wince at that, not because it hurts them in any particular manner, but instead because they actually knew that they had to partially lie about their history in Equus’s. This was not to say they regretted what they are about to do, far from it, it was part of business, nothing personal as always, but it was something they couldn’t keep doing because eventually, someone would catch on if this continues. Then again, some fates are best left in the annals of history. So, another sin of omission would be committed, they had no problem in committing such since they had grown used to it for more times than most are willing to count to.
“Are you sure you want to know?” Hatt asked, fixing the iconic top hat that he wore to better see the mare’s reaction.
“I mean, if you don’t want to, you probably have a good reason for it,” she replied, although she still expected them to tell her, not out of a sense of need, but of responsibility and comradely, a fact she wasn’t fully banking on.
“Oh nononono,” Winger said, a bit too fast as Write, and even Formosa, noticed, but paid no heed and allowed him to continue, “it would be in our pleasure to tell you what we’ve been up to when Equestria was… attacked, by the legion of doom, right Hatt?” he said, eyeing Hatt to gain his support, which of course, the stallion nodded with confidence.
“What about Formosa?” She asked.
“Well, the boss doesn’t like it when he shares a story, he can get a bit… emotional, sometimes,” Hatt explained, making it seem as though Formosa had a turbulent past, which was somewhat true to some extent, “besides, we only really have a quick explanation anyway, but I can tell you this sole fact, we had plans for any event to come, even the ‘Legion of Doom’.” He said, his tone some becoming much more condescending, probably just to spite those villains, Write thought. Which, then again, tipped her off in the wrong way for a short moment.
And with that, Hatt and Winger took turns in explaining what had transpired between themselves and the company, either in relation to the events or while the events between the ‘Legion of Doom’ had transpired, surely, one, that would last a full explanation while they ate the food that would arrive later on and continue until nightfall, with all of them having but finished by the time they all went to their own rooms provided by the Princess of Friendship herself.
The only one to be left out, or to be exact, the one who had left was Formosa, who, by the time they had left Sugarcube Corner, was nowhere to be found, but the two stallions reassured Write that he probably did a quick errand or something, usually within the reason of a “late-night shift”.
To also add a bit of sugar on top of the icing (which is unnecessary, I know), the Element of Laughter hadn’t shown herself yet, but then again, with Rarity having been in Canterlot, one could assume that she merely went back to Ponyville to fetch something when she joined them for the train ride down, meaning that majority of important ponies or maybe even creatures, were in Canterlot for a big event. Now, Twilight did send a message through Spike to inform them of the revelation earlier, after all, someone had to keep the Castle clean and a major degree of communication between them all.
Something that our dear humans already knew of, and one, that they would anticipate dearly, since this particular dragon was unique, at that, his fate was sealed from the moment of his conception, ever since Formosa’s boss dropped that egg at Celestia's front balcony. One that Formosa, in the morning, would like to meet and have a talk with, growth was important after all. So as they approached the palace (and by extension, the School of Friendship), they saw the purple dragon, surrounded by the young 6 and Starlight Glimmer, waiting for them in the steps as they approached without a hint of hesitation, as the sun went down...
---(From the Author: From this point on, this is just a bit of extra, this part will serve as a narrative background for what Hatt and Loose told Write, but not necessarily what they told her, (instead, it would basically be an AU version of the “End of the End” ep, that sticks to how the canon mostly went down, just with what Hatt and Loose being, well, observers), you could skip this entire part if you’d like.)---
A once empty and quiet field was all Hatt and Loose could see. The final train, at least specifically for ponies like Hatt and Loose had just left moments ago, speeding away but was sure to return once everything subsided, but these two did not join the retreat, not out of bravery, but out of a command given to them. The two had long noticed that Formosa wasn’t with them this time, the leader and role model that these two would look up to was nowhere to be found, but they knew exactly what to do, and to a partial extent, why.
They stayed upon a hill, overlooking afield from where the Legion of Doom and, currently at least, where the mane 6 (Spike included) stood, the fierce winds of the Windigos being a mild inconvenience to them than anything else.
“So,” Hatt said, his usual top hat being replaced with a bowler hat, he looked at the green fields, knowing this was maybe a test set by his boss's boss, at which point he realized Loose would probably also be in the know, since he knew most of Ponykind, no, scratch that, this whole world, is kinda in a tough spot.
“Do you know how to fly yet?” he asked.
“No, I could only glide from here, and I know the boss would have other plans if he specifically asked us to stay here and observe.”
“Fuckin hell… Why are we even here? Overseeing these Horses? I mean, we are clearly better than this, we could clearly rule over them, and yet high-command still insist to continue these… test I think?” Loose followed from his earlier statement, although he questioned that notion as the mane 6 and the Legion of Doom started to battle on in the open field, something he could easily intervene in, and no doubt, with help with the limited human tech that he was provided with, also win by a thread.
“From what I heard, every informant went through this test for each of the world’s we have created, one way or another at least. I think it was infamously named the ‘Test of Omission‘.”
“So we are supposed to do nothing, but do you know why?”
As they spoke, they also keenly watched the action in front of them from the hill they were on, simply sitting and, for Hatt, internally writing a manifesto on the events as they unfolded. Admittedly, they had only recently arrived in this part of this world, both of them, with Loose having arrived in a much later date than Hatt, and they had agreed to go through these events with the knowledge of foresight. Hatt having such an unprecedented talent to remember such events with considerable detail was, to put it simply, impressive and terrifying as they continued. They had heard from their boss, Formosa, that these villains, although not as far going as some humans might be, we still impressive in terms of their abilities, at least for the standards of this world.
“I think it’s for the roles we are about to fill in,” Hatt replied, a bit somber at a vague memory, “although compared to the other worlds that we could and would have been sent to help in supervising, I think we might play a much more active role in here.” He finished, his mind now highlighting some dates and errands he would have to do after this.
While they quietly talked, they merely stared in the field, and they saw that the Legion of Doom had gained the upper hand, but as they held the small dragon known as Spike as a threat, they saw Chrysalis, no matter small or far they may have been, turn a quick glance at their direction, followed by Cozy Glow, but didn’t follow through with anything. Yet they knew, they’d been spotted, yet they did nothing to follow the gesture, continuing to observe as the entire event went down.
A Deus ex-machine event was about to occur and Hatt and Loose were about to witness it go down with very own eyes, with the best elevation and seats to witness it, a mix between a grin and annoyance was what covered their face for what was about to happen. This was due to both knowing the events beforehand and deep down, knowing this was only something that could be replicated in a not so cruel world, one with gods for that matter.
With all the technology that humanity had at that point, from what Charles and James knew at least, there was always a shortcoming. A faith that could truly be proven and ease the restless mind, something that, at least to humanity from that point, could never fully assure to themselves, but one that they could give out to their own creations. They were, despite the nature of these worlds being for the purpose of science and expansion, to the core, a result of Humanity's need to both create
It was past midnight, just like any other night, truly, the night sky was a beauty to behold, the little details like constellations being amongst the “little” things 4 friends have grown to appreciate.
But that was not the only reason they stayed up late tonight, because they knew of the Lunar Princess's talent, the dream world, although her talent and domain, was a gift to her and was entrusted to her by their own kind, and they knew the respect that comes when such a thing exist, both from her talent and ability that she possesses, they also knew how to evade her watchful eyes during her night watch, something even she couldn't truly master to the fullest.
Enough of the serious talk, let us see what 4 friends have planned for the rest of the night.
“Gentlemen,” a voice spoke in the dimly lit room, the room itself was fairly modest, having a table and 4 chairs, with things like cabinets and the like to make it seem livelier than what seemed, “I am glad we are all able to attend this little reunion of ours…”
“Indeed!” Another voice said joyously, “We have come back together, after long business ventures on our individual merits, to go down in the annals of history once more!”
A nod of agreement between the 4 figures is shared, smiles that, as Formosa, or truly, Moses, had grown to appreciate long ago.
“And today we share this reunion not as of ponies or even men! No, today we stand here as friends! As equals with proper merits to our names!” another voice said, expressing great joy at this gathering, raising his glass of wine up, the glass itself being nothing to fancy.
This was of course followed by the other three raising their own glasses, their drinks differing to their own liking, different beverages for different fields, yet they nonetheless shared this pristine moment of reunion.
“Indeed it has been too long, and this reunion of ours is, of course, thanks to our dear friends, Moses Riverson! Indeed a man of his word, a toast to his name for the dawn of a new era for our worlds and so much more! An act of service that we have shared and served for more than a decade!” another exclaimed.
If it wasn’t obvious by now, the big 4 have decided to meet up in a secluded part of the Everfree Forest, hidden deep within the forest, an old bunker that has yet to be stumbled upon by the brave soul of any creature. The same as before, nearing midnight, they all sat at this humble little room that was hastily fixed to look presentable, but it will do for the time being. A momentous reunion between friends was after all needed, the façade of business dropping as these 4 longtime friends were again, tackling another situation, or in this case, world, together.
For the first time in a long while, these 4 have become the materials of plenty of myths and legends, both in the world of eqiune and myth that is the world of Equus and their own, all in their own merits, truly, these men could be as kind and lenient as the most pacifist of creatures yet also be the cruelest of devils if necessary, a chaotic balance that was harmonic to some extent, something each of the 4 had prided themselves for.
“You are all being too kind, especially you, Conner, but I still thank you, all of you! For your overflowing gratitude. Indeed, this was a reunion long overdue, I only really did my part as a friend in this group.”
“Ah, there goes the man again, humbling himself. Listen, Moses, we stand here as friends, so soak up the praise every once in and awhile.” Said the response, “I mean, LOOK AT ME! I am Conner Earnheart! Once a complete no one who could barely defend himself before you gave me a chance in service, just look at Robert Rowen, once a gambling addict who wrecked his own life, with you giving him a new perspective and motive as he rebuilt everything that had been taken from him in the same manner of which he lost everything, or even Miles Lawrence, a humble student who couldn’t even pass the bar exam, not until you gave him a place in a prestigious Law School, turning him into a terrifyingly reasonable person that he is today…”
A moment of silence, one that was out of respect if anything else for the man that has changed both lives and history.
“Now, look at yourself, Moses Riverson, you simple man who followed and pursued his studies to become the best of the best, to challenge the most powerful, and yet, here you are, having set all of those aside, countless years’ worth of time and effort even, to not only help us but also be with us as a leader and friend. We are men! Humans with a forged friendship that stood the literal test of time as we all played the sides of evil and good in the many worlds we have supervised. This world is no different, yet we stand here to reward the creation of our own species, a long story that we have all played a part in, and one we should all be very thankful, especially towards you, Moses.” He said with a smile, genuinely meaning every word said.
These three men, Conner, Robert, and Miles, all flawed people, had seen true growth of their own merit by the side of Moses. But if these men knew the Riverson name, well, the easiest way to say it is to be fate bound, like water going town stream, he could only follow where the river takes him, the river that most of us have come to know as fate, as destiny, a thought that still irked Moses no matter how much he repressed the thought.
A smile was his response as he decided to change the subject matter, “Well thanks, really appreciate it, but before we continue, have you guys heard from the other families or the head?”
A resounding silence filled the space as it became clear to Moses that the answer was a no. Besides the point, he decided he wouldn’t be a salty sport now, if anything, he should be happy.
“Well, that’s beside the point! Drink up boy’s we got an entire world to lead!” He explained, downing his drink, which the other three followed suit.
Tonight was a long night, but nevertheless, these 4 men managed to spend quality time with each other, telling stories and the like as the night continued.
But alas, all good things must come to an end, and this was no different, as all four packed they're on their own accord, they all went their separate ways once more. And as the festivities finally came to a close and Moses started to walk out of the forest, the transformation from a Human to a pony took hold, and soon, he was again Formosa.
He would, admittedly, never get used to the process, and how indeed terrifying and yet widespread the use of DNA manipulation had come, but he shook his head, disregarding that train of thought.
Right now, he planned to find a good book to read the rest of the night, and if he’s lucky, be bound to a night of dreamless sleep, one that he would wake up in the morning. God knows what was in store for him the next day.
“I thought we agreed that YOU would be leading our finance! We need the bits to have a roof on top of our heads!” Dr. Caballeron bellowed to his hench ponies.
To his dismay, although he had left his life of crime a long while back, that doesn’t mean he was scot-free from his old folks. And much to his already thinly threaded lifestyle, the biggest of his financial backers just came into town. The town of Ponyville, where he was currently “hiding”, was a fairly tame town when nothing interesting happened, where he could live outside the prying eyes of ponies raining from the nobility.
He had enough encounters and heard stories about a group of four ponies, rumor has it that in the eyes of the public, they ran a business only found in fair tails, starting from scratch and is now challenging the economic strength of some of the smaller nations outside of Equestria, doing the good that most nobility and royalty would refuse to do for the right reason or (on occasion) price, but outside the view of the greater majority and the princesses, they ran a ruthless empire of trafficking and illegal trade, and that was the tamest of the rumors, who knows what the true length is when it came to these sources.
To know full well not to mess with their inner workings directly, was something he kept in mind, after all, they were the ones who not only financially supported his expeditions, despite their somewhat criminal nature, they also financed part of his higher education and training for his hench ponies, that’s how they formed their little band after all. Being a Doctor, no matter what field, wasn’t any easy and cheap feet to enroll and study in, much more so the challenge to graduate with a degree and major in said field
So to say that his backer partially owned and had a leash on him and his group is a somewhat painful statement to be reminded of. Despite what its implications might be to him and the general public.
“Ugh,” he groaned, he had to make do with the situation. Looking around in the small bakery, he and his mates had decided to meet up here. And for the most part, everything went well and fine until one of them decided to describe a familiar description of their backers, and only then did he lose his cool.
“Look, just make sure to lay low for now. I don’t want, or even dare, try figuring out their reasons to come here.”
“But why though? We have captured more ponies, including Daring Do on several occasions! We could just do that, so what’s stopping us? He is just one pony, right?” Biff, one of his hench ponies, pointed out.
Looking him eye to eye, then towards the rest of his gang, Caballeron realized it had been a long while since all five members of his used-to-be criminal gang had this sort of meet-up. Biff, Rogue, and Withers were always with him, Pickpocket was busy gathering info and “funding”, and Rosy Thorn… she had bad blood with him after she turned tails with a big catch that was supposed to be divided by all 6 of them. The only reason she was even there was because of coincidence, but the more he thought about it, the more eerily irked he was that such things might line up.
“Hmm…” Rose Thorn began humming a tune of her own. Attracting the attention of the other stallions, she heeds them no mind as she continued slurping her chocolate milkshake.
“So what’s it going to be boss?” Rogue asked, with him, Biff, and Withers never relenting as Pickpocket kept an open eye for the group.
“I mean, we all got a life now, away from crime…” Withers added.
Unable to remark, Caballeron froze up for a moment. That is until he again remembered why he was being anxious in the first place.
“It isn’t about the safety of you ponies I’m concerned about, frankly, I’m concerned about what hasn’t been done yet, because there is, clearly, more than what meets the eye-” but before the doctor could finish, he was interrupted by the chimes of the front of the establishment going off, signaling a new patron had arrived.
Instinctively, everyone in the room at that time looked in one direction only, including Caballeron. And to his unfortunate dismay, he would immediately regret looking as he recognized the coat and mane coloring, one he had dreaded for a long while.
Entering Sugarcube Corner was none other than Turncoat, owner of the “Phantom Fortune”. Following him was another stallion that Caballeron had a run-in with, Hard Flick who was by definition a mercenary turned CEO of one of the most profitable PMC in Equestria and beyond.
Immediately by instinct, Caballeron looked away, unable to think straight as both entering stallions merely stared in his direction and said nothing as they made their way onto the counter to order whatever was in their mind.
“Yo, Doc, you alright?” Pickpocket asked, noticing how he had frozen up at the sight of the new patrons.
“I uh…” Looking back, he knew he was running on borrowed time, and he made sure to make the most out of it. “Listen, I might have to leave soon for a long trip abroad, I have to finish up loose ends, so while I’m here, make sure you ponies don’t go screwing around like last time.” He said, as he stood and made his way towards the two stallions. Hearing their disgruntled dismay and apprehension of his group, he gave them a gaze that, to some extent, brought out an image of his old life of crime, one that at least brought some semblance of easiness to the group he was leaving behind.
Approaching the only private room that Sugarcube had to offer, he knocked on it as he waited for a response. Shortly after, he saw a peephole open and a door quickly opening to let him in.
“So glad we could meet again, Doc!” Flick said, an overly cheerful smile adorning his face as he allowed the doctor to enter the room.
“The same cannot be said.” He replied as he entered, genuine hate that fueled his anger towards the stallion did not help as he spotted the next one who just sat across, a box of brownies to the side and milkshakes about to be drunk by the two aforementioned stallions.
“So, I see you’ve left your life of crime behind,” Turncoat said, although Caballeron expected him to be disinterested, it only fueled his apprehension to the tone of the two stallions as if they were waiting for him to just spill the beans.
“Believe me, Mr. Turncoat, I didn’t forget about last time,” Caballeron responded.
“Then we could skip the recap,” he promptly replied, pulling a briefcase that had just been out of sight. “I believe you still remember the debt you have accumulated in bits, correct?”
A reluctant nod from him, and Turncoat continued. Meanwhile, Hard Flick had decided to munch on the treats before them, leaving the two stallions to set their problems straight.
“I do, and I believe the artifacts that I had provided from the expeditions you funded would have covered the cost of your endeavor, I am merely doing my share of the deal,” he said, hoping that Turncoat would fold, but knowing the stallion and watching him play a game of poker, a deeper part of his mind knew that he would call him on the bluff.
A smile and brief silence had hung as Turncoat was thinking deeply, before he eventually replied. “Have you ever wondered why we even supported you? Despite the results of your endeavor in our service? To find a place akin to the ‘thrill of the hunt’?”
“What do you mean?”
Opening and spying the contents of the case before closing it again, Turncoat observed Caballeron’s movements.
“You’re not in any trouble we are here for an entirely different reason, not here to collect the bits that you, undoubtedly, owe us, but instead to turn all of those debts in a favor.”
“What do you mean?” Caballeron asked, shifting in place in apprehension before the stallion and ignoring Hard Flick. “I mean, the likes of you only care about the bits you make, how you play the game is reflective of your greed, it’s a miracle how Daring Do never considered such a revelation. Even the lack of Celestia’s intervention in your business is a miracle to how it hasn’t shut down, yet.”
“Now ain’t that a snippet of irony coming from some pony with a criminal history.” Hard Flick pointed out but was ignored by both stallions.
“Let me tell you this, I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Turncoat said, setting the case aside as he drew closer onto Caballeron’s muzzle to the point that he swore he could hear the cold and controlled rhythmic pattern of Turncoat’s heartbeat. “We do what we do because we can, and what we can do, we must do, understand?”
“I- Ah…” Caballeron suddenly tensed up from the words, unable to speak any retort for that matter, Turncoat beat him to another line.
“Let me tell you this in a simpler way,” He said, withdrawing to a much more relaxed position. “We get what we paid for, what we deserve. The same goes for every creature that has crossed paths with us.”
Processing what has been said, Caballeron still couldn’t figure out what Turncoat was trying to explain, that is until Hard Flick decided to spill the beans and be frank with him.
“What he’s saying is that, we have a… well, shall we say, ‘Final Request’, and this would be your chance to repay your debt to us.”
A moment was given for Caballeron to think over it, it wasn’t every day that an opportunity like this presented itself, these ponies would pay in full and would, in more ways than one, be a benefit for him in most ways.
“What do you need?” he finally asked, still being hesitant, but he knew it was a deal he couldn’t just pass up, not for what it entailed. “For all I know, I could have the Royal Guards chasing me to the ends of Equestria if my crew gets involved.”
The pair of stallions shared a nod before they continued, finally appearing to loosen up because of the doctor’s willingness.
“Listen, just do what we ask, please, we don’t want to call up Clusterfuck to fix the shit that’s about to go down.” Hard Flick responded, now in a somewhat pleading tone.
Hesitantly, Caballeron decided to ask what was going to be asked. “So what is it do we need to do, just saying…”
“Well, just listen carefully,” Turncoat said, withdrawing what seemed to be a projection crystal. As it lit up, it projected what seemed to be a map of sorts, with some scribbles at its side. “Were asking something very simple from you, we want you to create a distraction, you’re crew will pose as though they were possessed by the alicorn amulet, the rest should simple in the plan we would give you on the day, so you and the crew would get caught by the end, but by then, you already served your purpose, don’t worry, we got everything that you might need, you just need to follow execute this detailed plan that I’m sure you lot could manage.”
As he finished up, the crystal changed projections to show the laid-out plan. Admittedly, it was much more complex than what he would anticipated, simply put, it was a detailed route of the main Canterlot palace and where each of his members would have to go.
“Is that all? We just run around and buy you some time?” He asked, clearly skeptical at the straightforward proposal.
His skepticism wasn’t unfounded, Turncoat and Flick knew this and rightfully anticipated the question.
“We have plenty of different ways to go around with our plan,” Hard Flick said, taking the time to speak in between his mumblings of eating. “It just so happens that you and your group provide the simplest way, the path of least resistance, so to speak...”
‘I see…’ Caballeron thought, although he couldn’t see the full scope of their plan, he knew it was probably bigger than him in any manner.
“And there are no strings attached to this deal?” he asked.
“What are we?” Turncoat asked, extending a piece of paper with a pen by its side, ready to be signed. “Everything is written in the contract, your group’s finally one if you will, and after that, you’ll be on a clean slate, as well as the rest of Equestria.”
Caballeron looked over the papers, actually taking the time to read their contents. Only if he was a bit more observant, he could have seen the sly grins that the two their stallions had in the room, already having known how this entire thing would go down.
Slowly, he raised it, and with hesitation, he signed his name on behalf of his group and himself. Unknowing what he had got himself into.
As a sign of gratitude, a hoof-shake was shared between the three, before Turncoat and Flick decided to leave for other matters.
At an undisclosed safe house, around the same time…
“So, you think they’d be stupid enough to sign the deal?” Fine Print asked, reading a book as the time ticked by.
“Probably, the whole world is at peace, they’re all preoccupied with thinking ways to preserve that peace; there’s no need to think of anything else for the moment,” Formosa said.
“Even then, we can’t risk them thinking it some kind of maniacal plot to overthrow Her Highness.” Print responded, his voice showing the hint of hesitance he had with the whole operation.
“Ah, you worry too much,” he replied, “everything is already provided, either by our means or by help from the guys up top, so don’t sweat it.”
His reassurance seemed to ease the pony’s worries to some degree judging by his voice, but his papers still hid his expression.
“Well, to tell you the truth, the next phase-”
“Era.” Print corrected.
“Right, yeah, whatever, the next step in this experiment would be breaking down the fundamental pillar of this world, i.e. its magical element, and see the reactions from it, we got the go-ahead from Steadman, so we probably also have help from Mesa, the doctor, and maybe even another third-party.”
Walking around in the room, Formosa wasn’t in the best of situations, he had just finished reading the recent log from the higher-ups and it seemed like his job was being pressured for a faster outcome. Time was of the essence and if his track record was something to go by, he never felt comfortable when it came at the nick of time.
“Well, we can’t stay here forever,” Print said, finally doing something else apart from reading as he stood up to confront his friend. “We are nearing the end of this project, once we’re done, we’re home free!”
“Yes, yes. Jobs first, then we could enjoy the souls later.”
“Speaking of which, what are you gonna do with the new gal?” Print asked, suddenly receiving a cold shoulder from Formosa, who seemed to ignore his question. “Yo! You alright?”
“Wha- Oh, What I was going to do next?” he asked, calmly.
“Eh… yeah, that’s my question.”
“Well, I guess I’d have to teach her and just do what we’ve been doing for the last couple of years or so. I just need to find the time, between the work we have to do and the side gigs I have, it’s been a tricky ride.” He said, looking down as if to contemplate something else.
“Well, whatever that may be, we’ll be here with you right till the end!” Print ecstatically responded.
“So! we’ve got some errands to run with, so just stick to the plan until the higher-ups give us any update.”
“Gotcha.”
And so, like any other time, they soon parted way. With Print staying behind in the safe house while Formosa went out to find his protégé.
Although, both would not realize just how constrained their jobs would be in the following weeks to come.
Canterlot, Undisclosed Safe House, two weeks before ‘Luster Dawn’…
“Is everything ready?” Formosa asked the two of his colleagues. Reviewing over the plans and numerous other papers that lay scattered on the table.
“Everything is set and prep to go,” Flick responded, pointing to a specific entrance marked on the Canterlot Castle blueprints they had laying around. “This is where our much-needed assets will be dropped at, one of the bathroom stalls out of prying sight and the other just by the wayside out of sight. Just in front of the main field, to the castle’s western entrance is where our ‘incident’ will take hold, I've already arranged our… erm, ‘scape goats’, by then, all our other assets have been vacated or arrived at their designated location after the ‘incident’ has been resolved by local security, including Write and James, who should be inside the castle and making their way to the palace to take that so-called private interview and routine security consulting respectively.”
“Good, good…” Formosa muttered to himself.
“Is this even necessary?” Print asked, having been second-guessing the lengths and justified means for Operation ‘Luster Dawn’. For such a simple task as to have a one-on-one chat with Celestia and Twilight. To put it frankly from his view, the plan seemed like a simple problem that was provided with an overly complicated solution, reminiscent of German engineering, but who was he to judge? It’s not like he openly opposed such extents, but still.
“We’re not the ones pushing the timetables here, and you know how the higher-ups get when the time ticks a bit too slow for comfort.” Flick responded.
That, and Formosa also chimed in. “Plus, we'll have, if all goes to plan, at least two ways of figuring out if they have our compliance, first our up-close break-in questioning, and the interview sheet that Write should be asking them later in that afternoon interview.”
Still, it didn’t take away the unanimous feeling each of them had for the acceleration of this operation. It was widely agreed upon by all four of them that the efforts poured into this one stunt were… less than thrilling to say the least.
Resources had to be poured and as said earlier, the timetables wouldn’t relent. And with their new deadline fast approaching, all of them were growing anxious by the minute.
Ten long weeks of meticulous and backbreaking planning just to speak with Celestia and Twilight alone. They could have just done a traditional kidnapping, but they had been given a stricter set of instructions to follow this time around, so here they are, waiting patiently for their time to move and make their strike.
“Any other news before we go to our posts?” He asked, patiently waiting for a response.
Answering the question, Flick gave a not-so-endearing response. “Nah, last I heard from Turncoat, the papers were all big talk, nothing more…”
“Speaking of which,” Print interjected, “where’s Turncoat?”
“He's with Write,” Formosa replied.
“Your student?”
“The one and only,” he responded, but it didn’t give him any ease of mind as he was steeling himself to explain another point of contention for the three of them.
Instinctually, as the pencil levitated by his magic hovered to one part of the table, both his fellows contorted at what he pointed at. A specific line from a specific paper brought back from their home world several million light years away. The paper was from “The Continental York’s”, the specific line related to the public outlook of “Project Geneva”, the official name of humanity’s combined projects for Interstellar life, not necessarily related to its travel nor conquest. To put it simply, it was… mixed, but the outlook that they had was one that clearly cried of necessity.
“You and I know there’s a reason as to why the big press doesn’t cover our involvements throughout these long years…” Flick responded, trying to lighten and stray away from the clearly sensitive topic for all three of them.
“And yet here we are, doing the dirty work for the greater good of social science…” Print interjected, a somber outlook befalling all three as they skimmed over the newspapers.
When one would look at it at face value, humanity had, despite having sufficiently advanced technologies, always kept to some form of tradition, in one way or another, the press of their home world was no different from what it was a millennium ago. Always up to something and always on the lookout, just good business as some might say.
So when it came as a surprise to the three of them that the project of interstellar life was, to put it frankly, mostly an indifferent outlook, it took a toll on their morale, leaving them feeling... hollow, as if their efforts were simply set aside for other pressing matters.
What has to be considered important matters are debatable from person to person, but when compared with the countless others in the ocean of currencies that made up humanity’s… backyard, most being derived from the golden standard that defined the modern era. There was always that feeling of less, shared by people with lives the like of Moses and his crew, who always worked in relative isolation but whose line of duty is arguably an important one.
Sure, they may not be amongst those who live in privilege, the safety of their home world clearly being absent from this world of equine, magic, and mythologies. Yet they simply had to take the brunt of a simple fact, a matter of reality as they perceived it; Humanity always had its shining moments in tough times, although seemingly divided with certain agendas, if pushed to the brink, the pressure will eventually get to them.
It is like a tire and its grip on the road; it has the best cornering ability when it is at the fine line of slipping away but is still gripping the road (the line between drift and grip). So with that line of thought, all three were in silence, knowing that their work, as they'd like to believe it, is for the better good of it all. A fine line like any other work to push what could and would be understood.
Still sensing that impending feeling of senseless fortitude amidst work this kind of work, Formosa took it upon himself to break this seeming vow of silence. “HEY! Now I know where this is going and I'm going to break it before we're left sulking here for the rest of the afternoon. Yes, I know, we are Informants, having recited the Vow of secrecy and omissions. Though we may be Employees at best, mercenaries at our worst.
We are more than that, more than simple men, beyond just simple reason, justification, and morality. No, we may or may bit be any of those now, be we are informants, people who bring and work for a higher cause! Beyond simply living with and beyond creations, we are the messengers of creators and of creation. We live and work in humble service to allow those with an ambition to prosper and live. That’s who we are.”
In a single united moment, when they set down all the other complicate reasons for their work, they are all there to serve those who bring something to the table of change. And with an exhilarating “Hoorah!” Though it was a shame that Turncoat was not here to share the moment.
However, this heartfelt sentimental moment didn’t last for the three of them, as the moment was suddenly interrupted by a familiar ringing akin to an old telephone. As this ringing continued and gained their attention, they slowly looked around to find where it was coming from, and it came from none other than their personal phone, specifically, the one that belonged to Formosa.
With his magic, he carefully lifted the smartphone, a relic he brought with him from their home world for both communication and sentimental reasons.
He answered, lifting it to his ear as he began a conversation with whoever was on the other side of the line.
“Yes, hello?” he began, waiting for a response, one that he eventually got. What was surprising however was the visible shock that Formosa showed when the voice spoke to his ear, it was an expression that Flick and Print noticed as he continued with his phone conversation. “Yeah, it’s me… then get the boss on the… Yeah, hello, Hector? Yeah, no, I’m not that busy this afternoon… the group? No, I don’t think so, we’re just wrapping up a little discussion… that your plan? I thought we already had this settled with the rest of the office. Even with the prototype Nav-Mesh, at best, I’d say you could make it worth a week, less if you think you could use it as leverage. ”
As Formosa and this other being began doing a bit of back and forth, Flick and Print remained silent for the most part as they waited in anticipation for the call to wrap up. There was a lingering feeling of apprehension, one that was shared by any employee whenever they are within speaking distance with their employers.
Unfortunately, things seemed to have taken a turn for the worst when out of nowhere, Formosa was sent into a rage-induced tangent. “What? NO! OF COURSE NOT! No asshole would take it, even at that bargain.”
A bunch more mumbling was made as whoever was on the other side of the line seemed to try and calm the unicorn down…
“Ten grand? Plus another four days… is that the least you could do for us?” He asked whoever was on the other side of the phone. The moment went on for a while as Formosa seemed to try and arrange something complicated, one that seemed to bring him a rush of dopamine as he seemingly visibly began to show a small grin as the moment went on. “The order of Templars are coming with you? Why are they- oh… so that’s why. Well, if that’s the case, then the ball is now in your court… that’s not my call to make, but I could convince Miles to push back the merge by another week, same with Robert… Yeah, um… maybe. Good! Then that’s a day to abhor… pleasure as always, Hector.”
And with that, Formosa hung up the call. Putting it away, he now had the responsibility to give out the details, one he was unsure how to share with the other two who had waited in anticipation. Even without telling a word directly, all of them knew that there was some heavy news for them, especially what it would entail for their future.
“Well? What’s the news?” Print asked, barely keeping himself together in his wait of anticipation.
Looking to both his colleagues, Formosa had a moment to himself, trying to find the words to tell them the news.
“Then would you care to make a guess?” He dared them.
“You sure?” Flick asked, making the first attempt between them. “Because if I were to give, I'd bet it'd have something to do with a new alien species? Cause that would be a surprise since our lot had nothing has rivaled us since we started mass-producing that particle accelerator.”
A good attempt, all things considered. Not too farfetched as Formosa had hoped, but it was always a possibility he’d consider if he was asked. “And you, Print? Care to take a shot at a guess?”
Thinking over it quickly, Print could only connect the dots and make some speculation, but he had a pretty good idea of what it could be.
“Guessing by how Hector seemed to be the one trying to appease you, I’m guessing this would have something to do with operation Luster Dawn. Am I wrong?”
“Bingo,” He responded, “sorry you didn’t guess right, Flick. But as you could guess, we’re going to receive some more backup, plus, Hector is going to do a bit of an upfront observer, supposedly to reassure the state of our progress.”
“Then that would mean that there are new arrangements, yes? What did he say about these... changes?” Print asked, growing ever more concerned by what he heard. If his guess was right, that would mean big management changes.
“You could guess on and on, Print.” He replied, looking at him eye-to-eye to make sure the point was drilled. “But everything goes by the book. And delicate times call for a delicate hand, they’re going to bring a bit more ‘necessities’ from here on, at least until everything sizzles down eventually.” Formosa confirmed.
Still confused, Flick decided it was high time to get the explanation he needed. “So what exactly is happening?”
Looking at his confused friend, Print decided he was the one who was going to explain it to him. “Well, to put it simply, they're bringing a tighter leash around our necks…”
“And here I thought we were already in a tight schedule,” He murmured to himself, “So what is this? Are they sending the righteous hand of God on our doorstep? Or is it just empty words? ”
“As a matter of fact, they are indeed sending some,” Formosa responded, as it took Flick a few moments to realize what he just heard, but once the realization hit, it hit him like a mule.
In one fell swoop, as the information began to be processed in his mind, he began to shiver and crawl into a huddle. Hugging himself as he rocked back and forth in a vain attempt to give himself some reassurance, seemingly out of fear from the information he had just ingested.
“Well, do you think Turncoat would be able to hold it in?” Print asked Formosa, doing small pats and trying to give Flick the words of reassurance he so desperately would probably need.
Needless to say, the attempts to comfort Flick, who was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, did do a small part in preventing another outburst. On another note, all four of them, including Turncoat, knew that they were just a small cog in what is essentially the interstellar empire of humanity, at least compared to those who make said cogs turn. And if Formosa and his group hadn’t heard of this group’s infamy, they’d have shrugged it off as just another group that was a miracle to even be fortunate enough to exist in this era.
And the ‘Order of Templars’, although not as influential as those on the top brass, are some of the few groups that keep on oiling the wheels of humanity’s empire. Now, as one of many groups that made up just some of the religious proxies of humanity, some might say that they’re, in fact, inquisitors in all but name. Although that is a fear with some reasonable assumption, they are anything but that, serving more under the top brass. That said, despite their on occasion ‘holier than thou’ radicals, which is itself a different proxy to the main group, they were a fresh breath when it comes to trying to ask for suggestions and advice, although they were still largely separated from politics and debates.
Raising his hoof to give his colleagues some reassurance, Formosa answered Print’s question. “Now, now… I’m sure Turncoat would manage, but I think he’ll have a little fit over Hector coming over.”
Just then, Flick whispered something in his small, sorry state. “D-do you think they’re still w-watching?” he whispered in fear, barely even audible despite Print being as close to him as is.
“Hush now, everything’s going to be fine.” Print said, his words of reassurance falling flat.
All they could do was wait, and prepare for the worst if they could. It was the thought of being unable to do more than scared them, but it was something they'll have to deal with.
Now, they had to prepare, and Formosa just had a pony in mind to visit. “Well, I need to go, send me a crystal or paper and I know you know who to go to for that. I need to check on something, so until our next meeting lads,” he said, taking his leave as he waved a hoof, leaving his two colleges to try and sort out Flick's sorry state.
Using his magic, he teleported himself to the outskirts of Ponyville, to a path that led to the Everfree.
“This won’t do…” he mumbled to himself, already making plans and changes while he walked down the path of no return.
Walking for a good far while, Formosa had soon found himself at the front door of a fairly modest house just outside of the Everfree. It was smaller than the average house around the town of Ponyville, and although he could definitely build more on the land he technically owned, he had grown to enjoy the simplicity of the garden fields that he had unknowingly bought for himself. Not to mention this is where his student had been a shut-in for the past week or so, having been provided by the seemingly endless amount of sources of books courtesy of Formosa and his underground library.
He hadn’t checked up on with Write for a while, with what the schedules of his work being centered on Canterlot and the vast railway network he needed to attend to, especially with the ever-growing infamy of his name amongst the nobles. Of course, he didn’t leave Write all to herself, he had Winger serve as her bodyguard while he was away. Although by the looks of things, there seemed to be some damage to the outer walls and faint signs of scratches.
‘Wonder what that’s about…’ he thought to himself, pushing past that thought as he approached the door. He gave two simple knocks and waited, when no one came to answer, he tried his luck and twisted the door knob to open it, finding out it was unlocked all along in the process.
Looking inside, he gave a quick sniff in the air and quickly made assumptions. He could tell it was a mess from the sight alone, books lay scattered and what seemed like several plates and cups trailed to show each trash bin was filled to the brim. But in no small part did he notice the huge mountain of what seemed to be boxes of pizza and… noodles. He wasn’t sure from the sight and smell alone, but it seemed like he’d have to set aside some bits to give this place cleaned up, maybe even having a word with Winger about policies concerning the food they brought with them from home.
“Hey Write! You in there?” Formosa asked aloud, slowly starting to enter some rooms in search of where he expected his current student to be. To his dismay, silence greeted him signaling his job wasn’t going to get much easier. Fortunately, his ears picked something up, the faint snores of a pony could be heard as he now began to rummage through the piles of books he had supplied her with.
“And I see you’re still at it with the books.” He said, finally seeing a good glimpse of Write Fountain, who was snuggly asleep beneath a mountain pile of books.
“Wha- hu?” Write groggily asked, suddenly extending her head to look around and spot the pony she thought she heard. “Winger ain’t here… he had some huisness with that Hatt fewow…”
Chuckling, Formosa’s worries were quickly put to rest. Sure, Winger wasn’t here, but knowing that Hatt was likely with him lent itself to be a positive, plus, he’d get to spend time with his protégé.
“Well, let’s get you, young lass, a nice refresh, now how does that sound?” he asked, patting and dusting her off as he helped her find her footing.
“T-that woul be gweat…” Write lazily replied, following Formosa’s lead.
After Formosa had prepared a good bath for Write, one she greatly appreciated, he got himself something to eat and drink while she did her thing. Taking his time outside, admiring the simple tree line out in the distance as he waited for her to finish up inside.
“Nice view we got, don’t you think?” Formosa asked aloud, having heard the creaking door open to signal that Write had just finished drying and prepping herself. “You know, it cost me a good sack just for convincing the mayor to sell me this land, and it was even harder to convince Mrs. Rich to simply shut up about her qualms with me building anything on it, but let me tell you, that pony was always up to something. Sure, she may have even thought that I was up to something shady, and I was very much impressed that she managed to get the Royal Guards involved, and I had to get Print involved in turn. A silver dime in a sea of gold in my small time around this town, not the best experience, but still something of a memory to remember.”
Smiling to himself, he rarely had the time to admire just how vast he could reach in this world, especially when compared to the monument that was humanity’s empire. Out here, where he was right now, it was just the simple greenery at the outskirts of an equally exotic town, by the path that lead to the Everfree. Fond memories, that’s something he would admit, he could still remember a time when he was a rookie long eons ago, often wandering off in those very same paths in the Everfree to learn about magic and to explain it to his mentor and superiors. In hindsight, it was a miracle how he came out alive, sometimes scathed and battered, but still alive from each trip into and out of that forest.
Which was suddenly swayed into a new line of thought as Write suddenly asked something out of the ordinary, at least to him. Something a bit too close to home and personal, but not quite there to fully break his well-kept hold over his emotions.
“Are we evil?” she asked, the question itself taking Formosa aback. “I mean… isn’t what we’re doing conspiring against the crown?”
“You? Evil? Good heaven’s no!” Formosa retorted, quickly pouncing to ease Write’s mind whilst also trying to avoid any and all possible routes that may even imply that he and his crew were ‘evil’. “Listen, Write, I don’t know where you thought or even how you arrived at that conclusion, but if we are even a sliver of what is so-called evil, then at the end of the day, we are simply following in what is called ‘The Banality of Evil’, a very unique concept if you ask me.”
Shaking her head, Write wasn’t quite sure where Formosa was headed, so he of course gave her a bit of explanation. “Well, to make a long discussion short, I’m sure your mind would wonder about complicated or maybe even simple motives when it comes to grand acts of heinous descriptions when the word ‘evil’ comes to mind, the keyword is motive. What this concept proposes, and I’m giving an oversimplified explanation here, is that evil is simply… boring. It basically rejects the idea of evil having a grand, or even reasonable for that matter, motive, and instead, proposes that oftentimes it is either out of nature or an indirect consequence of our actions. A byproduct of progression and chasing dreams of success, so to speak. And who can blame us for choosing the path of success? Isn’t that what our lives are meant to be? To chase the best life we could have.”
“That’s...” she was divided in that one, as horrible and as mundane as Formosa might make it out for Write, she still had something to mutter under her breath that not even he caught on. On one hoof, he had a point when it came to living and when one chases the high life, on the other, it broke literally every other convention of motive forming she knew and could cling on to.
Sighing, he could still sense that his explanation didn’t ease her mind, and not wanting to give another speech about careers or whatnot, Formosa instead decided to try one last trick to maybe help her settle down that internal conflict within her. “Write, let me tell you something honest. Even if I was to do my worst now, it would never hold up to the stories of monikers and the likes of respect or whatnot that they are showered with. Always remember, when you make choices to reach your goal in life, there are consequences, be they good or bad, foreseen or not. And when those choices come full circle, you can never change what is already done, but, you can start doing better from then on.”
Taking a moment to breathe, Formosa took a bite from the sandwich he had brought with him while he waited for Write earlier. Knowing full well that the next question he’s going to ask will either make or break a long partnership between the two. “So let me ask you this, Write. Are you in on the job I ask you to do, even despite possible consequences for doing such or not?”
Hesitant, Formosa was initially worried that he got his hopes too high. After all, these ponies were extraordinarily loyal to their rulers, lucky for them they could prove divine right in their context. That fear was set aside when this pony, a citizen of Equestria, sided with him.
“Why not?” She rhetorically asked, knowing her stand in the matter. “As much as we may disagree, you’ve still shown the respect anyone should deserve despite their views. You’ve allowed me to learn and taken me in when everyone else rejected my work. How could I not join in?”
Smiling, he decided to tell her a little story. “Well, from my time doing anything and everything I had ever done, I can tell you that not everyone is a stable screw… Some are unfortunate, and some are better off. Yet the same attitude is what had lead me to where I am today, simple indifference. You can choose not to follow that or not, but you’ll soon find that even with such a bleak view, it still has its merits, never deny the fact. So, you better find your way, because once you go down the path of no return, you’ll soon find some things are best left as is.”
“So what do you want me to do?” she asked, ever still unsure of where she stood in this rapidly changing world.
Looked to her with honest intent, preparing himself as he was about to give her the same response he told his group, Loose Winger, and even Fatt Hatt. “Stick to the plan. Make it simple for me, for yourself, and everyone else involved. And if everything is to accord, all should be smooth sailing.”
All Write could do was nod, she didn’t know what to do, but she was provided for so long as she complied. And so she decided to give Formosa a little test. Something to give a small drop of an answer to the inner workings that is Formosa Box, an intriguing pony in her eyes. “So if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
It took quite a while for Formosa to gather his thoughts on that one, but he eventually gave a compelling answer, at least to him. “Well… if I’m being honest? I’d say it wouldn’t have made a sound, since no one was there to ‘say’ it made a sound in the first place. It’s sad, but I think that’s the honest fact.”
Smiling and giving a heartfelt chuckle, Formosa honestly didn’t expect her to have an answer that was different from him, judging by the fact that she gave a face when he told his point.
So she gave her remarks. “I see, then we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. And as much as philosophy isn’t my talent, I guess you’ve already taught me this, but it is the very essence of such things that make up our moral compass. We all have our little shticks and niches.”
“Now, going off-topic, how’s that essay and questions you’ve been working on going?” he, in turn, asked.
Delighted, although still very much perplexed by the sudden shift, Write indulged her mentor in a little bit of what she’s been up to. “Well, I’m still not finished, but I’m sure you’ll find what I have to be interesting.”
Smiling with content, Formosa let the moment drag on, losing track of time as Write went into a deep dive into explaining her entire shtick to him. The details of what she had planned weren’t important, at least to Formosa. For all intents and purposes, and as much as he hated telling himself this, accepting the simple truth will inevitably let him live a clear mind. He was merely using her for his gains, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t spend such trivial and solemn moments with her.
As the moment dragged on, he soon noticed the sun slowly starting to set, and he decided it was high time he try and find Winger and Hatt, to get some things clear up with them, so to speak.
And with Write finishing up her little moment, he let her in on what might (very likely) happen at Canterlot on Twilight’s coronation. “Listen, as much as I hope everything goes to plan, I can't help but tell you that when the coronation day for Twilight eventually comes, I want you to stay clear of massive groups of ponies. Cuz I think I overheard some numbnuts talk about some plan to ruin the ceremony, it was something massive and explosive from what they were describing, but that’s just hearsay. Still, be careful out there, I think there’s gonna be a big surprise once the coronation starts, and I’d hate for anything unfortunate to happen to you.”
Write shrugged it off as the reminding advice that Formosa gave, but still took it to heart. “Will do!”
So standing up, he decided it was high time he go for a little walk, look around town and maybe spot Winger and Hatt. Plus, Write deserved some much-needed privacy, she’s probably tired from all the reading she’s been doing. “Well, I’m going for a walk. Remember, early in the morning after the next week from now, got it? Write should be accompanying you until it’s his turn to do the inspection after the ceremony or something. Hatt would be at the station doing his regular with his staff, he should be waiting for you two and the rest of the royalties and nobilities that decided to go for our services by the end of the ceremony.”
“Got it!” she replied, parting ways with Formosa for a while as she huddled back in the place she had grown to call sanctuary. For Formosa, he took the path to Ponyville, taking a quick mental note to visit it sometime in the future.
Unbeknownst to the both of them, a small rabbit with (arguably) malicious intent scurried away to his caretaker’s little cottage, excited to share and start a little gossip with the element of kindness herself, because as much as he was a rabbit, he knew how to play the game of intrigue. And besides, what’s life without a little bit of chaos? A line of thought that said rabbit seemed to have picked up from a friend of a friend.
Due to recent events with the clashing of ideas from the The Board of Commissions and Admissions (B.C.A.), Department of Technology and Innovations (D.T.I), and even the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security (C.NE.S), along with additional unforeseen circumstances, this file is being made in order to keep track of one particular asset of the Outer Logistics Division (O.L.D.) as per the request of the other half of the Experimental and Logistical Affairs Office (E.L.A.O.). It is deemed to be an asset of interest for the presence and likely innovation that Magus Residue poses, the participle itself is a classified “Group-B” sub-variant for its high irregularity and unstable nature, the highest thus far when compared to base particles (aka “Group-A”). There are already talks and plans to harness it and potentially have this planet as a major station in the near future, which will eventually be reassessed for its feasibility at a later date by the Department of National and Foreign Affairs (D.N.F.A.), the Board of Commissions and Admissions, and the Intergalactic Transportation Bureau (I.T.B.). Until that date arrives, the Experimental-Natural Terraforming Technics (EN.T.T.), the subdivision of the Outer Logistics Division will continue as followed during the initial plans of Project Geneva.
Written below are what would follow after this point in the document:
A brief overview of the World known as Pax illusion,
Agents (and further assets) currently operating within the project parameters, and
Any and all information deemed to be relevant (and was given permission to be disclosed) to the so-called “White Exploit Three”, a rouge asset (?) currently under investigation that’s related to the Genesis Trials.
(This file is subject to change as this may remain a concern in the near future. It is hoped that this document would remain confidential until further notice, we hope to resolve it as soon as possible...)
Asset Overview:
Based on what is provided and so far allowed to be disclosed, and as far as the possibility of a public leak should be concerned, this is a complete and current overview of the world known as Pax illusion.
Known as “Equus” to its inhabitants, it is the (27) Twenty-seventh world, after World Deuteronomy-553 that the Experimental and Logistical Affairs Office (E.L.A.O.) had spearheaded in its development and management. Although it is not the grandest world to date, it most certainly is the most complex world out there and is considered to be a technical marvel and one that the Outer Logistics Division has since held with high regard, especially with their involvement in spearheading Project Geneva.
It is, unfortunately, to date, likely the most “frenzied” world to contain and maintain due to the presence of Magus Residue that has since formed the backbone of this planet’s civilizations’ daily lives, and which had allowed them to produce great feats and the like that had taken humanity a couple of hundred decades to even have a slivering chance of harnessing. The presence of Magus Residue has also directly contributed to the different environmental phenomena in that world and has since required and gained plenty of attention from other offices and institutes, amongst which the most prominent of those being the Department of Technology and Innovations, and the Department of National Defence and Contracting. They seem to be eager with where and what Magus Residue could possibly bring in the near future, should we be able to harness it with our technology. Not to mention the likely thousands of scientific marvels and possibilities with what Magus Residue could likely maintain or indirectly hold.
Further studies are in order…
Approximately half a billion creatures of different species currently inhabit this planet, of these other species, an Equine race rose to prominence and proved to be the most “diverse”; at least three (main) different distinct “tribes” with additional attributes are confirmed to exist for this Equine race. Further studies have yet to be conducted as to the full species list or give any conclusive proof of just how far their knowledge is of the wider universes. The primary team that has been sent to assess the asset has also since experienced setbacks after setbacks as fleet personnel and those on other station sites are at odds in terms of equipment and supplies.
At their best, the primary team is able to serve as informants and/or observers instead of serving their initial purposes, with most of their findings being attributed to rumors of hidden societies and/or civilizations as of the present. The most prominent rumor is the existence of a “Portal” to another dimension/universe, it is said that the existence of such a device is capable of creating (or transporting) a person to another “Alternate or Parallel Universe” of sorts. In any case, although there is evidence for such a claim, they are few and far between, so no official say has been made as of the time of drafting this file. Although it should be noted that there seems to be an effective agency employed as a sort of “secret service” that’s hindering any real progress in discovering such things, it is suggested by ground personnel that it was formed from a royal order that was, possibly, directly related to a member of royalty from the Equine race, although again, nothing is for certain.
Speaking of which, as recent reports from site personnel seem to indicate, the history of this particular planet is due for a separate file entry, even possibly a completely different file cabinet, as the species and nations that are at present, described to be as, and as quoted, “Rich with knowledge with a relatively quick upbringing that mirrors some of humanity’s earliest civilizations.”
A topic for another file, although listed below are some nations and species of the plant that are highlighted as per the request of the Bureau of Ethics and Administrations, and the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security.
Country/nation’s name: [Kingdom of] Equestria
Form of Government: Diarchy [Pending Updated Documents]
Federal Capital: Canterlot
Head of State: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna [Pending Updated Documents]
Dominant Species: Pony kind
Description: Equestria is likely the uncontested “Leader” of Pax Illusion, they pose the largest navy in their world and, by a large margin, are likely to contest any form of occupation attempts made by humanity, with a high likelihood of them making a united coalition for holding a formidable defense that is sure to be costly in terms of resources for conducting a planetary invasion that humanity might attempt, with the exception for a complete planetary bombardment, largely in due thanks to one of the pony tribes mastery of Magus Residue. Further studies and analysis are in order if the route of diplomacy is not to be pursued in order to overcome the unstable nature of Magus Residue… [Pending Updated Documents]
Country/nation’s name: Griffon Federation (aka the Griffon Kingdom)
Form of Government: Federation
Federal Capital: “Griffonstone”
Head of State: N/A [Pending Updated Documents]
Dominant Species: Griffons
Description: A former superpower in the Era of Empires in this world, they are a federation in all but name, with their standing being the most “Technologically” advanced nation in Pax Illusion, with their underground tunneling systems and political philosophy, thanks in large part to their cooperation with another species of Diamond Dogs. Although they are by technicality an isolationistic bunch, they are by no means incompetent, as they have adopted a “Bait and Switch” like civilization, with a front showing a “Shambled Empire trying to recover” whilst hiding their vast technological marvels underground, with their technology’s being at best, comparable to that of humanity’s (2200th) twenty-third-century technology’s… [Pending Updated Documents]
Country/nation’s name: Crystal Empire
Form of Government: Monarchy
Federal Capital: Cristal Congelado [Pending Updated Documents]
Head of State: Princess Mi Amore Cadenza
Dominant Species: Crystal Ponies
Description: Equestria’s strongest ally in terms of military and economic value, it had only recently (in terms of their history) “Reappeared” after being cast into what ponies call a space called “Limbo”, it is believed this is one of the three gateways that allow Magus Residue to remain as a pseudo chaotic particle with a form. Further information suggests that they used to have a monarchy unrelated to that of Equestria, although unfortunately with recent unfolding events, they are here by now going to be classified as a “puppet state” under Equestria, a term pushed specifically in this document and any future ones that are by the request and is enforced by the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security, backed with several contracting agencies… [Pending Updated Documents]
Description: they are, would be the case for the previously aforementioned, another close ally of Equestria. Although they are a Loose Confederation by technicality from what our personnel has provided, they seem to answer directly to one form of authority, the one they see as the “Dragon Lord”. Studies have yet to be sufficient enough in discerning their possible stand in the advent of human intervention, future studies are likely in order. [Pending Updated Documents]
The planet itself is a Terrestrial planet, Classified as one of the few semi-custom in its class due to its lighter gravitational pull and general lack of Iron on the earth itself, which allowed for the aforementioned Magus Residue to be implemented by the Outer Logistical Division, allowing the particle to fully envelop and work at its peak.
Reasons as to why this is the case would vary from department to department, but the most prevalent of those reasons is because of the willingness and perseverance of the Department of Technology and Innovations to this project, having made an offer to expand the Experimental and Logistical Affairs Office consequently paved the way to expanding another half for that office that resulted in the Outer Logistical Division, before the renaming.
And if the aforementioned particle proved to be stable and suitable with no or some combination of regulation of sorts, then would likely be the field that would propel humanity to “a place beyond even the farthest voids”. What every lies beyond that point, God bless whatever may be waiting…
Another defining feature of this particular planet is how is a mono system with only a star and moon along with the main planet itself. How such as system is able to exist, besides how the star and moon are able to rotate around the planet itself is to be kept undisclosed as per the request of the Experimental-Natural Terraforming Technics and is also backed by the Experimental and Logistical Affairs Office
Project Personel Overview:
Special precautions: Duo to the unstable nature of Pax illusion’s Primary Sun, the stationed fleet in charge of protecting the Galaxy Cluster, Commissar Five, has been vacated to its second closes star system. The Officer in charge of the fleet, Admiral Ferdinand Kriegeld has also made it clear that with regard to the fleet itself, any additional plans would have to be postponed until his request for additional supplies for any future endeavors with regards to this world, both in terms of reinforcements and supplies, unfortunately, his request is likely to be denied by the Department of National Defence and Contracting.
Other than that…
In accordance with the Exodus Accords set in place during the Genesis Trials. The required minimum of (1) one Special Unit/s to oversee the planet’s growth is met, with an additional team being sent every so often to make progress reports on personnel, the last one being a good decade in the time of writing this file. The original plan that was drawn up was to have the primary team keep a “close leash” on the event that would transpire on the planet while the project went on. Unfortunately, it was eventually forgone in favor of letting these assets do as they please whilst the primary team had a much more “laid” back approach and would record any irregularities or notable changes. It was allegedly due to an unforeseen shortage of a specific supply, but considering the other systems that require such important things during the time, it was never fulfilled.
The primary team sent to oversee the planet, codename: Trey
Description: Team Trey, is classified as a “Triple R” team, which falls under the Backline grouping of the Marshal Classification, the standard for Recommending Unit Specialty and Training. Although as all teams formed before the Marshal Classification, they consist of, usually at most, (4) four members in highly specialized roles.
They are one of the three original teams, their collective code name: Three Musketeers, that have been sent to deal with and attempt to capture a figurehead that was proving to be a bit too vocal about their stance after the Genesis Trials, a topic due for another file. Although their history goes way farther back than that, there is a current investigation by the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security that has to do with the original operations and missions that the Three Musketeers have partaken in, under the suggestion of the Bureau of Ethics and Administrations. A progress report has yet to be followed through.
A quick background check reveals that with this team’s history, it seems as though they have an “easygoing” philosophy, while they are likely the most loyal to a given cause, leaving no half-measures when doing their assigned jobs. They had proven to be an effective and solid asset, to keep close, and whilst they may be a dangerous bunch, it was decided that they were to be assigned to be the right-hand group to conduct sub-project levels of management under the guise of the Experimental-Natural Terraforming Technics subdivision shortly after the effects of the Genesis Trials had been sent into effect, as per the request of the Outer Logistical Division after unforeseen consequences had surfaced, which forced a reassessment and reorganization program and documentation headed by the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security.
As a direct result of dealing with the aftermath of Genesis Trials, and the plenty more paperwork that followed through after it, the process of member selection has been undisclosed by the group itself, although it is known that they run in a Master-apprentice(ish) like foundation, with each agent likely being an apprentice of some sort for an existing member within the group for a time before being accepted as an “official” member of their team once an opening is available.
Listed below are the members of the current composition of Team Trey:
Call sign: Agent Formosa
Asset Type/Specialization: Particle Manipulation
Name: Moses Riverson
Description: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Known History: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Current status: Participating in Operation LUSTER DAWN.
Call Sign: Agent Dice
Asset Type/Specialization: Economics
Name: Robert Rowen
Description: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Known History: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Current status: Participating in Operation LUSTER DAWN.
Call Sign: Agent Pacific
Asset Type/Specialization: Propaganda
Name: Conner Earnheart
Description: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Known History: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Current status: Participating in Operation LUSTER DAWN.
Call Sign: Agent Lawless
Asset Type/Specialization: Charters/Negotiator
Real Name: Miles Lawrence
Description: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Known History: [Confidential Information. Seek class five clearance from authorized personnel.]
Current status: Participating in Operation LUSTER DAWN.
Special assets that have been directly formed with the project personnel (Informants, observation team, officers, etc.):
P.S.: It has come to the attention of the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security and the Board of Director that the current lead director of the Experimental-Natural Terraforming Technics subdivision, Commissioner Hector “Erwin” Miller, has left his post and has since been rumored to have personally participated in Operation LUSTER DAWN. No conclusive reports have been filed as of the present. There will likely be an investigation to be held either upon his return or extradition should worse come to fruition.
He is likely to be court-martialed at a later time, the point remains, however, as he is likely to be trialed for the usurpation of authority, and further accusations and punishments shall be handled and delivered on a later time, in accord with the outlines of the Genesis Trials to the severity of such things.
Further information has been deemed as classified by the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security.
Rouge Asset (?) Overview:
This file will not go in any deeper with any third-hand connections made with the inhabitants of Equus, as it was deemed “out of bounds” for this document, any and all additional information is due for a separate file in order to keep track of such, but with that being regulated for another later time. Another matter is to be discussed and SHOULD be regularly updated as per the unanimous agreement between the Board of Directors, spearheaded by the director for the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security.
Unfortunately, until other fruitful information surfaces, any and all current information with regard to the specifics in relation to this particular case may result in an entirely new file, otherwise, it shall remain confidential until further notice from the Department of National Defence and Contracting or from the Board of Director themselves.
What is allowed to be disclosed, however, is the group only known and labeled as “White Exploit Three.”
Codename: Resist and Run
Description: They appear to be a paramilitary group that is equipped with some sort of device that is able to transport what should be the theoretical science of today, the likes of what seemed to be working prototypes of machines/devices that are able to manipulate time for a brief period and the complete harnessing of what seems to be Magus Residue. These feats are yet to be replicated or even developed, by the Department of Technology and Innovations.
Their objectives are unclear, but they are clearly hindering any and all progress to a project by the Intergalactic Transportation Bureau in conjunction with the Department of Technology and Innovations, simply referred to as the “H.P.D.”, it is likely one of the most well-guarded confidential projects that the Department of Technology and Innovations has perused, hid, and funded, nearly rivaling that of Project Geneva[/spoioler] in terms of expenses, which has since also affected the Experimental and Logistical Affairs Office.
It is rumored that they’re a bunch of loyalists of a currently unknown figurehead formed directly after the effects of the Genesis Trials were finalized and set in motion.
With all of that said, below are two “figures” that have been identified and deemed relevant to this File and those of the White Exploit Three:
Codename: Anonymous
Asset Type/Specialization: [Unknown]
Name: [Unknown]
Description: [Unknown]
Known History: [Unknown]
Current status: Rumored to be an informant in Cimissar Five.
Current status: Rumored to have been sent to intercept Operation LUSTER DAWN.
Further investigations are in progress, but with the oncoming information being received by the Bureaus and Departments, it is unlikely any solid leads are going to be uncovered as of yet…
***
“In Faith shall we uphold, above fates shall we remain bold, let our works shine above all folds.”
***
End of entry File Information No. 993
Written and drafted by, The Director of the Bureau of Regulations for Information and Negotiations, [---Redacted---]
With approval from, The Director of the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security [----Redacted----]
Signed by, The Director from the Department of National and Foreign Affairs, [----Redacted----]
A simple description, all things considered. Straightforward in trying to convey an idea, but still somewhat vague enough to be interpreted in a different light. For the likes of the nobility and royalty, it was something of apprehension, rumors of something unexpected, something unforeseen. For the inner circle of Twilight, her friends, family, and mentors of the like, it was a subject to be greatly abhorred.
And since the first whispers were heard, and since the first rumors cemented themselves into the inner conscience of these creatures of power, they too would soon face the same dilemma and apprehension that every one of humanity’s creations had since faced. What do you do at the dawn of meeting your apparent creator?
Would it be in denial, or something else?
All of the nobles were apprehensive today, but like everyone else in attendance on this monumental day, a one-of-a-kind day, the day when the first shift of royal powers in over a millennium, was not about to be placed in a sour and foul mood over a simple rumor. From far and wide did the greater world of Equus come in attendance to Canterlot for this very day, be it out of simple respect or even curiosity, giving their respect to the pony who would soon become Equestria’s new ruler, Twilight Sparkle. It was a great day… all things considered.
The Trains from the Dragon lands, Saddle Arabia, and plenty more were arriving on time, the common pony and nobility did not care about their stature today, for Twilight had brought them all for a simple, yet equally as important reason. Her coronation was met with little opposition, especially coming from other nations like the Minotaur or Griffons, who were hardly affected by Equestria’s far-reaching influence but still benefitted in some capacity. Even some far of Reindeers showed up to the coronation. Not only that, but even some other far-dimensional friends like Sunset Shimmer had sent a letter to Twilight to congratulate her.
All was well…. that is, except for four ponies in attendance. Formosa Box, Fine Print, Turncoat, and Hard Flick. These four ponies were about to wait in tense apprehension, not at all relieved by the great occasion about to behold. They were going to wait for a specific person, or for their context now, a specific griffon. Their boss had come to take part in this… monumental moment.
...
“So, this is where we part ways?” Write hesitantly asked Formosa as she get off the express.
“It seems so,” Formosa replied, “but we’ll meet back here eventually, I’m sure you can handle yourself. Plus, Winger will take good care of you, so hop at it while I still got some things to deal with right now.”
“Oh… ok, well thanks for the ride again!” she thanked him until she suddenly realized that Winger had already left, she tried to catch up, but it was unclear if she managed to reach him.
That aside, the trains were busy today, a good day for businesses, their trip from Ponyville was relatively short, with plenty more trains inbound from Las Pegasus and Manehatten arriving soon after. Hatt, who was in charge of the railway while the coronation took place, was already hard at work organizing timetables and schedules for coming trains and some outbound.
Formosa greeted the guest that arrived using his services. He did spot Turncoat in the crowd but knew their discussion would have to be saved for later, while Turncoat made a dash to where he assumed the safe house to be.
But despite that, Formosa never found their special guest of a griffon, so we waited and greeted more and more that came by. Flick and Print were both still in Canterlot, so it was likely that they were still in the safe house. He and Turncoat might just have to go the extra lengths to find Hector, something he wasn’t too keen on even doing, let alone forging a plan for.
The coronation proper was about to begin, and it was blatantly obvious despite the large commotion that made it hard to draw anything specific. With all the guests waiting in anticipation for the ceremony and all the formalities to finally begin. The event itself was grand in all regards, and the plans for after the ceremony were nothing short of phenomenal!
An iconic scene was about to take hold but neither Write nor Winger were able to take in the scene as they were, although suddenly in Write’s opinion, pulled aside by one of the Night Guards of Luna, who silently escorted them into the inside of the castle, after all, with Winger being the inspector and Write just so happening to be with him as a journalist, some ponies just have to keep up a good act to fit in. And these two would prove to have one of the best spots as the whole ordeal was about to unfold.
From their perspective, everything would seem to be going smoothly, but they knew better, varying in the knowledge of what is about to happen, with Winger being fully informed whilst Write could only murmur about the rumor. After that, they simply had to wait for the ceremony to finish up and then proceed to work on the next half of this whole thing. With Write doing the traditional journalistic bullshit of interviewing Celestia, Twilight, and maybe even Luna. As for Winger, he got the short end of the stick and would have to try and deal with some obsolete guard formations and tactics, with Shining Armor maybe trying to sweet-mouth him about his records.
…
Meanwhile, At the Safehouse…
“Alright, are you guys sure that we’re ready to pounce?” Flick asked his fellow companions, who didn’t share his optimism for what was about to come. “What? Don’t you think you should be pumped up before the big show? You know, kind of a big reveal for us!”
“Yes, we get the point, Flick. We’re just not in the mood to wait for things to happen, after all, even Formosa’s mastery in particle manipulation can’t do jack shit in making the commissioner walk any faster. So yeah, we’re stuck here waiting for Hector to bring himself into the complicated mess he had made.” Turncoat said, his sour tone doing no justice to the debilitating experience he had to go through from Las Pegasus to Canterlot. To say the least, he was simply relieved at finally having arrived for the final deliberation for the big four. “Besides, I’m sure they’ll turn up eventually… speaking of which, I was told that we’d sneak through a back channel, then we’ll wait for the signal to start the breach, yeah?”
“Scientific bullshit aside. Yeah, we’re going to use the old tunnels over there, which lead directly to the underpass of the castle.” Print said.
Looking at where he was directed, Turncoat thought it was an abandoned mineshaft, which it could very well be. “So we’re going in through there… so how exactly are we going to know when the signal is up?”
“You’ll know when the signal’s up when you feel it.” Print said, his reassurance although vague, was enough to put at ease most of the trio’s worries. “Listen, ask that to Flick, he was the one that provided Doc Cab with the schematics and flares for their part, and I’m sure you know that his crew would play along. So in the end, I’m sure they’ll figure out something, either way, their bait and nothing more.”
“If you say so…” Turncoat hesitantly said, leaving it at that. There was a moment of thinking, tense as they waited for Hector and Formosa to arrive.
And at their most crucial of moments, just as the three were about to make a gamble to leave and try to search for Hector. There came a knock on the door, whoever was on the other side was clearly patient enough to wait for their knock to be answered if the trio’s hesitation was anything to go by.
A call that Print decided to take the initiative in, and open the door for, to reveal that the new face that turned out to be…
Canterlot Castle, the main balcony overlooking the Royal Assembly…
“So, are you ready, Twily?” Shining Armor asked, patting his little sister’s head in brotherly affection.
Never would he think that he’d see the day that his little sister, Twilight Sparkle, the book nerd of the family, would become the successor of Celestia and Luna in leading Equestria. It was a sight to behold, but one he didn’t exactly come unprepared for, after all, a sibling rivalry could make a bond that lasts for decades on end.
“What do you mean?” Twilight playfully asked, “I’ve always been ready for this, and even then if I wasn’t… I’ve always got my friends to turn to.”
A heartfelt moment, all things considered, with the massive crowd just outside to see the ceremony that Celestia and Luna were about to perform to solidify Twilight’s ascension, to even the few that came to personally accompany her at this moment, her friends and everyone else were in high spirits. But, that didn’t mean Shining Armor was having any peace of mind, after all, he didn’t just return to his position as captain of the Royal Guards for the third time for no good reason.
In fact, as much as some news headlines might present him as a lower pony when compared to his sister’s achievements, he was actually fairly competent when push comes to shove, even having a complex web of informants all over Equestria, not as far-reaching as those of Luna’s, but far enough that he could hear most of the major news before they even hit the front papers. It was a neat little system, but one that required full secrecy and a sizable amount of bits to maintain and operate on a near-constant basis.
This event, Twilights coronation, would be no different, as he had received an anonymous tip as early as two weeks ago concerning the event. Brotherly protection and whatnot, he had vowed to protect those he considered family at all cost. Twilight was no exception, and he had, dare he say, an excellent show and competence amongst peers to boot. Whether that high spirit was to be upheld, he was unsure, as he had also heard that The Flickers had sent a representative to do an inspection, in line of course for a higher standard for such an event, for national security and then some, and he did not fail to impress, much less in front of an infamous yet rightfully successful company of mercenaries and military instructors.
“Why the long face?” Twilight asked her brother, seeing that he always seemed worked up tended to also worry her, seeing as how if Shining had to worry, that meant something was lurking.
“I-it’s nothing,” he said, trying to downplay his predicament, but he wasn’t as good as an actor as he was a commander.
“Aw come on now, I know that face when I see it, what’s wrong?” She insisted, her guts insisting on knowing.
Shining shook his head as he tried to alleviate that clear hesitation he had, one he knew might spiral into indecisiveness. That was, however, short-lived as Twilight did one of the oldest tricks in the book, those puppy eyes. Of course, how could the older brother resist such eyes!? And reluctantly, he shared a little of something with Twilight, making sure to reassure her that everything would be A-ok, despite him having no peace of mind.
“Twilight… ” he hesitantly started, “I- I’m going to be straight with you on this one, ok? Cuz I feel like there might be a problem later on…”
“How so?” she asked.
“Weeeelllll…” his hesitation persisted, but there was only so much that his sister could do to convince him for long. “I’m just… I’m worried, it’s your big day and all, and not every creature could be a friend, sometimes they’re a foe in disguise as one.”
That was… very heartfelt coming from Shining, who knew a thing or two about disguised foes if his wedding was anything to go by, and Twilight knew her brother only did what he thought to be for her own good. Drawing closer to give him a hug, she tried to reassure him and subside his worries. “Whatever could happen, whatever may happen, you should be worried about nothing. We’ve got the princess’s blessing and friends to come when in need.”
A small smile adorned Shining Armor, her sister had changed so much from the little filly he once knew and called a sister, but before he could say his peace, if he even had one, there came a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it, just get yourself ready Twily, it’s your big day after all,” Shining said, making some quick distance as he reached to answer the door.
“Who is it?” Shining asked aloud, he was hesitant to let anyone enter, but there was one particular pony who he had been expecting since the early morning.
“It’s Loose Winger, I’m here for the guard inspections.” The voice replied.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere below the lower floors…
“Are the charges ready?” Caballeron asked his crew, still as hesitant, or even regretful as ever about what he had managed to get him and his crew entangled with.
Setting up these explosive charges with these… these things. They worked as fast as they could, as quietly as they could, the finer details didn’t matter to them, just finishing this and making it out alive was all that mattered.
And he could still remember the tremendous shock he had when Flick dropped off these crates by the spot they had agreed on, back then, he only knew he was in deep trouble, but didn’t expect it to be anything big. If anything, this was anything but simple, it was complex as Tartarus!
This could go down as one of the most devastating attacks in the history of Equus! Maybe even rivaling the usurpation that Sombra had instigated. Simply being in possession of a few kilos of explosive, much less purpose-built dynamite could land him and his crew the death penalty in most nations and life imprisonment in solitary confinement for Equestria, something that he didn't expect before getting entangled with this shtick but was very much now turning into a likely prospect in the advent of such an explosion.
And even if Turncoat and Flick could convince the best defense attorney that bits, fame, power, and conviction could buy, there was no way that they could get the famed Fine Print to take the case and risk a loss to his winning streak. The only real way the once criminal doctor saw him and his crew getting out alive was if someone else actually takes the fall, which he believed to be unlikely. The mere fact he owned dynamite could land him a life sentence in Tartarus and the rest of his crew either a decade of solitary confinement or three decades of incarceration without probation. If he was caught breaking it down to basics, i.e. Black powder, he could maybe get an even worst sentence for its implications alone.
No one, not even in the history of any other nation, let alone Equestria, had a crate full of dynamite, let alone gathering the materials needed to create a crate full of it, with the ingredients and recipe for Black Powder practically being lost and forgotten in the sands of time, it was a terrifying prospect that Hard Flick, the de facto leader of a prominent PMC stationed in Equus, was able to even deliver such a volatile thing.
Ever since Sombra’s resignation from the Crystal Empire, the resulting court case that happened after had practically outlawed the production and distribution of dynamite and practically having unicorns magic in explosives standardized and licensed for, with extra measures being taken to nullify and mitigate the production of dynamite and the like in the first place, even going as far as to erasing everything, every single record and even news that alluded to it, with the only thing remaining of such thing being the memory of what Black Powder could do and make, one of which was dynamite.
As the story went, after Sombra had instigated some small rebellions and promptly crushed those very same ones he instigated with his military leadership, he had a claim to legitimize his right of conquest and as a competent ruler, so with enough support to back him up, he instigated a military coup against Princess Amora and promptly succeeded in his usurpation.
What followed was, as much as the other nations of Equus would like to deny it, the fastest economic growth seen to date, under his rule, the Crystal Empire was brought to its highest point in terms of military strength and trade, even going as far as to enforce a foreign policy that had practically every major nation sign an agreement on a plan that allowed the Crystal Empire to monopolize the production of ‘civilian-grade’ Black Powder for ‘civilian’ use in mines and build railways in the form of dynamite and flare posts.
For the most part, he stuck to those agreements, of course, that is until he instigated a global war that had resulted in the near complete breakup of the Crystal Empire, were it not for Princess Cadance’s intervention. The war itself took its toll, and with the use of such things, brought out the worst of the worst for everyone involved. And with that, history took its course, and the defeat at the Foot of Canterlot and Everfree during the midsummer heat had directly resulted in defeat after defeat for him, and with the Battle for the Northern Valley ending in an Equestrian victory, he was forced to resign as the ruler of the empire, what happened after is a mystery shrouded in fear, as rumors sprouted far and wide.
And yet despite that livid history for one specific powder, one that’s had a prolific effect in the entire course of honesty and destruction, Caballeron found that his crew was nearly finishing up with the odd job they had found themselves in. As he personally did the final touches for what Flick called ‘the receiver’, they all said their silent prayers, hoping in Celestia’s name that the ancient spells that once protected these near ancient walls still had the strengths and resistance that they once had when the Crystal War broke out and the threat of such things was still present.
A small *ding* was heard, signaling that everything was prepped, rigged, and ready to blow. All of them looked back at the work they had unknowingly got themselves into, the work that they had played a part in.
Each dared naught to break the silence they shared at the moment. Each member of Caballeron’s crew looked in some way of shame, avoiding eye contact or even distancing themselves from the entire scene entirely, but what’s done is done. Now, there was no way they could simply deny it, not with just how big of a deal this is.
They came and did what they set out to do, and as quickly as they had gone in, they left as fast as they could with no intention of being anywhere near the blast when those rigged explosives would eventually go off. Silent prayers trailed them as their good conscience shadowed them, haunting and reminding them of the cost of clearing a long-lasting debt in the name of achieving a new life, a life that would be shadowed with memories of the past.
…
Meanwhile, Canterlot Underground Tunnels…
The squad of five had finally emerged from their long and quick haul across these underground tunnels. Not the most comfortable ride if one had to describe it, but it served well enough for their purposes today. And though these tunnels may seem like a complex maze, it was unlikely they would get lost even if they took a wrong turn, after all, they had already mapped the entire tunnel system beforehand.
That… and there were clearly other things that bothered Moses as he looked down at his watch strapped to his left. It was his job to know, so while they walked the rest of the way up, he asked his boss a question. “So are the masks really going to work?”
Receiving a side glance of relative indifference in return from his boss, he persisted still. “I mean, how do we know these illusions are going to fool them, let alone hold up if things go sour?”
An involuntary sigh escaped him as his boss replied. “They wouldn’t be if we got them from anyone except Maria and Yosef,” Erwin said, “Besides, what’s with the long faces? Aren’t you happy to see someone who has a position as a boss?”
His question was ill-received, to say the least.
“Are we really going to argue about this?” Erwin asked again, receiving a unanimous shaking of the head from his subordinates. “Good, because I’d love it if you mumble about your problems on your own, I’m just here to watch the display about to unfold.”
“We know…” the group unenthusiastically responded.
A sigh of exasperation and Erwin knew he had to at least comfort the men that served under him. “If it makes you feel any better, these illusionary displays might be enough to fool even some of the members of the Committee of National-Expeditionary Security, and should worst come to worse, the plate carriers that we have should be able to dissipate most of all the Group-B particles.”
“And yet here we are testing it against something new and untested before.” Connor responded, “Tell me, have you ever witnessed, let alone heard, any one human even harness what we have grown to call ‘Magus Residue’?”
A quick side glance and a stare were all the confirmation needed to know that the answer to his question was a ‘no’.
“As I thought…”
“We wouldn’t be here if prospects back at the capital ship are dire, now would we!?” Erwin retorted, his tone growing in hostility as it was clear that he wasn’t t only one who had it rough.
The remark itself was a fair one in most regards, if the recent reports were anything to go by that is. And should worst come to worst, human intervention might really just be the tip of a long effort to become godlike.
A thought that didn’t exactly settle well in their stomachs, as its implications likely entailed more work for an Intergalactic Empire in all but name that was overstretched and undersupplied in some sectors, oh what have they become?
Yet it was no cause for these five to slow down, let alone step down from the position of virtue that they had got themselves involved in. Deep down, they were men with a job to fulfill, men who are partaking in one of humanity’s greatest endeavors of not only becoming gods of their own region but potentially rivaling something beyond the farthest star or farthest darkness.
There is the light of a new era in the horizons, and just as they emerge from the tunnel passage from where they came from, their masks are ready to cast their illusions. They moved forwards with a stride of knowing the purpose, careful to avoid any stray eye.
The dawn of a new horizon could be felt, the following shine of luster further cementing the feeling of warmth, of something new.
…
LUSTER DAWN, Canterlot Castle balcony…
The crowd was restless as they cheered on to witness this monumental moment in Equus’s history. With hundreds of thousands from far and wide in order to witness this historic event in their history, with plenty more eagerly waiting for the news to be written about it.
5…
Twilight had her friends and loved ones by her side, in the very room where it was all about to happen. From the view of other VIPs or the likes nearby, they were about to witness Celestia and Luna cement the new ruler of Equestria’s ascension to the throne, being able to bear witness to this monumental power shift in ages, one that had yet to occur since the end of the Age of Empires. With some of them personally giving their good wishes and such, Shining Armor felt a part of his back's fur rise in anticipation for something…
4…
The Equestrian Diarchy, one that had more than a fair share of millenniums worth of history, was about to conclude to give rise to the ascension of Twilight Sparkle. Her hesitation to go out onto that balcony to take her rightful place in the coming age subsided as she looked back and saw friends and family alike encourage her to push through and accept her new place, her grand role in a new life.
Things may change, everything will change, but that won’t mean the memories of old would be gone. Twilight had her friends and family by her side. And when she walked out onto that balcony to cement her greater fate, the crowd bellowed, with the voice of thousands expressing joyous approval, which also gave Twilight a euphoric sense of relief, knowing that her subjects would accept her place in this new era.
3…
Luna and Celestia each began to give their speech, it was quick and short for the most part, and everyone knew it was a precursor to the main event, a sort of little solemnity, and was there for formality’s sake. As now everyone eyed in anticipation for the new monarch of Equestria to show face.
2…
In an instant, an uproar of cheers greeted Twilight. A simple wave from Celestia was all that was needed to calm and hush them, as the ceremony was taking hold. As with any sovereign sworn into service, so too must they make their vows, the vow of service, commitment, and willingness to the position, the nation, and the world they are about to enter. A vow that Celestia and Luna asked Twilight, and who in turn gave her simple answer to all of them.
“Yes, I accept it as so, that even in the face of death, I will do what is right and just in my power and judgment.”
But before she could receive her new crown to cement her place in this new era, she first, in turn, had given a speech, the first of many more to come, she poured her heart out in genuine thanks for the opportunity that life had given her, she was grateful, eternally so.
For the near entirety of her entire life, she thought she’d just grow up to be another Royal Mage of Canterlot, even when she became Celestia’s pupil, yet never would she expect to be at the very same balcony that Celestia had shown her the whole of Canterlot all those years ago, would she again also overlook the very same city, the very same nation she grew up in, not as a young pony still growing up, but as the sovereign about to lead it into a new era, a golden age.
But not everyone shared that enthusiasm, as Winger for his part braced himself for something big, being a bit reserved of the whole ordeal as that gut feeling was shared with Write, with both of them closing their eyes in anticipation of the thunderous roar about to come. Being heeded no mind by everyone else in the room, as everyone except them was caught up in the moment.
1…
And as the highlight of it all, as the crowd’s enthusiasm reached its peak and the anticipated thunderous roar of praise and enthusiasm showered Canterlot, some swore it could even be heard from the far ends of Equestria as if it dared reach as many as possible.
Like nothing else was important except to celebrate this sacred and monumental moment. And when the moment was just right, when Twilight had concluded her speech, with much rejoicing from the many, the crowns of Celestia and Luna fused into one. It was slowly lowered atop Twilight’s head to cement her ordained ascension.
And as the crown finally came to rest atop her head, the crowd’s uproar again being reinvigorated as a show of fireworks (courtesy of the Griffon Federation) flew up to fill the skies with wonder as the Wonderbolts performed hoof-in-hoof with the display overhead show. So too did the ticking bombs slowly reach their end. With what following suit being a loud, earth-shattering…
BOOM…
And as the explosion rocked the entire city, like a massive earthquake at play, panic quickly followed suit, as the shockwave it sent went far and wide and with just how loud and likely devastating it was, shattering windows and throwing many off balance with just how violent and sudden it was, in the commotion Twilight lost her new crown in the ensuing chaos.
But the crown was the least of her worries as Celestia and Luna reflexively shielded Twilight with their wings as Shining Armor pulled them all back into the room from the outside of the balcony with his magic, encapsulating them with his magic’s iconic magenta hue.
“WHAT WAS THAT!?” Twilight asked in a frantic voice, having been pushed off balance as the earth-shaking seemed to be the result of an explosion spell taking hold.
Initially baffled, she had wanted to take to the sky to guide those down below to a safer route, but it seemed like Cadance was quicker. So instead, she wanted to check if those that were with her in the room were ok, and for the most part, they were. But there was an instinctive feeling of hearts sinking as everyone’s mind wandered to what could have caused the explosion.
“GET EVERY PONY ON DAMAGE REPORT! GET EVERY PONY EVACUATED, NOW!” Winger commanded, not intending to have Shining Armor delay the necessary commands.
And with his voice of authority, the few guards that stayed by their side did as they were told, believing amidst the panic that it was one of their officer’s commands.
Shining Armor faired a bit better as he finished counting heads. There was a brief moment of contention as it was realized that Shining and Winger were likely at odds with who was to lead this group.
And knowing that Cadance could fend for herself, Shining decided that the best course of action was to lead them to a panic room, Winger, on the other hoof, wanted to evacuate the entire building in fear of structural instability from what could be an explosion. But before any one of them could discuss that, it was Shining who jumped the gun and believed his guts
“We’re leaving, now!” He said, urging every pony to follow him out, of course, Winger was at odds with that decision.
“But-” Winger’s protest was met with a near-instant denial from the white stallion.
“We’re leaving, now. So either get your ass up and moving or I might just get Celestia to court-martial your ass.” The remark visibly made the inspector flinch, and Shining quickly apologized. “I- I mean, I’m sorry, but It’s for our own safety and protection.”
Although Equestria had no authority over a private company, that wasn’t a venture that Winger was willing to risk. And with a reassuring nod from Write, both quickly made up their mind as they were off with the rest of them.
“Follow me!” Shining Armor shouted as he continued to lead the way with a gallop. Every pony followed suit, with the last two leaving the room being Winger and Write, the former keeping a mental head count of who was there and to make sure no one was left behind.
But as the group followed Shining Armor, who was giving commands to the many guards that passed them, there came a creeping sensation that was shared between Celestia and Luna, who in turn prepared for the worst.
A quick whiff of the air, and it was obvious there was a distinct smell of… something?
“Oh, goodness me! What was that horrid smell??” Rarity asked amidst the chaotic scene.
Overhearing the mare’s question, Shining answered in kind. “Well, then you’ll probably have to get a bit of hooves-on lessons to catch on because that was the smell of Black Powder. Cover your snouts if you don’t want to feel sick, we’re almost at the vault.” Shining Armor said, leading the pack of VIPs into the safe vault of the castle, from where he could easily defend
And just as quick as their gallop had started, it had ended in a halt as they stopped at a dead end, in front of them was the vault. A nod from Shining to Celestia and Luna confirmed what needed to be done, this was after all where the Elements of Harmony were originally kept for safekeeping. Channeling their magic to open the vault, every pony quickly entered in, and once everyone was inside, Luna and Celestia followed suit and closed the vault door behind them, ensuring that no one was left behind.
The vault itself wasn’t quite the same vault that once held the Elements of Harmony all those years ago, for one thing, it actually has a ventilation system! Courtesy of course by the Crystal Empire. That said, the major changes for this vault, apart from the aforementioned ventilation system, were some furniture and a good… dozen or so crates worth of supply, for how long it would last only Celestia might know.
“Make yourself at home,” Celestia said, “I’ll just have to discuss something important with your brother, Twilight.” As she waved Shining Armor, the Inspector, and Luna to one corner of the room to discuss something, making sure to leave Twilight to the comfort of her well-trusted friends. Of course, no one realized a particular missing draconiquus and purple dragon, but that wasn’t one of the many worries that they had for the moment.
Of course, once the four ponies managed to get away for private discussion, not everything was well and smooth sailing, as Winger, who had been reluctant to even follow the group in the first place, decided now was a good time to voice out his mind’s objections to the situation they are in now.
“I’m sure that you probably have a good reason as to why you would choose to build a panic room,” Winger remarked, slowly approaching Shining Armor as he inspected the vault itself, which was decent… at least for the likes of Royalty, if his time before Formosa with Flick was anything to go by. “But if you don’t mind me asking, why?”
His question’s answer wasn’t quite what he expected from the captain, as Shining Armor gave a heartfelt chuckle. “Well, if you must know, this was once the vault in which the Elements of Harmony were kept in,”
“I know that much,” Winger replied.
“Then you’d also know that it’s the safest place in this entire city, maybe even Equestria!” A claim that Winger wasn’t quite sold on, yet. “Then again, I’m due to thank a bunny for the tip they made. Courtesy for Fluttershy for telling me ahead of time of course.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then are you sure it would hold up against whatever that is?” As if on cue, there was a knock on the vault and a hard one at that.
The response to the knocking was at first calm, but once the knocking became louder and louder, it was clear that whatever was on the outside probably didn’t have any good intentions in store, and a slow rise in apprehension befell everyone in the vault.
Celestia, Luna, Shining, and Winger had moved from their corner in front of Twilight and her friends, planning on taking the brunt of what was about to come in. Twilight and her friends were trying to comfort each other whilst Write… just wrote the entire events that transpired as of now.
The vault door was clearly receiving a good beating, and even Shining could tell he might just have a run for his money if the growing dents were anything to go by. But the bashed soon slowed, then ceased to a crawl.
Silence as the tension grew, with each pony remaining silent as with careful ears, listened in on what might happen next.
“Oh shit,” Winger slipped, realizing what was about to happen if old plans from Flick were anything to go by, “EVERYONE GET DOWN!”
And in an instant, Shining quickly cast the age-old shield spell he knew to keep everyone behind him safe, creating a half dome that took the brunt of what happened next as the vault door swung open inwards with a violent ferocity, with the hinges miraculously holding up but unable to save the vault door itself from being bent and twisted brutally. As a direct result of the explosion, the smoke of its aftermath entered the vault room, creating a mist-like scene for the ponies inside.
Everyone was visibly shaken up, but Celestia, Luna, and Shining Armor would sooner rather die than let anything that would dare harm their precious ones get even a hoof’s reach in.
And they didn’t have to wait long to get their answers, as something emerged amidst the smoke, a tall and very lean creature. It wore what seemed to be a thick layer of black fabric clothes mixed with a great leather finish, and despite its shine, it hid most of its skin and a mask that hid any and near all facial features from their sight. Its posture was calm, albeit Celestia thought it was too calm of a posture, to the point that she thought that it was leaning itself into being an elaborate ruse.
And its voice didn’t come off as malicious, let alone one that striking and commanding of fear, quite the contrary, as it spoke in a patient tone, with a voice that Celestia and Shining Armor could faintly recognize, but was still vague enough to ensure that it was a bewildering voice for the likes of Twilight, and an apprehension inducing experience for Luna's part.
To describe whatever the creature was before them was kind of hard, between its features being mostly covered up by its thick clothes and the mask that hid any real identity to go by, their voice and height were the closes things they got to defining features.
“Well, well, well… look at what we got here, Erwin!” It bellowed a response, “Seems like Yosef got right with Sunburst, and you better believe me when I say that Connor would be waiting for that thanks, between the extra C4 from the basement and the thermal drill. God would have I fucking loved it IF ONLY we stayed on plan and caught them in the corridors, we could have made the whole abduction sequence plausible. Then again, I’m sure you know a thing or two about bureaucracy Erwin, so I guess we don’t get our works cut out cheap, right boys?”
“We?” Shining asked, the question having slipped by itself as a bad habit of being on the receiving end of conflicts he didn’t initiate. Celestia and Luna on the other hoof waited patiently for things to unravel. Celestia quietly gave Twilight and the rest behind them side glances to tell them everything was going to be A-ok.
Of course, Shining’s question was ignored as over the creature’s shoulders, they saw four more similar beings reveal themselves as a group. And although all of them seem to have worn the same black fabric and leather finish, each of the five had at least something to differentiate themselves from the rest of their contemporaries.
There was a clear height difference between all five. One seemed to bring a briefcase, another seemed to be bringing a long rod that reminded her of the Staff of Fulmination, there was the tallest one that looks so mundane that they simply had a cigar on where Twilight assumed their mouth would be if they had one, one even had a cane to help for what seemed to be a limp, with the first one now seeming to be the accumulation of all previous in some aspects.
A soft chuckling was made by the one whom Twilight assumed to be the leader of the bunch. “Well, it seems like the whole gang is here.”
“Aw…” one cooed, “did the Big Three try to slip one right under us?”
Now it was Twilight’s turn to ask, “Big Three?”
All that the creatures needed to do was simply point in the direction of Luna and Celestia to tell the first part of the story. “Nothing to be ashamed of, now is there? The first was Grogar before his eventual passing, after which the subsequent job opening was given to Discord, which was followed by the both of you being ‘blessed’. We even gave you lot a little nickname to boot, the ‘Little Three’, those who were entrusted with power by the EN.T.T. Kind of a shame the N.E.S. never caught on with what angle we were playing from.”
Celestia only stared with an uncaring ferocity, whilst her sister looked away in some semblance of shame. A story they had yet to tell anyone else in the world of Equus. Which gave Celestia and Luna a hint in their mind to the missing Discord, where ever that draconequus was, maybe, just maybe, he was clearly hiding away if what these creatures who they knew to be some of the implied higher beings from their old stories.
“Entrusted…?” Twilight finally asked aloud.
Truly, Twilight (along with her brother) was left in the dark, what was this mystical shtick all about? Even then, she knew that they, with the help of her friends, could channel the virtues of harmony one last time, maybe? She wasn’t so sure, especially with the Young Six being another matter to worry about. Maybe the Spirit of Harmony or even Discord could cut in for them for Celestia’s sake!
So instead, Twilight’s little push to the center stage was another way for her to play her bluff, make herself known, and become a big player in this.
Of course, the display of bravery wasn’t anything new for the humans, but Moses was perplexed, dare he say, curious by the display.
“And who might you be?” he asked, deciding to humor the new monarch.
“I’ve heard about you, from a friend of a friend, and even if we don’t have the Elements of Harmony now, you are still going to need us, because you have nothing, not without my help.” Her direct response ignored his question, and the words she said crawled under his skin, sparking something he hasn’t felt in a good while.
Despite the height difference between the two species, and clearly up against a group, there was rising tension between Twilight, an upstart in all regards of being a sovereign, and Moses, who had a fairly obscure but brutal record to his name, at least to those who knew.
A quick breath in and out as he gave his response. “Don’t take our hospitality as kindness, Ms. Sparkle. You are flesh just is the case for Celestia and Discord. You may be a sovereign of your nation-”
“And to be a sovereign of my subjects, I will stand for them all!” Twilight retorted, spreading her wings up high as she took a semi-defensive stance in front of her brother. “And if gods aren’t merciful, then we’ll just have to make them bleed.”
And that was it, the proclamation he had been waiting to hear as a small smile crept up Moses’ face that was hidden behind his mask. “Is that so? Well then, riddle me this, what do you know?”
And as she was about to give her remark, to truly cement the fact that she knew more about the inner workings of magic, to cement the facts of what she knew about alternate realities and the many universes she had theorized. To cement the fact that she was above these creatures in both achievement and rite, her entire world had been paused in an instant...
